20250813_0703_Realistic Industrial Room_remix_01k2hhe4abfmpt2p3fxev6nxm8.png

20250813_0801_Industrial Paranormal Interface_simple_compose_01k2hmskekf31aa6rv543dgw56.png

20250813_0800_Ghostbusters Tech Interface_simple_compose_01k2hmq4twet2bqd0szba6rk29.png

Containment File #047 – “The Widowmaker”

Containment File #047 – “The Widowmaker”

Also Known As: Lady in Mourning, The Black Bride, She Who Waits
Class: V Full-Torso Apparition
Origin: Greco-Roman adaptation of the Empusa myth, filtered through Victorian urban legends.

20250812_1426_Glossy Alluring Whisper_remix_01k2frbycxf3190qyynee0qm4h.png

Description:

The Widowmaker is a Class V full-torso apparition rooted in ancient Empusa mythology, twisted into a maritime predator that haunts single women marked by heartbreak or betrayal. Draped in a perpetually waterlogged Victorian mourning gown and veil, she drifts as if suspended in deep water, leaving damp footprints and mirrors “crying” saltwater in her wake. Her whispers—spoken in a haunting blend of Ancient Greek and Latin—erode her victims’ trust, sanity, and will to resist. Captured in 1997 after a prolonged standoff in a Boston boarding house, she now resides in the Ecto Containment Unit’s Drowned Quarter, a flooded ghost-town sector of the pocket dimension shaped by her own psychic influence. Manipulative, patient, and drawn to the vulnerable, the Widowmaker remains a high-interaction, moderate-risk entity with a power ratio of 7.2, demanding constant vigilance to ensure she stays behind the mirror.

Physical Description:

A full-torso spectral apparition of a tall, emaciated Victorian woman, her entire form drifting as though suspended underwater. She wears a heavy black mourning gown from the late 19th century, the fabric perpetually soaked, clinging to her skeletal frame in some places while ballooning and rippling outward in slow, ghostly waves in others. The gown’s hem frays into tattered streamers that float and curl in unseen currents, each drop of water falling from it vanishing before touching the ground. A long, black lace veil is pulled over her face, plastered to her features by the constant sheen of saltwater. The veil is embroidered with faint silver mourning motifs—urns, broken columns, lilies—that shimmer faintly but distort into screaming faces when glimpsed from certain angles.

Her hair is long, thick, and black, tangled with strands of dark seaweed, and perpetually wet, clinging to her cheeks and shoulders before drifting free in languid motion. Her skin is pallid and corpse-pale, with a faint bluish tint, stretched thin over sharp cheekbones. Beneath the veil, her lips are parted slightly, and a slow trickle of briny water drips from the corners of her mouth. Occasionally, small black eels slither from her lips or between her teeth before vanishing into the folds of her gown.

Her eyes glow faintly gold beneath the veil—soft at first, like candlelight glimpsed in fog, but burning brighter when she focuses on a target. The glow reflects dimly off the veil’s damp threads, giving her face a shifting, distorted outline. Her hands are bony and elongated, the skin wrinkled and waterlogged like that of a drowned corpse. Droplets of saltwater fall constantly from her fingertips, leaving faint ripples where they touch reflective surfaces.

She moves without touching the ground, her steps leaving behind perfectly dry floors marred only by damp, human-shaped footprints that appear a heartbeat after she has passed. A faint halo of mist and drifting saltwater vapor surrounds her at all times, carrying the smell of brine and decaying kelp. The air temperature around her drops sharply, and light sources nearby flicker, casting her shifting silhouette across walls and mirrors. Behind her, any reflective surface—be it glass, water, or polished metal—briefly shows her looming closer than she physically is, as if her reflection is trying to escape before she can.

The overall atmosphere is cold, oppressive, and hypnotic, a blend of predatory patience and unending grief, as though she has been walking the ocean floor for centuries and has finally found her way back to the surface to hunt.

Historical Background:

The earliest accounts date back to ancient Greece, where Empusa—a vampiric servant of Hecate—was said to seduce and prey upon men. But fragmentary records from a lost 2nd-century Roman text (De Mulieribus Noctis) suggest a rare variant: Empusa Vidua, or “The Widow-Maker,” who was said to torment unmarried women, driving them to despair before claiming their souls.

This variant supposedly traveled through centuries of folklore, gaining new forms:

Medieval Europe: She became La Veuve Noire, a ghost who appeared to lonely maidens, whispering lies about suitors and turning them against family and friends.
Victorian England: Known as “The Black Bride,” she was blamed for mysterious deaths of unmarried women in boarding houses. Witnesses described her as a pale woman in a mourning gown, veil dripping with seawater, smelling faintly of salt and decay.

20250812_1425_Spectral Widowmaker_remix_01k2fra2b6fvdsxf38wbpzzs0y.png

Additional Data:

Ancient scroll fragments from De Mulieribus Noctis describe a rare form of Empusa—a vampiric spirit of Hecate—known as Empusa Vidua, “The Widowmaker.” Unlike her seduction-focused kin, this variant sought out unmarried women, especially those marked by heartbreak or betrayal. Roman legion wives stationed far from home feared her presence in lonely port towns; survivors described a woman in a soaked mourning gown, veil plastered to her face, with eyes that glowed faintly gold in torchlight.

By the Middle Ages, the Widowmaker’s image had shifted. French folklore cast her as La Veuve Noire, “The Black Widow,” stalking the upper floors of convents and female boarding houses. Accounts describe her gown as heavy black satin, permanently waterlogged, leaving a thin trail of seawater wherever she drifted. Her veil was embroidered with mourning symbols—urns, broken columns, and lilies—yet these patterns seemed to shift when stared at, forming faces of her victims. Witnesses noted that beneath the veil, her mouth was filled with saltwater, from which black eels occasionally slipped.

In Victorian London, police files link her to multiple unexplained deaths in a rowhouse for unmarried women. Surviving tenants spoke of mirrors fogging from the inside, revealing her silhouette standing just behind them—damp hair clinging to her face, strands drifting as if underwater. The smell of brine and decay heralded her arrival, and her presence warped candle flames, making them sputter and hiss.

The Widowmaker exhibits a highly selective predatory pattern, focusing exclusively on single women, most often those recently scarred by romantic loss, rejection, or betrayal. This emotional vulnerability appears to act as both a beacon and a power source, allowing her to establish an immediate psychic link with the target. Once the link is formed, the entity initiates a campaign of psychological erosion through whispers delivered in a shifting mixture of Ancient Greek and Latin. The language is not random—linguistic analysis suggests the whispers carry layered meanings designed to instill paranoia, amplify jealousy, and nurture a deep sense of hopelessness. Many victims report an increasing inability to trust friends, family, or potential partners, sometimes withdrawing entirely from social contact before succumbing to the haunting’s final stage.

Physical manifestations of her presence are both distinct and unnerving. Damp, human-shaped footprints will appear on otherwise dry floors, often leading toward or away from mirrors that “weep” saltwater. The water has been tested and found to contain anachronistic levels of marine salinity consistent with ancient Mediterranean sources, further suggesting her origin. Sudden, localized drops in temperature—sometimes by as much as 20 degrees Fahrenheit within seconds—accompany her arrival, and electrical devices in the immediate area frequently malfunction.

The Widowmaker’s movement is one of her most disorienting traits: she drifts slowly as though suspended in deep water, her heavy black gown and veil rippling in unseen currents. This movement has a hypnotic quality, with witnesses reporting feeling “drawn” toward her despite an instinctive fear. Observers have noted that these unseen currents occasionally disturb surrounding objects—loose paper, curtains, or hair—despite the absence of any wind.

Her strength is not constant. She reaches peak potency on the first day of each month, known in Roman times as the kalends, possibly tied to ancient lunar or maritime rituals. She is also notably stronger within visual range of the ocean, where her saltwater manifestations become more aggressive and her echo-projection abilities (creating multiple simultaneous false apparitions) are most effective. Away from the sea, she can still manifest, but her range of influence and resistance to capture is reduced, making inland hauntings comparatively easier to neutralize.

Behavior & Abilitie

Target Selection: Single women, particularly after romantic loss or rejection.

Psychological Influence: Whispers in a mix of Ancient Greek and Latin, instilling paranoia, jealousy, and hopelessness.

Physical Signs: Damp footprints on dry floors, mirrors “crying” saltwater, sudden drops in temperature.

Manifestation Quirks: Moves as if underwater—slow, drifting, with her gown and veil rippling in unseen currents.

Strength Cycle: Most potent during the first day of each month (kalends), and when within sight of the ocean.

20250812_2014_Spectral Attack Unleashed_remix_01k2gc9fyqefyaw91th8rm8k9z (1).png

20250812_2036_Proton Pack Blueprint_simp

The team's scientist's analysis traced one of the entity’s primary anchors to a psychoreactive Victorian mourning veil currently on loan to a local maritime museum for an exhibit on Boston’s seafaring history. Records indicated that the veil had belonged to a young widow who vanished in 1892 after her fiancé’s ship sank off the coast of Cape Cod. Residual heartbreak energy from the building’s original occupants—many of whom had suffered similar losses—was acting as a psychic amplifier, boosting the Widowmaker’s power and allowing her to manifest with greater intensity.

Armed with the recovered veil, The Rookie devised a containment strategy, using the artifact as bait to lure the specter into the attic, the building’s most confined and controllable space. The plan nearly failed when the Widowmaker retaliated by overloading proton streams with concentrated bursts of saltwater vapor, a move that destabilized the stream resonance and forced the team to recalibrate their beam oscillations mid-fight. The vapor carried trace marine sediment dating back centuries, further cementing her ancient maritime connection.

After a prolonged 47-minute pursuit through the narrow, water-slicked attic, the Widowmaker’s physical form faltered when she attempted to phase through the veil itself—a psychic misstep that exposed her true location and severed her echo projections. With her resistance broken, the Ghostbusters deployed a coordinated triple-stream maneuver, pulling her into the trap in a surge of briny mist and muffled shrieking. Containment was confirmed without further incident, though the attic required structural drying and minor repairs.

Damage Report:

Water damage to the third-floor hallway and attic after repeated saltwater discharges from the entity’s manifestations, requiring replacement of all affected floorboards.
Two overloaded proton streams ruptured insulation in the attic, causing localized ceiling collapse into the apartment below. Tenant claimed “a ghost fell through my roof” and demanded hazard pay.
One antique wardrobe in the attic was reduced to splinters when the entity used it as cover and the field team decided to “flush her out” with a concentrated proton blast.
Short-circuited breaker box after saltwater mist condensed on wiring, knocking out power to the building for six hours and trapping three residents in the elevator.
Mourning veil artifact (used as bait) partially burned on one edge by stray proton stream, reducing its historical value by an estimated $4,500.
A field tech’s boots permanently damaged after prolonged exposure to brine-saturated carpet — later auctioned by the tech as “Haunted Salt Boots” on eBay.
One team member’s hair frizzed beyond repair after humidity spike in attic reached 98% during containment struggle.
Several residents reported nightmares of dripping sounds and wet footprints for weeks after the incident; one tenant broke her lease early, citing “ghost PTSD.”
City sanitation crews were dispatched to clear four inches of standing water from the building’s basement despite the entity never having been sighted there — cause unknown.

20250812_1342_Wet Victorian Specter_simple_compose_01k2fnvjfgfzzswtq10mjsdyzt.png

Capture Event Report – “The Widowmaker”

Date: March 14, 1997

Location: Boston, Massachusetts – Former women’s boarding house, now converted into apartments.

The case began when a tenant contacted the Boston Ghostbusters franchise, reporting that every mirror in her apartment had begun “crying saltwater” during the night, flooding her bathroom and warping the floorboards. The volume of water reportedly increased over three consecutive nights, culminating in a full two inches pooling in the hallway by morning. The tenant, unnerved by the phenomenon, claimed she could see a veiled figure moving behind her reflection—always slightly out of step, never perfectly mirroring her movements.Upon arrival, the Ghostbusters found the building suffused with cold, briny air. Initial P.K.E. scans revealed fluctuating readings in multiple apartments, suggesting the presence of several Class V entities. Within minutes, the team realized they were dealing not with multiple ghosts, but with a single entity projecting psychic echoes—full visual and sensory copies of herself designed to overwhelm and confuse opponents. These echoes displayed limited interactivity but could mimic the Widowmaker’s appearance and some of her minor abilities, making it difficult to pinpoint the real threat.

20250812_2014_Spectral Capture Drama_remix_01k2gcb0atfh9attfa6hjh5k1j.png

Current Containment Power Level Status: LOW

20250812_2037_Widowmaker in Containment_remix_01k2gdmtrvetnvg5jq6wcg7sy6.png

20250812_2037_Widowmaker in Containment_remix_01k2gdmtrtepab0a52n29mw2xv.png

20250812_2037_Widowmaker in Containment_remix_01k2gdmtrxfwmvbcscfrh4zmse.png

20250812_2056_Blueprint Building Elevations_remix_01k2geq83mefe9x0fqnvk5kn7f.png

Containment Log Entry –

Subject: “The Widowmaker”

Current Status: securely contained within the E.C.U.

power ratio 7.2.

She has adapted to life in the pocket dimension by establishing control over a sector now designated The Drowned Quarter—a permanently flooded urban zone lined with rotting docks, half-submerged rowhouses, and skeletal shipwrecks. This sector appears to have manifested as an extension of her own psychic influence, altering the local environment to resemble a 19th-century port town at low tide.Inside containment, she continues to exhibit high-interaction tendencies, appearing most frequently to female staff during observation cycles. These appearances typically occur through reflective surfaces in the simulation chamber—metal, glass, or even water on the floor—where she hovers silently, veil shifting in invisible currents, before vanishing.

Observed Containment Behavior:

Mirror Manifestations: Primary interaction method. Janine has reported multiple instances of the Widowmaker mouthing words in archaic Doric Greek during inspection cycles. Audio analysis translated one repeated phrase to “You will wait for no one.”

Saltwater Discharge:

Small briny leaks occasionally seep from containment conduits during her high-activity phases. Samples match the marine salinity profile from her capture, with traces of ancient Mediterranean sediment. Prolonged exposure can corrode trap components faster than typical Class V ectoplasm, requiring accelerated maintenance schedules.

Temperature Shifts:

Sudden drops of up to 18°F occur during peak activity, sometimes fogging internal monitoring systems and causing momentary visual loss inside her sector.

Intra-Entity Manipulation:

20250812_2102_Attacking Enchantress Unleashed_remix_01k2gf1qbwfmbr24cnpwj8ct2w.png

Containment File #063 – “The Flush Phantom”

20250814_0548_The Flush Phantom_simple_compose_01k2kznbpqfv59tpf7fcmqg1xg.png

Containment File #063 – “The Flush Phantom”
Also Known As: The Porcelain Poltergeist, Lavatory Lurker, Sir Swirls-a-Lot
Class: III–IV Free-Roaming Vapor (escalates to Class V during possession events)
Power Ratio: 4.8

20250812_1339_The Flush Phantom_simple_compose_01k2fnpwbnewrbkkdbf45434d1.png

Description:

The Flush Phantom is a mischievous yet deeply unsettling spirit that manifests exclusively in bathrooms, striking when its victims are at their most vulnerable—specifically while seated on the toilet. Its presence is often preceded by subtle environmental cues: a sudden shift in air pressure, the faint smell of stagnant water, and the quiet drip-drip-drip of liquid echoing from nowhere in particular. Appearing as a damp, half-translucent figure, it has an unnatural, waterlogged pallor to its stretched skin, with elongated limbs that bend at slightly wrong angles, giving its movements a loping, amphibious quality.

Its eyes are deep, sunken hollows glowing faintly with a sickly green-blue light, the kind seen in deep ocean bioluminescence, and its mouth hangs partially open in a constant drip, releasing thick, brackish water onto the floor. From this mouth come distorted, echoing giggles or guttural gargles, the sound traveling unnaturally through pipes and drains to reach its target. Victims often report the sense that the laughter is not only mocking but aware—timed perfectly to interrupt their concentration.

When fully manifesting, the Flush Phantom emerges from plumbing fixtures in a churning combination of scalding steam and icy mist, its form constantly shifting as though caught between liquid and vapor. It can partially rise from toilets, sinks, and bathtubs, the rest of its body still anchored somewhere deep within the building’s pipe system. The apparition’s damp, skeletal fingers—overlong and ending in cracked, blackened nails—scratch lazily along stall dividers or tap against porcelain, sending jolts of discomfort through its victims.

Despite its comedic potential in less terrifying circumstances, the Flush Phantom’s sudden materializations, invasive proximity, and mastery over enclosed, inescapable spaces make it one of the more psychologically disturbing bathroom-haunting entities in the Ghostbusters’ catalog.

Physical Description:

The Flush Phantom is a damp, half-translucent spectral entity with a warped humanoid frame, its skin a mottled mix of pale gray, bluish undertones, and sickly green, all textured like waterlogged flesh that’s been submerged for days. Its limbs are abnormally long and thin, joints bending with a faint, unnatural flex—slightly too far, as though the bones inside are softened or rubbery from prolonged immersion. The hands are skeletal and bony, fingers extended to unnatural lengths with cracked, blackened nails that curve like rusted hooks. Beads of brackish water constantly drip from the fingertips, hitting the tile below with an audible plink.

Its torso is gaunt, ribs visible beneath its tight, semi-transparent skin, with patches of darker translucency showing faint outlines of pipe-like tendrils running beneath the surface—echoes of its deep connection to plumbing. The neck is overly long, bending slightly as if straining forward to sniff or leer at its victim.

The face is disturbingly stretched, with deep, hollow eye sockets glowing faintly with a cold, bluish-green bioluminescence reminiscent of deep-sea creatures. When the mouth opens, it gapes far too wide, revealing jagged, uneven teeth coated in black sludge, with thick, murky water constantly dribbling down its chin. The mouth is the source of its signature sounds—distorted giggles, bubbling gargles, and sudden, loud splashes—that seem to echo unnaturally inside small rooms.

Its entire body glistens as if freshly pulled from a sewer, the surface wet and slimy, reflecting light in glossy highlights that slide along its contours. Steam or mist curls around it unpredictably—sometimes hot and foggy, sometimes cold and rolling low across the floor—carrying with it the overpowering stench of stagnant water, mildew, and metal.

When manifesting fully, the Flush Phantom often appears half-emerged from a plumbing fixture—its legs still tapering away into an amorphous tail of swirling water and shadow, as though the rest of its form is still somewhere deep in the pipes. Its presence transforms the bathroom’s atmosphere: stall doors vibrate faintly, mirrors fog over from inside the glass, and water in toilets or sinks ripples in rhythm with its movements, even when it’s perfectly still.

