#dead boy detectives headcannons

[spookystree]

I've seen a lot of dbda aus ( @majorlb 's musician au mainly inspired this) and I wanna contribute so... Alive (older(?)) roommates au?

Charles and Edwin obviously knew eachother beforehand

So did the girls

Charles and Edwin probably met later in highschool, not close friends immediately (mostly cause of Edwin's very busy schedule) but grew close over about a year or two

The girls I'm saying met at beauty school, Crystal going for the whole package (nails, makeup, hair) and Niko going for nails and hair mainly

Edwin and Niko met at a bookstore, potentially they both work there, Edwin full time and Niko part time (The night nurse can own the shop cause I love her)

Charles works at a bar cause I think the idea of him being a bartender is interesting, also Jenny owns the place cause I love Jenny too

I'm assuming Crystal doesn't really need a job, maybe she gets one at the bar?

Edwin and Niko introduced their partners to each other by going on a double date (Niko's idea)

After a while when they get closer they decide to move in all together

Monty is a regular at the bookstore and he has a crush on Edwin from seeing him there

Edwin still has a more old timey style but this time it's cause he just likes how it looks and also it gives him another thing to research

Edwin does however have an old slightly worn out over the shoulder bag that Charles has put some patches on to keep it together (Edwin doesn't want to let go of the bag)

Im gonna say Charles leans more into an alternative style in this but that's just a preference of mine

Crystal and Niko do each other's hair whenever they wanna dye it or cut it

Niko starts cutting Edwin's hair too (she REALLY wants to dye it)

Crystal and Niko share a room and Charles and Edwin share one too

The decor for Crystal and Niko's room is mostly left up to Niko but it's a lot of artwork they both did for the most part

Edwin likes their room to be somewhat clean and bland(with a bookshelf of course) but Charles snuck in a couple band posters on the walls and his dresser has some stickers on it

Niko and Edwin knit together

Edwin doesn't have a car so he either walks places or one of the others drives him

The bookstore is in walking distance from their apartment

Niko has a small light blue beetle that has anime decals on it

Charles idk a specific thing for him but it definitely needs to have enough room to go on a road trip in

Crystal's car is probably purple 👍😁 and that's all I got for her

She decorated the interior tho

Niko is a plant mom (not the best one but if Edwin sees that one is dying he looks into the plant and takes extra care of it for her so it doesn't die, she will never find out if he can help it)

Those are my thoughts for now about this I'll probably come back to it again soon 😭😭 I didn't realize how much fun this would be

[yearningsadstyle]

I don’t like the idea of Charles being the ‘mr. Seductive and flirtatious’ and Edwin the ‘mr. Blushing virgin’. Like.

Yes Edwin is inexperienced, but what does he do when he’s inexperienced in something? He researches the hell out of that thing

I’m a strong believer that once payneland gets together Charles is going to be too flustered to ask to hold hands and Edwin is gonna the autistic touch starved bitch he is and go ‘hm I think I like kissing. I’m gonna find out how to do this whole kissing buisness really well’

I’ll be taking no further questions on this, thank you and goodnight

[bibibusinessman]

[banana-milk907]

MORE DEAD BOY DETECTIVES HEADCANNONS

Esther is widely known in town, and not in a good way. For parents, she’s the type of person that if they saw her on the street while with their child, they’d cross to other side of the road with their kid. I feel like she has a habit of blowing her smoke onto kids for fun, and the parents aren’t fans of that. As for the other adults, they all think she’s weird. From the clothes she wears to the shops she visits, they find her really odd, and stay away from her.

Jenny definitely listens to alternative music and rock music. Before renting out her upstairs, she’d play her music relatively loud while preparing the shop for the day (not loud enough to disturb the neighbors, but enough to drown out some thoughts). Now that she’s renting, she blasts her music in her headphones, but she always leaves one ear out just in case someone needs her help.

While Monty was human, he collected cool looking rocks. I think he had quite a collection of vastly different colored rocks in his jacket pocket at all time. Additionally, he’d go to the beach(or some other place that has a bunch of rocks in one place) to collect rocks all the time.

The Cat King knows everything about everybody in Port Townsend. This means he knows exactly who is kind to cats and who is mean to cats. I believe that he would punish people who abuse cats. He’d send a group of cats to attack the abuser, possibly even using a little magic to make sure they don’t get hurt. And for those who kill cats? Death by cat attack (like the man in episode 2).

