#shadowquill17

[narliearchive]

sweet as summer, bright as the sun by shadowquill17 [T]

Later that night, when the kids have gone to bed and there’s not a sound in the house except for the quiet talking of the adults in the kitchen, Nick turns to Charlie and kisses his shoulder. “Come take a dip with me?” he asks. “Now?” “Yeah. We can just be the two of us.” Charlie’s eyes glitter in the low light. “Okay.” Nick brings Charlie on his family holiday to Menorca.

[oatflatwhite]

Hi, it's Quill! ❤️ I'll take a dealer's choice fun fact about your 911 fic "to the substitute art teacher", please 🥰

realised you asked this so had to post the tag game lmao before answering xx

oh god fun fact about that fic. you're really stretching my noggin back to the start of last year! i guess the funnest fact about that fic is that i wrote it after dipping back into watching 9-1-1; specifically i started re-watching from the s3 finale (idk why, i was just vibing the juicy eddie v abby confrontation) then watched all the way through what dis+ had at the time (up to the end of s6). it made me a buck girlie all over again so of course i had to write girl dad!buck fic because i'm a sucker for that kind of thing.

ask me about my 2024 fics

[adventures-in-mangaland]

Dead Boy Detectives Fic Recs Part 7

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

So I hear there's been some fandom drama? Guess it's time for another fic rec list! This fandom is so lovely, so let's focus on the positive and give all the love to our writers and artists. You guys are so talented. ♥️

Work It Harder, Make it Better by dear_monday, two_ravens

Olympics AU! And kind of Sk8er Boi? Charles is an Olympic skateboarder at the end of his competitive career and Edwin is a rising star in the world of dressage. They fall in love at Paris 2024. Amazing writing, as always, and I also enjoyed Niko and Crystal as members of the skateboarding and equestrian teams having their own Olympics Romance and Jenny as Charles' world-weary coach.

Twin Flame by Leandra

Another "He was a punk, he did ballet" romance! This time, everyone is alive and the boys meet when Charles watches Edwin perform at his little sister's ballet recital. The romance and Charles as a big brother are very sweet, which is great as this fic also covers some heavy themes. It's set in the 90s so there's discussion of homophobia, the AIDs crisis and Charles' canon child abuse. Suffice to say, his bisexual awakening is quite fraught. Recommended!

Love for Hire by lucrow

Edwin hires Charles to freak out his parents with his obnoxious fake boyfriend. What could possible haaappeeen? And yes, it's a ballet/punk romance too. 😅 Anyway, it's giving fantastic banter, lots of emotions and great use of trope! I also enjoyed Edwin's relationship with his mum in this fic, excellent parental feels.

so I try to talk refined by shadowquill17

Charles finds out about the Cat King taking on his appearance and (somehow) arrives at the conclusion that Edwin isn't attracted to him. Charles having body image as well as chronic self-esteem issues was interesting but kind of heartbreaking. Read it for Edwin's agonised attempts to verbalise his sexual attraction to Charles without exploding. That's love right there.

A Royal Pain(e) (series) by handwrittenhello

Royalty AU! I love a bodyguard romance from time to time and this one is lovely. Lots of yearning.

Turnabout's Fair Play by LikeMmmCookies

Edwin enlists Niko and Crystal to teach him how to flirt with Charles. It starts off cute and awkward and ends up Master Of All He Surveys, which is very Edwin.

I will love you (I really love you) by ghostinthelibrary

Charles has a feelings realization and tries to confess to Edwin. Repeatedly. From a cock-blocking enchanted statue to a Hellhound, it's farcical and fun. This fic has been living in my head rent free for months.

seasons of mists by laiqualaurelote

Edwin hires Charles to be the barista in his book shop's cafe. Two cosy AUs in one! And it even comes (appropriately) with its own reading list and fanart! Very cute, excellent autumnal vibes and a superb imaginary book shop. I'm genuinely so devastated it's not a real place. 😭

Ariadne's Thread by hobbitsdoitbetter

In which Edwin is demisexual and trying to make it work with Charles. Love to see some ace spectrum representation!

you know the problem with history (it keeps coming back like weeds) by aletterinthenameofsanity

Amnesia AU! And kind of Secret Relationship? Edwin has Not So Temporary Amnesia that made him forget a whole romantic relationship with Charles early in their partnership. And Charles never told him... Surely this will have no impact on the events of canon?? 😬 I loved this twist on the trope!

scraped to the marrow by Anonymous

Edwin learned black magic in Hell and kind of went to the Dark Side. I love the trope of "Everyone thinks Character avoids violence because they're scared/weak/nice/bad at it, but actually they're a bit too good at it" and this fic does it well. I love regular Edwin, but Lord Bone was also pretty cool.

To Walk Back Into Hell by Asidian

Charles goes to Hell in Edwin's place, so naturally Edwin needs to find a way to rescue him! Interesting Hell lore and I loved all the Charles love in this.

