#In which I have many ideas for a third BJ movie lol

[herefortheships]

About that ending scene + Lydia and Betelgeuse's connection

I've been thinking about BJBJ's ending dream/nightmare scene, and I thought I'd give my two cents as to what the purpose and meaning of this scene could be.

I have only watched the movie once, but that ending sequence stuck with me as one of the most memorable moments in the movie, if only for how disturbing it was (to me).

That said, what I interpret as the purpose of this scene is really simple:

This scene serves to show the audience that Betelgeuse is not only not gone, but that he is indeed psychically connected to Lydia as he mentions early in the film. They have both woken up from the same fucked-up nightmare, thus showing that their connection remains intact.

This is what I think the scene itself means:

The birth of the Beetlebaby was Lydia's rude awakening. She can't simply banish Betelgeuse by saying his name three times anymore, because they are psychically connected (I'll talk more on this below). Sure, he will go away, but not permanently. Never permanently anymore.

Why does the baby come out of Astrid? Because that is the element of horror that turns the dream into the nightmare that shakes Lydia (or both Lydia and Betelgeuse) awake. It doesn't matter if Lydia decides to go and live her life with Astrid, ignoring the events prior, Betelgeuse is not gone.

Betelgeuse is not only still hanging around Lydia, exactly as he was at the beginning of the film, his connection to Lydia runs so deep that they can even share dreams/nightmares now (or he can at least enter or manipulate her dreams, and if they go with this one, then that means the terrifying Beetlebaby birth might have been placed in her dream as a little revenge for banishing him. Does Betelgeuse even sleep? I digress).

I think this is the very thread Tim Burton could use to start preparing Beetlejuice 3. Lydia and Betelgeuse's psychic connection. I do not think this was a throwaway line, or like Betelgeuse deluding himself, thinking that he and Lydia are connected. As I've said, I've only seen the movie once (bummer I was going again this week but something came up), but I'm sure there is enough solid evidence to support this. Beetlejuice is able to project images of himself around Lydia, without being summoned. Lydia is able to see glimpses of him because of this connection. The final dream sequence calls back to that line earlier in the movie and supports it/proves it to be true: they are indeed connected.

Now, here's the thing (and we're entering head-canon territory here), this isn't something he did alone; this can only happen because of Lydia herself.

We now know Astrid inherited Lydia's ability to see ghosts, what if there is more to it? What if they have psychic abilities that go beyond just being able to see the dead? I know the first movie made it seem like Lydia could see the ghosts because she was "strange and unusual", but I feel that this movie established that this is an ability that runs in her blood, as Astrid inherited it from Lydia. What if it's something that runs in her family? The answers could lie with Lydia's mother, who we now know is still alive.

As I said above, Lydia cannot just say Betelgeuse's name three times to get rid of him now; if she truly wants him gone, she is going to have to do something different. She will have to figure out a way how, and that's the story thread that could lead us to her finding her mother in the next movie.

Now, the keyword here is if Lydia wants to get rid of Betelgeuse.

This might be the reason she can't fully get rid of him just saying his name; it might even be the reason they're connected in the first place: She doesn't truly want him gone. It might even be her psychic abilities that are keeping Betelgeuse's presence from leaving her alone.

Take it with a massive grain of salt, obviously, as this is all speculation. But the movie sort of implied that all of Lydia's relationships have failed. Even her relationship with Richard, which seems to have been great. For what little we were given about it, it looked like he was someone she really connected to and loved. But something didn't work out there, despite this. Could it be that whatever connection Betelgeuse feels with Lydia that has led him to single her out as the love of his life, in his own words, Lydia has felt herself about him, albeit subconsciously (and perhaps much to her horror)? Lydia might have been intrigued by him for years, pushing it down due to her fear of seeing him again. She could be simultaneously fascinated and terrified by him. He is a very powerful demon and she wouldn't want to do something to cross him again, especially since their final interaction saw him betrayed from a contract he didn't stray from. She might have been fearful of Betelgeuse being vengeful.

But he wasn't vengeful. In fact, much to her surprise, he'd been longing to see her again for over thirty years.

Lydia now will have to grapple with her conflicted feelings for Betelgeuse and figure them out in the next film, if we're lucky to get it (and I have no doubt we will).

She could say his name three times, banish him away, but then her heart would summon him right back to her, and thus whatever psychic ability she has which also enables her to see the dead pulls him right back into her life and keeps their connection alive. It would be interesting to see if it turns out that it was her own feelings about Betelgeuse that have always kept him around "just out of reach" all this time, giving him a way in and keeping their souls connected. Like she subconsciously has known all this time they are meant to be together (soulmate storyline, if you will ✨).

[redd1e]

thank you @lovebillyhargrove for tagging me you’re so sweet!!! as someone who wants to write but never finds the motivation to carry on her ideas i LOVE sharing my HCs <3 so let’s get started!

oh and idk who to tag but if you see this feel free to join!

