NOVEMBER-DECEMBER TEST DRIVE MEME

[indigo_events]

➞ Post with a character you wish to test drive in this game's setting.
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JOHTO | KANTO | SEVII ISLANDS

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Comments

Ray Stantz | The Real Ghostbusters

[ghoststanning]

[Video]

Is it on?

[The video turns onto a complete stranger. He perks up when he sees that he got it working and waves to the camera.]

Hey everyone, look what I got!

[Ray just picks up a giant Pumpkaboo. She cheers as she notices she's on screen. Ray nuzzles her a little bit before setting her down on his lap.]

Isn't she adorable? I've been doing some reading on this type of ghost when I got here apparently she has a soul trapped inside of her! This is just like the old folklore of "Jack of the Lantern", where an evil man tricks the devil into never taking his soul, but due to his wicked ways he isn't allowed to go into the heaven when he dies. So he's forced to to roam the night only using a lantern carved from a turnip until the end of time.

That's actually the origin story of Jack O' Lanterns themselves! But what's really interesting is that while people traditionally carve them to ward off spirits like Jack, Jackie here seems to like guiding spirits to the afterlife! She's such a good girl and I'm glad I met her.

[Ray gently pets Jackie's head before something seems to dawn on him.]

... Also I should have mentioned this earlier but hi, I'm Ray Stantz. Does anyone know where this place is? I'm pretty sure this isn't anywhere in New York but I have no idea where this place is! I just woke up here and was given Jackie by this strange woman.

[video]

[junosteel]

[A video of a rather disgruntled looking person is uploaded in response. The stranger has a scar across the bridge of his nose, an eyepatch, and looks...rather out of place in a cheerful environment like this.]

Seriously? You wake up with someone who claims to be your mom shoving you out the door and giving you a weird pumpkin monster, and your reaction is to do...this?

[Well. To each their own, he guesses. A Bunnelby can be seen sniffing the ground just off screen, occasionally pawing at the dirt and digging tiny holes.]

You're in New Bark Town, judging from your video. Haven't figured what goddamn planet this is, yet, since everyone keeps laughing at me for asking. Name's Juno Steel, I'm--

[A pause. He sees the Bunnelby in the corner of his screen chewing on a rare candy wrapper she found lying on the ground.]

Hey--Hey, stop! [The camera turns up to the sky as Juno places the device on the ground to attend to the Bunnelby.] Drop it, Small Fry! I said drop it!

[video]

[ghoststanning]

Of course it is. It's not every day you wake up in a new place with a new ghost that's friendly to y-whoa, are you're saying we're on a whole different planet?

[He actually sounds... kind of excited by this possibility?

He also doesn't really seem fazed by Juno running off to chase down their Bunnelby]

And that's a really cute rabbit you got there. Is she your pet too?

[video]

[junosteel]

[Juno returns looking slightly sweatier than before and with the Bunnelby tucked under his arm like a small stuffed animal. She doesn't seem to mind it, though, as she reaches a paw into his coat pocket to rummage through it.]

I don't know, there are tons of planets out there with people on them. Maybe we're in another dimension altogether. [A pause.] Wait, another ghost? You got two Pokémon?

[The Bunnelby pulls out a berry and starts munching on it, ears twitching.] I guess? Small Fry just didn't stop following me after "Mom" shoved her into my arms. She looks a hell of a lot different than the rabbits we had back on Mars.

[video]

[ghoststanning]

Oh no, I don't have another one here. It's just so rare for me to find ghosts that aren't hostile!

Besides Slimer of course, but he's not here.

[You know the ghost literally everyone knows and loves

Slimer

However something else draws his attention.]

Wait a minute, you're telling me you're from Mars? Like the planet Mars?

[video]

[junosteel]

Slimer is a ghost...?

[Juno half wants to say that ghosts don't exist, but like. That'd be a lie since there are literally so many ghost Pokémon here.

Small Fry wriggles her way out from under Juno's arm and climbs up to sit on top of his head. He winces as her claws dig into his back.]

Uh, yeah. People colonized it a while ago. Don't sound so surprised about it.

[He forgets...most people aren't...from his time....]

[video]

[ghoststanning]

[Jackie is already starting to doze off on Ray's lap. He idly pets her as he continues talking.]

Yeah, what did you think he was?

[From that wording Ray just... kind of assumes Juno already knows who Slimer is.]

What? You're kidding me right? No one's even landed on Mars yet, much less colonated it!

Re: [video]

[junosteel]

[A grunt.] The only ghosts I've ever seen back at home have been people trying to get revenge against me for some reason or another.

[also that one time he saw his brother and mom in the weird hallucination dream spiritual journey thing]

...Oh, no. You're one of those people from like, centuries into the past. Well, uh, spoiler alert: humankind makes it to the edges of the Milky Way Galaxy, and everyone who lives in it still sucks.

[IS HE?? ALLOWED TO SAY THIS STUFF TO PEOPLE FROM THE PAST??? HELL IF HE KNOWS]

[video]

[ghoststanning]

[Ray just kinda immediately buys this.

It's fine time travel exists in this universe and he already accidentally ghostbusted the ghosts from A Christmas Carol so he'll just buy anything at this point.]

Wow you're from the future? How did you guys figure out galactic travel? It's not exactly my area of expertise but I didn't know it would be possible to travel across the galaxy without it taking multiple lifetimes.

video

[blutsauger]

Ahh... I never did like the old tales about Jack O' Lanterns. They feel a bit unfairly biased. Imagine having the cleverness to trick the devil and only being punished for it!

[Medic leans back in his chair- the Pidove on his shoulder flutters his wings to regain his balance.]

Of course, that doesn't reflect back on your girl. She's certainly very cute!

