>>6085853
>>This doesn't feel like a dream. Your body feels like ice melting into the ground. He's getting closer and you're sweating, bile bubbling up your throat and piss threatening to trickle out of you as the 'gravity' of your situation sets in.

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>>6085972
You are DIO. You were recently awakened from your century-long SLUMBER and are amassing resources and knowledge in the city of CAIRO.

After a refreshing fill of BLOOD, you felt like taking a nighttime stroll with your lovely pet falcon, who was recently acquired from his COINCIDENTALLY DECEASED owner. As 'Fate' would have it, you, DIO, felt an invisible pull toward an unassuming stranger (not capitalized, because they're less important than you, DIO) in a lonely alley.

You, DIO, sense something odd about the figure. So far, this sense has helped you, DIO, acquire multiple minions, hirelings, and followers of varying ability, without even needing to resort to creating zombies. Hence, you, DIO, trust your awesome, reliable VAMPIRE INTUITION and approach the stranger.

The first thing you, DIO, notice about the mortal human, besides their general out-of-place-ness and cowardly trembling at your approach, not to mention abhorrently casual and shapeless ATTIRE (they call this a "hoodie and pants"), is their BUILD, which is:

[Body Type]
>Broad and muscular.
>Fat and stout.
>Middling and average.
>Bony and spindly, not unlike the urchins of your long-distant youth.
>(Write-in, or 2 of the above, e.g. wiry and lean, skinnyfat, or a mix of muscle and fat)

Their STATURE, although inevitably inferior to your own, and diminished further by their shock and fear, is:

[Height]
>Tall.
>Average height, whatever that is for the humans of this more industrialized age.
>Short, even in a crowd.

Even in the night, your VAMPIRE VISION illuminates the stranger's complexion and sex with relative ease.

[Sex]
>Male
>Female
>Other/Androgynous/Sexy sex pheromones obscured by petroleum and plastic in the bloodstream.

[Complexion]
>Light
>Medium
>Dark

You, DIO, would estimate the AGE of the stranger to be:
[Age Range]
>18-early 20s
>20s-30s
>30s-40s
>40s-50s
>50+

Last but not least, and unbeknownst to you, DIO, the stranger's favorite part of the fictionalized story of the Joestar bloodline's chronicles is being cast by the die of fate...

Rolled 8 (1d9)

[Rolling for our YOU's favorite part of JJBA. Maybe it's the one YOU are in right now!]

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[Jojolion it is. Also sorry for the double reply, forgot to remove it from the character appearance part. You can reply to both or either posts, if you care about the looks/background of the insipid Anon or just the action.]

>>6085972

FEAR: Freeze +1

Panic cascades and crushes your will as you lean against the wall, hands pressing into the all-too-real roughness of the bricks.

There's no way you can outrun him, not with his Stand. Hell, even if he didn't have it yet, it wouldn't really improve the chances.

You try to breathe in and keep from expelling any bodily fluids besides sweat...

DIO is sizing you up, falcon still on his shoulder. He has neither said anything yet, nor whipped out his freaky hair tentacles to implant a mind-controlling flesh bud in your forehead.

You sense this may be your LAST MOMENT to:
>Put your fists up and guard yourself! At least put up a defensive stance and show you're not a damn wet sock. Besides, how would HE know YOU know all about him?
>Fuck it! Jump to either side and dart to the nearest door or passage until he loses interest.
>Continue silently trying not to vomit/piss self and stand as still as you can.
>Be the first to speak! Introduce yourself, put your best foot forward with some intriguing meta knowledge, or otherwise put words together.
>(Write-in).

>>6086536
>Broad and muscular. (cmon. it's jojo.)
>Short, even in a crowd.
>Female
>20s-30s

>>6086542
>>6086552
>Continue silently trying not to vomit/piss self and stand as still as you can.

>>6086536
>Bony and spindly, not unlike the urchins of your long-distant youth.
>Tall.
>Male
Skellington mode.
>Light
NEET. Pale is a must.
>Be the first to speak! Introduce yourself, put your best foot forward with some intriguing meta knowledge, or otherwise put words together.
"Dio Brando, 20 years old at the of undeath, 121 years old at time of final death. Cause of death: Destruction of The World by Star Platinum. Location: The Qasr al-Nil Bridge. Partial rebirth in the form of the Green Baby in 2011, reaching one day old before being used by Enrico Pucci to create the penultimate stand C-Moon from White Snake, and eventually transforming into Made in Heaven. Destroyed again, and the total remake of reality occurs."

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[Taking character & response entries for tonight. Anything not filled in/tied will be rolled for and written tomorrow. In the meantime, thank you for participating so far!]

>>6086542
>Bony and spindly, not unlike the urchins of your long-distant youth.
>Tall.
>Male
>Light
>18-early 20s
>Continue silently trying not to vomit/piss self and stand as still as you can.

Let’s make everyone in the setting think we are an Eldritch Horror, when in actuality we are just a scared nerd.

>>6086542
>Bony and spindly, not unlike the urchins of your long-distant youth.
>Tall
>Female
>Light
>18-early 20s
>Be the first to speak! Introduce yourself, put your best foot forward with some intriguing meta knowledge, or otherwise put words together.

Do we side with DIO or no?

>>6086536
>Broad and muscular.
>Average height, whatever that is for the humans of this more industrialized age.
>Female
>Light
>18-early 20s

>>6086542
>Be the first to speak! Introduce yourself, put your best foot forward with some intriguing meta knowledge, or otherwise put words together.

Reminds me of an old jojo quest where we played as Dio's gf

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>>6086552
>>6086556
>>6086581
>>6086689
>>6086845
>Do we side with DIO or no?
Up to the choices we make.

[Body Type]
>Bony and spindly, not unlike the urchins of your long-distant youth.
[Height]
>Tall.
[Sex]
>Female
[Complexion]
>Light
[Age Range]
>18-early 20s

The stranger DIO sees appears to be a pallid twenty-something, a young woman without much femininity barring a waifish look. Standing upright as she is, the stranger is on the taller side; maybe not at 6 feet/(182 cm) or higher but not far from the benchmark.

---

>Be the first to speak! Introduce yourself, put your best foot forward with some intriguing meta knowledge, or otherwise put words together.
[One explicit dialogue entry was posted, along with the talk option winning.]

"Dio Brando, 20 years old at the time of undeath, 121 years old at time of final death."

Out of the corner of your eye (prolonged direct eye contact is too intimidating), you see the slight smile on DIO's face drop as soon as you pronounce his last name. The curl of his lip would have been a great stroke of ink in a manga panel.

"Cause of death: Destruction of The World by Star Platinum. Location: The Qasr al-Nil Bridge. Partial rebirth in the form of the Green Baby in 2011, reaching one day old before being used by Enrico Pucci to create the penultimate stand C-Moon from White Snake, and eventually transforming into Made in Heaven."

The world around you feels very silent. You know it's not stopped time but the altered perception of adrenaline. You're still running on stress as you rattle out his multiple life stories, gaining momentum until the last sentence.

"Destroyed again, and the total remake of reality occurs."

DIO, out of curiosity more than courtesy, let you finish. Shadow obscures his face again as he looks at an undefined direction, the bird's focus still trained on you.

"Partial rebirth...penultimate stands...How specific for a fortuneteller..." remarks DIO. Judging his reaction, he seems familiar with Stands, which means you're somewhere in 1987 where he's already met Enya with the bow and arrows. However, it's still unclear if his own has awakened, or if he knows of Enrico Pucci (which would be later).

He's standing very close to you again, making it so you can't help but look up at his face. "I've met plenty in my time, but none with your exact 'ability.' If you know both the past and what...misfortune might come to be...is that what brought you to this place and time? To me, DIO?"

DIO continues. "Prophet, scholar, or...displaced from time, perhaps, as you are...you knew of my power, yet didn't try to flee or hide." The man offers out a hand; you notice the fingernails are clipped and unpainted, which wouldn't really make a difference in this exact situation. He expects you to take it. "So, will you become my ally? I am certain it was no accident our 'fates' have intertwined."

>Take his hand.
>But I refuse!
>(Write-in)

>>6087395
>"All who ally with you are destined to be undone, one way or another. Even in the instance in which you reach Heaven, fate is set against you and your forces. But if you place your trust in me, show faith and allow me to be your friend more than your ally, then we may yet have hope of defying fate."
>Take his hand.
'i can fix him' mentality. We're a femc, it must be so. A gangly neet femc. This is inevitable. Mission objective: Stop DIO from imploding and maybe make him less of an insane dickweed in the process.

>>6087395
>>Take his hand.

>>6087395
>Take his hand
Best to placate the person that can stop time and kill you whenever, especially since we probably don't have a STAND

>>6087395
>>Take his hand.

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>>6087553
>>6087613
>>6087715
>>6088716

FEAR: Fight/Fawn +0.5/+0.5

You close your eyes, summoning your best impression of dramatic monologues from literature classes to anime dubs. (Speaking of, DIO doesn't quite sound the same as any of his more "fictional" versions do. Maybe it's because he's right in front of you.)

"All who ally with you are destined to be undone, one way or another. Even in the instance in which you reach Heaven, fate is set against you and your forces. But if you place your trust in me, show faith and allow me to be your friend more than your ally, then we may yet have hope of defying fate."

DIO's expression is mostly inscrutable. You can't tell what he's really thinking beyond the general lofty air of condescension. If only this was still a work of fiction and you could read his thoughts...

Very well. You take his hand. It's not entirely cold; your stomach turns remembering that blood is stolen. With a gesture, he sends Pet Shop to swoop ahead and return to the mansion as you both follow the path. The backalleys and passageways are emptier than you'd think; even the stray cats and dogs must be asleep or hiding away from the bird.

There really wasn't any option except siding with DIO, at least for now. But...something about this still feels like your initiative. Gears are turning in your head. However you ended up inside this world, at this point...you could change a lot. The lives of characters--no, people--whether they end beyond the story or not. Ride the wave of fate and keep others from drowning in it.

Shit. The delusions of grandeur might be contagious if you're already thinking like this from just holding his hand and walking beside him. For all you know you're just in a coma and none of this matters.

Pet Shop lets out a short shriek as he lands on the parapets of DIO's mansion. You're here...

"Considering our meeting," DIO slows his pace and turns to you. "I'm naturally curious for an introduction of your own, friend." The delivery of that word does sound sarcastic. "Or has Skynet classified that information?"

You take a second to process that he just made a Terminator reference. Well, he was quite curious about the modern world in...canon... And he might suspect you either see the future or are from it, just like in his H.G. Wells stories.

[Name]
>Tell DIO your real name. Better be honest here.
>Come up with a fake/new name. Just try to avoid having variants of "Jo" in it twice.
>(Write-in; partial truth/lie)

[Origin]
>Let DIO know where you're from. It's not like you exist yet, if your family even exist as "background characters" in this world.
>Lie about where you're from. You're making up a character of your own!
>(Write-in; partial truth/lie)

Whatever you know that DIO still doesn't could be used as leverage. But he's likely going to expect any and all of your memories. Memories...shit. You really hope he hasn't met Pucci yet. Word things carefully.

>>6088882
>Tell DIO your real name. Better be honest here.
>Lie about where you're from. You're making up a character of your own!

