Fanfic / Cinderjuice

Art by AdaSulewska, used with permission (click for larger version)

The "Contractually Obligated Chaos" series is the work of Lady Norbert, and is a series of fanfics based on the Beetlejuice cartoon, utilizing Fairy Tale Motifs inspired by assorted Disney films. They each take way more than thirty minutes (with commercial breaks).

The first installment, Cinderjuice (alternate link), was intended as a stand-alone story.^note Hence why the page is named for it and not the series. What initially starts out as a pretty clear Cinderella parody (with a little The Godfather thrown in) quickly jumps the tracks to become something a bit more crazy, which is only natural when Beetlejuice is involved.

The sequels

• The second story, The Bug Princess (alternate link), is loosely based on The Princess and the Frog. It takes place about four years later when Lydia is a senior in college. She and BJ take a trip to New Orleans for spring break, where they encounter a whole new kind of magically induced chaos. Thanks to a well-meaning medium, something foul is unleashed on the city, and BJ's worst nightmare comes true.
• Set during and slightly after the last few chapters of The Bug Princess is the one-shot interquel story Meteor Shower (alternate link). This shows the events of those chapters from the point of view of Prince Vince, and features the brief return of the Fairy Godfather.
• The third full-length story, Sleeping Beetle (alternate link), takes its cues from Sleeping Beauty. Lydia's career gets a major break when a magazine hires her to do an on-location photo essay of a haunted castle in Romania. But when the resident horror tries to take the Ghost With the Most out of the picture, it'll take all her mortal wits to save them both. And the Fairy Godfather knows something important that he's not been sharing so far.
• The fourth story, Bug Princess and the Seven Months (alternate link), is partially inspired by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. After the revelation at the end of the previous story, Lydia settles down to wait. But when she succumbs to the power of an apple (no, really), it's up to the supporting cast to find out what's happened and put things right... because without his mortal morality chain to hold him back, BJ is more dangerous than they realized.

Tropes present in these fanfictions:

The series as a whole

• Affectionate Nickname: As in the show, Beetlejuice calls Lydia "Lyds" and "Babes," and her father Charles calls her "Pumpkin." Others start to appear regularly as the series progresses.
• Alien Geometries: The Neitherworld. According to Beetlejuice in the first story, it's sort of a Moebius strip.
  BJ: Well, eventually it loops back on itself, kind of like the features menu on one of your DVDs. If you run far enough in one direction, sooner or later you come out the other side.
  • It should be noted that the Neitherworld overall is powered by nonsensoleum, at least partially. The Alien Geometry is just one example.
• Always Save the Girl: Beetlejuice makes it clear a few times that Lydia is his priority above anything else. More than once he thinks to himself, or sometimes even acknowledges explicitly to another character, that his immediate surroundings would be in severe danger if he had to choose between them and her.
• Anachronism Stew: Kinda. Things like Corpse Bride and Tumblr didn't exist in the time period when the show was in syndication, nor in the years immediately following, which is when these stories would theoretically be set. The 'timeless' nature of the series, however, allows for a massive Time Skip to bring it into the 21st century.
• Ancient Keeper: The later stories reveal that the Fairy Godfather is actually this.
• Another Story for Another Time: The Fairy Godfather and Lady Delphine both have a tendency to say things like this.
• Ascended Extra: In the actual cartoon, Prince Vince and BJ's brother Donny each appear in only a couple of episodes, and are never onscreen together. They're given considerably larger roles here, Prince Vince especially, and develop their own friendship independent of the leads.
• Big Damn Heroes: There's at least one moment like this in each story, usually with one half of the Official Couple showing up to save the other.
• Boy Meets Ghoul: As in the cartoon. Played with, however, since as of the final chapter of the first story, Lydia is partially a ghoul in her own right.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: Much like in the show; Beetlejuice is the worst offender, as usual, but even Lydia calls herself out on monologuing at one point.
• Call-Back: The stories each contain several references to specific episodes of the show, regarding both characters and past adventures. The sequel stories also contain references to the previous installments. There are also a couple of lines from the film, but they're mostly just there as Mythology Gags.
• Central Theme: Love - in any form - is stronger than anything, even death.
• Cerebus Syndrome: The original story is much more lighthearted, and more closely resembles an episode of the show, than the sequels.
• Completed Fic: Three so far, plus the interquel.
• Contagious Powers: A somewhat recurring theme. Beetlejuice's powers occasionally transfer themselves to Lydia, in whole or in part, in a subconscious effort to protect her.
• Continuation: Of the animated series.
• Cool Car: Doomie, as in the show, is a Sentient Vehicle.
• Creator In-Joke: Since the prince remarks that he's aware of the changes to the situation every time the story updates, and that he gets his information from Tumblr, the implication is that he's one of Lady Norbert's followers. This led to some Recursive Canon as noted below.
• Direct Line to the Author/Recursive Canon: These two somewhat overlap repeatedly throughout the series, as Prince Vince makes use of his Tumblr account to not only follow the author and keep tabs on the heroes through chapter updates, but also to occasionally badger her about the story. This is explicitly stated to be the reason that Meteor Shower exists at all.
• Fairy Godfather: The Neitherworld has one, whose wish granting takes the form of carefully constructed Magically Binding Contracts. Even in the stories where he doesn't appear, he's mentioned repeatedly and his influence is felt.
• Fairy Tale Motifs: In bits, though the fairy tale parts of each plot swiftly get swallowed up by other nonsense.
• Flower Motifs: Repeatedly.
  • In Cinderjuice, BJ's corsage for Lydia includes deadly nightshade (which fits her love of dark and spooky things) and calla lilies (which symbolize "magnificence" and "beauty," have a long association with funerals and death, and more recently are sometimes used in wedding bouquets).
  • In The Bug Princess, one of Lydia's projects involves photographing plants based on the language of flowers. These include a forsythia ("anticipation"), a larch ("audacity"), a black poplar ("courage"), a juniper ("protection"), and a green locust tree ("affection beyond the grave"). All of these are meaningful with regards to their relationship, especially in light of what else is happening in the chapter. Later, there's a brief mention of deadly nightshade, which is a Call-Back to Lydia's prom corsage in the first story.
• Friendship as Courtship: Technically speaking, there is never a point in the leads' relationship where they are dating, although it looks that way to observers in the Outerworld. Due to the nature of the contract at the end of Cinderjuice, they go directly from being best friends to being married.
• Funetik Aksent: Jacques, as in the show, speaks Gratuitous French with a heavy French accent, and his lines of dialogue are written to reflect this. When Dr. Zigmund Void shows up later in the series, his German-ish dialogue is given the same treatment.
• Humanity Ensues: As a result of the Magically-Binding Contract which kicks off the plot of the first story, Beetlejuice is subjected to this, wearing the form of a living human version of himself known as "BJ." Which form he's wearing at a given moment is clarified in the narrative by which name is used to refer to him. As of the end of Cinderjuice, he's able to assume this form at will... usually.
• I "Uh" You, Too: "You're my idiot."/"I'm your idiot."
• Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: The chapter titles in each full-length story are quotes - or, in Cinderjuice, twisted versions thereof - from the Disney animated film which helped inspire the plot.
  • The interquel, Meteor Shower, takes its title and subheadings from the song by Owl City.
• Idiosyncratic Wipes: As a nod to the cartoon, scene shifts within chapters will occasionally take the form of "Ripple dissolve to [location]."
• Incredibly Lame Pun: Much like the source material, there are a plethora of bad puns and terrible jokes all throughout the stories.
• The Law of Conservation of Detail: A lot of seemingly unimportant details in the earlier installments are revealed to be significant as the series continues. However, there are so many details that when the earlier stories are first read, there is absolutely no way to know which ones will ultimately prove important.
  • Domino Revelation: As the prophecy is revealed, it shows that details and incidents from the earlier stories and also from the cartoon have built up to the Fairy Godfather's conclusion that Lydia and Beetlejuice are meant to be the Avatars of Life and Death.
• Medium Awareness: As noted elsewhere, Prince Vince is very aware that they're in a series of stories on the internet; however, from his point of view, these are not fiction, but rather take the form of an After-Action Report which allow him to keep tabs on what his friends are doing. And as in the show, they're all more or less conscious of the fact that Mr. Monitor has a tendency to put them on television without notice; they blatantly make use of this fact on a few occasions.
• Narnia Time/Year Inside, Hour Outside:
  • Time moves faster in the Neitherworld than it does in the Outerworld. Lydia has theorized as much for some while; it's mentioned in Cinderjuice and officially confirmed in The Bug Princess.
  • Seven Months finally clarifies the matter. The speed at which time passes is determined by where Lydia is at a given moment; if she's in the Neitherworld, time slows down in the Outerworld to compensate for her absence. It's implied to be tied to her role as the Avatar of Life, somehow.
• One-Word Title.
• Only Mostly Dead: Beginning in the last chapter of Cinderjuice, this is Beetlejuice/BJ's condition. Lydia, by comparison, is Only Mostly Alive. The yin and yang pendants given in The Bug Princess represent this.
• Opposites Attract: Beetlejuice and Lydia. The prophecy reveals that they are this trope taken to the ultimate extreme - Beetlejuice is the Avatar of Death and Lydia is the Avatar of Life.
• Original Character: See the Characters sheet for a full list.
• Powers That Be: This is who appears to be responsible for The Prophecy.
• The Prophecy: Starting in Meteor Shower, the Fairy Godfather begins to drop hints of the existence of one of these. It gets more clearly explained in Sleeping Beetle.
• Recursive Canon: For quite some time, there actually was a Prince Vince Tumblr account (which has since been deleted) following that of the author, which would sometimes comment on the new chapters as they were posted.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: Prince Vince qualifies, of course, as does the title character of The Bug Princess.
• Running Gag:
  • Monopoly. Beetlejuice uses "Do not pass Go, do not collect $200" as part of his explanation to Lydia for how the second Magically-Binding Contract works. Later stories contain references to various characters playing the game; Prince Vince warns one character that he will not be receiving a second "Get Out of Jail Free" Card. Lady Delphine and the Fairy Godfather apparently play Monopoly together on a regular basis, but no one knows why.
  • Tumblr, as noted in various places.
  • A gradual one emerges as the series goes on, in which Beetlejuice and Lydia become more or less resigned to the notion that "the plot" is in control, and it will cause them to end up where it wants them regardless of their own ideas. Eventually, the entire main cast more or less agrees that the plot is a Sentient Cosmic Force and they're all subject to its whims; it's even included on the Characters sheet.
• Series Fic: It wasn't supposed to be, as the author is fond of pointing out (a bit wearily at times). Cinderjuice was meant to be a single stand-alone story, but then the sequels just sort of happened.
• Switching P.O.V.: Most chapters are shown to be either from Lydia or Beetlejuice's points of view, but a few chapters bring in the viewpoints of other characters, such as Charles, Prince Vince, Hugo, or even Vasile.
• Theme Naming:
  • The entire Juice family is named after insects: Beetlejuice, Bee Juice, Gnat Juice, and Dobsonfly (Donny) Juice. It's taken to the logical extreme when Lydia gets pregnant; the child's nickname is Bug.
  • It's revealed that the Neitherworld royal family had a Rhymes on a Dime naming theme in the past. Prince Vince's father was also named Prince Vince, and his siblings were called Duke Luke and Marquise Louise.
• The Unreveal: It never does get explained how the Fairy Godfather and Lady Delphine met or why they play Monopoly. The author says that they won't tell her.
• Virtual Soundtrack: The series has one, as mentioned a few times in the author's notes. It includes a lot of Nickelback songs.
• Wacky Marriage Proposal: Twice.
  • In the first story, the Fairy Godfather presents BJ with a second Magically-Binding Contract which - if both he and Lydia agree to its terms - will intertwine them irrevocably, to the point where the Neitherworld considers them to be married. Could also be considered an Arranged Marriage, and a Perfectly Arranged Marriage at that.
  • In the second, the Outerworld thinks they're just dating, even though it's been four years since they signed that contract. BJ therefore proposes... by slipping a ring onto Lydia's finger when she's not paying attention. He points out that, in light of the first spoiler, this is really just a formality, but it doesn't make the scene any less meaningful.
• Web Serial Novel
• Who Writes This Crap?!: Beetlejuice in particular has a tendency to complain about plot twists he doesn't like, making remarks about the talentless hacks employed by Mr. Monitor to write the current episode. At least once he's invoked the trope by name.
• Worldbuilding: A lot of effort was exerted to tie together a number of details from the cartoon and a handful of real-world facts and mysteries in order to create a cohesive whole, particularly with regards to the prophecy.