And yes, that would be the woman who calls herself our "Mom". Yes, all of us. Every single person who comes here. It's very odd.

video

[ghoststanning]

I think there's an implication that he did a lot of horrible things in life beyond tricking the devil and that's why he was stuck. Besides, the devil is someone who always tries to win the upper hand.

[Not that he has any first hand experience. He's battled a lot of things but "satan himself" is not one of them.]

Really? That's odd, I wonder what's wrong with her. [He rubs his chin.] You think she might be a ghost of some kind?

[blutsauger]

Ehhhhh. What do we know, though? Those old tales always change over the centuries- for all you know, the only thing that man ever did wrong was trick the devil! It's a bit like the story of Arachne and Athena. In some versions, Arachne was wicked and blasphemous; in others, her only fault was being better than a god. No matter which sin, she was punished and turned into the first spider, despite winning fair and square. [[medic voice] sometimes you can be better than god or the devil and you shouldnt be punished for that actually. no im not biased] No one knows, to be honest. I doubt that "ghost" is the answer, though- ghost Pokemon would have already picked up on that, I believe.

[ghoststanning]

[Ray blinks a couple of times. Sure this guy isn't wrong, but...]

I guess you have a point, but I thought in every version of the story, Jack was seen as a bad person who got his comeuppance for messing with the devil.

[He's pretty sure at least.

Maybe there's an obscure version he's never read before??]

[blutsauger]

Details, details. Wouldn't you agree that, out of all beings, the devil would deserve to be messed with? He's the devil, after all!

[ghoststanning]

I guess you're not wrong, but Jack wasn't really prepared for the long term. Or went to mess with the devils for reasons beyond personal gain.

[blutsauger]

[... it's weird, but the Pidove on Medic's shoulder starts making a sound- almost like laughter, but with coos. Medic glares.] Oh, you hush. Ahem. Anyway. We were talking about you newly arriving here, yes? The mother is very likely not a ghost, though I am curious as to why you think so. [Fucking. Subtle change of topic]

[ghoststanning]

[Ray frowns slightly, but! He is glad to be talking about ghosts some more.]

Well you know how sometimes ghost don't realize they're dead and instead repeat the same actions over and over? I was thinking that maybe that's the case with her! Maybe she died missing her child and, out of grief, started going through the motions and seeing everyone she comes across as her child!

[stanford pines voice] I FOUND MY PEOPLE

[meteorman]

[OH HEY ALL OF THAT WAS RELEVANT TO FORD'S INTERESTS. He'll even overlook this guy being from New York (Kings of New Jersey! Kings of New Jersey!) in the name of all the rest of that very good paragraph.

Nestled in the collar of his coat, right against his turtleneck, is a pumpkaboo that's barely bigger than a couple inches around.]

What I always wondered was whether ancient Pumpkaboo also inhabited turnips as opposed to the pumpkins they favor now. The interplay between human mythology and Pokémon physiology is surprisingly complex so it's not out of the realm of possibility.

[This is the important thing to address, out of all of that. 'Where am I and am I going to be okay?' is a boring stupid question when you could be talking about weird alien monsters.]

somewhere peter venkman is crying in horror

[ghoststanning]

You know I was just wondering that myself! I'm guessing you've seen more of them around to confirm that this sort of ghost normally comes in a pumpkin variety.

[Yeah Ray should be pretty concerned in this situation since 1) He has not seen any of the other ghostbusters yet 2) He has zero equipment on him and 3) he has already definitely confirmed that there are ghosts wherever this is

But oh my god is that a tiny pumpkin cat?!]

Oh is that another one of those Pumpkaboo in your collar? I didn't realize they came in such small sizes! Jackie's the perfect size for me but is that normal for the ghosts here to come in such a large variety of sizes?

[meteorman]

No, actually. Pokémon of every species exhibit a certain amount of physical variance but by and large they adhere very closely to a breed standard, with a few notable exceptions. Pumpkaboo and their wildly varying sizes are one such exception. Samhain here is the smallest I've ever seen personally, but the smallest on record actually has him beaten out by a centimeter's worth of diameter or so.

[He does pronounce Samhain correctly. Of course he does.]

... though now this has me wondering if Cofagrigus vary in size depending on the stature of their living counterparts. I ought to ask Mallory how tall she used to be.

[ghoststanning]

You named him Samhain?

[Stan you are already his favorite person here.]

Cofargrius? I'm guessing that's another kind of ghost since you mentioned "living counterpart".

[meteorman]

Oh-- yes. You're new and there's upwards of seven-hundred species to keep track of, of course you wouldn't know. Let me demonstrate.

[He pulls a Pokéball from the strap across his chest. Out of it pops this fuggin thing. There's a pronounced smile and a beauty mark on the mask that adorns her forehead.]

It's worth noting that 'ghost' is very loosely defined here. Very few Ghost Pokémon are actually human souls inhabiting a new form after death. Mallory is, but Samhain is not, and neither are any of the other ghosts I care for -- or at least, they haven't told me if they are.

[Mallory waves two of her four big ghostly hands. Hi, new buddy! She totally used to be a person and she's not even mad about it!]

[ghoststanning]

[Ray waves back at her.]

So I'm guessing here "ghost" is a catch-all term to describe other ghosts and supernatural beings?

And wow I've never seen a specter of a former human that presents themselves as a sarcophagus in their ghost form! She's beautiful Like this.

[Video]

[flying_beefcake]

Ooh! I think I know this one.

[You're being answered by a man with a normal-form Castform floating cheerfully near his shoulder.]

....It's a trick question, right? Cause jackolanterns are pumpkins, not turnips. Got it.

[He grins broadly, pleased at having solved the nonexistent riddle.]

[Video]

[ghoststanning]

[Blinks.]

Good answer, but I'm still not sure where I am.

This definitely isn't New York, but that's all I've gathered.