>>6088882
>Tell DIO your real name. Better be honest here.
>Lie about where you're from. You're making up a character of your own!
Honestly, we don't even know the full truth of how our reality relates to this reality ourselves. Telling the full truth would just expose the gaps. But it's worth noting that our clothing and any currency in our wallet is clearly from a different time, so...maybe we should roll with an "alternative history" angle. Maybe hinge it on the 'total remake of reality' and imply that we're from one of an infinite number of adjacent realities attached to the remade reality, being drawn here through unknown means and seeing a great deal of things in the process.

>>6088882
>Tell DIO your real name. Better be honest here.
>Lie about where you're from, but be truthful that you have no idea how you got here.

"I'm from the west. How I ended up here, next to you of all people, is a mystery even to myself. Last thing I remember, I was doing some light reading. Then, before I can even register anything happened, I was waking up here. A stand? Something else? I have no idea what it could be...However, as long as I'm here. I might as well make the most of it, starting with this."

>>6089269
+1

>>6089269
Supporting

>>6089269
+1

>>6089197
>>6089228
>>6089269 (supporting: >>6089352, >>6089427, >>6089571)

"My name is..." You say your name, ITSASO MUNTEANU. And repeat it out of habit for the standard pronunciation-immune American. Although it has accompanied you since birth, the relative oddness and rarity of the name in BUMFUCK, U.S.A. led to you forgoing it in lieu of ANONYMOUS USERNAMES the moment your boisterous but well-meaning/estranged but amicable family obtained a DESKTOP COMPUTER. You don't know much Basque and Romanian at all, but you do know that your first name means "ocean" and last name means "mountain." DIO can stay oblivious of this, given his OCEAN-involved life events. "I'm from the west. How I ended--"

DIO invades your sentence. "So Romania is 'west' of Egypt in your world? Fascinating."

"No. My family...paternal family. Is from there, but I was born h- born in the United States."

"Oh." He looks vaguely disappointed. Is it the vampire mythology stuff?

"How I ended up here, next to you of all people, is a mystery. Even to myself. The last thing I remember, I was doing some light reading." Of the very last arc of the series you're stranded in. You bite your tongue from saying that the last titular "JoJo" has "DIO" in his very name. It won't do his ego any good. "Then, before I could even register anything happened, I was...I woke up here! A Stand? Something else? I have no idea what it could be..." You really, really don't.

The entrance gates thud shut behind you. The entryway's garden plants sway in the dim night despite the lack of wind. Trying not to focus on your trepidation only brings other negative feelings up. Like how you might never see your mentally unstable parents and shitty, mediocre but comfortable life again.

"However, as long as I'm here. I might as well make the most of it, starting with this." DIO waits for you to enter the terracotta mansion proper before he follows, appearing in front of you again.

(cont.)

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>>6089888
"Cast into an alien place, you still followed initiative and the instinct to 'survive'. Others in your place would have acted more irrationally," the vampire muses. You almost burst out laughing at the word "bizarre." Thank goodness you didn't, or you'd have to explain what was so funny. You make a scene out of trying to cough.

DIO raises an eyebrow, then sighs. "It does get dusty in this clime. I'll have to have the staff tidy up more." He guides you through the dark entrance hallway and up the stairs to the second floor. The mansion is strangely calm from a vantage that's not of a team of Stand users on a mission to destroy it. There are occasional muffled noises that could be anything from snoring to bedside conversation to an undead underling feasting on a corpse. You feel too tired to care, adrenaline gone entirely.

"You may rest here for tonight...Itsaso. You have plenty of time to sleep until the morning calls to prayer wake the city up. We'll talk further after then." You peek inside where he leads you and there is indeed a fairly nice and clean, if old-fashioned, looking bedroom. But by the time you look back, he's vanished. So dramatic.

The sheets are cool, clean. Shoes at the foot of the bed, hoodie shrugged off and crumpled to the side, and you doze off quickly.

***

It is sunny, and later in the morning when you awaken. Surprisingly, the first call to prayer of the day, resounding through the many mosques in Cairo, didn't even budge you. Stretching your arms out, you remember this place is too nice to be your home bedroom and recall your situation.

Self-imposed mission: fix DIO and as much of the bad shit that happens from here on out, or die trying.

What's the next step of your master plan? Getting your own Stand. You need the Arrow. You need--

A knocking at your door startles you, the sound of wood against wood. "May I come in?" An old woman's voice. This must be Enya the Hag. Or just Enya. "Hag" feels too rude, even for her.

The door creaks open. She walks in. In the flesh, she really does look like any other grandma, perhaps a bit on the feisty side, not out of place in some hippie store or commune in California. You almost feel guilty for knowing otherwise.

In one hand Enya steadies herself with her cane; in the other she has a steady hold on a small platter holding a spiced bowl of what smells like beans (ful medames) and a cup with fragrant, hot black and mint tea. She places it on a table.

"Hello, young lady! Lord DIO told me all about the foundling he met last night. You can call me Enya." Her eyes turn cold. "But you knew my name already, didn't you? Kehehe! Know another seer when I see one."

You can:
>Thank her for being a polite host. Not every day you get a free bed-and-breakfast in DIO's Mansion.
>Skip the pleasantries. Ask about the Arrow. You need a Stand to stand a chance, right?
>First things first. What is the date and time?
>Stir shit. Tell her you know what her son did in 1985.
>(Write-in)

>>6089918
>Thank her for being a polite host. Not every day you get a free bed-and-breakfast in DIO's Mansion.
>First things first. What is the date and time?

>>6089918
>Thank her for being a polite host. Not every day you get a free bed-and-breakfast in DIO's Mansion.

Yes, we know what kind of person she is. However, we might as well play nice. She's being nice, brought us food. There's no reason to stir shit. On that topic, maybe wait a bit before asking about the arrow. I think asking DIO about that would be a better idea, we don't want to give off some kind of wrong impression. Seem power hungry. Asking Enya about it instead of DIO himself could sound like we're going behind his back.

Off topic, but I just realized that Hol Horse is probably gonna try and flirt with us.

(ID test from a different device and general QM post. Writing will finish tomorrow. Sorry for the wait between posts; we're still in the setup phase for the character and quest. There will likely be speedups or timeskips later on, but the beginning is "figuring out what to do in the calm before the storm."

Also, I'm open to suggestions on any dice or point systems. There is a basic fear response-styled stat to track how we react to challenges, and Stand stats will come in with Stands.

Given the asspulls in the series and unreliable nature of said Stand stats, there's no real set-in-stone technical stuff right now nor do I plan to have very much of it. But if we want some element of chance/randomness for events starting with Stand creation, as well as more detailed numerical info, I'll figure something out. I've looked at past JJBA quest archives and it really is good for fucking around and doing freeform. As long as it's fun and feels fair.

For now, enjoy the mansion and get settled in!)

>>6089918
>Thank her for being a polite host. Not every day you get a free bed-and-breakfast in DIO's Mansion.
"Of course I know about you, Madame Geil. I cannot name any who knows more about the occult than you! And with such a versatile and potent stand as Justice, too - I'm envious. I don't suppose you're open to apprenticeship?"
Flattery will get you everywhere with a proud old woman.

>>6089918
>>Thank her for being a polite host. Not every day you get a free bed-and-breakfast in DIO's Mansion.

>>6089918
>>Thank her for being a polite host. Not every day you get a free bed-and-breakfast in DIO's Mansion.
>>First things first. What is the date and time?

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>>6089928
>>6089933
>>6090095
>>6090125
>>6090445
[Sorry for the delay. For player reference, here are the timeline sources of events here: https://jojowiki.com/Timeline
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Timeline/JoJosBizarreAdventure
We as the MC may not know or recall all details correctly, even if known, but OOC it should help plan what choices you may want to make.]

You just woke up from one life-or-death encounter. It would be wise to not bite the hand that feeds you. And whatever her true nature is, Enya is at least *acting* nice. That counts for something. You try to remember either of your own grandmothers. The nice one passed when you were a baby and the one that lived was mean and barely acknowledged, much less liked, your existence.

"Of course I know about you, Madame Geil." There are bags under your eyes, but you remember to narrow them a bit to make your smile look realer. "I cannot name any who knows more about the occult than you! And with such a versatile and potent stand as Justice, too - I'm envious. I don't suppose you're open to apprenticeship?

Enya thins her lips and leans on her cane. You are vividly remembering the part in Stardust Crusaders where she thinks about brutally dismembering the titular crusaders as she puts on a sweet act. Let's not think about that. The less you dwell in your knowledge, the better. You've done nothing to earn her ire like that.

"Oh, please. You flatter an old woman. With the truth, mind you! But you've only just gotten here. And haven't even touched your breakfast yet!" She waggles the cane at the seat and table.

"Yeah...um, first things first, right. Thank you. For the food and...hospitality." There's something very basic you're missing. "Oh! Uh, can I ask what day it is today? And the time--" You see an old clock resting against the wallpaper. It says the time is 9:31 a.m. "Well, the date. I don't know how long I've been out."

"Why, it's the 13th of June, and the year is 1987!" With surprising deftness, Enya pulls out and unfolds your hoodie from where she'd quietly snatched it. "That would be...damn this small text on the tag...ehhh...made in Thailand, 2024...Oh my. 37 years before you got this drab thing." She throws your hoodie onto the foot of your bed. "Now, Itsaso, was it? Eat your fūl before it gets cold. It's beans, it's good for you. I'll show you around Lord DIO's mansion after that. Better me than any of those..." Speak of the devil. A crash and some arguing from downstairs (the only word you can make out is "Reagan") finds its way to the floor you're on. A glint of exasperated rage flashes in her eyes. Your imagination leaps to project who could be down there. "I'll be back. The bathroom's to your left next door. Nice meeting you!"

After you finish breakfast, you wrap your hoodie around your waist and wash up in the bathroom...

>(Write-in: finalize appearance details like hair color/length, eye color, & any miscellaneous marks.)

>>6091592
>>(Write-in: finalize appearance details like hair color/length, eye color, & any miscellaneous marks.)
hair color/length : brown/shoulder length
eye color : blue
any miscellaneous marks : blue star in the middle of reasonably large breasts for a slim body

>>6091774
+1

>>6091592
Blonde is a must

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>>6091774
>>6091817
>>6091925
A blank black tee, sports bra, loose jeans, and orthopedic velcro sneakers will do just fine for the time being.

You fish out a reasonably unused-looking brush from the cabinet and make your hair presentable. What was a ruddy curly blonde in your early days got browner and frizzier as you grew up. After wrangling it to sit at your shoulders, you scavenge a clear-looking lipstick and hide the chapped skin on your lips. You're pretty sure even the men here (in this place, in this world) have a longer makeup routine than you do. Araki did design them.

The blue of your eyes reminds you of the more unsavory blue BIRTHMARK on your chest. Although being the fan of a series featuring special birthmarks has improved your self-image, you still wonder if the doctors missed something terribly wrong with you. In between your SMOKING HOT BOOBS, which look decent when you're not hunched over watching a screen, a blueish-purple stain clings stubbornly to the skin. It's vaguely star-shaped, if in a blobby injured octopus sort of way.

What did Enya say? Right. It's June 13th, 1987. The day of the week would be...there should be a calendar around here somewhere you can check, probably downstairs. Enya said she'd be back, but you doubt she'll mind if you go downstairs, and take your empty dishes while you're at it. Wandering the second floor for a bit reveals it's pretty lifeless. Since DIO is asleep until sundown, you might as well familiarize yourself with others in his employ.

