PARADISA

( Pete Venkman )

( Peter Petrelli )

Hey, guys! It's been a while, I know ... but there was the expedition, and the dinosaurs, and then getting back and settling in ... helping Pete out ... He's okay, now, by the way, in case you guys were worried. But ... I figured I should say hi, since we've got a lot of new people, and I haven't really introduced myself in a while.

My name's Dr. Ray Stantz, I'm a paranormal investigator and an engineer back home, which is New York at the tail end of the 20th century, for anyone who's curious. Back home I specialized in researching ghosts, spooks, spectres, and other supernatural phenomena, but lately I've been working on gathering data about all the stuff that goes on here. So, if anything out of what passes for "ordinary" around here happens, I'd love to hear from you so that I can try to help!

[there's a pause, as he reads over what the journal transcribed. yep, that looks good. he smiles to himself, then glances over the notes he's got spread out on the table around him]

Right now, though, I kinda need a break. And this last trip made me realize, I should probably come up with some way to defend myself a little better. I had a quick stint as a knight in Camelot, back home - long story - so I know a little bit about swords. Would anyone be willing to help me get better at it? Maybe help me get one of my own...?

Okay, guys, um, I've been doing a lot of research, and I might've found something. Everyone was taken during the night, right? Well, there's a substantial urban myth that you're not supposed to fall asleep with a mirror facing your bed. Both the Indian vastu and Chinese feng shui traditions maintain that it disrupts the flow of energy, but there's an even more troublesome side effect, and this is what's looking like it could be pretty relevant, the reason feng shui lists for keeping mirrors from facing the bed:

[he clears his throat and reads aloud:]

"Mirrors are never recommended to be hung in such a way that they reflect the bed. Mirrors are said to ‘capture the spirit’ of whatever they reflect, and they disrupt the internal harmony of the space."

Well. It's kind of a long shot, but ... if they got sucked into their mirrors ... it'd make sense that everything we're getting from them shows up backwards, right? I'm going to Fred's room to see if I can get some PKE readings on her mirrors ... I've got three spare meters, does anyone wanna take one and help me check the other missing people's rooms?

[it's been a busy morning so far, for Ray ... he pushes back from his workbench and leans back, stretching against his chair. and he doesn't bother with a filter, because what are those?]

Hey, Pete! Good news, your proton pack's finally done! Blue got a hold of the first batch coolant transfer tubing, so it took me a while to replace, but you can come and grab it whenever you've got a free minute. Maybe we can grab some lunch in town, too? I've got an errand I gotta run ...

Which, uh. Hey, Rarity? How's that coming?

[after a minute, he gets up and looks out the window] Geez, it's a beautiful day. Can't believe I spent half of it cooped up in here. Time flies when you're havin' fun, I guess. Anyone doing anything big outside, today? Seems like it'd be a great day for a picnic or a game of frisbee or something. You know, have everyone bring their dogs or their Pokemon or whatever ...

[someone whose first word upon returning from an unconscious trip home was "marshmallow" is regretting the strength of his own will, right about now.

up to his ears in peeps, he's trying to keep Blue from eating them, and Willow from burning them ... and basically his room is one huge melting sugary mess. thankfully, this is NOT his first time getting covered in marshmallow]

I just thought I should let everyone know that boiling water's the best solution for getting marshmallow off of clothes.

Oh, and uh, Paradisa? If you're listening? I WASN'T TALKING TO YOU. Real funny.

[… "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!))

[for the second time this year, Ray finds himself suiting up to do battle against the supernatural forces of Paradisa ...

only, this time, he's not exactly sure what he's looking for. that's not about to stop him, though]

Okay, everyone, I know there's been a call to evacuate the castle, but I think those've us who can fend for ourselves should try to make an effort to get rid of these ... biting mystery things. I'm in the lobby if anyone wants to meet me so we can come up with a plan and share whatever information everyone has ... Venkman, I've already got the Cheez-Its.

((OOC: Threadjack at will, fellow lobster hunters! Since there won't be any official progress until Sunday, this is just time to get some new CR and wander around - think of it as the montage before the Big Fight.))

[the crisp, dry rustle of pages, a slurp of liquid, and a quiet cough precede Ray's voice piping up into the journal]

So, hey, tomorrow's Friday the 13th. Back where I'm from, it's a day full of all kinds of superstitious implications, so I figured it might be a good idea to tell you all a little bit about it in advance. Not much advance, I know, but -- I just realized it was gonna be the 13th this morning, so - I've been refreshing my memory.

The whole superstition isn't as old as it could be, really. The earliest written record of it, in English, anyway, was in the journalist Henry Sutherland Edwards' biography of a composer named Gioachino Rossini, in 1869. It was the day the guy died, and in mentioning it, Edwards basically said it was a confirmation that the day was unlucky. Why it didn't show up in writing before then is anyone's guess, though, because there are scads of reasons why 13's an unlucky number. To start with, in numerology, 12 is the number of completeness: Jesus had 12 apostles, there were 12 high gods on Mount Olympus, there are 12 hours on a clock, and 12 tribes in Israel, among a bunch of other things. It's probably why baked goods traditionally come in dozens, too. There's a related superstition that having 13 members in a traveling party is bad luck. [another sip of his tea, and he keeps right on rambling] As for how Friday works into it? That started showing up in old wives' tales around the mid-seventeenth century - that's the 1600s for those of you keeping track. That links back to the Bible, too, though, since a lot of the more unlucky events are purported to have happened on Friday. Christ's crucifixion, Noah's flood, and the temptation of Adam in the Garden of Eden are three of the biggies. And to top it all off, the mass arrest of the Knights Templar is rumored to have been on a Friday the 13th, too. Which ... is really kind of funny, when you think about it, because Friday's named for Freya or Frigga, the Norse mother goddess, wife of Odin. Though really, depending on who you ask, Frigga and Freya are two different godesses, or they could be aspects of a Triple Goddess, or just the same woman with different names ... [AHEM] Anyway, NOTHING to do with the Bible, Norse goddesses. Not a thing.

So that's where the superstitions came from, but what exactly ARE they? Both Fridays AND the thirteenth of a month are rumored to be really nasty choices as far as when to start a new project, or move, or basically change a routine. But generally, it's just a big catch-all for bad luck. A lot of black cats and dogs crossing your path, ladders to walk under, cracks to step on, that sort of thing.

I know, it doesn't sound like much in the scheme of what Paradisa throws at us, yeah? But consider this: fear of Friday the 13th - or paraskevidekatriaphobia, from the Greek - was reported in a sociological study to be the most commonplace phobia in the United States. There's scientific evidence to back it up, too: hospital admission as a result of a transport accident statistically increased by as much as 52 percent on Friday the 13th. So it's no wonder a lot of superstitious people stay at home when it rolls around. ... Honestly, though, as with any type of luck, a lot of it's all will and thought-based. Keep your thoughts positive, and you should be just fine. Oh, and hey - if you're Chinese or Egyptian? Don't worry about it so much. In those cultures, thirteen's actually a lucky number.

Once again, I'm Dr. Ray Stantz, it's been a pleasure enlightening you all. If you've got any other questions, I'll be here in the library.


((OOC: And now, like a good researcher, I cite my sources. About.com | Wikipedia (with use of outward links for Freya, Edwards & Rossini) | Snopes THANK YOU AND GOODNIGHT.))