app for abaxrpg
player information.
name: Athena
are you over 18?: Yep.
personal lj: jarate
email/msn/aim/plurk/etc: ghostlights @ Plurk | hplovemachine @ AIM
characters in abax: n/a
in character information.
series: Ghostbusters (movieverse)
name: Dr. Raymond Francis Stantz
sex: Male
age: 32
race: Human
height: 6’1
weight: 210
canon point: Post-Ghostbusters 2
previous cr: n/a
history: Here
personality: The first thing to note about Ray is that he is a person with intentions that you can tell right off the bat are sincere. He is neither a person who takes advantage of others to further his own gain, nor is he clinically detached and stoic to the point of being emotionless. In fact, his problem is that he’s too emotional for his own good. He’s easy to read, easy to excite, and easy to get along with. Much like a puppy, he aims to please; he’s the kind of guy who not only doesn’t take no for an answer, but also will go out of his way to make others happy and expect nothing for it in return. He’s a very simple person with a whole lot of innocence to his name - a naïve person - that, for some, the idea that there’s a genius scientist below that childish exterior isn’t just ridiculous - it’s laughable.
Still, if there’s one thing he’s great at that doesn’t fall within the realms of academia, it’s breaking conventions. He doesn’t fit the traditional definition of a cold, pragmatic man of science (that would be Egon’s area anyway), although he does have the manic personality traits and the quirkiness squared away. If you’re attacked by a ghost, that’s great - the residue from that gooey ectoplasm could really come in handy later on! It’d be pretty awful if you were possessed by some awful eldritch abomination, but hey, if you get out of this intact you’ll be one of a minority of people who’ve experienced this kind of brush with the other side! That would make you special, right? Ray certainly seems to think it would. Even when it doesn’t seem particularly appropriate, he’s always looking at the upside of things and has a positive thing to say for every negative situation, especially when it comes to the paranormal. There’s a genuine fascination for the supernatural that isn’t rooted in a desire for self-gain or an obsessive need for knowledge - for Ray, it’s just an area he truly loves and wants to learn more about, even if some of the phenomena he indulges is questionable at best…like an undersea mass sponge migration where the sponges barely moved about a foot and a half. If there’s an opportunity for research and experimentation, he’s one of the first ones to jump at the call, and with his brand of enthusiasm, it’s very easy to get dragged along for the ride. For an area of science as strange as his is, he does conduct himself with an air of professionalism and tries to save the silliness for when he’s off the clock.
If one half of Ray is devoted to his duties as a Ghostbuster, the other belongs to his friends. When we’re first introduced to him, the foundation of his character is slowly built through his interactions with Peter Venkman and Egon Spengler, to whom he regards as his best friends. He’s very patient with Venkman despite the other man’s sarcasm and unrestrained ridicule for Ray’s eccentricities, but there’s never any impression that it’s serious; despite having next to nothing in common with Peter, it doesn’t stop Ray from sharing his theories and confiding in him. He shares more similarities with Egon even if he can come across as a little too rigid and creepily driven to the pursuit of science, but he’s grounded and sensible and makes terrific company to discuss particle acceleration with over junk food. And despite initially only knowing Winston Zeddemore for less than five minutes, Ray eagerly accepts him into the team with open arms and immediately bonds with him during their nightly drives across the city.
He does have his limits, though; even if he isn’t as sharp-tongued as Venkman, he’s perfectly capable of dishing out a cynical - even horribly blunt - comment or two when the situation calls for it, and he’s not nearly gullible enough to shrug off harsh insults. He’s brave and resolute to see things through, but not unshakeable or immune to the worst excesses of the paranormal - the horrifying, ugly stuff that the Ghostbusters put up with so the rest of New York doesn’t have to - and it’s not at all uncommon for his emotions to get him into trouble, especially with the malicious entities he encounters that have a knack for manipulating them. It's rare to see him angry, but when he is, it's a surreal sight that leaves anyone on the receiving end of it very unfortunate indeed.
Overall, Ray is a sweet person with a good head on his shoulders who fits snugly into the role as the team’s heart. What he lacks in social skills he makes up with well-meaning intentions, and his knack of thinking outside the box has benefited the Ghostbusters well over the years be it through the construction of necessary (but outlandish) equipment or tactics to take down some of their weirder enemies. His optimism is contagious and it’s very hard not to feel like smiling after you’ve caught it.
abilities/powers: Ray is an ordinary human with no powers or special abilities. However, he has a genius intellect and a complex understanding of machines. He’s canonically capable of repairing cars and is the one who, along with Egon, engineered the equipment the Ghostbusters use on their missions, including having a hand in creating the containment grid they use to hold captured ghosts and other malicious entities. To give a higher sense of scale, the proton packs they use are more or less miniature nuclear accelerators.
