![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Victory Road IC Inbox
"You have reached Dr. Egon Spengler. Please leave a message, preferably fifty words or less."
"You have reached Dr. Egon Spengler. Please leave a message, preferably fifty words or less."
[You big baby, Ray is still lying next to you.
Ray picks up on the laughter but he's still kind of concerned???]
Even if we can't die in this dimension, I don't really like the idea of someone hurting Pete over this.
I'll be fine, Ray, really. Worse comes to worse, the other guy'll still look like he's in bad shape when I'm through with 'em. And I'm gonna give him one of the eggs as a peace offering, anyway, so hopefully he'll either calm down because of that, or he won't want to punch me while I'm holding a baby.
Yes. Babies and eggs are quite fragile.
[...Thanks. After a pause, he blinks and says--]
...Hm. What is the difference between edible eggs in this world and Pokémon eggs? Are Pokémon eggs technically edible? [Another pause.] I wonder what would occur if one were to crack an egg open.
Considering that my current theory that the Pokemon is grown in a pocket dimension inside of the egg shell, I'm pretty sure eating it would be a bad idea all around.
[Yeah Ray's distracted again. Congrats, Egon! His arms are now around you again.]
... Actually, know that you mention it, the egg shells seemed a lot tougher than most normal shells. Not that I tried breaking it, but just by knocking on it I could tell that they felt unusually thick.
[Luca hisses softly at Egon's comment. Venkman pats her on the shell reassuringly.]
No, they're not gonna break your babies. I won't let them be that stupid.
Egon, at this point, I've given up trying to figure out what's going on with the food here. It just leads to headaches.
No, they're not gonna break your babies. I won't let them be that stupid.
Egon, at this point, I've given up trying to figure out what's going on with the food here. It just leads to headaches.
| | If it is a pocket dimension, the shell would have to be powerful enough to prevent the dimension from expanding beyond its confines. Which would mean that all Pokémon inherently have trans-dimensional powers, which is not entirely beyond their demonstrated power. [They spit fire and do psychic stuff, dimensional barriers would be no problem. Wait until they see a real Chansey egg--Egon will lose his goddamn mind.] ...I'm sorry about forgetting the Inkay again. But at least this gives us another excellent opportunity to observe the hatching process with a larger sample size. |
Which might explain why the shells seem as tough as they are!
[Sorry Venkman he's just all in on the egg stuff now.]
It's a shame we don't have any shell fragments to study, huh?
It's fine, Egon. I'll be fine. Just don't bite my head off if I don't take perfect notes on the hatching or whatever. Especially if I have to "observe the hatching process" in a body cast.
... Actually, I might just go ahead and send you guys a couple of the eggs. That way, you can watch it yourself, and Ray can have his Inkay the moment its born.
... Actually, I might just go ahead and send you guys a couple of the eggs. That way, you can watch it yourself, and Ray can have his Inkay the moment its born.
Yes.
[An immediate response, without hesitation.]
Send me your meat dissertation. Right. Now.
[An immediate response, without hesitation.]
Send me your meat dissertation. Right. Now.
[Egon straightens up a little and almost immediately launches into his spiel--it's clear that he's put a lot of thought into this.]
In summary--the meat of this universe is not actually "meat". Most people from my dimension as well as the other dimensional arrivals to this world would define meat to be the flesh of a once living being, such as beef or chicken or fish. Thus, we automatically assume the "meat" in this world to originate from living beings.
However, no one in this universe seems to know where any edible meat is sourced from. The most logical conclusion would be that the meat comes from Pokémon, but suggesting this to the local populace causes most to dismiss it quickly. The citizens of this dimension do not have any problems with consuming Pokémon products if the Pokémon are not harmed, such as milk or eggs or Slowpoke tails. If the meat is not sourced from the living beings of this world, where does it comes from?
Theory one: The "meat" in this world is not actually sourced from living beings. In a different dimension, it is not out of the realm of possibility that words have different definitions entirely. As we are outsiders to this dimension, this definition would not be inherent to us and thus we have difficulty grasping the local terminology. However, this theory would not explain the presence of certain foods such as jerky or sushi, which taste remarkably similar to my dimension's version of these culinary creations.