20250812_1941_You Can’t Outrun the Flush_remix_01k2gae79he53b23g4vsy22eqp.png

By the early 1930s, similar reports began to surface across the Midwest. These cases typically occurred in buildings with aging or damaged plumbing systems, and local newspapers quickly seized on the sensational angle. It was during this wave of incidents that the ghost earned its enduring tabloid moniker: “The Porcelain Poltergeist.” Headlines ran with stories of “phantom flushes,” mysterious scalding steam clouds, and startled patrons fleeing restrooms half-dressed.

Local folklore eventually connected the phenomenon to the tragic death of Horace Pindle, a late-19th-century bathhouse attendant in Milwaukee. According to coroner records from 1894, Pindle was killed in a freak sewage backflow accident when a burst main caused a rapid influx of waste water to flood the bathhouse’s lower level. Trapped in a utility chamber, Pindle drowned within minutes. Oral histories from surviving co-workers claimed that Pindle was “oddly attached” to his work, showing an unusual interest in patrons’ private routines, though these accounts may have been embellished after his death to explain the later hauntings.

Over the decades, the entity’s behavior evolved, seemingly adapting to modern plumbing networks. Reports indicate it can now travel through interconnected water and sewer systems with alarming speed, emerging unpredictably in any location with a functioning toilet, sink, or tub. Egon theorizes its spectral matrix is partially fused with municipal sewer infrastructure, granting it both range and the ability to sense when a fixture is in use. He also notes the ghost’s occasional “scent-based manifestations,” wherein victims smell mildew, metallic water, or decaying organic matter moments before the Phantom appears—possibly a residual effect of its original death environment.

The Phantom appears to prefer locations with turbulent plumbing histories—buildings with repeated water damage, sewage floods, or fatalities linked to maintenance mishaps. Its activity spikes in older neighborhoods where infrastructure has been patched or altered over the years, providing countless hidden spaces within the pipe network for it to anchor.

Historical Background

The Flush Phantom’s first verified manifestation dates back to 1923 at the Grand Union Hotel in Chicago, a six-story luxury establishment known for its marble-tiled bathrooms and innovative indoor plumbing system. Over the course of three weeks, multiple guests filed unnerved complaints to management about a “presence” in their private stalls. Several described the distinct feeling of being watched mid-use, accompanied by an intermittent trickling noise that didn’t match any known plumbing issue. Hotel maintenance found no faults in the pipes—though one worker resigned abruptly after claiming that “something” in the drain grinned at him.

Pre-1923 Possible Origins:
While the first documented case in Chicago dates to 1923, scattered anecdotal reports suggest similar hauntings may have occurred as far back as the 1890s in Milwaukee boarding houses, Chicago public bathhouses, and riverfront hotels along the Great Lakes. Local oral history mentions “Horace the Watchman” — a pale man glimpsed in steam or reflected in bathwater — long before the Grand Union Hotel incident.

1940s Wartime Surge:
During World War II, factory restrooms in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio reported “ghost in the pipes” encounters. Workers claimed faucets would run on their own, toilets would flush repeatedly with no one inside, and pale hands would reach briefly from stall shadows before retreating. Plumbing repairs in these cases revealed no physical defects. A classified 1944 U.S. Army quartermaster memo records a “Class II wet-type disturbance” at a military latrine in Fort Sheridan, which some historians believe was the Phantom.

1958 “Drain Demon” Panic:
In summer 1958, a series of incidents in St. Louis elementary schools caused mass panic among children. Witnesses reported seeing “a long, wet face” staring up from toilet bowls, followed by loud gurgling laughter. Parents pressured the school board to install new plumbing; however, paranormal investigators later traced the events to an entity matching the Flush Phantom’s description. Egon, reviewing old microfiche clippings, noted this was the first recorded case of the ghost’s “partial emergence” ability, where only its head and upper torso manifest above a waterline.

1977 Boston Hotel Encounter:
A traveling salesman staying at the historic Dewey Square Hotel claimed to have been physically shoved off a toilet seat by “cold, wet hands” in the middle of the night. Hotel management found no evidence of forced entry and dismissed the claim until other guests began reporting similar experiences, including phantom laughter and splashing from empty stalls. The case ended only when the Ghostbusters Boston franchise performed a citywide pipe purge.

1984 Sewer Network Incident:
Shortly after the original Ghostbusters opened shop, New York City’s sewer maintenance division reported unexplained system pressure spikes that coincided with restroom hauntings in midtown and lower Manhattan. Early theories suggested multiple water-based entities, but readings eventually pointed to a single highly mobile Class IV vapor — the Flush Phantom. The ghost evaded capture at that time by retreating deeper into the sewer system, leading to speculation that it can “hold” itself in an intangible state to bypass proton stream interference.

Known Manifestation Pattern:
Historical data suggests the Phantom’s activity peaks in the late hours of the night, particularly between 2–5 a.m., and rises during periods of heavy rainfall or flooding. It has been documented in both upscale hotels and decrepit public restrooms, showing no socioeconomic preference — only an affinity for active plumbing and enclosed, echo-prone spaces.

3. Behaviors and Abilities
The Flush Phantom specializes in targeted harassment during private moments:

Sudden Temperature Shifts: Alternates between blasts of scalding steam and freezing cold drafts from under stall doors.

Drain Manifestation: Can push its partially formed face through sinks, bathtubs, or toilet bowls, speaking in gurgled, bubbling tones.

Poltergeist Activity: Slams stall doors, unrolls toilet paper at high speed, and knocks toiletries into toilets.

Splashback Burst: Able to generate violent, upward surges of water from toilets, soaking the victim and sometimes knocking them off balance.

Psychic Discomfort Field: Victims feel watched, rushed, and unnerved, often cutting their visit short before symptoms escalate.

Environmental Possession: At peak activity, it can control multiple bathroom fixtures simultaneously—flushing, spraying, and fogging the space to disorient.

The Flush Phantom exhibits a disturbing specialization in targeted harassment during moments of privacy, striking its victims when they are most vulnerable. Its manifestations are often preceded by abrupt environmental changes, such as sudden shifts between blasts of scalding steam and bone-chilling cold drafts that slip under stall doors. When ready to engage directly, the entity can force its partially formed face through bathroom fixtures — sinks, bathtubs, or toilet bowls — speaking in a grotesque mix of bubbling gargles and hollow, echoing tones. These partial manifestations are typically accompanied by a rapid escalation of poltergeist activity: stall doors slam shut or swing violently open, toilet paper unrolls at impossible speeds, and toiletries are knocked or hurled into toilets.

One of the Phantom’s most infamous abilities is its “splashback burst,” a violent upward surge of water from toilets with enough force to soak the victim and, in some documented cases, knock them off balance entirely. Victims almost universally report a psychic discomfort field during these events — an oppressive sensation of being watched, hurried, or judged, often driving them to cut their visit short before the haunting escalates.

At peak activity levels, the Flush Phantom demonstrates a form of environmental possession, wherein it can manipulate multiple fixtures simultaneously. Bathrooms under this influence have been documented with every toilet flushing in unison, sinks spraying without warning, showers running blood-tinted water, and thick steam or cold mist filling the space to further disorient those inside. The confined nature of bathrooms amplifies the psychological impact of these encounters, making even brief manifestations memorable and traumatic.

As anticipated, the Phantom emerged partially from the drain, its upper body twisting upward through a column of churning, dark water. The entity attempted to retreat back into the pipe system, but coordinated proton stream fire from both flanks herded it toward the bait zone. When the ghost tried to split into multiple vapor trails to evade capture, the team compensated with a synchronized dual-trap deployment, activating both units at the precise moment it passed through the containment field.

The operation concluded with the successful containment of the Phantom’s primary form along with several minor ectoplasmic fragments—likely residual “floaters” shed during the fight. Post-capture scans indicated no lingering high-level readings, though the twelfth-floor restroom remained out of service for three days while the building’s plumbing was flushed, disinfected, and fitted with upgraded backflow prevention valves.

Damage Summary:

Replacement of six warped stall doors after repeated forced slamming during the entity’s manifestation.

Repair of four shattered mirrors, one of which appeared to have been cracked from the inside.

Complete re-tiling of the twelfth-floor restroom due to proton scorch marks and “biohazard water staining” from the ghost’s splashback bursts.

Loss of one company-issued P.K.E. meter, sucked into a floor drain mid-operation and never recovered (suspected to still be somewhere in the Manhattan sewer network).

Water damage to adjacent office carpeting after containment streams ruptured a supply line.

Disposal of twenty-three rolls of toilet paper rendered unusable after being blasted into the ceiling vents.

One suit jacket belonging to a field tech permanently ruined by ectoplasmic backspray—insurance claim denied by the dry cleaner.

Two company coffee machines short-circuited after the steam wave triggered the building’s fire suppression system, dumping water into the breakroom.

Building security reported unexplained flushing in every restroom in the tower for three hours following capture, resulting in several startled occupants and one broken phone dropped into a toilet mid-call.

Capture Event

Date: September 18, 1989

Location: Midtown Office Tower, New York City

The first reports came from the building’s custodial staff, who complained of persistent bathroom disturbances over a two-week period. Stall doors would slam shut hard enough to warp hinges, faucets would run with water tinted a deep, blood-red hue, and toilets would flush at random intervals with no one inside. Matters escalated when a senior executive was struck by a violent “geyser flush” while seated, resulting in a bruised hip and a fractured sense of dignity. The incident, witnessed by two other employees, prompted building management to request immediate intervention from the Ghostbusters.

Upon arrival, the team’s initial survey with P.K.E. meters confirmed a concentrated Class III–IV presence in the building’s twelfth-floor restroom facilities. The entity reacted aggressively to the intrusion. All stall doors locked in unison, trapping the team in separate compartments. Seconds later, a dense wave of scalding steam rolled in from the ventilation ducts, reducing visibility to near zero and making breathing difficult. Amid the fog, every toilet in the room began flushing in perfect sync, the deafening roar reverberating off the tile walls and floor.

Water surged upward from several bowls, splashing over the tops of stalls in arcs strong enough to knock one of the field techs backward.Realizing that direct visual targeting was impossible under these conditions, the team scientist deployed a modified scent-based containment lure—a specialized trap canister emitting a pungent “old sewer” aroma designed to mimic the environmental conditions of the entity’s original death. This bait was positioned over the central floor drain while the rest of the crew prepared a containment crossfire.

Containment Log Entry – Subject: “The Flush Phantom”
Current Status:
Contained within the Ecto Containment Unit, power ratio 4.8. The entity has adapted quickly to the pocket dimension, claiming an area now designated The Tile Maze. This sector consists of endless corridors of cracked porcelain stalls, leaking sinks, rusted urinals, and shadowy ventilation shafts, much of which appears to have manifested under the Phantom’s influence. Pooled water, steam vents, and faulty plumbing fixtures cycle continuously, giving the zone a constant background noise of dripping, flushing, and metallic groaning. The Phantom’s mobility inside this sector is high, and it frequently phases into and out of plumbing networks at will.

Observed Containment Behavior:

Territorial Displays: Patrols The Tile Maze regularly, often slamming stall doors and causing fixture “malfunctions” as warning signs to nearby entities.

Fixture Manipulation: Has been observed using the unit’s simulated plumbing to trap weaker ghosts in locked stalls or flood sections to force them out.

Harassment of Other Entities: Shows a preference for ambushing newly contained spirits, especially those with low confidence or no combat abilities, by appearing in drains and “startling” them into retreating.

Alliances: Maintains an uneasy, water-based “non-aggression pact” with The Widowmaker. Recorded instances show the two sharing overlapping territory without conflict, possibly due to mutual benefit from the shared damp environment.

Psychic Echoes: Occasionally manifests its trademark distorted giggle across multiple containment sectors simultaneously, possibly as a form of intimidation or territory-marking.

Environmental Influence: Steam levels and humidity in The Tile Maze spike during its active phases, sometimes causing condensation leaks into neighboring containment sectors.

Escape Risk Assessment:
Low-to-Moderate. While its sewer-linked matrix is severed in containment, the Phantom retains a knack for exploiting plumbing-style infrastructure within the pocket dimension. Risk increases when containment field maintenance occurs near The Tile Maze’s water intake systems. Of greater concern is its potential collaboration with The Widowmaker, whose environmental manipulation could enhance the Phantom’s range or allow it to infiltrate non-bathroom sectors.

Special Handling Notes:

Avoid running any maintenance cycles that alter The Tile Maze’s water pressure without supervision from the lead engineer.

Keep scent-based or sewer-related artifact testing far from its sector; entity becomes hyperactive when exposed to such stimuli.

When introducing new captures into the Ecto Containment Unit, avoid routing them through The Tile Maze to reduce harassment incidents.

Log any cross-sector plumbing noises or unexplained humidity spikes immediately to prevent potential breaches.

Janine’s Personal Log Addendum:

“If I ever end up in that thing’s Tile Maze, you better believe I’m holding it in until I get home.”

Containment File #527 – “The Siren of Blackwell Cove”

20250814_0547_Siren at Blackwell Cove_simple_compose_01k2kzgek7frfta945yxh6xmsc.png

Containment File #527 – “The Siren of Blackwell Cove”

Also Known As: The Voice in the Waves, The Harrowed Songstress, Blackwell’s Bride
Class: VI Full-Torso Apparition
Power Ratio: 8.4

20250814_0549_Ethereal Siren Portrait_remix_01k2kzm92tfrvtaq14x4k2q9zt.png

Description:

The Siren of Blackwell Cove manifests as a striking, ghostly woman from the waist up, her lower body fading into a coiling mass of mist, seawater, and spectral feathers. She radiates an almost hypnotic beauty, but her features shift subtly — one moment alluring, the next revealing a gaunt, predatory visage. Her skin glistens as if perpetually wet, hair drifting as if underwater, and eyes shimmering with bioluminescent blue light. When agitated, her hands elongate into talons tipped with corroded, salt-crusted claws.

Physical Description:

The Siren’s form is an unsettling fusion of ethereal beauty and predatory menace, her appearance constantly shifting in subtle, disarming ways that make it hard to tell where allure ends and danger begins.

Face & Expression:
Her face is heart-shaped, with high cheekbones and smooth, porcelain-pale skin that glistens faintly as if dampened by sea spray. A faint shimmer, like the sheen of wet shells, catches the light along her jawline and temples. Her lips are full and coral-tinted, but often curl into an ambiguous smile — one that can turn to a predatory sneer in an instant. When she shifts into her hunting visage, her mouth widens slightly beyond human proportions, revealing sharp, pearl-white teeth that glint faintly with brine.

Her eyes are the most hypnotic feature — large and almond-shaped, glowing with a bioluminescent blue that pulses softly, like the steady glow of deep-sea lifeforms. In dim light, the pupils appear to swirl faintly, creating a mesmerizing effect that draws the viewer in before they realize it’s impossible to look away.

Hair:
Her hair is impossibly long, a waterfall of dark strands with subtle iridescent undertones — hints of midnight blue, sea green, and even violet visible when caught by light. It constantly moves as though suspended underwater, drifting and curling around her shoulders and face, regardless of wind conditions. Strands often cling to her neck and collarbone, dripping seawater in slow, deliberate drops.

Torso & Upper Body:
From the waist up, she is lithe and statuesque, her shoulders straight and posture regal, reminiscent of a figurehead carved into a ship’s bow. Her skin has the faint, shifting texture of wet satin, glistening with moisture, and along her forearms and ribcage, faint lines of shimmering scales appear when the light hits at the right angle — almost invisible unless actively sought.

Her hands are long and elegant, with tapered fingers and smooth nails that can elongate into talon-like claws when she strikes. In her more dangerous state, these claws appear tipped with barnacle-like calcification and sea corrosion.

Lower Body & Appendages:
When grounded, her form fades into a swirling, semi-corporeal mass of mist, dark seawater, and spectral feathers. In full manifestation, she reveals a pair of massive, black-feathered wings, each feather damp and glossy as though freshly pulled from a storm. The wings are powerful and ragged at the tips, water droplets flying from them in arcs when they beat.

In her most ancient form, she can replace her lower body with a serpentine mass of spectral water and feathers, coiling and lashing out to ensnare prey. This transition is often accompanied by a sudden drop in temperature and the scent of salt and decay.

Clothing & Adornments:
She wears remnants of a 1700s shipboard wedding dress — the bodice tightly fitted, with delicate, waterlogged lace sleeves that cling to her arms. The once-white fabric has yellowed and darkened, mottled with seawater stains, and flows seamlessly into the mist and feathers of her lower half. Here and there, strands of kelp and small seashells are tangled in the folds of her gown, clinging to her as if carried by the current.

Voice & Aura:
Her voice is as much a part of her physical presence as her body. When she sings, her throat vibrates with a deep, resonant hum that can be felt in the chest, layered with harmonics that seem to come from all around the listener. The air around her is cool and damp, and faint motes of glowing plankton-like light drift in her wake. Her scent is a blend of ocean brine, storm wind, and faint blooming night jasmine — a lure in its own right.

Historical Background:

Legends of the Blackwell Cove Siren date back to the late 1700s, when local fishermen in the Massachusetts area reported a “beautiful woman singing on the rocks” during foggy nights. The stories share an unsettling common thread — ships that strayed toward the voice either ran aground on the jagged reef or were found adrift, their crew missing without a trace.

Historical accounts link the ghost to Margaret Blackwell, the daughter of a wealthy shipping magnate, who vanished the night before her arranged wedding to a rival family’s heir. Folklore claims she threw herself from the cliffs into the sea after discovering her betrothed’s infidelity. Some versions insist she was murdered and cast into the water, her body never recovered. By the mid-19th century, lighthouse keepers reported hearing her song during storms, often followed by unexplained disappearances of sailors who had sworn they saw “a woman in the waves.”

Additional Data:

Early Sightings (1700s):
Local Wampanoag oral tradition tells of a “Storm-Caller” who lived in the waters off what would later be named Blackwell Cove, long before colonial settlement. She was said to sing warnings before tempests, but when settlers came, her song became a lure — leading fishing boats to destruction. Early colonial diaries from 1712 mention “a woman in pale dress upon the stones, smiling as our men took to their oars”. Within hours, the vessel was wrecked on the reef.

Margaret Blackwell Legend:
The most enduring origin claims she is Margaret Blackwell, the daughter of a shipping magnate, engaged in 1784 to Jonathan Harrow, a political match meant to merge two influential families. On the night before the wedding, Margaret disappeared. Some accounts say she was last seen walking the cliff path in a storm, wearing her wedding gown. Others claim she was overheard arguing with Harrow’s brother, who coveted both her and her inheritance. No body was found, but the gown was discovered tangled in seaweed at the base of the cliff. Within a week, fishermen began hearing a woman’s song at night — and more than one ship failed to return to port.

