#made me think of otho

[emtjeejooblaa]

Otho for Desky ❤️

[shoujophobic]

Beetlejuice and Civil Servitude: How Suicide is a major factor, but also isn't. (cw and sequel spoilers.)

I saw this post (by an anti) on Twitter, which made me mildy annoyed, but inspired enough to discuss this topic in my own, miniature thread.

And while I agree Otho is a con artist not to be trusted, of all his words these are the ones that were are actively shown to be, well, true. Especially through the sequel.

Miss Argentina says to the Maitlands, "This is what happens when you die," before stating that when she died she was put into a place of Servitude, and holds up her wrists. This implicates directly that her cause of death directly influenced her afterlife. This is even further proved by Juno, who has a slice in her throat, assumed to be by her own hand, and once again proving that Otho's words are in fact... truth.

But that's all in the original source: what about the Sequel?

Well, this is where the concept of Suicide and Civil Servitude gets confusing. Not that this actively proves the original theory/concept as false, but actually puts perspective on how terrible the afterlife actually is, and that it's just as corrupt as the living worlds method of life.

Beetlejuice was Juno's apprentice at one point, and he now works on his own through freelance. He still remains a servant to the dead, regardless of how he does it. But his actual cause of death as revealed in the flashback sequence in the sequel is that he didn't kill himself... Or did he?

We have to break down what the afterlife actively counts as self termination. Beetlejuice may not have intentionally killed himself, but he did willingly drink a mysterious liquid given by his newfound bride. And the afterlife clearly doesn't play fair already with its bias against those who are struggling—So his death was counted indirectly. This is also seen in Wolf Jackson, who died performing his own stunt. He willingly put himself in a dangerous position, but didn't mean to actually die, and yet, it was still marked as a suicide by whomever rules the afterlife.

So we can already discern that suicide, wether intentionally or not, will always land you in this position. What makes it more interesting is this little detail (credits not mine, unsure of the origin of this ss):

The news paper covers this unfair fact. Suicide, in the afterlife, is counted as any death caused by oneself, regardless of their being poisoned, in an accident, or genuine means to die.

So what is the point of this thread? Really, it's to further prove lore we already have, but expand on it and the facts we get handed.

Also, to dissect the Netherworld itself, and how it's not meant to be a perfect afterlife, but rather a neutral, means to an end. There is no heaven nor hell, but there's also no fairness. The afterlife is just as dull as life.

I think this should also explain why Lydia's deceased husband, Richard, was in civil service, despite having no motivation to kill himself. The reality would be that he didn't, but his death was ruled as one anyways due to the set of circumstances in place. But why wouldn't Delia also be counted? That one... I don't know. Likely to prevent the plot from stopping, but also possibly that because deaths are finally being looked at fairly, and that accidental suicides, aren't marked as such.

[nerdy-prude]

‼️SPOILERS FOR HATCHETFIELD LORE AHEAD ‼️

Let me introduce you to what I like to call The Lords in Black theory

Notice how in NPMD during The Summoning each of our remaining main characters are told something by a lord in black.

Blinky says: 'We've been watching you, Gracie. Someones been a naughty girl'

Tinky says: 'Oh boy! A Spankoffski! I'm gonna have the whole set in my toy box!'

Nibbly says: 'Stephanie, yum yum!'

Now, as we already know, Hannah is kinda like 'The chosen one' of the Hatchetfield universe. She plays a major part in BF, from the very begining she hates Wiggly. Wiggly on the other hand, is kinda like the leader of his brothers.

In Yellowjacket Hannah is fighting Pokey but she can't defeat her until Lex, a powerfull, MAJOR CHARACTER and her own sister shows up.

It seems as if all of the brothers are somehow connected to one of these major characters. All of these characters are important parts of the story and have shown to be powerful in some way. With Lex and Hannah their power is more clear since they have the gift, but think about it, we don't really know that many people who have had the Black book, even less good people who have had it.

But there is one very much good character who has had and used the Black book. Miss Holloway, everyones favorite witch lady who in every universe fights Wilbur Cross, the guy who has been described as the ultimate bad.

Now some of you might be thinking: "Okay, well that doesn't yet prove anything. There should be bigger evidence if they were actually connected. Their stories should be tied together" Well, funny you should say that! Lets take a deeper dive, shall we?

Wiggly-Hannah

Both are the 'leaders'with the most power. Hannah and Wiggly says to her: "We just keep running into each other, don't we Hannah"

Pokey-Lex

In Yellowjackect it was made very clear that Otho was incredibly powerfull and no one could defeat him. Lex did just that. Also, I am not trying to say any of the brothers are more powerfull than others (well, maybe expect Wiggly) but the thing is, we know that there is a world where Pokey wins. We know his powers. We also know Lex' powers. It would make sense that out off all of them Lex would be connected to her.

Tinky-Peter

Tinky hates Ted with a burning passion, that is why he trapped him. It makes sense that he would be after his brother too. Also kinda unrelated and doesn't prove much but it would be funny that when Peter says: "I have been waiting for what feels like five ducking years and I still haven't gotten my hot chocolate" would have more meaning than just a funny bit. Almost as if he could feel that in another universe five years agohe ordered a hot chocolate and never got it. Like he could sense TIME and SPACE differently?

Nibbly-Stephanie

Whose dad has had the Black book? Oh right, Stephs! And what did mayor Solomon Lauter say abou the black book again? Wasn't it something like: " ...It comes with a price, a terrible price" and "No! I am not touching that book ever again"?

And who has a major part in organaizing the Honey Queen festival? That's right, the mayor! Who has shown multiple rimes they will do anything to keep getting elected? Who has shown to be interested in power? Who has shown to be 'Hungry'?

What if he cast a spell and Nibbly wanted her daughter as a sacrafice? What if he then gave something else. Something that made him bury the book. It might have worked for a while. But Stephanies fate was already sealed. Nibbly still wanted to have Steph tho, he tought she'd be yummy.

Blinky-Grace

Ahh, Grace, Grace, Grace...

I have to admit, she was more of a mystery to me but lets SEE what we can FIND. (Laughs in Jigglypuff)

Grace is the perfect Christian girl. She never does anything wrong! But then she just snaps? She very quickly comes up with a plan on how to hide a body. Then at the end she goes after 'the souls of the pervs'. But to everyone around her she still looks like an innocent young girl. Makes you wonder what else she has hidden. Makes you wonder about the other alternative universes. Maybe Blinky was referring to many different Grace Chasities. He ment the many different things Grace has done bc of her faith and hidden from anyone elses eyes. Only problem for her is that you can't hide anthing from Blinky.

[psychomusic]

i had a vague idea last night on chiss space-traveling system. it's really just an idea and maybe it breaks the existing lore so. if there's any chiss expert here PLEASE tell me if it's something that could exist because i wanna know if i can put it to use in my story

i know they use force sensitives with that third sight power, but like. idk. i understand that they are trained and sometimes they fail but like that's SO complex. you're traveling faster than light - you can have jedi like reflexes and shit but that's still hard af.

so i was imagining (because lately I've been trying to better understand chiss lore, which i LOVEEE) wouldn't it be easier if there were like some stations in between planets, especially important colonies, to allow the force sensitives to have to navigate between smaller points, and not completely in the dark?

idk if any of you know sky: children of the light's trial of fire, so here's the link (skip the intro part). now imagine that instead of the checkpoints with rocks and candles you have little artifical moons/planets/asteroids (depending on how important that station is), and force sensitives are supposed to reach that and then re orientate etc.

