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madimpossibledreamerBecause there are some disturbing implications in the Strength episode. /manga chapter. wherever it appears, really. And when I figured out the character origins, I couldn't really let it go by without a comment.
Main Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: How do you have a conversation with someone who clearly wants to kill you?
Word Count: 1092
Rating: Teen (Buffy|Jojo's level violence)
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS
warning: brief, mostly implication, discussion of the strength episode. for those of you who don't know, implications of underage stuff that didn't happen, but could have happened. it's one of those story decisions that you're like, okay, araki, most of your wacky shenanigans i'm on board for, but this? this is a storytelling decision that is. just. gross. again, nothing happened, but the fact that it could have happened...just, no.
Xander knows his pacing is making Fitz antsy, but he can’t help himself. He has an excess of energy and no other way to deal with it. He’s not usually a pacer, but usually there’s something to do. Sharpening weapons. Barricading windows. Serving as Buffy’s training dummy. Research, boring as it can be. Something.
He could sleep again. Maybe Pretender’s got an idea of how to deal with this Stand. But it’d be far too easy to get killed if or when the ceasefire gets called off, the second it gets called off or get Fitz hurt or killed protecting him. His friend might have learned his lesson, but in the heat of the moment? Jojo would do it too, without hesitation. In case of an attack, he needs to be alert, at least. So that’s not an option. There’s no way to research, no weapons to prepare, and it’s not like they’re anywhere they can easily defend, when the enemy is within the same room. Maybe, maybe he could be the captain of morale, or whatever. Fitz isn’t any calmer than he is. But—
But Darling feels like Dawn, he realizes. Just a little kid, who could have been his sister if he’d been lucky and she’d been unlucky (though, to be fair, one of two isn’t bad—but he still wouldn’t wish his childhood on anyone). And, ghost or not, Alice feels like Faith, back when she was still lost, still a threat, still—
“You’re definitely less chill than your, what is it, uncle?” Cooper isn’t even looking at him as she plays with the dagger, testing out the point on a fingertip and watching the skin bleed. (It’s sharp. He could have told her that, but suspects she already knew.) He’s trying to ignore the feeling of the blood in his veins turning to ice, a contrast to her casual, confident words.
“Which uncle?” he asks, and maybe he’s falling into a verbal trap, but he has to know. He ignores the way Fitz tugs on his sleeve, accidentally tearing the fabric just a little more than before, now that he’s finally stopped moving. Ignores the fact he can easily picture the expression of disapproval the blond’s been wearing far too often in his presence lately.
“I’ll give you a hint.” She mimicks pulling a hat down over her eyes, and mutters “yare yare daze.” Her pronunciation is atrocious, and Johan finds himself wincing automatically at that even as his mind’s racing. How, where—
She smiles and continues. “Of course, Gran never really understood any of what was going on, but how could she? She was so young, and couldn’t see any of it, after all.”
Instantly, he knows, though he wishes he didn’t. “Anne?”
Rather than trying to stop him, Fitz’s hand at his elbow is now stabilizing, and he’d gotten out of his carefully chosen out of the way somehow. When he wasn’t looking. Jojo’s grateful. He feels like he needs that grounding presence, or he’d just float away.
“She always wondered, you know. Years later, she heard about the famous marine explorer, and she says she always regretted that. She never heard whether they saved his mum. Jotaro was alive, at least, but she’d never gotten to see him again.” Alice’s voice is thick with disappointment, too. Jotaro had wondered, too, but he’d guessed (hoped) she’d be fine. For a little brat, she was pretty resourceful. He’d smile, just a little, hearing she’d made it.
She continues to play with the dagger, but this time, she isn’t even looking at her hands. “After all, she really wanted Jotaro to see her, not as a girl, but as a woman. I mean, I’m glad my grandfather wasn’t some ape, but she always—”
“Shut up!” Johan screams, fists clenched. He knows exactly where she’s going with her story, exactly how graphic she’s going to get, and almost feels like throwing up. Jotaro had been pretty oblivious (or annoyed) by the attention, but a little kid like Anne? He’d just seen that as the harmless crush of a brat too young to know better. (Not that that really explained his classmates, but then, they were old enough they should know how to behave.) Taking advantage of a little kid, especially after a scene like that? He’s not a monster.
