crispydonutcheesecake

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PROJECT NIKO| Dead Boy Detectives Watch Party

As someone who was around in the beginning of the fandom for the first round of watch parties, I can confirm that even though the results weren’t huge due to the small number of people in the fandom, they were noticeable and I believe we can do that again. Example:

Netflix has saved shows before due to the strong fanbase behind these shows rallying behind the show, we can do the same. And do it in time for a rumored billboard, spread the word!!

And if you’re reluctant due to the allegations of that person, I can reassure you that he isn’t a part of the show. His name was slapped onto the marketing onto the show due to the series being in the same universe as Sandman, the show was written by Steve Yockey and Beth Schwartz, while actually being produced by Doom Patrol’s Jeremey Carver.

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im just saying in this one scene edwin turns to charles a split second before charles turns to edwin which is symbolic of the fact that edwin realizes he's in love with charles just slightly quicker than charles realizes he's in love with edwin. charles turns and edwin is already there, facing him - it's a fraction of a second. this is important because of homosexuality.

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Does Charles miss his life, or just life? Does he really hate being dead, or does he hate how he died?

I've seen some artists interpret the light house crash out scene as Charles missing his old life and probably struggles more with being dead than Edwin. While that is a good interpretation, I don't think Charles's feelings about life and death are that simple.

I think Charles hates how he died and wishes he and Edwin could experience living together.

Because, objectively, dying at 16 from hypothermia and internal bleeding because your racist friends beat you and drove you to a frozen lake is a terrible way to go. No amount of good in Charles after life will change that, so it makes sense he would regret that no matter what.

He grew up in an abusive household and went to school with a bunch of posh rich kids, so he probably wouldn't miss his life, just what life could've been. If he got to be old enough to move out and live on his own terms, old enough to leave his shitty house and shitty school.

Now he's made a good after life with Edwin. He co-founded a successful detective agency, he has a best friend who loves him unconditionally, and he goes on adventures every day. I have no doubt he loves his afterlife with Edwin and wouldn't change that for anything, but you can still love the outcome and hate how it happened.

Obviously, Charles couldn't say all of that because he was reeling from having his worst memories thrown in his face and his friends being scared of him. He makes up for this when he tells Edwin,'I wouldn't want to be dead with anyone else'.

Charles would want to be dead with anyone but Edwin, and he wouldn't want to be alive with anyone but Edwin. He would want to experience growing up and old with Edwin.

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He’s really just a gay mess and I love him so much for it

People act like Edwin is the Mature and Serious One(tm) as opposed to Charles the loose cannon, but let's not forget that Edwin canonically:

Gets tethered to Port Townsend because he is super horny for the Cat King and lets his guard down for 0.5 seconds

Lies to the group about his growing involvement with the Cat King over the course of the season, including trying to hide their meeting in Lighthouse Leapers

Makes the final call to take a bag of taffy and a cursed magic 8 ball that tells you when they're going to die as payment for a case (he is already dead)

Spends a ridiculous amount of energy learning about astrology because a cute boy likes it

Has his first kiss with a crow that turned into a boy because an evil witch was trying to enact an elaborate revenge plot

Confessed his love for Charles on a staircase in literal Hell instead of running from the monster made out of doll heads that is hellbent on eating him for the millionth time

Bro is a hot mess and I'm tired of pretending that he is some formal mature guy when he's actually really cool and relatable

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Now that they’ve released the names of the new sandman episodes i think is fair to assume that our dead boys will likely appear in the first episode which is called “Seasons of mists” and I’m just so excited about the fact that we’ll see them one more time.

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Dead Boy Detectives Fic Recs Part 12

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 Part 7 | Part 8 | Xmas | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11

I had a long train journey so lo and behold, it's time for another fic rec list. You guys are all awesome! See here for the full AO3 collection.

what's pasta is present by laiqualaurelote

Charles goes to a drag show and has a bisexual awakening. This is the Barbara Lasagna fic we all needed with bonus Sexy Handyman Charles, tender falling in love feels and fabulous fanart.

this fabulous mess we're in by dearheartdont

Another Alive Boys University AU with Edwin taking care of Drunk!Charles. The yearning is off the charts and I'm pretty sure it's mutual. 😉 So so lovely.

