27 traps filled with new memories

[ectobabble]

[… "MARSHMALLOW. Now wake up, before your day gets any worse!"

There were stranger words to hear right before regaining consciousness, but Ray was at least pretty sure that now was NOT the time to be thinking of them. as he opened his eyes, instead of emptying his mind, he filled it as far as it could go. marshmallow marshmallow marshmallow marshmallow marshm--

the stone altar was a lot more comfortable than he remembered. and this didn't look like Central Park West.

and the people around him didn't look a thing like Idulnas ....

it was all a trick, had to be. Raymond Stantz, chosen Selector of Gozer, forced his mind back on track and uttered the only word he dared, as he glanced around the clinic.]

Marshmallows.

((OOC: And with that, Ray is canonbumped! Clearly, this is open to the clinic, but it's open over the journals, too!))

Comments

[ectoparody]

Not those lobsters Ray, you're in Paradisa...for better or worse. You hungry? How about some Pizza, let's get your mind off that big bad marshmallow, huh? Just sit back and relax buddy, Pete's got your back.

[He gave Ray's shoulder a reassuring pat before leaning back and making a simple wish. A large box landed in his lap, a nice, big Chicago Style pizza, just how Ray liked it. He opened the box and held it out to his friend, the smell overpowering the room like a good deep dish should]

C'mon, eat, you haven't had anything nutritionally destructive in a few days, you'll lose your tolerance at this rate.

[ectobabble]

No, Pete, that's what I mean.... Paradisa was three ...

[and then there's pizza out of nowhere. there are only two explanations for this. either they're all in purgatory again, or... his eyes widen]

Pete! OhmyGod, Venkman! This is GREAT! [he sits up and looks around properly] I think I just had an out of body transdimensional temporal shift displacement, with serious synchronization dysphasia! ... Quick, you gotta go up to my room and get the helmet! Is my room still there...?!

[ectoparody]

Are you sure you should be moving around so much? It's only been a few days since you were out...then again you did say time moves weird here.

[He scratched his head before shrugging the encroaching thoughts off. These transdimensional shenanigans were Ray's area, not his.]

Anyways, everything is fine. We'll go get your toy in a bit, eat first and then we can focus on other things.

[ectobabble]

No, no! [even as he's protesting, he's grabbing a slice] I feel fine, other than getting socked in the jaw by the Third... we gotta take the reading before I reacclimate! You go get it, I'll wait here... going out into the lobby might decrease the halflife of the dimensional aftereffects!

[ectoparody]

Alright, alright...can't you just wish to have it sent here though? It'd be a lot quicker, dontcha think?

[ectobabble]

Good idea. You wish for it, though, I don't dare risk any psychosupernatural interference.

[annnnnnd nom.]

[ectoparody]

Alrighty, only for you Ray.

[Peter looked up at the ceiling and clapped his hands together, rubbing them as he spoke aloud]

Oh great magic castle, we beseech you. Please deliver unto us Ray's fancy science helmet, that he may do...well, whatever Ray's going to do with that. Also a twinkie if you're not too busy.

[As expected, the aforementioned helmet and twinkie fell into Peter's lap as he handed over Ray's device, ripping open his snack in the process]

There ya go Francine, have fun with it.

[ectobabble]

Great! [Ray grinned, putting the souped-up colander on his head almost instantly and picking up the attached monitoring device] I engineered it to be more portable, so we don't have to bring a TV from room to room like a high school AV club, whenever something happens ...

[and with that, he flicked the switch and proceeded to goggle at the readings]

[ectoparody]

Someone's been a busy...*chewchewswallow*...beaver, eh? Too bad I forgot my boy scout badges back to the firehouse, eh?

[He continued to munch idly on his Twinkie, wondering just what kind of reading Ray would be getting]

[ectobabble]

[Ray looked up from his readings just long enough to shoot Peter a deadpan look]

You know I already have all of 'em.

[annnnnnnnd back to the monitor. after a moment, his brow furrows and he taps on the screen, scowling]

[ectoparody]

[Peter leaned back in his chair, pointing the eaten half of his twinkie at Ray before it magically snapped back to a full treat. If he was going to be stuck here, the least the castle could do was treat him to an infinitely respawning twinkie]

What is it, did the ghost get you again? Which one was it this time, the pink one?

