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read-write-thrive · 3 months ago

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inspired by my last post on dead boy detectives high school AU: obligatory band kid AU (and it ended up v long so buckle up)

instrumentation/roles:

edwin: if we’re talking still in his shell edwin, he’s an oboe/bassoon player. if we’re talking out of his shell edwin, he’s a French horn player. either way he is 100% first chair but will only accept the section leader title if there’s no one else in his section, he is not about to deal with marching band any more than he has to. he aces competitions and the like when he’s on his own, but rarely has the patience for ensemble work. his parents started him on his instrument younger than his peers so it makes sense he’s so good, but his ego is mostly separate from that—he’s just like that. he’s in the main/symphonic band, marching band with some hesitation, orchestra, and chamber/honors band

charles: while you could say almost any brass/low woodwind instrument and I would say fair enough, I personally think he’s a trumpet player. he does sports so he is often running back and forth on practice/game days but wouldn’t trade it for anything. he’s probably not first chair, or at least isn’t until his later years since he/his parents prioritise sports, he 100% would love being a section leader!! he fits the loud trumpet stereotype but is one of the few that’re complete sweethearts (as long as you keep him away from some of the more toxic dudes, he can get a little swept up in it from time to time, but luckily he figures it all out by the time he graduates). he doesn’t do competitions or any of the fancy stuff since he has obligations with sports, but it sometimes makes him sad that his friends are so good at his instruments while he’s juggling this other stuff and can’t match their level. he’s in the main band, marching, and jazz band in the spring semester

crystal: she’s a saxophone girlie 100%. she can play any of them if pushed, but she tends towards alto sax during marching season and tenor/baritone during the off season depending on the piece’s/concert’s needs. she kept up with some of the more toxic upper woodwind/percussion players in her mean girl era but she’s since come to her senses and avoids them whenever possible. she could be first chair and section leader if she wanted, she’s good enough (parents definitely put her in lessons) and charismatic enough, but she’s not enthusiastic about either position and often purposefully dodges the extra responsibilities. likewise, she’s not interested in separate awards or competitions or anything like that (though I think she also tried it her first semester, like orchestra, to try to get her parents’ attention—when it didn’t work, she dropped it). I can see freshman being simultaneously terrified of and crushing on her. she’s in the main band, marching, and jazz band, though she tried orchestrating for a semester before deciding it was not her vibe

niko: I see her as a violin/strings player who then switches to flute for symphonic/marching band, especially since she’s an international student. I don’t think she gets along super well with the other flute/violin players, so she’s glad to make friends with the group. she’s taken lessons for both violin and flute, but violin was mainly when she was a kid and flute was to help her catch up to everyone else. she does competitions and such mainly so she can get out of classes and hang out with her friends, but tries her best to do well without taking away from her other activities/free time. her instrument cases are COVERED in stickers. she’s super nice to the younger years but they stop talking with her much once they find their friend groups, which always makes her sad. she’s the type to be a “band mom” to an underclassman once one sticks around, but it takes until her senior year for that to happen. she’s in the main band, marching band (again, more to hang out with her friends than for any enthusiasm in the competition), and orchestra to get a chance to play the violin

monty: that boy plays the clarinet argue with the wall. he has his shy moments but also his outspoken moments, just depends on the people involved. he was never in lessons but definitely practices more than your average person. he’s the one to always be in a practice room, either actually practicing or giving people readings, to the extent that there’s a practice room that’s unofficially his (including him scratching/writing his name somewhere before he graduates). he’s perpetually second chair, and secretly would like to be section leader but is just enough of a people pleaser that it never happens (either by him giving it to someone else or the director doesn’t give him the position). he’s in symphonic, marching, orchestra and chamber

thomas/the cat king: so I think he’s a percussionist as his mood can be a little all over the place and hard to read, so I think the variety of percussion suits him. plus the putting on a persona thing just screams percussionist to me. if he isn’t the one dealing himself he 100% has an in with the local dealer (which ig isn’t band related but the percussionists were the dealers/stoners in my band so). he isn’t first chair by any means but he is 100% the section leader of the pit (I cannot see him marching). I think he’s also one of those guys who tends to date underclassmen which concerns literally everyone and breaks a few hearts but is ultimately harmless if a bit of a dick (said with love). he’s in the main, marching, and jazz bands