BUT to make it cooler and most importantly, easier to sense for the force sensitives, imagine that those artificial ecosystem are made to be inhabited by different creatures that can't stay on their planet of origin (like. maybe because the environment changed and they are endangered, or they're too dangerous so they like. put them there). so they're full of life. they'd be like lit candles in the dark, literally.

THIS CAME TO ME BECAUSE TWO WEEKS AGO I SAW SUCH A COOL VIDEO (a 12 hour analysis of the phantom menace that's like. so fucking well-researched??? considering its length it's impressive really, so here's the link) that spoke (at 1:19:22) about that Boss Nass's phrase about going through Naboo's planet core. But to synthetize: basically in the lore, Naboo is supposed to lack a molten core, and at the center of the planet, plasma is being emitted, and it creates infinite tunnels that can connect even theed and otho gunga. but besides other worldbuilding problems that this rather absurd idea would create - that i won't recap here - in the video, there are some ideas on how to make it make sense (like. "going through the planet core" is simply a figure of speech and not what actually happened), BUT between those, there is one in particular that struck me: at 1:30:40, he proposed Naboo could be a constructed planet - like a planet-aquarium.

then, the video explains why it can't be the case for naboo but. GUYS!! if there's a species that could pull off something like that it's the chiss, with their sense of order, their need for knowledge, and organization abilities.

the maintenance of these stations with particular ecosystems could then be left at the nearest colony of csilla (kinda like the romans delegated the maintenance of their streets to each town it crossed and benefitted off of it), and be used as a "lighthouse" for new sky-walkers to train their third sight. researchers would benefit from keeping these animals alive + they could be kept in various different scenarios depending on how the specific station is made. if it's big enough, those creatures wouldn't be even captive, in a certain sense. especially since these stations need to be big enough (and full of life) to be perceived by the force sensitives, they'd just become replicas of the planet, where researchers, even in the creation of such stations, can really have a boost on their understanding of those ecosystems, through the feedbacks and experiments on the stations.

i have made a few sketches to visualize the idea

(ugly quality and poor rendition ops. in my defense it was late)

i know i wrote A LOT and prob not many will read this BUT if you've come this far, what do you think?

[herefortheships]

You want to know something that has me thinking about Lydia's characterization in BJBJ? She clearly has bad anxiety and seems pretty traumatized by her ability to see ghosts to some extent, but it's unclear what exactly drove her to feel this way about being able to see ghosts, when in her past, it didn't seem to bother her.

Lowkey they seemed to hint at her experience with Betelgeuse being the cause of her trauma (which makes it look like at the end when she banishes him at the wedding that's her overcoming her trauma and fears), but that seems extremely strange a choice, if that's the case, considering that at the end of the previous film some time seemed to have passed from the events at the end (Otho's ritual with the Maitlands, the wedding, etc), and Lydia seemed really happy at the end of the movie. In fact she seemed to be styling herself less goth-like (although arguably that could be because she's back in school and they may not allow her to style herself that way at school lol), which visually I think it's done to show how she's not depressed and thinking about death anymore.

She seemed to be happy coexisting with not just the Maitlands but with the occasional ghosts that she'd see around. That last part is my speculation, though, based on ghosts of the football team dancing behind her on the stairs, which she didn't seem to mind at all.

My point is: Lydia seemed perfectly happy at the end of the first movie, which disqualifies the events of that movie as the cause of her present anxiety.

It had to have been something else. I wonder if I just need a rewatch of BJBJ; was it made clear why Lydia is struggling with anxiety and needing medications? What exactly happened in Lydia's life that drove her to that? Was it losing Richard? She explained in the movie that that relationship was over long before whatever happened to Richard, though of course not knowing what exactly happened to him MUST have affected her, despite the status of that relationship. So one could think losing him is part of that anxiety. But the thing is, though, she seemed to be most anxious when seeing flashes of Betelgeuse... So that's why it seems to me that her anxiety is more related to her ability to see ghosts (and more specifically with seeing Betelgeuse) over anything else.

So I have to wonder, has he done something to scare her at some point over the years since their last encounter? Or did she have another terrible experience with another ghost/entity that really scared her and reminded her that ghosts/demons like Betelgeuse exist, and now that she's seeing him she's scared he will harm her? The movie really didn't make it clear what happened in Lydia's life to bring her to this point and especially to make her so scared of potentially encountering Betelgeuse again.

Mind you, the first thing she thought about when Astrid was taken was to find Betelgeuse and ask for his help, when we know she can 1) Talk to ghosts, so if she needed to find one to draw a door to the other side so she could find Astrid, she could have found some other ghost? Since she's supposed to be so "scared" of Betelgeuse. And 2) She already knows how to get to the other side, so back to point one, she didn't exactly need to use Betelgeuse to get there. Anyway, she was in a hurry/desperate, so maybe instead of looking for a random ghost she decided to look for the one she knew she could find and who'd help her immediately (the same one the movie has for some reason decided that she is most afraid of. lol).

I think there's potential to explore Lydia more deeply in the next movie. I just don't believe that her experience with Betelgeuse in the previous film is responsible for her current emotional state. I am positive she knows that Betelgeuse, as creepy as he can get, would never do anything to truly harm her; his motivations were never to harm her, but to leave the afterlife. The most he can do is try to marry her. And as far as Lydia knows, what could that do to them? All we really know is that he'll materialize in this world in some form. In that case, if he leaves the afterlife and incarnates here, wouldn't that make him human (or just, alive), and remove his powers? So, again, he wouldn't have a means to harm Lydia (and would he want to harm the person who helped him escape the afterlife like he so wanted?). Many questions. lol But I'm sure the marriage contract wouldn't bind Lydia to anything else that is nefarious, as far as she's concerned, since the marriage is a condition Betelgeuse needs to fulfill so he can leave the afterlife. Again, many questions, and Lydia's story is pretty open to interpretation, I guess, as far as her past goes. I just wish we could know what exactly happened, because the first movie is no indication or justification for her current state; there's nothing in that ending that shows Lydia will be traumatized 30+ years after what happeend.

[amostimprobabledream]

Thoughts on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice *SPOILERS*

The Good:

The reveal that Astrid could see ghosts this whole time and that Jeremy was actually a ghost was genuinely really good - I didn't see it coming but in hindsight it was so obvious. The whole bit about him trying to trick Astrid into giving her life for his was so fun.

Michael Keaton was a treat to watch as usual - all the actors seemed to be having the times of their lives, especially him, Willem Dafoe and Monica Bellucci. I was actually laughing out loud at some of the scenes he was in and I appreciate that they used him sparingly. I also thought the gag of Willem Dafoe's character being a former actor who liked pretending to be a cop and his secretary kept fetching him coffees and feeding him his lines was genuinely funny.

I was on the fence about Astrid because from what I got from the promotional material she seemed pretty bratty and whiny, but I think her frustrations with Lydia and her life in general were generally fairly understandable and I think she and Winona Ryder had great chemistry. Also I want Astrid's wardrobe, that sweater-dress with the bike shorts and boots? An absolute serve.

