deadtwinksdetectiveagency

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Misunderstandings part 1/3

This is what happens when you don't talk to each other, boys.

@i-am-as-normal-as-you-are commissioned this one, and as you can see, it will have three parts, so go thank Haunted if you like it!

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Tragic Gay Men Tournament Finale

please reblog

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The handsome face, the little... kiss.

Dead Boy Detectives Character Appreciation Week - Day 6: The Cat King and Monty Finch

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Monty and The Cat King

Monty is one of the characters I wish I knew more about. I want to know what started his interest in astronomy, how long he has been Esters familiar, and how his character would change after Ester is gone.

The cat king is a very interesting character as he has been around for forever or at least a long ass time. Having only so many lives and some already being gone be by the start of the show makes his past more intriguing.

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“Looks a bit like you, doesn’t it? With the bowtie, and the eyes?”

Made fanart for chapter 10 of @babyseraphim 's wonderful fic My Healing Needed More Than Time. I'm obsessed with this fic! Go give it a read and kudos if you haven't already!

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This post was originally made with still images, but the extremely kind @thecaseofcas offered to make gifs for me. So without further ado, a body language post, now with motion! ✨

I want to point out a little character body language tell that Charles has that I think has flown largely under the radar. Every time he's gearing himself up for something he thinks is going to be difficult, he does the cutest tiny double-bounce.

He does it in Esther's house, while Edwin's getting ready to go into the cabinet.

Depending on how you interpret the scene, he's either gearing himself up for a potentially dangerous situation or (let's be real) psyching himself up for the temptation of watching Edwin strip his jacket off. (We see you, Charles.)

He does it near the end of episode two, talking to Crystal by the window.

He's just gotten a look into her heartbreaking issues regarding not being wanted and having nowhere to belong, and he's heading into what he expects is a fraught conversation, trying to talk her up into knowing that he, at least, appreciates her.

He does it when he steps forward to address the washer woman.

He knows the stakes here are high; people might be killed in the hundreds, and this is their chance to get the information they need to stop it.

He does it just before he lobs the Molotov cocktail at the doll-spider.

This is the one of the highest stakes we see all season; this is Charles gearing up for what he likely considers to be the most important moment of his afterlife. If he doesn't get this right, he's condemning Edwin to an eternity of torture.

And he does it again when the doll-spider reappears on the stairway, just before the final dash for the doorway at the top.

Again, the stakes couldn't be higher; he knows very well they've got to make this happen, or the consequences are unthinkable.

There are likely more instances throughout the season; these are just the times I recall off the top of my head.

But more importantly than any of these, it's really telling that Charles still does this while he's in disguise.

It shows up in the very first episode, when they go to speak to Becky's parents about her disappearance.

Here, too, he's gearing himself up to handle something he knows will be difficult. It's going to be an emotional conversation, and it's desperately important that they have it so that Crystal can get the information they need.

But this is a different actor. That means that this is such a significant character tell that they prompted the actor who plays disguise!Charles to use it, in much the same way that disguise!Edwin keeps his hand mannerisms. It's not the actor's body language. It doesn't seem to be something Jayden Revri does in interviews. It's something he's decided on for the character, a deliberate acting choice.

It's very much intentional, and it appears again and again, throughout the series.

I don't know that I had a point, here. I just wanted to appreciate the fact that this boy psychs himself up when he thinks things are about to get rough, and that he has such a charming way of doing it.

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Day 3: A case/bag of tricks backpack

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It's amusing to me that the Cat King tells Edwin "your first kiss was with a crow (derogatory)", while being, you know, a cat himself

Like "you kissed a bird, what an L, it was not with a real boy!!! .......If it was with a feline, however-"

(I know it's more about Monty being "the witch's pet bird", but hearing it from one animal shape-shifter towards another is just funny)

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servant of darkness: i have the elf grindr you asked me to prepare, lord

morgoth, lord of darkness: great. how many have you ground up so far

servant of darkness: oh. uh

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For research purposes, what are your favourite scenic/aesthetic shots from the show? Like, visually stunning moments.

Please reply/reblog with as many as you want/can think of. I'm looking for about 32 shots 🙃

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Haven't finished my day one fic but here's my entry for @charles-rowland-week Day 2: Chorb!

I see a lot of cute orb-ghost content and love it, but for some reason when I sat down to write my brain went: that experience must be terrifying on both ends. Especially if it happens when they're pushed to the brink, a circumstance that otherwise leads to ghosts just... dissolving. Especially the first time.

So here's the first time!

***

Charles can't remember how he got here; he hasn't really got any idea where here is, except that the ground he's lying on is too hard and the light is so bright it burns his eyes whenever he opens them.

Though that might actually be something wrong with his eyes, judging by how much the rest of him hurts. He must have pissed someone off real bad, to be in this much pain, but he can't remember who or why. He hopes it was worth it.

"Charles," says a voice, a voice he knows. Edwin's here, and he sounds upset, and like he's trying to hide it. Charles manages to pry his eyes open for half a moment before the searing pain forces them shut again, but in that brief second he gets a glimpse of Edwin-- just his neck and the bottom of his face, the harsh press of his mouth.