(cont.)

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>>6092373
You descend the stairs and head to the light and noise past the fancy but dark rooms full of paintings, instruments, and other decorations. Honestly, this place feels really empty in general. You're not sure how many of the AGENTS OF DIO actually visit or live here.
Finally, you reach the dining room. This place, at least, has a window with the curtains pulled back to let some sunshine in. And it has people, whose lively overlapping arguments about contemporary Cold War politics, taking that damn cowboy hat off indoors, and McDonald's all freeze the moment they see you walk in.

Several people are sitting at a large table populated by a few ash trays, as well as plates half-empty with breakfast residue and coffee mugs half-full. You recognize them as Terrence D'Arby, whose long red hair is let down, a still-human Vanilla Ice, Daniel D'Arby (noticeably giving Terrence a wide berth), and Hol Horse. Enya is here, putting something back into the refrigerator, and there's also a short, sharp-eared guy sitting in a shadowy corner you recognize as Kenny G. What an underrated character.

You walk by them in silence, and put your dirty dishes next to the sink. This should be less intimidating than meeting DIO himself, but you feel like you're back in your high school cafeteria looking for a seat.

"Well, howdy, miss!" Of course, Hol Horse speaks first. While Daniel sips at his coffee, Terrence and Enya exchange glances in a mutual dislike of the cowboy. "The name's Hol Horse."

The old lady sighs. "Yes, this is the new one. Itsaso. I was going to introduce her earlier if some of us hadn't wasted the morning debating B.S... These, eh, fine young gentlemen are Mr. Terrence and Daniel D'Arby, this is Vanilla Ice, the one over there is Kenny G., and that's...Hol Horse. Yes. Please, have a chat and all." Enya turns away from them and comes over to you, speaking in a hushed tone. "You know something of them already, right? Just don't let them get to you. Tell me when you've had enough of them and I'll show you around the rest of this place."

Maybe it's because you're a girl, but she seems a bit more protective of you than you thought. Then again, these guys seem like assholes even when they're not out to kill or steal people's souls. You're getting a Mean Girls vibe, and remember the part of the story where they bullied Nukesaku, the short little vampire guy.

Vanilla Ice is muttering something about "the one with foresight" to Terrence, while Daniel scoffs and mumbles about time travel being "bullshit." Terrence picks up a crumb of toast from the tablecloth and flings it into his older brother's coffee. "What a funny name," Hol Horse remarks, hypocritically but without malice. He puts on a practiced grin when he sees you looking at him.

You can:
>Get acquainted with one or multiple people at the table.
>Heed Enya's advice and tour the mansion (Fast-forward to evening)
>(Write-in)

>>6092395
>Get acquainted with one or multiple people at the table

>>6092395
>Get acquainted with one or multiple people at the table.

>>6092395
>Get acquainted with one or multiple people at the table.
The younger D'arby, at least. Talk to him about the nature of souls. Pose a question as to the soul's true potential, and talk about some of what we know (such as the various ghosts of the series, how objects can have souls, how stands themselves are linked to the soul...)
I believe an ability like his is capable of determining if individuals can safely manifest a stand or not. With the right questions, it may even be able to determine some of that unmanifested stand's capabilities.

>>6092395
>Get acquainted with one or multiple people at the table.

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>>6092476
>>6092588
>>6092645
>>6092988
You pull out one of several empty chairs and take a seat. Enya has hobbled off to leave the relative youngsters to their fraternizing, leaving you with the cowboy, bodyguard, and soul-stealing brothers. Kenny G seems deep in thought.

"It's not, in fact, bullshit. I just checked." Terrence declares smugly to his brother, not dignifying him with a direct response. "As if there's nothing stranger than coming from the future could be."

"Like 'The Terminator.'" Hol Horse clears his throat, too early in the timeline to have dropped smoking. "Ah'll be back. Right? Y'all saw it too." The idea of DIO's mansion having movie nights is pretty funny, and you smile at the thought. Hol thinks you were amused by his shitty Arnie impression. "See, she gets it."

"Let's get this straight." Terrence points a finger at you. Even with the metallic face-paint and/or tattoo on his face, he looks like he might even be a bit younger than yourself. "Clearly our employer..."

Vanilla tightens the grip on his fork. "Master DIO," the musclebound male stripper/bodyguard corrects immediately, with the fervor of a man you know would decapitate himself in an instant.

"Lord DIO..." continues Terrence. He tries to mirror DIO's deep tone of voice but only sounds like a nasally East-Coaster barely past puberty. His face markings have a greasy sheen but do not smudge. So they are tattoos. "He clearly saw something in you. What exactly is unclear."

"So we'll have to wait and see if you can see that 'something' for yourself. Then we'll know your true capability, doll." D'Arby the Younger twiddles with a loose lock of his bright hair. You notice it's orange, like in the manga coloring. He probably has asked your soul all sorts of yes/no questions with his Stand, maybe even more uncomfortable ones about the future if his increased fidgeting is any indication. DIO would have only done a limited hangout, let his closest servants (those he trusted with knowledge of his own Stand power), know of you. The cogs in the various Stand users' heads are turning at different speeds, but you figure they're heading for a synchronization: that if you're from the future, to help out, then something must have gone wrong to begin with.

Remembering Over Heaven, your universe's fictionalized tell-all of DIO's very diary, the D'Arby brothers' Stand abilities to read and manipulate souls are useful enough to factor into his Heaven plan. That doesn't mean they'll be helpful to you at the moment, given their condescension. Daniel is making a point to ignore his younger brother; you'll catch him in a better mood elsewhere. Why is he even at the table?

You clear your throat and try to think of an icebreaker for everyone but Ice.

>Be neutral, just say something interesting yet vague about the future.
>Terrence collects the souls of his victims in dolls. He just called you a doll. Insult him back.
>Be an asshole and spoil the Terminator sequels for them.

>>6093211
*(Write-in also available, was editing for character count. In general assume write-ins are available unless explicitly noted otherwise.)

>>6093211
>"On October 19th of this year, the stock market will experience one of the greatest crashes of all time. The economic effects will be felt across the world. Sell all of your stocks on July 19th for the greatest profit, set up several Shorts for various companies to take advantage of Black Monday, then buy stocks when everything is at its lowest."
Black monday is INFAMOUS. We can solidify our usefulness to the entire group here and now.

>>6093256
Sure, let's make a lot of money

>>6093211
>Be mysterious, drop vague hints

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>>6093256
>>6093321
>>6093460
"On the 19th...of this October," you begin, slowly but deliberately, "the stock market will experience one of the greatest crashes of all time. It's going to be called 'Black Monday.'" That has everyone paying full attention. "The economic effects will be felt globally. Which is to say, across the world."

Hol Horse leans back and sucks in cigarette smoke. "Ain't slow, we know what global means."

"Across the world." you repeat while planning the gestures and phrasing for your next sentences. It took a while to learn this skill. "On the 19th of this July...so, um about a month from now, if you sell all the stocks you have on that day, you'll get the greatest profit. Then you set up shorts on some companies to take advantage of 'Black Monday' itself, and buy up..."

"Buy low," Daniel adds, looking back in his element.

"Exactly. Buy up stocks again when everything's at its lowest point. And then you all have more money for everything. For bounties and bills and...all that." Like bounties for the Joestars and hospital bills for the aftermath of them beating the shit out of you. That part is unsaid.

Terrence drums his fingers against the tablecloth then speaks. "Yes, yes, you're still telling the truth. As the butler of this house, I also handle its master's coffers and investments. I'm sure he'd be pleased once your lead comes to pass." Everyone besides Ice must also be fantasizing about what they could buy with all that extra money. Video games, liquor...hell, even Ice would be happy having DIO buy new heart-shaped accessories.

You exhale while your new acquaintances talk amongst themselves. After Daniel mentions something about "cheat codes," his younger brother glares hard enough at him that he stands up and walks out of the room with a brisk goodbye.

Terrence excuses himself as well. "It was a pleasure to meet you this morning. I believe it's time to return to my duties." He gets up from his chair, neatly moves the remaining clutter on the table to be washed, and floats out of the room. By the time you look back, Vanilla Ice has wordlessly vanished into his void Stand and Kenny G. into the shadows. It's just you and Hol now.

(cont.)

>>6093793
Phew! What a bunch of show-offs, am I right?" the man chuckles. "Betcha Terry there's gone back to his basement with his video games." As you get up and start pushing the chairs back into the table (out of instilled habit), Hol Horse looks around warily and gestures you to come over.

"Listen, greenhorn...ya seem smart. Steady on your own two feet so far, but like I've said before to a kid in a situation not unlike yours..." You assume he means Boingo. Meeting him and Thoth might be useful later. "Knowing things and actually living through 'em aren't the same. So, uh, don't get too much in your own head, yeah? Especially in a place like this." Hol Horse's practiced Western drawl tapers off at the end, and a more genuine worry flashes through his eyes. He's seen some shit.

He tips his stetson hat over and swipes a grin back onto his face. "Look, if ya ever need something, don't be shy to ask Hol Horse here for help. Speaking of, I've got some things need doin' today, so I'll see ya around. It...sah...soh...that about right? That Spanish or Italian or somethin'?"

"Spanish. Kind of."

"Knew it."

"Yeah." You exchange waves and he heads out, leaving you alone in the kitchen with a few rays of sun and the smell of smoke and cooking oil.

Speaking in-person, to multiple people at once for even a short time, took a lot of energy even in your mundane life. But you feel like you've gotten off on the right foot here.

If there's a part of fiction it reminds you of it's Giorno meeting the Passione gang, or Gordon Gekko laying out a speech. Not that you're at that level (yet), but fake it til you make it, right? For all these bozos know you're a bona-fide time traveling prophet, not a comic-reading shutin. And you intend to keep it like that.

What now? You need to figure out a more concrete game plan for the long-term, or at least muse on Stand abilities you might acquire once DIO offers you the arrow (which he has no reason not to.) Surely your own soul wouldn't betray you with a shitty power, right?

You can:
>Go find Enya and have her show you around.
>Wander around in the mansion on your own and check the library or botanical garden or gallery rooms out. You need some alone time.
>Go back to your bedroom and chill out.
>Go out onto one of the balconies or yards and get some fresh air. It's hot and bright, but a few minutes won't hurt.
>(Write-in)

>>6093801
>Go out onto one of the balconies or yards and get some fresh air. It's hot and bright, but a few minutes won't hurt.

>>6093801
>Go find Enya and have her show you around.
It wouldn't do to run into...SOME of Dio's minions on accident, alone. Before a formal introduction at least.

>>6093801
>>Go find Enya and have her show you around.

>>6093801
>Go find Enya and have her show you around.

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>>6094232
>>6094308
>>6094324
>>6094668
You head out of the now-empty kitchen, passing by an old little television on one of the counters. The screen is cracked at one corner, and the accompanying side has indents from a superhuman-strength grasp. Looks like DIO was trying out his equivalent of Hermit Purple.

Trying to find the nearest path to a balcony or porch isn't as easy as it seemed. You figure it's already too hot out to enjoy the sun anyways, and pace around the hallways for a bit before Enya sneaks up behind you. You flinch out of fear with a moment's delay.