It's cool that Tim Burton and Michael Keaton both insisted on building sets instead of relying on CGI to do everything, I think that one of the charming things about the first movie was the handmade feel of the sets and they managed to capture a lot of it in this one. I mean, they do use SOME CGI, especially where Beetlejuice is involved, but I think it's good they didn't just rely on greenscreens.

Banger soundtrack, as usual, thanks to Danny Elfman.

Killing off Charles and Delia was surprising but I thought it was handled in a good way. I thought the actor who played Charles had died or something and when I googled why he wasn't in the sequel I think they did the best they could with the character. Catherine O'Hara sort of held together the Lydia/Astrid subplot for me, especially when she says to Lydia, "What happened to the angsty goth girl who gave me so much trouble? I think you need to find her!" The Bad: - This movie really made me appreciate the Maitlands more. The whole thing with the first movie is that Adam and Barbara ground it and give it a sense of normalcy - they have random, sudden, unfair deaths and as the audience we're thrown into the confusing world and rules of the afterlife as much as they are. In this movie I feel like everyone is too busy trying to be different flavours of wacky to feel real, which is fine for people like Beetlejuice or Delores but the human characters didn't feel like that had substance like the Maitlands.

Am I the only one who felt like this film felt kind of like a character assassination of Lydia?? I love Winona Ryder to death (pun unintended), but I feel like all she did in this movie is make that pop-eyed shocked face and say exposition. I'm sorry but am I meant to believe that Lydia Deetz, the only person in the first movie who could communicate with Adam and Barbara, called Otho, Lydia and her dad out on their shit multiple times and had the balls to make a deal with Beetlejuice to save the former, would seriously let some creepy man pressgang her into marriage? Not to mention I can't remember a single line of dialogue from Lydia, she's kind of been demoted to just being a depressed goth mom and that's kind of it. Also I felt like the way she was using her power for a TV show felt OOC when she was the only one who opposed the haunted house idea in the original. (Also Winona Ryder's hair looked terrible in the movie, it made sense for teenaged Lydia to have those gel spikes but on a Lydia who's hit fifty they look ridiculous. Like what, did her fashion sense never evolve past age fifteen?)

There were WAY too many subplots. I genuinely really liked the subplot with Astrid and Jeremy, and I think Beetlejuice and his ex-wife had a lot of potential, but the end of the movie was like Tim Burton forgot to keep track of every subplot he had going on and wrapped them up really unsatisfyingly.

Monica Bellucci's character was WAY underused. Like. I absolutely loved her design and stuff but she was walking around the whole movie attacking random people we don't give a shit about, and then in the climax she just stands there and lets herself get eaten. (That staple-face look would make a fire Halloween costume though.) I feel like the subplot with Lydia's creepy boyfriend/producer should have been cut so she had more time to shine.

The dialogue. Some of it was fine but other times phrases showed up that are so obviously going to become dated in a couple of years, it sounded like adults trying way too hard to be edgy and relatable to Gen Z viewers, like when Astrid goes "the afterlife is so random!" or that one woman describing something as "non-triggering". I don't remember the dialogue in the first movie feeling so buzzword-heavy.

Beetlejuice felt less like a threat this time. In the first movie he's more of a clear-cut antagonist but this time he's very clearly on Lydia's side and even dispatches all the other bad guys, so I think some of his more sinister energy was lost here.

The ending was really dumb ngl. It feels like it's setting up for a third one but Tim Burton was like "lol not gonna happen" so I have no idea why he chose to ending it like that.

[xxghost-zombie-jesus]

I would love to hear your opinions on Beej and Charles' relationship... Its always so fun to explore

dont mind me answering this two years later. i don't have an excuse im just a lil slow. it got long so it's under a readmore!

i like to think things are super rocky right off the bat. charles distrusts been the most in the beginning, after all, when he looks at the demon all he can remember is how he tried to marry his daughter, drove her and subsequently him to the netherworld, tried to kill delia, adam, and barbara, and made a mess of the house and their lives. so he isn't exactly please when beej is unceremoniously dumped onto his literal front steps. he is... cordial to the demon, not wanting to accidentally set Beetlejuice off and cause another Incident.

beej avoids charles a lot in the beginning. he has Mommy and Daddy issues, mainly from juno being, well, herself and his father not being around. (and honestly beej isn't sure if his father left him or was eaten by his mother, but he still holds out hope.) so another parent, especially someone who is genuinely angry and distrustful of him, and not in a 'god you're so annoying' way but in a 'you are a threat to my family way'. like, delia gets spooked by him easily, but she was probably the least affected by his outburst, and he helped her realize otho was a scam artist. the maitlands aren't exactly threatened by him, and quickly come to realize he's kind of... harmless. and lydia still considers him her best friend, even after the whole sham wedding/trying to kill everyone/killing him ordeal. but Charles? he's the only one who is not willing to deal with beej and his antics, nor does the man seem willing to move past the, well, past.

so, yeah, things are tense between them in the beginning. both of them feel threatened, and while beej is prone to lashing out when he feels threatened, charles is the quiet, calculating, take no shit. unstoppable force, immovable object. the few times they interact one-on-one doesn't go well, usually ends up in an argument, or worse, and the threat of sending beej back to the netherworld hangs heavy.

but, charles sees how beetlejuice acts around lydia, how he acts around the maitlands, hell, how he acts around delia. he's completely different than when charles originally met the demon. he's actually... more like a person than the mindless killing machine that charles thinks he is, and while he loaths to change his mind about the being who caused so much havoc and pain for his family, charles starts to doubt that he may have been wrong about beetlejuice. and then when delia implores that he just try and bond with beej, he really isn't so bad, they have a lot more in common that charles would think, he finally gives in and tries.

likewise, beetlejuice sees how charles acts around the rest of the household, the easy coparenting routines that he and the maitlands have developed regarding lydia. the calm discussions in the morning and the shared tv times in the evenings. he sees how charles is with delia, the gentleness and the love that's visible even to beetlejuice, eugh. the willingless to play along with her ideas and life coaching. he sees how charles is with lydia, the near desperation in his actions to make his daughter feel seen, feel loved, feel like he will always be there for her. how he begrudgingly builds her a dark room and allows her to paint her bedroom walls black. and he'd never say he was jealous, not if his undead life depended on it, but, honestly, he is. he wants so badly for charles to like him, hasn't what he's done to atone enough? hasn't he changed enough? but, fine, if charles won't like him, he can play along and make the man's life a living hell with pranks and comments and toeing the line of what is and isn't allowed.

and then charles finds out that despite being over 1000 years old, his age roughly correlates with that of a young adult, college-aged, even. charles, honestly, isn't sure that beej would even be of age for drinking, if he were human. he realizes that the demon's lashing out and acting up around him wasn't because he hates charles, its because he's a shitty young adult who has no idea who he is other than how others perceive him, who obviously got little to no parental love and guidance, who is fiercely protective of lydia, has taken her under his wing and would do just about anything in his power to make her happy. charles notices him eagerly playing along with delia's beliefs, never shutting her down or making her feel like she's crazy, but instead encouraging her to life her life how she wants to. he sees how beetlejuice had toned down the sexual jokes and innuendos at their behest, how he's done a complete 180 when he realized that they didn't enjoy his advances. he wants to be included but has stopped pushing and prodding for their attention.

