History FanFic / SayItThrice

* BlandNameProduct: Tucker references a role-playing game called ''[[DungeonsAndDragons Castles and Creatures]]''.

** ReasonableAuthorityFigure: They have the decency to re-examine their methods and are big enough to admit that she's right.

* RunningGag: Betelgeuse's tendency to read and write notes in Lydia's journal. She eventually gives up trying to keep him out and they have full conversations in the text.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: As he corrects in Lydia's journal, his name is "Betelgeuse," not "Film/{{Beetlejuice}}."

* TextileWorkIsFeminine: Lydia made her [[MythologyGag own poncho]]. {{Averted}} with Barbara, who claims not to have much skill when it comes to sewing.

** The longer version of Lydia's incantation makes an appearance here.

* NoodleImplements[=/=]NoodleIncident: During Betelgeuse's ''first'' attempt to marry a mortal bride, ''his'' end of the bargain involved "possession, goats, torches, an angry mob, near certain doom, a scullery maid, a river, freaky trees, and something about a cursed coin."

* ThouShaltNotKill: Turns out Betelgeuse has gotten ''really'' good at restricting his hauntings to AmusingInjuries, which is why there were no lasting repercussions from him flinging Charles and Otho off of a staircase, or Maxie and Sarah Dean through a ceiling. Explained further when Betelgeuse assures Danny that he won't kill Aunt Melinda; he dismisses it as "boring and too easy" and that [[MoralityPet Lydia would never forgive him]], but implies that the real problem is that though Juno and the CelestialBureaucracy allows and even encourages ghosts to scare the living senseless to keep them from breaking the {{Masquerade}}, lethal injury is ''the'' big no-no -- people murdered by ghosts tend to become ''really'' dangerous ghosts themselves -- [[spoiler:not that Sanduleak really cares. Betelgeuse went "juicing" with him exactly ''once'', thinking he'd found a kindred prankster, only to realize he'd gone on a wilding with ''UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper'' and sealing him in a well for the next century. Enforcing this rule on such a powerful ghost without being asked is why Juno and her superiors haven't done anything permanent to Betelgeuse]].

* ThouShaltNotKill: Betelgeuse assures Danny that he won't kill Aunt Melinda. It's boring, it's too easy, Juno would nag him for years, and there's too much risk of them ending up with a ghost version of her. Also, [[MoralityPet Lydia frowns on killing]].

* ThouShaltNotKill: Turns out Betelgeuse has gotten ''really'' good at restricting his hauntings to AmusingInjuries, which is why there were no lasting repercussions from him flinging Charles and Otho off of a staircase, or Maxie and Sarah Dean through a ceiling. He points out that ghosts are very capable of annoying the hell out of the ghost that killed them, and while they are allowed and even encouraged to scare the living senseless to keep them from breaking the {{Masquerade}}, lethal injury is ''the'' big no-no -- [[spoiler:not that Sanduleak really cares. Betelgeuse went "juicing" with him exactly ''once'', thinking he'd found a kindred prankster, only to realize he'd gone on a wilding with ''UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper'' and sealing him in a well for the next century. Enforcing this rules on such a powerful ghost without being asked is why Juno and the rest of the CelestialBureaucracy haven't done anything permanent to Betelgeuse]].

** Derrick considers [[spoiler: beating Betelgeuse into incoherence and throwing him into the swamp to slowly drown]] perfectly justified for what he believes happened to his sister, but when he realizes what ''actually'' happened ([[spoiler: she just got lost on her way home and Betelgeuse didn't harm her in the least, instead actually ''proposing'' to her]]), he's completely horrified by what he's done.

* PracticalCurrency: As Betelgeuse explains it, the Netherworld operates on a barter system. Since its inhabitants don't need things like food and shelter, they instead trade in commodities which they want, like cigarettes and favors.

* ThePowerOfTrust: Realizing that Lydia is not only kind to him but actually ''trusts'' him cements Betelgeuse's determination that this is "his girl" and he's going to look after her.

[[folder:A-Z]]

[[folder:Just Say It]]

[[/folder]]

A stand-alone spinoff story, ''Just Say It'' (found [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12172544/1/Just-Say-It here]] and [[http://archiveofourown.org/works/8178547 here]]), was written for the ''[=BeetleBabes=]'' community's Halloween contest on DeviantArt. In this one-shot, Lydia is celebrating her first Halloween in Winter River, and her favorite poltergeist helps her carve some jack-o-lanterns.

* HappilyAdopted: [[spoiler:Lydia, at the very end of the story, is essentially this. She's actually an emancipated minor, but she's living with and working for the Fentons, and it's clear from the way they treat her that they all consider her part of the family.]]