"Boo! Did I scare you?" Enya cackles. "You've got a slow temperament. Now let's go see the mansion before it gets too busy later on. Yallah, yallah! I have other things to do too." She grabs your hand pretty forcefully with wizened digits, and yanks you along with surprising physical strength.

Enya shows you through all three floors of the mansion, pointing out interesting (and possibly pilfered) artifacts along the way, from herbs in the botanical garden to fancy blades in the weapons room ("Don't touch any, but especially never that one!"). You even pass through the costume room where you spy multiple colors of heart-shaped bands.

She also warns you to watch your step around some of the illusory extensions to the interior, and pulls you away from a few rooms that "need cleaning."

Eventually, you circle back to the first floor and stop in the library. All the walking (and a snuck glimpse of a still body under a shroud) got your heart going a little.

"That's every spot you need to know, Just remember what I said about Kenny's layout schedule, keep away from the bedrooms except your own with that mark on the door, you know the one, knock if a door's closed, don't touch what's off-limits, and ask me or one of the others here who actually know what they're doing--that's D'Arby, just the younger one, Vanilla, and Kenny G. If it's important and you need Lord DIO's audience, ask them or one of me first. Unless the master of the house is up and about himself, and in a good mood...then he shouldn't bite." Enya smacks her gums. "You're a bit of a special case, so he should be meeting you tonight, anyway. I think you'll live till then."

"That's all, right?" Your head's a bit sore from all the nodding you did to make sure she knew you understand.

"Oh!" Enya points at the leftmost shelf in the library, which is full of books in different languages. "That's the shelf with the day-to-day crap. English-Arabic phrasebooks, maps, phone and addressbooks. You're a foreigner, so you'll want that first. The others are fiction, comic books, magic tomes, and...you can see for yourself. Just put it back and turn the electric lamp off--yes, the switch is there--when you're done reading."

She cracks her back and groans. "Well, I'm off. Lord DIO will send for you tonight. Toodles!" A cloud of fog surrounds you and Enya disappears in it...you can still hear her footsteps as she leaves.

(cont.)

>>6094793
You grab one of the phrasebooks and slump back in one of the cushioned, vintage reading chairs. Getting settled in with breakfast, meeting the staff, and touring the mansion has taken up the morning, and the buzzy electric light let's you see the current time on a grandfather clock. A half hour before noon.

It feels like an eternity since last night, and an eternity before you'll meet the Stand arrow this nightfall. Now you have time to yourself and a peaceful environment (booksmell included), so make use of it.

Admiring the shelves, some (out of many) books that catch your eye are:
>The basic phrasebook for Egyptian Arabic. It will help for navigating outside the mansion...and understanding if the more local agents of DIO are gossiping about something.
>A fat history book covering the last century. Someone had catching up to do.
>Stacks of newspapers, some in English.
Has it only been a moment or is your home dimension still operating in real time? Is your family worried about you?
>A book on world mythology, with bookmarks and dog-ears in the Egyptian section.
>A compendium of mysterious and unexplained phenomena and cryptids. Maybe it'll help your subconscious form a cooler Stand?
>"Don Juan" by Lord Byron, among other Romantic literature.
You might not see home again. Would you be sadder if you returned or if you never did?
>Books on modern law and court proceedings. DIO was in law school way back when. Doesn't seem worth it.
>Music magazines. Stand name inspiration to match the current year. Also it's funny.
>Playboys and other racy mags. There are a lot of these and in a stunning variety of languages. They're next to what looks like the section of art books. Do you dare?
>The Bible, Quran, Torah, and other holy books in many translations. Right opposite the nudies.
What if you don't have what it takes?
>Just veg out on the nice cushion and meditate on what totally awesome power you want to have and that you will have no matter what and how you'll use it to save this world and make everyone happy. Picture yourself, the hero of your own bizarre adventure...maybe even take a little nap...don't think bad thoughts...
>(Write-in)

>>6094814
>>The Bible, Quran, Torah, and other holy books in many translations. Right opposite the nudies.
Wonder if they have the Sefer Yetzirah here. It's made by and for Kabbalic Occultists seeking forbidden insights into the spiritual and god.

>>6094814
>>Playboys and other racy mags. There are a lot of these and in a stunning variety of languages. They're next to what looks like the section of art books. Do you dare?

>>6094814
>>The basic phrasebook for Egyptian Arabic. It will help for navigating outside the mansion...and understanding if the more local agents of DIO are gossiping about something.

Getting started on learning Egyptian is probably the best course of action. In the future we're not gonna want to rely entirely on DIO's men and women to get around outside. So trying to be somewhat self sufficient would definitely help with not being stuck here.

(Still taking responses, but what would players want for a case with many different options and potentially no tiebreaker? First answer, or a dice roll per number of responses to select one of them? I can QM roll dice for this one but have you roll in the future, do something else...)

>>6095543
Up to you as qm

Rolled 44, 97, 74 = 215 (3d100)

>>6094892
>>6095127
>>6095458
[Rolling for knowledge gained per book, 3d100, 1d per book]

Rolled 90, 75, 60 = 225 (3d100)

>>6095771

>>6095771
>>6095984
(Sorry, should've specified I was just going to do one dice roll as QM for each of the 3 replies/books, not replies. Just for this time since your total was higher I'll use your rolls. Will try to word it clearer for future rolls. Writing the next post.)

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>>6095771
>>6095984
You can't help but gravitate to the shelf with both well-known religious texts as well as apocrypha, obscurities, and otherwise occult writings. There might be clues to DIO's plan on Heaven; your "canon source information" does not include the origin of however he came up with it. What catches your eye is a not particularly long but very old-looking soft-cover titled "Sepher Yetzirah: The Book of Formation and the Thirty Two Paths of Wisdom," an original first-edition from 1887 to boot translated by a guy with triple-W initials.

Thankfully, you have a basic familiarity with various branches of occultism, due to your regular browsing of the PARANORMAL subforum, and recognize the title and it being a Kabbalah thing. Thirty-two paths of wisdom, thirty-six sinners in the Heaven plan...worth a read. DIO would take anything of interest from the religions of the world.

You spend some time reading the book, taking in each page deeply. What you get is a lot of importance placed on letters and numbers as the basis of the universe's formation. Some of it is ancient linguistics and phonetics--letters formed by different parts of the mouth, from labial to guttural. A chapter describes the Almighty's creation of "two dwellings" from "two letters," six from three, 120 from five, and so on; you recognize this as a fancy description of factorials.

Father (though he is yet a seminarian) Enrico Pucci's fixation on prime numbers is not lost on you here. The text repeats the importance of trios ("three mothers") and septets (doubles of seven for dimensions). Of course, twelves (astrology, major organs) also come in. From seven letters, ostensibly, seven worlds (and seven heavens) were made. Fuck...a chill runs down your spine as the possibility of spin-off novels' elaboration being real here too comes into your head. Let's hope (not pray, you're still pretty agnostic/a believer in "not necessarily God, but a something" like Araki) there's no 36 Kars on Mars out there.

You note the foundations are 22 letters, perhaps corresponding to the 22 major Tarot cards (and their Stand users). The translator, a 19th-century Brit into all the proper occult hermetic shit, certainly agrees. It's so easy to find patterns in numbers. Maybe too easy. Still addictive. Among the patterns bouncing and roiling in your mind you remember that the cards of the 9 Glory Gods did, in fact, have the diagram of the Tree of Life (also Kabbalah) drawn on their backs. The cynic-skeptic in you thinks it was just decorative, like NGE and Christian symbols, but the fantasist considers that even then the symbols hold importance.

The notions of doubt grow weak against the inevitable, the metaphysics that you know are very much real. Plenty of supernatural phenomena beyond Stands and the undead, including actual gods and deities.

This was surprisingly productive. You feel this will benefit your spirit, soul and mind a lot.

KNOWLEDGE:
Spirituality/Occult: Great Success

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>>6098460
You get up to stretch your legs and return the mystic text to its spot, then swivel around back to the X-rated shelf. You've a reasonable suspicion that many of these entries are donations from the combined collections of DIO's underlings, and might have pages sticking to each other with another kind of "donation" from the reader. That's pretty gross, yet delightfully retro to a jaded, Internet-poisoned young adult all too aware of the overstimulating online empire of 21st century erotica.

You swipe samples of magazines from different locales: a couple Playboys and Penthouses, a few Euro mags in Italian and French, and some from Asia--you find ones published in India and Hong Kong, but they're the exception in a sizeable selection of Japanese porn, of the drawn and photographed variety.

What would be a fun exercise in getting to know DIO's agents (at least those regularly visiting or staying in his mansion) would be matching up the smut to the ones who read it. Fun until you remember that damn orangutan.

The Playboys and such offer bits of pop culture trivia as a bonus to the sultry ladies. You recognize Bo Derek and other stars of the screen. The latest edition, from May of this year (1987, you remind yourself) is themed after the Wheel of Fortune, the gameshow. Of course you think of the car Stand with the same name.

Flipping through the solo pin-up magazines is fun, and makes your heart beat with resolve at this expression of creation and humankind's organs and duality (still riding the spiritual high). Now it's time to get serious: you bust out the GAY PORN.

Yep, it's what you think it is. Some is targeted for voyeurs, and manga enjoyers. As you page through a magazine specializing in mature men, hairs and wrinkles and all, you notice how much there is of personal advertisements and messages for bars and bathhouses (not that you can read most of it.) Before the Internet, these publications were the next best thing, especially for people who had to live a double life...

Hold on. Why does DIO's library have so many dirty Japanese mags anyway? You wouldn't put it past someone like Terrence to be a collector of certain entries, but not all. Someone was scouted to watch the Kujos already, or just from DIO globetrotting to find powerful Stands.

Which means, barring unknowns...the Nijimuras' dad, and/or Yoshihiro Kira (at the very least a buyer of one of the Arrows from Enya, but tied to DIO also) are into man-on-man boinking. Probably the latter, and not the wifebeater. But who knows?

You gained 'some information' from your haul, though much was trivia. It also expanded your trains of thought on important locations for changing fate. And the image of Yoshikage Kira's dad going to lemon parties. Oh god, you can see it...

KNOWLEDGE:
Sensuality: Good Success...
Had to do some research for this one.

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>>6098487
Last but not least is the first. After indulging in both the divine and obscene, you are left with the actually practical.

You make your way to the kitchen to hydrate, managing to get back to the library with minimal confusion. The nudies are scattered in place bar one. Whoever took it can have it for whatever purposes. You put the rest back, roughly as found, and hurry to avoid the temptation of reopening them.

Several hours have passed since you started your literary endeavors. You estimate that this guidebook should kill some more time until another meal and then evening.

Now to learn the "hello," "how are you," taxi calls, and so forth, in Egyptian Arabic...it all just comes back to letters and sounds, huh? Letters and sounds, the power of words and names. Like Stand names, and music...

You learned some basics, enough to get around and ask for directions or help. You practice with another person.

KNOWLEDGE:
Language (Egyptian Arabic): Decent Success

Another couple hours and you finish for the day. It was about 11:30 a.m. when you got to the library, and it's nearing six in the evening. The interdimensional jet lag isn't kicking in yet.