19th Century Maritime Disasters:
Between 1810 and 1890, the Blackwell Cove area recorded over two dozen shipwrecks attributed to “navigational error,” despite calm weather. Survivors who washed ashore often told the same story: hearing music from the fog and seeing a glowing figure waving them toward the reef. The most famous was the 1862 wreck of the Essex Bride, in which the captain swore in his deposition that “she stood atop the breakers, her eyes brighter than the lighthouse, and we obeyed her without a thought.”

The Lighthouse Keeper’s Curse:
In 1903, the newly appointed lighthouse keeper, Elias Dunn, wrote to his sister describing a “beautiful woman” who visited the base of the lighthouse during storms. His letters reveal growing obsession, ending abruptly after only six weeks. Dunn’s body was never found; the only clue was a single black feather lodged between the lighthouse’s stone steps and a waterlogged key ring at the shoreline.

20th Century Sightings & Naval Encounters:
During WWII, U.S. Navy patrol boats reported interference with sonar and communications while operating near the cove. One declassified incident file mentions “unexplained audio signals consistent with human singing” recorded over military frequencies, followed by the temporary disappearance of a watch crew. In the 1970s, local divers searching the reef for artifacts claimed to see a “winged shadow” gliding beneath them, moving against the current.

Ghostbusters Pre-Incident File (2004 Capture):
Prior to the formal capture event, multiple tourist reports in the late 1990s and early 2000s described hearing a female voice from the beach at dusk, calling their names specifically. Several missing persons cases in the area listed the last known location as Blackwell Cove, with no sign of struggle or foul play. Ghostbusters P.K.E. scans in 2003 confirmed an unusually high Class VI signature linked to strong hydrokinetic surges and sustained vocal resonance far above normal spectral readings.

20250814_0545_Mystical Siren's Allure_simple_compose_01k2kzcpn5e5zv4rz7dpve19h6.png

The Siren of Blackwell Cove demonstrates a highly dangerous combination of vocal, environmental, and psychological abilities, making her one of the most effective predatory Class VI entities on record. Her primary lure is a sustained, hypnotic song composed of multiple layered tones, some of which fall outside the human audible range. These embedded frequencies have been shown to produce measurable neurological effects, resulting in disorientation, euphoria, and an overwhelming compulsion to locate the sound’s source. Subjects under her influence often move directly toward hazardous environments without hesitation, a behavior pattern that has historically led to numerous disappearances and fatalities.

In conjunction with her vocal lure, the entity can alter her form within seconds, shifting from an ethereal, seemingly benign appearance to that of a horrific predator. This transformation coincides with her attacks, revealing elongated facial structure, unnatural jaw extension, and dentition optimized for tearing flesh. She is equally adept at manipulating her surroundings through hydrokinetic control, capable of altering water currents, thickening fog, and generating targeted bursts of sea spray to reduce visibility and destabilize her targets. Documented cases include the creation of rogue waves and counter-currents strong enough to capsize small vessels.

When airborne, the Siren manifests large black feathered wings with a wet, matted texture. These appear to be spectral in nature, forming and dissipating at will, and are used to execute silent, high-velocity dives on isolated victims. Her predatory strategy is further enhanced by advanced psychic projection capabilities, generating highly realistic illusions tailored to each victim. Common hallucinations include images of safe harbors, familiar ships, or deceased loved ones positioned to draw the target further from safety. These fabrications collapse only at the moment of attack, when the entity reveals her true form.

Behavior & Abilitie

Luring Song:

Emits a hypnotic, multi-layered melody audible over vast distances, drawing men toward her location. Victims under its influence experience disorientation, euphoria, and compulsion to follow the sound, often walking directly into danger.

Shifting Form:

Can alter her appearance from ethereal beauty to horrific predator within seconds, a transformation that coincides with physical attacks.

Hydrokinetic Control:

Manipulates localized water currents, fog density, and sea spray to disorient and trap victims.

Spectral Flight:

Possesses large, feathered wings (black and wet-looking) when airborne, typically used to dive onto isolated targets.

Psychic Projection:

Victims often report “seeing” safe harbors or loved ones ahead — illusions generated to lead them astray.

20250814_0553_Ethereal Predatory Siren_remix_01k2kztp0de1kb2r8jkz0r5ad4.png

Multiple missing persons reports over a six-month period, all tied to the same stretch of rocky Massachusetts coastline, triggered a coordinated Ghostbusters field operation. Witness accounts consistently mentioned hearing “a woman singing in the fog” shortly before the disappearance of fishermen, kayakers, and two hikers last seen on the cliffside path.

On arrival at Blackwell Cove, the field team was immediately met with dense maritime fog of unnatural density, limiting visibility to under ten meters. Within minutes, the Siren’s distinctive vocal signature was detected emanating from offshore. Two male team members experienced rapid onset of disorientation, erratic speech, and an uncharacteristic compulsion to enter the water; both required immediate physical restraint and removal from line of sight to the waterline.

To counteract the influence of the Luring Song, the team deployed a portable sonic dampening array anchored to the rocky shore. The Siren responded by manifesting fully above the wave line, her black, wet-feathered wings outstretched, and initiated a series of low-altitude sweeps toward the shore. Proton stream engagement proved difficult as airborne mist and salt spray caused repeated shorting and temporary power drop in two proton packs. The entity retaliated by manipulating local hydrokinetic conditions to produce a sudden rogue wave, striking with enough force to capsize the team’s anchored support skiff and scatter gear across the rocks.

Midway through the confrontation, the team scientist initiated a secondary plan, broadcasting a reversed recording of the Siren’s own call through the sonic array. The effect disrupted her vocal harmonics and appeared to destabilize her flight pattern. Drawn closer in a disoriented arc, the entity was forced inland by coordinated proton stream fire, her form becoming increasingly unstable as she neared the beach. Once inside the optimal capture zone, containment streams were synchronized, pinning her long enough for a ghost trap deployment. The trap’s activation sequence coincided with a violent localized wind shear, pulling seawater, mist, and spectral debris toward the trap aperture as the Siren was forcibly drawn inside.

Post-Capture Observations: Field equipment suffered moderate water damage, with one proton pack requiring complete capacitor replacement. The support skiff was deemed a total loss. All personnel exposed to the Luring Song reported mild lingering auditory hallucinations for 24–48 hours but no permanent cognitive impairment.

Damage Summary – Case File #527 – The Siren of Blackwell Cove

Support skiff – total loss after being capsized by a rogue wave generated by the entity. Later recovered in two pieces lodged in the reef.
Two proton packs suffered power fluctuations and electrical shorting due to saltwater exposure; one required complete capacitor replacement.
Sonic dampening array sustained corrosion and coil damage after prolonged mist saturation, rendering it inoperable until parts could be sourced.
One Ecto-Goggles unit lost to the cove during rogue wave event; presumed unrecoverable at seabed.
Minor injuries to three team members, including sprains and contusions from being slammed against rocks; one suffered a bruised shoulder after slipping on seaweed while recovering the trap.
Two fishing nets and one lobster trap belonging to local residents destroyed or displaced during hydrokinetic surge; reimbursed from containment incident fund.
Interference with local seabird population caused by broadcast of reversed Siren call, resulting in aggressive gull activity in the area for 36 hours.
Miscellaneous loss of one waterproof field lunch container (containing two pastrami sandwiches) swept out to sea — noted in field log as “claimed by the Siren.”

Capture Event – Case File #527 – The Siren of Blackwell Cove

Date: August 3, 2004

Location: Blackwell Cove, Massachusetts

20250814_0647_Ensnared Sea Siren_remix_01k2m2x06ae9b8qjdz092tzwfw.png

Current Containment Power Level Status: LOW

20250814_0653_Mystical Sea Siren_remix_01k2m399cye3ntr20edf50eacx (1).png

20250814_0648_Ethereal Storm Siren_remix_01k2m2zsyveetst2rcs39pqvf6.png

20250814_0643_Siren's Haunting Presence_remix_01k2m2pjv1eww8akdf4c5ahcw0.png

Containment Log Entry –

Subject: “The Siren of Blackwell Cove”

Current Status: securely contained within the E.C.U.

power ratio 8.4.

The entity remains confined within the Storm Sector of the Ecto Containment Unit — a specialized region of the pocket dimension engineered to replicate high-wind, high-surf maritime conditions. This zone manifests as an endless expanse of jagged cliffs, churning black water, and storm-lashed skies, all sustained by the containment field’s environmental simulation protocols. Within this artificial ecosystem, gale-force winds howl continuously, and simulated swells rise between three to five meters, ensuring the Siren cannot achieve stable, long-range flight.

The containment systems maintain a perpetual tempest, complete with blinding rain squalls, rolling thunder, and sudden shifts in wind direction, all calibrated to keep her disoriented and limit her ability to focus her hydrokinetic control. Her measured power ratio of 8.4 remains well above average, a figure attributed to the combined amplification of her Luring Song’s resonant properties and her ability to manipulate both water and weather patterns. Even within the pocket dimension’s controlled environment, these abilities have been observed to test the sector’s stability, occasionally prompting adjustments to containment parameters.

Observed Containment Behavior:

Within the Storm Sector of the Containment Unit’s pocket dimension, the Siren most frequently stations herself atop one of the towering, simulated cliff ledges that overlook the endless churning expanse. These ledges, slick with constant spray from the simulated surf, give her a commanding vantage point from which she will crouch or stand poised, scanning the horizon as though awaiting prey that will never come. She often begins to sing in a low, haunting register, her voice carrying across the wind-lashed void. Audio sensors confirm that these sessions are sporadic and deliberate rather than continuous, indicating she is testing and mapping the acoustic boundaries of her sector in the hopes of finding a weakness in the sound-dampening field.

When containment personnel — particularly male field techs — approach her sector’s observation interface, the entity’s demeanor shifts abruptly. She will extend her spectral wings to their full span, adopt a more aggressive posture, and alter her vocalizations to a sharper, more commanding tone designed to elicit a reaction. While her apparent focus on male observers is consistent, P.K.E. readings show her influence intensifies regardless of gender, suggesting the behavior is an intentional display rather than a true limitation of her abilities.

The Siren has been recorded approaching the boundaries of her zone to confront other winged entities within the containment pocket dimension, including the Gloom Harrier and the Spectral Vulture. These encounters are consistently brief and hostile, involving aerial passes, rapid wing beats, and predatory feints before she retreats to her cliffside territory. No cooperative alliances have been observed; interactions appear entirely territorial in nature.

Even in apparent inactivity, she manipulates the sector’s environment. Remote monitoring has logged precise adjustments to wave height, fog density, and wind direction — often coinciding with scheduled observation periods. These changes, while subtle, appear to be controlled tests of her hydrokinetic capabilities within the constraints of the pocket dimension. Containment specialists have noted these activities may be rehearsals for a coordinated breach should environmental systems fail.

Intra-Entity Manipulation:

In the pocket dimension, she actively engages other water-associated spirits, often undermining them psychologically. Several low-power entities have been lured into hostile zones by following her psychic echoes, resulting in loss of cohesion (ghost disintegration). Egon notes this behavior could destabilize nearby containment sectors over time.

Escape Risk Assessment:
High. The Siren’s hydrokinetic and aerial abilities make her one of the most containment-sensitive entities within the Ecto Containment Unit’s pocket dimension. If the Storm Sector’s environmental control systems — including simulated gale-force winds, high swell generation, or fog density regulators — were to fail or drop below operational thresholds, she could quickly exploit the calmer conditions to regain sustained flight and enhanced hydrokinetic range.

Furthermore, if the dimensional stability matrix of the Storm Sector were compromised, she could potentially use localized water current manipulation to “ride” sector boundary distortions into adjacent zones. This would not only expand her hunting range within the pocket dimension but could allow her to interact with or even recruit other high-threat entities. Once freed from her high-wind environment, her capacity to coordinate environmental changes across sectors could destabilize the containment field on a broader scale.

Continuous operation of sonic dampeners is mandatory, with two redundant backup systems on a staggered activation cycle to prevent single-point failure. Emergency breach protocols require immediate deployment of counter-harmonic disruptors to neutralize her Luring Song, followed by hydrostatic field traps to immobilize her until reinsertion into containment is possible.

Special Handling Notes:
Special Handling Notes:

No personnel are to approach the Storm Sector interface without sonic dampener headsets engaged and verified operational.

Avoid direct eye contact with the entity for extended periods, as her gaze has been shown to amplify susceptibility to her Luring Song.

Maintenance on environmental control systems must be conducted in pairs, with one technician stationed at the observation controls to monitor for sudden behavioral changes.

Do not transmit, play, or simulate any melodic audio within her sector — even for testing — without senior containment officer approval.

Keep all sector boundary access hatches locked and sealed; the Siren has been observed approaching boundaries during low-activity cycles.

In the event of environmental system failure, initiate Containment Breach Protocol 6-A immediately and prepare hydrostatic field generators before any physical intervention is attempted.

Absolutely no personal watercraft, flotation devices, or reflective surfaces are to be brought into her sector for any reason.

For psychological safety, avoid assigning the same personnel to her observation duties for more than three consecutive shifts.

Janine’s Personal Log Addendum:

“If she ever gets out, I’m wearing earplugs, a blindfold, and maybe just staying home that day. Let the guys deal with her — I’ll be in Jersey with a cup of coffee and my feet up.”

20250814_0715_Mystical Sea Siren_remix_01k2m4h447ep9tz89fq3qbm7hk.png

20250814_0716_Wet and Fierce Entity_remix_01k2m4hvz4fs5aed2nac3vpfm8 (1).png

Containment File #247 – “The Boogieman”

20250814_0548_Bloody Boogieman Title_remix_01k2kzj2c9fysrs9gb7rq5927c.png

Containment File #247 – “The Boogieman”

Also Known As: The Bogeyman, Fear Incarnate, The Closet Stalker
Class: VII Repeating Corporeal Entity (Not a ghost — solid, fear-fed creature)
Date of Capture: November 2, 1991
Power Ratio: 9.0 (extremely high due to fear absorption and reality alteration)

20250814_0721_Sinister Closet Emergence_remix_01k2m4v2ggfva8hkqfb5c43yvr.png

Description:

The Boogieman is a grotesque, anthropomorphic entity whose form fuses the worst aspects of human and animal anatomy into a living embodiment of childhood terror. Standing well over two meters tall, his lanky, disproportionate frame moves with an unnatural, loping gait that seems part marionette, part predatory stalk. His pallid skin is mottled in places with thin patches of wiry, off-white fur that catches light like cobwebs, giving him an aged and unkempt appearance. The fur thickens along his forearms, shoulders, and down the backs of his legs, adding to his unsettling, half-feral silhouette.

Physical Description:

His head is unnaturally large for his frame, giving the impression of being top-heavy yet never impeding his movements. Two elongated, sharply pointed goat-like ears jut outward at odd angles, twitching and angling toward even the faintest sounds, as though constantly seeking a child’s whimper in the dark. His eyes are oversized and almond-shaped, glowing a sickly yellow that seems to pierce through shadows. They are set beneath a chaotic mane of spiky, electric-blue hair that bristles and shifts as though moved by an unseen current.

The mouth is perhaps his most disturbing feature — a wide, twisted grin stretched far beyond normal human proportions, lined with jagged, uneven teeth the color of aged bone. When he smiles, the corners of his mouth pull back into an expression that is equal parts mockery and hunger, revealing a faint dark-red gleam from within his throat, as though lit from some malevolent fire inside.

From the waist down, his anatomy transitions into that of a cloven-hoofed ungulate. His legs bend backward at the knee like a goat’s, ending in broad, cracked hooves that strike the ground with a dull, resonant thock with each step. Despite their size, these hooves allow him to move with surprising silence when stalking his prey — though he often chooses to exaggerate the sound when he wants to intimidate.

He dresses in a manner that is almost theatrical in its absurdity, as if mocking the idea of civility. A dark, weathered tailcoat clings to his upper body, its lapels frayed and uneven, and a garish purple bowtie sits crookedly at his throat. The effect is unsettling: a formal evening guest who stepped straight out of a nightmare. His clothing is never wet, torn, or stained in a way that suggests recent violence; instead, it is as if the garments themselves are part of him, an immutable costume worn for every encounter.

When the Boogieman moves, his entire body language radiates predatory playfulness. He sways from side to side like a pendulum before closing in, crouches low before lunging, and often tilts his head at unnatural angles to study his target. His voice is a rasping baritone capable of sudden shifts into childlike mimicry, a talent he uses to draw his victims closer before revealing his true form in the blink of an eye.

Historical Background:

Reports of a figure matching the Boogieman’s description predate the Ghostbusters’ founding by centuries, though he is rarely called by the same name in each account. In 17th-century European folklore, he is described as Le Croque-Mitaine, Der Schwarze Mann, or Il Uomo Nero—a shadowy intruder who visited sleeping children and spirited them away. Across multiple cultures, he appears in tales as a persistent nightmare figure, always connected to a physical portal: a closet, a wardrobe, or a concealed doorway. Unlike most supernatural entities, historical records suggest he is corporeal, but sustained by fear itself rather than any natural biology.

20250814_0738_Gremlin in Kids' Room_remix_01k2m5vb7jehr8b27ccwzrza9h.png

By the late 19th century, urban legends in the United States had adapted his image to match the times. Newspaper archives from Boston (1894) mention “a horned man in a black coat” seen inside children’s bedrooms, vanishing when adults entered. In Chicago (1906), police investigated a string of disappearances where children claimed a “tall goat-eared man in fancy clothes” came through their closet. No physical evidence was ever recovered, and all victims were never found.

The first confirmed modern encounter occurred in 1986 when two New York children reported a large, animal-featured man emerging from their bedroom closet at night. When the Ghostbusters responded, the entity was observed entering and exiting through a spatial distortion within the closet’s interior, confirming the existence of a self-contained dimensional realm under his control. Early attempts at trapping failed when standard proton streams proved insufficient to destabilize him, leading to the realization that he was not a ghost but a fear-fed corporeal being.

Over subsequent encounters, he demonstrated the ability to open closet portals at will, traversing vast distances instantly to reach any child he targeted. His dimensional lair, glimpsed briefly during containment operations, appeared as a warped, mutable environment shaped by his will—shifting from cramped, claustrophobic tunnels to vast nightmare landscapes. In one documented case, the entity transformed the environment into a surreal carnival of warped colors, twisted rides, and grotesque caricatures, designed to maximize fear in his victims.