Cinderjuice

• Be Careful What You Wish For: In order to go with Lydia to her prom, Beetlejuice allows himself to be turned into an age-appropriate powerless mortal. Unfortunately, turning back is the real problem...
• Bland-Name Product: BJ guesses that Prince Vince orders his supply of Pocky through Scamazon.com, noting that "those drones deliver anywhere."
• Break Her Heart to Save Her: BJ tries this in order to get Lydia to go back home because she has the missing juice and he can't protect her.
• Brought Down to Normal: As noted above, Beetlejuice allows himself to be turned into a powerless mortal teenager.
• Claimed by the Supernatural: A variant. Lydia is this by the story's end; she already had a portion of Beetlejuice's power residing in her, and in return she gives up an equivalent portion of her own humanity. This has the side effect of bonding them permanently.
• Clingy Costume: The shoes the Fairy Godfather lends to Beetlejuice will not come off until the contract is fulfilled. This is a problem, since he doesn't know why he can't fulfill its terms.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: BJ versus Scuzzo (and anyone else dumb enough to get in his way), even without his "juice."
• The Dead Can Dance: Only Lydia knows he's dead, of course, but Beetlejuice - as in the show - loves to dance. Their rendition of "The Masochism Tango" leaves her entire class in stitches. Well, except for Claire Brewster, who suspects it's foreplay.
• Everyone Can See It: Beetlejuice and Lydia's feelings towards each other are pretty clear to those around them. Played with in that they aren't exactly oblivious themselves, just wary about changing the status quo.
• Exact Words: The Fairy Godfather's contracts work off of this concept. He'll keep to his deal, just make sure to read the fine print.
• Fake-Out Make-Out: Lydia kisses "BJ" at the end of the prom to freak out her father, who is watching from the window.
• Foreshadowing: Even after being turned into a powerless mortal, BJ can still be summoned and banished when Lydia says his name. The Fairy Godfather didn't get all his "juice" after all.
• Gratuitous Latin: Beetlejuice refers to Prince Vince as "Il Principe" in one chapter, for no particular reason.
• Hand Gagging: BJ does this to Lydia when they decide to visit the Neitherwoods, before she can finish saying "Grimdiana Bones." ^note In the cartoon episode "Beauty and the Beetle," when the location in question is visited, saying this name is a Running Gag which results in BJ getting run over by boulders and other heavy things.
• He Cleans Up Nicely: BJ, in comparison to his normal ghost self.
• High-School Dance: Lydia's senior prom is the Framing Device for How We Got Here.
• The Jailbait Wait: Played with. It's implied that Beetlejuice hasn't been waiting for Lydia to grow up quite so much as it's just taken him this long to figure out what to do. He's mentioned a few times in the narrative to be somewhat dense about emotions.
• Let's Get Dangerous!: The instant he finds out Lydia is in trouble, BJ plows through anyone and everyone who tries to get between him and her.
• Magically-Binding Contract: What Beetlejuice has to sign with the Fairy Godfather. Naturally, he doesn't read the fine print.
  Beetlejuice: Who actually reads a Terms of Service Agreement?

• Memento MacGuffin: Lydia's spider brooch, given to her by Beetlejuice in the first episode of the cartoon, functions as this for part of the story.
• Monster Clown: Scuzzo, as in the show.
• Mortality Ensues: Beetlejuice spends a good portion of the story stuck as a mortal with no "juice."
• Mythology Gag: Although it's a cartoon-verse fic, there are a couple of quotes from the film.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Since Beetlejuice doesn't have magic, he has to resort to this when Scuzzo gets in his way. Scuzzo is a Very Punchable Man, so there is no remorse.
• Noodle Incident: Whatever punishment Prince Vince doles out to Mr. Monitor for his role in the proceedings. It even gets referenced in a later story and is still not described, other than that it's "creative."
• One-Word Title: Also a Portmantitle, being a blending of Cinderella and Beetlejuice.
• Out of Character Is Serious Business: The fact that BJ suddenly turns somewhat hostile and orders Lydia to leave causes her to experience a temporary Heroic BSoD, since it's so unlike him to not want her around. As noted above, it's his attempt at Break Her Heart to Save Her. It doesn't work, but he gets credit for trying.
• Parental Obliviousness: Both Lydia and Beetlejuice comment on the fact that Charles and Delia are often profoundly guilty of this. It makes Charles attempting to be overprotective all the more amusing to Beetlejuice.
• Pimped-Out Dress: Lydia designs her own, complete with long High-Class Gloves, for the senior prom; it's very accurately depicted in the page image.
• The Power of Love: Invoked using a Call-Back to a quote of Lydia's from the episode "Doomie's Romance."
  I believe that when you love someone, the impossible becomes possible.
• Roaring Rampage of Rescue: What BJ goes on when the villains grab Lydia. It actually scares his brother.
• Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: According to Prince Vince, the lawyers employed by the Fairy Godfather to write his contracts have honed this to an art form.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: The Fairy Godfather's contract ensures that Beetlejuice is this for the occasion.
• She Is All Grown Up: Something Beetlejuice has been trying to avoid acknowledging.
• She Is Not My Girlfriend: Inverted; BJ calls Lydia that in one scene, even though she's technically not.
• Shipper on Deck: Donny, BJ's brother, outright calls himself this in regards to the pairing. He's joined there by Prince Vince, Lydia's friends Prudence and Bertha, and... pretty much everyone who knows them, really.
• Sleep Cute: A cold night in Doomie's backseat results in the pair sharing his suit jacket.
• Stealth Pun: At one point, BJ takes a nap in Doomie's backseat. When she next sees him, Lydia remarks that he looks exhausted.
• Storming the Castle: What BJ has to do in the Roaring Rampage of Rescue.
• Strapped to an Operating Table: Lydia ends up this way when the villains try to steal her portion of the juice.
• Suicide Mission: Donny advises BJ against the Roaring Rampage of Rescue because without his powers, there's a strong possibility that he'll be killed. He acknowledges that this is likely, but since Lydia needs him, "I'll take my chances."
• Tranquil Fury: BJ, during the Roaring Rampage of Rescue, starts out with this; Prince Vince (who is the narrative character at the time) is somewhat mystified by it.
  • Unstoppable Rage: Then it turns into this, and the prince realizes just how dangerous BJ is really willing to get.
• Travel Montage: Invoked, no less; this is how BJ and Lydia comb the Neitherworld in search of his missing juice.
• Villain Team-Up: The actual bad guys are Mr. Big, from S.N.O.T.R.a.G., and Mr. Monitor, the television executive. Scuzzo and Lipscum help, but they're mostly just annoying. Even the spoilered characters don't like them and are pleased to see them pulverized.