You go to the kitchen, which is empty but with signs of recent visitation. There's leftovers of grilled meat, stuffed grape leaves, hummus, pita bread, and other goodies on the table and in the fridge. You fix yourself a bit of everything and wolf it down. There's a surprising amount of mint on things, but it works well.

The plate joins a stack of its fellows teetering in the sink. You eye its greasy flatness and consider this might be your last meal if the Arrow deems you unworthy.

Calm yourself. You made it this far. Think of the wacky vintage erotica! The cool-ass dragon from the ancient holy book that seems woefully underused in Abrahamic mythology because you never heard of it until now! The various ways to greet someone in Cairo alone!

Think of DIO. Think of a man conceived as 'pure evil' yet taken down a path closer to whatever true Heaven there is. Think of change for the better.

In an hour, the sun will set. Instinctively, you reach for your PHONE and WIRED EARPHONES (wireless earpods are for suckers), before realizing you have neither. Shit. You could really use some music for moral support...you mean, refreshing your memory's overlap between your SOUL and MIND for a BITCHING Stand name.

You think of your favorite genre of music, at least one if you can't play favorites easily. You think of a favorite song. You think of a favorite artist. You try to NOT think of accidentally butterfly effecting a future artist's discography out of existence. You think about your past petty arguments on MUSIC imageboards.

[Favorite Music Genre]
>(Write-in. Be as general or specific as you'd like, from rock or electronic to thrash metal or jungle.)

[Favorite Artist]
>(Write-in. Likely fits the favorite genre, but not a hard requirement. Some artists don't stick to just one style.)

>>6098503
>Videogame Soundtracks. You don't have a particular genre preference, but you also don't really get exposed to music much outside of one of your favorite hobbies. It's an embarrassing thing to admit...
>Keiichi Okabe. You have a hard time believing anyone could ever top his work, the man made multiple games worth of songs with made up lyrics that accurately represent lingual drift after thousands of years! Although Yoko Shimomura is a close second...

>>6098503
[Favorite Music Genre]
Classical

[Favorite Artist]
Errr, Beethoven?

>>6098594
+1
A stand name like "The Creatures of Prometheus" would be dope

>>6098725
>Not wanting to go for Weight of the World just to fuck with DIO
Honestly, automata alone has a load of great names for stands.
Memories of Dust.
End of the Unknown.
Dark Colossus.
Broken Heart.
Fortress of Lies.
Blissful Death.

>>6098735
Agreed, but many operas also feature the Devil as a prominent figure such as Mefistofele
Many also reference Faust which may be appropriate for how we're getting a stand by working for DIO

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>>6098509
>>6098594
>>6098725
You sit back and recline on the bed, feeling the softness of the Egyptian cotton sheets. With video games being one of your favorite hobbies, they're a source of the bulk of what you listen to. It's embarrassing to admit, but for much of your life you didn't really get exposed to much music beyond them.

On the other hand, they made you more interested in it, especially after you read about the various inspirations for composers like Keiichi Okabe and Yoko Shimomura--from Mancini and Sakamoto to Beethoven and Ravel. It broadened your horizons for good. And led to you finding out about "JoJo" and its musical references.

It's reasonable to assume that they still would exist in this world; but they would only just be starting their careers now or next decade, so you can only replay your favorite game tunes in your head. From the sheer repetition of how much you've listened, your memory recalls them easily, as well as the grandiose titles that would be intimidating yelled out loud. "Memories of Dust," "Fortress of Lifes," "Dark Colossus," and "The Creatures of Prometheus" are from Nier: Automata alone; each song is poignant and full of heart. Wait, scratch the last one; that was actually written by Beethoven. You remember having listened to it on a car trip as a kid...

Out of the layers of your introspection, the "aesthetics" of your imagination are a thin concealer for the uncertainty of power. You could end up saddled with a power you never realize the full potential of, or one that's limited by its specific nature no matter how it's pushed. One that's limited by you.

Tick. Tick. The old clock (not too old, in relative terms) on the wall has a blue, circular center and soft square-ish frame on the outside. Feels like it's looking down at you.

Eating food and reading books eased the perceived passage of time, but being alone with only your thoughts feels like sinking into mud. Through the window you see Cairo's skyline merging with nightfall, not nearly fast enough.

Close your eyes and try to relax. You do so and try to envision what sort of Stand YOU want. It's not like you never fantasized about it before falling into the fiction itself. Just remember: you can hide some truths from those around you, but you can't lie to your own soul. This is your last little moment to indulge in fantasy before you face whatever awaits. Including the possibility of a Stand that's a pain in the ass, or death by virus.

>(Choose what YOU, yes (you) want to see/use/experience or any combination thereof. It may not appear in exact form, but your honest desires will help tip the scales of destiny. At least a little bit.)

[Desired Stand Ability Type]
>Close-Range
>Long-Range
>Automatic
>Range-Irrelevant

[Desired Stand Form Type]
>Humanoid (Natural/Artificial)
>Animal (Natural Non-Humanoid)
>Object (Artificial Non-Humanoid)
>Phenomenon

[Desired Stand Special Type (Optional)]
>Bound
>Colony
>Evolving
>Sentient
>Shared

>>6099671
>Range-Irrelevant
Long-ranged tends to be weak, and automatic has a frighteningly high chance of only triggering upon death. Close range is good, but literally all of the top tier stands are Range-Irrelevant with their best abilities.
>Phenomenon
Underrated, and tends to be something really difficult for people to directly attack or just something that outright is a feature of your body. Often results in more esoteric abilities manifesting. Perhaps it's compensation for (usually) not giving ways to directly attack other stands? I'm unsure.
>Evolving
Weak to start, but snowballs. This is always the way to go.

>>6099671
>Close-Range
>Phenomenon
>Evolving

I agree mostly with >6099687 but I'm feeling like an armor stand like oasis would be cool to see.

>>6099695
Fair, also yeah armor stands are based as hell. It's a bit tricky - integrated-type stands can qualify as both Close-Range and Range-Irrelevant from what I see.

>>6099671
>Range-Irrelevant
>Humanoid (Natural/Artificial)
>Evolving

>>6099695
+1

>>6099687
>>6099695 (+1 from >>6100282 )
>>6099855

ABILITY
>Range-Irrelevant (2)
>Close-Range (2)

FORM
>Phenomenon (3)
>Humanoid (Natural/Artificial) (1)

SPECIAL
>Evolving (4)

>(Thank you for your time.)
>(Your responses for the Stand 'you' want to see, use, and/or 'experience')
>(Your wonderful ideas)
>(Will not be discarded.)
(Writing.)

>>6099704
Armor and integrated Stands are cool. I'm pleasantly surprised JojoLands has had two so far. Again, they'll definitely be included here, one way or another.

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>>6101044
Concentrating on your knowledge of Stands left you with a rough idea of what parameters you'd prefer. At least, in theory.

Tick

You figured either a close-range ability, or one whose effects aren't dependent on range at all (like most of the time-manipulators), would be stronger than a long-ranger.

Tick, tick

Not to mention that if it was an automatic long-range Stand, you would lack control and, based on known data, have a higher probability of the thing outliving you.

Whatever it ends up looking like, if it takes a form at all, you figure it will grow along you. Koichi Hirose starts out as an average kid whose Echoes is forcefully awakened by the arrow and evolves with experience; his circumstances are probably closer to yours in terms of being thrown into a supernatural world. You're just a computer-fixated nobody, after all. No epic backstory. But you can be somebody now.

You really don't know what your actual Stand power would be, even in a broad sense. In fact, you stand up and try to stop thinking about it. No conscious expectations.

It is fully dark out. Morning has come for other timezones and for the nocturnal. You pull the curtains shut; could be prying eyes out there on DIO and his agents and you.

The door creaks open. Peeking out reveals nobody in the hallway, and it takes a trip to the stairs leading to the third floor to confirm DIO's presence. The similarity to when he loomed over Polnareff is all too clear: already these reflections of art into life feel trite, and yet you can't escape them.

You walk up the circular stairwell--and nearly stumble as you step onto empty air and back on the floor. A head turn down and over your shoulder confirms: the third floor. Turning back again you see him, somewhere between a smirk and being lost in thought.

"Your heartbeat betrays your impatience," DIO muses instead of just saying good evening. "To awaken what surely lies in your soul...Follow me." He twirls a lock of golden hair with a finger, which joins into a fleshy, writhing web for a moment.

DIO leads you into the third-floor bedroom, more ostentatious even with only candlelight to show it off. Enya waits as well, and seems a different creature in the night. The friendly veneer was cast aside; only for her Lord does she brighten. Her wizened graspers are contorted to hold a, no, the Bow and Arrow. The Arrow is nocked already against the bowstring; you wonder, is the bow really necessary or is it just a ceremonial thing--

"Stay still. Fate went out of its way to deliver you here."

You think you mouthed "okay" but your lips, in reality, stayed shut. They're not waiting on your approval.

Behind you DIO nods; the Hag fires. You head a faint twang, then a rapidly approaching hiss...

[Roll 1d100, one die per player. The mean of all player rolls will be used. However, if a 1 or 100 is rolled, these will override the other rolls.]

>>6101140

Rolled 78 (1d100)

>>6101162
Dropped my dice

Rolled 85 (1d100)

>>6101140

Rolled 69 (1d100)

>>6101140
Get a load of this!

>>6101244
Uh...not that kind of load...
Lord Dio, why are you looking at me like that?

Rolled 69 (1d100)

>>6101140

>>6101333
Damn.... we horny

>>6101335
We do work for DIO

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>>6101163
>>6101226
>>6101244
>>6101333
Dubs and trips on 69 rolls? So this is the power of looking at dirty magazines..

(78 + 85 + 69 + 69)/4 = 75.25, round to 75

CONSTITUTION:
Resilience: Good Success

The first sting of the arrowhead is only recognizable in the past. The present is a sudden wall of pain, so severe you can't even double over as your body locks up. The Arrow's spine is more flexible than you are; it shifts deeper into your flesh past the impact wound below the left side of your ribcage. As if alive, as if it is some alien stinger or 'chewing mouthparts' of a wood-boring weevil, its angle changes. You are just conscious enough to feel it burrow right under the misshapen cluster of veins on your sternum that passes for a birthmark.

[r]Feeling is a loose term. Not seeing, definitely, as your eyes are rolled so far back in your head only the white jelly shivers in your sockets. Bright flashes of something like lightning or insides of your blood vessels roils in your sight. Your mouth is in a frozen rictus yet you are only barely reverse-inhaling. Pain! Pain! The cut of the arrowhead's edge radiates omnidirectionally into every possible slice of you and focusing on any bit of it turns into a special hell of its own.[/r]

From the outside it looks like you're clenching your whole body while impaled by a giant arrow, the whites of your eyes showing as you make what's either a death rattle or a noise of seizure. Enya waits restlessly while DIO watches with interest, not disturbed in the least.

A few seconds have passed. The pain is still burning, but you can see your surroundings again. And the Arrow...the running blood and perforated guts inside you...are back in their rightful places. DIO holds its long polished spine with a hand, eying the arrowhead closely. Pushing past the pounding sensation from heart to head, you follow his sight and see the Arrow's edge for yourself. Its surface seems to morph into little ridges, like rough waves on an ocean; as if it has been serrated.

Something lashes out of the hole where the Arrow pierced you; it jolts out like a tendril from a stormcloud. The Arrow's sharp edges are now smooth again.