Notably, the Boogieman has shown a peculiar interest in individuals who resisted his influence as children, often returning to torment them in adulthood. This fixation has led to repeat targeting of certain civilians and even Ghostbusters personnel. Containment records suggest that, unlike most entities, the Boogieman can survive long periods without physical manifestation, retreating into his realm to recover and feed passively on ambient fear energy from the human world.

His eventual containment was only achieved after extensive planning and the development of specialized equipment capable of forcing a stable, trap-compatible form. Even now, his presence in the Containment Unit is monitored more frequently than most, as his intelligence, dimensional control, and direct feeding on fear present an ongoing high-risk profile.

Additional Data:

Pre-Colonial Legends: Oral traditions from multiple Indigenous peoples in North America speak of a horned, long-faced “Dream Stalker” who emerged from “the door of shadows” in children’s sleeping spaces. These accounts describe him not as a ghost, but as a “skin-changer” who could warp his body into whatever shape most terrified the child he hunted.

Early European Immigrant Records (1700s–1800s): Settlers in port towns along the Eastern Seaboard passed down stories of “The Long-Eared Gentleman” who would knock twice on closet doors before entering. Parents used the story to discipline children, but police records from as early as 1793 in New Amsterdam (modern-day New York) reference unexplained child disappearances coinciding with multiple witnesses describing an “animal-headed man in fine dress.”

Victorian-Era Sightings: The London Metropolitan Police investigated the so-called “Wardrobe Fiend” in 1872 after a series of strange nighttime intrusions left children catatonic with fear. Witness sketches match modern descriptions of the Boogieman almost perfectly—right down to the exaggerated grin and goat-like legs. No arrest was ever made, and the case was closed as mass hysteria.

Documented “Fear Surges”: Psychical research logs from the early 20th century recorded unusual spikes in fear-related psychometric readings in urban centers, often correlating with missing person reports involving minors. Paranormal theorists of the time speculated about a single, ancient predator capable of traveling between points of concentrated fear.

Pattern of Manifestation: Unlike most Class VII threats, the Boogieman appears to operate on a cyclical schedule—manifesting in force approximately every 12–15 years, targeting clusters of children in specific neighborhoods before vanishing. Data compiled from historical sightings suggest he prefers urban environments with high population density, ensuring a steady supply of victims and fear energy.

Unconfirmed Cross-Reports: Multiple post-containment eyewitness accounts claim to have seen him briefly in reflective surfaces, including mirrors and dark windows, suggesting that while physically contained, his psychic projection abilities may not be fully suppressed. This has led to speculation that his dimensional realm overlaps with certain psychic wavelengths in the waking world, allowing him to “look out” even while imprisoned.

Behavior & Abilities

Though physically solid, the Boogieman is sustained by a unique parasitic relationship with human fear. This energy source fuels his strength, agility, and his ability to manipulate his personal dimension. The more terror he induces, the more formidable he becomes, both in physical prowess and environmental control.

Fear Absorption:
The Boogieman feeds directly on the emotional energy of fear, drawing it from his victims through prolonged exposure, vocal intimidation, and sudden shock tactics. Fear not only strengthens him but also accelerates his reaction time and heightens his already formidable reflexes.

Reality Warping:
Within his own dimension, the Boogieman exercises total control over the environment. He can alter terrain, architecture, and even physics to reflect his chosen nightmare aesthetic—transforming harmless surroundings into a surreal, threatening landscape designed to disorient and intimidate intruders.

Portal Creation:
The entity has the ability to open dimensional gateways—most often disguised as common household closets—linking the human world to his domain. These portals can manifest anywhere he chooses, allowing him to move instantaneously between locations without regard for physical distance.

Superhuman Strength & Dexterity:
In the physical world, the Boogieman exhibits strength and agility far beyond human norms. He can leap multiple stories vertically or horizontally, lift and throw heavy furniture with ease, and traverse obstacles with uncanny speed and precision.

Fear Scream:
The Boogieman’s vocal apparatus is capable of producing a high-intensity roar or shriek that creates a shockwave strong enough to stagger or knock down nearby targets. This scream often precedes a physical lunge, ensuring the victim is stunned and unable to escape.

Fear-Fueled Growth:
As his victims’ fear escalates, the Boogieman’s physical size and musculature can visibly increase. In extreme cases, witnesses have reported him growing to fill entire rooms, his features becoming more grotesque and exaggerated the more terrified the victim becomes.

20250814_0727_Boogieman Emerges_remix_01k2m56sawe2883jk26mjjvyke.png

The Boogieman is a physically solid, fear-dependent predator whose power and influence grow in direct proportion to the terror he induces. Drawing on the emotional energy of fear, he becomes stronger, faster, and more agile the longer he engages a victim, using this energy to sharpen his already formidable reflexes and predatory instincts. Fear is not simply a byproduct of his presence—it is his primary fuel source, and every action he takes is designed to cultivate it.

Within his own dimensional realm, the Boogieman exerts complete environmental control. He can alter terrain, architecture, and even the laws of physics to create surreal, threatening landscapes intended to confuse and overwhelm intruders. These nightmare environments can shift without warning, changing from suffocatingly cramped corridors to vast, distorted arenas that amplify the victim’s sense of vulnerability.

The entity’s preferred means of entering our world is through dimensional gateways disguised as ordinary closets, granting him the ability to appear anywhere regardless of physical distance or security measures. Once manifested in the physical world, he displays superhuman strength and agility—capable of leaping multiple stories, hurling heavy objects with ease, and moving with unsettling speed.

His voice functions as a secondary weapon. A sudden, high-intensity roar—known as his “fear scream”—produces a concussive shockwave strong enough to stagger or knock targets off their feet, leaving them disoriented and unable to defend themselves. Most alarming, however, is his fear-fueled growth: when drawing in enough terror, the Boogieman’s body can swell to immense proportions, his form twisting into increasingly grotesque shapes. Witnesses have reported him filling entire rooms in this state, with every feature exaggerated to monstrous effect.

The Boogieman demonstrated complete control over this domain, manifesting sudden environmental hazards such as collapsing bridges and enclosing walls to isolate team members. During the engagement, he exhibited his “fear scream,” a concussive vocalization that knocked one member off a ledge, requiring immediate rescue. Lacking the ability to directly trap him in this form, the team instead overloaded his realm’s structural stability by setting synchronized proton bursts against the dimensional walls. This forced the collapse of multiple portal access points, effectively sealing him away and cutting his connection to the human world.

This containment lasted until a subsequent case several years later, when a dimensional stress event allowed the entity to force a partial reopening of a portal — one that manifested inside the Firehouse itself. Exploiting the opportunity, the Boogieman emerged and directly targeted the team, focusing in particular on one member he had encountered in childhood. His taunts and pursuit escalated through the streets of New York, culminating in a second breach that pulled several civilians — including young “Junior Ghostbuster” trainees — into his dimension.

This time, the realm’s interior manifested as a warped carnival: giant, grotesque rides loomed out of the fog, funhouse mirrors reflected distorted and hostile versions of the visitors, and the very ground shifted beneath their feet. Here, the Boogieman alternated between stalking his prey from the shadows and appearing suddenly in close quarters, using his size-changing ability to block escape routes.

To neutralize him, the team deployed a custom-built atomic destabilization device designed to force his corporeal form into a trap-compatible energy state. Luring him into an open space in the center of the carnival realm, the device was activated in conjunction with multiple proton streams, weakening his resistance and preventing another escape through a portal. With his strength fading, a specialized high-capacity trap was placed at the rift point, drawing the entity in and sealing the dimensional breach behind him.

The trap was immediately transferred to the Ecto Containment Unit, where a reinforced dimensional holding cell was constructed to house him indefinitely.

Damage Summary – Case File #247 – The Boogieman

Structural damage to multiple children’s bedrooms caused by dimensional rift expansion, including warped flooring, cracked walls, and two collapsed closet interiors.

Severe environmental distortion in the first breach site; furniture and personal effects bent or stretched beyond repair due to reality-warp overlap.

Four proton packs lost when deliberately overloaded to destabilize the entity’s realm; all units suffered catastrophic core failure and were deemed irreparable.

One containment trap overloaded and fused shut when used near an uncollapsed rift, requiring full disassembly and capacitor replacement.

Firehouse main bay doors damaged when the entity forcibly entered during the second breach; replacement doors ordered after hinges were found twisted “like pretzels.”

Rooftop weather antenna array sheared off during pursuit across the Firehouse roof; cause determined to be entity’s tailcoat snagging on cabling, followed by deliberate forceful removal.

Carnival realm incursion resulted in loss of one portable P.K.E. meter, last seen being swallowed whole by an animated funhouse mirror.

Multiple civilian garments shredded or warped upon removal from the Boogieman’s realm; one Junior Ghostbuster’s sneakers returned fused into a single unusable lump of rubber.

Four cases of temporary vertigo among team members and trainees following abrupt shifts in the entity’s realm gravity.

Miscellaneous losses included three flashlights, one box of chocolate-covered snack cakes taken by the entity “for later,” and a folding chair from the Firehouse kitchen that somehow manifested in the carnival realm before being destroyed.

Capture Event – Case File #247 – The Boogieman

Date: November 2, 1991

Location: : Multiple locations across New York City, including Queens, Manhattan, and the Ghostbusters Firehouse

The first confirmed operation against the entity began when the team responded to a series of urgent calls from different boroughs reporting a “monster in the closet” terrorizing children. Initial investigation in one affected household revealed an active dimensional rift hidden inside the closet space — a shimmering portal leading to a non-terrestrial environment. P.K.E. readings were off the scale but carried no ectoplasmic trace, confirming the target was a corporeal, fear-fed lifeform.

When the entity manifested in the home of two child witnesses, he emerged fully through the portal, addressing the children by name before noticing the Ghostbusters. His initial reaction was a taunting withdrawal into the closet, clearly attempting to lure one or more of the team into his realm. Against standard protocol, pursuit was authorized due to the presence of potential hostages. Upon crossing the threshold, the team entered a sprawling, unstable dimension that resembled a cross between a nightmare playground and an Escher-like network of twisting corridors. Physics within the realm was highly mutable — distances stretched and compressed, gravity shifted unpredictably, and environmental features shifted form in response to heightened fear levels.

20250814_0742_Ghostly Bedroom Capture_remix_01k2m625baebtve5r9b2z3mksa (1).png

Current Containment Power Level Status: LOW

20250814_0750_Boogieman's Containment Prowl_remix_01k2m6g5qbetzvq4c9j0d5yjj8.png

20250814_0750_Boogieman's Containment Behaviors_remix_01k2m6ghkzfhft5x5eehngt5j5.png

20250814_0750_Boogieman Containment Scene_remix_01k2m6gxtkes3ay25gr15q37jv.png

Containment Log Entry –

Subject: “ The Boogieman”

Current Status: securely contained within the E.C.U.

power ratio 9.0

The Boogieman remains confined within the Labyrinth Sector of the Ecto Containment Unit’s pocket dimension — a highly specialized, high-security zone designed to mimic the chaotic, spatially unstable conditions of his native realm, but under complete Ghostbusters oversight. This sector is a sprawling, self-reconfiguring maze of twisting corridors, sharp-angled hallways, and towering, precarious catwalks suspended over seemingly endless voids. Walls shift without warning, passageways fold in on themselves, and routes that appear familiar will subtly alter with each traversal, ensuring that even the Boogieman cannot memorize or map the layout.

Throughout the Labyrinth, dimensional “false portals” are embedded into the architecture — doorways, archways, and, most notably, closet doors that seem to pulse with active energy but are hardwired into closed containment loops. These are visual lures designed to both occupy and frustrate the entity, forcing him to expend effort in testing each one while ensuring none connect to any real-world or interdimensional point. Every portal frame is reinforced with dimensional dampening nodes that destabilize his gateway-forming abilities the moment he makes physical contact.

The sector is monitored by autonomous sensor drones that drift silently through the corridors, tracking every movement and recording P.K.E. fluctuations. His power ratio remains at 9.0, one of the highest ever recorded in the Containment Unit, with measurable energy surges whenever he encounters a new arrival — suggesting he can detect and feed on fear emitted by other entities even at a distance. Environmental controls are programmed to introduce periodic shifts in the maze structure, preventing him from identifying long-term “safe” zones or potential weak points.

In addition, the Labyrinth’s artificial physics mimic some of his home realm’s instability but with key differences engineered to work against him. Gravity shifts can occur suddenly, forcing him into disorienting orientations, and sightlines are deliberately obstructed by moving walls and false turns to prevent him from building momentum during a chase. The result is a carefully balanced containment environment: familiar enough to keep him engaged and predictable, but meticulously stripped of any exploitable structural flaw that could enable escape.

Observed Containment Behavior:
Upon initial insertion into the Labyrinth Sector, the Boogieman attempted to probe the simulated closet doors scattered throughout the zone, testing each for dimensional weakness. When no portals responded, he switched to stalking other entities, often shadowing them silently for long stretches before vanishing. These actions appear calculated to elicit fear, even from other supernatural beings, suggesting that his feeding habits extend to any sentient target, not just humans.

On several occasions, he has demonstrated the ability to alter small portions of the containment environment, temporarily reshaping walls or distorting floors to mimic his original realm. These changes dissipate quickly once containment field dampeners engage, but the activity indicates that his reality-warping capacity is not entirely nullified. The Labyrinth’s self-reconfiguring architecture has so far prevented him from claiming a permanent territory within the sector, though he often returns to a central “observation hub” where he can watch other sectors through illusory doorways.

20250814_0745_Labyrinth's Stalking Boogieman_remix_01k2m6826wf139dn3kr85edyvj (1).png

Containment protocols mandate constant field cycling every 18 minutes to disrupt any attempt at mapping the sector’s architecture. This prevents him from memorizing layout patterns or identifying structural weaknesses in the false portal network. In addition, all simulated closet doors within the Labyrinth are randomly relocated and visually altered at irregular intervals to foil his attempts to track their positions over time. These measures force him into a state of continual disorientation, limiting his ability to plan long-term escape strategies.

Compounding the threat is his tendency to adapt quickly to environmental changes; even minor adjustments in the containment field have been observed to trigger shifts in his tactics. On several occasions, he has been seen deliberately testing portal frames immediately after randomization cycles, suggesting he is probing for timing gaps or synchronization errors between the environmental reshuffle and dampener recalibration. For this reason, redundancy protocols are in place: if a single dimensional dampener drops below 98% efficiency, a secondary field generator automatically activates, and breach alarms are triggered for manual override.

In the event of a confirmed breach or dampener cascade failure, Breach Protocol Omega-2 is to be enacted immediately. This includes a full lockdown of all cross-sector access points, rapid deployment of dimensional seal generators, and deployment of a dedicated Class VII suppression team equipped with portable anchor emitters. Delay in response could result in a breach on multiple fronts, as the Boogieman’s ability to create and chain portals would allow him to reappear almost anywhere in the physical world within minutes.

Special Handling Notes:

All monitoring personnel assigned to the Boogieman’s sector must undergo comprehensive psychological screening every 30 days to detect any signs of residual fear influence, including recurring nightmares, unexplained anxiety, or compulsive avoidance of closets and enclosed spaces.
Observation is to be conducted exclusively via remote drone feed. No direct entry into the Labyrinth Sector is authorized except under strict emergency response protocols, and only by personnel equipped with full dimensional anchor harnesses and portable dampener emitters.
Any unexplained fluctuation or drop in dimensional dampener output, regardless of duration, triggers immediate Breach Protocol Omega-2, including a full lockdown of all containment interfaces, isolation of the Labyrinth Sector, and alerting of the on-call Class VII suppression unit.
Absolutely no discussion of children, childhood memories, personal fears, or phobias is permitted over open comms or within audible range of his containment systems. Even indirect references have been shown to cause spikes in his P.K.E. readings, suggesting he can detect and react to such topics.
False portal relocation cycles must remain unscheduled to all personnel except the sector’s lead containment engineer to prevent the Boogieman from deducing timing or patterns from staff behavior.
In the event of a containment breach, first-response teams must avoid all verbal engagement with the entity, as his conversational tactics are designed to destabilize focus and induce hesitation.

Janine’s Personal Log Addendum:
“Every time I check his readings, I swear he’s staring back through the monitor. One wrong move, and we’ll be playing hide-and-seek on his terms.”

Intra-Entity Manipulation:

The Boogieman has been observed instigating confrontations with high-intelligence Class V–VII entities, apparently to establish dominance. These encounters rarely result in sustained combat; rather, he uses intimidation displays — size-shifting, amplified footsteps, and his fear scream — to drive others away. Notably, he avoids water-associated sectors entirely, possibly indicating an aversion or tactical disadvantage in such environments.

Escape Risk Assessment:Very High. The Boogieman’s intelligence, persistence, and uncanny ability to exploit psychological vulnerabilities make him one of the most strategically dangerous entities currently housed in the Ecto Containment Unit. He does not rely on brute force to attempt escape; instead, he studies patterns, learns from repeated observation, and looks for behavioral lapses in monitoring personnel. If the Labyrinth Sector’s environmental randomization or dimensional dampeners were to fail — even for a brief window — there is a substantial risk he could stabilize one of the false portals scattered throughout the sector and convert it into a fully functional gateway. Such a breach could allow him direct access to the human world with no predictable exit point.

20250814_0745_Labyrinth's Stalking Boogieman_remix_01k2m6826teeb8ad46e7kfpgmw (1).png

Containment File #402 – “The Hollow Marquis”

20250816_0955_Gothic Marquis Logo_simple_compose_01k2sjk63kekssx0vdsjjgdd6y.png

Containment File #402 – “The Hollow Marquis”

Also Known As: The Faceless Noble, Whispering Lord, The Black Mask of Paris
Class: VI Full-Torso Apparition
Date of Capture: February 14, 1999
Power Ratio: 7.8

20250816_0719_Spectral Ghostly Nobleman_simple_compose_01k2s9kamyewgvxw6eaq0xvq16.png

Description:

The Hollow Marquis manifests as a translucent, decayed nobleman from 18th-century France, clad in an ornate black coat embroidered with gold thread and a high-collared crimson waistcoat. His head is always obscured by a tall tricorn hat and a featureless porcelain mask cracked down the center, through which only darkness can be seen. His gloves are pristine white, yet his hands taper into skeletal, blackened fingers that emit a faint cold mist.

Witnesses report a faint scent of gunpowder and rotting roses in his presence. The air temperature drops sharply within seconds of manifestation, and a faint metallic ringing, like dueling blades, precedes his arrival. His apparition drifts with a stiff, formal gait, but he can surge forward unnaturally fast when attacking.