It does not stop by williamvapespeare

Now he's safe from Hell, Edwin finally works through his PTSD. Emotional, but peak Emotional Support Charles for the win!

signed, sealed, delivered by sulfuric

Outsider PoV of the boys and the agency through the years from the perspective of the Ghost Postman. He's kind of underrated as a side character, but there are so many Implications about the Dead Letter Office, so I enjoyed the worldbuilding. And the supernatural community of London gossiping about/shipping the boys (they're just like us, for real). Love that trope.

not so secret by lola_prongs

Social Media/Celebrity AU! In which they're both actors and Charles relentlessly thirsts after Edwin on Twitter. Great use of social media/epistolary storytelling.

Like a record, baby by singtome

Another celebrity/social media AU, but this time Charles and Crystal are budding rock stars and Edwin is their manager. Also Edwin goes viral as the mysterious #HotGuyatUnity after his picture's taken at an event and Charles *tries* to set the record straight. This one's funny, generous with the yearning and UST and is part of a series that also touches on the darker side of the music industry/celebrity, which I appreciated. And it also has this excellent visual representation of the online drama.

@ghostinthelibrarywrites @tumblerislovetumblerislife @shadowquill17 @neurodivergent-fangirling @whatthehorsedoicallthisblog @shazziez @many-gay-magpies @extremely-eager-reader @atariakana @guardianspirits13 @colourmornings @herebehunters @avoiceofnerat @littlepocketuniverse @overlord-of-chaos @fairandfatalasfair @handwrittenhello @every-moment-a-different-sound @williamvapespeare @laiqualaurelote @dear-monday @dear-lucrow @aletterinthenameofsanity @likemmmcookies @bibliomancer7 @c-rowland @nobledragonflying @hobbitsdoitbetter

I've tagged some people again. Let me know if you'd like to be added to the tag list!

[many-gay-magpies]

He can feel Edwin’s fingers in his hair, orienting his head for better access, and he can’t help but grab Edwin back, pulling him closer, pressing himself against the wall until Edwin completely covers him. He can feel the dampness of Edwin’s lips, the warm tickle of his breath as he takes in long, hungry gulps, and there’s a heat spreading through Charles’ body that has his eyelashes fluttering as he tries not to moan… he’s breathing hard, trying to keep it in, but it’s so good, and Edwin is so fucking lovely and close, and—

i re-read @shadowquill17’s wonderful vampire payneland fic today and got fucking possessed. here’s this

[neousfics]

Dead Boy Detectives Fic Recs (Miscommunication Edition)

If you liked my fic Miscommunication, here are the fics that inspired it!

I'll let you go if you kiss me goodbye by shadowquill17

Word Count: 5,440

Rating: Teen and Up

Summary:

Edwin and Charles have been kissing regularly for months.

Edwin is under no illusion that it is because Charles is attracted to him. Clearly Charles misses physical intimacy and he cannot get it in a tangible way with anyone living, and while one day he will no doubt find someone who is both dead and attractive to him… in the mean time Edwin is happy to fill in, as someone who is one of those two things.

Only now Charles has met someone, and it seems the day has come for Edwin to let him go.

Review: I've read this one, like, 10 times. It hurts, it comforts. What more can you ask for?

Bright as a Morning by IntoTheUnknown

Word Count: 9,161

Rating: Teen and Up

Summary:

“You trying to court me like one of your old-fashioned girls?” Charles says, and he doesn’t sound displeased with that idea.

Or:

Edwin tries to navigate a relationship he refuses to believe is reciprocated, while Charles tries to prove that it very much is.

Review: This one is a bit more cute and wholesome than the others on the list, but I love it regardless. We get a fun exploration of Charles and Edwin fumbling through that "we're dating-are we dating?" mess that many early relationships face.

Won't Fear Love by coloursflyaway

Word Count: 10,265

Rating: Teen and Up

Summary:

„We should go a date“, Charles says on a perfectly bland Tuesday, looking up at Edwin from whatever he is doing at the moment.

If Edwin wasn’t dead already, he would suspect that Charles is trying to kill him.

or:

Five times Charles takes Edwin on a date to figure out if he could fall in love with him, and one time when he has an answer.

Review: We always love a coloursflyaway fic and this is no exception. The dramatic irony of, as a reader, watching Charles fall in love through Edwin's eyes yet also watching Edwin persist in willful ignorance of that love makes the hurt/comfort conclusion all the sweeter. 10/10 love this one.

you can have the best of me, baby (and I will give you anything) by aletterinthenameofsanity

Word Count: 7,466

Rating: Mature

Summary:

So they start kissing, and it turns into more. Into scientific exploration of the sort that Edwin finds himself dedicated to. Too dedicated to.

And Charles is good about it all. Too good about it all, as dedicated to the pursuit as Edwin is.

