Match 20980 Wednesday Addams vs. Casper the Friendly Ghost

[JohnnyChany]

 

On a particularly cloudy October day, Wednesday Addams and her brother, Pugsley, made their way up the winding path to Whipstaff Manor. Stories of the Manor and the ghosts that resided there had drawn the Addams siblings away from their estate in search of amusement. Wednesday outfitted in her usual black dress had a quick pace with a cold and unmoved expression. Pugsley waddled beside her with his usual goofy grin. He carried a small bag filled with random tools and contraptions he thought might come in handy, just in case ghosts they hoped to encounter needed dismembering, or even perhaps entertaining.

"I heard no one's ever been able to get rid of the ghosts here," Pugsley said with glee. "It’s going to be amazing!"

"Yes, well," Wednesday replied. "there’s a fine line between 'amazing' and 'pathetically disappointing.' And if this turns out to be one of those overrated, small-town haunted house stories, we’ll have wasted a perfectly good opportunity to make you suffer."

Pugsley’s face drooped. "You think we wasted our time coming out here?"

Wednesday shot him a sidelong glance. "I am not sure. But, if this house is haunted, I promise to make sure you can’t escape whatever evil awaits us. You’ll endure every trap, every trick, every torturous haunt they throw our way."

Pugsley brightened immediately. "Really?"

"Really," she replied solemnly. "A good sister must always ensure her brother’s suffering and possible demise."

Reassured, Pugsley picked up his pace, and soon the two children stood at the gates of Whipstaff Manor. The house loomed in front of them. It had been clearly abandoned and the foreboding aura was enticing. Wednesday and Pugsley entered with contrasting expectations. 

"I like it," Pugsley noted as he looked around. "It could use more cobwebs, though. And maybe a few more gravestones in the yard."

Wednesday arched an eyebrow. "How typical of the living to fall short of perfection."

And then, with a whoosh and a cackle, three ghostly figures materialized in front of them.

"BOO!" shouted Fatso, a rotund spirit.

He zoomed toward the children with a gaping mouth full of jagged teeth. Beside him another ghost, Stretch, twisted his ectoplasmic form into a spiral

"Get out before we scare ya silly!" he threatened. 

"You don’t wanna mess with us, kiddos," warned a third ghost, Stinkie. He then blew a putrid cloud of green mist in their direction. "We’re the baddest ghosts in town!"

Pugsley grinned, delighted by their greeting. "This is awesome!"

Wednesday folded her arms across her chest, her face impassive. "This is what we trekked all this way for? You present yourselves as the afterlife's equivalent of door-to-door salesmen."

The Ghostly Trio paused. Their spectral faces scrunched in confusion. They were used to shrieks of terror, not detached sarcasm.

"You’re supposed to be scared!" Stretch declared

Pugsley chuckled. "You guys are funny. Do the thing again where you stretch and twist your body!"

"Funny?" Fatso huffed. "We’re terrifying! Right, Stinkie?"

Stinkie nodded earnestly and unleashed another revolting cloud of gas. "How ‘bout this for terrifying?"

Wednesday sniffed the air with mild disdain. "You smell like week-old roadkill that had the misfortune of being eaten by a possum. If you’re aiming to be terrifying, lean more into existential dread. A brief reflection on the futility of life would go even further."

Fatso scratched his translucent head. "Existential... what?" 

"You’re doing it wrong," Wednesday continued. "Try silence. Make your victims feel truly alone before you reveal yourselves. And when you finally do, speak in whispers.”

Stretch blinked. "Who are you?... Wait a minute you look kinda familiar."

"Her? You think so." Fatso floated closer to Wednesday. "Have we haunted you before?"

Realization struck Stinkie. “She looks like the girl that used to live here”

“That’s right. It’s the doc’s kid, what’s her name again? Kitty? Fluffy?” Stretch wondered.

“My name is Wednesday Addams. You’ll address me as such,” Wednesday said cooly.

“Wednesday Addams? That can’t be right. Never heard of that name,” stated Fatso. “Let’s bring Casper here. He can probably clear this up.”

Stretch cupped his hands to his ghostly mouth. "HEY, BALDY! GET IN HERE!"

In a moment, a soft glow entered the room, and Casper floated in. 

"What’s going on—" He stopped abruptly when he saw Wednesday, his eyes widened. "Kat?"

"My name is not Kat," Wednesday said flatly.

Casper floated closer, his expression a mix of disbelief and excitement. “Where did you go? Why did you leave without saying goodbye?"

"I’ve never been here before," Wednesday replied. "And I never say goodbye."

“But… but you look just like her,” Casper insisted. “Do you not remember me? Casper?”

He floated a way and returned with a picture of one of the previous residents of the house, Kathleen Harvey, also known as Kat, the resemblance was striking. 

Wednesday furrowed her brow. “I could see where you might be confused, but…”

Casper wanted to believe so badly this was his long lost friend. “But… maybe you are Kat. Reincarnation, maybe?”

Pugsley perked up. "Maybe Mom and Dad kidnapped Kat and brainwashed her into thinking she’s Wednesday so I could have a sister!"

Wednesday gave a small, approving nod to her brother. "It’s not the most implausible theory. But I have too many specific memories that suggest otherwise."