1. Do they get together BEFORE MF possessing Billy or AFTER shit goes down? (Or maybe DURING😲)

before 100%!!! because then steve starts noticing that billy is acting weird and is able to help him in time. but now that i think about it it’s really interesting to imagine billy being reckless while being possessed, saying fuck it and ask steve out :’)

2. Who kisses who first?

steve kisses billy first! billy is brave and a flirt but super bad at soft intimacy such as first kisses

3. Where do they have their first sex? (Location) (HJs and BJs count)

uhhhhh so many options with this one! the camaro? a random bedroom at the halloween party? steve’s pool? in the locker room at school after everybody’s gone home? i don’t know where but i’ll go with some random place, not in an intimate place like steve’s bedroom, that’ll come later but for their first (and second and third) time i picture a casual place after they bicker or fight and get horny (starting as fuckbuddies like gallavich yknow?)

4. Who says 💖 I LOVE YOU 💖 first?

ohhhhh definitely steve, his big heart blurts it out after billy has done something meaningful for him or just after a random but nice date because he had such a good time and he stares at billy and just can’t stop himself for saying it

5. Bottom!Steve or Bottom!Billy?

i think i’m the 1% who doesn’t really have an opinion on it lol. both are good!

6. Do they give gifts to each other?

omg steve automatically buys everything billy wants like he’ll casually mentions he likes a pair of boots while they walk past a shop and boom the next day they’re his. to steve it’s not even spoiling, he just wants to make his boyfriend happy since he can. but billy is so mad because he sees it as a competition and he can’t afford things like steve can so he’s like 😤🤬🤬😤

7. Where do they end up living? California, Chicago, Hawkins... Idk .. Alaska??)))) Any other location?

cali is billy’s happy place so i see them moving there ahhhhh <33 billy being in his element again and steve staring at him having fun surfing with a big smile on his face, a bucket hat and A LOT of sunscreen on himself

8. What are their future jobs?

i see billy being a mechanic or something music related while steve hmm something that keeps him in contact with people since he’s a big extrovert? or omg make him work in a dog shelter!!

9. Who’s a better cook?

i’ve always pictured steve being really good at cooking since he’s at home alone 99% of the time so he learnt, also to distract himself for the loneliness. but also billy being a good cook sounds amazing so either steve or both!

10. Steve Hargrove or Billy Harrington?

✨ billy harrington ✨

11. What's Max's reaction when she hears they're together?

she suspected it and now mike owes her 20$

12. Describe in ONE SENTENCE Hopper's reaction when he hears the names Hargrove and Harrington mentioned together?

big BIG B I G sigh + eye roll because he can already predict the mess that duo will cause

13. Does Robin like Billy OR does Robin hate Billy?

BILLY AND ROBIN BESTIES PLEASE AND THANK YOU!!! they talk about music, movies and how dumb steve is (affectionate)

14. What about Dustin?

dustin is very protective of steve so he does the “hurt him and i’ll kill you” thing with billy to which he LAUGHS because what is that kid gonna do ??? but oh don’t ever underestimate dustin

15. Fav Harringrove AU?

pirate and merman is just SO chef’s kiss

16. Billy+Camaro=...???

his first love, but now it’s also tied to steve so whenever billy is alone and gets in he smiles because he remembers all the moments with steve in that car... the kisses, the sex, the confessions at 2 am, steve buying him red roses and accidentally spilling them all over the car, the car smelling like steve,... plus when he has to replace it he forever keeps a picture of it on his nightstand !! why did this get so sappy! oh well!

[thotyssey]

On Point With: Double Headed Disco

Longtime resident DJs of Nowhere Bar in the East Village--and the guys behind that bar’s popular monthly deep-tracks-meets-pop-art Double Headed Disco--Jeff Jackson [above pic, left] & Disco Connie [right] will be spinning the 15th Anniversary of Nowhere this weekend! Thotyssey gets on the beat with this popular pair.

Thotyssey: Jeff and Connie, hello! Thanks for talking to us today! How was your Halloween... where did you go, and as what?

Jeff Jackson: Hi Thotyssey! We celebrated Halloween early this year at our regularly scheduled Double Headed Disco party this past Saturday... we had a blast. We had a post-punk/new wave theme; Adam Ant was our cover star.

Disco Connie: For costumes, we wore matching Arthur Rimbaud masks, inspired by David Wojnarowicz, one of our favorite artists who had a huge retrospective at the Whitney and other galleries this summer.

What is the best Halloween-themed deep track that all bars and clubs should have been playing last night?

JJ: I’m a big “Monster Mash” fan, but for a deep track I’d have to go with “Prince of Darkness” by Bow Wow Wow.

DC: I like sexy / camp disco numbers like “Soul Dracula” by Hot Blood, but this year I was happy to play “Halloween” by Japan.

Tell us your life stories! Where are you from, what music were you into growing up, and how did you become DJs?

JJ: Music was all around me as a kid, but my first love was disco... especially Donna Summer and Chic. And I’ve been collecting records ever since I was young. So my desire to share my records with other people is how I evolved into DJing--first at house parties, and later on at bars and clubs.

DC: I grew up in Jersey listening to disco, new wave, and house on the radio, back when the DJs would hear new underground records at a club and play them on the air the next day. I spent lots of nights in clubs as I got older, but only started playing music in public at Nowhere.