But that's all it is. Of course it is.

Because the thing about what they're doing is that they should really talk. They should really, really talk. They should say something before their mouths trace each other’s, before Charles helps Edwin shed far too many layers, before Edwin carefully peels Charles out of his own clothes and treats with them as much delicacy than he does any case, because Charles' ripped jeans and beat-up black coat patched with nicked pins is more precious than any artifact ever could be.

But they don't talk.

Of course they don't talk.

Because to talk would make this real, and Edwin needs it to be real, but it can't be real.

Review: I love the way the tone of the fic really changes when we switch from Edwin to Charles. It makes for a lovely bit of reader-frustration that makes you want to bash these boys heads together until they sort out their shit. Of course, the reward is just as sweet when we finally get to see them together.

Kiss You Better by coloursflyaway

Word Count: 4,068

Rating: Teen and Up

Summary:

The first time Charles kisses him, it wipes Edwin’s mind clean like nothing else ever has. No case, not Hell, no amount of exhilaration or fear or devastation, none of it compares to the moment their lips meet, nothing even comes close.

They have been talking about… something, Edwin cannot even remember the topic, and Charles gets a look on his eyes that he has never seen before, something far away and yet so aware, and one second, Edwin is talking and the next, there are lips pressed against his, soft and warm and tender.

Charles kisses him and it’s like Edwin is finding a new home in his lips, a new purpose in the hand Charles raises to cup his cheek, a new, yet familiar destiny in the little sigh he breathes into Edwin’s mouth; a kiss of life.

----

10 times Edwin thinks Charles is kissing him to figure out if he loves him, and one time he knows better.

Review: Oh look, it's another coloursflyaway fic and its also amazing. How shocking. This has got some fun poetic language in it and of course some good hurt/comfort.

Caravan of Love by Hse11z5

Word Count: 2,442

Rating: Teen and Up

Summary:

Charles and Edwin are both undercover, trying to solve a supernatural mystery on a caravan site. Charles decided, to keep their cover, they must stay the night in the caravan, say disguised, and pretend to sleep like real people do. Unfortunately, there is only one bed. [Written for Painland week - day 6- free day]

Review: Just a classic one bed moment where we get to watch Edwin desperately try to convince himself this is a totally platonic moment while Charles desperately tries to hit on his bestie.

[sixbynine-da]

Inspired by skirts maketh man by @shadowquill17

Reading this fic did *things* to me, flicking through the related reference pics did more things, so here is Edwin in some short's checking himself out.

[saddelicate]

PAINELAND WEEK - DAY 2 - MYTHS & LEGENDS

based on @shadowquill17 au, with vampire edwin and god of fire charles

[genevievefangirl]

Gen's Top 100 DBDA Fics - PART 4

For all caveats/rules/backstory, please read the Master Post

Halcyon Days By: cordelianoir @cordelia-noir Rating: T Tags: AU - Modern Setting, AU - High School, AU - Heartstopper, Protective Charles, Protective Edwin Payne Summary: There were a lot of reasons why Charles Rowland had changed schools. His suffering grades, constant reprimands over being out of dress code and the school’s growing suspicions about his home life were only some of the reasons why Charles’ mother enrolled him in boarding school for sixth form. There was really only one problem… well two problems, maybe three. ------------ When Cricket-star Charles transfers to St. Hilarion's, he urgently needs a Latin tutor. Enter Edwin Payne, a language genius but not very popular. As the two become friends, the past rears its head in ugly ways. Can the two navigate such a new, odd-couple friendship in the face of their pasts? And what happens if that friendship starts to blossom into more? My Notes: The most adorable (yet sometimes dark) boarding school AU there is! I think I speak for a lot of us in the fandom when I say this fic warms my heart. I'm not usually a fluff person, but this fic balences the fluff with the hurt very well. I highly recommend if you haven't read it already

half of my soul, as the poets say By: thegirlofthorns @edwinspaynes Rating: T Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, gravestones Summary: Edwin existed, just as Charles had. Charles, who occupied a space in loving memory. A much-deserved space – Edwin would have wanted it no other way – but the core of him wanted to scream that he had been here, too. He never would be again, but he had lived, and he had breathed and laughed and moved with too much frippery and frill to continue on breathing, and he had been a whole person, once. And it had not mattered. So looked at CHARLES ROWLAND through tears, allowed himself to. Even Charles's hammer on metal on stone was not enough to dull the pain, but it was enough to remind him that he was still here, even if he was no longer living. It was an awful sound, a jarring sound, and tears shone in Charles’s eyes as he focused intently on carving out the A in his surname, but it was something. They were there, together, and they were feeling. - Or, Charles finds Edwin's unmarked grave and will, in the lightest of terms, not be having it. My Notes: I love Charles being angry at the world for how Edwin died and how little anyone cared about him. This fic expands on that and the epithet that Charles puts on Edwin's gravestone is perfection.