Theory two, which is far more simple: humans have previously consumed Pokémon and with the advancement of technology have grown past the consumption of living creatures due to the ethical and moral dilemma associated with the action. Given the technological state of this world, it is not illogical to assume that society is able to readily produce non-meat based foods that closely mimic the taste and texture of the real thing, to the point that consuming Pokémon becomes unnecessary entirely.
[He pauses as he adjusts his glasses.]
Do you have any questions?
In summary--the meat of this universe is not actually "meat". Most people from my dimension as well as the other dimensional arrivals to this world would define meat to be the flesh of a once living being, such as beef or chicken or fish. Thus, we automatically assume the "meat" in this world to originate from living beings.
However, no one in this universe seems to know where any edible meat is sourced from. The most logical conclusion would be that the meat comes from Pokémon, but suggesting this to the local populace causes most to dismiss it quickly. The citizens of this dimension do not have any problems with consuming Pokémon products if the Pokémon are not harmed, such as milk or eggs or Slowpoke tails. If the meat is not sourced from the living beings of this world, where does it comes from?
Theory one: The "meat" in this world is not actually sourced from living beings. In a different dimension, it is not out of the realm of possibility that words have different definitions entirely. As we are outsiders to this dimension, this definition would not be inherent to us and thus we have difficulty grasping the local terminology. However, this theory would not explain the presence of certain foods such as jerky or sushi, which taste remarkably similar to my dimension's version of these culinary creations.
Theory two, which is far more simple: humans have previously consumed Pokémon and with the advancement of technology have grown past the consumption of living creatures due to the ethical and moral dilemma associated with the action. Given the technological state of this world, it is not illogical to assume that society is able to readily produce non-meat based foods that closely mimic the taste and texture of the real thing, to the point that consuming Pokémon becomes unnecessary entirely.
[He pauses as he adjusts his glasses.]
Do you have any questions?
| | Of course not. We would still have endless opportunities to observe the hatching process regardless of whether you are indisposed. [uh........] Could you? That would be excellent. I forgot to collect any shards that remained after Kölliker hatched, and I did not find any evidence for Denver. [it's fine eggs are their lives now] |
[Woah, that's a lot to take in. Especially when your brain is in recovery mode from a hard reset.
Gaige blinks, trying to figure out if she did have any questions after all. Eventually, she nods slowly.]
Yes. [A pause.] How much time have you put into this?
Gaige blinks, trying to figure out if she did have any questions after all. Eventually, she nods slowly.]
Yes. [A pause.] How much time have you put into this?
[Venkman has been reunited with his partners for a grand total of one day and two nights, and he's still clinging to them like they'll disappear if he lets them both out of his line of sight for more than a minute.
Not always physically clinging, of course- though Venkman does do quite a bit of that, too, from holding their hands or keeping an arm looped around their shoulders, cuddling them both in the night and whining whenever one of them pries themselves from his grasp in the morning. But there's quite a bit of hovering around them both unnecessarily, asking Egon questions about stuff he doesn't care about just to hear the man talk, tolerating Ray's baby Pokemon just to see him smile. It's all things he'd do under normal circumstances, but amplified- Venkman feels like he can't get enough of being in Egon and Ray's presence.
If this is how he gets after a little over a month apart from his partners, god knows what he'd do if he was kept from them for any longer than that.
They didn't do much of anything on the 3rd and 4th- still resting up from travelling and meeting back up again. But Venkman is determined to drag them out of the hotel room today, because, goddamnit, they're together and they can go on dates now.
And they're going to get BRUNCH.]
Not always physically clinging, of course- though Venkman does do quite a bit of that, too, from holding their hands or keeping an arm looped around their shoulders, cuddling them both in the night and whining whenever one of them pries themselves from his grasp in the morning. But there's quite a bit of hovering around them both unnecessarily, asking Egon questions about stuff he doesn't care about just to hear the man talk, tolerating Ray's baby Pokemon just to see him smile. It's all things he'd do under normal circumstances, but amplified- Venkman feels like he can't get enough of being in Egon and Ray's presence.