The Bug Princess

• Afterlife Angst: Lydia suffers from quite a bit of this following Hugo's ritual. She doesn't mind being dead in and of itself, apart from knowing how much it will grieve her parents; she's just suffering because she's been forcibly divided from her husband. It's realizing the extent of her pain that prompts Prince Vince to bestow a royal title on her.
• All Up to You: Only BJ has the ability to pull Lydia back to the Outerworld, although Delphine doesn't clarify why this is. Possibly she herself doesn't know. However, the reader can (and, judging by the reviews, several did) figure out that it's because he's the only one who knows how. Anyone could do it if they had the idea to say her name three times, but he's the only one who knows the significance of doing so.
• Being Watched: BJ feels like someone is watching them while on the tour of the cemeteries.
• The Big Easy: Lydia and BJ head down to New Orleans, enjoying the music, eating the food, and exploring the cemeteries.
• Birthday Episode: Lydia celebrates her 22nd birthday in the final chapter.
• Bookends: The second and last chapters both involve surprise celebrations for Lydia.
• Break Them by Talking: One of Erebos's main strategies, digging up vulnerable thoughts and doubts to exploit them.
• Bridezilla: Planning the Outerworld wedding is a nightmare. The 'zilla in question, however, isn't the bride - it's Delia. In true Cloud Cuckoolander fashion, she goes all out in trying to plan the perfect wedding. Lydia, meanwhile, is more concerned with finishing her final year of college.
• Brought Down to Normal: Once again, BJ is left powerless and mortal. This time, however, he wasn't expecting it.
• Captain Obvious: Whoever erected the signpost which welcomes Lydia to "the middle of nowhere." She even lampshades it.
• Cassandra Truth: One of Lydia's dorm mates, Tara, is certain that Lydia is bringing an unregistered male visitor into her room. However, when said male visitor is a shapeshifter, this is difficult to prove.
• Cessation of Existence: What seems to happen to Erebos after Lydia's Big Damn Heroes moment.
• Chase Scene: Erebos chases BJ and Hugo out of the hotel room, down the streets, and through some side streets.
• Cool Crown: The title character wears one.
• Deal with the Devil: What Erebos is trying to convince the characters to make with him.
• Department of Redundancy Department: Teasingly invoked by BJ when Lydia both calls him her idiot and drops the L word in the same sentence.
• Everything's Sparkly with Jewelry: Dragon's blood opal, to be precise.
• Fictional Holiday: In honor of Beetlejuice and Lydia's tenth friendship anniversary, Prince Vince explains that he's declared a national holiday. He feels this is more appropriate than the actual suggestion he was given, which is that Lydia deserves a medal for putting up with Beetlejuice for a decade.
• Flashback: Has one that serves as the origin story of the cartoon, demonstrating how Lydia and Beetlejuice met. (It's heavily based on the origin story presented in the spinoff comic books.)
• Good Is Not Soft: The Princess of Beetles doesn't even think twice about obliterating Erebos when given the chance.
• Grand Romantic Gesture: Charles describes BJ's birthday surprise to Lydia this way, and with good reason. He buys and renovates a small house for her, sets up the wedding she told him she wanted in spite of Delia's efforts, and - right before the wedding - says that he loves her.
• Happily Ever After: Invoked during BJ's first confrontation with Erebos; are poltergeists supposed to get these? They can't quite decide.
• Howl of Sorrow: BJ produces one when Lydia unexpectedly vanishes without a trace, leaving him shocked and distraught. It would count as a Death Wail except that he doesn't actually know what happened.
• Implied Death Threat: If Hugo doesn't find a way to get Lydia back, BJ promises to make his life a living hell "until you give up and die in self-defense".
  • Brick Joke: BJ making the threat is not a joke. However, Hugo makes one after Erebos is defeated. Lady Delphine explains that he basically destroyed himself in self-defense, and Hugo - recalling the threat - quips, "Better him than me."
• Insistent Terminology: Erebos refuses to identify Lady Delphine by name, instead calling her "the lady in blue."
• Light 'em Up: How the Princess of Beetles takes out Erebos in the end; her coronet arguably counts as a Holy Hand Grenade as well as an Amplifier Artifact.
• Like Brother and Sister: Lydia and Prince Vince have grown to see each other this way as she grew up. Then he makes it official by adopting her into the royal family as his sister.
• Living Shadow: Erebos, a Shadow Man.
• Magic Kiss: According to Lady Delphine, the solution to their problem is for BJ to kiss a princess. According to Hugo, that's her usual solution.
• Magic Mirror: The mirror on Lydia's dressing table, as seen in the cartoon, is revealed to be connected to Beetlejuice haunting the Deetz residence, and even now he still can't pass through it without being summoned. She made a point of bringing it along to college for that reason.
• Manipulative Bastard: Erebos displays all the signs of being one, using mind games and preying on vulnerabilities in order to coax his targets into making a Deal with the Devil.
• Memento MacGuffin: Lady Delphine presents BJ and Lydia with a farewell gift by which to remember their visit.
• Morality Chain: It's implied that Lydia is still serving as this for BJ; he remarks to Delphine that the longer he's away from her, the more "mindless and chaotic" he tends to be.
• My Beloved Smother: Delia turns into this as she basically runs roughshod over the wedding plans. BJ figures out how to get around her.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Hugo's reaction to Lydia's disappearance.
  • He has this reaction again, almost word for word, when he finds out Lydia ended up in the Neitherworld. BJ, by contrast, is far more reassured by the news.
• Neck Lift: BJ does one to Hugo. Delphine asks him to please "put him down, there's a good lad."