Physical Description:

The Hollow Marquis manifests as a full-torso apparition resembling an 18th-century French nobleman, his form suspended between aristocratic refinement and spectral decay. His body appears semi-transparent but solid enough to suggest flesh beneath the shimmer, giving the uncanny impression of both presence and absence.

Head & Mask:
The most striking feature is his face — or lack thereof. His head is perpetually obscured by a tall, tri-cornered hat of blackened velvet, stained and frayed at the edges from centuries of ethereal rot. Beneath it, he wears a cracked porcelain mask, its surface smooth yet fractured, running with fine hairline cracks that occasionally emit faint wisps of black mist. The mask is expressionless, perfectly oval, with only faint indentations where eyes and a mouth should be, yet staring into the void behind it causes victims to experience hallucinatory flashes of guillotines, jeering crowds, and cold executioner’s steel. When he tilts his head, light never seems to reflect naturally; instead, it is swallowed into the cracks like light vanishing into deep water.

Torso & Garments:
He is dressed in elaborate noble attire, but his finery is corrupted by death. A long, knee-length black coat of ghostly brocade clings to his spectral frame, its gold embroidery dulled and tarnished. The coat tails drift and ripple unnaturally, as though underwater, even when the air is still. Beneath the coat is a crimson waistcoat, once opulent but now faded, its buttons mismatched and its fabric scorched in places. At his throat, a cravat of stained lace hangs loosely, the fabric stiff and yellowed with age.

His clothing is not mere illusion — at close proximity, observers report hearing the faint rustle of fabric, though no air currents exist to move it. Occasionally, the garments shed flecks of soot-like ash that vanish before touching the ground, hinting that his form is still in a constant state of decay and renewal.

Hands & Arms:
His gloves are pristine white, oddly immaculate compared to the rest of his attire. However, at the fingertips, the gloves stretch into impossibly long, skeletal fingers. The digits are blackened like charred bone, jointed too sharply, with nails that taper into thin claws. Cold mist seeps continually from the spaces between the gloves and his sleeves, leaving trails in the air wherever he gestures. When he clutches his spectral rapier, the weapon appears fused to this unnatural mist, as though it is drawn directly out of the void within him.

Legs & Movement:
From the waist down, his form grows less distinct. He appears to wear breeches and polished leather boots typical of 18th-century nobility, but the details blur and distort when observed directly. Sometimes the boots echo hollow footsteps, while at other times he drifts noiselessly above the floor, his lower half dissolving into smoky black vapor. The transition between corporeal and incorporeal is inconsistent, further unsettling witnesses who struggle to reconcile his shifting presence.

Aura & Manifestation Signs:
The Hollow Marquis is surrounded by a chilling aura. The air temperature drops rapidly within 10 feet of his manifestation, accompanied by faint frost etching across nearby glass and metal. A constant auditory signature precedes him: the metallic ring of dueling blades faintly overlapping with muffled aristocratic laughter, as though an invisible court is watching him. His scent is equally distinct — a blend of rotting roses, burned powder, and faint copper, reminiscent of blood on a blade.

Overall Impression:
The Hollow Marquis is a ghost trapped between grandeur and humiliation. He looks like the remnant of a noble who refuses to surrender his dignity even in death, but every detail of his form — from the cracked mask to the rotting coat — betrays his corruption. He is elegance corrupted into horror: a phantom aristocrat eternally rehearsing his condemnation of others, as though replaying his execution through everyone he encounters.

Historical Background:

The Hollow Marquis is believed to be the lingering spirit of Jean-Baptiste Leclair du Mornay, a minor but influential Parisian nobleman executed in 1789 during the violent early waves of the French Revolution. Contemporary records describe du Mornay as a man of vanity and ambition who courted both revolutionaries and royals, playing each side for personal gain. While he hosted salons that attracted prominent revolutionary thinkers, secret testimony later revealed he had been passing details of their meetings to the royal court in exchange for gold, wine, and promises of titles once the unrest was quelled.

By the summer of 1789, his reputation had soured to the point that mobs demanded his arrest. Du Mornay was dragged from his residence and condemned in a makeshift tribunal, his trial little more than a formality. On the night of his execution, du Mornay did something that would mark his legend forever: instead of facing the guillotine barefaced, he arrived wearing an ornate black porcelain mask and a dark tricorn hat. When the jeering crowd demanded he remove it, he is said to have declared, “You will never see my true face. You condemned a shadow, and a shadow shall haunt you.” Witnesses reported that even as the blade fell, the mask did not shatter, and blood pooled unnaturally thick around his form.

20250817_0802_Gothic Revolutionary Apparition_simple_compose_01k2vyd95be3s9r63nrbmqvjza.png

In the months that followed, rumors spread through Paris of a masked nobleman stalking those who had denounced him. Victims swore they heard faint aristocratic laughter echoing through their homes, followed by the unmistakable sound of clashing dueling swords. The entity was said to appear in the corner of their bedchambers, silently watching, before leaning down to whisper a single phrase into their ear — recounting the exact words they had spoken in testimony against him. By morning, the victim was dead, their face frozen in terror, though no wounds were ever found.

These hauntings persisted long after the Revolution ended. As France entered the 19th century, sightings of the Black-Masked Noble continued, often centered around political figures or individuals accused of betrayal. In 1804, during the rise of Napoleon, a general reportedly fled his quarters after claiming that a masked man had entered his room, reciting the details of his secret dealings. Servants described hearing swords clashing in the halls though no duel was ever fought.

Parisian chroniclers referred to him by many names — Le Marquis Sans Visage (The Faceless Marquis), Le Seigneur Noir (The Black Lord), and Le Noble de la Nuit (The Noble of the Night). Over time, “The Hollow Marquis” became the most enduring title, a reference to his hollow mask and the emptiness behind it. Superstitions arose that whispering his name near the Place de la Révolution after sundown would summon him, though most Parisians avoided testing the tale.

By the mid-19th century, folklorists treated the Marquis as a cautionary story about treachery and betrayal, but scattered police reports suggest his presence lingered far longer. Witnesses as late as 1827 described black mist seeping from the walls of abandoned noble estates and the distinct metallic ring of blades slicing the air. Though dismissed at the time as hysteria, Ghostbusters records now indicate strong spectral consistency across these accounts, supporting the theory that du Mornay’s cursed spirit has remained active ever since his execution.

Additional Data:

1789–1795 (French Revolution & Reign of Terror):

Reports spread of a masked nobleman appearing in the homes of tribunal judges and informants who had sentenced suspected royalists to death. Victims described the sound of clashing swords in their chambers before being found dead by dawn, faces contorted in silent screams.

One pamphlet circulated in Paris in 1791 claimed: “The Black Lord walks among us. He judges the judges.”

1804 (Rise of Napoleon):

General Henri-Clément d’Abbaye abandoned his quarters after claiming a masked man whispered in his ear, recounting details of a private letter he had sent to rival officers. Soldiers in the garrison swore they heard the sound of rapiers clashing in the corridor though the general was alone.

1827 (Restoration Era):

Paris police received multiple complaints of black mist seeping from the walls of a noble estate long abandoned during the Revolution. Several vagrants squatting inside reported being chased out by “a man with a white mask and a burning sword.”

A local priest claimed frost formed on the gates of the property at midnight despite it being midsummer.

1855 (Second Empire):

During renovations of a ballroom in the Palais-Royal, workers reported a masked figure drifting through the halls. Several fled the site after hearing mocking laughter and the scrape of steel on marble. The foreman noted “a chill in the air so strong my breath smoked, though no fire was lit.”

1893 (Belle Époque):

Guests at a masquerade ball claimed a black-masked man in outdated noble attire joined the dance uninvited. Witnesses say he moved with uncanny grace, yet no one could see his face beneath the mask. He vanished after midnight, leaving only a trail of frost along the parquet floor.

1916 (World War I):

French soldiers on leave in Paris swore they encountered a masked nobleman in an abandoned theater. He reportedly asked, “Do you betray your brothers as you betrayed your kings?” Moments later, the roof beams collapsed, killing three men inside. Survivors fled, convinced the apparition caused it.

1943 (German Occupation of Paris):

Resistance members reported seeing a masked aristocrat appear in the tunnels beneath the city. Some believed he was a collaborator’s ghost warning them to remain silent. Others swore his arrival preceded the Gestapo raid that captured two of their number.

1972 (Post–May ’68 Protests):

University students occupying the Sorbonne claimed they were stalked at night by a tall man in a cracked porcelain mask who whispered accusations about betrayal and hypocrisy. Campus security dismissed the reports, though several students abandoned their quarters immediately after.

1990s (Pre-Containment):

Sightings escalated around historic landmarks such as the Château de Vincennes, Place de la Concorde, and the catacombs. Tourists reported hearing laughter and dueling swords before black mist enveloped corridors.

In 1999, his activity culminated in multiple fatalities at the Château de Vincennes restoration site, leading directly to his capture by the Ghostbusters Euro Division.

Behavior & Abilities

The Hollow Marquis is a primarily visual and auditory haunt, but he is capable of limited physical interaction:

Auditory Manifestation:

Precedes his arrival with metallic blade-on-blade noises and muffled, courtly laughter.

Mask Influence:

Victims who make prolonged eye contact with the darkness behind his cracked mask experience vivid visions of the French Revolution’s guillotine square and may collapse into unconsciousness.

Chill Aura:

The temperature within 10 feet drops to near-freezing, accompanied by a sudden frosting of nearby glass and metal surfaces.

Weapon Apparition:

Can conjure a ghostly rapier that he wields with extreme precision, capable of damaging both physical objects and proton streams.

Teleportation:

Able to vanish into a swirl of black mist and reappear from another shadow within 30 feet.

The Hollow Marquis demonstrates the traits of a high-intelligence Class VI apparition, exhibiting both environmental influence and direct hostile engagement. Unlike many residual or instinct-driven spirits, his behavior suggests a calculating awareness of his surroundings and a deliberate intent to intimidate before striking. Witnesses consistently report that his manifestations are preceded by sensory triggers: a sharp drop in ambient temperature, the scent of rotting roses or gunpowder, and the faint ring of dueling swords echoing from no visible source. These cues appear to be a form of psychological warfare, weakening a target’s composure before he becomes fully visible.

One of his most dangerous abilities is linked to his porcelain mask. Victims who look directly into the darkness behind its fractured surface experience vivid hallucinations of Revolutionary-era executions, including guillotines, screaming crowds, and the sensation of cold steel against the neck. These visions often incapacitate the target, either through unconsciousness or temporary paralysis. While brief in duration, such episodes create significant openings for attack or possession attempts.

The entity is also capable of conjuring and wielding a spectral rapier, a weapon that behaves with the same speed and accuracy as its physical counterpart. Field reports confirm that this weapon can deflect proton streams for short intervals and slice through physical objects such as ropes, wires, or wood. Its blade appears composed of condensed ectoplasmic energy laced with black mist, and destabilizing it significantly weakens the apparition’s defenses.

In addition to weaponized combat, the Marquis possesses short-range teleportation linked to shadow density. He can vanish into a swirl of black mist and reappear from another darkened area within roughly 30 feet. This ability makes him difficult to corner in low-light environments, though exposure to intense illumination disrupts the effect. He is particularly susceptible to UV strobes and high-lumen floods, which fragment his form and temporarily prevent shadow-jumping.

Finally, the Hollow Marquis radiates a chilling aura capable of freezing moisture on glass and metal surfaces. This phenomenon has been observed even in controlled environments, and prolonged exposure can create hazardous icy patches in combat zones. Combined with his ability to whisper the remembered sins of his victims — always in fluent, mocking French — the Marquis presents as both a psychological tormentor and a highly dangerous duelist. His combat sophistication, teleportation, and fear-inducing mask illusions make him one of the most formidable entities contained in the Ecto Containment Unit.

20250817_0750_Gothic Duelist Attack_remix_01k2vxqx75eg8az5g7srb3mbv8.png

Upon entry, the team swept the corridors with P.K.E. meters, which surged violently near the armory — an appropriate lair for a duelist ghost. Seconds later, the temperature plunged to near freezing, and the sound of steel clashing against steel echoed down the vaulted stone halls. Black mist bled from the walls, and the Hollow Marquis materialized in full regalia: hat tilted, coat tails drifting, and mask cracked but unyielding.

When engaged, he proved unlike any entity the Euro Division had faced. Instead of recoiling from proton fire, he drew a spectral rapier from the mist and parried the streams with unnerving precision. Sparks cascaded through the armory as the rapier cleaved across the streams, disrupting their cohesion. A rookie’s thrower was struck directly — the weapon cable snapped, spraying sparks across the stone floor and sending the rookie scrambling for cover. The Marquis tilted his head at the sight, as if mocking the Ghostbusters’ efforts.

The team regrouped in the château courtyard, drawing the apparition into open space to reduce his advantage with shadows. Here, he attempted multiple teleportations, dissolving into swirling black mist and reappearing across the battlefield with surgical timing. Each reemergence was punctuated by mocking laughter and a whispered accusation in French: “Trahison… toujours trahison” — “Betrayal… always betrayal.”

Realizing the teleportation was tied to shadow density, the team deployed high-lumen UV strobes across the courtyard. The sudden burst of ultraviolet light shattered the pools of darkness, forcing the Marquis into full corporeal instability. His form flickered, his once-imposing silhouette trembling as the rapier itself began to crack and smoke under the pressure of the sustained lighting.

In a final surge, the Marquis attempted to strike directly, lunging across the courtyard in a sweeping arc. The team focused fire on the rapier, destabilizing it until it shattered into shards of mist. Deprived of his weapon, his defenses faltered, his mask fractures glowing as if burning from within. At that precise moment, a high-capacity containment trap was slid into position and activated.

The trap unleashed a gravitational surge of energy, pulling the Hollow Marquis inward. He thrashed against the pull, spectral coat flaring, mask tilting as if to glare one last time at his captors. The echoes of dueling swords reverberated across the courtyard as he was finally sucked into the trap, the mist collapsing in on itself with a hollow crack. The trap sealed, humming faintly as frost condensed across its casing.

Damage Summary – Case File #402 – The Hollow Marquis

One proton thrower destroyed when the entity’s rapier severed the cable, rendering the entire pack inoperable. (Euro Division rookie filed for hazard pay; request denied.)
Two containment traps overloaded during initial attempts to capture the Marquis inside the château interior; both units fused shut and were later dismantled for parts.
Château armory damage: multiple antique displays (replica rapiers, halberds, and a 17th-century cuirass) incinerated or knocked from stands during combat. French Ministry of Culture has submitted an invoice labeled “irreplaceable.”
Courtyard masonry scorched and cracked from high-lumen UV strobes deployed during the fight. One historical plaque completely shattered by falling debris.
Environmental damage: frost accumulation in multiple corridors following the apparition’s manifestation. Stone floors buckled in two locations after water expansion during thaw.
Three pairs of boots ruined when ground iced over in courtyard; one team member described the sensation as “skating on a death rink.”
P.K.E. meter shattered after being struck by the Marquis’s spectral rapier during a parry attempt. Remaining fragments displayed residual ectoplasmic charge for 48 hours.
Psychological strain: two restoration workers resigned after refusing to re-enter the château, citing “a mask that stares even when you close your eyes.”
Miscellaneous losses: one crate of croissants left on-site for the team’s lunch was frozen solid during containment and later repurposed as improvised “ecto-bricks” during a field test.

Itemized Costs

Equipment (USD)

Proton pack replacement (thrower severed, pack inoperable): $24,000
Two containment traps (overloaded/fused): $13,000 (≈ $6,500 each)
P.K.E. Meter (shattered): $3,200
Equipment Subtotal: $40,200

Site & Collateral (EUR)

Armory & display damage (replica polearms/rapiers) + restoration of a damaged 17th-century cuirass: €52,000

Courtyard masonry/plaque restoration (UV strobe scorching, debris): €19,200

Corridor frost heave repairs (buckled stone floors): €12,500

Three pairs of ruined boots: €450

Worker turnover/severance for two restorers who resigned: €16,000

Croissants (frozen “ecto-bricks”) written off: €30
Site & Collateral Subtotal: €100,180

Conversion & Totals

€100,180 ≈ $110,198 (at €1 ≈ $1.10)

Grand Total (USD): $40,200 + $110,198 = $150,398

Round Number for the File

Estimated Incident Cost: $150,000–$165,000 USD

Capture Event – Case File #247 – The Boogieman

Date: February 14, 1999

Location: : Château de Vincennes, Paris, France

The capture of the Hollow Marquis stands as one of the most dramatic operations undertaken by the Ghostbusters Euro Division. Local authorities had already logged six unexplained deaths within the restored halls of the château — victims found lifeless, their expressions frozen in terror, yet with no physical injuries. Witness statements described the same chilling detail: “a nobleman with no face” drifting silently toward them through black mist. The Parisian press dubbed him Le Marquis Sans Visage, and panic began spreading through the restoration crews and tourists alike.

The tipping point came when an American tourist collapsed in the Hall of Kings, babbling incoherently about “blades in the dark” and “a voice whispering his sins.” The tourist survived but slipped into a coma-like state, his heart rate mimicking the rhythm of clashing dueling swords. With panic mounting and work on the château grinding to a halt, the Euro Division was deployed. By Euro Division- it was members of the New York Team who saw this as a way to get the company to pay for a trip to Europe.

Note: Getting a unlicensed Nuclear Accelerator through customs was far easier than it should have been.

20250817_0751_Ghostly Marquis Captured_remix_01k2vxsgcafs8ryzq4bht70aaa.png

Current Containment Power Level Status: LOW

20250817_0750_Gothic Duelist Attack_remix_01k2vxqx72f07tc549j19he507.png

20250817_0753_Gothic Spectral Marquis_remix_01k2vxxw5deq1bm4fmrxqzwafs.png

20250816_0719_Spectral Ghostly Nobleman_simple_compose_01k2s9kamwfr6vqxkg3znq803n.png

Containment Log Entry –

Subject: “ The Hollow Marquis”

Current Status: securely contained within the E.C.U.

power ratio 7.8

CURRENT STATUS:

The Hollow Marquis is presently confined within the Hall of Echoes sector of the Ecto Containment Unit’s pocket dimension. This specialized environment was engineered to mirror elements of his original haunting grounds — a grand marble ballroom with vaulted ceilings, flickering chandeliers, and endless mirrored walls that shift position unpredictably. The space seems to placate the entity, occupying his attention and diverting him into “performances” rather than constant aggression.