Wedding Vows and Other Lies by ghostinthelibrary

When his beloved uncle dies, Edwin unexpectedly inherits his entire massive fortune, on the condition he marries and stays married within/for a year. Naturally, his best platonic friend Charles is more than ready to make it happen, despite the hostility of Edwin's family and other skulduggery... This is another banger from ghost, this time with Fake Relationship/Marriage, Mutual Pining/Idiots in Love and Knives Out vibes! I also loved Author Edwin accidentally basing his detective hero on Charles and his own traumatic backstory. It happens, I guess.

the night here in the day by Cesare

During a case, the boys run into Sa'al. Who inadvertently plays matchmaker. Love the Hell lore and Edwin gossiping with Sa'al and flirting with Charles.

a world without you (isn't meant for me) by fairest

Simon escapes Hell with Edwin AU with Simon being a massive Third Wheel and Charles being insecure. Love the concept and it's so well done!

deshabille | shieldable by DarkStars (Worlds_Okayest_Goalie)

The boys work through their trauma and protective feelings for each other. And also cases. Also explores Edwin's friendships with the girls and feeling realization for Charles in a really sweet way and has lovely family feels for Charles and his mum towards the end.

if I found my body in chains by Ingi

In which processing his trauma causes Charles to mentally regress to childhood in moments of stress. This is a really interesting take on the de-ageing trope with absolutely peak Protective Edwin and I love it.

Detectives' Day Out by Baby_Spinach

Alive for a day fic! The boys get to have a lovely time and nothing hurts, it's great. I recently rediscovered this story and I can't believe I haven't already recced it, tbh.

Ain't That a Kick in the Head? by DontOffendTheBees

Charles and Edwin negotiate the fate of our beloved office sofa. Underhanded tactics are used. Just cute, funny fluff starring the fandom's real MVP.

the sound of their breath fades with the light by KiaraSayre

The boys wake up corporeal and with amnesia in the Neitherlands but still save each other. Also has some fun timey wimey details as their different St Hilarion's eras/ memories clash. Another great fic from this author!

Five Times the Boys hang out at Edwin's place and One time they go somewhere New by autumn_equinox_04, qwanderer, wordsinhaled

I think this is based on the restauranteur/food critic AU that was doing the rounds on Tumblr. Now upgraded to a cooking show! Very cute, much yearning and excellent friends to lovers.

Pipe Dream by edmcmayonnaise

While escaping evil wizards via tunnel, the boys get wedged into the tiny gap between iron-reinforced pipes and forced proximity boners/feelings realisations ensue. It's kind of PWP but emotional and cute.

you might be the answer to the sinner in me by purposefullyinlove

Charles has a one night stand with his old (girl)friend Crystal and then immediately falls for her bitchy flatmate Edwin when they meet the morning after. Also has a much longer sequel from Edwin's point of view focusing on his insecurities about their developing relationship. Both highly recommended!

the soft bruised parts by williamvapespeare

Absolutely lovely contribution to DontOffendTheBees' Domestic AU. This one is a prequel set during their school days featuring the boys looking after each other the best they can through Charles' canonical child abuse and Edwin's insomnia and social anxiety. It also has the Sharing a Bed with Beloved Cures Insomnia trope, which I kind of love. Superb Emotional (and physical) Hurt/Comfort.

And I will come again, my Love by Leandra

Alive Boys 1916 AU! Edwins' parents own the local manor house and Charles is the poor neighbour who sneaks into their grounds to swim in their pond. So, of course, the boys must skinnydip together and fall in love. This one is Lust to Love and really leans into the class divide and so it has a kind of tragic doomed lovers vibe, with an extra layer of gothic romance towards the end. Read it!

Roses and Indelible Ink by thewritingotter

In which Edwin is immortal and regular human Charles is his pining friend and gardener. This one is a short and bittersweet immortal/mortal romance that plays with their 'age gap' in interesting ways.

in corridors of dreams (now with you forever) by ObsessedWithFandom

What if Edwin escaped Hell a little sooner? And noticed Charles? Who notices he's being haunted (but in a nice way)?? And they had a ghost romance??? I love this concept, Charles is living the Ghost (1990) dream.

@laiqualaurelote @dearheartdont @ghostinthelibrarywrites @codenamecesare @tititilani @busywithmyennui @a-jasminator @dont-offend-the-bees @starsandatoms @qwanderer @autumn-equinox-04 @wordsinhaled @edmcmayonnaise @williamvapespeare @nuttersinc @kai-art @tumblerislovetumblerislife @not-the-living-ghost @whatthehorsedoicallthisblog @bibliomancer7 @guardianspirits13 @northen-light @shazziez @tessaaaaa @icurlybooks @lavenderlovers-stuff @kuwdora @tigerliliesandcherryblossoms @avoiceofnerat @khorazir @neurodivergent-fangirling @many-gay-magpies @littlepocketuniverse @fairandfatalasfair

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so i'm thinking things about how much i need to see crystal palace with gray hair.