• Nice Guy: Prince Vince proves himself to be this beyond the shadow of a doubt.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Hugo tries to do something to protect his city. Instead, his efforts banish Lydia.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Erebos, while doing some offscreen gloating to Delphine, lets it slip that Lydia is dead and that she's got Beetlejuice's magic, which is the one thing they most need to know in order to stop him.
• No-Sell: Erebos tries to attack the Princess of Beetles the same way he's been attacking Hugo and BJ. This is the result.
• Noodle Incident: Several are referenced, none of which get un-noodled.
  • When Beetlejuice put a Gila monster in the mayor's shorts... the first time.
  • Whatever happened when they visited Menace Beach in the Neitherworld.
  • The reason Lydia once covered the Magic Mirror with a sheet. Beetlejuice did something to annoy her, but we don't know what.
  • How in the world Lady Delphine met the Fairy Godfather, and why she played Monopoly with him.
• Not Too Dead to Save the Day: Lydia was technically killed by Hugo's ritual, but Beetlejuice's magic transferred itself completely to her, allowing her to merely be transported to the Neitherworld. She comes back when summoned to save BJ and Hugo.
• One True Love: Erebos mockingly refers to Lydia as Beetlejuice's one true love.
• Past Experience Nightmare: Turns out that Beetlejuice has Recurring Dreams of the events of the climax of Cinderjuice, when Lydia was about to be killed and BJ was Storming the Castle to save her.
• Poltergeist: Beetlejuice is finally flat-out identified as one in the narrative. Lady Delphine observes that he's unusually benign for a poltergeist, something which he attributes to Lydia "holding the leash."
• Protectorate: Lady Delphine and Hugo both regard New Orleans this way.
  • Prince Vince confirms his status as a Nice Guy by making Lydia his protectorate while she's separated from Beetlejuice.
• Really 700 Years Old: BJ states he died back in The Middle Ages, and Erebos notes that he's been "rattling around" the Neitherworld for about six centuries.
• Relationship Upgrade: As indicated by the end of the previous story. Upgraded again in the fourth and last chapters.
• Requisite Royal Regalia: The Princess of Beetles has a silver coronet which looks like a spiderweb adorned with four jeweled beetles in different colors.
• Rule of Three: Erebos encounters and tries to make a deal with BJ three times over the course of the story.
  • Because Lydia ends up with BJ's "juice," saying her name three times summons her back. It takes a while for BJ to figure this out, however, because he's too distraught (and sleep-deprived) to put it together.
• Rules Lawyer: Lady Delphine describes the Fairy Godfather as being exactly this.
• Shapeshifting: Used more than in the previous story. In particular, Beetlejuice amuses himself by turning into a bizarre-looking talking teddy bear in Lydia's dorm room.
• Secondary Character Title: Though it's not revealed until fairly late in the story just who the character in question actually is.
• Shirtless Scene: It is subtly mentioned that BJ isn't wearing his shirt in one scene when they're in the hotel room.
• Shown Their Work: A lot of research about New Orleans was done, including the cemeteries, a park, some of the history, and even a restaurant that Lydia and BJ visit.
• Sickeningly Sweethearts: Beetlejuice notes that he actually has a lot of fun pretending he and Lydia are a "cutesy couple," since it confuses if not nauseates onlookers (especially her parents). Lydia, for her part, sort of rolls her eyes when he does this, but nevertheless plays along.
• Solar and Lunar: Referenced by Erebos, during his initial conversation with BJ, trying to make him believe that his relationship with Lydia is doomed. He observes that "she's the sun and you're the moon, and no matter how much the darkness loves the daylight they can't ever be together."
• Surprise Party: Beetlejuice and his neighbors throw one for Lydia to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the day he and she met. At the end of the story, he does it again with a surprise wedding.
• Suspiciously Specific Denial: BJ promises that Lydia's birthday present does not involve explosions. She's not entirely reassured by this and even invokes the trope by name.
• Terms of Endangerment: Erebos keeps calling BJ "brother," which annoys him. He even flat out tells Erebos that he already has a brother and doesn't need another one.
• They're Called "Personal Issues" for a Reason: During the anniversary party, the neighbors comment on Lydia's general lack of fear by saying that if being eternally bonded to Beetlejuice didn't scare her, they aren't sure what could. She replies that there are a few things, none of which she wants to discuss. She later admits to Prince Vince that what she fears is the thought of never seeing BJ again.
• Time Skip: Set about four years after Cinderjuice.
• Trapped in Another World: What happens to Lydia after Hugo's interference; she ends up in the Neitherworld.
• Try Not to Die: Lady Delphine tells Hugo exactly this before he leaves.
• Ugly Cute: Invoked with "Beetle-bear." To keep Lydia from getting into trouble for having an unregistered male visitor in her college dorm, BJ sometimes shapeshifts into a talking teddy bear. It's more or less indicated to be adorably hideous.
• Weirdness Magnet: Hugo is said to attract supernatural things and be attracted towards them. Lady Delphine surmises that Lydia is similar.
• Who Writes This Crap?!: When frustrated with events, BJ asks, "Who in the world wrote this episode?"
• You Do Not Want To Know: In the Flashback chapter, Beetlejuice acknowledges that he enjoys spending time as a human again, and he has his reasons... which he has no intention of revealing. Donny asks Prince Vince if he knows what his brother means, and the prince says that no, he doesn't - and he's pretty sure they don't want to know anyway. A later chapter partly reveals (to the reader) what he meant.

