Idk If Anyone Is A Fan Of Manifest But It Was In A Similar Situtation As Dead Boy Detectives Is: Canceled

Idk if anyone is a fan of Manifest but it was in a similar situtation as Dead Boy Detectives is: canceled on a cliffhanger and then picked back up. There's a fantastic, enlightening article on how the fans managed to make that happen:

The Hollywood Reporter

Why Netflix Really Saved ‘Manifest’ (It Wasn’t the Tweets)

Inside the streamer's decision to salvage the surprise summer sensation — and how the move from NBC to Netflix will change season four.

The TLDR, when it comes down to it? VIEWS.

So, Point 1 I'm trying to make: REWATCH THE FUCK OUT OF THIS SHOW. Have it on all day, every day and when it gets to the Netflix Top-10 trending DO NOT STOP. Have it on in the background on a low volume, pop some headphones in if you don't want to hear it. Literally KEEP WATCHING. DO NOT CANCEL YOUR NETFLIX ACCOUNT.

Point 2: If you have a family member or friend who hasn't watched Dead Boy Detectives, ask them to. If they're not interested, here's what I suggest - ask them to let you sign into their account and watch it full through to help boost the viewership. Do it at night when they're sleeping or while they're at work and don't need their account. If Netflix sees an uptick in accounts who have never watched this show watching it, that will raise eyebrows.

They do not care about our feelings. They do not care about the integrity of artful storytelling or the importance of queer representation.

They care about views. We need to give them views. A tremendous turnaround in viewership post-cancellation will make them reconsider. That's how we save our show. It's just like Crystal Palace said - we need a unified front if we're going to face the mistress of doom (Netflix HQ) out there!!!

STREAM THE FUCK OUT OF THIS SHOW and do not stop telling others to do the same! If you were on the fence about watching this show, this is your sign to watch it because we need you now more than ever! I promise you will love it, the show is so meaningful, fun, and special... plus we are an awesome, active fandom with talented writers and artists! You will have a great time here and you know what if you don't like it you can personally kick me in the shin honestly! Please help us save our show!

My heart is broken, but my love for these characters, for the actors, will forever carry on.

This is for you dead boy detectives, may you rest in peace.

This is also for @local-limebug I'm sorry it took so long!

I kicked my legs, giggled, squealed and rolled around on my bed. This is too much cuteness I have stopped working.

They’re in Lorb (Orb Love)

“Crystal?” Niko’s voice over the phone is a shaky whisper.

Crystal immediately juggles her keys and groceries to grab her phone properly. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Niko says quietly. “But something weird is happening.”

Crystal shoves her front door open with her shoulder as the FaceTime request dings. She drops the groceries in the foyer and accepts it. Instead of Niko’s lovely face filling the screen, it’s a shaky shot of the doorway to the office. “What am I looking at?”

“I don’t know,” Niko whispers. “That’s why I called you.” She steps forward and the phone camera almost immediately gives up in the face of very bright light. “Aw, you can’t see it.” The camera flips back to reveal Niko’s face bathed in the radiance. Crystal notes with some relief that Niko looks more awed than hurt.

“Babe,” Crystal says patiently. “What’s going on?”

“There’s like a glowing orb. It’s all pretty colors. Like pink and blue. It’s sitting on Edwin’s desk and he’s not here. Neither of them are—“

“Yeah, no, they are,” Crystal sighs. “They’re Venn diagramming.”

Niko tilts her head in frame, puppyish confusion that makes Crystal just want to scoop her up and kiss her face all over. “What?”

“You know what a Venn diagram is.” Niko nods at her. Neither of them probably got enough school but they did go. “So the Venn diagram of ghosts who love each other is a circle,” Crystal explains, smirking a little. Edwin had been so mad the first time she said it, which only made it funnier.

"Ohhhhh," Niko says, eyes widening with understanding. "That's clever."

Crystal thinks she probably looks as smug as she feels. “They have a ghost form that doesn’t require them to exert as much energy. They’re just spirit orbs. Usually you only see spirit orbs floating faintly in the background, even if you have the Sight. They’re a low-energy form. Apparently, at some point, the boys figured out that if their orbs touch, they can meld together.”

“That sounds dirty,” Niko laughs.

“It probably is! Anyway, Charles and Edwin glow so fuckin’ brightly when they’re together. Sometimes it’s just a partial meld and sometimes they become one giant glowing orb. I usually like to check in with them, but don’t touch them. They can sense some things while in that form so I don’t want to bother them. I just don't like leaving them alone since it’s also a vulnerable time and I prefer to make sure no other ghosts intrude on them either. You know people show up at the office at all hours.”

“Soooooo…want to come over?” Niko asks, raising a perfect eyebrow. “Girls’ Night at the Ghost Orb?

“Sure,” Crystal laughs. “It’s a date. I’ll be right over. You want anything?”

“Bring some of the soda and the matcha we picked up last weekend. I was gonna stash some at the office anyway for when we have late nights.”