head in the clouds but my gravity's centered By: shadowquill17 @shadowquill17 Rating: T Tags: Feelings Realization, Love Confessions, Protective Charles Rowland Summary: Charles touched Edwin’s face when they were in Hell, and it made them both feel better. So of course he keeps doing it. And of course it escalates. My Notes: Who doesn't love some intimate face touching from their best mate? I think this is a great tactic to use to pull Edwin out of his own head lol

Heaven To No One Else But Me By: coloursflyaway @coloursflyaway Rating: T Tags: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Feelings Realization Summary: We would like to offer you a gift, Edwin Payne, the entity says, and holds out its hand; Charles has to force himself to stay put and not step between it and Edwin, because it feels like danger, even if it shouldn’t. The entity wouldn’t hurt Edwin, he tells himself, and he knows it’s true, it’s just that it is so powerful that even the slightest touch is terrifying and Charles is terrified about losing Edwin all the time anyway. “Why me?”, Edwin asks, head raised high and the entity’s light reflecting off his skin in a way that makes it look like porcelain, fragile and translucent and beautiful, “Why not Charles?” There is nothing we could offer Charles Rowland to take his pain away, the entity says and its voice rings out in Charles’ head. But you, we could erase yours. If you wish us to. Edwin gets the opportunity to go back in time and change his life so he will never have to go to Hell, but price of it is losing Charles; Charles can only stand next to him and wait for his decision. My Notes: Edwin sees flashes of the life he could have while Charles just stands by thinking Edwin is going to leave him. It is so painful, but also so good.

hell or high water - Series By: oddessea @oddessea Rating: T Tags: AU - Different First Meeting, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Charles Rowland, Protective Edwin Payne Summary: Together - After decades of searching for a way out of Hell between being eaten by a large spider made of baby dolls, Edwin Payne is ready to try anything. When he finds a torture chamber in an out-of-the way part of the Doll House, he meets a boy his age named Charles Rowland. But, more importantly, he realizes that he might not be the only one who doesn't belong in Hell, and that, maybe, escaping is easier when you aren't alone. Feel - Every good detective agency needs an office, and every good detective needs a break. After escaping from Hell, Edwin and Charles want nothing more than to have a nice, long rest. Charles worries that something irreparable has been done to him by his time in Hell, but he can't worry about that now. The Dead Boy Detectives have their first case, and if they solve it, they may just earn their very own office and, hopefully, somewhere safe for them to land. My Notes: The boys meeting in Hell greatly shifts their bond and dynamic in this fic and I LOVE IT! They are so attached to each other and I can't! Like you think they are codependent in canon? Read this!

holding on to patience (like a sunrise) By: toomoon (jjjat3am) @toomoonfic Rating: T Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Touch-Starved, Getting Together Summary: In the aftermath of their appointment to the Lost and Found Department, Charles and Edwin's hug lingers. or, 5 times Charles touched Edwin, and one time Edwin touched him first. My Note: We can all agree that hug in ep 8 was great right? Well here's a fic expanding on their various touches after that!

I dont think I could stand to be (Where You Dont See Me) By: BadBoyDeanAsf @thepopsicle Rating: T Tags: Protective Charles Rowland, Depression, Grief/Mourning, Healing, Trauma, PTSD Summary: So Charles decides then and there with his eyes boring into the image of a woman who couldn’t have possibly been half as lucky as them that he would confess to Edwin. He wasn’t sure when or even how but he knows without a doubt that his partner deserved to know he was loved, that his feelings weren’t unrequited. - Six months after the events of S1 canon, the boys are trying to return to normal in London and deal with their own struggles. Edwin is fighting the grief of losing Niko and Charles struggles between worrying for Edwin and attempting to unpack his feelings. My Note: Charles worries so much about Edwin in this one that it makes my heart hurt. He just wants Edwin to be well again and takes him to see some art to try and make him feel better and it turns into some deep thoughts.

I Turned Back One Last Time (just to prove you were there) By: isnt_that_wizard @skateboardtotheheart Rating: T Tags: AU - Canon Divergence, Protective Charles Rowland, Touching, Touch Starved, PTSD, Hurt/Comfort, Angst Summary: Since they'd fallen out of hell, the Night Nurse slamming the door on the awful baby doll demon behind them, Charles had been itching to touch Edwin. And it wasn't like his usual touch-oriented personality just wishing to have some sort of contact. He could control that easily enough after all this time. No, this was something different. This felt like a desperation. A need to be in Edwin's personal space, to keep his hands on him. He wanted to wrap his best friend in a hug and never let go, he wanted to sit as close as possible as they heard a new case. He wanted to take Niko’s place as she grabbed Edwin's hand to drag him to watch another one of her shows. He wanted to tuck Edwin against him as they sat on the couch. He would wrap an arm around Crystal and wish it was Edwin, who was merely across the room. --- After Hell, Charles is terrified of letting Edwin out of his reach for fear that he might get taken away again. He is, of course, being very subtle in his attempts to keep Edwin close. or a series of moments when charles can't stop touching edwin to remind himself that he's real and safe, until it all finally catches up to him and he snaps My Note: Charles is freaking out in this and the tension is palatable. In particular the end of chapter 2 into the beginning of chapter 3 gives me such strong emotions. I have reread this one so many times

