Long time lurker, first time blogger (here)
219 posts
Distracted-and-diffused - My Thoughts Are Many Miles Away... - Tumblr Blog
It took me a couple of rewatches, but this is my interpretation, too: "That was… extreme" is not about Edwin being startled by how violent Charles was or afraid for himself, but about Edwin being afraid of the thought of Charles being punished for that violence.
One of the interesting things I noticed on rewatching the show is that there's a part of the confrontation with the Night Nurse in Episode 6 when Edwin starts almost hyperventilating. It's not when she talks about Hell or about taking Edwin. It's when Charles says to the Night Nurse, "It was me who kicked you, yeah?"
When the conversation focuses back on Edwin, he's calmer again. (Still stressed, but no longer hyperventilating.)
But Edwin is so very afraid that Charles is going to be punished for attacking an authority figure, even as Charles is — once again — trying to put himself between Edwin and the threat of Hell.
I don't think we talk enough about Edwin's reaction to Charles beating the Night Nurse. Because he's scared, he is worried and he is crying. But he is not scared of Charles at all, I think he is scared to lose him. Just in that episode, he had (unwillingly) told the Cat King that he helped other ghosts so he can defend his own case if Death ever came to take him to Hell again. He also says he is not proud about it, that it is selfish.
Charles would have gone to Heaven if he hadn't decided to stay with him. Edwin is sure. But, after what happened with the Night Nurse, he can't be sure anymore. He knows Charles, he knows he is a good man and he doesn't deserve to go to Hell. But he also knows Charles well enough to know he'll feel guilty. And that is how Hell gets you. Guilt drags to down.
I don't think Edwin was walking on eggshells around Charles as Crystal said. I think it just hurt him to see him, to face him, knowing that he may have selfishly made Charles lose his oportunity to go to pradise. Because he had stayed for him. Because he had been protecting him.
I was sorting through my gif sets and realised I never actually made one for the first episode, and that just wouldn't do. so here are some small moments as gifs from the case of crystal palace
the brain & the brawn
the boys' reaction to possessed Crystal
Crystal Palace awestruck in a completely platonic way
I'm giving Edwin his own section in this post (yes, I am obsessed with him) starting with the boxing scene
Edwin: "So, you'll be leaving then" vs. when Charles leaves with her
"Charles, noooooo!"
Charles did, in fact, yeeeeees!
"Let's not be cocky, Charles" says the ghost who loves it when Charles is cocky...
and finally, these two have kind of ruined one of the most aesthetically pleasing shots for me, but I can't stop giggling thinking about these on loop
other episode gif sets: 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8
the hardest part of writing is when you fall in love with a scene that has absolutely no place in the story
we do all have a bit of a laugh at the fact that Monty seemed to make a massive effort to not give two shits about anyone except Edwin, and it does feel true most of the time. yet...
... he asked Esther about Crystal's fate too?
... and he went with "them," did he? if he was only thinking of Edwin, he would have surely just said "him," right? interesting...
DEAD BOY DETECTIVES PROMPTOBER DAY 6 — BOOKS
Made way too many posts about jealous Charles so here is Charles actually smiling for a change
Okay, you gotta let go now, Niko.
@palasakiweek Day 7: Physical Intimacy
DEAD BOY DETECTIVES PROMPTOBER DAY 5 — MAGIC
What are you doing? You didn't... You didn't see that?
@palasakiweek Day 4: Meet Cute
@palasakiweek Day 2: Fondness
DEAD BOY DETECTIVES PROMPTOBER DAY 1 — MIRRORS
I know one thing: Dbd is the perfect series for Spooky season 🗣❗️
It is so unspeakably charming to me that Edwin's bowtie is almost always ever-so-slightly crooked. Perfect character detail. No notes.
how is Tragic Mick the most relatable character - stays in his own lane chilling, continues to try to tell people about The Thing he really cares about, sits down a lot, goes outside only when incentivized by the possibility of meeting a really cool woman, misses the sea
The campaign to renew/save Dead Boy Detectives doesn't have one singular goal.
Yes, there is a main goal, but there are also other objectives in the meantime:
Strengthen the community and keep the fandom alive and tight
Get new people to find out about this wonderful show that can very well change their lives as it did ours
Make ourselves feel better about the cancellation by doing something instead of just being sad and angry with nowhere to put the energy into
Join the voices of other fandoms to criticize the TV industry as a whole
Reinforce our love for the show, creators, crew and cast
I know it might feel like there's no point, but there is. Saving DBD is where we're headed, but there's so much on the road. Remember every fight ever fought felt hopeless at some point, and not every battle was won, but it always means something.
I always found the scene where Edwin notices that Esther's cupboard is too far forward really convenient.
Because sure, some people that work in certain jobs will learn to identify if something feels off. But like, how often is Edwin installing kitchens? Why would he have that skill? But I always just brushed it off as needing to progress the scene.
Except today I realised that of course he does! Of course he knows when something isn’t proportionate to plans. Of course he has the experience and skill to know that.
He developed it while mapping out Hell.
umm i need reassurance that my presence is wanted but i can’t ask for reassurance because that’s really Embarrassing and it wouldn’t feel genuine if i asked for it
One thing I don't see talked about enough is the amazing cast of women who make up Dead Boy Detectives.
And I don't mean throw-away, there-for-the-sake-of-having-a-girl women. I mean actual, three-dimensional characters, with their own wants, goals, and emotional character arcs that exist independent of the titular ghost boys.
This is a show that runs laps around the Bechdel test in episode one and never looks back.
This is a show that's full of women who are allowed to be messy, complicated, brave, funny, scared, angry, and lash out in their pain. This is a show that's full of women who are allowed to learn from their mistakes, and grow, and change.
This is a show that's full of women who talk to each other, and support each other, and give each other advice about life.
And this is a low bar, but given the state of media today it's a big deal: there is never a single scene in this show that sexualizes a female character. A lot of action movies and supernatural shows frame the women on their cast to show off an ass, or the curve of a breast. Not here. The women are fully covered. They're framed to show their faces and their emotions, because what they're feeling is the important part. It's focused on who these women are as people and not what they can show to entice an audience.
Women in Dead Boy Detectives are heroes and catalysts who are learning to be better people.
They're earnest and clever and processing their own grief and sense of mortality.
They're complicated antagonists who have journeys of their own to walk.
They're cynical, distrustful father figures learning to reluctantly look out for others.
They're cruel and funny and vengeful and have been torn down by a world that did them wrong.
And those are only the main ladies in this cast. There are an absolute pile of supporting women who run the gamut from hilarious to heartbreaking.
I could go on for literal paragraphs about how refreshing it was to see wrongs against women treated as wrongs in the script, or how I have literally never before seen a woman turn down a protagonist romantically and not be villified for it, or how much of a breath of fresh air it was to see a woman's primary emotional arc be an arc about learning to become a better person, but my goodness, there's all that and more.
Nobody is doing it like Dead Boy Detectives, and by god, I love to see it.