“Alright. Love you, babe. Don’t touch the orb and I’ll see you soon.” Crystal blows a little kiss to the camera and watches Niko’s face crease with delight. Niko blows her a kiss too and then signs off.

***

Crystal can see the bright light even through the door and contemplates whether a door shade might be helpful. She walks into the office humming.

For the second time today, she drops her grocery bag on the floor. She rips her headphones out and puts her hands on her hips. “What did I say about touching the orb, Niko?”

Niko looks up from where she is…well, spooning the ghost orb on the couch. She is so damn good at the puppy eyes that Crystal almost forgets that she asked a question. Almost.

“Babe, seriously!?”

“They almost fell off the desk!” Niko protests, pouting. “I had to catch them. And they glow more when I touch them.” She traces a gentle fingertip over the top curve of the orb nestled against her and it erupts in pink swirls over a dark blue background.

Crystal sighs. “Alright.” In fairness, the boys never specifically prohibited touching, it just seemed polite. And probably, they won’t mind because it’s Niko and both of them find her utterly charming; Crystal can’t even be offended by that because she also thinks her girlfriend is adorable. She rummages in the grocery bag for a soda and uses her keys to pry the lid off the bottle. She takes a sip and then motions at Niko. “Lift your head up.”

Niko moves obligingly, giving Crystal enough space to sit at the end of the couch before she drops her head into Crystal’s lap.

“See,” Niko says sweetly. “Now we’re all comfy.” She grabs the edge of her tunic top and uses it to scoop the orb up closer to her stomach. Helpfully, this also mutes the bright light, at least from Crystal’s point of view. She pulls her sunglasses out of her hair carefully and offers them to Niko, who grins up at her before sliding them on.

“You’re explaining this to Edwin when he stops being an orb.”

“Okay.” Niko nuzzles her cheek against Crystal’s thigh. “I have so many questions anyway. I want to know all about being a giant ball of light. Honestly, that sounds pretty cool. Do you think Edwin would let me take him around while he was an orb? What if his orb wants to go hang out at the beach or something? For like maximum ghost relaxation.”

Crystal can’t help the way she looks at Niko, her heart almost bursting with love. “Yeah, baby, I bet for you he’d go on some kind of ghost orb vacation. Charles would be thrilled if you got him to take a break occasionally.” She tucks Niko’s heavy silken hair behind her ear. “Want a sip?”

“Is it the tamarind one?”

“No, regular cola. There’s a tamarind one in the bag if you want.”

“No. I’m comfy. Gimme a sip.”

Crystal holds the bottle to her mouth carefully, tipping it up in little bursts until Niko gets her fill. She bends down to kiss her, both of their mouths sticky-sweet and slick.

They spend hours there, sharing a drink and taking turns playing music on Crystal’s phone. It’s fun, both spending time with Niko and watching the orb change colors. Crystal knows that the deep blue is Charles and the pink is Edwin, the two of them mixed together in this form. She knows because she once caught Charles with Edwin’s orb tucked under his elbows while he sorted some small silver charms on the floor. He’d been talking to it before she walked in and when he looked up his face was nearly as pink as the orb cuddled in his lap.

There’s a slight buzzing noise and then Charles falls out of Niko’s grasp rather spectacularly. He grins up at them from the floor though, entirely unhurt. “Heya.”

“Charles?” Niko says, leaning up on her elbow. “Are you okay?”

“Aces, Niko, don’t worry. Gimme Edwin?”

Niko sits up to hand the orb to Charles and Crystal doesn’t think that she imagines the way it glows brighter in Charles’s careful hands. Charles stands and sets the orb on the desk.

“You guys okay?” Crystal asks. “No supernatural exhaustion from working cases while we sleep or something, right?”

Silently and neatly, Edwin replaces the orb and says, “We’re perfectly fine.” He shoots his cuffs and then rests his hands in his lap; he looks tidy perched on the desk, like a little doll, while Charles is leaning against it like he’d like to dive right back into Edwin again.

“Does it feel like sleeping?” Niko asks, taking Crystal's sunglasses off and hanging them from the collar of her shirt. “It looked relaxing.”

“It is.” Edwin softens a little, looking at where Niko is resting her head against Crystal’s shoulder. Crystal stretches her legs out, thinking maybe she’d like a nap too, all warm and cozy with her girlfriend. “However,” Edwin continues, ever the proper tutor, “it does not resemble sleep. It is, at best, a facsimile of lying on a grassy hillock and watching the clouds drift by. That is to say, restful, but still aware.”

“What does Charles feel like?” Niko asks and Crystal snorts.

“Warm,” Edwin answers instinctively and then makes an odd little motion. It looks like the cousin of a flinch, a nervous tic he hasn’t quite killed. He clears his throat. “Notably, though most ghostly existences do not include registering sensations from food or touching others, we can be interacted with by other supernatural beings. We mostly encounter hostile creatures or other ghosts. Though I have found most ghosts are as cold as they are long dead, Charles is strangely warm to the touch.”