If this is how he gets after a little over a month apart from his partners, god knows what he'd do if he was kept from them for any longer than that.
They didn't do much of anything on the 3rd and 4th- still resting up from travelling and meeting back up again. But Venkman is determined to drag them out of the hotel room today, because, goddamnit, they're together and they can go on dates now.
And they're going to get BRUNCH.]
[Egon's familiar with the concept of lunch dates. He and Janine went on a few back when she thought he was straight, and then a few more after she realized she was a lesbian and they both needed to keep the public eye from wandering. Dana invited the boys out a few times to catch up on what they were up to, but that was never anything except a friendly gathering. But as a real date? This is entirely new to him. Sure, he's been on plenty of "dates" at restaurants with his partners, but they were never allowed to be affectionate to each other in public.
It's a nice change. A welcome change.
Spengler's side is clearly defined by the sheer volume of sweets covering the table. At both Ray and Venkman's insistence, he also ordered some real food--a smoked salmon and avocado sandwich, as it was the only menu option with fish in it.
Don't worry about where the salmon came from.
The sandwich lies half-eaten and forgotten as Egon munches on a sizable piece of coffee cake. His other hand grips Ray's hand as he waves his fork around.]
--I suppose that she thought I was transporting some sort of small child, as she asked to see "the baby". I replied that I was transporting ghost shrimp, and she apologized for the death of my shrimp and hurried off. [He scratches his chin.] I was disappointed to find that ghost shrimp were not in fact ethereal crustaceans, but I decided to purchase them, anyways, as the pet store had less than optimal conditions for most, if not all of their aquatic stock.
It's a nice change. A welcome change.
Spengler's side is clearly defined by the sheer volume of sweets covering the table. At both Ray and Venkman's insistence, he also ordered some real food--a smoked salmon and avocado sandwich, as it was the only menu option with fish in it.
Don't worry about where the salmon came from.
The sandwich lies half-eaten and forgotten as Egon munches on a sizable piece of coffee cake. His other hand grips Ray's hand as he waves his fork around.]
--I suppose that she thought I was transporting some sort of small child, as she asked to see "the baby". I replied that I was transporting ghost shrimp, and she apologized for the death of my shrimp and hurried off. [He scratches his chin.] I was disappointed to find that ghost shrimp were not in fact ethereal crustaceans, but I decided to purchase them, anyways, as the pet store had less than optimal conditions for most, if not all of their aquatic stock.
[This was probably the first time Ray's ever been to a brunch, in all honesty. Sure he's had some late breakfasts after a morning bust, and when he was a kid his mom would often make breakfast food for lunch, but it wasn't the same as going out and having an actual brunch. Ray was pretty excited to finally go try one out. Especially now that he's with his partners and can show affection to them openly!
He's also definitely getting one of those fancy bloody marys that seem all the rage here too.
Ray idly munches on his pancake as he listens to Egon talk, smoothing the back of Egon's hand as he does so.]
I'm envious of you, Spengs. The local pet store in Morrisville never had ghost shrimp! Of course even if I did get them my parents would have told me to return them again.
[Not that he blames them though, since there was only so many times he could bring home random animals he found before his parents set a hard limit for the amount of pets he could have.]
He's also definitely getting one of those fancy bloody marys that seem all the rage here too.
Ray idly munches on his pancake as he listens to Egon talk, smoothing the back of Egon's hand as he does so.]
I'm envious of you, Spengs. The local pet store in Morrisville never had ghost shrimp! Of course even if I did get them my parents would have told me to return them again.
[Not that he blames them though, since there was only so many times he could bring home random animals he found before his parents set a hard limit for the amount of pets he could have.]
[Venkman, meanwhile, isn't holding a hand at the moment. Sad. He does, however, have a bit of egg speared on his fork, which he waves around while gesturing as he talks.]