i’d be the choiceless hope in grief [that drove him underground] By: Laney_Rockin @laney-rockin Rating: T Tags: Hurt No Comfort, Hell, Unhappy Ending, Angst, Orpheus and Eurydice, Love Confessions, Time Loop Summary: Charles had a bad feeling that when Edwin stopped running up those spiral stairs the first time something terrible would occur. An awful gnawing feeling deep within that he chalked up to a ghostly intuition. If he was alive he'd think it was a stomachache, almost on the edge of making him sick. He hated when he was right. ---- Or: Charles becomes much more like Orpheus than he'd like. Edwin doesn't blame him for it. He doesn't think he ever could. My Notes: We love Hell time loops! But also you want sad? Here you go. This line in particular sticks with me, I love it so much. (spoilers ahead!) - "I said the ending was tragic, not that the love Orpheus and Eurydice had for each other was. In fact, it was perhaps the greatest part of the story. Eurydice holds no ill will towards her husband even as she dies a second time. Knowing and comforted in the fact that she was utterly adored by him."

If I could hold you for a minute By: HistoriaGloria @historia-gloria Rating: G Tags: Case Fic, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Protective Edwin Payne Summary: "For as vicious as it can be for ghosts, iron is not as common as you would think. It is rare, in Edwin’s experience, that the supernatural forces they are dealing with actually know that iron hurts as much as it does. Rare, but not rare enough." Charles is hurt on a case, leaving Edwin and Crystal to pick up the pieces. My Notes: The fight scene in this fic really stands out, it is super well done. And Crystal gets to help the boys!

[tragedy-machine]

WIP word train!

was tagged by @dear-lucrow <3 thank you! and my word is GLOVE (I found no paragraph starting with a V, so I had to cheat a little)

G - Glancing at Edwin talking with Crystal, his ramrod straight posture and graceful gestures, Charles tries to make himself look forward to the spell breaking, taking all these fake feelings with it, but he doesn’t quite manage it.

L - Leisurely, as if put in a trance, once the ectoplasm is gone, Charles follows each lovely feature of Edwin’s face with his gaze, and moves further only once he’s drunk his fill. A soft cheek, a sharp cheekbone, the crooked part of his regal nose, and his lovely eyes that rest heavily on Charles, half-lidded.

O - “Of course,” A sad and resigned laugh contorts Edwin’s face and all of it is just wrong, it’s not how it’s supposed to go. “Of course that is what you think you feel. You’re under a love spell, Charles.”

V/W - When he stepped out of his beaten, bruised and freezing flesh, when every drop of blood seeped out, and all that was left of him was the essence of his soul, it was this very feeling that filled the empty space in his spectral veins. It flowed through him, sustaining his every limb, pumping into his undead heart to make it beat.

E - Edwin’s always been something more to him. More than any other best friend he’s ever had in life, more than a passing obsession that plagued his every thought like when he fancied a girl. Charles looks at Edwin’s back and almost overflows with giddiness at the prospect of finding out what other more can happen between them.

can you tell I'm writing a love potion au

no pressure tagging @shadowquill17 @lolotr @likemmmcookies @tumblerislovetumblerislife @paraphwrites and the word is WORLD

[narliearchive]

a shield of blue and green by shadowquill17 [T]

Tristan Hayes has just joined Truham’s rugby team, and Nick has a feeling he might turn out to be a bully. Because of course, there's no other reason Tristan could be looking at Charlie… right?

Damn, I Miss You Tonight by Cherry_likethefruit [M]

“I think no talk about uni should mean no talk about GCSEs either.” Nick felt a bit unmoored. There was something in the way Charlie was looking at him that made his heartbeat quicken. “Uh, what do you want to talk about then?” “We could talk about…Saturday?” Charlie took his bottom lip between his teeth, and suddenly Nick was finding it nearly impossible to ignore his growing erection. He wasn’t really sure how Charlie made the gesture look both shy and obscene at the same time, but the combination was really working for him. Nick swallowed hard, trying to maintain some semblance of cool for at least a while longer. “Are you excited for the fête?” Charlie smirked. “I mean, that wasn’t really the exciting event I had in mind.” A continuation of Heartstopper chapter 7 - 27… Or, what I think probably happened between comic pages 1467 and 1468.