* PapaWolf: Betelgeuse to Lydia, who has become his {{protectorate}}; she even comments on it in the first chapter, when speaking of her exceedingly protective, slightly possessive "not-boyfriend."

[[caption-width-right:300:Art by [[http://adrienne-the-ripper.deviantart.com/art/Say-it-Thrice-Commission-for-the-Bookworm-Gal-612942369 Adrienne-the-Ripper]], used with permission (click for larger version)]]

* IHaveManyNames: Sanduleak claims this about himself. One of his most commonly known names is [[spoiler: UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper.]]
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Lydia manages to do this for [[spoiler:Betelgeuse when he's under the influence of the Gem of Osiris. He's absolutely uncontrollable - but even in that state, he's somehow able to recognize that this girl is the one person he cannot bring himself to hurt.]]

* PortalDoor: The ghost portal that connects the Ghost Zone to the Fenton's basement. Betelgeuse tries to use it to escape without having have his [[SpeakOfTheDevil name spoken]] [[RuleOfThree three times]]. [[spoiler:It doesn't work out quite like he was hoping.]]

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lydia delivers one to the Fenton parents on their treatment and views concerning ghosts. And while they can easily write off her more emotional arguments as being the result of misplaced sympathy, they pay closer attention when she points out that just making assumptions, rather than using the scientific method to determine whether ghosts could be considered people, is [[SeriousBusiness bad scientific practice]].

[[caption-width-right:300:Art by [[http://adrienne-the-ripper.deviantart.com/ Adrienne-the-ripper]], used with permission]]

* {{Backstory}}: Sanduleak's backstory reveals he's [[spoiler: JackTheRipper.]]

* IHaveManyNames: Sanduleak claims this about himself. One of his most commonly known names is [[spoiler:JackTheRipper.]]

* JackTheRipper: [[spoiler:Sanduleak turns out to be the serial killer himself]].

* SlashedThroat: Sanduleak's preferred method of dealing with people, which makes sense since he's [[spoiler: JackTheRipper.]]

* VictorianLondon: Sanduleak was originally from this time period when he was alive [[spoiler: because he was JackTheRipper]].

* AlienGeometry: In her report, Maddie Fenton remarks that structure of the Ghost Zone does not reflect normal forms of geometry and physics. Instead, it appears to be closer to a Moebius Loop or a Klein bottle, but not quite.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sayitthrice.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Art by [[http://adrienne-the-ripper.deviantart.com/ Adrienne-the-ripper]], used with permission]]

* RitualMagic: Seems to be the preferred strategy for dealing with ghosts from the Netherworld. Anyone can use it if they know the right words, have a physical object connected to the ghost in question, and have a strong enough will to overcome the ghost's power. Or a AmplifierArtifact.

* IfICantHaveYou: [[spoiler:Melinda reacted murderously when the ghost she had a crush on didn't return her affections and didn't even know how she felt. She decided to expand this to include all ghosts.]]

* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Lydia manages to do this for [[spoiler:Betelgeuse when he's under the influence of the Gem of Osiris. He's absolutely uncontrollable - but even in this state, he recognizes that this is the one person he cannot bring himself to hurt.]]
* InadvertentEntranceCue: When Lydia, Sam and Tucker confront Melinda, she tells them they should stay out of things they don't understand and aren't their business. However, Betelgeuse considers the whole affair to be very much ''his'' business, and uses that comment as his opportunity to join the conversation, materializing behind Lydia and putting his hands on her shoulders.

* ItSeemedTrivial: Danny, Sam, and Tucker never think to mention to the new girl about the rumors concerning the Ghost With the Most and his missing "Mortal Bride." Likewise, Lydia never thinks to mention she was almost married to a ghost once. Without these minor details, no one can make the connection. Of course, it makes sense that the topics wouldn't come up when talking to near strangers.

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Derrick brutally murders Betelgeuse in the flashback chapters. He does feel some regret for it later, when he realizes that his victim was actually innocent, but mostly he turns his attention to making sure that ''no one ever finds out''.]]

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Aunt Melinda managed to induce a very specific form of this, [[spoiler:causing Lydia to forget Betelgeuse's name]].

* NoSell: Sanduleak's attempts to repeatedly stab [[spoiler:Betelgeuse]] doesn't quite work out for him.

* OlderThanTheyLook: Betelgeuse has been around for apparently 600 years.

* PatchworkFic: In regards to "Beetlejuice," the writer describes it as 99% [[Film/{{Beetlejuice}} the film]] and 1% [[WesternAnimation/{{Beetlejuice}} the cartoon]] (namely Lydia's age, the existence of the red poncho, and a little of the characterization of Lydia and Betelgeuse).

** [[spoiler:Sanduleak also plans to enact one against Betelgeuse, by targeting Lydia, after he escapes from Saturn.]]