#dbda theory

So I was going back through the show and trying to get some gifs of Charles, and I found out something interesting!

I was going back to get a silly funny clip of that ghost guy's head blowing up in E3, and I realized something that I have no idea how I didn't pick up before.

Charles is left handed!

Which I was like, wow! Cool! I don't know how I didn't pick up on that the first time around because I usually get excited over small character details like that, but whatever, right?

(putting the rest of my revelation under a cut lol)

Growing up in the ‘70s/‘80s it was totally normal to go by a nickname, especially for a kid - to this day, hardly anybody named Charles actually goes by it. And especially since Charles was sorta punk and alt, I would guess he’d want a nickname to distinguish himself from what his parents named him, to establish some individuality.

I mean, I believe Charles is hiding the abuse from Edwin not only to hide the abuse, but because he is so scared that he’s just like his father and probably even more scared if Edwin found out and agreed with him (which would never happen but you know, teenagers). And it only starts being a problem when Crystal knows about it and the Devlin case, when there’s already a strain in the relationship because Edwin is hiding what happened with the cat king, and it must be so rough on Edwin when Crystal tells him about it because how is it that this alive girl shows up for two seconds and knows more about Charles than I do when I’ve known him for decades? And it’s probably because Crystal doesn’t have years of forming and image of Charles, it’s easier to be more open with someone who doesn’t already have an image of who you are, and Edwin’s friendship means so much to Charles that he couldn’t risk him knowing and changing his perception and worst of all thinking that he’s anything like his father. (Also one of the reasons why Crystal arguments about his anger issues hit so hard, he becomes so quiet immediately after that)

And Edwin is scared of being open with the thing about the Cat-King not only because he hasn’t figured out the meaning of it himself but because he’s scared of Charles changing the way he thinks about him if he were to find out that he likes men, that all their relationship built for years were the fall down because of it, he probably knows that Charles would say that it’s alright but I’m sure it would kill him again if Charles were to change the way he is with him and that’s why I think it’s so so brave of Edwin to want to tell him about his feelings the moment he accepts them himself.

1. Charles is clearly jealous of Monty and Edwin at the beginning of the episode: “You? Him? Spending a lot of time?” (Whether this is platonic or romantic jealousy, I’ll leave that up to you… though I definitely have thoughts.)

2. Edwin is really trying, for maybe the first time ever, to comfort Charles and get him to open up (because the Devlin case in the previous episode made him realize that Charles has major walls up). Edwin paying, even slightly, is definitely a new, potentially kinda scary thing for Charles.

3. Crystal is really concerned about Charles and not afraid to hide it, and it’s clearly irritating him. So much so that he nearly snaps at her — which he never does to her — and he stops himself, only to say, “As long as I’ve got my best mate and a case to solve, I’m good.” *pause* “I appreciate you. But leave it, yeah?” I just think it’s really significant that Charles didn’t say “as long as I’ve got you guys” or “my mates” or “you and my best mate.” Crystal was a hit of an afterthought, I think.

4. Charles tells Edwin off for not telling him about the Cat King, so much so that Edwin feels the need to say: “I don’t understand why you’re so angry.” Charles is clearly not in the best mood, not thrilled about the case they’re facing, and not thrilled about his “best mate” hiding things from him.

5. Charles nearly watches Crystal jump to her death, and it wasn’t even him who saved her. It was Niko. He looks the most devastated of all of them, and then gives her that big speech of how important it is for her to know that jumping isn’t worth it, because it’s not actually her mom, no matter what it feels like. And she basically tells him he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, because she knows her mom wants to see her.

6. Charles is so jealous, watching Monty flirt with Edwin as he’s stuck digging through a dumpster.

7. Let’s just be clear on one thing: Crystal was the first to “attack” the Night Nurse, even if she tried to do it psychically instead of physically, and no one bats an eye. But then, when Charles gets violent with her after she threatens to take Edwin back to hell and makes him relive all his trauma, all while basically teasing him, everyone FLIPS OUT about him attacking her. It’s honestly kind of unfair, and I’d lose it too if my friends looked at me like that.

8. Charles really loses it for the first time (maybe ever in front of Edwin). He feels like he can’t help Crystal with her problems, and he can’t get Edwin to be honest about what’s going on in his head, so he definitely can’t help him, and it’s heartbreaking. But the real kicker is that the only one who steps up to try to comfort him in that moment is Edwin, because the others are still stunned by his outburst. But Charles flinches away from his touch, because he can’t fathom how anyone could love him or want to be near him in that moment.

8. If that wasn’t enough, as they leave the lighthouse, Crystal is staring at him with major concern. For obvious reasons. But I relate to Charles in the way that that look would drive me CRAZY, and I think it’s so important that later, when offering an understanding ear, Edwin doesn’t let Charles see the scope of his concern for him. That’s why I think Charles responds more politely to his offer to talk to him if he ever needs it.

9. Slightly out of chronological order here, but before going into their respective rooms, Niko says, “I think I’m going to go do something where I don’t have to think now.” And Crystal says, “Yeah, I’m with you.” … and then she goes and makes out with Charles.

So I was rewatching the first episode and the way that Emma (the little girl ghost that hired Charles and Edwin to help Crystal) talked about Crystal made me think of something.

After Crystal gets her memories back, she says that she doesn’t think she was a good person, even before she met David. But with the way Emma talked about her, it seemed like she was a really nice girl who befriended lonely ghosts and would spend time with them. Emma had said to the boys that Crystal is normally very nice and fun to play with and we see a montage of Crystal and Emma playing together, but that lately she’s been acting odd.

The thing is, if Emma liked Crystal so much then clearly she was nice to her, Emma gives the boys the impression that she’s nice to other people too, which doesn’t make sense with the memories she got from David.

If I remember right, when she downs a handful of memory marbles after the disastrous call to her parents, I think there’s still a few left.

What if one of those memory marbles contains a memory of her mind whammy-ing her parents into not giving a crap about what she was doing when they confronted her there. Like…what if her parents aren’t really as neglectful as they seem, but she made them that way so they’d be off her back and she could do whatever she wanted.

I hope that’s not the case, I really like Post-David-Crystal, but mean girl Crystal forced a dude to WALK INTO TRAFFIC, so it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility for someone like that.