And what’s your music of choice, when you are spinning or even when you're just at home listening?

JJ: I am genre-agnostic, so my DJ sets vary from soul and R&B, disco or house, to new wave, rock or hip hop. As a voracious listener, I’m always digging for new records, new sounds... and I love mixing well-known popular artists with underground stuff that people may not know so well.

DC: Obviously disco, surprise surprise! But I also really enjoy the nights when we play house and new wave. At home, I listen to all kinds of things. I can listen to one song over and over again for a whole day or throughout the week, but other times I have a short attention span. Shuffle is my friend.

Isn't it bizarre and frustrating that so many kids wanna go out to the bars and clubs and only hear the same 20 songs from their own Spotify?

JJ: We get a lot of die-hard disco fans at our party, so we end up getting good requests. Like “can you play Diana Ross?” And of course, we do!

DC: We joke about how many times over the years we’ve been out at a bar/club and gone up to the DJ to make a request (that would be zero), but people of all ages do it now. Sometimes it’s clear they don’t even have a specific song in mind. They just want to make a request.

How did you two come to Nowhere?

JJ: Since the bar opened, basically. I approached one of their DJ’s, Pete Money, and he said "oh, you wanna DJ with me?” Pete and I DJ’ed together for years, and then I got Connie involved!

DC: I lived across the street when the bar opened, so it was very Cheers for me. I would drop in on the different parties during the week, and got to know a bunch of great people here.

Tell us about your popular monthly (last Saturdays} party Double Headed Disco at Nowhere. How did you two come together to start this, and what keeps the kids coming back?

JJ: It actually started as Connie’s birthday party. I asked Pete if he would do an all-disco set with me, and that was the first disco party. It wasn’t called Double Headed until the next month when one of our buddies, BJ the Pornologist, named us!

DC: We like to put a bit of effort into the party, so we think about musical and visual themes all the time and bounce ideas off of each other. We decorate the bar and transform it into something special for the night. We have some regular annual parties, like our big Grace Jones party on Thanksgiving weekend (my favorite) but each month is something different.

Jeff, you also host a twice-a-month party of your own, Numbers! Best flyers ever, by the way! Tell us about that night.

JJ: Oh, I’m glad you like the flyers! Numbers is on first and third Saturdays. Every week I pick a cover star, and theme my set around that artist. I’ll play tracks by the featured artist, and mix in other songs that are from the same era, genre or are inspired by the cover star. I also show offbeat vintage movies, which people really gravitate to. The night is named after the first gay bar I ever went to in Baltimore, where boys with feathered hair would slow dance to Wham! Ha!

And Jeff, you were a presence at the recent benefit show DRAGS, the second of such show in as many years in tandem with Gregory Kramer's photo book of the same name. What was your impression of that night? And... I heard there might be a book sequel in the works!

JJ: Yeah, Greg is my husband, so I am biased. But the DRAGS event is amazing! This was the second year, and the event raised over $30k for the Ali Forney Center. Connie is actually part of the crew too, wrangling talent backstage while I help in the sound booth. I wasn’t the DJ... this year it was Hannah Lou, and she was a real kiki. And planning has started for next year’s event already. Also, Greg has been working on a new project for some time now, but I can’t talk about it just yet.

Nowhere is about to turn 15! The bar is known for it's music and DJ-driven nights, which make it stand out in the sea of gay bars in the city. How have you enjoyed the ride so far?

JJ: We both love Nowhere. It’s like a second family to us.

DC: 15 years is a long time. We feel lucky to be part of it all. We’ve met so many great people over the years.

You two will be DJing the anniversary party on Saturday, with drag queen Princess Bitch performing! 

JJ: It’s going to be a blast. We’re spinning disco and house, and Princess Bitch is giving shows! She turned everyone out at DRAGS and at my Purple Party back in April.

DC: The anniversary party is also a benefit for the New York Transgender Advocacy Group. We have a suggested $5 donation at the door. We felt strongly about raising visibility and showing support for our transgender friends and family, especially considering how central they’ve been to our experience at Nowhere.

Anything else you wanna plug or mention?

DC: I’m also a hand model, lol!

Werk! Finally: how important is it that everyone votes in November?

JJ: It shocks me that people don't vote! But we need to make sure people are not only voting, but voting for candidates that support LGBTQ equality. And if you’re not sure who those candidates are, do a little research this weekend. Ask your friends. It’s so easy, and so important.

DC: It feels like every day is a new horror. We can’t just sit around and hope things change on their own. There are so many ways to get involved even during these critical last few days. Check out Swing Left or The Creative Resistance. I love the saying that goes something like, “we can’t all do everything but we can each do something.”

Thanks, guys!

DJs Jeff Jackson & Disco Connie spin “Double Headed Disco” monthly last Saturdays (10pm) at Nowhere Bar. Also at Nowhere, Jeff spins “Numbers” every first and third Saturday (10pm). Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Jeff and Connie’s upcoming gigs, and follow “Double Headed Disco” on Facebook and Instagram.

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