and its when charles realizes that beej is basically just a hurt, scard, kind of angry yet doubtlessly kind kid that beetlejuice gets himself into some deep shit, and charles has to go save his ass. and its not for lydia's sake, well, at first it was, he'd hate to disappoint his daughter by letting something happen to the demon she's basically adopted as an older brother, but when he sees how genuinely hurt and upset beej is, something changes in their dynamic.

charles stops being so closed off to beej, starts including him in things, talking to him of his own accord, trying to be there for the demon like he is lydia. after all, he's no longer a freeloader, a dangerous demon on a hair trigger to charles anymore. he's just a troubled 20-something who just happens to be a demon. this doesn't exactly go well, beej isn't quick to judge, and the sudden change is so offputting to him that he thinks that charles is Up To Something.

because whenever juno started being nice to him, well, she either wanted something from him, or was about to make his life a living hell and fuck him over one hundred and one ways. so charles, someone he's lowkey started to think as a surrogate father even if he won't even admit it to himself let alone anyone else, suddenly acting like he wanted beej around, like he likes the demon? no he doesn't trust that. so he ups his antics tenfold, trying to piss charles off, trying to make things go back to how they were before.

and then this fic happens and, well, beej has to admit that charles does like him, and is trying to show it, and isn't out to get him, or kick him out, or kill him. its hard for both of them, but its a lot more positive than it had been before.

all this to say, i think they have a kind of father-son relationship, though not at first, and not for a hot second. both of them are resistant of getting along until both internal and external forces make them change, and even from there charles trying to kind of mother hen beej doesn't go well at first. but they figure things out

[bjfinn]

HEALING CIRCLE

"I think we should do something to help the people who were ... traumatised by BJ," Delia said one morning as she and Charles were having coffee.

Charles snorted. "Starting with ourselves," he said.

"We are helping ourselves -- by helping BJ," she pointed out. "He's made great progress these past months, and we've all been able to deal with what happened. No, I mean all the people who haven't had the chance to truly process what they went through. That poor girl scout, for instance -- what was her name? Raine?"

"Skye," Charles corrected her. "And I don't think it's a good idea for us to get involved. That's what professional therapy is for."

"Well, of course," Delia agreed. "But we can -- should -- help, too. After all, we did end up 'adopting' him. He's our responsibility now."

Charles folded his newspaper. "All right," he said, "what do you have in mind?"

"Well, I was thinking about starting a healing circle --"

"Delia, darling," Charles interrupted. "The folks BJ, um ... traumatised ... need more than just scented candles, crystals and mantras. They need real help. Dealing with trauma isn't a matter for amateurs."

"And we can provide them with recommendations for qualified therapists. You're friends with a few -- I'm sure they'd appreciate the referrals." She regarded him seriously. "But you should never underestimate the power of candles, crystals and mantras. They can bring a sense of peace to a troubled soul." She stood up. "And they can meet BJ -- version 2.0."

Delia didn't notice the look of alarm on her husband's face as she gathered the empty coffee cups and took them to the sink.

"Uh, Delia ... I --" he began.

"I'm going into town to get some flyers printed up," she said. "Do you need anything?"

"I really don't think --"

"All right, then." She kissed him on the cheek and grabbed her purse. "I won't be gone long. Ttfn!"

And with that, she was gone.

"God help us all," Charles muttered.

*****

It wasn't long before Beej's victims started to get in touch. Delia apologised to each of them for what they had gone through and explained what she had in mind, and soon each agreed to come the following Saturday evening.

When everyone had arrived and was seated in the living room, Delia began.

"First, I want to thank you all for taking the time to come -- it's important that we all come to terms with what happened to you a few months ago."

The little girl, Skye, tentatively raised a hand. "I-is he still here?"

Delia smiled. "Yes," she replied. "Yes, he is -- he's part of our family now."

"Delia!" Otho exclaimed. "I'm shocked that you would allow that ... that creature back in here! After what he did??? And calling him family??? He's the embodiment of evil!!! "

"Otho, really ... BJ is not that bad," Delia said. "I mean, yes -- he did some bad things ... he threatened people, hurt people ..."

"He tried to kill me!" Otho interjected hotly. "It was just plain luck that I managed to free myself from his Wheel of Death before it rolled down the basement stairs!"

"I know, and I'm sorry about that. But you have to understand -- BJ has ... issues. Many, many issues. But with my help and guidance, he's working through them ..."

Otho scoffed.

"... and he's becoming more ... civilised. In fact, he's saved our lives on more than one occasion. All he really ever wanted was ... somebody to love him and accept him."

"You want us to love and accept him?" Mrs Feinstein asked, incredulous.

"That's up to each of you to decide," Delia replied. "But whether or not you do, each of you needs to work through the trauma he caused."

The others nodded grudgingly -- all except Otho, who sat with his arms crossed, a sour expression on his face.

"All right, then -- I think we should start by talking about what happened. Who'd like to go first?"

*****

Over the next several Saturday evenings, Delia explained to them how the Deetzes and the Maitlands were helping Beej by providing him with hobbies that were more constructive outlets for his energy.

"I've been teaching him yoga," she said, "and we've been having therapy sessions to help him deal with his feelings about growing up unloved -- he's been making wonderful progress. See?" She handed out several of the demon's drawings. "We've been doing art therapy -- it's his favourite."

The group looked over the pictures approvingly.

"These are ... actually kinda good," Ted, the census guy, said. "I mean, they're not going to ever be in an art museum, but ... there's some talent there."

"Look at this one," Mrs Feinstein said, holding up the picture she had -- it was titled MY FAMLY, and was of the entire Maitland-Deetz clan, all smiling and holding hands, with the demon in the centre. "This is just ... adorable! It looks like a drawing my grandson could've made. But ... who's this?" she asked, pointing to a figure standing beside Beej.

"Oh, that's Dewey," Delia explained. "He's BJ's brother."

"You mean there's two of them?" Otho asked, his eyes wide. "Oh, God! "

Delia shook her head. "Dewey is human -- he's a music teacher in New York. He and BJ met at Halloween when a couple of his students accidentally ... summoned BJ, and they became friends. Then at Christmas, we found out that they're related. Well, probably. Anyway, for all intents and purposes ... they're brothers."

"That's so sweet!" Mrs Feinstein said.

"Here's one of just the two of them," the pizza delivery guy, Brandon, said. "They're playing guitars -- at least, I think they're guitars."

Otho sniffed petulantly. "He's a demon! This ... these drawings are nothing more than an elaborate ruse. A ... a con to gain your trust. I can't believe you're all falling for it!"

"Why not? I fell for your con, didn't I?" Delia retorted.

"You're comparing me with him??? " He huffed dramatically as he pulled a silk handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his eyes. "That's so unfair!"

"You're right," she admitted. "I shouldn't have said that -- after all, at least he's trying to become a better person."

Otho looked at her, his face a study in betrayal. "Delia! How could you??? I thought we were friends!"

"We are friends," she replied gently. "Sometimes a friend needs to speak uncomfortable truths."

"It's like a knife in my heart," he said, and blew his nose. He opened the handkerchief, looked inside, grimaced, and stuffed it up his sleeve.

"Oh, stop being so dramatic, Otho," Delia told him. "You're here to process what happened, same as the rest of us. And part of that involves looking inward and facing our own ... deficiencies."

He started sobbing quietly. "He tried to kill me," he murmured.

"Okay," she said brightly. "Who here has meditated before?"

