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If there's something weird,
and it don't look good...
Who you gonna call? |
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— Ghostbusters Promotional Material |
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Rookie and "Experimental Equipment Technician" (aka Guinea Pig) for the Ghostbusters before he disappeared into an alternate dimension utilized by nefarious Gozerian cultists. After having been expelled spontaneously from his prison, he goes back to work as a Ghostbuster, instates the Ghostbusters Field Headquarters, and assumes the mantle of Ghostbusters Field Coordinator.
Personality
Bryan is an easy-going man, but the scars of the Gozerian dimension have left a sort of underlying intensity. He can be a bit domineering if he's in charge, and not afraid to speak up to authority when he's not. Mostly he's chill, but he might like Ghostbusting a little too much.
Background
Rookie Ghostbuster
Bryan Welsh grew up an average child, an average teenager, an average young man. A virtual nobody, Bryan answered an ad placed by the Ghostbusters for an 'experimental equipment technician.' Soon after, a new surge of spirit activity exploded and he helped work on setting things right, The Gozerian Codex and Bryan disappeared, brought to a Gozerian dimension where the Codex meant to have itself recovered by the cult. But Bryan's presense put a monkey wrench into that plan.
Gozerian Survivor
Hiding in the dimension until he could find a way out, Bryan had to learn the ins and outs of Gozerian magic to survive. After what seemed like eons to Bryan, he managed to escape the dimension. But not without a stint as the cult's prisoner. He was subjected to a number of surprisingly benign tests while awake, though who knows what they did when he was asleep. He tries not to think about it. Eventually an opportunity presented itself and he escaped the cult and found himself summarily shunted from the Gozerian dimension. To this day he's unsure if the cult banished him, he accidentally found a way out, or if the dimension itself just randomly spit him out.
Ghostbusters Field Coordinator
Despite being some time into the future of when he disappeared, Bryan immediately sought to start his own branch of the Ghostbusters. He rented a place in Chicago to act as an office. He assumed the title of Field Coordinator and the use of Ecto-2 and created Ecto-15. After an incident in Missouri where Bryan was investigating an old haunted high school, he thought he had cleansed the area but something interfered with the portal he was using to travel back to Chicago. Instead of traveling across the country, he traveled across the Bleed to another Earth where the primary infestation of the school was. After clearing this out, Bryan found that his portal creation was failing.
Stranger In A Super Land
With the support of Central City, where the alternate school had long been haunted and unused, Bryan converted the school into a new Ghostbusters Field Headquarters, with the full support of Central City. Bryan has since recreated Ecto-15, paid the debts on the land and construction, and established Ghostbusters as a respected business in Central City. Eventually, he even solved the riddle of the portal and figured out how to bypass inter-Earth blocks on portal travel. Since he's established himself in Superia, he decided to stay,
SIGNATURE ABILITY
Ghostmaster Bryan
Sometimes, when Bryan is under extreme stress and imminent danger from ghosts, spirits, malevolent entities of noncorporeal form, Gozerian cultists, or other ghost-related threats, Bryan can tap into the Ghostworld directly and exert dominion over malevolent spirits. This not only happens without his conscious control, he goes into a trance and doesn't remember his time while under. While entranced, Bryan's inner good nature and Gozerian corruption fight and Bryan's subconcious exerts command over nearby spirits, forcing them to his aid, forcing them into traps, or even outright banishing weaker spirits to the Ghostworld. When the threat is gone, Bryan comes back to his senses, experiencing time loss from the incident.
This ability is tied to the living realms and is not triggered in the Afterlife, not even in Ghostworld as the connection there would be overwhelming.
SKILLS
Ghostbusting - Expert Level
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Ever since he's returned from the Gozerian dimension, busting ghosts has been his career. He has extensive experience using Ghostbuster tech, since testing it was his initial job and all. And he seems to have a natural knack for catching ghosts, an almost uncanny luck with it.