Charles has seen that expression before, knows it comes along with wide eyes that give away what might look like frustration otherwise; this is the face Edwin makes when he's terrified.

Edwin shouldn't be terrified. Charles tries to reach for where he thinks he was, to comfort him, but just the idea of moving his arm reminds him of how much his shoulders hurt, and he half-screams before he can swallow the sound.

"Charles, just-- just lie still a moment," Edwin says beyond the roaring of his ears, and it shouldn't be a hard request with how much moving hurts, but Charles doesn't think he can bear to lie here like this much longer, the ground digging into him and the pain burning through his bones.

There's something wrong about that. Charles shouldn't be able to feel the ground, however hard it is; he doesn't actually have bones to burn.

He's dead, but he's still hurting, somehow, and that doesn't seem fair, does it? He'd sort of thought he'd escaped it, for a while. Maybe a little pain was the cost of being alive, but now-- unable to feel any good thing-- it just feels cruel.

He's so tired of hurting.

"Charles," Edwin's voice breaks through again, only this time the tone is different, somewhere beyond fear. "Charles, please, don't-- please just stay--"

His voice breaks on the plea. Because he is pleading, which is all kinds of wrong. Edwin doesn't beg when he's terrified; he goes silent and still like a hunted rabbit, which Charles hates with all his being but he hates this too. Edwin shouldn't beg. He shouldn't have to, not with Charles, who has embarked on the afterlife-long project of making him as happy as possible.

Not going anywhere, he tries to say, but his mouth doesn't want to obey him and instead he just sort of groans. He can't move his fingers-- he's not sure he has fingers, right now. They don't hurt anymore, but he can't really feel them either.

He remembers that: losing his fingers first, then his toes, then more and more. Edwin had been there then, too, strange and funny and unbelievably kind, and Charles hadn't had the chance to worry about his toes. Edwin had given him that gift, the gift of not being scared, and then he'd tried to run off like it was nothing, like after all that he'd thought Charles would just leave Edwin to the lingering terror in his eyes when he spoke of Hell.

That terror has never left completely, despite Charles' best efforts. He's started to think it never will, and the thought hurts, but at least he'd thought it was getting better; except now Edwin is terrified, and he's the one begging Charles to stay. He's still talking, somewhere beyond the pain, and though Charles can't make out the words, that heartbreaking tone is still there.

Charles isn't leaving him. He refuses. But he can't bear this either, the pain making it so hard to think, to remember. Edwin's voice is a lifeline, but it's getting more and more difficult to hear it, and he's not sure it's just the ringing anymore.

He's a ghost. He doesn't have ears to ring, not really, or bones to ache or eyes to burn when he opens them. Piece by piece, half on purpose and half unable to hold on, he lets it all slip away, until all that's left is the conviction: whatever happens, he wants to stay.

It feels a little like changing his hair, the way Edwin had taught him, just holding on to what he wants until that's what he is.

Mostly, though, it feels like dying.

***

He knows less and more, like this. He doesn't know where he is, and there's no feeling to help him guess, no pain or light or voice in the ears he doesn't have anymore. He doesn't know how he got here, doesn't know how long he's been here, doesn't even know who he is, really.

But he's not confused, because what he knows is this: he's dead, and it's not fucking fair, because he had so much left to do. He knows he was going to do better, that he was going to fix things, and now he'll never have the chance. Part of him seethes at that, and part of him just wants to take the hint and stop trying.

Except he also knows, somehow, that he does have another chance. That he's still here, even if he can't feel or taste or smell-- or even see or hear. That he can move things, somehow, change them, sometimes even fix them. He can solve crimes and save lives and on very good days he can make Edwin laugh.

He remembers that, the last time he'd made Edwin laugh-- just a little chuckle, really, but helplessly sincere, and the smile had stayed on his lips when he'd said, really, Charles--

The world unfolds around that voice speaking his name, first just memory into sound and then the awareness of ears to hear it, of a head to turn toward it and arms to push himself up, of something soft and forgiving under his palms, and of eyes he can open to see Edwin's face, remarkably close and blinking with surprise that, as Charles watches, collapses into relief.

"You came back," Edwin breathes. From this close, Charles can see the tears well in his eyes. Edwin, who he's seen burn half his hand off without even noticing, is crying over Charles.

It's not really a choice, to reach out with hands that still look a little misty and pull Edwin close. Edwin clutches him back, curling his hands in the back of Charles' shirt and tucking his chin over Charles's shoulder like if he just holds Charles close enough, he can hold him together.

Maybe he can. Charles curls his own fingers into Edwin's coat, breathes deep just to feel his ribs expand into Edwin's grip, ghost-cool but firm and real, real, real.

"I was afraid you were gone," Edwin says.

I was too, Charles doesn't say.

"Told you," he murmurs instead, "you're stuck with me."

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A thing I really love about Edwin, specifically in his queer journey, is that he does so many things for himself. He does an excellent job of centering himself in his experience and prioritizes getting to know himself and being authentic to his own feelings.