*****

"How goes the group meetings?" Charles asked the morning after the latest session.

"We're making some real progress," Delia told him, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "I've begun teaching them how to meditate, and everyone is starting to come to terms with their experience."

"Even Otho?"

"Okay, not everyone. But Otho ... has his own issues to work on."

Charles chuckled at that.

"In fact, it's going so well that I think they're ready for the next step."

Charles shook his head. "Don't you think it's a bit too early for that?"

"Of course not -- the sooner the better."

*****

"You want me to what? " Beej asked when Delia told him about her plan.

"It's important that they see that you're improving," she said. "That you're not the same demon as before."

Beej scowled.

"I really think it'll help them," she explained. "And it'll help you, too."

"How?"

"Well, you want people to accept you, right? Doing this will show everyone that you deserve to be accepted."

"Well ... maybe," he conceded. "But I don't like it -- I'm a demon! Breathers are supposed to be scared of me!"

*****

"I'm so pleased with the progress we've made over the course of our sessions," Delia said. "That's why I think it's time that we confront the source of our trauma."

"What do you mean, 'the source'?" Ted asked. "You mean --"

"-- the zombie guy?" Mrs Feinstein finished. "Him??? "

"His name is BJ," Delia told them, "and he's really not so bad, once you get to know him. He's waiting in the hallway, and he'd like to --"

Beej suddenly appeared. "Hi, guys!" he said, smiling and waving at them like an overgrown puppy.

Skye screamed.

"Wow!" the demon said. "Yeah, I definitely remember that sound. How've you been, little girl?"

She screamed again.

"Not so good, I see. Okay, well ... yeah, okay," he said. "I guess by now you all know that I'm a demon --"

He was interrupted by another scream from the girl scout.

"Uhh ... right. Well, actually I'm half-ghost, half -demon -- see, my mom was a demon, and --"

"Maybe we can save the backstory for another time, BJ," Delia told him. "Don't you have something you want to say to these folks?"

"Uh, yeah," he said. "Right. Well, uh ... what I did to all of you -- well, it wasn't very nice. But you ... you gotta understand -- I'm a demon! It's what I do! "

Skye screamed again.

"I know, I know -- I'm the big scary dead guy!" he said to the girl. "We all get it, okay? Jeez! "

"BJ," Delia admonished.

"Well, she keeps interrupting me! How am I supposed to apologise with her screaming every time I say 'demon'?"

Skye opened her mouth to scream again, but Mrs Feinstein put her hand over the girl's mouth.

"Wait -- what?" Otho said. "You're here to apologise? "

"Well, yeah ... I --"

"And I suppose you expect us to just forgive you? After what you put us through?" He sashayed over to the demon and poked him in the chest. "You tried to kill me!"

"You tried to kill me first! "

"I was doing my job," Otho said with a dismissive flip of his hand, and turned his back to Beej.

Beej's hair began to turn red, and he sputtered and fumed, trying to think of a response. He glared at the back of Otho's head for a moment, balling his fists and waving them around wildly -- he wanted nothing more than to punch this ... this meatbag, but he knew that Delia would be disappointed in him if he did.

"Maybe we should all take a moment to calm down," Delia said.

"I'm perfectly calm," Otho replied.

Beej stuck out his tongue. "I'm perfectly calm," he mocked.

"BJ, please," Delia said.

"Ah, come on!" the demon replied. "Lemme hit him! Just one punch -- that's not too much to ask, is it? After what he did?"

"And what, pray tell, did I do?" Otho asked, turning to face Beej, arms akimbo.

"Really, Otho?" Delia said. "Do you really want me to tell everyone that you're a charlatan who took advantage of my naiveté and bilked me out of half my savings over the course of two years? Do you really want me to tell them about all the cults you ran where you took advantage of God knows how many young girls? Do you really want me to tell them that your real name is --"

"Yes, well," he said hurriedly. "Perhaps you're right -- after all, I suppose even a demon can change his spots ... or stripes, in this case." This last was accompanied by a disdainful sneer at said demon's fashion choices.

In reply, Beej thumbed his nose at Otho.

Skye giggled. "You're kinda funny," she said to the demon, who turned around to face her, surprised. "Maybe ... you're not such a bad guy after all? I mean, you're scary when you want to be, but you can be funny, too.

"I'm Skye, by the way," she said, holding out her hand.

"I'm BJ. Or Beej," he replied, shaking her hand. "You're not scared of me any more?"

Skye shook her head. "No ... well, maybe a little. But not as much as before."

The side of Beej's mouth twitched for a moment, and then he bit his lip, smiling. "Do you wanna be my friend?" he asked her hesitantly.

The girl thought for a moment, and then she nodded. "Yes," she told him.

At that, Beej picked her up and whirled her around in a circle. "I got a new friend!!! " he exclaimed. He set her down again, and Skye reeled, dizzy from the experience.

"Well," Otho said petulantly, "I, for one, will never be friends with the likes of him! I mean, he's kinda cute -- in sort of a deranged psychopathic clown way -- but stripes? And what's with those lapels? My God, you'd think it was 1986! "

"Thanks!" Beej said with a grin. He grabbed Otho's face in both hands and planted a big wet one on the ersatz guru's mouth. "That makes me sooo happy! I don't wanna be friends with you, either -- you're a pompous asshole!"

He spun the sputtering Otho around and gave him a boot to the rump, sending him stumbling back to his chair.

"BJ!" Delia chided. "That's not very nice!"

"He started it!" he said, pouting.

"To be fair," Mrs Feinstein put in, "Otho is a pompous asshole."

Ted nodded in agreement. "I kinda wanted to kick his ass once or twice myself."

Otho huffed, looking at them in exaggerated astonishment. "Delia! Am I supposed to just sit here and be subjected to this ... this unprovoked character assassination??? "

Delia had had enough. "Oh, sit down and shut up, Kevin! "

Otho's jaw dropped. Without a word he flounced over to his seat and perched on the edge of the chair. He took out a handkerchief and dabbed daintily at the tears of embarrassment and humiliation running down his cheeks, and then loudly blew his nose. He stuffed the handkerchief up his sleeve and looked up at her. "Et tu, Delia?" he said.

Delia sighed. "Otho, you know I love you," she told him gently, "but BJ's right -- sometimes you are a pompous asshole. Maybe that's something we can work on together."

She clapped her hands together. "Okay!" she said brightly. "I think we can all agree that BJ isn't the embodiment of pure evil --"

"Hey! " Beej said, affronted.

"What I mean is," she continued, "he's evil, yes --"

"Okay, then -- that's better," the demon cut in, mollified.

"-- but we've seen that he can be nice, when he wants to be. And really, did he ever actually hurt anyone?"

Otho sighed dramatically.

"Other than Otho," she amended, "who, truth be told, did kinda deserve it?"

The others muttered in grudging agreement -- except for Otho, of course, who simply sat there, sobbing quietly.

"Okay!" Delia said. "Well, I think that's enough for today -- we can pick it up again next week!"

[mathoinyanarts]

Beetlejuice 2 actually just bummed me out

Man, I was so hyped for this film, and in the end I was just kinda...eh.

There were moments that made me laugh, but like in the end it was an all around let down. It felt like a series of events just happening until it all collided into...nothing really

Spoilers from here on out

Biggest problem. The trailers made it seem Delores was gonna have a bigger role, but looking back, other than the plotline where Beetlejuice wants to marry Lydia so he won't have to get back with Delores, they could've gotten rid of her and come up with a new motivation.