Egon, did you really think a pet store would've sold ghosts? [A beat.] Then again, our team did fight giant ghost lobsters, once, at some fancy restaurant. Guess ghost shrimp aren't too far-fetched. But still, selling them?
And of course you'd both want 'em as pets. It's a real shame I'm the one who got the isopod, huh?
[Even as he says that, he reaches his free hand down to scratch Roach behind the antennae. Roach, having taken his place in Venkman's lap like a particularly weird-looking cat, purrs softly.
The Wimpod still hasn't adjusted to Ray and Egon's presences, yet- and oddly enough, he tolerates Egon more. Apparently, he has a grudge against Ray for "tricking" him into accepting pets from Ray during the bodyswap ordeal. For now, he's content sticking close to Venkman, and tenses up when Ray or Egon look at him closely or try to pet him.]
... God, it's a shame you two didn't grow up together. You could've both gone around picking up weird pets off the street or from the woods. Examine the pH levels of creek water together. Bring home weird poisonous mushrooms that gave you hives... Would've been great.
Egon, did you really think a pet store would've sold ghosts? [A beat.] Then again, our team did fight giant ghost lobsters, once, at some fancy restaurant. Guess ghost shrimp aren't too far-fetched. But still, selling them?
And of course you'd both want 'em as pets. It's a real shame I'm the one who got the isopod, huh?
[Even as he says that, he reaches his free hand down to scratch Roach behind the antennae. Roach, having taken his place in Venkman's lap like a particularly weird-looking cat, purrs softly.
The Wimpod still hasn't adjusted to Ray and Egon's presences, yet- and oddly enough, he tolerates Egon more. Apparently, he has a grudge against Ray for "tricking" him into accepting pets from Ray during the bodyswap ordeal. For now, he's content sticking close to Venkman, and tenses up when Ray or Egon look at him closely or try to pet him.]
... God, it's a shame you two didn't grow up together. You could've both gone around picking up weird pets off the street or from the woods. Examine the pH levels of creek water together. Bring home weird poisonous mushrooms that gave you hives... Would've been great.
Well, the shop had recently opened and I was one of the first people to walk in the door. I evaluated it to be substandard and, after a few months, the store went out of business. [He takes another bite of cake.] Though I would think that is because many suburban Americans do not take great interest in aquatic animals outside of their consumption.
[He squeezes Ray's hand gently, mulling over the information that Venkman gives him.]
Giant ghost lobsters? You know, I'm quite envious of the sheer amount of unique ectoplasmic phenomena you two seem to have dealt with over the past few years.
...Perhaps there is a dimension in which we did somehow spending our childhood years together. A slight change in moving decisions, availability of job opportunities in the Midwest--such small things could alter the experiences of individuals radically.
[Also, he probably would've had someone to fight back bullies with and make explosions.]
[He squeezes Ray's hand gently, mulling over the information that Venkman gives him.]
Giant ghost lobsters? You know, I'm quite envious of the sheer amount of unique ectoplasmic phenomena you two seem to have dealt with over the past few years.
...Perhaps there is a dimension in which we did somehow spending our childhood years together. A slight change in moving decisions, availability of job opportunities in the Midwest--such small things could alter the experiences of individuals radically.
[Also, he probably would've had someone to fight back bullies with and make explosions.]
Edited 2019-02-05 01:55 (UTC)
I still envy you, Pete. Your Wimpod is adorable.
[:C Please love him Roach!
Ray's smile softens as he leans against Egon.]
I guess it's possible. We did move around a bit when I was a kid. I guess it would have been possible for us to move to your hometown rather than Morrisville. I would have loved to have someone to collect frogs with as a kid.
[Honestly it would have been nice to have someone who would have help stand up to his brother as a child.]
[:C Please love him Roach!
Ray's smile softens as he leans against Egon.]
I guess it's possible. We did move around a bit when I was a kid. I guess it would have been possible for us to move to your hometown rather than Morrisville. I would have loved to have someone to collect frogs with as a kid.
