Betelgeuse

* Biography
* Threat Assessment
* Trivia and Notes
* Gallery

## Beetlejuice

### Betelgeuse: The Jester of the Afterlife

The enigmatic entity known as Beetlejuice doesn't have a past that's easy to pin down. He's an ageless, mischievous spirit, quite possibly native to the Void — a realm teeming with all sorts of creatures that defy explanation. Beetlejuice's origins are murky, a blank canvas splattered with erratic and conflicting anecdotes. Some say he was a former human who met a gruesome end, while others suggest he might be a construct of the chaos that governs the afterlife. The truth remains elusive, as Beetlejuice himself is hardly a reliable narrator.

During his indeterminate time in the Void, Beetlejuice established himself as a sort of chaotic jester, meddling in the affairs of both the living and the dead with glee. The Void's various bureaucracies know him all too well; he's the constant bane of the afterlife's civil servants who find themselves mired in an endless cycle of rule-bending and mischief. His schemes range from mischievous pranks to more sinister plots, depending on his fluctuating whims. He's been known to offer his "bio-exorcist" services to the deceased, promising to scare away the living who might be bothering them, albeit at the cost of their eternal souls or other forms of steep payment.

### Betelgeuse: 2010 - 2011

When the recently deceased married couple Adam and Barbara Maitland found themselves unable to leave their former home, Beetlejuice saw an opportunity to capitalize on their desperation. Offering his services to remove the living inhabitants, he nearly succeeded in tricking them into a binding contract that would cost them their souls. Though, much to Beetlejuice's chagrin, his first encounter with a strange and unusual fourteen-year-old girl proved to be an unexpected variable.

This girl was Lydia Deetz, and it was her father and stepmother who had bought the Maitlands' home. As it so happens, Lydia was also a psychic medium, able to see and hear the immaterial, as well as summon and exorcize ephemeral beings. Though she was a threat to Beetlejuice's power, he saw her as an opportunity to give him more power on the material plane.

Beetlejuice manipulated Lydia into fulfilling a minor summoning ritual (saying his name three times with intent), allowing him to directly manifest before her. Using his dark powers, Beetlejuice then engaged in a hostile takeover of the Maitland House, which included capturing Lydia for his own purposes.

Beetlejuice tried to marry himself to Lydia to take advantage of some cosmic loophole that would allow him to retain his power in reality indefinitely, but his efforts were thwarted by the Maitlands — but not before the occult wedding ritual was partially completed, leaving a psychic marker on Lydia's soul which made her a corporeal anchor for Beetlejuice.

### Betelgeuse: 2011 - 2015

With Beetlejuice cast back to the Void, he bided his time. With his connection to Lydia, he knew it was only a matter of time. He just had to be patient.

### Betelgeuse: 2015 - Present

And his patience did pay off, when Lydia summoned him four years later to inquire about their lasting connection. Though, something was different. Beetlejuice may have been blind to it, or choosing not to admit it, but he had changed. The anchoring connection he had with Lydia did have an influence on him, causing his rough edges to soften and his attitudes to shift, slowly synchronizing with Lydia's own.

Lydia and the Maitlands (who were now ghosts living in harmony with her family) tried to remove the soul marker, but were unable due to the level of dark magic Beetlejuice had used. In an effort to remove this anchor, Lydia contacted the DEO. Though unable to help her, they did offer her a job, which she took to affect some good change in the world. The fact that she can use the connection that Beetlejuice left on her soul to force Beetlejuice to do the right thing is just an added benefit.

Beetlejuice's feelings on this turn-of-events are... rather mixed.