He is frequently observed pacing the mirrored halls with slow, deliberate movements, adjusting his coat cuffs or tilting his porcelain mask as though addressing an unseen audience. Periodically, he assumes a rigid formal stance in the center of the hall and begins reciting accusations in formal French, as though conducting trials for invisible courtiers. These “court appearances” are accompanied by surges in his power ratio, which typically rises from his baseline 7.8 to 8.2–8.4. During these phases, the ballroom’s chandeliers rattle violently, frost coats the marble floors, and his spectral rapier materializes briefly before fading again.

So long as these phantom performances are uninterrupted, he remains stable. However, when startled or provoked — particularly during maintenance cycles or containment checks — his aggression escalates quickly, and his defensive abilities reactivate in full.

To mitigate this risk, the Hall of Echoes is fitted with layered field dampeners calibrated to disrupt shadow coherence. These dampeners scatter darkness into faint mist rather than solid pools, preventing him from forming a stable anchor point. Additionally, the mirrored walls are not true glass but simulated projections hardened by dimensional stabilizers; this ensures that no reflective surface within the sector can amplify his apparition strength.

If dampeners or stabilizers were to fail during a containment cycle, the entity could conceivably build a functioning shadow conduit. A full Omega-2 breach protocol is therefore authorized if even a minor fluctuation in shadow density is detected.

Special Handling Notes:

Prolonged eye contact with the darkness behind his cracked mask has been shown to induce hallucinations of guillotine executions and Revolutionary trials. Monitoring officers are required to observe only through filtered remote feeds. In rare cases where direct observation is necessary, exposure must not exceed five seconds without breaks.

Reflective Surfaces:

Absolutely no reflective materials are permitted in his sector. This includes glass visors, metal tools polished beyond matte finish, or maintenance drones with reflective casings. Past observations confirm that mirrors and polished steel amplify his apparition strength, allowing him to manifest with greater stability and intensity.

Maintenance Protocols:

Personnel entering the Hall of Echoes during scheduled containment upkeep must wear tinted visor helmets rated to block both visual hallucinatory wavelengths and glare effects from the Marquis’s mask. At least two containment officers must be present at all times, one assigned solely to monitoring P.K.E. fluctuations.

Environmental Stability:

The Hall of Echoes sector requires continuous low-level illumination to prevent shadow buildup. Emergency light redundancy has been installed in triplicate; if all systems fail, portable high-lumen flood modules are to be activated immediately.

Psychological Safety:

Personnel assigned long-term to this entity must undergo monthly psychological evaluations. Reports of nightmares featuring the sound of dueling swords or trial proceedings have been deemed signs of minor psychic contamination and require rotation out of his monitoring cycle.

Janine’s Personal Log Addendum:
“He doesn’t shout, he doesn’t scream — he just watches. I’d rather take Slimer loose in my apartment again than be in the same room as him.”

Intra-Entity Manipulation:

The Hollow Marquis has displayed a commanding presence within the Ecto Containment Unit, often behaving less like a solitary specter and more like a self-appointed arbiter among other entities. In multiple observation cycles, he has been seen standing in his Hall of Echoes sector while other spirits drift near the periphery, seemingly drawn toward his ballroom environment despite the sector’s isolation. When they do, the Marquis assumes a formal stance and delivers lengthy “accusations” in French, naming transgressions that the entities could not possibly understand. The effect, however, appears to unsettle his neighbors — several weaker Class II and III spirits have scattered violently when addressed in this way, as though pushed by an unseen force.

On two separate occasions, Class IV wraiths entering his zone were observed to collapse into inert, drifting ectoplasm after the Marquis fixed them with his mask’s empty gaze and pointed at them as if delivering a judgment. Containment specialists theorize he may be capable of exerting a psychic suppression field against lesser entities, mimicking the psychological collapse that his mask induces in humans.

He has also demonstrated selective manipulation — encouraging conflicts between stronger entities. During one monitoring cycle, the Marquis appeared to “invite” the Spectral Vulture to cross into his sector, baiting it with gestures and rapier flourishes. When the intruder entered, the Marquis immediately withdrew, leaving the Spectral Vulture to collide with another entity attempting to flee. This behavior suggests a level of tactical cunning designed to destabilize containment sectors indirectly, using other entities as pawns.

While no formal alliances have been observed, the Hollow Marquis’s ability to project authority and induce fear places him in a unique position: he is as much a manipulator of other captured spirits as he is a direct combatant. Continued monitoring is advised to ensure he does not consolidate influence over multiple entities in adjacent sectors.

Escape Risk Assessment:

Current risk is assessed as Moderate. While the containment field in the Hall of Echoes is stable, the Marquis’s abilities are heavily tied to shadow density and reflective surfaces. If he were to exploit an area of insufficient illumination or manipulate reflections within the mirrored walls beyond their programmed control, he could potentially regain limited shadow-teleportation capabilities. In his natural environment, this ability allowed him to vanish into black mist and reappear from any nearby darkened area within 30 feet, making him exceptionally difficult to contain.

20250817_0753_Gothic Spectral Marquis_remix_01k2vxxw5gftwa36jxtjtqjtsq.png

20250817_0807_Gothic Ghostly Marquis_simple_compose_01k2vyp9h8ev1vpe54fv7dvvtg.png

Containment File #511 – “The Threadbare”

Also Known As: The Patchwork Terror, Mr. Scary Buttons, The Stitched Thing
Class: III Fear Construct
Date of Capture: October 12, 2000
Power Ratio: 5.9

20250816_1032_The Threadbare Horror_remix_01k2smm3wtf2gafn8hww0edssd.png

20250817_0858_Threadbare Patch Logo_simple_compose_01k2w1mgdzf3vtvvg0c4w1jnt1.png

Description:

The Threadbare manifests as a malformed, patchwork monstrosity stitched together from the remnants of abandoned childhood toys. Its body is mismatched, a patchwork quilt of fabric swatches, torn plush, and faded stuffing that leaks constantly, writhing into tendrils of ectoplasmic thread. Its head is oversized and lumpy, with two large button eyes that glint in the dark, mismatched in color and size. Its stitched grin twists unnaturally, stretching wider the longer it stares.

Its limbs are uneven, one arm long and dragging like a loose sleeve stuffed with rags, the other crooked and stiff. The entire figure shuffles with an unsettling limp, the sound of dragging fabric and popping seams accompanying its movements. Despite its ragdoll appearance, it is capable of sudden bursts of speed when closing in on victims.

Physical Description:

The Threadbare manifests as a towering, patchwork construct resembling a grotesque parody of a child’s stuffed toy, animated entirely by psycho-kinetic energy. Its size varies between 5 and 8 feet tall depending on its level of agitation, but even at its smallest it is unnervingly humanoid in silhouette.

Head & Face:
Its head is oversized and uneven, like an old plush toy left too long in the attic. Two large button eyes, mismatched in size and color, are crudely stitched into its face with thick, black thread. The buttons glint eerily in the dark, catching even the faintest light. Its mouth is a jagged seam, crudely stitched into a permanent grin that sometimes splits wider as though the stitches are tearing under strain. When it “speaks,” the sound comes as a mixture of giggles, whimpers, and creaking fabric rather than coherent words.

Body:
The torso is a chaotic quilt of faded fabrics — scraps of velvet, cotton, corduroy, and burlap stitched together haphazardly. Seams strain and split constantly, releasing a slow leak of stuffing that doesn’t fall, but instead drifts like smoke, writhing into ectoplasmic tendrils. These threads lash outward when it’s agitated, like puppet strings seeking something to bind. In some sections, stuffing has hardened into lumpy knots, giving the body an uneven, bulging texture.

Arms & Hands:
The limbs are uneven and unsettlingly long. One arm often drags at the ground like an overstuffed sleeve, while the other is stiff and angular, its seams visibly puckered. The “hands” are nothing more than crude mitten-like shapes with finger-like protrusions made of twisted thread and ragged cloth strips. When reaching, the tips unravel into fine black stitches that curl and twitch like hooked claws.

Legs & Movement:
The legs are short and stubby compared to its upper body, causing the entity to shuffle with a limp, dragging gait. However, when provoked, it can suddenly surge forward with unnatural speed, its seams splitting open as tendrils of stuffing propel it forward like puppet strings snapping taut. Its footsteps are accompanied by the faint sound of fabric tearing, stuffing compressing, and occasional hollow thumps when the button eyes knock together.

Aura & Manifestation Signs:
The air around the Threadbare carries the scent of mildew, old fabric, and scorched cotton, often accompanied by a faint static charge that makes fine hairs stand on end. Before it fully manifests, observers report hearing faint nursery rhymes whispered out of tune, the creak of a rocking chair, or the giggle of a child muffled by layers of cloth. Victims often describe the sensation of being watched by toys or seeing stuffed animals shift slightly in their peripheral vision prior to its appearance.

Overall Impression:
The Threadbare is both grotesque and tragic — the shape of a child’s comfort object corrupted into a fear-born predator. It embodies the grief of discarded toys and the nightmares of abandonment, its very form a patchwork reminder of innocence twisted by loss. Despite its laughable appearance at a glance, its looming bulk, twitching stitches, and glowing button eyes make it an entity few can look at for long without unease.

Historical Background:

The Threadbare is not linked to any single human spirit, but rather to collective fear energy generated from children discarding or destroying their beloved toys. P.K.E. research suggests that environments heavy with abandonment trauma (orphanages, attics, thrift stores, landfill sites near suburbs) are prime incubation zones for its manifestation.

Earliest sightings date back to the late 19th century, when reports of “the toy man” circulated in orphanages in London and Boston. Caretakers described children waking in the night screaming about a “stuffed man with button eyes” trying to crawl into their beds. In the 1950s, several cases of children vanishing from rural neighborhoods coincided with descriptions of “a walking teddy with stitches” seen near toy dumps.

In the early 2000s, the Ghostbusters received multiple calls from families in the Midwest reporting a grotesque stuffed figure lurking near closets and under beds. The capture operation confirmed its construct nature, as scans showed its body composed entirely of psycho-kinetic energy shaped into fabric and thread constructs.

Additional Data:

The Threadbare is not tied to any single spirit or human soul, but instead is classified as a fear construct — an entity born out of the concentrated psycho-kinetic energy of childhood grief, abandonment, and the destruction of cherished toys. Unlike traditional hauntings, which are tethered to a specific location or event, the Threadbare appears wherever strong emotional resonance is present, particularly in areas where children have suffered neglect or loss.

19th Century Origins:
Some of the earliest accounts of entities resembling the Threadbare date back to the late 1800s in London orphanages, where children spoke in whispers of “Mr. Buttons”, a lurching toy-man stitched together from broken dolls. Caretakers dismissed the stories as nightmares until multiple reports described the same sound — soft giggling followed by the creak of a rocking chair in empty dormitories.

By the turn of the century, similar folklore cropped up in Boston and New York, where discarded toy heaps in alleys were blamed for harboring “the stitched man.” Children claimed that toys left outside too long would disappear, as if taken by something that wanted to make itself whole.

20th Century Sightings:
During the 1930s, a series of strange disappearances in Chicago were linked to an abandoned toy factory. Survivors described “a huge doll with glowing buttons for eyes” stalking them in the dark. Police found claw-like rips in walls and doors, though no culprit was ever identified.

In the 1950s, multiple suburbs across the Midwest reported what newspapers called “the Rag Doll Stalker.” Children swore they saw a stuffed figure leaning out of closets or crouching at the foot of their beds, whispering their names. In one case, two siblings were found in a state of severe shock, their pajamas stitched together with black thread of unknown origin.

By the late 1970s, psychologists began cataloguing children’s fears of dolls and stuffed animals under the unofficial term “Button-Eye Syndrome,” not realizing that at least some of the cases involved genuine P.K.E. phenomena. Unexplained rips in bedding, sudden cold spots, and reports of toys giggling when no one was near were common hallmarks.

Lead-up to Capture (1990s):
The 1990s saw an uptick in sightings concentrated in the American Rust Belt, where abandoned factories and decaying neighborhoods left behind countless toys, stuffed animals, and dolls in dumpsters and thrift shops. Paranormal investigators noted that in several condemned homes, closets were lined with ectoplasmic threads, and toy chests seemed to rattle on their own.

The final incident that drew in the Ghostbusters occurred in Gary, Indiana, in 2000, after several children went missing near an abandoned toy plant. Families reported their children speaking of “a big stuffed thing with buttons for eyes” that wanted them to come play. Police officers sent to investigate refused to return after hearing giggling echoing through the factory halls, accompanied by what they described as “seams ripping open in the dark.” This directly triggered Ghostbusters intervention, culminating in the entity’s capture.
________________________________________
Folklore & Theories:
• Some folklorists claim the Threadbare is part of a larger family of “Discarded Things” — P.K.E. constructs that feed on objects left behind.
• Ghostbusters lab analysis suggests its form is shaped less by intent and more by availability — meaning it pulls from whatever scraps of toys, dolls, and fabric it can to rebuild itself.
• The button eyes appear universal across sightings, theorized to represent both “childlike comfort” and “faceless emptiness,” locking victims in a state of conflicted fear.

20250817_0838_The Threadbare Specter_simple_compose_01k2w0fc45e3jv2vwhj7pagk5c.png

Behavior & Abilities

The Threadbare exhibits a disturbing mix of childlike and predatory behaviors. It often lurks near bedsides or closets, producing unsettling noises — whimpers, giggles, or nursery rhyme fragments — to draw attention. Victims who approach it often freeze when its button eyes catch the light.

Sewing Assimilation:

The creature attempts to ensnare victims with its ectoplasmic threads, wrapping them like cloth. In extreme cases, it tries to “stitch” victims into its own body, absorbing them into its patchwork form.

Stuffing Tendrils:

The stuffing constantly leaking from its seams can animate into tendrils, binding objects or dragging smaller prey.

Psychic Projection:

Victims report vivid hallucinations of childhood toys moving, singing, or weeping before the entity appears.

Sound Manipulation:

It can mimic the giggle of a child or the creak of a rocking chair to lure attention.

.

20250817_0821_Spectral Patchwork Horror_remix_01k2vzgteqeyqrzd9pm89j1qm7.png

The Threadbare operates primarily as a fear construct, its actions designed to unnerve, isolate, and incapacitate its victims rather than attack outright in the initial stages. It often manifests near closets, toy chests, or at the foot of children’s beds, producing unsettling noises such as muffled giggling, quiet sobbing, or the rhythmic creak of a rocking chair. These sounds are meant to lure attention and instill dread before it fully reveals itself. When it emerges, the entity shuffles with a limp, dragging one overstuffed limb as if struggling to hold itself together. Despite this awkward gait, it is capable of sudden bursts of speed, lunging with surprising force when provoked or when a victim attempts to flee.

One of its most disturbing traits is its ability to produce ectoplasmic threads from the seams that constantly split along its body. These threads, spun from the stuffing that leaks from its torso, can extend outward to entangle prey, binding them like marionettes. Victims caught in these threads report sensations of constriction and cold pressure, as though they are being sewn into fabric. In extreme cases, the entity has attempted to stitch victims directly into its own body, assimilating them into its patchwork form. Its stuffing tendrils also function as sensory extensions, writhing like antennae and probing its environment.

The Threadbare exhibits limited psychic projection, manifesting hallucinations tailored to children or the childlike part of the human psyche. Victims often report seeing toys shift positions, hearing them whisper, or watching stuffed animals appear to cry before the apparition itself steps into view. These hallucinations weaken mental defenses, making the target more susceptible to immobilization. Additionally, the entity has displayed the ability to mimic the giggle of a child or replicate familiar nursery rhymes in a distorted, off-key cadence.

Although not as physically destructive as higher-class apparitions, the Threadbare’s strength lies in its psychological warfare and its ability to immobilize prey with threads and fear. Direct proton fire causes it to unravel into loose scraps, but it can reform by drawing on ambient fear energy and discarded objects in its environment. Its resilience and tendency to splinter itself into multiple smaller animated patches make containment difficult, as each piece can rejoin the whole if not destabilized quickly.

First Manifestation:
The Threadbare appeared on the assembly floor, lurching out from a pile of discarded toys. At first, it looked almost comical — a massive patchwork figure dragging one arm like an overstuffed sleeve, mismatched fabrics stitched together in grotesque fashion. But when its button eyes caught the light, glowing faintly like animal eyes in the dark, the laughter and whimpering started to come from everywhere at once. The seams in its chest split, and its stuffing spilled out in writhing tendrils that lashed toward the team. One rookie’s leg was snared and nearly pulled out from under him before a quick proton blast burned the tendrils away.

Escalation:
Once engaged, the entity proved slippery. Proton streams tore holes in its fabric, but it simply unraveled, scattering into smaller pieces that skittered across the floor like rats before reforming into its full patchwork bulk. The stuffing tendrils whipped across the room, toppling shelves and dragging broken dolls toward its body. Several dolls lifted into the air, their seams splitting, joining its form as though it were absorbing them for reinforcement. The effect was nauseating — the sound of ripping cloth layered with faint giggling as the Threadbare grew larger.

Containment Attempt:
The team switched to crossfire, trying to hold it in place, but the entity writhed and split apart again, reforming behind them. Its giggling grew frantic, overlapping into a shrill nursery rhyme, as it used its threads to drag an entire conveyor belt across the floor like a shield. One Ghostbuster was momentarily ensnared, his pack being dragged toward the creature’s torso as it attempted to stitch him in. Quick thinking — and a risky lateral blast — freed him, though his uniform was left stitched shut across the chest with smoking black thread.

Final Confrontation:
Realizing standard tactics weren’t enough, the team rerouted the factory’s emergency floodlights into portable generators. When the lights blazed to life, the Threadbare shrieked, its seams tearing open under the glare. The button eyes glowed blindingly bright before shattering into ectoplasmic sparks, and its form began to unravel violently. Proton streams were focused on its torso, burning away the mass of writhing stuffing until only a collapsed husk remained.

At the precise moment its body collapsed, a high-capacity trap was slid into position on the factory floor. The moment it activated, the stuffing on the ground surged upward like smoke being pulled into a vacuum. Tendrils of black thread lashed out in every direction, one catching the trap casing and leaving a permanent burn mark. The trap finally slammed shut with a thunderous clack, the factory falling silent except for the sound of scorched fabric drifting to the ground.

Aftermath:
The toy factory was declared structurally unsound and later demolished, though reports from demolition crews claim some of the toys “twitched” when lifted. The trap containing the Threadbare was transferred to the Ecto Containment Unit, where it remains under constant monitoring. Its capture remains one of the most unsettling operations on record — not due to the damage it caused, but because of the sound.
Every Ghostbuster present swore that long after the trap was sealed, the faint sound of childlike giggling continued to echo in the ruined factory.

Damage Summary – Case File #511 – The Threadbare

• One proton thrower cable scorched and partially fused after being entangled by ectoplasmic threads; pack later repaired but considered unreliable in the field.