jenny: was a stellar saxophonist in her time, graduated a few years ago but comes back to help with marching band over the summers/eventually decides to become a band director herself and student teaches during the gang’s senior year. when she was in school she did every ensemble available, which honestly intimidated most of her peers (barring the sapphics bc she 100% had everyone crushing on her, dated quite a few of them too). she’s a great band director once she learns more on how to deal with the inevitable students breaking down in your office on random lunch periods

esther: monty’s mom but refuses to be part of any band parent organization. will occasionally show up to concerts, but if you talk to her she somehow makes it all about her. at some point she gets in trouble with her concerning relationships with minor girls and as a result can’t go to school functions, which monty doesn’t talk about to really anyone but secretly is glad about. she never played any instruments and openly calls monty a nerd for enjoying band

the night nurse: I’m sticking with her as an assistant principal/in charge of attendance/some cog in the bureaucratic system. the band kids are all too familiar with her as they’re often incorrectly marked absent when they go to band practice during lunch/free periods, so getting called down to her office happens to everyone sooner or later. during the gang’s senior year she’s assigned to be directly in charge of the band (for whatever reason idk) which has her suddenly showing up to games and concerts. no one really likes this but they eventually warm to her. she tried the flute once when she was in school but wasn’t good right away so she decided it wasn’t for her

tragic mick: I’m again sticking to custodian but specifically the custodian that’s in charge of the practice field/band rooms/etc and is as such a beloved if cryptic figure in the greater band family. he played the tuba when he was in school but when asked says it’s been far too long to remember anything about it

kashi: hear me out, Kashi as the band director goes hard. like he’s eccentric, always has a grand story to tell, and is simultaneously good at making you laugh and at giving advice. his main instrument is something weird like the soprano saxophone or the euphonium or flugelhorn or harp, but as band director he’s learned most of not all of the instruments in the band over the course of his career

david the demon: percussionist. I take back what I said about the cat king dealing, david is 100% the sketchy dealer of the band. Is also older than the gang. was in the main and marching band but that’s it.

Lilith: superintendent. cryptid type figure. is the one responsible for the shit that goes down with Esther. showed up to exactly one concert and everyone is still losing their mind over seeing her in the flesh

I cannot remember her name but the lady who ran the gift shop: the choir director/theater teacher/eccentric English teacher. well known by the band kid population but not directly involved

the finality or whatever that character is called: prinicpal. directly in charge of the night nurse. surprisingly agreeable for how much bs/cruelty she oversees. her coming in right at the end of the series echoes her showing up to graduation and that’s it for out side of school hours

the ghost mail carrier: he mans the front office desk. will deliver messages over the intercom that always make people jump

extra info/plot points in a fic i doubt I’ll actually write:

monty and edwin get close after being sat near each other in orchestra and then working together during a chamber piece

thomas/the cat king is also older than the main gang. edwin is one of the underclassmen he cozies up to, but edwin never actually dates him

the charles and edwin dream duo imo is charles on trumpet say behind edwin on French horn, with both of them constantly making little comments just to make the other laugh/roll their eyes/react during practice/rehearsal. their senior year they end up being co-section leaders of upper brass but only after some serious begging on charles’s part

crystal has a major crush on jenny at one point

not a single person can stand esther finch, to the point that Kashi slips monty some flyers on different help resources and the other kids all let monty crash at different points when she’s angry

it’s at one point revealed that thomas/the cat king’s parents aren’t in the picture for some traumatic reason and he’s being raised by his grandparent(s), which most people accept as justification for his iffy behavior (it isn’t, for the record, but ive seen this situation happen exactly twice over in my band career and it lines up with him too well not to include)

crystal and charles date for a time and are the band’s it couple when they do. a handful of people don’t like it, but it’s mainly bc they’re jealous they missed their chance with one of the other ( cough edwin cough ) but it doesn’t end up lasting