“Johan.” Fitz’s voice, firm and compassionate, is exactly what he needs, matching the hand at his elbow. It’s a warning, too. Alice is trying to goad them into attacking first. Whether she’d just laugh and try to dodge, or whether she’d take it as a sign they were ‘ungrateful guests’ or whatever and attack is a question that doesn’t really need answering.
Jojo simmers down, taking a single step backward. He sees it for what it is now. She’s not lying—not about her heritage, anyway. He can feel it—and maybe he’s wrong, but thus far his instincts have been pretty good since he awakened his Stand. But she very well might be lying about everything else, and in any case, Alice has a carefully crafted show, a dreadful performance calculated to outrage and appall. “You catch many people with that stunt?” He’s channeling Jotaro now, it feels like, but he doesn’t feel remotely prepared for a fight of words like this. Maybe being stoic and trying not to engage is the best way to deal with this.
“Oh, it’s not a stunt. Pixie’s not the only one who likes her little tests, after all.” Rather than Alice in Wonderland, Cooper has all the smug assurance of the Cheshire Cat. “She was mostly keen on saving Darling, her dear little orphan Annie.” Now she’s not even trying to hide. “Doesn’t matter whether you earn a standing ovation or this is your last performance; you’re just a bonus either way.” Money and morality being treated as equal. Absolutely delightful, Jojo’s brain decides with a fair approximation of Giles’ sarcastic voice.
He pats Fitz’s hand in awkward thanks, walking a few steps away and taking a deep breath to calm himself. If he smoked, he’d light a cigarette up—but then, those aren’t his memories, and the man’s been trying to quit, anyway.
It’s why, when there’s a sudden rumble, he’s not within reach of his friend. He turns in time to see his friend’s shocked face, just in time for the wave to catch him with something across the temple. He falls, dazed, and sees Fitz fall, too, bowled over, and above it all, Cooper practically cackling in delight.
Main Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: How do you have a conversation with someone who clearly wants to kill you?
Word Count: 1092
Rating: Teen (Buffy|Jojo's level violence)
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS
warning: brief, mostly implication, discussion of the strength episode. for those of you who don't know, implications of underage stuff that didn't happen, but could have happened. it's one of those story decisions that you're like, okay, araki, most of your wacky shenanigans i'm on board for, but this? this is a storytelling decision that is. just. gross. again, nothing happened, but the fact that it could have happened...just, no.
Xander knows his pacing is making Fitz antsy, but he can’t help himself. He has an excess of energy and no other way to deal with it. He’s not usually a pacer, but usually there’s something to do. Sharpening weapons. Barricading windows. Serving as Buffy’s training dummy. Research, boring as it can be. Something.
He could sleep again. Maybe Pretender’s got an idea of how to deal with this Stand. But it’d be far too easy to get killed if or when the ceasefire gets called off, the second it gets called off or get Fitz hurt or killed protecting him. His friend might have learned his lesson, but in the heat of the moment? Jojo would do it too, without hesitation. In case of an attack, he needs to be alert, at least. So that’s not an option. There’s no way to research, no weapons to prepare, and it’s not like they’re anywhere they can easily defend, when the enemy is within the same room. Maybe, maybe he could be the captain of morale, or whatever. Fitz isn’t any calmer than he is. But—
But Darling feels like Dawn, he realizes. Just a little kid, who could have been his sister if he’d been lucky and she’d been unlucky (though, to be fair, one of two isn’t bad—but he still wouldn’t wish his childhood on anyone). And, ghost or not, Alice feels like Faith, back when she was still lost, still a threat, still—
“You’re definitely less chill than your, what is it, uncle?” Cooper isn’t even looking at him as she plays with the dagger, testing out the point on a fingertip and watching the skin bleed. (It’s sharp. He could have told her that, but suspects she already knew.) He’s trying to ignore the feeling of the blood in his veins turning to ice, a contrast to her casual, confident words.