• Containment trap casing burned and scored by a final lash of black thread during capture; trap remains functional but bears permanent stitch-like markings.

• Three uniforms damaged when seams were stitched together mid-encounter, including one technician’s jumpsuit permanently sealed at the chest — had to be cut off with wire cutters.

• Emergency floodlight rigs overloaded during final confrontation, bulbs exploding under the P.K.E. surge; replacements required.

• Factory conveyor system torn from its housing and flung across the assembly floor by the entity’s stuffing tendrils; caused partial collapse of ceiling beams.

• Residual dolls and toys scattered throughout the factory showed minor animation before collapsing inert; dozens of them found “stitched” into the walls, giving demolition crews weeks of nightmares.

• P.K.E. meter contamination: one unit clogged with ectoplasmic stuffing, readings corrupted for 72 hours until cleaned.

• Psychological strain: three Ghostbusters reported recurring dreams of their childhood toys giggling or crying, requiring mandatory counseling and rotation out of monitoring duty.

• Miscellaneous losses: a crate of Twinkies brought for lunch was stitched shut and partially fused to a toy chest by ectoplasmic thread — later displayed in the Firehouse as “Exhibit A: Don’t Trust Your Snacks Around Ghosts.”

Itemized Costs (Updated)
Summary of Incident Costs:
Following the capture of the fear-construct entity known as The Threadbare on October 12, 2000, extensive losses were recorded across Ghostbusters equipment, site property, and ancillary operations. The condemned toy factory in Gary, Indiana, where the entity manifested, was deemed irreparably compromised by ectoplasmic contamination and was subsequently demolished at the city’s request.

Ghostbusters Equipment (USD):
• Proton pack thrower repair/replacement (cable + core): $18,000
• Containment trap (burn-scarred, depreciated): $5,500
• Three jumpsuits (cut and replaced): $1,200
• P.K.E. meter (cleaning, recalibration): $3,000
• Emergency floodlight rigs (replacement): $2,500
Equipment Subtotal: $30,200
________________________________________
Factory & Site Damage (USD):
• Conveyor system torn loose + ceiling/beam damage: $23,500
• Ectoplasmic cleanup/hazmat containment: $6,500
• Demolition delay penalties (contamination reports): $3,800
• Full condemnation + demolition costs of factory (city contracted): $250,000
• Loss of salvage value from equipment/fixtures due to contamination: $25,000
Site Subtotal: $308,800
________________________________________
Miscellaneous / Soft Costs:
• Psychological counseling & staff rotation: $4,500
• Demolition crew hazard pay (ectoplasmic/toy “incidents”): $2,000
• Snack crate of Twinkies (stitched shut, now Firehouse gag exhibit): $50
Misc Subtotal: $6,550
________________________________________
Total Estimated Cost:
$345,550 USD
(Rounded for the file: $345,000–$350,000 USD)
________________________________________
📎 Note: City of Gary, Indiana officially wrote off the condemned toy factory as a loss, but invoiced Ghostbusters International for “extraordinary demolition costs associated with paranormal contamination.”

Capture Event – Case File #511– The Threadbare

Date: October 12, 2000

Location: : Abandoned toy factory, Gary, Indiana

By the time the Ghostbusters arrived in Gary, the site already had a reputation for being cursed. The abandoned toy plant loomed over the neighborhood, its broken windows gaping like empty eye sockets. Locals had reported hearing giggling and sobbing echoing from inside after dark, and several children had gone missing from the surrounding blocks. Police officers refused to continue their search after one patrol reported “seams ripping in the dark” and finding one of their squad cars mysteriously stitched shut with black thread.

Initial Entry:
The team entered through the loading bay, lights cutting through rows of rotting plush animals and discarded dolls. P.K.E. readings spiked immediately, the meters screaming like Geiger counters near a meltdown. A cold draft swept through the plant, and the sound of a rocking chair creaked overhead, though the upper floor had long since collapsed. Then came the laugh — high-pitched and childlike, but wrong, stretched too far, ending in a whimper. The sound circled the team in the dark.

20250817_0834_Captured Patchwork Horror_simple_compose_01k2w081whemfvz4c24kwtc1ry.png

Current Containment Power Level Status: LOW

20250817_0821_Spectral Patchwork Horror_remix_01k2vzgterfecbmn905kegg01e.png

20250817_0836_Gothic Ectoplasmic Nightmare_simple_compose_01k2w0cvgzedxv10hyym2w497d.png

20250817_0836_Gothic Ectoplasmic Nightmare_simple_compose_01k2w0cvgxenjbqn48dq049t8f.png

Containment Log Entry –

Subject: “ The Threadbare

Current Status: securely contained within the E.C.U.

power ratio 5.9

CURRENT STATUS:

The Threadbare is currently confined within the Attic Sector of the Ecto Containment Unit’s pocket dimension. This sector has been specially configured to mirror the environment in which the entity most frequently manifested: a shadowy, cluttered attic filled with piles of broken toys, overturned rocking horses, battered trunks, and stacks of discarded boxes. Low ceilings, dim amber lightbulbs that flicker irregularly, and layers of dust and cobweb projection keep the atmosphere consistent with the childhood fears it was born from.

Within this environment, the entity displays a disturbing but oddly routine pattern of behavior. It often paces slowly along the wooden floorboards, dragging one elongated arm as if it were too heavy to carry. When not pacing, it sits among the heaps of phantom toys, pulling stuffing out of plush animals only to crudely sew them back together with long strands of ectoplasmic thread. The process repeats endlessly, suggesting that this act of destruction and repair is both a coping mechanism and a means of maintaining its form. The ambient soundscape of the sector is filled with muffled giggles, quiet sobbing, and the faint rhythmic creak of a rocking chair — even when the entity itself is motionless.

Observed Containment Behavior:
• The entity frequently stares directly at observation drones, its mismatched button eyes glowing faintly in the feed. This prolonged visual contact has been linked to episodes of sleep paralysis among monitoring staff, who later reported vivid dreams of childhood toys whispering or giggling.

• The stuffing tendrils it leaks are constantly active, drifting along the floor and curling around objects as if probing the environment. These threads occasionally reach the sector’s boundary fields, testing containment limits, though they unravel into mist upon contact with dampeners.

• During periods of high agitation (notably during containment maintenance cycles), the Threadbare has been observed to split apart into smaller animated fragments — individual limbs or fabric scraps — that scatter across the attic environment before reforming into the main body. This behavior mirrors its resistance tactics during capture and is considered a fallback defense mechanism.

• The entity periodically rocks back and forth in the corner, producing the unmistakable sound of a wooden chair creaking, though no such chair exists in the simulation. This is believed to be a projection tied to its origin as a fear construct.

• On rare occasions, it has been recorded holding phantom plush toys against its torso as though comforting them, only to suddenly rip them apart with exaggerated force — behavior that seems to mimic both abandonment trauma and predatory instinct.

The primary escape concern remains the assimilation of objects or constructs into its body. If the entity were to absorb sufficient ectoplasmic mass from weaker spirits or unauthorized items, it could potentially scale its power ratio high enough to strain the Attic Sector’s dampeners. As a result, containment engineers have reinforced the sector with triple-layer field stabilizers. In the event of failure, Breach Protocol Delta-3 is authorized, requiring immediate floodlighting and multi-stream proton deployment to unravel its form.

Special Handling Notes:

• No Toy-Like Objects: Under no circumstances are toys, dolls, plush animals, or items with significant childhood associations to be introduced into the Attic Sector. Even benign objects appear to fortify the entity’s mass and stability. A 2002 maintenance incident involving a technician’s keychain teddy resulted in a measurable 12% power spike before the object was forcibly vaporized by containment dampeners.

• Remote Observation Only: All monitoring is to be conducted via hardened remote feeds. Prolonged direct eye contact with the Threadbare’s button eyes has been linked to psychological contamination in staff. Documented symptoms include sleep paralysis, auditory hallucinations (giggling, crying), and recurring dreams of abandoned toys. Any staff exposed to live observation for more than 10 seconds must undergo medical and psychological screening.

• Personnel Screening: Monthly psychological evaluations are mandatory for all personnel assigned to this sector. Staff who report recurring nightmares involving toys, rocking chairs, or stitched clothing are to be immediately rotated out of monitoring duty. These symptoms are considered early-stage influence contamination.

• Containment Maintenance Protocols: When field dampeners require calibration, two technicians must operate in tandem: one stationed outside the sector as a failsafe, and one performing the procedure remotely via drone. If direct sector access becomes unavoidable, the technician must wear insulated hazard gear coated with anti-ectoplasmic resin, and the operation must not exceed five minutes.

• Auditory Precautions: The Threadbare frequently projects soundscapes such as giggling, nursery rhymes, or sobbing that appear to bleed into adjacent containment feeds. Personnel monitoring sound channels should wear auditory filters to reduce subconscious imprinting. Reports of staff humming nursery tunes after long observation shifts have been logged as potential contamination incidents.

Janine’s Personal Log Addendum:
“You think Slimer’s bad in the fridge? Try walking past the monitors and seeing a giant teddy bear with glowing button eyes waving at you. No thanks.”

20250817_0852_Playful Monster Hug_simple

Intra-Entity Manipulation:

The Threadbare demonstrates an unsettling degree of influence over weaker entities in adjacent sectors. Monitoring has recorded Class II and III apparitions drifting into the Attic Sector, seemingly drawn to the piles of phantom toys. Once inside, the Threadbare extends its threads to ensnare these smaller spirits, pulling them apart like old dolls and briefly stitching fragments into its own patchwork body before discarding them. This has led to visible temporary fluctuations in its mass, as though it is testing whether it can assimilate other entities into its form.

More troubling is its ability to psychologically unsettle nearby constructs. On several occasions, faint whimpers or distorted nursery rhymes have echoed into adjoining sectors, causing agitation spikes in contained spirits not otherwise prone to activity. Staff theorize that the Threadbare projects these sounds deliberately as a form of intimidation, reinforcing its dominance in the Attic Sector. While it does not appear to form lasting alliances with other entities, its manipulations suggest a predatory, parasitic dynamic — it toys with anything weaker than itself, both literally and figuratively.

Escape Risk Assessment:

Risk level is assessed as Moderate, though increased caution is warranted due to the entity’s adaptive behaviors. Its thread-like tendrils are in constant motion, and they have repeatedly been observed testing the boundaries of the Attic Sector’s containment field. When the tendrils brush against seams, they coil and tighten, almost as if “feeling” for weak points. Fortunately, the field dampeners force these threads to unravel into mist when extended beyond 20 feet, limiting their reach.

On multiple occasions, the entity has attempted to ensnare and disable observation drones. Once tangled, the drones are wrapped in ectoplasmic stuffing threads, leaving stitch-like markings across their casings and, in some cases, fusing their components together. Although no drone has been permanently compromised, two units required full disassembly and decontamination before being returned to service.

20250817_0843_Threadbare Horror Delight_simple_compose_01k2w0rsxzfexvdfy5jmjmzeyt (1).png

Containment File #563 – “The Mourning Steed”

20250817_0911_Gothic Equestrian Emblem_simple_compose_01k2w2czgyfxn868ga08trgk5p.png

Containment File #563 – “The Mourning Steed”

Also Known As: The Riderless Horse, Widow’s Mount, The Hollow Charger
Class:V Equine Apparition
Date of Capture: November 7, 2000
Power Ratio: 6.7

20250817_0905_Spectral Mourning Horse_simple_compose_01k2w21d0bfvqbqpvqd391h4cx.png

Description:

The Mourning Steed manifests as a large, spectral horse — black in color, its hide semi-transparent and glistening with ectoplasmic sheen. Its eyes glow with a pale, sorrowful blue light, often leaking faint trails of mist. The creature constantly scans its surroundings, lowering its head as if searching for someone to mount its saddle. Its mane and tail drift unnaturally, as though underwater, sometimes fraying into smoke.

Despite its mournful demeanor, the entity is prone to violent outbursts. In these states, its body flickers between solid and spectral, hooves striking with concussive ectoplasmic force. Witnesses report its whinnies sounding not like a horse’s cry but like a woman’s scream, echoing with grief and rage.

Physical Description:

The Mourning Steed manifests as a large, spectral horse resembling a black Friesian or war mount, though its body is distorted by its ghostly condition. At first glance, it is both majestic and terrifying — a powerful stallion built of ectoplasmic shadow and sorrow. Its hide is semi-transparent, appearing sleek and glossy in some places but tattered and torn in others, as if its body is unraveling into mist. When fully visible, its form glistens with a faint wet sheen, like a creature recently pulled from a river.

Head & Eyes:
Its head is noble yet gaunt, the long face stretched thin, and the nostrils constantly flaring with cold vapor. The most striking feature are its eyes — pale, glowing orbs of sorrowful blue-white light, often trailing thin streams of ectoplasmic mist like tears. Witnesses describe them as “grieving eyes” that seem to beg for recognition, though they flare into burning brightness when the entity rages. The teeth, when bared, are jagged and yellowed, coated in strands of dripping spectral foam.

Mane & Tail:
The mane hangs long, constantly wet and matted, dripping water that vanishes before hitting the ground. Strands shift and drift unnaturally as if moved by underwater currents, sometimes fraying into ragged strips of shadow that lash like whips when the Steed is agitated. Its tail behaves similarly, swaying with phantom weight, at times splitting into misty streamers that coil like smoke.

Body & Limbs:
The body is muscular but uneven, flickering between solid and incorporeal states. In moments of anger, parts of the torso seem hollow, ribs faintly visible through the ectoplasmic glow. Its legs are long and powerful, hooves black and cracked, each strike producing a burning imprint on whatever surface it touches — glowing briefly before fading into ash. During full charges, the Steed’s legs sometimes blur, appearing multiplied or fractured, as though it is galloping through overlapping dimensions.

Aura & Manifestation Signs:
The Mourning Steed is preceded by a chill wind, the smell of wet earth, and the sound of distant hooves echoing from nowhere. Witnesses report hearing mournful whinnies that sound uncannily like a human scream, especially when the Steed is enraged. Its aura projects profound sorrow, often overwhelming those nearby with sudden grief or loneliness. In extreme cases, onlookers claim to feel the phantom weight of reins in their hands, as if the Steed is demanding they ride.

Overall Impression:
The Mourning Steed is a paradox of beauty and horror — a noble animal twisted into something restless and grief-stricken. It embodies loyalty corrupted by loss, forever searching for the rider it can never find. Its presence inspires both pity and dread, making it one of the most tragically dangerous apparitions on record.

Historical Background:

Local folklore traces the Mourning Steed back to the early 19th century in rural Pennsylvania. The horse, named Ashen, belonged to a young woman named Margaret Doyle. According to family records, Margaret rode Ashen daily to meet her fiancé, a soldier returning from the War of 1812.

On one tragic day, Margaret was thrown from the horse after Ashen spooked near a river crossing. Accounts differ, but it is believed she drowned in the swift current before Ashen could bring her to safety. Neighbors recalled that the horse returned to the Doyle farm soaked and frantic, waiting outside Margaret’s window long after her funeral. For the remainder of its natural life, Ashen was said to wander roads at dusk, neighing mournfully, always pausing at the river where Margaret had fallen.

When the horse finally died years later, the sightings did not stop. Travelers described a riderless black horse appearing suddenly on country roads at night, pacing restlessly near the riverbanks, or standing silently at crossroads, eyes glowing faintly in the dark. Those who approached reported the horse bowing its head as if inviting them to mount — but any who touched it claimed they were nearly trampled when the apparition lashed out in sudden grief.
By the 20th century, the legend spread widely enough that rural communities referred to it simply as “The Riderless Horse.” Ghostbusters investigations confirmed its existence after several incidents in the 1990s, including overturned vehicles and shattered barns where hoofprints burned into the ground led nowhere.

Additional Data:

1823 – Lancaster County, PA
Travelers reported a “black horse with glowing eyes” blocking a dirt road at dusk near the old Doyle farmstead. When approached, the horse lowered its head as if inviting a rider, but vanished in a plume of mist when touched. Local farmers began calling the stretch of road Widow’s Way.

1851 – Ohio River Crossing
River ferrymen described hearing phantom hoofbeats pounding the banks just before heavy fog rolled in. Several men swore they saw a riderless horse pacing the shore, neighing mournfully toward the water. The apparition was so well known that ferrymen refused to cross on foggy nights.

1897 – Appalachian Foothills
Multiple logging crews encountered a black stallion pacing near campfires at night. Witnesses described the horse bowing its head toward them before erupting in violent screams that echoed through the valley. Several men abandoned the site, claiming their tents were trampled by “phantom hooves” though no tracks were ever found.

1932 – Route 30, Pennsylvania Turnpike Expansion
Construction workers reported machinery shutting down after hearing a piercing whinny. Several bulldozers were later found with hoof-shaped dents in their frames, though the site was fenced off. Local papers ran with the story under the headline: “The Riderless Horse Returns.”

1966 – Rural New Jersey
Two teenagers claimed they saw a massive black horse on a back road late at night. They reported it lowered itself as though expecting them to mount. When they ran, the horse reared up and let out a scream “like a woman crying,” before dissolving into mist. They refused to drive that road again.

1984 – Floodplain near Harrisburg, PA
Following a major flood, residents claimed to hear frantic hoofbeats circling submerged barns at night. One family insisted they saw a black horse repeatedly plunging into the water, surfacing again with a scream, as if searching for a drowning rider.

1999 – Ohio/Pennsylvania Border
Truck drivers reported near-collisions with a black horse galloping down I-80. Dash cam audio from one vehicle recorded a piercing scream followed by pounding hoofbeats, though no visual evidence remained after the horse disappeared. Within the same week, three barns collapsed nearby under unexplained structural stress.

2008 – Final Capture, Lancaster County, PA
Reports of barns collapsing, vehicles overturned, and repeated phantom hoofbeats near the original Doyle farmstead triggered the Ghostbusters’ investigation. The capture confirmed that the Mourning Steed had remained active in the region for nearly two centuries.
________________________________________
Folklore & Theories:
The Riderless Horse of Widow’s Way:
In Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, locals warned children not to linger near crossroads at dusk. It was said the “Riderless Horse” would kneel as if to carry them away. If a child climbed on its back, they would never be seen again. Parents told the story to discourage wandering, but multiple missing persons accounts from the 19th century line up with the tale.

The Empty Saddle Curse:
In rural farming communities, it was believed leaving a saddle outdoors overnight might summon the Mourning Steed. Folklore claimed the horse would trample barns or shatter fences until the saddle was gone, “seeking the rider it lost.” Farmers often hung their tack indoors or nailed shut stable doors as a form of protection.