Additionally, he also displays some minor sensitivity to the supernatural that the other Ghostbusters don’t. He’s been possessed by spirits before (once in the second movie, multiple times in the video game), so naturally this puts him at quite the disadvantage and is more of a weakness than a strength.
first person sample: Examples can be found here!
third person sample: It was the biggest book on the shelf closest to the cash register, and it was also the heaviest. Ray had to pick it up with both hands and heft it, carrying it like he was back in Biology 101 and it was his old monstrous text book. When he dropped it on the counter in front of the man behind it, it made quite the spectacular thud and scattered dust particles in the air, which he batted away with one hand. His smile never diminished.
“I think you’re really gonna like this, sir. You know, most supposed alien encounters have been mistaken for actual and seemingly inadvertent breakthroughs with the astral plane. What you see as a monster may actually be a spirit self - an inner manifestation of the soul.”
The young man behind the counter eyed the book with a cagey look, lifting his mechanic’s cap up to scratch at his grease factory of a head. His face was a minefield of pockmarks and his eyes had a dull but foxy quality to them, a kind of animal intelligence that took Ray back to his days at Columbia when they still used rodents as test subjects. He was sure that his little sale’s pitch would not have had as much effect if Venkman were here; as persistent and capable as the guy could be when it came to making a quick buck, he lacked Ray’s patience for what was to be considered “the usual crowd” that frequented the store.
That and he pretty sure Pete wouldn’t want to be anywhere near someone that smelled this bad.
“Darcy DuBois is famous for his research into the third-eye,” Ray continued, watching the man with eagle eyes as he leafed through dusty, yellowed pages. “In fact -” And here he paused only to slap the man’s fingers when he came close to tearing one of the edges, much to the other’s bewildered chagrin. “- it’s said that he had over four dozen out of body experiences up until his death in 1968 from alcohol poisoning, though some theorists in the field maintain that it was actually caused by a malevolent entity that he came into contact with in the astral world. That would explain why he went comatose before he bit the big one, but -”
“This ain’t dangerous or nothin’, right?” The guy interrupted peevishly, rubbing his fingers. “I mean, everyone who I spoke to after the night I saw that…that light…we all reckoned it was from a UFO or somethin‘. Ain’t no one told me anything about planes.”
“Not many people are aware of the kind of metaphysical experience you’ve had, let ones who know how to recognize it for what it is.” The bell that hung over the front door to the shop rang and a warm breeze of wind was carried in by whoever entered. Ray’s eyes briefly scanned the area and made out the shapes of three people; window shoppers with no clue or true interest in the books they browsed, he assumed. His attention was back at the greasy man, enthusiasm fading as his gaze became solemn. It was his proper business face that he reserved for the Ghostbusters and hard to convince customers alike.
“It would be better for you to educate yourself on it before committing to any studies,” He said. “I have some colleagues who would love to see some brain wave readings, and of course you’d be compensated for your time in addition to being taught how to control this - gift -“
The guy’s eyes widened. “I’d get money out of this?”
“A small reimbursement, but it’s trivial compared to the prestige and respect you’d also gain. You could set a new standard, become a metaphorical figurehead! There’s a lot of people out there who could benefit from your brave example.”
It was hard to contain how excited he was getting. Pete loved guys like this and Egon would be thrilled to have a willing recipient to test some of their prototype instruments on. And the guy, despite looking as if he hadn’t quite gotten the gist of the whole picture, looked happy enough. It was win-win all around. He was quite taken with the prospect of turning their research to the study of the great unknown that was the astral plane that he didn’t notice the three customers flounce their way up to the counter, the head of the little group elbowing the hick out of the way. Ray was pulled back into the reality just as the teen -a kid, no older than sixteen, dressed in dark clothing with a pallid face - spoke in an irritatingly nasally voice:
"Do you, like, still have that summoning book? ‘Cause you did when we were here last week."
He said that as if Ray remembered and, after a few blissfully oblivious moments, he did. Suppressing a groan and momentarily forgetting about his smelly friend, he waggled a finger at the sign he kept behind the counter.
“Yeah, and what did I say before?”
The youth’s brow creased. “You just said you that didn’t sell the Necronom -”
“- That minors aren’t allowed to buy grimoires without written notification from adult guardians over the age of 21!” Ray interrupted with a huffy little sigh. “Store policy. If you would’ve brought your mommy along, maybe it’d be a different story.”
The kid’s friends looked torn between snickering and pouting while their friend’s pale face darkened. These were the little moments he treasured just as much as the opportunities he had to further his research. While the teen was busying himself with coming up with a counterattack (or deciding if it would be feasible to run back to his apartment two five blocks down to get his mother), Ray turned back to the other man, the sunny, cheerful smile playing on his face once more as though nothing had interrupted them.