[ectobabble]

No, it wasn't Pinky. [tap tap. pause] Or Blinky, or Inky, or Clyde. It's the castle. ...

[taptap. TAP. shake. ... frown]

Least, I'm pretty sure it is.

[ectoparody]

Alright then, what /is/ the problem? Is the Castle bullying you again Ray? Do I need to go have a talk with it's parents?

[Peter was beginning to really wonder what was wrong with Ray's device. Just how much of the castle was interfering?]

[ectobabble]

[in reply, Ray pulled the colander off his own head, leaned over, and plunked it firmly down on Peter's. instantly, the monitor jumped to life, and he snorted]

See that? You get proper readings.

[he took the opportunity to take another bite of his slice of pizza, before taking the colander back and putting it back on his head. Ray continued, mouth half full]

Now it just looks like the screen after that time Slimer doused the Atari. See?

[sure enough, little 8-bit blips all over the place, with no semblance of anything even remotely scientific]

It's messing with me.

[ectoparody]

[Peter nodded, having absolutely no idea what he had just been forcibly shown, though it seemed that it wasn't anything he could have made sense of anyways]

My god, the castle is forcing you to watch it play old games on your equipment, how positively diabolical! What's next, Super Mario? Donkey Kong? Ghosts and Gargoyles?

[ectobabble]

Noooo! [he reached out and swatted the side of Venkman's head, frowning] I'm not kidding, Pete, this is serious. I finally find a situation where I could get legitimate readings about the effect this place has on the human psyche on a supernatural level, and it makes my equipment go on the fritz!

[he sighs, taking the helmet off and setting it aside in an empty chair. chewing on another bite of pizza, he mulls the situation over until he comes up with something that he thinks will work]

Lemme put it this way. You remember the thermal readings Spengs got on Louis, when he was possessed by Vinz Clortho. Think of how much of the big picture we would've missed, if we hadn't been able to see those readings. If we hadn't been able to figure out what was really happening in that thick melon of his.

[ectoparody]

Damn! Jeez, alright, I get the picture.

[Peter rubbed his head indignantly as he continued to chew on his twinkie, staring at the device before reaching out and giving it a firm smack]

There, see if a little concussive maintenance fixed anything.

[ectobabble]

Hm.

[he finished off his slice of pizza, then put the colander-helmet back on, tapping at the screen]

The benchthumping was a valiant effort, Pete, but ... no dice.

[ectoparody]

Oh well, I tried, right? Look, I know we missed a big pitch here, but we'll get other chances, right?

[He leaned over and gave Ray a pat on the shoulder]

Once you get outta here, me and you'll take a nice trip down to the library and see what we can dig up, okay? It'll be a lot easier without a screeching old hag winging books at us, right?

[ectobabble]

Eleanor, [Ray corrected him, almost immediately, as he took the helmet off again]

Eleanor Twitty. ... Pete, I think we need to re-synchronize our timelines. What's the last thing you remember? The last job we did, I mean. And what year was it?

[ectoparody]

[Peter let out a deep sigh and swallowed yet another bite of his delicious yellow spongecake]

I /know/ the old hags name, doesn't make her any less of a hag. Last thing I remember is the thing which Shandor and all that Architect business. How about you?

[ectobabble]

Ivo and the Rookie, yeah. ... [he nodded, slowly] I remember that, now. So you don't know about The Third Minion of Gozer, yet. Idulnas.

[ectoparody]

Third? Oh great, so there's another mangy mutt running around?

[Great, just fan-friggin-tastic]

[ectobabble]

Yah. He's how I got this. [Ray points to the fresh lump on his jaw, and pulls another slice of pie out of the box] Hey, can I get a Heineken and a bottle opener?

[suddenly; BEER. he pops it open and holds the cold bottle to his war wound with a sigh of relief] Little snotrag told me he was responsible for bringing about a re-selection of the manifestation of Gozer, and he wasn't leaving 'til I picked something suitably terrifying enough to make Times Square mess its collective shorts.

(1/2)

[ectoparody]

[Beer, now that was a good idea. Peter followed suit and suddenly he too had a Heineken in hand, though he unceremoniously popped his top off on the side of the nearby end table before catching the cap. He chuckled at his old bar trick before taking a swig and sighing deeply as the bitter liquid traveled down his throat]