Everybody who sees the Night Nurse can tell that there’s something not quite human about her. Maybe it’s her walk, her stare, or the way she magically knows your name, but everybody finds her off-putting and tend to walk faster around her.

Tragic Mick uses wave/sea white noise to fall asleep at night. He may also use whale songs.

This one is a bit shorter than the last one, but alas, I cannot think of more at the moment. Feel free to add your headcannons!!

Edit for Esther: someone disagreed with me about Esther, and mentioned how good of a relationship she has with the police. I was thinking that she plays nice around important people, but to the general public she’s a menace, and nobody believes them when they say that Esther is weird. But I do totally agree with that person! Thanks for the addition!

[infinite-beginnings]

The line when Charles said, "Edwin's told me loads of stories about Hell," and him seeming to know he'd find a map in Edwin's book always hits me hard.

Now I acknowledge Charles might’ve been posturing to reassure the Night Nurse he could navigate Hell, but let's assume this fact was real.

Because that means that Edwin felt comfortable enough to talk about all of his trauma to Charles. He mentions Hell a lot in passing in front of the girls, but he never goes into specifics. However, it seems as if he actively told Charles quite a few details about Hell. I also noticed that Charles is very calm when he's going to find Edwin. Yes, he's studying the book a lot, but he is also navigating the space with a certain amount of confidence. I'm sure it's partially due to Charles' tendency to do things without thinking and project confidence. But also, it seems as if he might have at least a very basic level of knowledge or familiarity with the levels of Hell based on the stories Edwin told.

I think this is probably another reason why Edwin struggled to believe the fact that Charles had faced abuse in his past and never shared it with Edwin. Because Edwin was always up front and honest with Charles. He told him the very first time they'd met that he had just escaped Hell. I'm sure Edwin did not want to relive his memories of Hell, and maybe it took him decades to feel like he could share. But I bet when he started talking about it with Charles, he felt relief. Because sharing your trauma with someone who accepts you and loves you no matter what is always a relief after holding it in and pushing it down.

So I just imagine Edwin feeling that relief after sharing his stories from Hell and feeling closer and more bonded with Charles because of it...and then he finds out that Charles has this huge amount of trauma from his past that he has been keeping inside. It probably breaks Edwin's heart that he hadn't been able to offer Charles the same relief he'd felt.

And yes, Crystal mentioned that Charles was probably denying the trauma even to himself. We all know that Edwin knew something was off with Charles and that he was probably frustrated in himself because he hadn't been able to figure it out, but Crystal apparently had.

But I also think there might be another level to it. The boys have been solving cases for 30 years. I find it hard to believe that they never had another case involving abuse or at least someone with a controlling personality that would've reminded Charles of his father. Maybe Edwin thinks back to a couple of those cases and how Charles was acting strange and withdrawn during them and realized he'd missed a huge clue about how his friend was feeling.

All those years of sharing his stories from Hell and being comforted by Charles and Edwin hadn't been able to do the same. Edwin is definitely hurt that Charles didn't feel like he could confide in him and heartbroken to think about how much pain his friend was going through alone.

[mountainsoftreatos]

George Rexstrew said that although it's not shown in the show, Charles and Edwin go to the movies to watch detective films! Now I headcannon that they absolutely loved the Knives Out movies. Charles laughed through all the funny bits while Edwin remained studious and focused on the clues. In the end they both guessed the murderers correctly before it was revealed.

From the interview -

[sour-leminies]

DO YOU KNOW WHAT BREAKS MY HEART?! THAT THERE IS NOT MORE MONTY FICS! LIKE PLEASE HES SO PERFECT!!!!

LOOK AT HIM!

AN ANGEL, MY SWEET MUFFIN CAKES (ok I’ll stop—😭)

BUT NO CAUSE ITS CRIMINAL THAT THIS MAN DONT HAVE MORE

also I did learn of Joshua Colley from Hook decedents rise of red — it was the best thing of my life.

[feminist-dinosaur27]

Honestly don’t see enough headcanons of characters on the bake off and that’s something that disappoints me

[multi-fandom-lunatic]

OKAY GUYS. ITS THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN. WHERE I GRACE YOU WITH MY SHITTY HCS. PAYNELAND EDITION. LETS GO.

Edwin 100% wheres those old mens swimsuits. And to everyone else he looks goofy. charles lowkey digs it though.

