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Hello, my name is Dr. Ray Stantz. I've already met a few of you, but what you may not be aware of is that I was a Ghostbuster long before arriving here. In fact, I helped invent most of the equipment associated with the job. I'm aware that doesn't make much sense, considering the Job class was available before I even arrived here, but I gather there's probably more than a few temporal shenanigans going on.

Anyways, considering my prior knowledge about the subject, I've been asked by Cid to write a guide on it. So, without further ado...

RAY'S GUIDE TO GHOSTBUSTING

THE PROTON PACK

Apart from one's own mind, the most important tool in a Ghostbuster's arsenal is the Proton Pack^{(see diagram 1)}. While there are several different variations in the design of said pack, for the most part they all function in similar ways. All proton packs consist of a portable particle accelerator, powered by a nuclear power cell, linked to a handheld Particle Thrower, aka Neutrona Wand, aka Proton Gun. When fired, the particle thrower emits a stream of highly charged ionized protons. This stream is able to harm, and even wrangle, any ghost it hits.

(diagram 1)

THIS IN NO WAY MEANS IT IS INCAPABLE OF HARMING LIVING BEINGS OR INANIMATE OBJECTS.

Should it strike a living being, it will almost certainly cause anything from second to third degree burns, and various other forms of soft tissue damage. Should it be fired inside a building, it will likely end up breaking several fragile objects and cause light to severe structural damage. Please keep this in mind when using it.

Many proton packs are modified to produce exotic particles. These particles are able to freeze ghosts right in their tracks. However, the effects on biological entities is less well known. Should your Proton Pack include a Dark Matter Generator, please do not use that setting to fire at sentient beings. I'd rather not know what happens in that case.

Additionally, do not attempt to open the proton pack without proper safety equipment. The power cell is required to be shielded at all times. Opening the pack will cause it to become unshielded, and you will likely end up with radiation poisoning, and possibly cancer. The shielding is necessary to prevent either of these things from happening.
Finally, and most importantly...

DO NOT CROSS THE STREAMS.

Doing so can cause extreme injury, and even death, to you and anyone near you. A worst case scenario is instantaneously ending all life as we know it. A more likely worst case scenario will only vaporise yourself and everything within a mile radius of your location. It's important to note that, thankfully, it's extremely difficult, if not impossible, to cross them accidentally. The positively charged streams of energy will naturally repel each other, thereby preventing any accidental contact.
As an additional note, there may be times when crossing the streams is necessary. Please use the following checklist if you are unsure whether given incident may require crossing the streams.

Have I exhausted all other possible options?
Is the entity I'm combating a literal deity?
Is the entity both willing and capable of committing mass genocide under it's own power?
Is the entity both willing and capable of leveling several cities within a day to week long period?
Is the entity capable of destroying the planet?
Am I, and everyone in a mile radius of my location, probably going to die anyways should I fail to stop the entity?

Keep all this in mind, and above all be careful. Should you do so, I believe the proton pack will be a welcome addition to any Hero of Light's arsenal.

SENSOR EQUIPMENT

You might have been provided with various equipment to track spectral entities. A dark light uses ultraviolet light to illuminate things that may otherwise be invisible. That said, there are places you may want to think twice about using it. Hotel rooms come to mind. Even in the realm of paranormal investigation there are things you really don't want to know.

Additionally, you might receive a PKE Meter^{(see diagram 2)}. These can be used to measure and track psychokinetic energy, thereby allowing you to trace the remnants of a ghosts PKE signature back to the source. You can even use it track down supernatural objects. The bars rise as the PKE meter either approaches comes closer to a given PKE manifestation, or encounters a particularly strong one.

(diagram 2)

Do not attempt to modify the PKE Meter. Certain parts inside contain materials that can cause incredibly difficult to remove stains should they come into contact with human skin.

CONTAINMENT

Now that you've tracked down your ghost and weakened it, it's time to capture it. For this, you may have been provided with a Ghost Trap^{(see diagram 3)}. Under normal circumstances, the trap is a temporary measure for holding ghosts until they can be transferred to a much large containment unit. However, I've been given to understand that here, they can hold ghosts indefinitely.

(diagram 3)

Roll the trap directly underneath the weakened entity, wrangle the entity into position, and press down on the attached foot pedal to open the trap. The entity will be dragged inside, and you may then lift your foot off of the pedal, thereby closing the trap.

DON'T LOOK DIRECTLY INTO THE TRAP.