see, the thing is that everyone dies so young on the show and it's really powerful to see these queer characters from older generations, yes, but it's really striking when you realize is that the queer character from the '80s died so young. hell, so did the character from the edwardian era. World War I and the AIDS crisis could have hit them anyways. hell, edwin could have died in a non-supernatural way in a similarly hateful way as well.

and god, getting to see one of the queer characters on this show actually make it to middle age and then to their older years would be so powerful to see.

because yes, we do have these older queer characters, but they're so young in appearance. they never got to live out their lives, grow older, get experiences, get to be part of the queer community as not just teenagers, but in their twenties, their 30s, into middle age and older years.

i'm realizing that not only do I care about seeing crystal as an older character for her own sake (i have a whole post full of thoughts about how important it is for her to get to grow/live/experience life on her own because I think it would be way more powerful for her arc to allow her to grow and change and experience life in a way that allows her to make her own decisions and grow as she never got to), but for the sake of everyone on this show.

just, crystal in her 70s/80s. getting to have survived and lived and I'm sorry, but elder queers just mean a lot, okay? outlasting the rest of your community. outlasting a world that said you were never going to last in the first place. surviving hit after hit, life after life, and making it to a place where you can go gray. where you can make it past everything that ever told you that you were not going to live, whether that be bad relationships or the world or whatever

just. crystal living.

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Honestly I don't really know what I'm saying here, it's late, but I'm just thinking about episode five of DBDA: The Case of the Two Dead Dragons.

Cause like, I feel the reason I enjoy this episode so much it because it's different than any other in the series really. And I mean that in that it's much more focused on the people the case is about than any other episode. And I feel like, if Dead Boy Detectives were as long as it deserved to be, like, at least five seasons, 20 episodes each, we would have seen a lot more like it.

Like:

Both episodes one and two, The Case of Crystal Palace and The Case of The Dandelion Shrine are Crystal and Niko's cases, and they are not only recurring characters, but they become part of the agency, so I feel these episodes are also different than episode 5.

Episode three, The Case of the Devlin House is probably the closest to episode 5 in regards to what I'm thinking of, as it does have the agency learning about the Devlin family, and all the fucked up shit that they went through and what the dad did. But still, you don't really get to know the characters the case is about. The agency doesn't talk to them really. The closest we get is Charles reading from Hope's diary, but that is only a fraction of Hope and the family's perspective on what happened. And that makes sense, because this episode isn't entirely centered on them, it's also about Charles and his trauma.

Episode four, The Case of The Lighthouse Leapers, also doesn't really allow you to get to know the people that the agency is saving either. They barely talk to the people who died because of Angie, and you don't really get to know the one who hired them, Dagfin, that well either.

Episode six, The Case of the Creeping Forest, doesn't even really have anyone who actually needs saving. There's Monty, who "hires" them for the case, but he's already a recurring character. And like, there's one bit where the ghosts outside the forest say it's like, bad, but that is it.

And then, for episodes seven and eight, The Case of The Very Long Stairway and The Case of The Hungary Snake, there aren't even clients. And these episodes don't really include any characters we haven't met before then.

Episode five, The Case of the Two Dead Dragons, is different though. We get to know Shelby and Maren. Hell, we even get to know Brad and Hunter a bit. I'm pretty sure they talk to Twitchy Ritchy for longer than most other one off characters related to the case in any other episode for goodness sake! We hear Shelby's story straight from her mouth, and get to see how much it affected her. This adds weight to the story, it makes us need to understand what really happend, to bring justice to somebody even if that isn't who we originally thought it was. We meet Maren, we get to see how desperate she was. How desperate she is when she tries to kill Crystal. When she realizes what she nearly did. We get to hear how she turned herself in, we get to understand what happened from her perspective. And we get to truly hate Brad and Hunter for what they did to both Shelby and Maren, who we get to feel for even though they only show up once.

And it just adds to how much more impactful this case feels as compared to how the mysteries of other episodes would be without the weight of the main characters' stories being there.

The Case of the Two Dead Dragons stands on its own, and we deserved to see more episodes of DBDA like this.

I've heard so many people nowadays say that they hate "filler" episodes, but they are so goddamn important.

A show isn't just a really long movie. It's a collection of stories that all come together, and that is beautiful. But recently there's been this push to make shows shorter. To cut out the filler and give it one really long, (or even just short) plot that encompasses the whole thing.

Dead Boy Detectives is truly great, one of the best shows ever, in my opinion, but it could've gotten a chance to be something more.