Ghostworld Survival - Expert Level
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Aside from his time in the Gozerian dimension, Bryan has traveled several times to the area of the Otherworld bordering the Afterlife, known to the Ghostbusters as Ghostworld or the ghost realms. These realms are the province of ghosts, many types of demons, and several god-level beings. Living humans are not known for their ability to survive long in the ghost realms, so the fact that Bryan has been able to not just once, but several times, been able to quickly adapt to these hostile environments puts him in a fairly elite class, even among Ghostbusters.
Gozerian Lore - Expert Level
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Most of Bryan's occult knowledge pertains to the Gozerian Cult and there's very few people outside the cult itself that knows more about the cult than Bryan does. Much of his knowledge is from first-hand experience.
Bryan's primary method of combat is against spirits, covered under ghostbusting. But sometimes there are non-spirits that need to be dealt with and Bryan has some training fighting hand-to-hand, even with a very heavy weight on his back.
Spirit Lore - Competent Level
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Outside of the Gozerian framework, Bryan's knowledge of spirits is still fairly extensive. Types of spirits and hauntings, as well as specific ghosts and points of interest, are quite familiar to him.
ABILITIES
Tech: Composite Particle System - Enhanced Level
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The Composite Particle System comes in two parts. The Neutrona Wand can fire a dense, low-damage meson marker that can latch onto an object, surface, or entity. After the initial hit, it does no further damage. However, the Neutrona Wand can also fire a string of short-burst particles that magnify each successive hit's impact. If there is a meson marker in range, the particles will home in on it.
Tech: Dark Energy Projection - Enhanced Level
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The Neutrona Wand can project a "dark energy" stream similar to the proton stream. This energy has no effect on the material world, though, and only affects some ghosts and other paranormal phenomena by slowing them down and, if held in the beam long enough, temporarily freezing them.
Tech: Dark Matter Projection - Enhanced Level
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The Neutrona Wand can project "dark matter" blasts in a scattershot pattern. This matter is cold but does nothing to mundane people or objects. Some ghosts and other paranormal entities and contructs can be disrupted by this matter.
Tech: Ghost Portal - Enhanced Level
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Utilizing positively-charged mood slime, primarily sourced from Gozerian black slime, Bryan can create a ghost portal. These portals tend to be unstable and collapse after a few moments, but they give him access to the ghost realms, though more practically he can travel to other points on Earth (Superia, other hypertime Earths, and even Earths and Earth-like worlds outside of hypertime) by making a wormhole-like shortcut through the ghost realms. Traveling to other points in the same Earth is usually reliable while traveling between Earths may leave the destination iffy, especially those outside of hypertime. A stand-alone supersoaker-like slimeblower was developed for this purpose and a larger-scale version was incorporated into the front of Ecto-2 and Bryan's personal vehicle.
Tech: Ghost Trap - Enhanced Level
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The ghost traps are used, funnily enough, to trap ghosts. A ghost or spirit above the trap (unless the trap is oriented differently, then it's in the direction where the trap's opening faces) can be pulled toward and into the trap. The trap itself is only strong enough to capture the weakest of spirits on its own, requiring other means for anything with a modicum of will, usually a proton pack's beam.
Tech: Nightvision - Basic Level
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The Ecto-Goggles allow the user to see in environments with little to no visible light.
Tech: Paranormal Detection - Enhanced Level
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Bryan can use the PKE reader and/or the Ecto-Goggles to detect spirits and other paranormal phenomena, including magic. The PKE reader detects phenomena like a paranormal geiger counter with lights and beeps. The Ecto-Goggles let the user see phenomena through colored auras on an otherwise grey-scale nightvision field.
Tech: Proton Projection - Enhanced Level
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The Neutrona Wand can fire a sustained Blast Stream that in the mundane sense is a cascade of energy that leaves behind burns (and possibly fire) in its wake. The stream is also able to drain ghosts of the energy they use to manifest. If the stream drains enough energy, it can 'take hold' of the spirit and guide it, usually to a trap. The Neutrona Wand is also able to fire a sluggish burst of energy (a Boson Dart) that has the power of three beams with none of the manipulation capability.