While it's less dangerous than some of the other warnings mentioned here, looking directly into the trap may cause flash blindness. This can be a safety issue, especially if dealing with multiple other spectral entities.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Try to be polite. It's not always necessary or advisable to capture a ghost. You may be able to head off any possible confrontations or by simply making polite conversation with the entity. Best case scenario, you may even be able to convince it to move on from this plane of existence.
Research, research, research. Find out everything you can about a given entity. The one bit of extra knowledge could be the key to talking it down, or should you need to fight, it's defeat.
Don't be afraid to bust some heads, in a spiritual sense, of course. There may not even be the option of conversation. Be prepared to lay the positronic smackdown on whatever entity you're dealing with.
If someone asks if you're a god, you say yes. Evil Deities are much more willing to chat if they think you have the power to stop them. Or they may ask for proof, and attack you if you don't measure up. It's still a better deal than saying no and being attacked outright. I learned that one from experience.

If you have any additional questions, don't hesitate to ask.

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This is the nerdiest thing in the world, and I love it. Dr. Stantz, I would subscribe to your newsletter.

So this job is available to anyone right now, and you have a primer here I see. Anything else we need to know about it? Augmentations? Maint?

We had a few packs with additional modes of operation that we were testing out back home. The previously mentioned Dark Matter Generator, Boson Darts, a slime blower filled with positively charged mood slime for negating possessions, and a meson collider for firing homing particles. Aside from the from the generator though, it doesn't look like these packs come with them.

I'd modify them myself, but I don't have access to some of the necessary materials, nor am I entirely sure they'd actually work here anyways. The packs themselves apparently already conflict with this universes laws of physics. The only thing that allows them to work is the job class itself.

As for maintenance? I've never really had to teach anyone that. Egon and I always handled it. Honestly, they're fairly sturdy pieces of equipment, they'd have to be to stand up to what my team deals with everyday. If you do pick up the job and have any issues with the pack, I can take a look at it myself.

Good news is you don't need to change the batteries. The power cell has a half life of 5000 years.

A shame, I don't have this job right now but I'd love to get it sometime soon just in case. And shiny things are shiny.

Possibly not? Maybe. We'll have to see.

Mr Stanz,

Your designs and blueprints, if I am free to say so, are absolutely brilliant! Though, I'd be interested to hear what you might think about some tweaks and improvements on the design. There might be a better way to extrapolate power from the core of the pack to either offer greater tackling power, or maybe even a propulsion containment unit that can be attached to the beam?

I guess what I'm saying is that I'd very much like to speak with you whenever you might have the free time. I fancy myself to be a bit of an inventor, and would love to exchange ideas so long as you're free and willing.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best wishes,
Bulma Briefs

Miss Briefs,

We work in New York City, so my colleague, Egon Spengler, and I found that the current power output is a happy medium between having issues weakening ghosts and causing irreparable damage to city landmarks. We've already done our fair share of that, I don't think the city would be too happy if we increased the damage output.

All the same though, I'd love to hear your ideas,

Ray

Edited 2015-11-16 16:31 (UTC)

Not familiar with the location, but I totally understand the limiters you've placed on the system. Without putting it on too thick, this sort of invention is beyond impressive. It's a bit risky, but I assume where you're from that this was the only real source of power available (or at least to harness that level of energy?

Where I come from, nuclear energy is all but obsolete, with less than a handful of dangerous criminals attempting to use it for their means. I'm not sure how doable it is, but have you looked into an alternate energy source here in Crystallis? I can't imagine what could be used, but I doubt that wearing that kind of equipment poses a potential risk?

My thoughts were that we might perhaps use the crystals we were given as a source of power, but something tells me that there's more to these crystals than they're telling us (of which I've heard very little). I also can't help but imagine what could be done if the magic of this world could be harnessed into an energy source. Not for any sort of weapons development, mind you, but as a reliable energy source for the people here. I don't see why that same energy couldn't be used to power the packs, but this is all hypothetical.

Either way, I appreciate the reply. Do let me know when you have the free time to meet. It'd be much easier to sit in front of a drawing board and work on things rather than take up so much space in writing back and forth. It's a much better use for paper and ink, wouldn't you agree?

Bulma

Bulma,

It is. We tried to run them off the city's power grid once, but when Egon plugged the prototype in it caused a minor blackout. As for running them off the crystals here, it may not work. Apparently, under normal circumstances, the science behind the packs is actually incompatible with the laws of physics in this reality. If the Ghostbusters Job class isn't equipped, they stop functioning entirely. It's something I'm planning on looking into when I have the time.

-Ray

Dear Dr. Ray Stantz,

This would have been very helpful about a month ago. I guess it's a good thing that you are here now. We have actually crossed the streams, me and a few others. I died from the encounter but the others were fine, more or less. There are some things I'd like to talk to you about...