[Honestly it would have been nice to have someone who would have help stand up to his brother as a child.]
Edited 2019-02-05 02:36 (UTC)
[Venkman's expression, on the other hand, turns a little more bittersweet..]
Unless the stars aligned perfectly in this hypothetical universe, I wouldn't've gotten to meet you guys as a kid. Carny moved around a lot- even if I did manage to hang around the same town as one of you- or both of you, in this case- we'd've packed up to leave within a few weeks, maybe a couple months.
Unless I wasn't a carny kid, but I dunno if I like that. They were as much of my family as blood, y'know?
[He takes a thoughtful bite of his egg. After a moment, his smile becomes a bit more sincere.]
The real question is- what about universes where we got to meet Winston a whole lot earlier? Because, I know I've thought about that, even before knowing about this parallel universe junk. About how things could've been even better if Winston had met us in college, or while we were professors, or something.
Unless the stars aligned perfectly in this hypothetical universe, I wouldn't've gotten to meet you guys as a kid. Carny moved around a lot- even if I did manage to hang around the same town as one of you- or both of you, in this case- we'd've packed up to leave within a few weeks, maybe a couple months.
Unless I wasn't a carny kid, but I dunno if I like that. They were as much of my family as blood, y'know?
[He takes a thoughtful bite of his egg. After a moment, his smile becomes a bit more sincere.]
The real question is- what about universes where we got to meet Winston a whole lot earlier? Because, I know I've thought about that, even before knowing about this parallel universe junk. About how things could've been even better if Winston had met us in college, or while we were professors, or something.
We could have performed so many experiments. Just think what we could've accomplished with two brains instead of one.
Well, if it's any comfort, our paths would likely have intersected again, had you still held an interest in psychology or parapsychology.
[A ghost of a smile appears on Egon's face as he places his fork down on his plate.]
It would have been wonderful to have met Winston at an earlier time period. Of course, that doesn't mean that I consider our relationship to be lesser for coming to us later, but imagine how many more experiences we could have had together.
[He pauses, taking a sip of his coffee.] But I suppose there is no sense on focusing on the past. If he ever arrives to this dimension, we must be sure to create as many new memories as possible.
Well, if it's any comfort, our paths would likely have intersected again, had you still held an interest in psychology or parapsychology.
[A ghost of a smile appears on Egon's face as he places his fork down on his plate.]
It would have been wonderful to have met Winston at an earlier time period. Of course, that doesn't mean that I consider our relationship to be lesser for coming to us later, but imagine how many more experiences we could have had together.
[He pauses, taking a sip of his coffee.] But I suppose there is no sense on focusing on the past. If he ever arrives to this dimension, we must be sure to create as many new memories as possible.
Not to mention the sleepovers we could have had. I... have to admit I never got invited to one as a kid.
[Ray takes a drink of his bloody mary, smiling wistfully.]
Even if you didn't, there were those two years you studied Engineering. Unless you had zero interest in trains, we almost definitely would have ran into each other in college.
You still owe me for all those tutoring lessons I gave you on the subject, by the way.
[Pay up, Venkman.]
Still, it's a shame we couldn't meet Winston earlier! I like to think we would have been great friends back in undergrad, and would have saved us from getting into a lot of trouble back then.
[All those nights in the hospital...]
[Ray takes a drink of his bloody mary, smiling wistfully.]
Even if you didn't, there were those two years you studied Engineering. Unless you had zero interest in trains, we almost definitely would have ran into each other in college.
You still owe me for all those tutoring lessons I gave you on the subject, by the way.
[Pay up, Venkman.]
Still, it's a shame we couldn't meet Winston earlier! I like to think we would have been great friends back in undergrad, and would have saved us from getting into a lot of trouble back then.
[All those nights in the hospital...]
Edited 2019-02-05 03:19 (UTC)
Hey, same, Ray. I kinda fluctuated between being a sort-of popular kid and isolated, depending on the school. And I went to a lot of schools. ... And the popularity would usually die down once kids pegged me as a circus freak. Or I got into a fistfight. The two weren't always correlated.