For Everyone (Except Me) by 7ate9 [G]

“Nick, I was… thinking… about us?” He wasn’t sure why it came out as a question. Nick nodded, trepidation encroaching on his light expression. “Okay.” “And, well, um…” The speech, remember the speech. “I just think that, well.” Charlie took a deep and forced himself on. For Nick. For Tao. For everyone. (Everyone except me.) “I think it might be better if we, you know…” Charlie swallowed heavily and forced himself to continue holding Nick’s gaze. For Nick. “If we stopped doing this.” If Charlie got through the break up in season 1

Is it Okay if we, like… Keep this a secret? by PhoenixSpring [T]

5 times Nick and Charlie think they're keeping their relationship a secret, plus the 1 time they realise they've been caught.

promise that we'll never be apart by golden_hestia [G]

“You’ve been glued to my side since I got here yesterday and are currently laying on top of me.” Nick turned his head back and cracked an eye open, giving Charlie that very lopsided smile that made him feel fizzy on the inside. “Well, I guess I can’t help that either. I like being close to you.” “More like you need to be close to me.” Charlie couldn’t help the excited flutter of his heart, knowing that he adored Nick so dearly and that the adoration was returned so willingly and effortlessly from Nick. “Because you’re clingy.” Nick scoffed and hid his face in Charlie’s chest. “We aren’t having this argument again, Char. I’m not clingy.” -- Nick and Charlie spend a quiet afternoon in bed trying to answer the age-old question of who really is the clingy one in their relationship.

[williamvapespeare]

i was tagged in "wip wunday" by the lovely @emryses - thank you so much!! :) and to this i say, be careful what you wish for here is the first line of a new fic:

Charles stole his dad’s cigarettes exactly once, when he was 14.

sorry sorry have a moment of fragile tenuous intimacy from a different future fic because Charles deserves to be cared about:

Eventually, Edwin breaks the tenuous thing between them, cautious as he can be.  “Charles?” he asks.  Charles startles a little, as if he’s forgotten he wasn’t alone, or at least forgotten that speech was an option. His hand tightens around Edwin’s in an odd, contradictory reflex.  Charles favours him with a little hmm of a sound, sniffs a bit.  Edwin thinks back to the Devlin House and that horrible night below the lighthouse, and tries his best to be delicate.  “Is it, ah, the dust again?”  Charles laughs and it comes out watery and unamused.  “Nah, mate. ‘m crying.”  And the admission - because that’s what it is, he knows, an admission - lays Edwin bare and leaves him blinking.

i'm tagging @many-gay-magpies @dont-offend-the-bees @manicpixiedreamedwins @lesamis @shadowquill17 and anyone else who desires to do this!!!

[lolotr]

Last line tag game! Thanks @depressedandoverdressed for the tag! p sure someone else tagged me in this, but I forgor :(

Rules: Post the last line you've written, and/or a piece of your writing that you want to share, then tag whoever you'd like

Last thing I wrote was for another one shot for my librarian verse, bc I cannot be stopped. Edwin and Charles go on a date, Charles gets drunk on like two glasses of wine, fluff ensues.

Charles grins lazily and nuzzles his nose into Edwin’s neck, which is making it difficult for Edwin to walk in a straight line, and he’s barely tipsy. “Next time. I like the sound of that. That’s good, that is.” As is so often the case, Edwin finds a smile on his face of its own accord. “Yes, well, in order for there to be a next time, we need to get you to my flat in one piece, hm?” “M’not that drunk,” he slurs. “But if that’s you saying you want to carry me, I think that’s mint.” “Charles, I am not carrying a fully grown man for the entirety of a fifteen minute walk.” “Why not? You could probably do it. You’re so bloody strong, it’s so hot when you push me around.” Edwin’s face heats, and he glances around, hoping no one has heard his boyfriend blatantly flirting with him in the middle of the road. “If you’re trying to convince me of your sobriety, you are not succeeding.”

now that that's out there, maybe I'll finish it today... we'll see

tagging @shadowquill17 @the-ipre @schweetheart @queerofthedagger if you wanna play!!

[adventures-in-mangaland]

Even More Dead Boy Detectives Fic Recs

I've discovered some amazing new authors since my last post! And writers I've already recced have published more great stories So here's another fic rec post!

Who? You mean your teammate in the Codependency World Cup? (series) by RoseGanymede95

I couldn't chose! They're all great! Basically a series of Edwin and Charles through the years and on cases pre-show. It scratches that adjusting-to-being-dead/newly-escaped-from-Hell itch and the authors writing is magic! It also fleshes out a really interesting conflict in the payneland dynamic: Charles' drive to protect Edwin at all costs clashing with Edwin's guilt over putting Charles at risk/depriving him of some ideal afterlife. Parts one and four also introduces Constantine/Johanna and part three revolves around an absolutely gut-wrenching temporary break-up. 😢

In Hell I'll Be in Good Company by laylabinx

Charles rescuing Edwin from Hell does not go smoothly. Just. Bucketloads of Trauma for both of them. And for you, the Reader. It's so good though!

your fangs in my neck (like an anchor like a vow) by shadowquill17

Vampire Edwin AU! It's great because it combines the (homo)eroticism of vampiric feeding with Charles' whole bisexual crisis and post-confession Edwin worrying about making Charles uncomfortable. Also Charles is some kind of demigod/immortal agent of divine vengeance which is an AMAZING detail and I desperately want to see some fanart!