“Which uncle?” he asks, and maybe he’s falling into a verbal trap, but he has to know. He ignores the way Fitz tugs on his sleeve, accidentally tearing the fabric just a little more than before, now that he’s finally stopped moving. Ignores the fact he can easily picture the expression of disapproval the blond’s been wearing far too often in his presence lately.
“I’ll give you a hint.” She mimicks pulling a hat down over her eyes, and mutters “yare yare daze.” Her pronunciation is atrocious, and Johan finds himself wincing automatically at that even as his mind’s racing. How, where—
She smiles and continues. “Of course, Gran never really understood any of what was going on, but how could she? She was so young, and couldn’t see any of it, after all.”
Instantly, he knows, though he wishes he didn’t. “Anne?”
Rather than trying to stop him, Fitz’s hand at his elbow is now stabilizing, and he’d gotten out of his carefully chosen out of the way somehow. When he wasn’t looking. Jojo’s grateful. He feels like he needs that grounding presence, or he’d just float away.
“She always wondered, you know. Years later, she heard about the famous marine explorer, and she says she always regretted that. She never heard whether they saved his mum. Jotaro was alive, at least, but she’d never gotten to see him again.” Alice’s voice is thick with disappointment, too. Jotaro had wondered, too, but he’d guessed (hoped) she’d be fine. For a little brat, she was pretty resourceful. He’d smile, just a little, hearing she’d made it.
She continues to play with the dagger, but this time, she isn’t even looking at her hands. “After all, she really wanted Jotaro to see her, not as a girl, but as a woman. I mean, I’m glad my grandfather wasn’t some ape, but she always—”
“Shut up!” Johan screams, fists clenched. He knows exactly where she’s going with her story, exactly how graphic she’s going to get, and almost feels like throwing up. Jotaro had been pretty oblivious (or annoyed) by the attention, but a little kid like Anne? He’d just seen that as the harmless crush of a brat too young to know better. (Not that that really explained his classmates, but then, they were old enough they should know how to behave.) Taking advantage of a little kid, especially after a scene like that? He’s not a monster.
“Johan.” Fitz’s voice, firm and compassionate, is exactly what he needs, matching the hand at his elbow. It’s a warning, too. Alice is trying to goad them into attacking first. Whether she’d just laugh and try to dodge, or whether she’d take it as a sign they were ‘ungrateful guests’ or whatever and attack is a question that doesn’t really need answering.
Jojo simmers down, taking a single step backward. He sees it for what it is now. She’s not lying—not about her heritage, anyway. He can feel it—and maybe he’s wrong, but thus far his instincts have been pretty good since he awakened his Stand. But she very well might be lying about everything else, and in any case, Alice has a carefully crafted show, a dreadful performance calculated to outrage and appall. “You catch many people with that stunt?” He’s channeling Jotaro now, it feels like, but he doesn’t feel remotely prepared for a fight of words like this. Maybe being stoic and trying not to engage is the best way to deal with this.
“Oh, it’s not a stunt. Pixie’s not the only one who likes her little tests, after all.” Rather than Alice in Wonderland, Cooper has all the smug assurance of the Cheshire Cat. “She was mostly keen on saving Darling, her dear little orphan Annie.” Now she’s not even trying to hide. “Doesn’t matter whether you earn a standing ovation or this is your last performance; you’re just a bonus either way.” Money and morality being treated as equal. Absolutely delightful, Jojo’s brain decides with a fair approximation of Giles’ sarcastic voice.
He pats Fitz’s hand in awkward thanks, walking a few steps away and taking a deep breath to calm himself. If he smoked, he’d light a cigarette up—but then, those aren’t his memories, and the man’s been trying to quit, anyway.
It’s why, when there’s a sudden rumble, he’s not within reach of his friend. He turns in time to see his friend’s shocked face, just in time for the wave to catch him with something across the temple. He falls, dazed, and sees Fitz fall, too, bowled over, and above it all, Cooper practically cackling in delight.