## Threat Assessment

### Resources

* **Warder Physiology:** A Vörðr is known by many names: draugr, reaper, Harbingers of Death, and psychopomps; they refer to themselves as "Warders". A Warder is a revenant supernatural being endowed with power and new life by Death of the Endless. Usually, they were once mortals whose life was son consumed by death, or their death was so tragic, that their spirit would likely not pass on to the afterlife peacefully. Sensing this, Death may choose to make the departed souls into chosen sentinels. Death gives the Warder their power, but while most have some common abilities, other abilities seem to derive from the individual's personality, life experience, age, mortal occupation, and esoteric properties of their soul. As such, no two Warders have identical abilities.
	+ ***Conjuring:*** Beetlejuice can create objects using magic. The more complex the item, the more esoteric substance he requires to create it.
	+ ***Dimensional Shifting:*** Beetlejuice can move from one dimension to another, though he must rest between such jumps, particularly when moving between dimensions with much different cosmological properties. Such constraints do not affect him when he is answering his summons.
	+ ***Enhanced Resilience:*** Beetlejuice can take a lot of damage before becoming impaired. Bullets are little more than an annoyance to his corpus.
	+ ***Enhanced Strength:*** Beetlejuice possesses immense strength. He is estimated to have at least Class II Enhanced Strength.
	+ ***Flight:*** Beetlejuice can levitate or fly at a rate of 50 MPH (80 km/h).
	+ ***Materialization:*** Beetlejuice can manifest a corporeal form. Likewise, he can shed this form to become immaterial at will.
	+ ***Shapeshifting:*** Beetlejuice's corpus is highly mutable, allowing him to change shape, create weapons out of his arms, stretch his limbs, or alter his vocal cords to impersonate another being flawlessly. He does seem unable (or unwilling) to change his black and white striped aesthetic, though.
	+ ***Supernatural Senses:*** Being an ephemeral being himself, Beetlejuice can see, hear, and otherwise interact with other unmanifested ephemeral beings.
	+ ***Telekinesis:*** Beetlejuice can move objects through interaction with the Odic field.
	+ ***Teleportation:*** Beetlejuice can disappear and reappear with the same plane of reality that he is presently on. He can also relocate various property with him, but can only take persons with him if he is somehow bound to them.
* **Sorcery:** Beetlejuice is an accomplished essomancer, allowing him to weave magical effects that influence souls. Using this magic, he can make soul bonds, barter in souls, and use souls as fuel for obscenely potent magical effects and rituals. He also dabbles in a few other schools of sorcery, or so as he claims.
* **Trickster:** Beetlejuice is a trickster, allowing him to bend (or somewhat break) the rules that other cosmic and magical beings must adhere to.

### Weaknesses

* **Duty Bound:** Whether he realizes it or not, Beetlejuice is now bound to Lydia when she draws him into our reality, she became his summoner, and he is thus inclined to follow her directives and help her complete *her* objectives. Even when explicitly told this, the so-called "Ghost with the Most" seems unable (or unwilling) to accept this, always insisting that his decisions are entirely his own.
* **Impulsivity:** Beetlejuice often acts before thinking, which can lead to situations that are detrimental to his goals. His lack of self-control can also make him easy to manipulate by someone who can exploit his desires or ego.
* **Unholy:** Holy weapons and magical efforts (whether Supernal, Empyrean, Infernal, or otherwise) are known to be particularly effective against Beetlejuice.
* **Vice — Lust:** Beetlejuice's flirting and lechery often get him into trouble. This prediction not only distracts him but can also create enemies and complications.

### Analytics

* **Physicality:** 6 — World-Class / Superb
* **Occult:** 6 — World-Class / Superb
* **Weaponry:** 3 — Trained / Exceptional
* **Expertise:** 2 — Basic / Typical
* **Range:** 6 — World-Class / Superb
* **Strategy:** 3 — Trained / Exceptional
	+ **TOTAL:** 87
	+ **RANKING:** Moderate Threat

## Trivia and Notes

### Trivia

* He is housemates with Adam and Barbara Maitland, Charles and Delia Deetz, and his "Fiancée"/Corporeal Anchor/Summoner Lydia Deetz.
* He is an associate of Otho Fenlock.
* He taught Lydia about the Dreaming.
* The connection he has with Lydia works both ways, and sometimes he can influence her.

### Notes

* Betelgeuse is the titular character from the *Beetlejuice* comedy film and media.
* His appearance is based on the actor Michael Keaton, who portrayed him in the film.

## Appears In

SlashtoberSlashtober CalendarEarth-27 Halloween 2023FINAL

## Links and References

* Appearances of Betelgeuse

1. ↑ Network Files: Betelgeuse
2. ↑ Network Files: Lydia Deetz