It could have not only continued the stories of the main characters, but it could've shone light on so many other stories. And considering how well this show does that in just eight episodes, the representation it has, I think a show like Dead Boy Detectives would be perfect for the job.

But alas, it didn't get to do that. It remains a little eight episode show that didn't change the world of television. But I will say that it definatly changed the world of those who watched it. And if it got the reach it deserved, if it got the amount of time it deserved to tell what it needed to tell, if got the marketing, if it got the chance...

This show is already amazing.

But just imagine what could've been.

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This gif.

That's it, that's the post.

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i feel like every other day i see posts being like, “is dbda fandom dead? where did everyone go?” and… no? we’re not dead? we’re very much still here.

i still think about my wip fics all the time; they’re not abandoned. i have more fic ideas, even though the words can be unpredictable sometimes so i haven’t done much on ao3 in a while. but i still have many more plans for fic, lots of gifsets in mind, more art i want to draw, and many, many more thoughts about these characters.

the dbda big bang/minibang is literally in progress right now with tons of beautiful fic and art in the process of being created. the fandom just released a 200 page zine full of fic and art! the fandom is making gifs, edits, fics, art, moodboards, playlists. the fandom is paying for multiple billboards to stay up for months at a time, to show support and love for the show & actors, and continues sending cameos to george and jayden when their cameos are open. there’s a fan meetup planned. there are new prompt weeks/events popping up all the time.

in short… the fandom and its talented and passionate creatives haven’t gone anywhere. some authors or artists’ interests may have shifted over time, or they are in multiple fandoms at a time (myself, i’m currently watching doctor who as well). but posting about how the fandom is “dead” or “abandoned” isn’t exactly the encouragement to create more that folks seem to think it is; instead it’s just baffling and a bit discouraging to those of us who absolutely are still here, creating out of love for a show that is barely over one year old.

maybe folks are not seeing the exact type of fic/art/gifs they want and think the fandom is waning as a result. but the best way to see the exact creative work YOU want to see is ultimately by creating it yourself - however new you might be to creating, there is no barrier to entry! or at the very least, connecting with the folks who are creating things and spreading genuine love for whatever is out there is the way to keep a fandom going.

much love to everyone <3

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I’m interested in how both Charles and Edwin treat the whole idea of being “detectives.”  Obviously, they are detectives.  They have formed a detective agency, they run cases, it’s their whole thing; it’s how they spend their afterlives.  But it’s more than just that.

They both take the detective work very seriously.  Edwin comes off, generally, as more serious than Charles about it, with his little asides about being a “proper” detective and the methodical ways he likes to do things, but Charles is clearly into it, too.  And sometimes it feels so clearly like they’re playing at the idea of being detectives that it’s almost like a game or a roleplay for them.  They want to be (and are) detectives, but they are two teenage boys who have styled themselves after the idea of being detectives.  Then there are moments where this “performance” of detective work begins to break down.

For Edwin, this happens earlier in the season.  In the first episode, he admits that the detective work matters because he needs it, emotionally, to matter.  His and Charles’s cases didn’t get solved, no one cared.  He needs someone to care.  That’s his investment in being a detective; its more than just a game for him.  When the Cat King casts his truth spell, this is only built upon.  He says he does the detective work, too, because he wants to stay out of hell.  For a while, though, I was trying to find Charles’s investment.  Yeah, his case was also written off when he died, but didn’t seem as upset about that as Edwin.  On the first watchthrough, I wondered if Charles’s investment in the detective work was simply because Edwin was invested.

Then there’s episode 4, when Charles beats the Night Nurse, and part of the speech he yells at her is about being a detective.  I think that’s when it started to click for me that there was something deeper going on with him, too, about the detective work specifically.  Charles is upset he died, he never came to terms with it.  I wonder if part of the reason he’s so invested in being a detective is because it gives him a sense of purpose and impact that he misses from being alive.  He could never stop the things he wanted to stop, never protect the people he wanted to protect, but at least he has this, with Edwin.  At least they are detectives, and Charles can feel needed, feel like his life didn’t end so early for no reason at all.  

I think a lot about the concept of ghosts having unfinished business and how that might apply to both Charles and Edwin, and I think that the detective agency, despite how it sometimes comes off as playacting, is deeply tied to both of their psyches.  Edwin needs the detective agency to feel like there was a point to everything that happened to him.  That maybe no one cared he disappeared, and maybe he ended up in hell, but it wasn’t for nothing.  They can try to keep it from happening to anyone again.  And Charles?  Well, he needs the detective agency because there was no point to what happened to him.  He shouldn’t have died, and he’s not ready to move on to an afterlife.  He needs to feel like he’s needed, like there’s something he can do.  If it hadn’t been a detective agency these two formed, it would have been something else because they had too many deep-rooted issues that have been sublimated into the agency itself.