Edwin doesnt say anything about it. but. he always notices charles' earring when they arent on a case. how it dangles and how it totally fits charles. he just. is enamoured by every aspect of our fave rowland.

charles is super confident about confessions usually, but when it comes to edwin, he is terrified. this is his best mate of thirty years. he REJECTED him. and now he wants to reconfess?? the procrastinator demon in that boy has overtaken him.

oh, how did charles realise his feelings, you ask? well. it started one day when charles was on his own in the agency. edwin was out doing something...somewhere. and charles is like. strangely upset that edwin is gone. not in the 'oh i want him back im bored' kinda way. in the 'i need him to be near me right now or im going to explode' kinda way.

and then he gets thinking. its normal to want to kiss your friend, right? not just a friend, at that, a best mate. its normal to want things that you'd want with a partner with them, right?

and then crystal strolls in, and charles and her strike up conversation. casually he mentions this. crystal stares at charles for a good few seconds before replying.

'charles...thats not very platonic of you. are you sure you dont have a crush on him?'

'edwin's my best mate. its different.'

'different, sure. thats what it is'

and them charles starts panicking thinking, 'oh shit, i have a crush on the boy who i rejected a while back'

and oh-so conveniently, edwin pops back in, and suddenly, charles is very aware of exactly how he's feeling and exactly the thoughts hes thinking.

'are you feeling quiet alright charles? you look a bit sick.

'im fine mate. completely aces.'

and theres the interactions and payneland have. simple touches become so special to charles. and he's hyperaware of how often he brushes against his best mate. simple arm pats, holding his shoulder, brushing against him.

and then one time, charles is just over the moon happy after solving a case. he just goes up and hugs edwin. edwin is shocked for a sec, then hugs him back. charles pulls apart for a moment, so their faces are close but not touching. charles changes that. he pushes himself forward and kisses edwin.

he pulls apart after a moment, completely red because. charles rowland. kissed. edwin. payne. and edwin payne kissed him back.

'charles-?' edwin can barely speak, and neither can charles.

charles, completley embarassed and dazed, admits to his crush. edwin is in utter shock for a moment.

anyways they get together.

crystal is very proud. and how shes the one whos telling them to focus.

andddd thats all i have.

[eldritchdemonfox]

After several months of art block, I finally was able to actually finish a drawing! (Inspired by @that-trans-autistic-guy’s absolutely brilliant Traumatised Dead Boys series on AO3 which everyone should read right now)

So…yeah! Death of the Endless and her Dead Boy Detectives!

[spookystree]

I just wanna say that post-finale dbda definitely added a clue board to their collection (the Scooby Doo one) PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE 🙏

I can just imagine Edwin collecting stuff that reminds him of Niko, no clue how he'd get it but he would

I love Scooby Doo and I love Dead Boy Detectives and I'd like to mix them as much as possible

[transgaypiratesanta]

Do you want to see some Tlb+ Dbda fanart? Of course you do.

The Edwin’s are having a great time.

(also I hid a reference to the Roman in the bookshelves)

[sunnywalnut]

One Easter egg that I like a lot in the Dead Boy Detectives series on Netflix is that when Charles and Edwin are talking in the closest(heh-) there's at least three different editions of the board game Clue(if not more? Maybe five?). Which of course. Makes me curious.

Did the office closet already have a couple of them and Charles decided to add to it for a gag?

Is it perhaps Edwin's favorite game when he was alive, and therefore they collect them just for nostalgia purposes?

Or maybe, just maybe, they used them for training purposes to ensure that they knew how to solve their cases? That seems like a thing two teenaged kids would do. Especially since there's multiple ways to play each edition.

Somebody please tell me there's a fanfiction where Edwin and Charles are sat aggressively hunched over the board game, flipping through cards and clues and notepads and just completely pulling at their hair trying to figure out one of the mysteries while a timer is ticking on the desk because Edwin thought it'd be "fun" to challenge themselves on how fast they could solve it.

[averysmallcetacean]

Does anyone else ship Edwin and Niko in a QPR? If so, do you have any fic recs?

[flufallo]

"oh, and she is also American"

"sounds like a demon then"

This actually made me laugh so hard

[openta]

okay okay wait completely unrelated to this gorgeous collection of gifs but I just noticed that charles's tank top looks kind of like a binder...

'You really gave up a potentially tranquil eternity for your friend?'

DEAD BOY DETECTIVES 1.07 "The Case of the Very Long Stairway"