The same author's ongoing story to the pain is also excellent though very angsty (cw temporary character death). I'm anxiously waiting for an update!

To Memory Now I Can't Recall by engineering_madonna

This is an amnesia fic and the most recent in an established relationship series. The first two installments feature the boys getting together and navigating their new relationship, so pulling the old 'character A forgets their whole romantic relationship with character B' trope hits especially hard! The whole series is lovely, but I am WEAK for temporary-amnesia.

Lemonade & Sunrises by paraph

A Quiet Place AU! The boys are alive, but they're the only ones. Very bleak but in a way that makes me want more!

1999 au (series) by websters_lieb

The boys figure their shit out in the 90s. Also, Edwin gets to read Maurice and queer theory. The cases in both stories are compelling and the author's writing and characterisation of the boys are excellent.

I also recommend offer me that deathless death which is about the boys' first meeting, Charles' funeral and the birth of the agency.

if I could reach the stars (i'd give them all to you) by ObsessedWithFandom

Charles falls first, Edwin falls harder. This is an AU of the author's excellent Charles' bisexual awakening fic, which I also highly recommend. It has lovely OCs and Charles having a sweet little friendship/romance with the boy he saved in canon, which actually makes his death a whole lot more tragic.

Came up from that lake of fire by ghostinthelibrary

Charles and Edwin get caught escaping Hell and promise to capture a demon-eating ghost called The Deathless in exchange for their freedom. With the added twist that they get to be alive again! An exciting case, high stakes and all the alive-again culture shocks and emotional/interpersonal drama you could ask for.

gig officially gigged by laiqualaurelote

Band AU! It shouldn't work but it does. Which might also be an in-universe review for the band tbh. Idk, I loved Edwin's massive obscure musical instruments and Charles being his unpaid roadie. Peak Found Family Feels.

No Rehearsing It, No Reversing It by DontOffendTheBees

Charles overthinks being in love with Edwin, my beloved. This time with increasingly flimsy pretexts for why they NEED to kiss. Just perfect Idiots in Love, no notes.

The Case of David Bowie's Made up Sexuality by williamvapespeare

The agency attempt to help a living lesbian couple deal with a haunting. Meanwhile, Charles struggles through his bisexual (re)awakening. With bonus past (living) Charles no-homo-ing himself to the nth degree. Pure of heart, dumb of ass, indeed.

The lamps are going out by CasiHuman

Vengeful Spirit Edwin AU! Has some interesting ghost lore and Edwin being convinced his touch is painful to Charles (love that trope!). Also features some of the author's adorable/hilarious fanart at the end.

just frame the halves (and call them brothers) by Anonymous

Crystal stumbles upon the ghost of Edwin's older brother, who hires the agency to free him and his platoon from the battleground they've been haunting. Case fic with interesting details about Edwin's family life and an awkward as hell family reunion.

the case of the very long ferry ride by obsceme

Sex pollen but with skin hunger, so it's more touching turned making out and hand jobs in a bathroom. Interesting use of ghost lore and it's cute and well written.

Form 239, Schedule L by sanctuary_for_all

Charles Rowland's Love Language is Acts of Service: The Fic. So many feels! Plus Afterlife worldbuilding and some quality Night Nurse rep.

don't go sharing your devotions (lay all your love on me) by Hephanna

The boys and Crystal accidentally summon an alternate universe version of Charles. He's very... handsy. Charles being jealous of himself is objectively hilarious and it looks like it could be heading towards throuple territory. Possibly even a foursome, if alternate Edwin figures out parallel universe travel. Which he probably will.

Still a Better Lovestory by Vamillepudding

Hanahaki disease! Charles is on the case but Edwin's being weirdly uncooperative about his own curse. I loved the worldbuilding (there's a whole sisterhood of washerwomen!) and the angst, plus the writing is excellent.

The author has also written Eternal Sunshine, in which Edwin is cursed to feel no love of any kind. It makes for an interesting character study, contrasting cursed Edwin, his public reserve and his actual personality.