The Whinny of Warning:
In Appalachian folklore, a cry like a woman’s scream echoing across valleys was said to herald misfortune. Locals insisted it was the Mourning Steed calling for its rider, and to hear it meant a death would soon follow in your household. Some families went as far as covering mirrors when the sound was heard, to keep the spirit from “seeing who to claim next.”

Offerings of Grain:
Old superstition held that scattering a handful of oats or corn at a crossroads could appease the horse and keep it from stamping the earth to pieces. A 1930s WPA folklore survey documented multiple households in Lancaster County who performed this ritual during storms, “so the horse won’t come knocking.”

Never Look It in the Eyes:
Rural truckers and road workers passed down the warning that if you locked eyes with the Riderless Horse, you would be overcome with crushing grief — feeling the exact despair the horse carried for its lost rider. Folklore claimed those who did so either fell ill with depression or were plagued by vivid dreams of drowning.

20250817_0914_Ghostly Horse of Lancaster_simple_compose_01k2w2hxytf5gbaptcz19z7rbx.png

Behavior & Abilities

The Mourning Steed’s defining trait is its endless search for its lost rider. It manifests most often along abandoned country roads, riverbanks, and places tied to partings or loss. Witnesses consistently describe the horse lowering itself slightly, as if to accept a rider — but no one who has attempted to mount has escaped without injury.

Spectral Hooves:

When agitated, its hooves strike with concussive ectoplasmic force, shattering wood and cracking stone.

Mournful Whinny:

Emits a wail that causes disorientation and despair in humans, triggering nausea, dizziness, or uncontrollable weeping

.
Phase Shift:

In states of rage, its body flickers between solid and incorporeal, allowing it to pass through walls or crush objects without consistency.

Uncontrolled Stampedes:

When overwhelmed by grief, it charges blindly, damaging everything in its path, leaving trails of burning hoofprints in the ground.

Emotional Projection:

Those in its presence experience flashes of overwhelming loneliness and loss, believed to be psychic bleed-through from its endless search.

.

The Mourning Steed’s behavior is defined by its endless search for a rider who will never return. When first manifesting, it often appears calm, pacing slowly with its head bowed as if inviting someone to mount. Witnesses describe the horse lowering itself slightly, mimicking the way a trained animal prepares to accept a rider. However, once it realizes there is no one there—or worse, when a living person attempts to approach—it shifts from mournful to violent in a matter of seconds.

During its grief-fueled outbursts, the Steed becomes extremely dangerous. Its hooves strike with concussive ectoplasmic force, capable of splintering wood, cracking stone, and denting vehicles. These strikes often leave behind scorched, glowing hoofprints that linger for minutes before fading into mist. It can also phase between corporeal and incorporeal states, allowing it to pass through obstacles while simultaneously damaging structures as it re-materializes. This erratic phasing makes proton stream containment difficult, as beams sometimes pass directly through portions of its body.

The Steed’s whinny is its most disturbing ability, often described as a sound halfway between a horse’s cry and a woman’s scream. This wail projects waves of despair that cause nausea, disorientation, or uncontrollable weeping in anyone who hears it. P.K.E. analysis suggests that this effect is a form of emotional projection, forcing nearby humans to experience its own grief and loneliness. In extreme cases, witnesses have collapsed from exhaustion after prolonged exposure to its cries.

The entity also demonstrates psychic resonance, most strongly in places tied to loss, parting, or water crossings. These environments seem to amplify its abilities, triggering uncontrolled stampedes where it charges blindly, destroying anything in its path. Vehicles have been overturned, barns shattered, and ground furrows burned into the soil during these rampages.

While the Mourning Steed is not inherently malicious, its pain and confusion manifest as destruction, making it one of the most unpredictable animal-form apparitions encountered. It seeks a bond it can never reclaim, and in the absence of that comfort, it lashes out with the full force of its spectral power.

20250817_0912_Spectral Galloping Steed_simple_compose_01k2w2epzvf6kt72ckvnwkrm2v.png

The Chase:
The horse proved shockingly fast. At full gallop, it clocked in at nearly 50 mph, its legs blurring as if slipping between dimensions. The Ecto’s engine roared as the team gave chase down winding country lanes. Proton packs were rigged to the roof rack, streams firing wildly from the windows and tailgate. Every missed shot sizzled into trees and fence posts, lighting up the night like a Fourth of July fireworks show.

The Steed darted across fields, phasing through fence rails and scattering hay bales like toys. At one point, it cut through a covered bridge, the sound of its hooves echoing like thunder. The Ecto barreled straight through behind it, scraping mirrors on the old beams as two proton streams crackled through the rafters in pursuit.

The horse retaliated by slamming its hooves into the ground, sending out shockwave ripples of concussive force. One ripple lifted the back end of the Ecto a full foot into the air, scattering equipment and sending Janine’s bag of fast food into the windshield. (Her fries were never recovered.) The team gripped the wheel and gunned the accelerator, refusing to let the entity shake them off.

Crossfire on the Road:
Coordinated proton fire managed to graze the horse, ectoplasmic sparks bursting from its flanks. The creature screamed, phasing halfway through a barn before erupting out the other side in a plume of splinters. At this point, the Ecto and the horse raced side by side across an open pasture — headlights, sirens, and proton beams cutting through the mist while the spectral stallion’s mane and tail whipped like black smoke in the moonlight.

The team engineer initiated a modified “lasso shot” — cranking the proton stream to coil around the horse’s midsection like a glowing rope. The Steed fought violently, dragging the Ecto across a ditch and nearly tipping the car. Sparks showered the road as tires screamed. The team shouted over the chaos, struggling to keep the field lines stable as the horse bucked against its bindings.

The River Standoff:
The chase ended at the river where Margaret Doyle drowned. The Steed halted on the banks, staring into the water with a mournful cry, as if expecting its lost rider to emerge. For a moment, it bowed its head toward the trap the team had placed on the shoreline, sniffing as if recognizing the bait. But when it realized the ruse, it erupted into a furious rage.

Rearing up on its hind legs, it screamed loud enough to shake the trees. The proton “lasso” strained, whipping with arcs of energy as the horse bucked and thrashed, its hooves sparking against the riverbank. Multiple streams locked on, wrapping its legs and torso in glowing rope. For thirty-seven seconds it fought violently, dragging the team across the mud and nearly capsizing the trap.

Finally, with a blinding flash of ectoplasmic light, the trap activated. The horse’s scream distorted into static as its body collapsed inward, mane and tail whipping like smoke being pulled through a vacuum. The trap clamped shut with a thunderous clack, sending ripples across the river. Silence fell, save for the hiss of proton packs cooling.

Aftermath:
The Ecto-1 sustained serious damage — one axle bent, tires shredded, paint scorched. Three barns and one covered bridge were left in varying states of disrepair. But the entity was successfully contained after one of the most adventurous pursuits in Ghostbusters history. Farmers in Lancaster County still talk about “the night the Ghostbusters outran the Devil’s Horse.”

Damage Summary – Case File #563 – The Mourning Steed

Ecto-1 Vehicle Damage:
Front axle bent after being dragged sideways into a ditch.
Two shredded tires and one cracked rim.
Paint scorched by repeated proton misfires.
Roof rack dented when the vehicle scraped through the covered bridge.

Estimated repairs: $26,000.

Equipment Losses:

One proton thrower overheated and jammed after sustained lasso-stream use.
Roof-mounted proton firing rig partially fused to rack from crossfire.
One containment trap scorched casing from splashback during riverbank capture.

Estimated replacement/repair: $14,500.

Property Damage:

One covered bridge sustained severe scorching and partial roof collapse from proton fire.
Three barns damaged: one wall collapse from horse phasing through; two scorched structural beams from proton ricochets.
120 feet of split-rail fencing splintered during chase.
Tractor flipped and rendered inoperable by hoofshock.

Estimated structural/property losses: $82,000.

Environmental Damage:

Riverbank erosion from containment blast and hoofshock.
Six scorched trees near Doyle farmstead.
Ground littered with 30+ glowing hoofprints that lingered for three hours before fading.

Environmental cleanup: $3,000.

Miscellaneous Losses:

Janine’s order of fries lost during violent impact with windshield; later discovered fused to dashboard (“ectoplasmic grease experiment,” according to Egon).

One P.K.E. meter contaminated with river water and fried circuits: $2,200.

Farmers filed “emotional trauma” claims for “hearing the Devil scream like a woman.” (Pending review.)

Total Estimated Damages:

$127,700 USD
(rounded for reporting: $125,000–$130,000 USD)

Capture Event – Case File #511– The Threadbare

Date: November 7, 2000

Location: : Rural farmland outside Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Incident Report:
Local authorities contacted Ghostbusters after repeated reports of barns collapsing, vehicles overturning, and “phantom hoofbeats” pounding through the countryside at night. Farmers swore they had seen a black horse galloping across roads with glowing eyes, leaving scorched hoofprints that smoldered long after it passed. One distraught family even reported that the horse appeared in their flooded fields, whinnying like a woman screaming, before charging their tractor and flipping it on its side.

Initial Entry:
The team arrived in Ecto-1, P.K.E. meters already howling before they even reached the Doyle farmstead — the site tied to the horse’s tragic origin. At precisely 1:47 a.m., the Steed manifested on the crest of a hill, its glowing eyes locking onto the headlights of the Ecto. With a chilling scream-whinny, it reared up and bolted across the rural road.

20250817_0934_Spectral Steed in Defiance_simple_compose_01k2w3p7c4fmtbqe15ch27ry7c.png

Current Containment Power Level Status: LOW

Containment Log Entry –

Subject: “ The Mourning Steed"

Current Status: securely contained within the E.C.U.

power ratio 6.9

CURRENT STATUS:

The Mourning Steed is housed within the Pastures Sector of the Ecto Containment Unit’s pocket dimension. This simulated environment resembles rolling fields of mist and phantom fences, with spectral crossroads leading nowhere. Initially, the Steed spent long stretches pacing the fields, occasionally lowering itself as if awaiting a rider, then bucking violently when none appeared.

However, containment dynamics shifted dramatically when the sector was adjusted to overlap with that of another entity — a Class IV nurturing spirit known informally as The Shepherdess. This entity, believed to be the spirit of a woman who perished in a catastrophic flood and who still searches for the animals she lost, has shown a profound affinity for animal-based apparitions. Upon first contact, she approached the Mourning Steed calmly, hands extended as though greeting a frightened horse. The Steed lowered its head, accepted her touch, and the two became inseparable

Observed Containment Behavior:

The Mourning Steed no longer exhibits the violent stampedes that once marked its cycles of grief. Instead, it follows the Shepherdess, responding to her presence with calm whinnies and lowered posture.

Together, the two have begun tending to other contained animal-form entities within the Unit. Reports show the Steed standing guard over weaker or unstable spirits, while the Shepherdess calms them with soft humming.

The pair appear to act as unofficial “keepers” of animal spirits inside containment, forming a communal refuge sector. Observed examples include spectral dogs, drowned livestock, and even fragmentary forms of birds pulled from overlapping P.K.E. bleed.

When drones pass through the Pastures Sector, the Steed shows no aggression, often circling protectively around the Shepherdess before stepping back.

Intra-Entity Manipulation:
The Mourning Steed has displayed a surprising degree of influence over other animal-form apparitions housed within the Containment Unit. On its own, the Steed’s aura projects waves of sorrow and longing, which often draw nearby animal spirits into its sector. Prior to its stabilization, this effect agitated weaker entities, causing them to scatter or mimic its stampede behavior. However, since its bond with the Shepherdess, the effect has inverted — now acting as a stabilizing field that encourages cohesion and calm among lesser animal apparitions.

Together, the pair have been observed shepherding strays: spectral dogs, drowned livestock, birds, and even fragmentary constructs resembling pets that lost their owners. These spirits often cluster near the Steed, using its aura as an anchor, while the Shepherdess soothes them through gentle humming or tactile projection. Their combined presence has transformed the Pastures Sector into a de facto sanctuary for animal-form entities, reducing overall aggression cycles by measurable margins across containment systems.

More unusually, the Steed has been seen adopting a protective stance toward the Shepherdess and their gathered “flock.” On two occasions, when non-animal apparitions wandered too close from adjacent containment boundaries, the Steed responded aggressively, charging the boundary fields and projecting hoofshock patterns strong enough to distort visual feeds. These interactions suggest the Steed is capable of territorial defense, establishing the Pastures Sector as claimed ground within the pocket dimension.

P.K.E. readings further suggest that the Shepherdess may be channeling part of the Steed’s grief energy, amplifying her own nurturing influence. This “emotional feedback loop” has, for now, created one of the rarest documented phenomena inside the Containment Unit: a symbiotic bond that benefits multiple entities. Long-term monitoring is required to ensure that this pairing continues to stabilize rather than compound their powers into a larger-scale anomaly.

20250817_0914_Ethereal Pastures Serenity_simple_compose_01k2w2k2n9fwwaaqrj069t2pcc.png

20250817_0914_Ethereal Pastures Serenity_simple_compose_01k2w2k2nafwmbfnv2y6n91y42.png

Escape Risk Assessment:
Risk level has been reassessed and reduced to Low–Moderate following the unexpected bond formed between the Mourning Steed and the Shepherdess entity. While the Steed still retains significant destructive potential — including concussive hoof strikes, emotional projection fields, and phasing abilities — these powers are rarely expressed in full since its emotional state has stabilized.

Prior to their pairing, the Steed demonstrated unpredictable cycles of grief that manifested in uncontrolled stampedes within its sector, often testing containment barriers and destabilizing localized P.K.E. dampeners. These episodes have dropped by over 70% since the Shepherdess’s presence. The Steed now spends the majority of active cycles pacing calmly or lying in proximity to her, with only occasional surges of energy triggered by external disturbances.

The primary escape risk lies in separation events. During scheduled containment maintenance when the Steed and Shepherdess must be isolated, the Steed has exhibited rapid agitation within minutes. Documented responses include increased pacing, projection of mournful cries audible to adjacent sectors, and localized hoofshock that rattled containment field stabilizers. Outbursts cease immediately once the Shepherdess is reintroduced, suggesting her presence is both a calming and regulating influence.

Another concern is the Steed’s protective instinct toward the Shepherdess and smaller animal spirits within their care. If it perceives an external threat — even a monitoring drone — as endangering its companions, it is likely to revert to defensive aggression. This behavior, while reduced, cannot be fully discounted.

Containment engineers estimate that in a worst-case breach scenario, the Steed could phase through barriers if its emotional state reached the same intensity as during its pre-capture rampages. To mitigate this, dual-layer dampeners in the Pastures Sector remain calibrated specifically to emotional P.K.E. spikes rather than brute force impacts.

In summary, while the Mourning Steed still possesses the raw power to challenge containment, its bond with the Shepherdess has created a stabilizing dynamic that significantly reduces the likelihood of uncontrolled activity. Escape risk is now considered conditional: minimal when paired with the Shepherdess, moderate-to-high only under forced separation or perceived threat scenarios.

Special Handling Notes:

• Special Handling Notes:

Do not attempt to separate the Mourning Steed and the Shepherdess; their bond has proven mutually stabilizing and beneficial to overall containment.

Animal-form entities that display agitation or hostility may be reassigned to the Pastures Sector for integration under their care. Early tests show a 43% reduction in aggression cycles among transferred spirits.

Personnel monitoring this sector are advised to avoid prolonged observation; reports indicate strong empathetic impressions of “comfort” and “safety” bleed through, which, while positive, can become emotionally overwhelming.

Janine’s Personal Log Addendum:
“Guess even in a ghost jail, someone’s got to look after the strays. I can’t complain — it’s nice knowing not every spook in there’s out for blood. Some of ’em just want a home.”

Find Your Story, Wear Your Niche

THE
GRAND TEE BAZAAR

THE OUTERMOO

FROST-TEES

404 THREAD NOT FOUND

BUCKIN' TEES

Containment File #047 – “The Widowmaker”

Containment File #047 – “The Widowmaker”

Description:

Physical Description:

Current Containment Power Level Status: LOW

Containment File #063 – “The Flush Phantom”

Containment File #063 – “The Flush Phantom”
Also Known As: The Porcelain Poltergeist, Lavatory Lurker, Sir Swirls-a-Lot
Class: III–IV Free-Roaming Vapor (escalates to Class V during possession events)
Power Ratio: 4.8

Description:

Physical Description:

Containment File #527 – “The Siren of Blackwell Cove”

Containment File #527 – “The Siren of Blackwell Cove”

Description:

Physical Description:

Current Containment Power Level Status: LOW

Containment File #247 – “The Boogieman”

Containment File #247 – “The Boogieman”

Description:

Physical Description:

Current Containment Power Level Status: LOW

Containment File #402 – “The Hollow Marquis”

Containment File #402 – “The Hollow Marquis”

Description:

Physical Description:

Current Containment Power Level Status: LOW

Containment File #511 – “The Threadbare”

Containment File #511 – “The Threadbare”

Description:

Physical Description:

Current Containment Power Level Status: LOW

Containment File #563 – “The Mourning Steed”

Containment File #563 – “The Mourning Steed”

Description:

Physical Description:

Current Containment Power Level Status: LOW

THE OUTERMOO

FROST-TEES

404 THREAD NOT FOUND

BUCKIN' TEES

Containment File #047 – “The Widowmaker”

Containment File #047 – “The Widowmaker”

Description:

Physical Description:

Containment File #063 – “The Flush Phantom”

Containment File #063 – “The Flush Phantom” Also Known As: The Porcelain Poltergeist, Lavatory Lurker, Sir Swirls-a-Lot Class: III–IV Free-Roaming Vapor (escalates to Class V during possession events) Power Ratio: 4.8

Description:

Physical Description:

Containment File #527 – “The Siren of Blackwell Cove”

Containment File #527 – “The Siren of Blackwell Cove”

Description:

Physical Description:

Containment File #247 – “The Boogieman”

Containment File #247 – “The Boogieman”

Description:

Physical Description:

Containment File #402 – “The Hollow Marquis”

Containment File #402 – “The Hollow Marquis”

Description:

Physical Description:

Containment File #511 – “The Threadbare”

Containment File #511 – “The Threadbare”

Description:

Physical Description:

Containment File #563 – “The Mourning Steed”

Containment File #563 – “The Mourning Steed”

Description:

Physical Description:

Containment File #063 – “The Flush Phantom”
Also Known As: The Porcelain Poltergeist, Lavatory Lurker, Sir Swirls-a-Lot
Class: III–IV Free-Roaming Vapor (escalates to Class V during possession events)
Power Ratio: 4.8