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Listen, I have been having many thoughts about the shape of the character designs within this series, and how if this was any other series, Edwin would be a girl or Monty would be a girl. Like, Edwin is your classic female protagonist within a ya novel series in a lot of ways, while Monty is literally a femme fatale/honeypot/gothic heroine (see All My Thoughts on the subject). They are both more complicated characters than just their role within the story, but it just always strikes me so hard the way in which the shape of their gender affects their arcs and their queerness and adds an extra layer on top of classic tropes, such as the main character and her multiple love interests eventually falling for the best friend who's been at her side the longest and the Femme Fatale who was supposed to seduce the main character but ends up realizing the error of her ways and getting a Redemption Arc instead, only to lead to her own death. But the queerness of it all not only allows you to indulge in time worn tropes, but allows you to put a new, more compelling spin on them

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dead boy detectives. reblog if you agree.

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Rising from the dead (kinda) to summon the dbda fandom and ask for angst fan fic recommendations that will break my heart into pieces, or to be honest any dbda fan fic recommendations are welcomed

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First Sentence Fanfic Game

Thanks for the tag @aceofturtles

Rules: Share the first lines of ten of your latest fanfics (or up to if you have less!) & tag 10 people

Alright, I'm having a lot of trouble writing at the moment but it's a lot of fun to share old works here. I'm going from oldest to newest here.

All of them are Dead Boy Detectives and also all are nsfw, take care and check the tags before reading ❤️

1) "Also how do you usually deal with dead bodies?" Crystal asked and both Charles and Edwin turned towards her. [The Only Way I Can Be With You]

2) "Charles, what are we doing here?" Monty asked for probably the fifteenth time since they'd left and Charles couldn't blame him; he’d brought them to a graveyard after all. [Eat my Skin and Break my Bones]

3) Edwin didn't know how many times he had run these layers over and over again in his existence. [What is a Sin in Hell?]

4) "So technically the ones with the red berries aren't really mistletoes, you're thinking holly," Edwin explained and Charles chucked. [Mistletoe]

5) "Make you happy?" Edwin echoed a cute little frown on his beautiful face. [Make Me Happy]

6) "How did it go?" Charles asked immediately when Edwin entered the office through the mirror. [Blossom Wine]

7) Charles was mesmerized by the way Edwin stretched his neck. [Have a Break]

8) "Ghost can't eat," Charles replied even though it was none of David's business, but the demon chuckled. [Dangerous Dinner]

9) Soulmates sucked. [Give Me a Sign]

10) Edwin looked at the boy again; the boy that would probably not wake up again. [WIP you have to wait for]

I honestly don't know if I know 10 more people who haven't been tagged yet...

So if you see it, haven't done it yet and want to do it, you're hereby tagged!

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first sentence fanfic game

big thanks to @khorazir for the tag :D (sorry im a lil late)

rules: share the first lines of ten of your latest fanfics (or up to if you have less!) & tag 10 people

joint-stock: Blood drips onto the warehouse floor. Edwin would find the rhythmic sound soothing, had it not originated from a corpse stuck to the ceiling.

dandelion days: Edwin Paine is many things. Intelligent, blond, a talented baker. Presently, he is mostly just pissed.

times they met: The first time Charles Rowland sees Edwin Paine perform, he is six.

recovered in 1999: Crystal Palace has never been a fucking morning person. She firmly believes that anyone awake before ten is either old, boring, or both.

the case of the backup ballerina: The Wallace Opera House is, in Charles’ humble opinion, pretty brills

lemonade & sunrises: A bitter chill has set into Edwin’s bones. He buries his hands under Charles’ arms, trying to restore feeling into them. 

the manuscript of real people: Mud squishes under Edwin Paine’s feet as he crosses the grassy knoll. The air is sticky with the end of August heat; it plasters his hair to his forehead. 

unpublished pirate wip: The air is thick with the scent of stale beer and male sweat. Even with the windows open, the odor is tangible, creeping into her nostrils and finding home there.

tagging: @ahyperactivehero @genevievefangirl @dead-but-still-sarcastic @arrow-jsy @lire-casander @idkhowbutmyparentsfoundmyaccount @king-of-colors @makemeimmortalwithahug @nix-nihili @zmorak (if u have already been tagged then go write 10 more fics and then do this)

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Im writting a fem payneland slowburn highschool AU and at first Eden was supposed to have a BREIF kiss with Simone but the more i think about them the more I love(?) them and it has now somehow become a 5 month long situationship