"Hmm..." DIO helpfully offers. "You survived." He tilts his head like an animal, earrings swinging lightly with the motion. "The Arrow's wound has already healed, as you were found worthy." He hands the Arrow back to a reverent Enya, who shuffles away to place the artifacts back.

"Now! Bring your 'power' out!"

"Ghhha..." Your lungs feel like there are a billion little worms shifting inside them. Then you take a surprisingly refreshing breath as your Stand bursts out from your (clothed) birthmark. It takes squinting to face it directly and you can't tell what it even is. Now it feels like a billion little Arrows are biting your eyes. Your ears hurt. Your throat feels dizzy. What the fuck is that?!

>Touch it.
>Talk to it.
>Test it.
>(Write-in)

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>>6102199
Author's Note: "The broken color tags illustrate the feeling of 'wrongness,' so I messed them up on purpose...(laughs)"

>>6102199
>>Test it.
Our stand wont hurt us, probably.

>>6102205
You try to invoke your Stand to use its ability (making the edges or surfaces of things more jagged? pattern manipulation?). It would be nice if it could talk and explain its ability for you, but as of now it looks like a creepy tumor from another dimension and is exuding crackling noises. Is it even supposed to be an egg? A pod? What the hell made this appear as an extension of your soul?

The Stand, connected to your will, receives your intent and crackles a curved line-limb-thing out of one of its largest "buds." It hovers over to its target in the nearby vicinity, something or someone it chooses itself, which is:

>You.
>DIO. [Roll 1d20, DC 15]
>A nearby item, perhaps some sort of antique or decoration, in the third-floor bedroom. (Write-in specifics.)

>>6102275
>>You.
Using it on DIO is a stupid move

>>6102275
>You.

>>6102275
>>You

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>>6102283
>>6102360
>>6102687
Your new Stand's impressions of the world are hard to gauge past a general curiosity; its identification in your head shifts from egg to seed to amoeba to something impossibly curled up and inside itself. Endless ridges and dimples ripple out from its shifting center. Had you no knowledge or foresight of its awakening, you would have thought something forbidden had torn its way into reality.

Again it extends a "feeler" out, this time to one of your fingers. It curls around your left pointer finger like a vine, then prods your fingertip. The haptic sensation is akin to liquid velcro biting down on you; then, it reflects from under your skin. With a jolt, miniature copies of your finger begin to grow recursively from its end, like a little carpet of coral.

"What..."

You once read on the Internet about how geckos' paws were the natural velcro of the animal kingdom - they have microscopic hair-like structures that increase grip. But geckos have that structure genetically. This is, quite obviously, unnatural. The wrongness is throwing off your nervous system. Even compared to other abnormalities caused by Stands, you have little in the ways of a fictional frame of reference. Partial duplication? Is this like Hermes Costello's Kiss? (Hermes isn't even born yet.) Is it like Nico Robin's limb power? (One Piece doesn't exist yet.) Is it like...

The Stand shudders. The extra fingers disappear.

"Try again." DIO folds his arms.

You, more proactively, reach out to your floating unnamed bulb-creature-spirit and let it wrap a pseudopod around your whole hand. You know what this reminds you of. This time, you recall a memory from your earlier days browsing the web...You never thought it would come back to haunt you so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR_8SDNQ0ks

Your stream of thought is actualized. All three of you watch your hand split out into miniatures of itself at the fingertips, and then again, on and on until...

"I see your Stand has the ability to copy 'branching paths' out of objects. A power, should you fully realize its potential, representing 'infinite possibilities'..."

You survived. DIO and Enya look quite happy. You should be, too. Whatever your Stand is, it is cool as shit. The concept of infinity fills you with excitement that can never quite outpace dread. Maybe you're one of the infinite possibilities to take this world down a different path...but what out there could have been powerful enough to make it possible?

Questions for later. Your more immediate question:
(cont.)

>>6102957
"What name suits this Stand?" Enya peels her eyes away from your 'fractallized' hand, which returns to normal with a cascading crackle, and up to your face. "The major arcana's fates have been all divined, but perhaps the minor arcana, or a god from the pantheon--"

"My servants have taken musicians' and songs' names as calling cards. 'Noms de guerre' for both their selves and Stands." DIO interrupts. "I've listened to many for myself." He smiles. "Recording technology has progressed so well, no?" You need to save him, the world, and the world from him all at once, at least long enough for him to experience online music sharing.

You nod, feeling a pressure lift from your temples as your Stand seems to slow in motion and "relax." You know the basics of what it does and that seems to comfort it. Its current form is hard to identify as an "Act 0" or "Act 1," because something might hatch from it but it has displayed some alteration powers already.

What will you name your Stand? Song names, from ones you've played on repeat to ones you discovered randomly, rock to classical to the videogame soundtracks inspired by all of it and more, come at once to mind.

>Indiscipline - King Crimson
>Definition of Shapes - Mr. Bungle
>Lateralus - Tool
>(Write-in; could be another rock group, or classical, like Bach, a Romantic composer, VGM, or another more modern genre. The lyrics, theme, sound, etc. will all be considered besides the name itself. Song/album/artist/etc. names all work, feel absolutely free to write down any of the ideas you have)

>>6102970
>J-E-N-O-V-A
An stand that infinitely replicates things and contains boundless potential? Belonging to a female from another world, an outsider that doesn't belong? One that fully intends on manipulating those around it, and has intended to do so from the moment she became aware of her presence here?
Nothing at all seems more fitting to me.
And...well, just take a look at the Etymology and symbolism section of Jenova's wiki page. I think you'll understand a bit more about my choice once you do. Besides, it's a pretty nice and simple name otherwise!

>>6102970
>Wings that Don't Reach
A theme belonging to a character with good intentions turned to darkness, perhaps a prelude to our own story [Spoiler]This and Oerstead's own abilities over time and title of Oido help a bit to make this feel more solid[/spoiler] That and the song was made by Yoko Shimamura, who we are noted to like the music of.

Who else is already theorycrafting what bullshit we can do with this stand's abilities?
I'm currently thinking about a scenario in which we troll Jotaro by keeping him out of range via making an infinite number of sidewalk slabs between us and him.
Also wondering if it could potentially work on things that aren't solid. I mean...it duplicated the entire hand, right? So did it duplicate the blood inside our hand, too? Or the gasses being transported through that blood? Kind of freaky potential. I wouldn't be surprised if a later Act has it pulling out Gojo's Infinity basically.
I'm also thinking about what would happen if we used it on our head. All those extra brains...extra eyes...extra noses...extra ears...all connected to the same body. Probably best to try that on someone else before us!

>>6103008
I'll support this, I'm not a /mu/ head

>>6103008 (+1 >>6103173) for Jenova/J-E-N-O-V-A from FFVII
>>6103051 for Wings that Don't Reach
If there are any more suggestions they'll be added until tomorrow (~12 hours from now). Liking the ones so far; just be wary of making the name a self-fulfilling prophecy...

>>6103053
We know so far that within a near range it can activate on both organic and inorganic objects. In real life, fractal patterns are common throughout nature, both macroscopic and microscopic, even down to the molecular level. Beyond that? Well, more bizarre things have happened in the JJBA continuities. Science is more of a loose inspiration here, for both the busted side and limitations of our powers.

(Still writing the next post with a delay. Had work to do, planned out some possible plot lines for the longterm. Jenova wins the Stand name by vote, which will be a really nice fit with multiple Acts and multiple forms/versions of the namesake.)

>>6105018
Didn't even consider that last part. Yeah, that IS convenient!

>>6105018
Still alive OP?

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(Took longer than expected, was away where the only available networks had rangebans on them.)

While curled up in your soul unsummoned, the scintillating imprint of your Stand remains in your sight, like air warping in extreme heat.

It's made of fractal patterns and alters its surroundings likewise, you know that, and you remember doing an extra credit assignment for a math class on how fractal patterns are found throughout nature.

And you remember that, you do, but whatever slunk out of your spirit feels unnatural, alien, yet can split matter to selfsame copies...

You're also alien to this world, you remember. Now the pieces click into place. The arpeggiating melody and design, both straight out of a Carpenter movie.

"『Jenova』 is its name." A 'calamity' from beyond the sky. "J-E-N-O-V-A."

No one here but you will know the reference for at least a decade. (Extra motivation to keep Terrence around to see his reaction to a masterpiece of gaming.)

"Not after the Italian city, then?" DIO asks. You are about to answer but Enya interjects for you.

"I've been to Genova--the Italians say Genoa that way--before. Some say the city was founded by Janus, the ancient Roman two-faced god...he had one face towards the sea, and the other, the mountains...yes, both were just gorgeous when I visited..." Enya clasps her hands together, recalling happy travels.

"...Very well. Now your special power, your Stand, is nascent, manifested, and has a name of its own." You glance over to DIO, gaining the confidence to return eye contact. His stare is languid, but behind his eyes you know the gears in his mind are turning over the potential of Jenova.

"With regular training and testing, you shall continue to learn what your Stand does, and how best to employ it. Of course, I'm curious to hear more of the knowledge you hold on the past and future...beginnings and endings, like the two-faced god dear Enya brought up." Enya giggles girlishly at the compliment, then marches off on some unknowable route into the labyrinthine mansion interior.

DIO offers you two paths for this night:
>Test your Stand out more, especially with him as a fresh set of eyes. You know he's practiced with his own before to extend its powers.
>Discuss the known timeline of events with DIO. Now that you passed the Arrow's test, you need to prepare for the near future, and stop a bunch of people from dying. Maybe he can be swayed to an alternate solution to avoid bloodshed with the Joestars, but that would require contacting and convincing them too. Not to mention preventing or curing at least two cases of Stand fever (Holly and Josuke) without killing DIO, the source...
>(Write-in. There is something else you want to do, or another topic you wish to bring up first, while you have DIO's attention.)

>>6107239
>Discuss the known timeline of events with DIO. Now that you passed the Arrow's test, you need to prepare for the near future, and stop a bunch of people from dying. Maybe he can be swayed to an alternate solution to avoid bloodshed with the Joestars, but that would require contacting and convincing them too. Not to mention preventing or curing at least two cases of Stand fever (Holly and Josuke) without killing DIO, the source...
Right, there's a lot to dig into with this. DIO might be able to end the fever here and now by severing his head and transferring himself to a new body, allowing Jonathan's body to rest and deactivating its effect on the bloodline in the process - I want to get that right out into the open. He would lose Jonathan's stand in the process, but I think it's a good bet.
But he's not going to WANT to abandon Jonathan's body. He respects Jonathan. He feels he earned this body. So we offer him a better one, a body superior to any Human's. Who's? Santana's. He's currently in the possession of the Speedwagon Foundation, trapped in a body of stone. If he can steal Santana and decapitate him, perhaps using a stand to render him incapable of thought lest his body try to absorb DIO, then he could have the body of a Pillar Man instead of a mere human. It's drastic, yes, but I can't imagine he would go for ANY other body otherwise, and it's like a 50% chance of deleting the stand sickness on the Joestars.
And once his mother is cured, Jotaro suddenly has a LOT less incentive to go out and stop DIO.
We can at least field this idea to DIO to see if he'd be willing to go for it. It would go a long way towards avoiding total DIO death.
We'd probably have to tell him more about pillar men, their role in the plot when he was sleeping, and maybe about how they developed the stone masks and ultimately ended up finding a way to transcend their limits with the red ajah. We'll see how much he needs for convincing.

