Ghost or Jenn, 30s, she/they. This blog is mostly Dead Boy Detectives and Young Sherlock, a little Witcher, a little Heated Rivalry, and a little whatever I feel like. I'm ghostinthelibrary on AO3. Asks and prompts open. Header image by alterego77!
You can find me here on AO3 or on Discord at ghostinthelibrary. Anyone who would like to translate, remix, podfic, etc. my work has blanket permission. Just please credit me and send me a link so I can flail happily about it. I do not give permission for my work to be crossposted to Wattpad, etc., or rated on Goodreads. I do not give permission for my work to be fed to any AI programs such as ChatGPT, even if you don’t intend to publish the results.
WIPs
Meaner than my demons: Crystal & Edwin, M, 1/4 chapters, 7K+ words. During what should be a routine transfer of a demonic artifact, Crystal learns that her boyfriend and partner, David, has been possessed by a demon for years and now wants to use the tablet to open a portal to Hell. On the run with her professional nemesis, Edwin Payne, Crystal has to reevaluate everything she thought she knew.
be my mirror, my sword and shield: Ghostcat, E, 18/28 chapters, 196K+ words. Prince Edwin Payne of Hilarion, accompanied by his first knight and childhood best friend, Sir Charles Rowland, travels to the kingdom of Townsend to secure the peace treaty between the two nations. Upon arrival, he is told that he is to be wed to the infamous Cat King, Thomas Kitt of Catting, the man who notoriously betrayed his kingdom to pledge his loyalty to the Witch Queen, Esther Finch.
However, Edwin and Charles quickly learn that not all is as it seems in Townsend, especially when it comes to the Cat King. In fact, if any of them plan to survive this marriage unscathed, they must all learn to trust one another — both with their lives and with their hearts.
A collaboration with ObsessedWithFandom and artemisadore.
Our Get-Along Potion: Ghostcat with a Catland focus, E, 2/3 chapters, 18K+ words. When the Dead Boy Detectives are targeted by a malicious sorcerer, Charles and the Cat King are hit with a potion that keeps them stuck within arms’ reach of each other. For how long? No one knows. Now the Cat King is around all the time—on cases, in the office, during movie nights with Crystal and Niko—and Charles thinks he might go mad. Because he hates the guy. Definitely not because he’s starting to realize how much he might not hate him.
(Completed works and fics that are coming soon below the cut!)
Series
Undead Boys Detectives: Payneland with background Cryland, 5/? installments complete. Charles and Edwin return from Hell as living boys and have to deal with the consequences while hunting a dangerous spirit and dealing with their burgeoning feelings for each other.
Ministry of Supernatural Investigations: Payneland with eventual Palasaki, 6/? installments complete. An AU where Edwin and Charles are partners working for an agency that solves supernatural crimes and are pining like crazy for each other.
A Case for the Dead Girl Detectives: Palasaki and Payneland, 2/2 installments complete. A role reversal AU featuring Niko and Crystal as ghost detectives, Charles as a psychic, and Edwin as a student at Gray Wake who gets pulled into their orbit.
Cricket Bat Heart: Payneland, 2/? installments complete. An AU inspired by the book Swordheart by T. Kingfisher, where Charles has been bound to a magic cricket bat (that used to be a sword) for centuries when it falls into Edwin's hands.
Superhero Charles AU: Payneland w/ background Palasaki, 3/3 installments complete. An AU where Charles is a vigilante known as the Ghost and Edwin is the journalist oblivious to the fact that his best friend and the man who has saved his life multiple times are one and the same.
Standalones
Say her name like an elegy: Edwin & Crystal, T, 2K words. When Edwin finds Crystal distraught and reading a book on necromancy, it doesn’t take much detective work to figure out what’s wrong. Providing comfort is a much more challenging endeavor.
Like the slumber that creeps to me: Payneland, T, 13K words. While on a case, Charles falls victim to a cursed necklace that causes everyone who touches it to sicken and die. While his friends frantically search for a way to break the curse, a weakening Charles has plenty of time to think about his feelings for his best mate.
I will love you (I'll really love you): Payneland, T, 5K words. Five times Charles tries to tell Edwin that he's in love with him and one time he succeeds.
I Am Flesh And I Am Bone (I've Got Fire In My Soul): Payneland w/ background Palasaki, M, 11K. On Halloween, when the veil is thinnest between the living and the dead, ghosts are at their most corporeal—and their most vulnerable. When Charles, Crystal, and Niko go to a masquerade and walk into terrible danger, Edwin has no choice but to leave the safety of their warded office to save them.
Beneath the winter snow: Pre-Payneland, T, 2K. In the days before they leave St. Hilarion's and set out to start the Dead Boy Detective Agency, Edwin and Charles are just two boys playing in the snow.
it's hard to see me (at least you tried): Pre-Payneland, M, 10K. Charles and Edwin have been the Dead Boy Detectives for over a year, tracking down lost items and estranged loved ones, when they take on a new case that takes a terrifying turn. When an overwhelmed Edwin drives Charles away—possibly forever—with a thoughtless comment, he finds himself alone and in the kind of peril he thought he had left behind in Hell.