david and crystal date when he’s a senior and she’s a freshman and it’s BAD. like she’s partaking in drugs she doesn’t fully understand and he’s enabling it/actively supplying it. it’s ultimately jenny who notices the spiral and talks some sense into crystal/gives her a semi-relatable authority figure to lean on. aforementioned crush happens during the chaotic period during/immediately following this. david stays in town and still deals post-graduation, so he shows up to high school parties and without fail creeps on crystal if she’s around. as such she starts avoiding parties, which is the final mail in the coffin of her mean girl era, leading to her befriending charles and niko (and eventually edwin) and made part of the gang

there’s a running joke/conspiracy theory that Kashi and the night nurse are in love with each other. it has been used to embarrass freshmen several times over the years. the night nurse actively denies it but kashi keeps it vague just for the fun of it

at one point when charles and crystal are dating and the four of them are already friends, someone starts a rumour/starts suggesting that niko and edwin should pair up. edwin isn’t openly out but his friends all know so they laugh about it (I also hc niko as aroace for a multitude of reasons i won’t get into here but I think that adds to the humor of it all)

when the band plays for a sport that Charles is on the team for they all go WILD when he’s mentioned by the announcer/scores/what have you. to the extent that there a specific chant/riff/cadence/whatever they start playing specifically for him. this eventually gets them in trouble on some big championship game and the band only stops/does it quieter so that charles doesn’t get in trouble over it

charles had a letterman’s jacket that he adds his band letter to (as well as some diying with pins and patches and such to make it more his style). he uses offering it as a way to flirt/show off his partner(s). it is very effective (to the chagrin of some of those partners who wouldn’t otherwise be caught dead in a letterman’s jacket, incl crystal and edwin)

monty initially charges the rich-asshole kids for readings until he’s caught and forced to stop. he then stops giving readings to anyone he doesn’t already know/like. he uses readings as a way to flirt with edwin, who literally doesn’t realise it for an extended period of time. monty keeps trying to flirt/ask edwin our, but by the time he hyped himself up for it the bell rings and the lunch period ends. they eventually go on one date, which edwin doesn’t realise is even a date (despite his friends insisting otherwise) until monty kisses him at the end of it. it’s awkward for a while afterwards but they eventually settle into a friendship

several other band kids place bets on when edwin and charles will finally get together. niko wins the bet, despite actively encouraging monty x edwin along the way. some say she’s biased being so close to them, but she openly admits that she wasn’t sure it would ever happen

may add to this post later but ive written wayyy too much for rn so we’ll leave it here

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shaylogic · 5 months ago

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Messy Masterpost: I don't have the words so here's a mess of links and ideas

@captainfantasticalright's Dead Boy Detectives: a breakdown of Dante's hell. This post is a masterpiece of understanding how the Hell/afterlife dynamics work in Sandman Universe and DBDA, and it's sent my mind buzzing like crazy

My post about Simon's book

Not just any book

Theory about Simon's brother/father? Being a part of Burgess' Cult ("Order of Ancient Mysteries")

Thank you @niko-sasaki-dbd

Ba'al ==> Sa'al

Seems like Simon may have gotten a demon-summoning book that worked from his brother who may have been involved on Burgess' cult from Sandman. He died with book in hand, and that's the one he's tearing apart on repeat in Hell. Tumblr user listed above identified what the book might be, based off the image.

This interview at 12:52 George Rexstrew answering that Edwin's favorite thing about Charles is his unconditional love and acceptance of him.

Post about Charles bearing his soul to the Night Nurse like Orpheus played music to Cerberus

Interviewer talking about "straight friend" Charles "rejecting" gay Edwin, only for George, Jayden, Beth, and Steve to stiffen up slightly. Asking about how Charles didn't have a gay panic reaction to Edwin's confession. This interviewer is actually gay and interviewed on a gay network later, which threw me after this question.

=>If Charles had really gay panic rejected Edwin, it really would have ended like Eurydice, thrust back to the pit of Hell to wallow in the internalized homophobia, rather than being released with the support and healthy love of Charles.