Meteor Shower

• Because Destiny Says So: According to the Fairy Godfather, BJ and Lydia's wedding must take place for this reason.

• Cryptic Conversation: In Donny's words, he leaves the Fairy Godfather's castle feeling more confused than when he arrived.
• Fairytale Wedding Dress: Lydia's is one partly of her own design, magically constructed for her by the groom.
• Foreshadowing: Courtesy of the Fairy Godfather.
• The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You: As explained in the author's notes, Prince Vince bypassed the fourth wall and nagged Lady Norbert into doing this. See the Trivia page for details.
• I Know Your True Name: Beetlejuice, according to the Fairy Godfather, is unable to speak his own name because true names have power, and there was too great a risk of him giving that power to the wrong person in the Outerworld. So part of his curse, which may not actually be exactly that, prevents him from speaking his own name so that only the right person - Lydia, of course - can use it.
• Interquel: It takes place during and a bit after the last three chapters of The Bug Princess.
• Oddball in the Series: This installment of the series is different from the others in almost every respect. It has one single point of view (that of Prince Vince); it's a one-shot; and the Idiosyncratic Episode Naming comes from the song of the same name by Owl City rather than from a Disney fairy tale.
• Old, New, Borrowed and Blue: BJ refers to himself as Lydia's "something old" (given that he's been dead for over 600 years). Even sillier, her "something borrowed" is a library book.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Donny, according to this story. His real first name, to fit the Juice family naming pattern, is Dobsonfly. However, as a small child Beetlejuice shortened it to Donny, and the nickname stuck.
  • Conversely, it's explained that Beetlejuice is known as Beetlejuice because he's named after his maternal grandfather; people called him by his full name to tell them apart, and it eventually mutated into a single word.
• Title Drop: BJ actually creates a short meteor shower after sundown on the day of the wedding.
• Titled After the Song: The story is named after the song by Owl City.

