#devlin; thoughts

[pyrokineticwarrior]

Devlin's Parents || Hades & Agni Devi

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

I always have a soft spot for characters who have a protective streak for another out of gratitude for their kindness towards them, but Charles’ protectiveness towards Edwin really hits a particular way because it’s so so apparent that it’s specifically about wanting Edwin to feel as safe and as comfortable around him as Edwin made Charles feel in his dying moments. I’m going to shatter like glass.

[emryses]

watching the dead boys (yk, as one does) and i'm at ep 4 where monty is returning edwin's book to him (valley of the dolls) which he explicitly!! refers to as edwin's copy. but we obviously have not seen edwin carrying this book on him, which can only mean one of two things. 1) edwin had to ask charles to get the book out of the bag of tricks or 2) edwin had to ask charles to go to the office to find the book for him, all just so monty could borrow it. both are frankly hilarious to me when thinking of charles' general distaste for all things monty. boy was probably grinding his teeth together like "yeah mate :) anything for you :)" <- actively withering inside.

[livinginadumpster]

One thing I really like in Dead Boy Detectives is the use of blood/gore/horror. With a TV-MA rating, a show with horror themes is obviously going to have some blood and violence, and there are clear instances if this in DBD, but while it's definitely there, it's almost never gratuitous. That's because scenes like the Devlin murders or Maxine's death aren't really about those deaths, rather, they're about the characters' reactions to them and the way the story is shaped by them.

In the Devlin house, the camera focuses not on the girls being killed but on Edwin, Crystal, and particularly Charles reacting to their murders with horror, shock, and anger. The blood splatters in a meaningful way, rather than simply a horrifying one, over the TV and the popcorn and the younger daughter's stuffed rabbit, tarnishing the innocence of everything it touches. While the tragedy of the murders themselves are important, the main focus is Charles' reaction to them as a result if his own trauma. Showing the minutia of the killings would take away from that, so it simply isn't there.

Even Maxine's death, while definitely played off more for shock value than the Devlin murders, serves a purpose. Episode 5 focuses on the failure of romantic relationships, on betrayals from those you thought you could trust, and the Maxine subplot adds to that. It begs the question, who can you trust in this world? At the end of the episode, the answer we are given is your friends, your found family, because love will kill.

It seems to me that the blood in hell represents the guilt of those it touches - Simon's wounds heal when he forgives himself; Edwin loses the blood covering him after Charles turns up to rescue him (albeit by a horrifying cause); the people in the Lust room are drenched in blood and get it on Edwin when they try to drag him down. It's not just there to demonstrate the horrors of hell, but to brand its inhabitants.

There are lots of other examples. The blood when Niko dies is there obviously because that's what happens when you get stabbed, but also (in my opinion) as a visual callback to her saying that red is the color of courage. The cat king's bloody corpse and Monty's blood-splattered face show Esther's ruthlessness and disregard for anyone in her path. Lilith is covered in blood as a symbolic part of her character design. Everything serves a purpose, narratively or symbolically.

(The only example of gore that served no particular purpose that I can think of was in episode one when the WWI ghost drooled blood all over Charles' face, but it was the pilot episode and that whole scene was meant to be shocking, so it can be forgiven.)

Anyway, I really like the way they use blood in DBD, because it shows such a level of detail and care. I enjoy horror but not gore so much, and to me it's refreshing to see it used so tastefully and executed so well.

[pyrokineticwarrior]

@worldofsenelfy

“I think we all wish we could erase some dark times in our lives. But all of life’s experiences, bad and good, make you who you are. Erasing any of life’s experiences would be a great mistake.”