Casper floated back and forth trying to think of a way to convince her.  "Well... maybe we could hang out for a while? You know, just to see."

"I don't hang out," Wednesday answered curtly. "If you want to spend time with me, we can brainstorm ways to torment Pugsley. He’s very durable."

Pugsley beamed with pride.

Casper looked dismayed. "I was thinking... more friendly stuff? Like, we could sled down the stairs, or dance, or make pancakes."

Wednesday regarded him with a little disdain. “Those activities sound like they could bore me into an early grave.” 

“Well, what are other things you like to do?” asked Casper.

"We could think of ways to torture the three stooges over there," Wednesday suggested. She gestured toward the Ghostly Trio. "Something tells me you would enjoy that.."

Fatso gasped. "The nerve!"

Casper waved his hands frantically. "No! No torturing!”

“No torturing, no scarring, no promise of impending doom, what a lackluster idea this turned out to be.” Wednesday motioned for her brother. “Pugsley, we’re leaving.”

Wednesday and Pugsley turned to leave and Casper panicked. He was as attracted to this sullen, gothic version of Kat as much as he was when he first saw her on the television years ago, and he was certain that Kat was in there somewhere. He just needed to bring her out.

“Hold on!” He blurted out.  “Let’s try something different... a challenge of sorts”

Wednesday arched an eyebrow. “A challenge? Curious.”

Casper nodded. “ Yeah. How about we split the day? We’ll do some things you want, and some things I want. We can explore each other's worlds. And by the end of it, maybe you’ll see that being friendly isn’t so bad. Or perhaps… "

A glimmer of amusement flickered in Wednesday’s eyes. "Or perhaps I’ll succeed in corrupting you into a proper accomplice. A ghost partner would be useful."

Pugsley clapped his hands. "This could turn out to be the best day ever!"

Wednesday smirked, her gaze shifted back to Casper. "Very well. I’ll play your game, Casper. But don’t get too comfortable. By the time we’re done, I will make a proper ghost out of you."

Casper laughed nervously. "I, uh, can’t wait."

And so began an unusual competition, half the day spent in friendly pursuits, half spent devising increasingly macabre ways to torment Pugsley and the Ghostly Trio. Whether Casper could awaken the kindness within Wednesday, or whether she’d pull him deeper into her morbid world, remained to be seen. 

 

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Wednesday Addams
Read more about Wednesday Addams at Wikipedia
Official Site: Charles Addams Links: Wikipedia Wednesday Addams - The Unofficial Addams Morticia's Morgue

Casper the Friendly Ghost
Read more about Casper the Friendly Ghost at Wikipedia
Official Site: Harvey Entertainment Links: Wikipedia Entry Toonopedia Entry for Casper IMDB Entry on Casper

[JohnnyChany]

Just to make it clear for this the vote here is who would be more persuasive in affecting the other if they hung out together.

[Pizza Guy]

A very great story write up Johnny, as well as a more unique parameters for a match. This is my personal favorite of this year’s Halloween matches.

Now like most healthy friendships I imagine both will probably rub off on each other a little bit, Wednesday learning to be more positive and friendly, while Casper could learn to be less of a goody two shoes and less of a pushover. 

But for an overall winner, I just see Wednesday as being more willing to be kinder then I see Casper going full on Addams Family morbid or dark. It helps that in the 2022 series Enid shows that Wednesday can be soften up a bit if your patient enough with her.

[Culwych1]

Great story and match. Leaning towards Casper for the win, fundamentally Wednesday is not an evil character and has shown plenty of times a yearning to be at least partly good. Will she get Casper to do some spooky pranks; absolutely, but could she get him to go fully morbid, I doubt it.

[JohnnyChany]

Glad you both enjoyed it. Also, very good arguments for Casper who can definitely win this. Just to play devil's advocate, or more accurately Wednesday's advocate, most of her incarnations do seem to have a mysterious allure that convinces tweenage boys to do things out of their comfort zone. And we know from the 1995 film that Casper has a particular type that he is instantly attracted to, that type being Christina Ricci. I haven't seen Wednesday really go after innocent people which would be a deal breaker, and Casper might enjoy learning how to properly haunt people who "deserve" it. However, Casper should stay away from the "Can I keep you?" stuff with Wednesday that probably won't go over well.

[DSkillz]

Another good Halloween-themed set-up, Johnny. Someone I haven't seen the 1995 Casper movie after all these years (ironic since I was a Christina Ricci fan as a kid), but I did read some Casper comics and see a few of the shorts back in the day. I've also watch both Addams family films with Christina Ricci as Wednesday, though. Frankly, I don't blame Casper for having a crush on the "Christina Ricci" type myself.  

As for the match, from what I remember about both characters, this almost feels like a wash. I could see Casper inspiring Wednesday to open up a little more, but I could also see Casper learn something about scaring folks from Wednesday. 

[Callisto]

Match Final Results

Member Ratings:
5.00 - Boratz
4.70 - Yazmal
5.00 - Pizza Guy
5.00 - Culwych1
4.70 - DSkillz

FPA Calculation:
5 Total Votes cast
24.40 Total Combined Score
24.40 / 5 = 4.88 Final Rating on the match

MATCH SCORE
Wednesday Addams: 1
Casper the Friendly Ghost: 5