Sleeping Beetle

• Actually Pretty Funny: The Fairy Godfather cracks a rare smile when Beetlejuice, in reference to an ancient writing that almost no one even in the Neitherworld can translate, mutters, "Talk about your dead languages."
• Advancing Wall of Doom: A non-video game example. Since the fire used in the climax is magical fire, it moves a lot faster than normal fire.
• Alliterative Name: BJ's Outerworld exterminator business is called Beetleman's Bug Bouncers.
• Animal Motif: Castel Bufniţă^note Literally, "Owl Castle" features owl statuary in its exterior design, and more owl imagery in the interior. Its owner, Vasile, can turn into an owl at will.
• Astral Projection: The best way to describe the "ghost of a ghost" situation in chapter 14.
• Boring, but Practical: How Lydia escapes the climax. She uses the juice and zaps them back to the Outerworld before the castle collapses.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: Justified in this instance by the fact that Beetlejuice is aware that Mr. Monitor's camera crew is on the scene; he's not speaking to the reader, but to the viewers.
• Cranky Landlord: Mr. Crumb wants to triple Beetlejuice's rent just because of his marriage to Lydia; in a Call-Back to a specific episode, he states that the lease entitles him to do so for each additional relative in the house. When it's pointed out that they don't spend much time at the Roadhouse, he calls it a "storage fee." Thankfully, they have other options.
• Curse: The Fairy Godfather explains that Beetlejuice's "curse," as hinted in Meteor Shower, isn't really a curse at all.
  • Curse Escape Clause: Invoked; the lack of one of these is actually the biggest clue that the curse isn't a curse.
• Cute, but Cacophonic: Seems to be Prince Vince's opinion of Delia. He's surprised Charles hasn't gone deaf in self-defense, and he pities any dogs that encounter her.
• Discussed Trope: It's heavily implied that Prince Vince has discovered This Very Wiki, and a few tropes actually come up in the course of this story.
  • Prince Vince and Donny have a conversation about Love Triangles.
  • Later, Deus ex Machina comes up when Prince Vince laments having to resort to this. Lydia also lampshades it, referring to his involvement as "brother ex machina."
• Elemental Rivalry: As indicated by The Reveal of the prophecy, which suggests that Beetlejuice is the Avatar of Death and Lydia is the Avatar of Life.
• The End of the World as We Know It: One possible result of the prophecy.
• Fake Pregnancy: Lydia tells Vasile she's pregnant so he'll stop offering her wine, partly because she isn't convinced that it really is wine.
• Feathered Fiend: Vasile's owl form, which at one point attacks Lydia's Loyal Animal Companion.
• Fictional Document: Terricula^note Latin for "fright" is the magazine which gives Lydia her first professional assignment.
• Foil: Vasile serves as one of these to Beetlejuice, highlighting just how much worse he could have become.
• Forced Sleep: Courtesy of an enchanted spinning wheel spindle, just like Sleeping Beauty encountered.
• Foreshadowing:
  • BJ suggests going home and telling the magazine that the castle burned down and there was nothing to photograph. This ends up being exactly what happens.
  • In the very first chapter, Beetlejuice quotes Gomez Addams, observing his sleeping wife and remarking that, among other things, "I would kill for her." He later insists on being the one to destroy Vasile, saying it's too dangerous for her.
  • Turns out that Lydia's Fake Pregnancy was the precursor to a real one.
• Genius Loci: Owl Castle turns out to be something like this, actively keeping Lydia prisoner and helping to get Beetlejuice out of the way per the wishes of its master.
• Girl in the Tower: Gender-flipped.
• Gratuitous Foreign Language: As part of the story takes place in Romania, actual locations are referenced, and the Romanian names are given. Lydia openly admits she isn't sure how to pronounce some of them.
• Halloween Episode: The first two chapters take place in the weeks leading up to Halloween as well as on the day itself.
• Happily Married: Now in the Outerworld as well as the Neitherworld.
• Haunted Castle: Lydia gets offered a job by a magazine to investigate what may be one of these near Transylvania.
• Haunted House: To help raise money to repair the library at Miss Shannon's School for Girls, Lydia and Beetlejuice spend most of October running a successful haunted attraction on their 1800s farm property.
• Hey, That's My Line!: Donny makes an Incredibly Lame Pun that Lydia notes is so bad, she's surprised Beetlejuice didn't make it. Cue Beetlejuice grumbling that he did, and Donny needs to stop stealing his jokes.
• I Know Your True Name: Carrying over from Meteor Shower, the Fairy Godfather continues to explain how Beetlejuice teaching Lydia his name essentially placed him under her control, which was a first for any poltergeist, and how this continued to point toward them being the objects of the prophecy.
• If I Wanted You Dead...: Not stated, but thought by Vasile with regards to Lydia. He very much does not want her dead, because he needs her alive for what he wants to do. Siring dhampyr requires a mortal woman.
• Ignorant Minion: The warlock reveals that he didn't really know just how poorly he judged in agreeing to aid Vasile, and pulls a Heel–Face Turn as The Atoner.
• I'm Not Hungry: Lydia is doing her level best to avoid eating anything Vasile puts in front of her, because not only is she not sure it isn't poisoned, she's not completely sure it's food. Unfortunately, being human, this is taking an unpleasant toll on her.
• Insane Troll Logic: Arguably, what the Fairy Godfather has been using to determine that Beetlejuice and Lydia are the individuals described in the prophecy. It seems to strike them this way, at least.
• It May Help You on Your Quest: After using Beetlejuice's powers to transform a door into a jar, Lydia picks it up and takes it with her, observing that it's pretty much guaranteed to come in handy later. She's right, of course.
• It Runs on Nonsensoleum: Invoked; in the narrative, Beetlejuice notes that the Neitherworld is at least partially powered by nonsensoleum.
• Kill It with Fire: How Donny recommends getting rid of Vasile.
• Like a God to Me: Touched upon when the Fairy Godfather talks about the shrine to Lydia inside Beetlejuice's mind. He observes that best friends don't normally get shrines... but goddesses do. That's not quite what she is, but the point remains valid.
• Like Father, Like Son: What Beetlejuice is hoping. Once he starts actually thinking about the possibility of eventually being a father, he derives a certain amount of unholy glee from the idea that "my kid'll be an even bigger pain in everybody's collective ass than I ever was. And I can't wait to see it."
• Love Triangle:
  • Discussed; Prince Vince remarks that he hates them for being so overused in fiction.
  • Lydia and Beetlejuice are together (and married), but Vasile wants Lydia for himself. The trope is actually invoked, with Prince Vince explaining it to Donny.
• Loyal Animal Companion/Non-Human Sidekick: Lydia befriends a small bird during her time in the castle, who does its best to help her. It eventually receives the name Feathers.
• Magic Compass: Lydia turns her yang pendant into one of these to help her find Beetlejuice.
• Magic Kiss: Referenced by the Fairy Godfather, who advises Beetlejuice and Lydia to remember that kissing a princess actually will fix a lot of problems, which is why Lady Delphine favors it as a solution.
• The Maze: The castle turns itself into this as part of its Genius Loci behavior. It won't allow Lydia to find certain rooms, and if she tries, it brings her back to the same hallway where she started.
• Murder the Hypotenuse: What Vasile effectively tries to do. Beetlejuice is already dead, so murder isn't really an option, but putting him into a Forced Sleep is the next best thing.
• Mythology Gag: Mixed with a bit of Leaning on the Fourth Wall. When Lydia is compared to a Disney Princess, she replies that must make BJ something from a Tim Burton film. He is, of course, but since these fics take place in the cartoon verse, the movie never happened.
• Newhart Phone Call: Prince Vince phones Mr. Monitor, but the conversation is only seen from Monitor's side. He's very obviously uncomfortable.
• Noodle Incident: It still isn't explained just how Prince Vince punished Mr. Monitor for his involvement in the plot of Cinderjuice; but whatever he did, Mr. Monitor is unwilling to risk suffering it a second time.
• Ominous Owl: Seen throughout Owl Castle; Beetlejuice feels like they're glaring at him. (Given the nature of the place, they probably are.)
• Our Vampires Are Different: The strigoi mort is a kind of poltergeist which feeds on the blood of the living.
• Pass the Popcorn: Prince Vince and the Fairy Godfather indulge in this during the climax.
• Poltergeist: Beetlejuice being this is relevant to what the Fairy Godfather has to tell them; among other things, he explains how a poltergeist is formed. It's the spirit of a lonely person who was brutally murdered.
• Precision F-Strike: Beetlejuice has one about Vasile, calling him "you miserable fang-faced son of a bitch!"
• The Prophecy: The actual wording of this, of which the Fairy Godfather dropped hints in the previous story, is finally revealed here; it has to do with Life and Death.
  • Either/Or Prophecy: The prophecy notes that the offspring of the union of Life and Death will either save or destroy the world. Specifically, it says "our world." It's unclear whether this means the Outerworld, the Neitherworld, or something else entirely.
• Rule of Drama: Invoked during the climax.
• Selective Obliviousness: Charles can't handle the idea of Lydia going to Transylvania for her magazine assignment, so he's convinced himself that she's going to Pennsylvania instead. She doesn't bother to correct him, figuring that he wouldn't hear her anyway.
• Sonnet: Prince Vince composes one and sends it to Lydia. And yes, it's in iambic pentameter.
• Stock Unsolved Mysteries: The prophecy is written in the Voynich Manuscript. There are several pages known to be missing from this indecipherable document, which are revealed to be in the Fairy Godfather's keeping. He's one of the few who can actually understand what it says.
• Town with a Dark Secret: The locals around Castel Bufniţă know there is something wrong about the place. The train conductor tries to warn Lydia and BJ away from it by suggesting they visit other castles instead. And when they mention it at the restaurant, most of the other conversations fall silent. But at least one person (with the help of someone translating) is willing to give the pair a straightforward warning about the strigoi mort.
• True Love's Kiss: Mentioned as being the only antidote to the Forced Sleep.
• Überwald: The Plot takes BJ and Lydia to Romania to poke around a Haunted Castle.
• Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: Vasile is a genuinely disturbing villain, who unfortunately finds himself trapped in the "colorful, cheerful, warped, and silly" Neitherworld. He's not happy.
• Villain Team-Up: Vasile gets some help from the warlock from "Bewitched, Bothered, and Beetlejuiced."
• Would Hurt a Child : The old woman in Romania explains that the strigoi mort will drink whatever human blood he can find, but prefers that belonging to children and young women.