— Luis Miguel

[ace-and-the-rpg-horrors]

is it just me who's genuinely confused why the show tries to tell us that Charles apparently has anger management issues? because that sort of suggests that he regularly lashes out, to an unreasonable extent, to the point where he's causing unnecessary harm. but i really can't see that?

there's two points where the other characters are scared by his anger. firstly, the Case of the Devlin House. and second, when he attacked The Night Nurse. from what i remember, that is it. those are the only two events where he seriously lost his temper

and both of them were... incredibly justified?

the Devlin father was an abusive and controlling person who reminded Charles way too much of his own father. not to mention, the timeloop they were in meant that Charles had to watch this awful man kill his wife and daughters again and again. Charles was in no way wrong or unjustified when he tried to attack him. he was furious at the violence against an innocent woman and two girls, as most people would be

and as for The Night Nurse, she was a genuine threat too. she was going to send Edwin back to Hell. his best friend and the person most important to him. Charles, once again, acted with the intention of protecting others. he was violent in his manner of pushing her off the cliff, but he really didn't have a choice. it was either get rid of her, or quietly accept his and Edwin's fate. Charles wasn't about to do that. he's a good friend

so, considering that both of his outbursts were during desperate situations in which he was acting in defence, i really struggle to see Charles as someone who's got "a rage problem." we only see him act out when he is pushed right to the edge. his anger is not irrational at all

[pippin-katz]

Edwin’s Empathy

Something I find interesting is how people, characters and the audience, react to Edwin's behavior. Specifically, the way he responds and talks. He's seen as cold and rude, lacking empathy. It's interesting because he is actually very empathetic, but shows it in ways that others don't pick up on.

For example, when Crystal is talking about her memories coming back, he asks if she remembered anything "useful". Charles indirectly scolds him by saying, "We don't have to be all business all the time, do we?"

Charles associates Edwin's question with business, but in reality, it's incredibly intelligent and empathetic is its own way. In order for Crystal to find her family, she needs to remember "useful" information. She's made her desperation to find her parents very clear throughout their time in Port Townsend. Edwin asking if she remembered anything "useful" is for her benefit, not just for business. Technically, she's a client, but he's also asking her as a friend.

A different example is how he handles Susan Kesler, the sister of the mother from the Devlin House. It's longer, so it's under the cut! ↓

Susan starts off on the assumption that they already know about the Devlin Family Murders, but Crystal interrupts to let her know they don't. Susan admits out loud that it is: "still hard to talk about." She recounts the murders, and after the comment from Crystal about the father being a monster, Edwin says, "But there is no inherent supernatural mystery to the murder."

Now, Charles immediately scolds him for "bedside manner" after he says this, to which Edwin responds with, "We are detectives who solve supernatural mysteries." He then turns to Susan, and says, "You already know who the killer is."

It might seem like he's being insensitive, but Edwin is actually being more mindful of Susan's feelings than the others, and no one picks up on it.

She doesn't want to talk about the murders. It hurts her to talk about the events of that night. She knows what happened. That is not why she's consulting the detectives. She is clearly there for a different reason, and Edwin steers the conversation towards that rather than dwelling on the murders from the past.

In fact, as soon as he says this, Susan's energy goes back up a bit. She had been a normal energy level when she entered, then it dropped while having to retell what happened to her sister and her family. When Edwin points out that the murders aren't a mystery, she jumps on the opportunity to get to the real issue.

"Someone... Something is still inside the house where they died," she says. Her voice has significantly more energy.

And Edwin does not dismiss her by saying, "And you know this for a fact?" He's not skeptical when he asks the question. It's completely genuine. He's collecting as much information as he can.

Susan is even more confident when she tells him about it. "I inherited the house after their deaths, but could never bring myself to go in. Then, after I died last week, I just wanted to visit one last time." It's only when she specifically recounts the screaming that she gets upset again.

She actually seems relieved to share her experience, like it's cathartic to tell someone. In fact, we have no idea how long ago Susan actually went to the house. It was probably before the boys were even in Port Townsend.

If we pay attention to the timeline here, Susan says she died "last week". The boys have only been in town for three days.

Day One: - arrived by ferry - went to Jenny's - visited Becky's parents - found Ester's house By then it's dark outside.

Night One: - went to the malt shop - had their fight - Edwin lassoed the cat - Crystal talked to Jenny & Charles showed her his parents - Crystal told the truth & they foughtt again - formulated a plan Then Jenny told Crystal to go to bed.

Day Two: - broke into Esther's house - rescued Becky - fought Esther - got Becky home The sun has gone down when they're approached by the cat.

Night Two: - approached by cat - taken to the Cat King - Edwin got whisked off & trapped by the bracelet It's morning when he's returned to the warehouse, and that is the start of their third day.