>>6107239
>>Discuss the known timeline of events with DIO. Now that you passed the Arrow's test, you need to prepare for the near future, and stop a bunch of people from dying. Maybe he can be swayed to an alternate solution to avoid bloodshed with the Joestars, but that would require contacting and convincing them too. Not to mention preventing or curing at least two cases of Stand fever (Holly and Josuke) without killing DIO, the source...

>>6107239
>Discuss the known timeline of events with DIO. Now that you passed the Arrow's test, you need to prepare for the near future, and stop a bunch of people from dying. Maybe he can be swayed to an alternate solution to avoid bloodshed with the Joestars, but that would require contacting and convincing them too. Not to mention preventing or curing at least two cases of Stand fever (Holly and Josuke) without killing DIO, the source...

>>6107239
>>Discuss the known timeline of events with DIO. Now that you passed the Arrow's test, you need to prepare for the near future, and stop a bunch of people from dying. Maybe he can be swayed to an alternate solution to avoid bloodshed with the Joestars, but that would require contacting and convincing them too. Not to mention preventing or curing at least two cases of Stand fever (Holly and Josuke) without killing DIO, the source...

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>>6107274
>>6107349
>>6107484
>>6107582

>>Discuss the known timeline of events with DIO(...)

Frankly your sense of perception still feels out of whack from not only awakening Jenova but the suddenness of the arrow giving and then taking away your severe internal wound within minutes. You could do with sitting and talking, letting your psyche catch up to heal at least a fraction as much as your body.

Like an old warmonger once said 15 years from now, there are "known unknowns" and "unknown unknowns." What factoids you have from the comic series fall into the former, at least down to a certain scale of detail. Even assuming everything besides your presence is exactly the same as it was in its original conception, there are ambiguities that were never clarified at your layer of reality. Only observing them or the records they left behind can determine the exact order or truth of things.

But the relative order of events - the impetus for the active campaign to destroy DIO and lay Jonathan's body to rest - has enough to lay out a plan. If only he will abide by it.

"There's a lot I haven't-haven't told you. About how," you start,

"How I die."

"Yes, and what comes after, and also...why it happens." You wait for DIO to add on, but he stands as still as he must have rested in the coffin underwater. He is used to not moving for long periods of time, you suppose. "So you...the death is in 1989...and 50 days before that, the 'countdown' starts from the Joestar family descendants' Stands activating. Joseph Joestar's offspring, uh, Holly Kujo," the illegitimate son will be skipped for now, "her fighting spirit can't handle the awakening, and her Stand fever leaves her 50 days to live. So her son, Joseph's grandson, is the one who has Star Platinum, and he goes with Joseph and a team to find...you...and destroy Jonathan's body...and you too, because it was still activating the souls of its bloodline, and..." He's looking down at your hand, which scratches at your neck.

"They're moved to action to save her life." DIO taps one of his nails against the rough border on his neck, between the born body and taken body. Even in the lack of light they have just a slightly different luster. "Tell me, why do they not act before that point? I have felt the grandson, Joseph, watching my presence through his Stand. I can't imagine they hold that much goodwill in their hearts."

"Um..." You're not sure. "They probably would have? Eventually? I don't..."

"Joseph's grandson realizes his power at or before the time his mother does. Then something more than generational inheritance triggers her illness to number her days."

Specifics, specifics. Your mind hurriedly goes backwards, flipping the memories of pages back from the moment DIO is split in half. It was when he trained his Stand to stop time, which was after he met Avdol, which was...

(1/2)

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>>6107767
"...Six months. Six months. Six months before the showdown on the bridge in 1989." That's when manga-DIO says he finds out he can stop time for the very first time. Only later Holly's Stand gets active enough to be a problem, from DIO's training making the Joestar signal stronger as well. Wait, if DIO doesn't know how to stop time yet, then how did he pull that on the stairs? You can't ask him if he knows yet or not, because it would give it away, so this is either a deviation from what's depicted or something that his Stand did without his knowledge.

Well, it is the same type of Stand as Star Platinum, and it was stopping a bullet at point-blank range back when Jotaro thought an evil spirit possessed him. So maybe it was only 'The World' fucking with you and moving you up the stairs while DIO was lost in his fantasies about Heaven or ruling the world or whatever. That is the best option.

"When your Stand reaches...a certain power, 6 months before... And then...that leads to the fever kicking in later. 50 days before the death."

DIO sits at the edge of the bed, legs crossed. "The Joestars. My once and future problem. And if they were to be annihilated now?" He's considering it, making the first move. "I see that upsets you. Hm." Fuck his night vision and keen sense of social cues.

"Pragmatically, uh, they could be powerful allies." Against whom? There are other evildoers out there. Get the Joestars on board with the devil they know, dissolve the blood feud. "If the fever is solved. Which could happen if you...give your body up."

"..."

"If all of Jonathan is put to rest."

The room feels much colder. "And there is a new body you could take. One beyond both vampires and humans...the last of the beings who made the Stone Mask." You explain the gist of Battle Tendency. "...So the Mask's actual creator is basically dead in space. But the fourth one was defeated and turned into stone under artificial sunlight, and he's kept dormant in a secure location. He had powers to control flesh, so if you were to take his body over and take his mind out with a Stand user's ability...yeah."

DIO rests his head on his hands and smiles coldly. "So to both save me, and keep the precious family alive - who, before I surfaced, slew the very beings that allowed me to transcend humanity and captured one as a trophy - you intend to, what, negotiate with them? Stealing their sleeping vampire-eater might just anger them enough to go on the warpath." He sighs. "Having Star Platinum's user as an ally would be useful, and yet...in their position, I'd have every reason to suspect ill intent. The burden of proof is on me, DIO."

(2/2)

>Yes, reaching out to the Joestars for a truce might actually work. They just need some convincing, a concrete show of good faith. What or who is a good offering chip?
>Just do a heist for Santana. Playing nice could backfire, get them on your asses, and make the top-secret SPWF facility heighten their security.
>(Write-in.)

>>6107826
>Yes, reaching out to the Joestars for a truce might actually work. They just need some convincing, a concrete show of good faith. What or who is a good offering chip?
Informing Joseph of his illegitimate son and setting up a trust fund for Josuke could go over well. Jotaro doesn't like people interfering with his life, but a scholarship to the top marine biology university could relieve some of his stress over his financial and scholarly future. Polnareff wants Diavolo, and we might be able to deliver him pertinent information to have him hit up Italy early instead of bothering with the middle east. Avdol is concerning, but might be swayed if the agents of DIO make Cairo a safer place - he grew up in Cairo's notably unsafe slums. I think in general we can present DIO as a man that "saw that it is better to be loved than feared" and "now wishes to protect and nurture the Humanity he once abandoned", that "A hundred years of being alone with nothing but one's thoughts have made him regret the past and seek a better future". We can also display his interest in Santana as a desire to know the weaknesses humanity's original predators better should they ever return, and to study the Stone Masks in order to eliminate the negative flaws they bestow. Make it seem like DIO regrets being a man eater. Joseph might let his guard down a bit more if he thinks DIO is interested in making sure the Pillar Men never become a threat again.
Urgh...its a pain to think of a good tactic here. If our character was more evil I would suggest killing them all now before they're aware. But alas, we're not vampire tier evil yet, so we must try to go for the good ending.

>>6107837
Hm. Could also have DIO use the D'arbys to hunt down 'evil people' and trap their souls. Make it seem like he's cleaning up the streets and basically keeping criminals locked up in a prison they could never escape, when in reality he's making sure he has ample souls for the Heaven ritual. A surplus, even.
...I also thought of a potential way to cure Holly that might not necessarily involve destroying Jonathan's body. Using a D'arby brother and wagering Holly's stand. Nothing else, JUST her Stand. It's risky, but something to try if destroying the body isn't viable or doesn't work.

>>6107837
>>6107853
You launch into a detailed description of Joseph, Jotaro and their compatriots, and what would help get on their good side. From there you segue into how to present the image of the prodigal adoptee. Straddling the line between performative altruism and genuine self-interest to not make unnecessary enemies.

Beyond the sad squeamishness welling up in your chest at conceiving all the "heroes" as a pool of blood and corpses, at their lives being cut shorter than they were, you just feel that the more conflict you'd have the more chances there are that fate will side with them and against you.

Whatever feelings DIO has about the descendants, you know he holds respect for Jonathan. What you can't know is whether he's being a good listener (making the least intimidating eye contact he can, like a gator would at a non-threat) because he believes in your perspective, or whether he's indulging and finds it an amusing diversion from his actual plans. Probably a mix of both, but if he'll at least give it a shot...

[Roll 1d20 for persuasion, one roll per player.]

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>6108412
fingers crossed!

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>6107853

[One more roll, please. I know it's been a longer wait between posts so if no one else checked in I'll do it myself, just leaving in the chance...]

Rolled 6 (1d20)

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Rolled 2 (1d5)

>>6108564
>>6108604
>>6108708
(10, 2, 6) = 10 out of 20, best of 3. DIO Check failed.

CHARISMA:
Persuasion: Mixed Bag (partial success/failure)

[Making an additional 1d5 roll here. Writing next post after the results.]

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>>6108412
>>6108758

More than anything, DIO wears an expression of unquelled disappointment. Getting along with the Joestar family? He lived through it, for nine years that take up more of his memory than the subsequent century underwater. And what was there to show for it?

That's what you think he's thinking, at least. You're a book-reader among mind- and soul-readers, so you are limited to the power of educated guesses.

"Jean-Pierre Polnareff is in my employ already. I see no reason to send him after the Arrows' seller and alienate someone whose network, from rumors, may be of greater worth. The fortune-teller, Avdol. You said he resides in this very city."

"Yes, but he would've met Joseph by now, so he knows about you."

"Really? How flattering." DIO gets to his feet and contemplates the shut velvet curtains.

"Um...in the future, you would have tried to recruit him in his shop and he jumped out a window to run away from you..."

"Impressive in its own right, as he acted off the Joestar's account." He tugs one of the dusty curtains to the side, letting the moonlight strike him. "Of the would-be assassins, why not win him over first? Avdol is local to this area, and his 'Magician's Red' would be useful."

"And he knows the Joestars, so befrie...so allying with him would make it easier to get their trust, too." You bear the smile of a schemer, staring into the moonbeams--away from the inhuman killer of thousands--and slipping into the mindset of a fan crafting hypotheticals again.

"Yes," he adds dryly. Hearing that family name so often isn't doing wonders for his mood. Not that he's upset, or anything; how dare a simple name affect DIO's emotions? "Take the initiative to meet Avdol, then. You have all you need to negotiate with him. Given my presence causes such fear in him, it's better you liaison."

(1/2)

>>6108908

"So should I--"

"I will assign a partner to accompany you in the city and navigate to Avdol's whereabouts, of course. You are a young woman, a foreigner to this time and space, and have no combat experience to speak of--Stand or otherwise." That last part pissed you off a tiny bit, but it doesn't take his copy of Hermit Purple to know you are a skinny nerd. "What you know is what will convince him of your worth as it did me. What he knows...better to find him in the daylight. I'll instruct your contingency to wait a distance from you, should their presence needlessly set him off."