But I'm not saying get rid of her tho, I wish she could've had a bigger role. While we saw her in small chunks throughout the film, I think having it crescendo at the end to her being the main threat would've been much more satisfying, instead of her just getting fucking sandwormed along with the loser fiance dude, who honestly got way too many lines for how purposefully annoying as hell they made him.

I get that was the point with his character, he's this movie's version of Otho, same snootiness and all, but even the first movie used Otho sparingly...

At least this guy was more deserving of being sandwormed lol

Willem Dafoe character was also one I wish had a bigger role, literally didn't do anything in the end either. His job was to tell Beetle about Delores, and then get frozen at the climax to achieve nothing ultimately, which is part of the joke I guess.

The beginning of the movie focuses on setting up a lot, but then the writers clearly realized how bloated their script, was at the end, cause then they just started doing stuff like, getting rid of one of the antagonists, sidelining one of the antagonists, and then sidelining another antagonist, and then introducing Astrid's father, which, I have like a theory that was made as a substitute for an Adam and Barbara reunion, cause like, it really just felt super tacked on.

If anything a Barbara and Adam reunion would've made more sense, but I get that Alec Baldwin is kinda... in trouble, and Geena Davis is...Actually I dunno what she's doing :v

And I know I'm complaining a lot for something that's like a solid 6, but like, I can't stop thinking that like, did this have to be made? Did this specific sequence of events have to be made? I'm not asking for hype bait, I'm not asking for like a big crossover, I'm asking for the writers to have looked at their script one more time lol

Cause like this bloated sequence of events just kind of led to something that made me go... ok😐

The biggest red flag when I first saw the trailer was seeing that at least 2 of the main writers were writers for Wednesday, like, I cannot with that show��

There were in fact positives that I might illustrate in a future post, but that was my first impression. I just left the theater feeling like I wanted my money back;-;

[owchie-wowchie]

If the real answer is out there, please tell me where and what /gen (and then I can die of embarrassment /j)

what I mean by host is Pokey needs something in reality to have a hivemind there. IE Paul, the meteor, Otho (in theory)

[thelanternlight]

I thought Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was a LOT of fun! It was spooky, visually stunning, creative, and a true successor to the original. Definitely a great movie and a new, very fun classic to add to the seasonal rotation. I say that as if the original movie wasn’t wholly beloved by me but it so fundamentally was. And is. Beetlejuice remains one of Tim Burton’s masterpieces because it was SO strange and unusual, and one of Burton’s most original concepts. When audiences first saw it in the 80s (and me in the late 90s/early aughts) we, or me specifically, had never really seen anything like it. On paper a story like Beetlejuice shouldn’t have worked. But not only does it work but it’s a cinematic milestone and one of the main works that goths and gays and weirdos point to when they talk about films that helped them understand themselves, even to accept themselves. I cannot overemphasize the importance of Beetlejuice. And in so doing I also cannot underscore its brilliance and meaningfulness in the ‘weirdo community’ without specifically calling out Catherine O’Hara who outperforms herself again and again, and who has been an icon and patron goddess of said community since the 80s, or before. Her continuation of Delia in this sequel adds to that glittering repertoire.

The one thing I can say that could have been better was that there’s a lot of ideas thrown into this movie. I’m not going to spoil anything here since it’s still in theaters but I thought some characters needed to be omitted and some storylines simplified. Having so many moving parts meant that the movie felt rushed and the audience doesn’t have time to really sit and absorb or process important moments. These are old friends that we’ve loved for decades and that have meant so much to us. We needed to have time to really understand where they are, how they’ve evolved, how their relationships work now. The movie does attempt to provide that element of reunion but it’s so fast that it’ll require a second or third rewatch to keep up with them. The one thing I will deliberately spoil (or not really) is that Beetlejuice does not get a grand entrance. He just turns up at some point. That was a missed opportunity.

However, I really appreciated that with Charles Deetz, originally played by Jeffrey Jones who undoubtedly was not invited to reprise his role due to past scandal, we knew he’d be killed off (because of the trailers) but I loved that he was still included. Again, not going to spoil anything but I liked that Charles got the acknowledgement the character deserved. With Otho, of course Glenn Shadix is sadly no longer with us, and instead of recasting him or somehow reinventing his character the movie just left him as we remember him. I think that was a classy move, to simply not even try any reductive reproduction.

Still though, B2 is truly a wonderful movie and an absolute joy. Like I said this has immediately made my annual Halloween must-watch list.

[emtjeejooblaa]

Today @wigdevil's Otho got a sketch for his dialogue art in my school course final animation :D Can't wait for him to get MAD at Aki later XD

[aintnothinglikeadikrat]

And since I’m on the topic of the Black Altars and how they seem to allow the Lords in Black to manifest in the physical world, let me give my explanations for which Lord rules over which Altar.

(Keep in mind I personally don’t believe anything that started being influenced AFTER Miss Holloway got the Black Book would be one of the five listed in there. The Black Book is super old and it’s possible some of the old Black Altars fell out of use or got replaced)

!!SPOILERS FOR ALL OF HATCHETFIELD!!

WIGGLY: Lakeside Mall

This is self explanatory. It’s explicitly stated to be a Black Altar and it’s where he attempted to be born.

NIBBLY: the Old Waylon Place

I went over this in my last post about Black Altars. However it IS entirely possible that at some point the Waylon place fell out of use and there’s a new Black Altar not listed in the book.

TINKY: CCRP Headquarters

I’m not 100% on this, because the only reason it’s got the time travel properties in the first place is because of people trying to harness Tinky’s power in in the FoA/Time Bastard timeline, but it seems to me like that wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t already an Altar (unless they somehow had the Black Book). I’m assuming it was built on someplace that used to be a Black Altar.

POKEY: The Starlight Theatre

We don’t know WHERE the Apotheosis comet landed in the NMT2 timeline but since that’s where it began in the TGWDLM timeline this is the best guess I can make. I’m presuming in both timelines it landed in the Theatre because:

A). Pokey presumably couldn’t just manifest without using the Altar if they’re so important

B). It fits with his whole Musical Theatre deal.

I 100% believe the Roller-Rama isn’t his altar. He was already manifested in the world when Otho was brought to the Roller-Rama and that place had no other supernatural properties besides him.

BLINKY: Hatchetfield High

I’m aware this is somewhat of a stretch but it’s the only Altar we know of that doesn’t have a clear link to a Lord in Black. Blinky’s whole deal is that he’s a voyeur, and the whole point of Watcher World is peer pressure and the constant feeling of observation. I’m not saying it’s perfect but it’s the best link I can make.

Important Sidenote: I wholeheartedly believe Watcher World isn’t his Black Altar and he only created it in a timeline after he manifested. We’ve seen him physically in Watcher World so it’s safe to assume he’s already been brought into the real world in that timeline.

Also, I’m like 99% sure Watcher World was supposed to be located somewhere in the Witchwoods (???) and the woods absolutely CANNOT be a Black Altar; they’re maintained by the Hatchetmen, the only real opposition to the followers of the Lords in Black, and all the psychic energy there is a result of their interference, presumably nothing to do with the Lords.