Day Three: - fought about the bracelet - got mail from the Ghost Postman - Crystal bumped into Niko who fainted - the boys went to Tragic Mick's - doctor looked over Niko - Crystal read her mind - the boys went to their office for books - Niko woke up & Crystal talked to her through the bathroom door - the boys came back with the book about parasites - talked to Niko the first time - Niko walked downstairs while possessed - the boys went to the woods with a map drawn by Niko - found the shrine, got the vase, & fought skeletons - returned to Crystal being scolded by Jenny - talked to Niko the second time - the Sprites started to blow her up - Crystal baited them out & Charles caught them It's nighttime when they transition to after the case.

Night Three: - Crystal & Charles talked by the window - Niko came back with blonde hair & met the boys - Niko met the Sprites - Crystal & Niko talked about writing to her mom - Postman showed up with mail & told them about the line of ghosts

It is the morning of their fourth day in Port Townsend when Susan Kesler goes to them for help. She's likely been dwelling on this for at least that long, not knowing what to do about it. Susan is probably relieved to finally tell someone about this, and people who will believe her at that.

By the end of the interview, she's confident when she tells them there's something horrible still in the house, and that she can't move on until she knows her family is at peace. She's even smiling when she offers them her jar of money.

Edwin, whether he realizes it or not, actually made Susan more comfortable by being "dismissive" of the murders.

There's also small moments where his empathy is on display in more obvious scenarios that the characters in the show don't fully acknowledge.

Despite Monty immediately labeling Edwin as "judgmental" for his opinion on astrology, he's the opposite when Niko expresses her concern for going to the house. She doesn't even have to finish her sentence before he's offering her a small smile and telling her that he completely understands. When Crystal comes out of the Washer Woman's realm and says she gave her another riddle, he says, "I am truly sorry she did not get you closer to your family, but at least now we know there is some kind of sea monster." His inflection goes up at the end, like he's trying to "look on the bright side". He finds Simon in Hell, gets mad for all of two minutes, then tries to defend him against Despair, offers him his forgiveness, and helps him forgive himself, unknowingly saving Simon from an eternity of torture.

Edwin might have convinced himself back in the 1910s that he's not good with other people, but he got out of Hell and found a boy dying in an attic, and instead of walking away while Charles didn't know he was there, he brought him a lantern, talked to him, made him laugh, and read him to sleep as he passed.

Charles says in the first episode that he "forgets how to talk to people", but I think a more accurate statement would be that he communicates differently than most people.

(ko-fi)

[shaylogic]

SIR I NEED to know the story behind this!

When and how did you learn this? With WHOM?

I know comic Charles gets a crush on like every girl he and Edwin meet, so I imagine early in their cases, Charles experimented with flings with people and figured it out?

Honestly need a flashback in an ep of season 2 where Charles goes on his first Ghost/Human Date

Bonus points if it was with a guy!!

[derrygirlstrash]

Clare is mischaracterized a lot lowkey because I think people love Clare for being an anxious lesbian so much that they instinctively craft a more palatable version of that trait onto her and it’s a shame because Clare is a fascinating little beastie. She is childhood friends with the likes of Erin and Michelle for a reason after all. She is arguably just as selfish as Erin /affectionate and just as impulsive as Michelle /affectionate it just is formed around the insane molten hot anxiety disorder inside her little lesbian brain. She thinks she’s better than them when in reality she is just as bad.

I’d argue she stays selfish /affectionate longer than Erin does. Until the final two episodes I fully believe Clare would have sold any of them up the river for a corn chip if that corn chip would save her skin. It’s often said that Clare and James hold the single brain cell but I think the truth is likely that Orla holds it and they just forgot to use it or hand it to someone cause they were going ham on a bag of sweets.

If you hate Erin for her selfish traits and just kinda forget that Clare is just as bad then idk what to tell you they’re birds of a feather.

[deathandnonexistentialdread]

I love the way that this battle shows how Honda and Otogi are not in the same wavelength by showing their very different methods to achieve the same goal (keeping Shizuka safe) and how it reflects their capabilities as duelists

Here Honda takes the straightforward approach by setting and asking Otogi to set cards that would directly protect Shizuka. He does not care about the damage the two would sustain and he only focuses on the short term benefits, a very rookie thing to do. While not bad, is not good in the long run, especially when dealing with seasoned duelist.