Charles grins like he did that on purpose, the idiot.

Niko sighs. “Awwwwww, that’s so sweet. Is Edwin warm?” She looks at Charles expectantly.

“I think he’s pretty hot,” Charles says with a wink and Crystal throws the nearest pillow at him. He catches it, the asshole, and lobs it back.

“Hey,” Crystal says, batting it away from Niko’s face. “Leave her out of it.”

“Indeed,” Edwin says dryly, “it’s bad form to drag civilians into your fight. Come on, Niko, I had something to show you.”

Crystal hugs Niko tighter to her, grinning when Niko giggles. “You can’t steal my girlfriend. She already spent all afternoon spooning you two.”

Charles laughs at that.

“Sorry, should I define spooning for you?” Crystal teases Edwin.

He rolls his eyes and then offers Charles his hand. “I can figure it out very well. How exactly do you think people kept warm during the winter in my time?” He spins Charles into his arms, the slight height advantage he gained from sitting on the desk allowing him to wrap himself entirely around Charles like a smug octopus.

Charles beams at them, thoroughly pleased to be tangled up in Edwin. Crystal can’t help smiling too. It took so long for them to admit their feelings, and then even longer to show even a hint of those feelings in front of her. This level of cuddling is only a few months old and it’s utterly adorable. She presses her cheek to Niko’s hair and inhales her sweet perfume.

“Why don’t you just bring the book here?” Niko asks Edwin. “Then we could all be warm and cozy.”

Edwin makes a considering face. “I could. Where will I keep Charles? You two are taking up two thirds of the couch.”

“Oh that’s easy,” Niko says, looping an arm around Crystal’s neck to pull herself into Crystal’s lap properly. Crystal wraps an arm around her waist instinctively, holding her steady as she wriggles herself into her best position.

“Very well,” Edwin says indulgently, as though this is a great favor and he won’t delight in cuddling Charles. “Shall I read out loud to you?”

“Yes,” Charles hums just as Niko echoes him.

Edwin’s mouth twitches into a smile. “Very well. Move over then.”

Edwin picks up the book from his desk, a small one with a green fabric cover and gold-edged pages; he settles on the other half of the sofa and waits expectantly for Charles to sit on his lap.

With their legs tangled together, he hands the book to Charles so he can wrap his arms around Charles and hook his chin over Charles’ bony shoulder. Niko tucks her feet under Edwin’s ghostly thigh and he smiles at her.

Crystal closes her eyes as Edwin begins to read; she won’t admit it, but his voice and Niko’s warm weight in her lap are more than enough to send her off to sleep in a heartbeat.

This is about Dead Boy Detectives but also applies elsewhere:

I know it can be hard to just talk to random people you meet about things you’re passionate about, but legit it works. If you can push past the social anxiety (I know it’s hard, I struggle with it too) you’ll be surprised how receptive people can be!

One of the best things we can do to up the chances of getting the show renewed is to get the views up, and while rewatches are great, more and newer viewers are even better. So whenever I can, I’ve been talking the show up to everyone I see.

I just checked my car in for service and the gal taking my info was STOKED when I told her about it because she was looking for a new show to watch. Grabbed her phone and added it to her Netflix list as I was standing there.

The little old lady who does safety inspections at work apparently loves Halloween and all things spooky.

The new security guard mentioned his husband and was excited when I told him about how refreshing the queer normalization is in the show (and showing him a pic of Lukas Gage as the Cat King definitely didn’t hurt either).

The head of Facilities has been watching Doctor Who since the first episode in the 60s and was intrigued by the quirky, campy aspects of it.

There are so many aspects to this show, so many angles of interest, you’ll be surprised how quickly you can sell people on it sometimes!

For me, the ‘opener’ I’ve found most effective is something along the lines of “Hey, I know this is super random, but do you like Sci-fi/fantasy/spooky stuff?” From there, a yes leads into “There’s this show I absolutely love called Dead Boy Detectives on Netflix, you should check it out!” And a bit of info on the show. (It’s about two ghosts that solve supernatural mysteries! It’s fun and weird and funny and so well made!) If there’s time, I’ll pull up the trailer or the teaser for them to watch. Far more often then not, they’re interested.

And if they say no? “Yeah, the genre’s not for everyone. But if you know anyone who does like it, you should have them check out Dead Boy Detectives, it’s super good.”

They may or may not be interested. They might watch it or they might not, could recommend it to others or forget about it completely. But they definitely won’t do any of that if they don’t know it exists.

Right now, I know of 21 people that I’ve told about the show who have come back and told me they loved it. 7 of those have also told me they told their friends and family about it and they’re now watching it too. (And those are just the ones who’ve come back to me about it- there could be even more!)

If there’s one thing I learned from being on a competitive Gish team for a decade, it’s that you never know who will say yes when you ask them something random!

It can be scary to put yourself out there. I really, truly get that. But if you’re able to push past it, it’s truly an effective way to spread the word.