Crystal Palace Surname-Von Hoverkraft is a psychic medium who is saved from demonic possession by Edwin and Charles before joining the Dead Boy Detectives agency.
History[]
Possessed by a demon[]
Three months ago in London, Crystal met David, who is also a demon, who she didn't initially know was a demon. She fell in love with him, but by the time she realized what he was, it didn't matter, and she allowed him to possess her, though he lied to her in order to gain her trust, forcing the Dead Boy Detectives to intervene. They wait until they're alone on a subway before ambushing Crystal, holding her down whilst drawing a rune on the ground to trap the demon before successfully exercises David from within her. Unfortunately, as a result of the possession, Crystal is suffering from temporary memory loss, and so Charles invites her to stay with them for a few days until her memory returns. However, despite getting David out of her head, he continues to appear to her, revealing that he took her memories and only agreeing to give them back if she allows him back inside of her.[1]
Joining the Dead Boys[]
After being rescued, Crystal begins to have visions of a giant snake and a missing 10-year-old girl named Becky Aspen, which leads them to the small town of Port Townsend, where Crystal finds a place to stay above Jenny's butcher shop before looking into Becky's disappearance, which leads them to the witch Esther Finch, who they manage to save Becky from before she's eaten by Esther snake.[1]
Saving Niko[]
Crystal meets her roommate Niko, who due to being infected by dandelion sprites, emits a fuzzy pink light from her body, as they feed on adoration and attention. Crystal seeks out the boys to help to rescue Niko as the sprites are slowly killing her. As Crystal attempts to wipe the blood, Niko grabs her arm as the dandelion sprites within take control and try to force Crystal to look at them. They demand that Crystal give them what they want, or else they will tear Niko asunder and find a new nest. And so, Crystal offers herself to the sprites in exchange for Niko, revealing that she is a medium, meaning that they could feed off all the attention from the living and the dead, and they'll never go hungry again. They accept Crystal's offer and exit Niko's body before lunging at Crystal, but Charles captures them with the enchanted jar.[2]
Hearing her mother[]
Crystal and the Dead Boys investigate a series of suicides at a local lighthouse. There, Crystal nearly jumps to her death twice after hearing, who she believes to be her mother, calling out to her. However, her friends save her from an untimely death. Furthering their investigation, they head down to the beach, where they are taken to the Washer Woman, a local lore and an oracle of sorts. Crystal asks to get her memories back so she can know who she is. The Washer Woman answers with a riddle. "The ground moves, and the bird cries, stop looking without, and look within." Crystal then joins the others back in reality. Later that night, after a long day, she and Charles kiss.[3] Despite sharing a kiss, Crystal tells Charles that she just wants to focus on keeping David out and figuring out who she is. Charles is simply a distraction from that, so for the time being they should just remain his friends.[4]
Losing her powers[]
Crystal wants David out of her head for good, even at the cost of her memories, saying that she has no reason to miss a life she doesn't remember, and her life is perfectly fine as is; she has friends, and she's helping people. So, she and Niko stop by Tragic Mick's shop in search of anything that can block a demon from getting into Crystal's head, which he does. It's called the "Light of Heart." It protects the owner from the repercussions of toxic entanglements. Crystal and Niko return home, where Crystal uses the Light of Heart to keep David out of her head. After making her wish, she places it on the ground, and it splits in half. Crystal instantly notices that something is different, and touches Niko, only to discover that her powers are gone. Crystal eventually shares this with Edwin and Charles while searching for a missing ghost. David discovers her lack of powers as well when he decides to pay Crystal another psychic visit. With Crystal having given up the most special thing about her, David refers to her as just another terrified lump of human flesh.