“Right,” He said. “Cash or credit?”
case no: No preference.
name: Athena
are you over 18?: Yep.
personal lj: jarate
email/msn/aim/plurk/etc: ghostlights @ Plurk | hplovemachine @ AIM
characters in abax: n/a
in character information.
series: Ghostbusters (movieverse)
name: Dr. Raymond Francis Stantz
sex: Male
age: 32
race: Human
height: 6’1
weight: 210
canon point: Post-Ghostbusters 2
previous cr: n/a
history: Here
personality: The first thing to note about Ray is that he is a person with intentions that you can tell right off the bat are sincere. He is neither a person who takes advantage of others to further his own gain, nor is he clinically detached and stoic to the point of being emotionless. In fact, his problem is that he’s too emotional for his own good. He’s easy to read, easy to excite, and easy to get along with. Much like a puppy, he aims to please; he’s the kind of guy who not only doesn’t take no for an answer, but also will go out of his way to make others happy and expect nothing for it in return. He’s a very simple person with a whole lot of innocence to his name - a naïve person - that, for some, the idea that there’s a genius scientist below that childish exterior isn’t just ridiculous - it’s laughable.
Still, if there’s one thing he’s great at that doesn’t fall within the realms of academia, it’s breaking conventions. He doesn’t fit the traditional definition of a cold, pragmatic man of science (that would be Egon’s area anyway), although he does have the manic personality traits and the quirkiness squared away. If you’re attacked by a ghost, that’s great - the residue from that gooey ectoplasm could really come in handy later on! It’d be pretty awful if you were possessed by some awful eldritch abomination, but hey, if you get out of this intact you’ll be one of a minority of people who’ve experienced this kind of brush with the other side! That would make you special, right? Ray certainly seems to think it would. Even when it doesn’t seem particularly appropriate, he’s always looking at the upside of things and has a positive thing to say for every negative situation, especially when it comes to the paranormal. There’s a genuine fascination for the supernatural that isn’t rooted in a desire for self-gain or an obsessive need for knowledge - for Ray, it’s just an area he truly loves and wants to learn more about, even if some of the phenomena he indulges is questionable at best…like an undersea mass sponge migration where the sponges barely moved about a foot and a half. If there’s an opportunity for research and experimentation, he’s one of the first ones to jump at the call, and with his brand of enthusiasm, it’s very easy to get dragged along for the ride. For an area of science as strange as his is, he does conduct himself with an air of professionalism and tries to save the silliness for when he’s off the clock.
If one half of Ray is devoted to his duties as a Ghostbuster, the other belongs to his friends. When we’re first introduced to him, the foundation of his character is slowly built through his interactions with Peter Venkman and Egon Spengler, to whom he regards as his best friends. He’s very patient with Venkman despite the other man’s sarcasm and unrestrained ridicule for Ray’s eccentricities, but there’s never any impression that it’s serious; despite having next to nothing in common with Peter, it doesn’t stop Ray from sharing his theories and confiding in him. He shares more similarities with Egon even if he can come across as a little too rigid and creepily driven to the pursuit of science, but he’s grounded and sensible and makes terrific company to discuss particle acceleration with over junk food. And despite initially only knowing Winston Zeddemore for less than five minutes, Ray eagerly accepts him into the team with open arms and immediately bonds with him during their nightly drives across the city.
He does have his limits, though; even if he isn’t as sharp-tongued as Venkman, he’s perfectly capable of dishing out a cynical - even horribly blunt - comment or two when the situation calls for it, and he’s not nearly gullible enough to shrug off harsh insults. He’s brave and resolute to see things through, but not unshakeable or immune to the worst excesses of the paranormal - the horrifying, ugly stuff that the Ghostbusters put up with so the rest of New York doesn’t have to - and it’s not at all uncommon for his emotions to get him into trouble, especially with the malicious entities he encounters that have a knack for manipulating them. It's rare to see him angry, but when he is, it's a surreal sight that leaves anyone on the receiving end of it very unfortunate indeed.
Overall, Ray is a sweet person with a good head on his shoulders who fits snugly into the role as the team’s heart. What he lacks in social skills he makes up with well-meaning intentions, and his knack of thinking outside the box has benefited the Ghostbusters well over the years be it through the construction of necessary (but outlandish) equipment or tactics to take down some of their weirder enemies. His optimism is contagious and it’s very hard not to feel like smiling after you’ve caught it.
abilities/powers: Ray is an ordinary human with no powers or special abilities. However, he has a genius intellect and a complex understanding of machines. He’s canonically capable of repairing cars and is the one who, along with Egon, engineered the equipment the Ghostbusters use on their missions, including having a hand in creating the containment grid they use to hold captured ghosts and other malicious entities. To give a higher sense of scale, the proton packs they use are more or less miniature nuclear accelerators.