The caveat I have to this is it’s entirely possible that Watcher World is a Black Altar created after the book was written and Blinkys followers moved out of Hatchetfield High and into the Witchwoods without being noticed by the Hatchetmen. I still believe if that’s the case then Watcher World itself wasn’t built until Blinky’s actual manifestation. I don’t think he’s interested in bringing about the apocalypse; that doesn’t seem like his style. I think Watcher World’s timeline is one where Blinky’s already won, and this is his end goal; creating somewhere he can watch people suffer.

WEBBY: The Witchwoods

There’s really no evidence to suggest Webby even has a White Altar so this is just an addendum to the theory, but the fact that it’s made out of the bodies of children who could presumably see her and is used for rituals against the Lords in the same way the Lords followers used their own Black Altars for them makes me see some sort of connection.

It’s also pretty notable to me that Willabella and Webby both have access to Hannah’s mind and Willabella is called the Witch in the Web. It really feels like there’s a connection there.

Okay thanks for reading bye ! <333

[pin-crusher2000]

How does Mothers day for the Superfamily go?

Good question @spider-jaysart happy Mother’s Day to you buddy :)

The day starts with some breakfast in bed for Lois (eggs, toast & orange juice) made by Clark with the help of the kids (Jon, Chris, Conner, Osul, & Otho) & a Super (no pun intended XD) bunch of hugs & kisses on the cheeks (lips for Clark).

Kara & Otho-Ra decides to “distract” Lois for the day (mall shopping, getting their nails done, etc) while the boys do some shopping themselves for a small dinner between Clark & Lois. (Flowers, white table cloth, candles etc)

For Lois gifts, she received: flowers, a journal to write down her favorite memories, & a big/medium size white paper that has drawings of all of them with the words “Worlds Finest Mom” on top. (Think of what kids usually draw for their parents)

I think that’s it? XD

Thanks for the question! Let me know if you got more! :D

[strawwritesfic]

Bilbo Baggins x Female!Hobbit!Reader: Save

Summary: The beginning of your own story might be worth writing down someday as well.

Rating/Tags: All (Post-Hobbit; pre-Fellowship of the Ring; The Green Dragon; Drinking; Alcohol; Server!Reader; family problems; inheritance problems; meet cute)

Challenge: “160 Collective Drabbles” challenge by BobaPop on Lunaescence Archives.

Tag List: @imaginesfire​

Save

Any Hobbit worth their salt could recite upon command any number of stories about far-off lands and daring adventures. Children might shudder in their beds thinking of shadowy forests filled with creeping spiders; even adults could blanch over news of wolves spotted near Buckland. But that was all such tales were in the end: Distant news and exciting fiction, meant to entertain and never to touch its listeners. Nothing could ever really involve the Shire. The people of Hobbiton were free to continue their vicarious quests–until one day such a quest did involve the Shire.

“I already told you, Otho, I don’t have a mountain of gold hidden away to give to you. I’m certain that if I did, there would be nothing left after I was forced to buy back my home and all my possessions.”

You looked up from your work behind the counter to see one Bilbo Baggins sitting at a table across the room. He had a mug of ale clutched in one hand and a look of polite distaste on his face. 

Upon recognizing his drinking companions, you couldn’t say you blamed him for looking like that. Otho and Lobelia Sackville-Baggins were not your favorite customers when they were minding their own business. Throw in harassing other patrons, and you couldn’t help but shoot them an ugly look of your own behind their backs.

Normally, you would have tried to throw them out. Now that you were in serious competition with your younger brother over the inheritance of the inn, however, you decided it would be better not to make a scene. "A patron is a patron, so long as they’ve got gold to spend," as your father had reminded you since you’d started working at the Green Dragon in your tweens. Apparently your brother had no trouble remembering this, though you suspected his good memory was because he didn’t spend much of his time on the clock doing any work, not because he lacked any hint of your admirable temper.

“[Name], quit lollygagging. Table Eight wanted supper fifteen minutes ago,” your father called over the usual evening hubbub. 

His watchful eye prevented you from eavesdropping further on Bilbo and his guests, so you flashed your haggard father a grin, picked up a waiting tray of food, and dove back into the throng.

The Green Dragon had been owned by your family since it had been built several generations ago. Sometimes you got the feeling your father would have gladly given up five square meals a day to be rid of the responsibility of running the place. Not so you. Working at the inn made you come alive more than any other place in the whole of the Shire. You had been hanging around it since you were old enough to follow your father to work as a youth and working there since you were bold enough to convince him to give you a job. By necessity, you knew every nook and cranny, every regular’s name, and every story ever told by the grand stone fireplace.

Except, that was, for Bilbo’s story. Even knowing that the mere sight of Otho and Lobelia would anger you, you sneaked another peek over at their table as you set the food down on another surrounded by ravenous tweens. Sure enough, the trio was still there. Bilbo’s polite façade appeared to be fading quickly as he listened to the two of them rant.

“[Name],” whined one of the tween boys, “you’re in the way.”

You hastily removed your hand before any of them could mistake it for part of their meal. Your constantly-hungry youth wasn’t so far behind you that you had forgotten what it felt like.

“Make sure to pay before you leave this time. Don’t want me to have to talk to your parents again, do you?” you asked.

None of them replied. 

With a deep breath and a roll of your eyes, you turned away. Before you lay a buzzing dining hall. Hobbits laughed and ate and drank in seemingly every inch of the building. It warmed your heart to see so many happy people enjoying your family’s business. All except for Bilbo, of course, who had dismissed faking politeness entirely and now stared grumpily into the space about his relatives’ heads as they prattled on about whatever it was they had a bone to pick about that night.

Before you could even attempt to interrupt the conversation, your father caught your eye and motioned impatiently at the growing assortment of food and drink waiting to be delivered. You picked your way toward him, progress hindered by the many customers that stopped you to say hello. The conversation at Bilbo’s table had grown quite lively by the time you arrived at the bar to pick up another order.

Truth be told, Bilbo’s fascinating disappearance and reappearance were not the only things about him that kept you looking at him. Neither were his rumored riches; you planned to take over the Dragon and raise your own small fortune, after all. Bilbo had, in fact, always interested you. He had had his own schedule before he’d left the Shire, coming in once a week to drink and listen to the same old stories you did day after day. Always polite, that Bilbo, if admittedly not forcibly friendly like most of the others. You had never had to throw him out for poor behavior, at any rate.

That night was the first night he’d been back to the inn after all his time away. You’d been dying to talk to him since the minute you saw him walk through the door. Between your job and the Sackville-Bagginses, you hadn’t had a chance.

Then an idea occurred to you–a wonderful, terrible, perfect idea. Before any of your fellow workers could guess that you were up to something, you filled your tray with the waiting glasses of ale. Your plan might not have had the best timing, considering the dinner rush and how flustered your father had already become, but he would have to do without you. You were only one Hobbit, and if your father truly believed passing the Green Dragon onto your brother (who was, as usual, suspiciously absent that evening), then what good was your working your fingers to the bone to please customers?

You turned and marched purposely toward the table at which Bilbo, Lobelia, and Otho sat. As you drew nearer, you could understand why Bilbo looked as pained as he did.

“As far as I’m concerned, you forfeited your right to Bag End when you left without saying a word and without electing an heir. The hole is ours,” Otho was saying.

“Is it,” said Bilbo.

