CrimsonGhostbuster;130994
For a second I thought I saw a menorah in the background… turned out to be a … birdcage?

Birdcage. All the stuff in the “apartment” is, unfortunately, glued down, so I have no way to remove it without destroying the dollhouse (I'm still not sure where it came from). All I can do is try to explain it away.

Just wanted to warn everyone that this might not get out EXACTLY on Christmas Day. I might have to hold off until New Year's Day before this thing's completed–I don't have the sets built, for one thing, and schoolwork's been taking top priority. Just have to play it by ear, then, and see where the next few weeks take me. The week before Christmas is when I plan to start all the photography.

UPDATE, 12/2/08: I was just at the ChicagoTARDIS Doctor Who convention on Saturday, and I bought a portable laser generator (basically, a “fake electronic light show”) there. I'm thinking about using it for Proton Stream and Ghost Trap effects–first is the effect where the ghost is trapped within the beams (like the first film), and the second effect is going to be a little more tricky, because I have to cue in the Trap effect without the light going all over the place.

So, I think I can get out of asking for a Photoshop effect this year…

That sounds really cool. I can't wait to get a look at this thing!

BTW, did you get my PM about the greenstuff?

I did indeed receive your PM. When the Greenstuff arrives, I will use it well.

By the way, I need a question answered. You know how they have that big map on the wall with pushpins stuck into it on the detective shows like the much-missed NYPD Blue? Is that a New York City map or a New York State map? I'm planning on getting a map from the Internet, scaling it down, printing it, and then painting little “ghost tags” onto it.

I seem to have forgotten that the story is supposed to take place in 1990.

With that in mind, if you can willingly suspend your disbelief and believe that the Ghostbusters would possess laptop computers (Star Trek laptop computers, no less!) and Internet access (an online version of Tobin's Spirit Guide), then we're good to go.

NOW, ON TO THE STORY!!!!



The next day, the Ghostbusters returned to HQ, bedraggled from a particularly exhausting bust. Ecto-1A rolled through the doors, its mighty engine coming to a full stop.



The boys emerged and groaned, Ray and Peter carrying a bundle of smoking ghost-traps in their hands.
“Oh, boy, that was really a knockabout of pure fun,” Peter moaned sarcastically. His attention turned to the pretty young receptionist. “Janine, were there any calls for us while we were gone?”

“No, Dr. Venkman,” she said, barely registering his presence. “As a matter of fact, I was about to do some early Christmas shopping…and then, I’m going to put up some mistletoe!” She did a pretend fall into Egon’s arms, batting her eyelashes at him. Egon caught her, and coughed awkwardly. “Yes…” he said absently, “I’ve been meaning to run a few tests on the mistletoe plant in case we ran into any werewolves…” “That’s not what I meant!” Janine testily exclaimed.



Just then, she remembered something. “Oh, that reminds me, I have a present for all of you here.” “How thoughtful,” Peter said. “You shouldn’t have!” “It’s not mine, Dr. Venkman,” she shot back. “Someone left it at the front door…no box, no tags, no return address!” She brought out the gift from a drawer. “There was only a sticker reading ‘Urgent—For The Ghostbusters’ on it.”

Ray examined it. “It’s…a toy school bus?” he said, curious. Winston looked at it. “I always wanted one of these when I was a kid,” he said. “Great, now you can enjoy a second childhood,” Peter replied. Everyone glared at him. “I wonder what it does…” Winston mused, rolling the toy along the desk. Suddenly, there was a loud click, and the unusual hiss of a tape being started. A quiet, suspenseful tune, not unlike the Mission Impossible theme faded in until it practically filled the room.

“Good afternoon, Ghostbusters,” a deep, authoritative voice said. “This is Mr. Zero. It is my solemn duty to announce that you have been chosen as the guardians of the Christmas Season, so listen carefully. Voltar, a terrifying Ghost Wizard from beyond time itself, has his eyes set on present-day New York City as the perfect place for him to resurrect himself and launch his plans for galactic domination. You must stop him before he can carry out his dastardly plans. Good luck, Ghostbusters. You are going to need it. This message will self-destruct in…five seconds.”



“SELF-DESTRUCT?!” the Ghostbusters cried out in unison. Winston looked around for a moment, hit upon a nearby garbage can, threw the bus away, and ran for cover, along with the others.

“A ghost wizard, huh?” Ray said. “Well, boys, it looks like we’ll have our work cut out for us. C’mon, let’s go put our ghosts into the containment unit.”