DIO pulls a bottle and glass from the shadows and pours himself a glass of some wine priced more than your family's life savings. "Speak now if you wish someone in particular, suited to the task, to work with or avoid. Take the day to rest and acclimate to your Stand, and I can have most any of Enya's Tarot cards, or my Glory Gods briefed and ready."

(2/2)

>Choose a partner from DIO's Agents--Tarot, 9 Glory Gods, other (write-in, canon status variable)--to accompany you in daytime Cairo and act as a guide/backup to meeting Avdol at his shop.
>Ask DIO about Pucci. You think Pucci would have only met him for the first time recently, so the whole business with Pucci accidentally causing his siblings' death and misery might be worth asking about, while you're at the business of waylaying fate?
>Ask DIO about something else. (Write-in)

>>6108915
>Ask DIO about Pucci. You think Pucci would have only met him for the first time recently, so the whole business with Pucci accidentally causing his siblings' death and misery might be worth asking about, while you're at the business of waylaying fate?

Hmm...a partner. I think given Avdol's savviness, it's best to go with someone that genuinely doesn't hold evil in their heart. That's why I'm going to suggest Michal, from the book. She's only doing this to support her Brother, she has a very useful stand especially during the daytime, she's...mute (so she won't put her foot in her mouth and say something unnecessary), and she's also a woman. I think Avdol would have issues attacking two relatively peaceful and good natured women. Given his culture, he may even underestimate them and not consider them a threat.
We should work out a sign for her to attack if shit goes south, though.

>>6108945
Ah! I just remembered. Giorno should actually be born by now, and around 2 years old. Perhaps we should tell DIO about him, since we're on the subject of waylaying fate? I'm not positive, but I think DIO might despise his own flesh and blood (sort of) being treated like dirt the way Giorno does when he's a kid. At least, he might despise it if he knows about Giorno's insane potential.

>>6108915
>>Ask DIO about Pucci. You think Pucci would have only met him for the first time recently, so the whole business with Pucci accidentally causing his siblings' death and misery might be worth asking about, while you're at the business of waylaying fate?

>>6108915
>Ask DIO about Pucci. You think Pucci would have only met him for the first time recently, so the whole business with Pucci accidentally causing his siblings' death and misery might be worth asking about, while you're at the business of waylaying fate?

>>6108915
>Ask DIO about Pucci. You think Pucci would have only met him for the first time recently, so the whole business with Pucci accidentally causing his siblings' death and misery might be worth asking about, while you're at the business of waylaying fate?

>>6108915
>Ask DIO about Pucci. You think Pucci would have only met him for the first time recently, so the whole business with Pucci accidentally causing his siblings' death and misery might be worth asking about, while you're at the business of waylaying fate?

>>6108945
>>6109053
(Michal has been chosen to ask for a teamup, since our character is familiar with the spin-offs. It would be cool to give lesser-known characters a chance to shine with their powers. We'll have to see about the whole "informing DIO he has kids" thing, it might come a bit later on...)
>>6109419
>>6109839
>>6109929
>>6110257
(Reply ready tomorrow. After we finish conversing with DIO, we will be moving on to our first mission in the morning. Since this thread is getting closer to the bottom of the catalog, do we want to start a new "chapter"/thread when that happens?)

>>6108915
You mentally flip through the roster of Stand Users known to you through reading of their exploits, and known to DIO firsthand. You remember the spin-off book where the Joestar party meet two quite powerful henchmen in the Nubian desert, set in an indeterminate point during their quest. What were their names?

"If I can ask, then...Michal. The one with the Stand called 'Dark Mirage.'"

DIO hums thoughtfully to himself. "Michal? Her powers are light-based, so it's a logical choice for a city foray in the day." He looks a bit more devilish. "A fair warning: she is a timid girl, and has troubled memories involving Cairo. It will be good for her to face her fears and not have the brother, Absalom, as a crutch."

You nod your head. You wish the stupid fucking dipshits who made fun of you for being jobless saw the balls on you now. Look at you, being a reasonable negotiator with your new immortal blood-sucking time-stopper employer! Being polite and having a thoughtful discussion. They'd shit their stupid supermarket-employee khakis.

"There is one more thing," you begin solemnly. "I think I had better ask about Enrico Pucci." DIO's eyes light up, but he follows with a wry smirk.

"Oh? You're the one asking me, DIO? Why, I know only the feeling he'd be a 'good friend' from the moment my travels led me to Florida." He narrows his eyes, boring metaphorically into your mind. "I gave him a 'gift,' but it is his and his alone to utilize." Indeed, at this very moment, Enrico Pucci possesses a stone Arrowhead. He hasn't used it.

>Truth: Tell DIO Pucci's full story from this point on, like Pucci's fuck-up with his brother and sister, all the way to the events of Stone Ocean and the Heaven plan's partial manifestation. [Roll 1d20, DC 11]
>Half-Truth: Tell DIO about Pucci's life, but leave out some key details that haven't happened yet (like the tragedy with Wes/Domenico and Perla). Pucci doesn't need to go through all that trauma to get his Stand, right? It might be easier to sidestep it without the risk of DIO thinking it's necessary for fate to run its course. [Roll 1d20, DC 13]
>Lie: Tell DIO about Pucci, but make up everything besides the basics and paint a false narrative. (Write-in what and why. Maybe you want to make him out as less important than he really is, and take his place as DIO's closest friend?) [Roll 1d20, DC 17]
(One roll per post choice. The most-voted choice will be selected, regardless of passed/failed DC rolls. If there is a tie, the choice with higher rolls will be selected.)

>>6110963
(Fun OOC fact: Going by the manga, DIO mentions in his first meeting with Pucci that he calculated the sunset to be at 6:19pm. Let's assume he's not totally full of shit. Since Florida has two timezones (Central and Eastern), and Pucci meets DIO when he's at least 15 (so on or after June 5, 1987), it can't be February 18.

So the closest we get in most of Florida is around Halloween at the end of October. If Pucci grew up in the western part of Florida, say Pensacola or Tallahassee, then we do get a real 6:19pm sunset in 1987 post-birthday, which occurs on October 13-14.

DIO could also have been off by an hour and mistaken 7:19pm as 6:19pm (he was in the coffin for a lot of time), in which case the day would've been September 25.

So if Pucci meets DIO once he's in seminary school, he's at least 15, which means DIO meets him after his birthday, and for a 6:19pm-ish sunset that means they meet in the fall, and thus after the point where we get thrown into the timeline.

It's not like there haven't been retcons for the continuity, but for our purposes, including the specific numbers that are mentioned in the story where possible helps build the course of action.)

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>6110963
>Truth: Tell DIO Pucci's full story from this point on, like Pucci's fuck-up with his brother and sister, all the way to the events of Stone Ocean and the Heaven plan's partial manifestation. [Roll 1d20, DC 11]
In for a penny, in for a pound.
Not sure if we're to be rolling now or later. If later, just ignore this roll!

>>6110968
(Addendum: To be clear, for our purposes, DIO has met Pucci already in February 1987. More important than the exact date of the sunset.)

>>6110982
(Yes, the 1d20 roll will go along with your post so you did it right, no worries!)

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>6110963
>Truth: Tell DIO Pucci's full story from this point on, like Pucci's fuck-up with his brother and sister, all the way to the events of Stone Ocean and the Heaven plan's partial manifestation. [Roll 1d20, DC 11]
The truth honestly might do more to dissuade him than a lie if we're concerned for Pucci considering how Stone Ocean plays out.

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>6110963
>>Truth: Tell DIO Pucci's full story from this point on, like Pucci's fuck-up with his brother and sister, all the way to the events of Stone Ocean and the Heaven plan's partial manifestation. [Roll 1d20, DC 11]

>>6111221
>Nat 20
Hot diggedy damn.
"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't help my friend?"

>>6110963
>Half-Truth: Tell DIO about Pucci's life, but leave out some key details that haven't happened yet (like the tragedy with Wes/Domenico and Perla). Pucci doesn't need to go through all that trauma to get his Stand, right? It might be easier to sidestep it without the risk of DIO thinking it's necessary for fate to run its course. [Roll 1d20, DC 13]

>>6110982
>>6111016
>>6111221
(Nice! Our first nat20. The double 69s earlier were also funny.)
>>6111272
(You forgot to add the 1d20 roll. The other option has more votes as of now, but go ahead and roll for the sake of the dice.)
[Post drafted, will be checked and posted after QM sleeps.]

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>6111674

>>6110982
>>6111016
>>6111221
>>6111949

3 for Truth: (17, 10, 20) = 20 out of 20. DC 11 succeeded!
1 for Half-Truth: (20) = 20 out of 20. DC 13 succeeded!

CHARISMA:
Persuasion: Critical Success!

You note to yourself that DIO and Enrico Pucci have already met. When exactly is unclear, but you know it's only sometime next year that the future priest's sister and brother will have their tragedy of errors.

With all the information there is to relay, it's just not realistic to try and leave things out in the hope DIO won't catch on later. Better to bite the bullet and be completely honest, as you've been (with the exclusion of how you got your foreknowledge) up until now.

"After F...after Enrico Pucci is left with the Arrowhead, it's only next year that he awakens his Stand. But what he suffers along the way...it starts when he hears a certain woman's confession." DIO reclines back on the bed, almost hidden under its canopy's darkness, and doesn't interrupt or even move. As much as you read and watched him monologue, you're relieved he's also willing to take in others' stories.

Storytelling as you are, you barely notice an hour pass. All of the important events along the path to Heaven come easily from your mind up to the very finale of this world's original form.

"Hm. Ironic that a plan like that is waylaid at the last minute, though the caprice of Fate is not unfamiliar." DIO swirls his glass, watching the wine inside form a miniature whirlpool. "I must think further on what it means to reach a 'true; Heaven."

He takes a sip, rising again. "That pain my friend went through in your account of the future...it awakened his potential, but also harmed him in the end. For one like him there will be many other paths that leave less damage."

"I do ask you, miss Munteanu," The glass is empty. "Should you fail to save those you wish to win over to my side...will you fall to despair? Will you fight against Fate until the very end?"

"I..." You can't really answer. He scoffs and shrugs, having asked it as a rhetorical question. In place of a verbal reply, your Stand, Jenova, creeps out of the air behind you and levitates in place. DIO closes his eyes.

"But, Mousie, thou art no thy-lane,
In proving foresight may be vain;
The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley..."

Of course he would have had a literate upbringing with the Joestars. The meaning is clear enough, but the answer is yet to be seen; it all hinges on how you use your foresight, and a fair bit of luck.

"You should get rested now." DIO gestures to the room exit. "There is a long agenda ahead."

With that, you head off down to get some cold night water and then sleep. All the talk and excitement of tonight (as well as watching DIO drink his wine) has dried your mouth. As you nod off, Jenova's shifting patterns find their way into your dreams...

[Good night. We're finally at our first little quest/mission...off to see the Magician('s Red).]

[Satan trips and then problems IRL, scary! Still running this quest, since we're page 8 right now I will be posting a new thread and link here when it's up.]

>>6117611
Based, I was hoping this wasn't the end!

>>6117611
QM?

[Got in too deep on some quest planning and assets. Suptg is back up at least, so the second thread should go up today.]

>>6124120
Eagerly awaiting it!

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