Otogi is playing for the long run, where his initial cards seemed to be for his own benefit but do in fact benefit everyone in the team (shame Honda steamrolled him). However, Otogi never tried to clue in Honda to his plans because he's more of a solo player than anything else (from what I've seen) and also to not leak his strategy to the opponent. He is a seasoned player who looks far ahead

If Shizuka ends up surviving this duel, that will be the biggest plot twist

[pyrokineticwarrior]

Devlin's Brief Trip to Olympus || A Drabble

When Devlin visited Olympus, his trip was short lived. This was about ten years ago, when he had a tendency to think he was superior to humans because he had godly blood. However, after an interaction with Demeter, Athena, Dionysus, and Aphrodite- he felt the need to leave as soon as possible.

"Ah, Devlin, the demigod son of Hades," Demeter, goddess of Harvest, greeted him, "I must say, for someone who went on several quests and missions, I expected a bit more from you. But alas, here we are, stuck with a mediocre hero in our midst. Your escapades must have been quite underwhelming, considering that being a demigod should come with some level of talent or skill."

"Perhaps your father, Hades, should have bestowed upon you more than just a lackluster ability to wander about aimlessly," Athena chided, "I can just imagine you stumbling through your quests with all the grace of a drunken satyr. Your companions must have been thrilled to have your shadowy presence tagging along, constantly reminding them of the darkness that surrounds you."

"And let's not forget about your divine lineage. I suppose being the offspring of Hades, the ruler of the underworld, grants you the remarkable ability to bring boredom wherever you go, huh? It's amusing to think that you believed yourself to be a formidable hero. I can envision you standing amidst the battlefield, swinging your weapon with all the strength and finesse of a limp noodle," Dionysus remarked, drinking from his wine cup and laughing heartily afterwards, "I'm sure your enemies quaked in their boots, not from fear, but from laughter at the sight of your feeble attempts to be a force to be reckoned with."

"But hey, at least you managed to go on several quests, right?" The seductive Aphrodite now approached, her tone laced with venom. "It must have been quite the accomplishment for someone of your limited abilities. I suppose even demigods have to settle for mediocrity now and then. So, Devlin, if ever you decide to embark on another grand adventure, do us all a favor and spare us from your lackluster presence," Aphrodite touched his chin, though there was a hidden twinge of envy. "It would be a mercy to the world of heroes and a much-needed break from your underwhelming exploits."

With that, Devlin departed right away, feeling as though he might have been wrong for thinking lowly of humans, if the gods themselves treated him in such a manner.

[ygoartreviews]

Limiter Removal

Limiter Removal is one of those iconic Cyber Dragon deck cards that basically everyone knows about, so much so that I didn't realize it's actually used in other contexts in the anime as well. Because of the close association, though, a combo like this just felt inevitable, and now we finally have it! Part of me is almost surprised that it didn't end up being a separate (but related) card altogether, but it's great nonetheless. I really don't think my words will add much here. It's a cool alt art that feels like it's been a long time coming. I DO have a very specific comment to make, however. And that is... Well. You can absolutely kill me for saying this, but Cyber End Dragon's pose looks identical to the iconic He Man pose from Fabulous Secret Powers (perhaps better known as "HEHEYYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA").

Rating: 10/10, Cyber End Dragon says, "Hey. What's going on?"

[umbratheshadowfamiliar]

I think the best way to explain to my followers the difference between Albus and Devlin's builds in my head canon is this:

Devlin has the build of a Discus / Wrestling athlete. Bit of pudge with a decent amount of muscle to lug around all his forgemaster stuff.

Albus's build is far more similar to gymnast or someone who does decathlons. Visable muscle made for speed and endurance.

To put it into gamer language. Devlin is a Tank. Albus is a DPS.

[rosalind-hawkins]

No thoughts, only Mumbleshipping

[lesbicosmos]

I LOVE YOU FORESHADOWING THROUGH COSTUME

(this is about maxine's cleaver earrings in ep3)

[nessberry]

I feel like everyone else has such a beautiful "how i realized I was gay story" meanwhile I'm over here having to tell ppl what sent me down the long path of lesbian realization was a mixture of rhaenicent/rhaenicent fanficfion and watching derry girls for the first time