Bug Princess and the Seven Months

• Affectionate Nickname: Lydia's unborn baby is known as "Bug." This is a reference to the previous story, in which she mistook her early pregnancy symptoms for having "picked up a bug in Romania," but it also ties the child into the Juice family Theme Naming.
  • It's also an Incredibly Lame Pun, since it means the kid's name is Bug Juice. ^note For those unfamiliar with the term, 'bug juice' is a blanket name for any sort of fruit punch or other non-alcoholic juice drink served to children on camping trips in the United States, particularly in Scouting.
• Appeal to Flattery: Donny persuades Beetlejuice that he needs to stay with Lydia instead of going along on Dr. Void's planned excursion by pointing out that her "big scary poltergeist" is the one protector no one will dare to cross. Once Beetlejuice is out of earshot, he admits to having learned the trick from Lydia herself.
• Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: Invoked. When the allies are collected in Prince Vince's throne room to discuss a plan, Donny explains Beetlejuice's Literal Genie weakness to their living guests. Apropos of nothing, the television turns itself on and starts playing an advertisement for Worm Your Way Cologne.^note Sound familiar? It appeared in the cartoon, in the episode "Out of My Mind."
  Beetlejuice: They interrupted Donny's exposition for a crummy old commercial?
• The Bus Came Back: Dr. Zigmund Void^note from the cartoon episodes "Forget-Me-Nuts" and "Not-So-Peaceful Pines" is summoned out of retirement to aid the heroes.
• The Cavalry: When he can't rouse Lydia from her weird coma, BJ says he's sending for this, and places a call to New Orleans for some help from Lady Delphine and Hugo.
• Character Name and the Noun Phrase
• Dances and Balls: The story begins with preparations for a grand ball to celebrate Prince Vince's 200th anniversary as ruler of the Neitherworld.
• Depending on the Writer: Invoked; Lady Delphine uses the exact phrase when noting that the plot isn't always more powerful than literary tradition.
• Dope Slap: Lady Delphine gives Hugo a mild one in Prince Vince's castle, though the way she hides a smile indicates that she thinks what he said is Actually Pretty Funny.
• Emergency Impersonation: BJ fakes Lydia's voice on the phone with her parents so that they (well, Charles) won't panic about her suddenly having gone to "Florida."
• Find the Cure!: The heroes have to figure out how to bring Lydia out of her enchanted sleep, and as fast as possible before BJ gets too far out of control.
• Forced Sleep: Courtesy of the magic apple.
• Forgot About His Powers: Briefly, but BJ actually forgets to check if he still has his powers until Lady Delphine asks about it; he's too distracted by what's happened to Lydia. Once she reminds him, he confirms that he's still got them.
• The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You: Lady Delphine outright states this.
  Lady Delphine: And if there’s one other thing I know, it’s that the fourth wall does not protect you, me, or anyone else. BJ himself is pretty certain that the plot is up to something, and he doesn’t trust the hack writer as far as he can throw them.
• Half-Human Hybrid: Discussed. Being the offspring of a mostly living mother and a mostly dead father, exactly what is Bug? Nobody seems to know.
• Half-Identical Twins: Beetlejuice describes Vince's cousins Milo and Anahita this way, noting that he almost can't tell them apart.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: In a more blatant example than usual, Hugo spends a few minutes contemplating his role as a supporting cast member in someone else's story. He decides that it's not really a bad place to be, since it means the plot isn't as interested in him, and concludes by noting that "he'd put enough of a mural on the fourth wall for the time being".
• Loyal Animal Companion: Feathers, the Neitherworld bird who aided Lydia in the previous story, has been living in Prince Vince's castle ever since. He returns in this installment to try to help her once again.
• Magic Misfire: Lady Delphine realizes that the spell on the apple was intended to kill its target. The only reason Lydia survived is because her unborn baby's powers activated to protect her, sending her into the coma instead. This is also the reason why BJ's kiss fails to revive her; since the spell was altered, the usual resolution doesn't work.
• Newhart Phone Call: When BJ phones Lady Delphine for help, Hugo (who is the POV character for the chapter) only hears her side of the conversation. Later, when Prince Vince calls Mr. Monitor again, the conversation is only heard from the royal side of things.
• No Fourth Wall: Worse than usual. Midway through chapter seven, Prince Vince interrupts the conversation to politely inquire, "From whose point of view is this chapter being told?" After a Beat, Lady Delphine volunteers, on the grounds that she hasn't had a POV chapter yet.
• Protected by a Child: Lydia's unborn baby will not allow her to be killed by the deadly enchantment.
• Recursive Canon: Dr. Void can't remember how to go inside someone's brain. Prince Vince decides that the best way to refresh his memory is for all of them to watch the episode of the cartoon in which he does exactly that.
• Tempting Apple: As a Snow White analogue, this is to be expected.
• True Love's Kiss: Averted; for the first time in the series, this fails to resolve the problem.
• Try to Fit That on a Business Card: During the ball, several people end up having numerous titles announced upon their arrival, including Beetlejuice and Lydia themselves.
• Unwitting Pawn: Donny is the innocent bearer of the enchanted fruit.
• Wacky Cravings: Played with. BJ is convinced that sooner or later Lydia is going to want to eat some bugs, so he keeps offering. As it turns out, what she's actually craving is apples.