It’s time to talk about my theories.
So to start out let’s cover what I will be calling the characters throughout my posts, as I do have headcannon names for all of them.
Life itself- Chuck Rogers
Starting out with a character that has a cannon name! So I don’t need to explain this one.
Youth- David Rogers
Onto the justification for most of the list; No idea why I picked this, just vibes.
As for the Surname, I will talk more about it when I cover Mama’s Gun.
S2E3- May Keets
Ha ha. May is short for Mayonnaise and I’m unoriginal. But her last name is based on a lyric from Poplar Street (as it and Mama’s Gun have the most context for the setting) the singer of Poplar street talks about Ms.Moore sleeping around with a “Mr.Keets”. Does this relate to May or her story at all? Not really. But it’s my post and I can hc whatever I want.
In fact if you choose this line of thinking then you’re you can offer an explanation for her poor mental health as it would explain why she would be cut off from her family/support system. Relying on her vices instead of the people in her life. (But we can talk more about her when I eventually do her character analysis)
Pork Soda- Adam and Carol Jennings
Now once again; names are vibes. But the last names are Cannonical as stated in this interview
Mama’s Gun- Laura Rogers
Now in Mama’s Gun the first lyric is “in the summer took my gun.” Meaning that the title is referring to her as Mama for a reason, that being that she is a mom. (Duh, Lavender get to the point)
Based on the Life Itself music video it’s shown that Chuck is riding in the car to save David with Laura. Meaning they have to know each other at least. And know each other, and this kid, to the point where Laura would have to be willing to be the getaway driver for Chuck after he threw a smoke bomb into Ms.Moore’s hotel room to save David.
So this is my theory; Laura married a man and had Chuck, then some years later adopted David after he was surrendered by his mother. (The waitress from premade sandwiches). Then the events of Mama’s gun happen and the father dies of “an unknown gunman”. And I will go into far heavier detail when I do my Mama’s gun analysis.
Cane Shuga- Dustin Sinclair
This one comes from Mama’s gun, again.
“Dirty Dustin says he saw him playin’ ball with Dizzy Jim“
I believe I remember an interview where The Cane Shuga guy was described as being a “crooked businessman” or something along those lines (would be a good reason as to why he can afford an expensive drug like cocaine.)
I imagine “dirty Dustin” is a name that’s said behind his back. As for his last name, I just thought about a name that sounded expensive and fancy.
Premade Sandwiches- Julia Jennings
Once again, vibes. As for why I hc her as the child of Adam and Carol, it’s kinda based in lore, mostly based on her appearance and how her son is blonde when she isn’t. I will explain how I see their relationship in the Premade sandwiches and The Other Side of Paradise analysis.
The Other Side of Paradise- James “Jim” Blue.
This one is me reaching again but hear me out.
“Dirty Dustin says he saw him playin’ ball with Dizzy Jim. Dizzy Jim had never spoken, whispered back, “You murdered him”. “
Much like how I said that “Dirty Dustin” was a name he was called behind his back, “Dizzy Jim” sounds like a cruel nickname for someone with his head in the clouds, wanting to be a superstar.
As for the last name Blue, I had the concept of the chorus “Bye Bye Baby Blue” being a reference to a childhood nickname he had. Maybe he’s a JR, so the nickname “Baby Blue” would make sense.
Like I said, I’m definitely reaching. As the lyric could just as closely be tied to a literal baby, or it’s a Glass Animals-ism that is just for flavor text but I don’t think so. What are your thoughts?
Take a Slice- Adrienne Leary
Again, vibes. I wanted to go with something gender neutral because while the actor is more feminine, the story this song is based on is about a man. And I think this character definitely engages in gender fuckery because it’s fun.
Poplar Street- Mrs.Moore
I’m not giving her a first name because she doesn’t deserve to be known by one. Mrs.Moore, based on how I view the story, is a black cloud that hangs over the town more than she is a person. She is a vile human being that needs nothing more to be said about her.
What I can say in terms of character analysis is that she is married, so her husband is either that painfully oblivious or he doesn’t care. So honestly I’m glad he’s not present anywhere else in the story.
Agnes- Agnes
I’m going to be straight forward and say that beyond things that we can definitely know about how he exists in the plot, I don’t really want to make outlandish headcannons about Agnes. Mainly because out of everyone in the cast, he feels the most real. He is likely the closest character to Dave Bayley and beyond the moodboards and the exact lyrics of the song, I’m not going to theorize more than that.
I’m so excited to start working on my character analysis!! I can’t promise when it will come out, but I’m working on it! And by all means, if you want to share your HC’s with me, I am all ears!!