Actors have reiterated multiple times that the case is not closed on Edwin and Charles' romance, they're just getting started and figuring it out in the midst of all the chaos.

People are stuck in Hell because they believe they belong there but Edwin gets out the second time because Charles KNOWS he doesn't belong there! And reminds Edwin of this when he's getting pulled under in it all

Charles went back to his red polo after the confession and escaping Hell with @nerdytacollama's excellent addition on episode 7 specifically!!

Edwin's whole arc was about accepting loving and being loved and his attraction to men, and his love of his best friend, specifically

Steve Yockey saying the confession NEEDED to happen on the stairs out of Hell. One reason being that Edwin may have been too afraid to go through with it after, another being that he could get dragged away forever at any second and it could be his last chance.

[above article pic quote from this]

But also based on the Hell worldbuilding of the Sandman Universe where people only go to hell if they believe in it and believe they deserve to be there > Edwin believing his want for intimacy at all letalone with other men being "such a sinful life" (Night Nurse paperwork) > the upward climb of healthy love from the Dante's Inferno Post > Edwin HAD to confess on the stairs and be accepted! It freed him of Hell~!

Simon moved on from Hell with Edwin's mutual sorrow for the two of them and somewhat understanding/forgiveness? Maybe self-acceptance from the gay guilt

Edwin's form saying he would serve in Hell for living such a sinful life and then be reassigned to a more pleasant state (Hell not an eternal afterlife, just time served and then moving one)

[image posted in @reviewcreature's post with @melefim's addition]

If Edwin went back now, loved and accepted by his friends and himself, would he pass on to the better place?

My post wondering about reincarnation in the Sandman Universe, which others weighed in on in the comments about how it's indeed canon

The parallels of the Lust room in hell being a butcher shop with bloody hanging bodies to reflect the debauchery of bloody writhing lust bodies ===> compare to "Girls' Night" when Jenny was running and hiding from stalker Maxine in her butcher shop behind meat ===> compare Edwin's arc of accepting "sodomite sin" of being attracted to men (challenge to the epitome and catalyst (ha) by the Cat King) and him having been through the Lust room of hell before and him STARING AT THE RED BULL ON THE BUTCHER SHOP WALL (as compared to directly in the first linked post)

The purity of Charles and Edwin's love compared to that and the stereotypes of how male love is depicted in media, as George, Steve, and Jayden have spoken out against gently in multiple interviews

How it's partially childlike, partially deep friendship where two men can hug and cry, partially a crush, partially potentially reciprocally romantic

The juxtaposition of Edwin's archetypical confession to Charles on the stairs of Hell on the way out of the Limbo of it, with Maxine guilty and desperate just below them, not even looking toward the open door

Fans wondering why it was so easy to get out of Hell. The worldbuilding canon saying that Hell is what you make of it (Charles says this in the original Season of Mists Ch 4 comic, Edwin says it in episode 7 to Simon). People in Hell stuck because they feel they deserve it.

@podcastenthusiast's post about being glad Edwin didn't see Simon move on, because then he'd really wonder we he himself suffered so long

==>CHARLES got Edwin out because he KNEW he didn't belong there!!!!

They push and pull each other by the arms the whole way to the top!!!!!!!

Magical weight in the snake pit "nothing's meant to leave this place"

Charles literally dragging Edwin out of Hell for the love and devotion to him!!!!!!!!!!!!

Allegory of dragging him out of his self-rejection and holding him by the face saying over and over "I love you. I accept you. I'm not leaving without you."

Openly gay producer/director Steve Yockey insisting on being the one to write Episode 7 and you can feel it in every color on the screen.

There's no higher power deciding this, despite the paperwork and minders ensuring everyone is sorted. It's an internal self-decided fate, unconscious.

I'm not gonna be able to link and list every pic and organize this in the state I'm in but--

ARE YOU SEEING ALL THE THINGS I'M SEEING?

Girl help I'm getting visions!!!!!!!!!!!!

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