An Acquired Taste: Payneland, T, 3K. When Edwin ducks into a coffee shop to avoid an awkward run in with his ex-boyfriend, he meets Charles, a charming barista with a penchant for terrible latte art. Edwin can’t stand coffee, but that doesn’t stop him from returning again and again.
young blood (never get chained): Payneland with background Palasaki, E, 93K words. When half-demon university student Charles saves one of his classmates, Edwin, from being sacrificed to a demon, he inadvertently binds their souls together and makes a powerful enemy in Hell.
When I'm Gone (I'll Carry You Home): Gen, M, 22K. When Crystal begs Lilith to give her more time with Niko, the goddess grants her wish—by sending Crystal back to the moment before the Tongue & Tail explodes. Desperate to save her friends, Crystal lives through Esther’s attack again and again, trying to get all of them out unscathed.
Half in the Grave: Payneland, M, 77K words. An Edwin who returned from Hell mostly alive and a Charles who survived his brush with death in 1989 and went on to become an assistant at Tragic Mick's must work together to solve a string of murders in 1999.
Wedding Vows and Other Lies: Payneland, E, 109K words. When Edwin needs to get married in order to inherit his eccentric great-uncle's fortune, Charles naturally volunteers. After all, he'd do anything to help out his best mate. It'd be the perfect solution, if only Edwin weren't already madly in love with him. Updates weekly on Sundays.
heaven need a sinner (you can't raise hell with a saint): Payneland, E, 6K words. When Charles, a half-demon, interrupts one of his classmates being sacrificed to a demon, he only has a matter of minutes to stop Sa’al from claiming Edwin’s soul. The ritual calls for a virgin sacrifice, so Charles can only think of one solution: make sure Edwin isn’t a virgin by the time Sa’al arrives for his prize.
(not) so crazy in love: Crystal & Edwin, Payneland, and Palasaki, T, 6K words. When Charles and Niko are caught up in a sorcerer’s love spell, Crystal and Edwin have to save them. But in order to fit in with the besotted couples surrounding them, they need to pretend to be madly in love while they do it. After this, breaking the spell is going to be easy.
A Little Push: Payneland, T, 6K words. After watching Charles react with jealousy to a client flirting with Edwin, Niko gets a brilliant idea: she and Edwin will pretend to date. That will definitely make Charles realize his feelings for Edwin, right?
Of Mistletoe and Meddling: Payneland, T, 5K words. The Dead Boy Detective Agency—including Crystal, Niko, and Jenny—are invited to the Lost and Found Department’s annual solstice party. Inexplicably, Edwin finds himself stalked by mistletoe.
Mandatory Bonding: Night Nurse & Edwin, T, 6K words. When Night Nurse and Edwin are captured by a demon that plans to snuff them out of existence, it's hard to tell what's the bigger inconvenience: imminent annihilation or being locked in a warded cell together.
You can find a list of my Witcher fic here or my single Last Binding fic here.
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a catwin poem
dead boy detectives contrapuntal poems — 7 — (1) (3) (2) (4) (5) (6)
quick tip for first timers: you can read it in three ways! start with the character's side of your choice, then the other, and then left to right for both.
half the wishes, double the trouble: a pop idol vanessa mystery [link]
Written by @tumblerislovetumblerislife (with illustrations by @edmcmayonnaise)
It was just… Pop Idol Vanessa Mystery never got to have its own live action movie or series, even though the fans had been begging for it for years. (Well. There was one adaptation. The movie that made the main four act like sisters, and gave Vanessa some random boyfriend. It Was Not To Be Spoken Of.) Niko had always wanted to see her childhood crushes on the big screen, saying all the brave things she could only dream of.
So when the genie asked, in a deep, portentous voice, “What is your greatest wish?”, Niko (very understandably) said, “I want my favorite manga to come to life!”
Or: A genie takes a wish too literally. Everyone deals with the consequences.
Thank you to @deadbangdetectives for all your hard work and energy with organising this event!
Illustrator’s Note: This was the first time I have have participated in a Reverse Big Bang like this—it was so much fun to collaborate with @tumblerislovetumblerislife and watch my half-baked pop idol concept come to life through their fantastic writing. Along the way, the enthusiasm and excitement for this project was giving me Charles-style palpitations, to be honest. From the moment I saw Vanessa’s name on Niko’s bookshelf in her room at the Tongue & Tail, I had dreamed of creating this moment. I hope readers will enjoy and stick around through the month for this multi-chapter magic girl adventure!
PS: This Charles looks how I feel about this project.
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Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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"The Back of Pride Night", Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov, Scott Hunter [Hudson Williams, Connor Storrie, Francois Arnaud] from Heated Rivalry, the bonus rear cover from the [REDACTED] zine
Mar 2026
I messed up a few things with this one, mostly because it was going to have a big title text over the top of it. Shane and Scott's hands on Ilya's back look horrible (again, they weren't actually meant to be visible), and while I'm tempted to go in and change it, I'm not going to because hey, guess what? People make mistakes too. The little rainbow bit was a colour swatch from another part of the image, and I messed up the layers when I was overlaying it. If you know how hard it is to differentiate between 700+ colour layers, you'll understand my plight right now.
(Also, the first time I did this, I spelled both "Rozanov" and "Hollander" wrong and had to argue with my own brain even after I fixed it because I'd stared at it for so long they'd ceased to be words)
Please do not repost my work to other sites without permission