Work Text:
While the world of the Green Eyes au is initially based off "Beetlejuice" for both the original film and cartoon. There are a lot of elements that I added to the world to "fill things out" and cover topics untouched by the concepts presented. However the ghosts of Beetlejuice aren't overly physical and heavily rely on visuals with Beetlejuice himself being the exception to the rule (though given the Maitlands lack of experience it is understandable). I didn't overly care for the lack of physical interaction and decided to go with some of the physical interactions we see in the "Ghostbusters" franchise. So in a way we see the bureaucratic nonsense of Beetlejuice, but with the ghostly interactions we see in Ghostbusters.
As we know the ghost's in Ghostbusters get physical and fast with them very actively messing with their environments as well as direct physical contact with people. The scene of “Slimer'' the green “spud” of a ghost having knocked over Bill Murray's character Dr. Peter Venkman and covering him in an ectoplasmic slime being a prime example. The concept was quite a siren song and I wanted to incorporate it into the story. Though unlike Ghostbusters in having a lighter tone in terms of some of the ghosts' antics I wanted to go a darker route, utilizing the dark humor we see in Beetlejuice.
Since I beat up both franchises behind a Denny's taking bits I want for the story, I'll be breaking up the world's concepts into the following categories:
- Ghost types
- Appearance
- Limitations
- Abilities
- Public health
- Case worker services and assistance
Ghost Types
In the world there are a wide range of ghosts all due to how they died but have all been broken down into general categories and subcategories. Reason why is each ghost's needs are based on how they died and therefore have areas in the world that cater accordingly. While the Underworld caters to all ghosts as a whole, there are some that need more help than others and have many resources available for them.
Ghost types (examples):
Water-lung (Drowning)
Dullahan (beheaded or close to)
Hole heart (death by one to multiple penetrations via gunshot, stabbing etc..)
Jigsaw (dismemberment or other means of mutilation)
Famine (starvation/malnutrition)
Ancient (old age)
Well Wishes (disease/illness/cancer)
Benny is categorized as a Dullahan meaning headless ghost. While he has his head yes, he was still beheaded. All ghosts who were nearly beheaded or beheaded are categorized as Dullahans.
Dullahans downstairs are one of the more feared ghost types due to the majority of them being vengeful spirits. However the case workers and health system make it a point to help the more troubled ghosts calm down and get the assistance they need. Benny is no exception to the rule and given his age it makes it more challenging, luckily he has those around him whom are willing to help.
Appearance
As far as a ghost's appearance that is heavily geared towards how they appear in Beetlejuice, but with more of a twist with how they will alter their forms via personal preference. For instance, if someone died of old age then they can make themselves appear how they did in their youth or to change their appearance entirely to match what they desire. In particular this is heavily focused on Benny's 3 different appearances that he takes throughout the story (as y'all have seen my drawings) but the reasoning behind his main two forms is mostly based on his personal preference as well as forensics and how the body decays upon death.
Benny appears exceptionally pale which is due to the sheer amount of blood loss. Being a victim of decapitation means he would have lost a significant amount from just the fatal wound alone. How he was buried did not help that either let alone the decay process.
He had been buried on his side for which livor mortis (not rigor mortis, different thing) set in. Livor mortis is the settling of blood on the lowest part of the body. So if a person was laying down, the side that is touching the floor would actually be normal colored while the areas lacking pressure would turn a deep pink or purple from the blood pooling at the lowest point. Since Benny's neck is severed it was very easy for more blood to drain.
Benny's preferred form lacks visible ears, nose as well as genitals. Reason why is another phase of decay, the active stage. During the active stage of decay where insect activity is most prominent, it starts at any orifice of the body, aka any opening in the body. So for him as he was buried underground would mean areas like his neck, nose, ears, and other softer tissues and opening would have been subjected to insect activity first and therefore rotted first. Rule of thumb: the thicker the flesh, the longer it takes to break down. Due to Benny having a limited range of influence (will explain later) he was essentially stuck enduring his body's decay having nowhere else to go (until later). As a result he rid himself of what he viewed as "unnecessary" portions of his body along with reaping the benefits of his warped appearance to frighten those around him.
Limitations
Just like in Beetlejuice the Maitlands were unable to leave the boundaries of their home or else be transported to the land of the monstrous Sandworms. I relished in the idea and expanded on it in my own way.
Benny was unable to leave the confines of the home built atop his grave but his area of influence fluctuated with time. Upon burial a single flat stone had been placed as his grave marker. That stone was solely his "sphere of influence" which meant he could only be sitting atop the rock or in his grave with a freshly rotting body. His "bubble" expanded the more the foundation of the house was built as it was in a way "adding onto" the stone marker thus expanding it into the entirety of the house's foundation.
While he couldn't physically leave the house, he could have influence over the range of the property since it would be considered an extension of the home. Benny could still harass those beyond his confines. However this fluctuated with time going from the vastness of the plantation to merely the hill the house sits upon. This influence managed to keep a number of people out and away from the home along with the property it sat on. He was notorious for uprooting 'For Sale' signs so no one would see the home was for sale. Upon the introduction of the internet that changed.
Just like in Beetlejuice with the Maitlands, if Benny tried to go beyond the walls of the home he would be immediately transported to the land of the Sandworms. The worms act as a sort of wardens to keep ghosts from wandering beyond the confines of their haunts. They would attack and "kill" the ghost to send them back to their place of haunting. This left Benny trapped within the home until modern times and only able to see the world through its windows. However this does change later and after being bound to the family, he has to stay within 100 yards of the couple (or Alice) but he can go anywhere as long as he doesn't stray too far from them.