[Venkman takes a sip of his drink.]
I tried inviting friends to my place a couple times. Since "my place" was usually a trailer home attached to a truck that moved around as the carny did... They either loved the free admission to the carnival and tried to disrupt things, or they thought I was weird- again, circus freak. Either way, I wouldn't see them again after a couple months passed, so it wasn't really worth it.
[An upside of being with two of the people he loves most in the world and who he's known for for over a decade, is that he can actually talk about stuff like this instead of just changing the topic or outright lying.]
... Oh, what? Is my love for you not enough repayment? [He bats his eyelashes.]
I know meeting him later doesn't change how much we love Winston, but still. We missed out on him for so long. And not having him here now... Well. He came into our lives fashionably late once, right? So maybe he will show up here, too.
[He can't start dwelling on his absence right now or he'll get all depressed again even with two of his partners right here with him.]
[Venkman takes a sip of his drink.]
I tried inviting friends to my place a couple times. Since "my place" was usually a trailer home attached to a truck that moved around as the carny did... They either loved the free admission to the carnival and tried to disrupt things, or they thought I was weird- again, circus freak. Either way, I wouldn't see them again after a couple months passed, so it wasn't really worth it.
[An upside of being with two of the people he loves most in the world and who he's known for for over a decade, is that he can actually talk about stuff like this instead of just changing the topic or outright lying.]
... Oh, what? Is my love for you not enough repayment? [He bats his eyelashes.]
I know meeting him later doesn't change how much we love Winston, but still. We missed out on him for so long. And not having him here now... Well. He came into our lives fashionably late once, right? So maybe he will show up here, too.
[He can't start dwelling on his absence right now or he'll get all depressed again even with two of his partners right here with him.]
I was invited to a sleepover once in middle school. I believe they intended to "prank" me.
[Sip.]
Coincidentally, that was the last time they attempted to do any sort of antagonistic behavior towards me.
[He lets go of Ray's hand temporarily to hold Venkman's hand instead. Dammit. He can't eat and show affection if he only has two hands. He needs more hands to love his boyfriends. Maybe this is a project he and Ray need to look into later.
In the meantime, he tries to gently steer the conversation away from Winston--he knows that they'll just all end up getting sad if they spend too much time thinking about him.]
You know, Peter, I am curious about the fact that so many aspects of your childhoods seem to match up with the Venkman from my dimension, and yet your personalities still seem somewhat different. [A pause.] Are you sure there wasn't an important decision made in your life regarding your personality or how you express yourself?
[...Actually, this question may not be a better option.]
[Sip.]
Coincidentally, that was the last time they attempted to do any sort of antagonistic behavior towards me.
[He lets go of Ray's hand temporarily to hold Venkman's hand instead. Dammit. He can't eat and show affection if he only has two hands. He needs more hands to love his boyfriends. Maybe this is a project he and Ray need to look into later.
In the meantime, he tries to gently steer the conversation away from Winston--he knows that they'll just all end up getting sad if they spend too much time thinking about him.]
You know, Peter, I am curious about the fact that so many aspects of your childhoods seem to match up with the Venkman from my dimension, and yet your personalities still seem somewhat different. [A pause.] Are you sure there wasn't an important decision made in your life regarding your personality or how you express yourself?
[...Actually, this question may not be a better option.]
Thattaboy, Spengs. Traumatizing your peers from an early age. I love it.
[He really does love it. Venkman hates that Egon's childhood was the way that it was, but it's always a bit of a comfort to hear that he was able to protect himself, in his own way.
Venkman takes Egon's hand gladly, squeezing it for a moment. His expression darkens for a moment at the mention of his other self, before turning thoughtful.]
I dunno. I mean, it's hard to look back on your own life and pinpoint what decisions might've set your personality in stone one way or the other. We were both carny kids, both frat brothers, both psych students, both professors, both Ghostbusters, right? So all the important steps are there.
[He taps his plate idly with his empty fork, drawing back on years of work in the psychology field.]