In a spiritual sense.

Though my world is very different than yours most likely. We know what happens to the dead there and their spirits.

-Yunie

Yunie,

Sounds like fun. I'm already planning on comparing notes with Rukia about her own world's spirits. I'd be more that happy to talk with you about yours.

-Ray

Ray,

I don’t know anything about Rukia’s world, from what I’ve gathered it sounds like Earth though I’ve never been there. I’ve just heard a lot about it.

My world is called Spira… One of the reasons I wanted to bring it up is that it’s like this world in a way. When people die they don’t just disappear… well, it’s actually a little complicated because those in Spira don’t have bodies, when we die we do disappear but we turn into pyrflies which you call spirits or ghosts. If they aren’t sent they can become monsters or they can use their will to live again….

I’m not sure if that makes much sense; which might be why it’d be nice to talk about. The souls here, after the war, were used for something. I think that’s what made the ghosts appear. Like an after image after their soul was absorbed into the crystal. The energy of their life was used… I image it would be painful.

-Yunie

Ray,

Thank you for writing such an in depth report. I recently acquired a dark matter generator for my own proton pack, but I wasn't entirely sure as to how to operate that particular feature, nor was I clear on what it would do. From what I understand, it can be used to incapacitate spiritual entities and prevent them from moving? I would appreciate any further details you could provide.

I want to express again that I am glad you could join us in this world. You've adapted swiftly, and I'm quite pleased at your rapid progress. Should you require my assistance, you have but to ask. Currently I am stationed in Esdham to the south, but I plan to make routine visits to Aqures Ixen when I am able.

~Rukia

Rukia,

In the case of weaker ghosts, yes. More powerful spirits are just slowed down by it. And all of them can eventually throw it off.

Adapting hasn't been that hard, really. Alternate dimensions and preparing to try and stop the end of the world isn't exactly new to me. At least this time the alternate dimension isn't the thing causing the end of the world.

By the way, let me know next time you're in town, I'm getting my copy of Tobin's in exchange for this.

-Ray

Ray,

So that's how it works. I imagine it must make ghostbusting immensely easier in that case, and will likely reduce property damage resulting from a misfire. Consider yourself fortunate that you were not here last month. You would have been run ragged with the sheer volume of spirits roaming the city, and the number of us who would have pressed you for information on this new job.

I'm impressed that you're so well-traveled. How many times have you stopped the end of the world from coming?

[And he'd better believe she's excited that he's getting a copy of Tobin's Spirit Guide.]

What excellent news! I'll be certain to send a letter in advance, in that case. Thank you for remembering my interest. Once I've adopted my Scholar job, I may be able to transcribe a copy with your permission.

~Rukia

Rukia-

Three times so far, although only one involved traveling to an alternate dimension.

And you certainly have my permission to reproduce it.

-Ray

Ray,

Three! That's astonishing, if a little alarming. It seems we will have a great deal of interesting stories to exchange the next time I travel north. I must say that it is refreshing to speak of these matters so frankly with one of the living. I look forward to our next meeting, and you have my thanks.

~Rukia

[Johnny's going to spend a good long while staring at this letter, staring at the name attached to it, and quietly freaking out to himself about this. There's a Ghostbuster here. Like a real one. Amazing.]

Hey man, this is good stuff. Thanks for the in-depth analysis.

As a head's up, some of us tried the crossing the streams thing, and actually manages to survive it. I'm as surprised as you are. But it seemed the only way to stop the giantic marshamallow moogle from hell that was trying to destroy this city that I just spent the last several months busting my ass to help fix. It took five of us, and a lot of other people hitting it with cannon fire and stuff, but it worked in the end.

-- Johnny D'Amico

Edited 2015-11-16 03:36 (UTC)

Johnny-

I heard about that. Honestly, I'm not as surprised as I should be. It sounds like it was a Class 7 Metaspectre, and, I'm beginning think entities on that level may actually absorb the brunt of the backlash, keeping the damage contained. It's just a hypothesis though, I don't have nearly enough datapoints to say one way or the other. Which is probably a good thing.

-Ray

Ray -

Considering how things go around here? You're bound to get some data on some pretty crazy shit eventually. And a lot of it is magic or spirit bases stuff, so I think you'll have a lot of stuff to take notes on. Keep lots of notebooks.

-- Johnny

Johnny-

Already planning on it. A friend of mine would be, let's say, less than pleased with me if I traveled to a world with a entirely different set of laws of physics and didn't bring back anything for him to study.

-Ray

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