Abilities
Ghosts all have various abilities ranging from transformation to manipulation and possession. However possession is highly illegal and can often result in exorcism. Ghosts are pretty much allowed to do whatever they want as long as it doesn't violate laws pertaining to the living (ie. No hurting/killing people from haunting). They can haunt a person or people to the best of their ability as long as no one gets seriously hurt or killed, or the ghost haunting leaves no proof of the haunt.
Benny excels at transformation due to his imagination. Being a child he has a very active imagination and utilizes it to regularly shape-shift into whatever he desires or needs at the time. His regular form is usually that of a large moth, but he has taken many other forms but are usually various animals. His larger more monstrous form was his primary form for a considerable amount of time, but because he cannot see himself in a mirror, he forgot what he actually looked like and was stuck in that form. He did manage to fix his conundrum, but in time.
Environmental manipulation is not exactly Benny's strong suit. He has to really focus and it takes more energy out of him to do so. Whenever he manipulates his environment for long periods of time (usually haunting) he also has to sleep for a while to recover his energy. His hauntings are done in bursts as a result. He is usually able to haunt his victims for months before he has to stop and rest, though by that point the occupants of the home are packing and leaving. In time Benny gets better at manipulating objects for the purpose of playing with his little sister by bringing her toys to life to play. This was essentially prominent for a time given how his form was too warped to interact with her properly.
He can freely travel through walls within the home for which he was quickly encouraged to walk through the hallways like a normal person. When something is out of the boy's reach he will often float up to reach it. The couple encouraged the boy to try and act as normal as possible due to his little sister trying to imitate what she sees. Since the little girl is living and not a ghost, she can easily hurt herself if she tried to imitate her brother. So Benny will use step stools to reach what he needs or ask for an adult to help him, that way she follows his example and does the same.
Ghosts cannot create something out of thin air unless it is an extension of themselves. (Example they cannot make a sword unless the sword is an extension of their arm or hand.) However they can manipulate an object to take on another but it will still be made of the original. (Example: they can turn a stick into a knife, but the knife is solely made of wood) There aren't many ghosts that can manipulate an object to that extent as it requires complete knowledge of every aspect of the finished product, all the way down to the parts and inner-workings depending on complexity. Benny is not capable of such a feat but can only manipulate objects into small shapes, nothing complex. His case worker Henry excels at such a level of manipulation as well as the ability to make doors.
In Beetlejuice we see the Maitlands draw a door and knock 3 times to open it. For the au such doors are for emergencies only, but some ghosts can make a door on their own without the need to draw one. Benny's case worker is able to make such doors to travel about and check in on Benny when needed or asked. Benny is forbidden from learning such a trick.
Public Health
Death is always traumatic for the person since they suddenly find themselves leaving their mortal coils behind as well as any unfinished business. As such it usually takes a huge mental strain on some depending on their life's situation prior to death. As such the Underworld has a vast network of doctors and psychiatrists to help ghost's cope.
Some doctor's are purely for cosmetics as even though a ghost can take on any form they want, their true appearance can still be a hindrance in their everyday lives. For example: if a person got dismembered in one or more places they would seek a doctor to help put their original appearance back together so it would be easier to take on a preferred form. It's a matter of helping to stabilize their foundation before building on top of it.
Benny does get asked to go to the Underworlds pediatrics for his neck and to make sure the area stays clean and well maintained. While he can't die again, he can have a rotted appearance if he doesn't take care of himself both physically (such as it is) and mentally. The couple makes sure to give him the best care possible and if he needs additional help they will request it.
Physically Benny is fine, say for his neck, but his mental state was all over the place. The family does have a psychiatrist visit him from time to time to talk about his life prior to death as well as his life currently. Benny does have a lot of mixed emotions about his life and gets help sorting them out. Above all the family makes sure he gets what he needs and he greatly appreciates it as well as the opportunity to 'start over'. He's learning what it's like to live with a family who cares about him and wants to do right by him.
Case worker services and assistance
Every ghost is assigned a caseworker upon death. Their job is to help the ghost transition to their new life and offer assistance if needed. Their job is to make sure the ghost is happy with their new life and if needed, relocate them. However despite the mass production of the handbook only being around for about 580 years, the system set up to provide assistance is relatively new. Mental health became a huge priority in ensuring the happiness of the ghosts
No matter how widespread the distribution of the handbook is, and the number of caseworkers available to help, there are always some who 'slip through the cracks' and those are called "lost ghosts". Ghosts who predate the book, live in rural areas or were simply overlooked often fall in the category. There are survey workers who constantly seek out old haunts looking for ghosts who got left behind for whatever reason.
Benny is categorized as a lost ghost due to being isolated within an aged home. Plus his hauntings were in short bursts to chase away any potential dwellers so Survey Workers often didn't notice his short-lived activity. Thus he went for a few hundred years without notice.
That came to an end and now Benny is getting the assistance needed. His caseworker Henry felt it was best to get the young ghost counseling and has a team of specialists who can work with the ghost and get him back on the right track. Henry also makes sure that Benny has anything and everything he needs and will occasionally check in on the family on both scheduled and surprise visits.