Early childhood's where a lot of shit happens. Know you said that his sounds similar to mine, but could be that his parental situation was different from me. Maybe my- his dad was around more often, or his version of my ma wasn't in the hospital so much. Or the other way around- maybe Dad never bothered comin' home at all, or Mom died earlier than she did for me.
College, too. Maybe he got further into the frat bro lifestyle than I did, or he kept going with football for longer than I did. Or vice versa, again.
[Venkman pauses, taking another sip of his drink. He narrows his eyes.]
Like... there was that time I got drunk at a party and yelled at a bunch of people to leave you alone- the, uh, night we kissed for the first time, Spengs.
I know that after that, I kinda started to pull away from the fraternity guys and stopped caring as much about my image. More about you and Ray. Sure, I still kept up appearances- dated women, tried to act like your average red-blooded American jock- especially since it was even more important, now, to keep you safe- but I distanced myself more and more from those kinda people. Could be that he had the opposite reaction- played it up twice as hard and went too far?
[He really does love it. Venkman hates that Egon's childhood was the way that it was, but it's always a bit of a comfort to hear that he was able to protect himself, in his own way.
Venkman takes Egon's hand gladly, squeezing it for a moment. His expression darkens for a moment at the mention of his other self, before turning thoughtful.]
I dunno. I mean, it's hard to look back on your own life and pinpoint what decisions might've set your personality in stone one way or the other. We were both carny kids, both frat brothers, both psych students, both professors, both Ghostbusters, right? So all the important steps are there.
[He taps his plate idly with his empty fork, drawing back on years of work in the psychology field.]
Early childhood's where a lot of shit happens. Know you said that his sounds similar to mine, but could be that his parental situation was different from me. Maybe my- his dad was around more often, or his version of my ma wasn't in the hospital so much. Or the other way around- maybe Dad never bothered comin' home at all, or Mom died earlier than she did for me.
College, too. Maybe he got further into the frat bro lifestyle than I did, or he kept going with football for longer than I did. Or vice versa, again.
[Venkman pauses, taking another sip of his drink. He narrows his eyes.]
Like... there was that time I got drunk at a party and yelled at a bunch of people to leave you alone- the, uh, night we kissed for the first time, Spengs.
I know that after that, I kinda started to pull away from the fraternity guys and stopped caring as much about my image. More about you and Ray. Sure, I still kept up appearances- dated women, tried to act like your average red-blooded American jock- especially since it was even more important, now, to keep you safe- but I distanced myself more and more from those kinda people. Could be that he had the opposite reaction- played it up twice as hard and went too far?
[Egon frowns as he idly traces circles with his thumb into the back of Venkman's hand.]
I don't believe I ever asked him for the specifics surrounding his parental situation--though, if I remember correctly, his mother did not die until he reached college.
[A pause. Spengler blinks, raising an eyebrow.]
You made a conscious decision to distance yourself from the fraternity culture after that...incident? [Hmm.] If I remember correctly, the Peter Venkman I knew continued to interact with and intergrate himself with the hypermasculine society. Perhaps as a way to protect himself as well as us.
[He shoves the rest of the coffee cake into his mouth.]
Of course, this is just conjecture. Ray, on the other hand, remains relatively unchanged. It could be that he made the same or similar decisions throughout his life that made him unwaveringly endearing.
[Yes, Ray is adorable.]
I don't believe I ever asked him for the specifics surrounding his parental situation--though, if I remember correctly, his mother did not die until he reached college.
[A pause. Spengler blinks, raising an eyebrow.]
You made a conscious decision to distance yourself from the fraternity culture after that...incident? [Hmm.] If I remember correctly, the Peter Venkman I knew continued to interact with and intergrate himself with the hypermasculine society. Perhaps as a way to protect himself as well as us.
[He shoves the rest of the coffee cake into his mouth.]
Of course, this is just conjecture. Ray, on the other hand, remains relatively unchanged. It could be that he made the same or similar decisions throughout his life that made him unwaveringly endearing.
[Yes, Ray is adorable.]
Page 5 of 24