Additionally, he also displays some minor sensitivity to the supernatural that the other Ghostbusters don’t. He’s been possessed by spirits before (once in the second movie, multiple times in the video game), so naturally this puts him at quite the disadvantage and is more of a weakness than a strength.
first person sample: Examples can be found here!
third person sample: It was the biggest book on the shelf closest to the cash register, and it was also the heaviest. Ray had to pick it up with both hands and heft it, carrying it like he was back in Biology 101 and it was his old monstrous text book. When he dropped it on the counter in front of the man behind it, it made quite the spectacular thud and scattered dust particles in the air, which he batted away with one hand. His smile never diminished.
“I think you’re really gonna like this, sir. You know, most supposed alien encounters have been mistaken for actual and seemingly inadvertent breakthroughs with the astral plane. What you see as a monster may actually be a spirit self - an inner manifestation of the soul.”
The young man behind the counter eyed the book with a cagey look, lifting his mechanic’s cap up to scratch at his grease factory of a head. His face was a minefield of pockmarks and his eyes had a dull but foxy quality to them, a kind of animal intelligence that took Ray back to his days at Columbia when they still used rodents as test subjects. He was sure that his little sale’s pitch would not have had as much effect if Venkman were here; as persistent and capable as the guy could be when it came to making a quick buck, he lacked Ray’s patience for what was to be considered “the usual crowd” that frequented the store.
That and he pretty sure Pete wouldn’t want to be anywhere near someone that smelled this bad.
“Darcy DuBois is famous for his research into the third-eye,” Ray continued, watching the man with eagle eyes as he leafed through dusty, yellowed pages. “In fact -” And here he paused only to slap the man’s fingers when he came close to tearing one of the edges, much to the other’s bewildered chagrin. “- it’s said that he had over four dozen out of body experiences up until his death in 1968 from alcohol poisoning, though some theorists in the field maintain that it was actually caused by a malevolent entity that he came into contact with in the astral world. That would explain why he went comatose before he bit the big one, but -”
“This ain’t dangerous or nothin’, right?” The guy interrupted peevishly, rubbing his fingers. “I mean, everyone who I spoke to after the night I saw that…that light…we all reckoned it was from a UFO or somethin‘. Ain’t no one told me anything about planes.”
“Not many people are aware of the kind of metaphysical experience you’ve had, let ones who know how to recognize it for what it is.” The bell that hung over the front door to the shop rang and a warm breeze of wind was carried in by whoever entered. Ray’s eyes briefly scanned the area and made out the shapes of three people; window shoppers with no clue or true interest in the books they browsed, he assumed. His attention was back at the greasy man, enthusiasm fading as his gaze became solemn. It was his proper business face that he reserved for the Ghostbusters and hard to convince customers alike.
“It would be better for you to educate yourself on it before committing to any studies,” He said. “I have some colleagues who would love to see some brain wave readings, and of course you’d be compensated for your time in addition to being taught how to control this - gift -“
The guy’s eyes widened. “I’d get money out of this?”
“A small reimbursement, but it’s trivial compared to the prestige and respect you’d also gain. You could set a new standard, become a metaphorical figurehead! There’s a lot of people out there who could benefit from your brave example.”
It was hard to contain how excited he was getting. Pete loved guys like this and Egon would be thrilled to have a willing recipient to test some of their prototype instruments on. And the guy, despite looking as if he hadn’t quite gotten the gist of the whole picture, looked happy enough. It was win-win all around. He was quite taken with the prospect of turning their research to the study of the great unknown that was the astral plane that he didn’t notice the three customers flounce their way up to the counter, the head of the little group elbowing the hick out of the way. Ray was pulled back into the reality just as the teen -a kid, no older than sixteen, dressed in dark clothing with a pallid face - spoke in an irritatingly nasally voice:
"Do you, like, still have that summoning book? ‘Cause you did when we were here last week."
He said that as if Ray remembered and, after a few blissfully oblivious moments, he did. Suppressing a groan and momentarily forgetting about his smelly friend, he waggled a finger at the sign he kept behind the counter.
“Yeah, and what did I say before?”
The youth’s brow creased. “You just said you that didn’t sell the Necronom -”
“- That minors aren’t allowed to buy grimoires without written notification from adult guardians over the age of 21!” Ray interrupted with a huffy little sigh. “Store policy. If you would’ve brought your mommy along, maybe it’d be a different story.”
The kid’s friends looked torn between snickering and pouting while their friend’s pale face darkened. These were the little moments he treasured just as much as the opportunities he had to further his research. While the teen was busying himself with coming up with a counterattack (or deciding if it would be feasible to run back to his apartment two five blocks down to get his mother), Ray turned back to the other man, the sunny, cheerful smile playing on his face once more as though nothing had interrupted them.
“Right,” He said. “Cash or credit?”
case no: No preference.