Magic: Ritual Magic - Supreme Level
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Before disappearing, Bryan was becoming forcibly familiar with Gozerian magic. After being lost in the Gozerian realm, he had to learn to actually utilize that magic to survive and stay hidden from the Gozerian forces. As the very nature of Gozerian magic is corrupt, Bryan only uses it when he has to, usually to disrupt the power of Gozerians. He is, however, able to understand and utilize ritualistic magic of most other sources when he encounters it. He has no ability to craft his own spells, but he is extremely effective at casting spells from a recipe and even more so in unraveling spells already in place.
Tech: Slimetether - Enhanced Level
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The slime can be extruded through the Neutrona Wand as a tether. One shot for each end, the tether can be up to a few dozen yards long, or hold up to a couple tons, before losing integrity. It can also only last a couple minutes before disintegrating.
Tech: Slimethrower - Enhanced Level
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The proton pack holds a resevoir that the Neutrona Wand can fill by collecting ecoplasm in the area. The slime is positively charged by the proton pack. The Neutrona Wand is able to expel this slime. While typically having little to no adverse effects, the slime can neutralize the properties of negatively-charged forms of ectoplasm. It can also be used to neutralize inert phantom matter such as false walls.
ADVANTAGES
Ecto-15 is a stretch checkered cab modified for use as the Chicago branch's primary local Ghostbusters transportation, and was transferred to Central City when Bryan established Ghostbusters Field HQ there. It's very similar to Ecto-1 in visual motif and equipment loadout, including a PKE sensor array, a half-dome directional EVP (electronic voice phenomena) dish, a rear gunner seat, and the Ghostbusters siren. It has room to store several sets of Ghostbusters gear, including proton packs, ecto-goggles, PKE meters, and a lot of spare traps.
Ecto-2 is a modified recreational vehicle. It still retains its internal combustion engine for its mundane function as a vehicle, but it also has a fusion generator that powers everything else. It is equipped with a mobile ecto-containment unit, proton pack docks, enhanced muon containment trap on the roof (that feeds directly to the ecto-containment unit inside), ectoplasm filtration unit (also on the roof), and even modern RV amenities like beds, kitchen, and toilet. Ecto-2 can use mood slime in three integrated front-facing slimeblowers to create ghost portals, allowing quick travel to far away destinations, including other Earths. The portals are just as unstable and temporary as those created by the hand-held slimeblowers. They just tend be be larger, to accommodate the size of the RV.
Bryan's personal vehicle is a dark green 1991 Pontiac Firebird GTA, the same exact car he had bought right before he answered the ad that led to him disappearing. He hunted down his car and repurchased once he fell back to Earth. It is modified quite a bit now to modernize it and to incorporate Ghostbusters technology. In the trunk, taking up quite a but of its space, it has an incorporated chest to accommodate his uniform and gear, including a proton pack dock. It has a Ghostbusters radio unit, Ghostbusters databank access unit, and cell phone dock incorporated into the central dash. There's a PKE sensor array that feeds to the databank access. Bryan often refers to it as Ecto-Firebird even though it's his personal vehicle and not an actual part of the Ecto-Series of Ghostbusters transport.
Bryan cleared out the haunting of an old defunct high school building for Central City and ended up purchasing the land since no one else wanted it. He had the school brought up to code to establish the Ghostbusters Field Headquarters with full authorization and support of the city. The Ghostbusters Field Headquarters is primarily just the home station of Ecto-2 and housing for an Ecto-Containment Unit, as well as labs for conducting tests or tinkering with gear. Additionally, it has an extensive library of ghost and spirit lore, ancient and modern, a repository for cursed objects and forbidden knowledge, and quarters for any Ghostbusters in the area.
Ghostbusters Gear and Equipment
Prototype Proton Pack:
Bryan retains the prototype proton pack that he used to test upgrades during the events that led to his disappearance. It retains most of the experimental tech it was used to test. He has tinkered with it a bit himself to make it more stable and efficient. Includes the Neutrona Wand which externalizes the four systems.