[many-gay-magpies]

WIP Word Train <3

Thank you @babyseraphim for the tag!! Tag games are SO fun, and this one in particular I love—likewise, I’ve been hoping to see it come around again!! I have a LOT of WIPs geared up, so this’ll be fun >:3

Rules: tagger gives a word, then for each letter of that word you share a sentence/excerpt from your wips that start with that letter. The word I got was ARCANE

A - from my casefic, The Case of the Clashing Carpet

At once Edwin’s limbs locked up. He was still aware of his surroundings, but possessed only a detached relation to them. He felt himself passing through Crystal, and heard both she and Charles shout his name—but he had no power to react to them, nor any desire to. His distress over the situation—his anxiety at being completely under Melody’s control; his budding horror at the realization that her level of power over ghosts was far greater than either he or Charles had anticipated—was muted, as if several layers of felt had been placed between he and his emotions.

R - from For Hell Here is Safe in My Mouth, in which Edwin gets rescued from a kidnapping and comfort happens about it

Really, Charles wagers Esther Finch is to blame—‘cause Edwin had been through hell already, and this has never been a problem before, not in the thirty-some years since the agency started doing business. Maybe something about them getting rid of a witch that had been terrorizing a town since the colonial times got them on the radar in a way they hadn’t been before. Or maybe word got out somehow that Edwin survived hours of torture that would demolish any normal ghost in seconds.

C - from For Hell Here is Safe in My Mouth

Charles stops briefly at Edwin’s head, lifting a hand to cup Edwin’s cheek before he can put much thought into it. It’s only, he doesn’t wager Edwin has had much friendly touch in the past twenty-four hours, is all. Edwin’s breath hitches a bit, then his eyes flutter shut and he’s leaning just so into Charles’s palm.

Charles’s chest warms at the feeling. He strokes his thumb along the dry skin of Edwin’s cheek, then steps back and swings his backpack around to fish out his lock picks.

“Let’s see about getting you out of these, yeah?”

A - from The Case of the Clashing Carpet

“And I get it from the other end, too,” Crystal said. She laughed, or at least that’s what she did if all meaning of joy could be drained from the word. “I would have—god, I’d have killed to have my parents fight as hard to get me back as you’ve been fighting for Lilah. I like to think they’d care if I died, but the truth is, I don’t know. I don’t know if I’ll ever be anything other than a—a trophy to them.”

N - from a currently-unnamed sub Charles drabble/oneshot in the To be so Known series

Now, this is the tricky part. They’ve been working up to it, bit by bit—and Edwin had his softer voice on just then, so Charles knows it’s alright if he can’t manage it—but he wants to try. He wants to make Edwin proud, doesn’t he?

So he sighs, and swallows, and shuts his eyes—and then he opens them right back up again, ‘cuz it’s easier to focus when he’s got Edwin’s green eyes above him to focus on.

E - from How I’m Imagining You, a prequel oneshot to Honey, it’s Easier

Edwin has not quite become accustomed to the fact that he can partake in kissing Charles whenever he pleases. It is a novelty of the most thrilling kind, that no longer must he swallow his urges when they are sat together at the desk; that he can simply reach up and hook a finger under Charles’s gold chain to draw him down, and Charles will fall in against his lips with the most dazzling of grins.

—

For this I’ll once again be tagging @wordsinhaled, @shadowquill17, @blusandbirds, and anyone who wants to do it! And as usual, no pressure to participate if you don’t want ^^. The word I’m giving is: FRAME

[oatflatwhite]

tagged at least 5 times in the last line challenge lmao but this is the first time i actually have something to share oops. thanks for the tag @itstheheebiejeebies!! <3

“Alright, alright, tough crowd. Sheesh.” George looked around the room. He had that same smile spilling over his face and put a hand up to the edge of it, like he wanted to smooth it away. He turned in a full circle to face Carwood again and shrugged, a full-body motion. “So you gonna give me the tour, or what?” They wound up back in the kitchen, where Carwood’s ma was reading her gardening magazine. “George,” she said, folding it away and looking expectantly at the two of them until they each pulled out a chair. “I remember you now. You were the… radio man? Carwood said you’re a dab hand at impressions.” “Oh, I get by.” George leaned back, hands laced behind his head. He was careful to keep all four chair legs on the ground, Carwood noticed. “Army was great for that kind of thing; I so much as open my mouth round home and before you know it I’m taking one of Rita’s loafers to the head. My sister,” he explained. His hands dropped back to the table; George never could sit still. “The place is beautiful, Mrs Lipton. But what’s this about a leaky roof?”

postwar luzton my beloved............. my new beloved............ it will be a spring wedding <3 (it's currently spring <3)

tagging @hartigays @shadowquill17 @ww2yaoi @babe-heffron and @spaceshipkat <3

[nuttersinc]

End of the Year's Director's Cut Ask Game

I was tagged by the lovely @shadowquill17 so thank you for that!

You can ask me about any extra lore or meta about any of my fanfics from this year, or you can ask me for a dealer's choice fun fact that didn't make it into the fic itself!

There's 3 fandoms and 10 fics to choose from: Dark Rise, Merlin and Dead Boy Detectives.

I'm tagging @khorazir, @raina-at , @ravenwilds and anyone else who wants to do it!