Lobelia gave him a very nasty, almost un-hobbotish sneer. “You clearly aren’t right in the head anymore. Dragons? Dwarves? Why don’t you just admit you got into some messy business with that Gandalf fellow and step aside for Otho to be head of the family?”

“Difficult to do when I’m not at all mad, my dear Lobelia. For why should you think I had gold to spare if I never had my grand adventure?”

“You’re a fool,” she said, “a fool and perhaps even a criminal. We could go over your head, Bilbo. Mark my words.”

“Consider them marked. Now if you’ll excuse me…”

“We aren’t done here,” Otho growled, getting up to follow Bilbo away from the table.

Oh, yes you are, you thought. 

Just as Otho reached over to pull Bilbo back into his seat, you arrived along with half the dining hall’s drinks. Otho standing up actually provided you with the perfect opportunity. All you had to do was angle your feet just right, and–

Lobelia’s scream told you that you had succeeded. Your staged trip and fall managed to tip all the ale on your tray so that it spilled over the Sackville-Baggginses heads. There they sat, dripping in abject shock, as Bilbo stood staring on in astonishment.

“Oh no!” you squealed dramatically. “Did I do that? I’m ever so sorry. I’m such a klutz!”

With a lurch toward Lobelia, you made to press a towel to her sopping hair. She flinched away before turning the full brunt of her wrath on you.

“You-You-You,” she said. Apparently, your act had rendered her unable to form complete sentences. 

This unforeseen bonus didn’t last long; before you could so much as attempt to offer a fake apology, Otho got in your face: “I’ll have your job for this, girl,” he said, and any desire to apologize, falsely or otherwise, vanished. 

You hooked a thumb over your shoulder toward where you’d last seen your father running around like a chicken with his head cut off. “Boss is that way.”

The two left without more than several glares in your direction. You watched only long enough to see your father shoot you a knowing, aggrieved sort of look when the Sackville-Bagginses approached him. 

Shrugging, you turned away. Well, it was difficult to feel sorry for him. If he really wanted a supper rush without incident, he really ought to have forced your brother to show up for his shifts every once and awhile, especially if you were expected to give up your inheritance without a fight.

All the same, you knew better than to leave a mess behind. You began to pick up the (thankfully unbroken) glasses littering the table and were almost finished by the time Bilbo spoke:

“Thank you.”

You had assumed he had taken the opportunity to escape your inn entirely, actually. His voice surprised you, and even more so that he was standing exactly where you’d left him. 

“You don’t need to thank me for being clumsy,” you answered, then smiled mischievously at his blank expression. “It looked like you could use a rescue. Those two shouldn’t bother you again tonight.”

“Thank you,” he said with more feeling.

“It’s your first time back since your adventure. Wouldn’t want you spooked off forever.”

Much to your confusion, Bilbo hesitated before he replied. His eyes slid toward the door and back to you, and then he took a wide step backward. “Right,” he said. “All the same, I think I had better get going.”

As you looked on, he began to shuffle toward the front door. You realized with a jolt exactly what he thought: Bilbo believed you, too, were after his gold. He didn’t exactly look less nervous when you followed after him either.

“That’s a shame,” you said. “I really was hoping to hear your story.”

That got him to pause. “You…were?”

“Sure. Dwarves and dragons and spiders and elves. Sounds better than half of the stories the rest of them have been telling all week. I'm getting a little tired of the time the creek froze over and let the wolves in, personally. ”

“Mine is a rather exciting tale,” Bilbo confessed, then seemed to decide you weren’t so frightening that he couldn’t size you up. “And you are?” 

“[Name]. My dad owns the place.”

At that, a look of slight disappointment crossed his face. You didn’t understand it, not until he went on: “Then I suppose you wouldn’t be able to join me at my hole for a cup of coffee and a chat? I find myself wanting a quieter atmosphere, but I could do with some company still.”

The words no, not tonight were right on your lips. You couldn’t just abandon the inn, or your father for that matter. 

But on second thought, why couldn’t you? Really, your brother ought to have been there by now to take over, and there were other servers, too, picking their slow ways from table to table. Besides, when was the last time you’d been given time off, or even a break for that matter?

“You know what?” you said. “I’d love to.”

“Delightful!” cried Bilbo, and he held out his arm. 

It took you less than half a second to place your tray on top of one of the other server’s trays as she passed by. She gave you a wild-eyed, panicked looked, but you did not explain. 

You’d hear all about your lack of responsibility in the morning once your father discovered you had slipped away. For the time being, you were just like any other Hobbit. Who cared about work, the inheritance, or the inn when there was such a fine story to hear and such a fine Hobbit to tell it? Even as you thought about the lecture you were in for, you couldn't find yourself regretting your decision. 

[legendary-defender-of-fandoms]

My (barely) Coherent Thoughts After Seeing Beetlejuice Live

Yes, I saw the show three times. Yes, I think I bought one of everything at the souvenir stand (and what I didn’t buy I either already owned or will add to my Christmas list). Yes, I know I have a problem. No, I don’t intend to do anything about it.

About five minutes into the show I decided that yes, if they ever stage a production on the West End (basically the Broadway of London, England), I WILL go to see it! And if Alex is invited back & says yes, I’ll book the next flight across the pond!

EVERYONE in the cast was amazing! From the leads to the supporting characters to the ensemble to the swings (a few subbed in for the last show) - they all gave incredible performances, and made every show the best.

Fun details you miss in a boot or just listening to the cast recording - on the backdrop for the opening scene, the hill in the cemetery is heavily based on Jack’s Hill in Nightmare Before Christmas. There are also two headstones with legible writing on the hill. One says “Van Dort” as a reference to Corpse Bride, and the other says Jane with a long name I couldn’t make out because my eyes suck & I got distracted by a group of mourners crossing the stage with an extra pair of feet.

I say this with the utmost respect & affection - every character in Beetlejuice is a certifiable weirdo! Charles LOOKS like the most normal character, but even he’s quirky & bizarre with his matter-of-fact “I’m very good at sex.” He’s awesome because he can play the straight man to the Deans & Otho and be funny with Delia, Lydia, Beetlejuice and the Maitlands. But everyone from the guy whose name is on the marquee to Maxine Dean is a strange & unusual person, and I am HERE FOR IT!

Things Beetlejuice would have to do to make me say “Yes” before he even finishes asking include: sit on my lap with his face inches from mine & his thighs balanced on mine so he can kick his feet in the air like a teenage girl, walk over to me with his silly little jaunty walk, wear either his full wedding attire or his Cowboy attire, just pop into existence when I say his name 3 times, etc.

The show really is part musical, part magic show. There’s a lot of sleight of hand & misdirection. I was starting to wonder how Justin even fits his arms into the sleeves of his costumes with all the crazy stuff they had hidden inside! Most of the tricks had to be modified from the Broadway version, like being stabbed by bad art, but they’re still impressive.

It should be illegal for anyone to look good in a decrepit red suit that looks like it just got Carrie’d, and yet.

It’s insane how folks can be handed nearly-identical scripts & songs for the same character, and yet come up with vastly different interpretations.

I don’t know what else I can say. I laughed, I cried, I stuck around at the stage door partially to get Justin’s autograph (which I did, the guy’s so nice & patient), partially to let traffic die down before getting stuck in a hot sticky parking garage for 20 minutes, mostly because my legs wouldn’t stop trembling after what can only be described as my first religious experience.