Crystal and the Dead Boys discover that they've been lured into a trap by Esther, who has a ghost consuming Forest Elemental named Teeth Face awaiting their arrival. Crystal tries to intervene, but Esther knocks her on the ground. It's at this point, she recalls the riddle from the Washer Woman: "When the ground moves and the bird cries, stop looking without and look within." So Crystal looks within her mindscape where she is taken to meet Iris and her other ancestors. They're in a special place where most of the women in their family make their way to at one point or another. The women in their family are more than psychic. They're rare and unique because they can tap into a shared strength. Iris explains that the past is fixed and sturdy like a tree. If Crystal practice, she can find her true power there, but Crystal doesn't know her past as David took her memories, but iris is referring to her collective past that all the women in their family share. They're in a safe place and a strong place for her to bring her troubles. Nothing can take them away, no curse, no spell, and no desperate mistakes. Once Crystal realizes that it's all still in her, she regains consciousness, taps into the shared strength of her ancestors and digs her hands into the ground beneath her feet, speaking to the Forest Elemental directly, telling it that Esther does not control it and that it's free to leave and return to its realm. Teeth Face does exactly that, taking Esther with him, trapping her in another elemental realm.[5]
Regaining her memories[]
In an attempt to rescue Edwin from Hell, Crystal goes to David, unaware that she's been followed by Jenny. She needs him to open a portal to Hell for her and threatens to make him do it, should he not comply. David no longer scares Crystal, as she now has people that care about her, including Jenny, who David decides to possess. He hands Crystal the cleaver and offers to open a portal, but only if Crystal kills Jenny first. Crystal grabs David, who is inside Jenny's body and brings him inside her mindscape. Crystal taps into the powers of her ancestors and freeze David in his place, where he finally admits that he can't open a door to Hell. She then grabs David and forcefully takes her memories back. Rather than kill him, Crystal decides to bury him by bringing him to Iris and her ancestors, where they literally put him in the ground. She has time to figure it out, but Iris tells Crystal she can't leave David buried there forever, as it's bad for the tree. Crystal then returns home, where she discovers that Charles has rescued Edwin. She then decides to consume one of the marbles, which acts as a physical manifestation of her memories.[6]
With at least some of her memories back, Crystal remembers all the horrible things she did, like stealing and using her powers to torture people. While she doesn't remember everything, she does however remember her full name, Crystal Palace Surname-Von Hoverkraft. She also remembers things about her parents, like their phone number. So she calls them in London, but they hardly seem interested in speaking and didn't even know she was missing. Upset, Crystal hangs up and swallows the remaining marbles to regain all her memories and discovers how much of an awful person she was in life, even before David. There's a lot back in London that she has to deal with, so she packs her bags to return to London, telling the boys that the case is closed and that it's time to part ways. As she's leaving after saying her goodbyes, the shop explodes. Crystal rushes back inside. Edwin and Charles were taken by Esther, but Jenny and Niko are fine.
After gathering intel on Esther from the Cat King and retrieving black salt from Tragic Mick's shop, the girls sneak into Esther's house to free the boys. The plan is for Niko to save Edwin while Crystal keeps Esther distracted. Unfortunately, the black salt does little to deter Esther, whose grown more powerful by siphoning Edwin's energy. After also failing to kill Esther with her own sacrificial knife, Crystal tries to reason with Esther, and just as it seems Crystal may be getting through, Niko drops the keys, alerting Esther, who knocks her against the wall. Niko jumps back to her feet and jumps into front of Crystal, sacrificing herself as Esther, who shoots a magical shard her way. Niko blocks Crystal from the attack but is impaled in the heart and dies almost instantly. Crystal charges at Esther and digs in her mind, where Crystal calls out to Lilith to punish Esther for using her gift to kill hundreds of little girls in order to stay young. Back in reality, Charles kills Esther's snake moments before Lilith arrives to take her away. With Esther eliminated, they return home to mourn Niko. Crystal has since had a change of heart about leaving the agency. Given her hours logged, Edwin welcomes Crystal into the Dead Boys Detective agency. She's so grateful that she hugs him.[7]
Physical Appearance[]
Crystal is a young biracial girl with light skin, brown eyes, and long curly hair.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Mediumship: Crystal is capable of communicating with the dead.
- Telepathy: Crystal is able to enter people's minds and see their history to her telepathic powers.
- Memory Manipulation: Crystal can search memories to obtain specific information, as well as to erase or restore and alter the memory of others.
- Mind Control: Crystal is able to use her powers to manipulate people, instilling ideas that her victims find they must act on. This ability is accomplished via eye contact with the victim, with Crystal's eyes glowing white to indicate when she's using the power and her victims also glowing indicating that they have been affected.
- Psychic Link: Crystal and David were able to talk to each other in her mind after she was possessed.
- Psychometry: Crystal uses this ability multiple times during the series. It is the reason why they went to Port Townsend.
Appearances[]
Season 1[]
- The Case of Crystal Palace
- The Case of the Dandelion Shrine
- The Case of the Devlin House
- The Case of the Lighthouse Leapers
- The Case of the Two Dead Dragons
- The Case of the Creeping Forest
- The Case of the Very Long Stairway
- The Case of the Hungry Snake
Gallery[]
Promotional Images[]
Episode Stills[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dead Boy Detectives, Season 1 Episode 1: The Case of Crystal Palace
- ↑ Dead Boy Detectives, Season 1 Episode 2: The Case of the Dandelion Shrine
- ↑ Dead Boy Detectives, Season 1 Episode 4: The Case of the Lighthouse Leapers
- ↑ Dead Boy Detectives, Season 1 Episode 5: The Case of the Two Dead Dragons
- ↑ Dead Boy Detectives, Season 1 Episode 6: The Case of the Creeping Forest
- ↑ Dead Boy Detectives, Season 1 Episode 7: The Case of the Very Long Stairway
- ↑ Dead Boy Detectives, Season 1 Episode 8: The Case of the Hungry Snake