A glaring example? His confession to Charles. That must have been terrifying, and he knew there was a strong chance that he did not reciprocate his romantic sentiments. But he did it anyway, because accepting his romantic love for Charles and making it known was an important part of being true to himself. It was an important part of Charles's knowing him, and Edwin lives in a world where Charles has always known him like the back of his hand.

Edwin confesses to Charles for himself.

Another example? Edwin forgiving Simon. Yes, he wants to help Simon escape Hell; yes, he is a ridiculously good person. But more than that, he needs to empathize with someone who shared his love for men, and he needed to let go of the homophobia that destroyed his past. This was a way to do it. "If you punish yourself, everywhere becomes Hell" wasn't just Edwin helping Simon; it was Edwin acknowledging a truth that he had lived and could not overcome.

Edwin forgives Simon for himself.

And what about his last scene with The Cat King? He's actively leaving Port Townsend. He views this as a goodbye (though obviously it was not, but hey, no s2 to explore that.) So he flirts. He kisses the Cat King's cheek, to prove to himself that he can. He does it because he wants to, and in doing so accepts that it is okay to want.

Edwin flirts with the Cat King for himself.

Edwin accepts and embraces himself intrinsically over the course of the season, not just externally. I love that.

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Oh ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY to all of this!!! And have I already made a mockup of a book published by NAAM (North American Association for Magic)?

... of course I have, what kind of monster do you think I am

In the dead boy detectives universe, do we think there are people who do scientific type research on magic? Like is there a journal of pyromancy in the way we have a journal of ecology?

Because I think that would be very fun for many reasons, the primary (see what I did there) of which is Edwin slamming a pile of primary literature about psychic powers in front of Crystal and forcing the poor girl to study them with him. Also Edwin having a secondary job as an editor of some well respected magic journal is very fun to me

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you ever think about how edwin feels this instant liking for charles, and gets attached to him so quickly in the attic that he’s genuinely pained he’ll have to let him go when charles passes on. charles brings out the stores of tenderness that edwin had buried in hell or maybe feared had died altogether along with one of his countless bodies.

but he feels it. drawn to charles. and the fear is there: that what if showing this much emotion and affection and depending on charles will backfire tragically when he proves to be too much, or when charles inevitably decides he’s done and leaves?

still, he can’t help it, charles just settles inside of him in this incontrovertible way no matter how afraid he is. and he brings out that feeling in edwin, again and again, until edwin has no choice but to admit the fondness isn’t going anywhere at all, that in fact it was there from the very start.

that something about charles called out to edwin the moment they met.

and charles, who has been hurt so much, but doesn’t know any other way to love than wholeheartedly, has decided in the space of less than a single night that he’s edwin’s now. he’d be happy to stick around with edwin forever.

charles, who already suspects it’s going to be him who messes this up somehow one day - he doesn’t know how but he’s never enough for anything good to stick around, and it could never be edwin. edwin’s the best thing he’s known. but in the meantime he’s going to wear his heart on his sleeve and he won’t hold back about being all-in.

no matter how prickly and hell-touched edwin is at the beginning, the rare smiles become less rare, the office becomes theirs, their afterlives intertwining irrevocably. until they would stand up together against anything that dares separate them.

just something about how they both have chosen each other, and how they both give each other the type of love and care they need most. how they both experience loving in such different styles that complement one another perfectly.

i’m not sure i’m making sense so i’ll stop here but oughghgh. tl;dr THE WAYYY THEY LOVE ONE ANOTHER. they make me so emotional

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me when i have my finger wavering over the post button for 5k of an exorcist!Charles possessed!Edwin au i wrote 6 months ago but never posted bc i dont think it's good enough ...

i'm just in a silly goofy mood

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Two different scenes from Dead Boy Detectives made Buzzfeed's 15 Most Heartbreaking TV Moments of 2024, highlighting yet again how much this show has resonated with audiences on an emotional level.

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Ask Game: WIP Excerpts

Note: I used the word “line,” but feel free to share more than one sentence! You can also alter any prompts that don’t apply to your WIP.

🌹 Share your most poetic line.

❤️ Share one of your favorite lines.

🗣 Share your favorite dialogue exchange.

🏝 Share your favorite description of a setting.

☂️ Share your favorite description of an object.

🤝 Share a line that introduces a character.

😂 Share your funniest line (or dialogue exchange).

💔 Share your most heartbreaking line.

☀️ Share a line with figurative language.

✍️ Share a line you’ve edited, and what it used to be.

☺️ Share a happy line.

✏️ Share the first line of any chapter.

📖 Share the last line of any chapter.

📝 Share the first line of your project.

🎬 Share the last line you’ve written.

🤯 Share a surprising line, or one where a character realizes something.

🎲 Using a method of your choosing, share a randomly-selected line.

🤨 Share a line that makes no sense out of context.

👤 Share a line that shows a character’s personality.

🫂 Share a line (or dialogue exchange) that shows the relationship between two characters.

✈️ Share a line where a character is traveling somewhere.

🤔 Share a line where a character makes a decision.