Muon Ghost Traps:
Bryan has a number of ghost traps to temporarily store ghosts until they can be transferred to the Ecto-Containment Unit. These models have a ghost detector (indicated by a beacon light) that replaces the need to use a pedal to open the trap. They still have a pedal attachment for use in case the detector is inoperable. There are two alternate remote controlled deployment methods, a six-rotor mini-drone and a four-wheeled mini-truck.
Psychokinetic Energy Meter and Ecto-Goggles:
Used to detect ghostly activity, the PKE meter similar to a geiger counter and the ecto-goggles as modified night-vision goggles. The goggles can display a HUD for various purposes as well as access the internet and Ghostbusters databanks.
Ecto-Containment Unit:
Used to store ghosts in a laser-confinement grid. Has several redundancies in case of emergency, including seven self-contained emergency power generators.
Ionic Separator:
The ionic separator can separate a spirit from the physical object it's inhabiting. There is a slot to hold a trap.
Observation Containment Unit:
This unit can hold spirits for observation, using proton fields to keep the spirit from escaping. Connected directly to the ionic separator. Has a slot to hold a trap.
Bryan is licensed under the Ghostbusters franchise to hunt malicious spirits and negotiate with neutral and benevolent spirits. He has licenses for Superia (officially sponsored by Central City, as well as Missouri and Kansas, but tends to get by under superhero allowances elsewhere) and his home Earth.
Bryan is extremely resilient and adaptable. He was able to survive the Shandor Incident after only a short time as a Ghostbuster. He was able to survive and evade the Gozerians in their own dimension for a time and then managed to escape the cult after being captured. He was able to adapt to temporal displacement within his own Earth and then adapt to a superhero-saturated Superia not too long after that.
WEAKNESSES
A few effects have given Bryan extra hurdles to jump after he left the Gozerian dimension:
First, the most obvious, is that Bryan didn't grow up in the modern age of the Internet, cell phones, and social media. Even though he's had a few years to adjust to the modern world, he still lacks the advantage of having grown up to this point.
Secondly, the past as he knows it on his home Earth seems to have changed here and there. His recollection of the Ghostbusters, the Gozer Incident, the Vigo Incident, and the Shandor Incident, don't necessarily jive with what history and reality would indicate.
Thirdly, his Earth is not full of superheroes. The heroes that do exist are much more low key. He's grown somewhat accustomed to living in superhero world, but those with flashy powers still somewhat fill him with awe. Superpowerful spirit beings are par for the course with him, but people who can fly, sling fire, and teleport in a blink are mystifying to him. Also, the willingness for city officials to work with him rather than against him is also somewhat awe-inspiring.
Much of Ghostbusters technology is prone to adverse effects. Often seemingly randomly. (The Proton Pack specifically is prone to overheating and venting must be attended to during prolonged usage. Also, crossing the the streams can lead to unstability and possible explosive consequences.) Some have assumed this is because the technology is cobbled together. The actual issue is that the tech utilizes scientific theories and mundane engineering to harness magical forces in questionable ways.
Bryan has the Gozerian Codex in his posession, kept guarded in the cursed object repository at Ghostbusters FHQ. If it were to become known that he is responsible for the codex's disappearance, he would basically have a giant target on his back as the Cult of Gozer would really like to have their artifact back. And any number of other groups would also like to obtain it.
Between being stuck in the Gozerian dimension, utilizing Gozerian rituals, and keeping the Gozerian Codex, Bryan has to contend with a Gozerian darkness. His better nature tends to come out on top, but there is a darkness that nips at him. He tries not to think about it.
Bryan often acts before he thinks. While this impulsiveness doesn't typically interfere in his daily life, when it does impede, it impedes big. Like when he was messing with the Gozerian Codex and got himself trapped in the Ghostworld. Or when he was playing with Ecto-2 and portals and got himself trapped in Superia. Though the latter one he did end up staying even when he figured out a way home.
