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madimpossibledreamer'with' honestly probably means 'alongside' here instead of 'for'
Main Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: Johan's crew finds that getting to the pyramid isn't as simple as they hoped.
Word Count: 1146
Rating: Teen
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS
mild cursing
He drives off with a speed that matches the look of the vehicle and owner, and yet.
It’s easy to jumpscare yourself, if you’re in the frame of mind to do so. Instinct shouldn’t be discarded, of course. It’s a survival mechanism—but sometimes it yaps at harmless shadows because, when it comes to direct consequences, it’s better to avoid being eaten by the sabertooth in the dark than to be too bold and have nothing happen. Of course, there are also deeper consequences, like the quiet toll from stress or anxiety, but still, evolution didn’t have long-term consequences on its mind when designing a system for creatures that tended to live short lives from war, disease, wild animals, starvation, or any other number of things. And as much as humans liked to proclaim themselves the peak of evolution, an improvement on every previous generation before it, and other such lies to protect fragile egos, in reality humanity just happens to be stuck with a plethora of such artifacts.
Which is all an incredibly long-winded way of saying that even skeptics with a vast knowledge of the horror genre can occasionally have their imaginations get the better of them. A lot of it involves providing the right atmosphere, which can be an incredibly personal assessment at best. It requires careful consideration to pin down the exact elements, but fortunately, while Beefheart doesn’t happen to be the spotter of the duo, she’s no stranger to observation of a situation, particularly to determine any possible lurking threats.
Of course, Jojo isn’t helping matters. If one person is on edge, particularly if they’re one whose judgment you trust (well…mostly…she’s not sure she’ll ever forget Lovecraftian Abomination Jojo, even if it’s a plan that in fact worked out perfectly, within certain parameters), even if you hadn’t been worried to begin with, it might put you in a state of heightened awareness. And it’s always possible that while, unlike Fitz, she had not been lucky enough to hear stories about her own ancestor’s accomplishments (never mind the conflicted feeling she gets about the whole thing), the little she does know about the stories about the fight against the Pillar Men might be making her slightly apprehensive.
It’s too quiet, she decides, listening to what should be the vibrant sounds of a city going about its early night business. For as small as the city is, it’s clearly a city and not a village. It’s larger, for one, with shops and paved roads and quaint little storefronts. The number of cars parked along the side suggest the inhabitants aren’t entirely poor, and that there are more of them than the few going about their businesses would suggest. They greet each other, but quietly, and from here the Captain can make out nothing. Their movements are furtive, as if trying to do whatever they need to do outdoors quickly and return to the safety of somewhere indoors.
That’s a trope, sometimes, the ‘it’s quiet, maybe too quiet’, but there’s also a good reason for the trope. Silence is artificial. Nature’s only quiet if there’s something to hide from. Humans can manufacture silence as well, but it can feel downright unnatural. And it’s not silent—if she strains her ears she can hear the car driving down the side street, but it’s as if all sound is dampened. This could easily be explained as the effects of fog, if there were any signs of such—no clammy feeling on her skin, nothing obstructing her vision.
The man hadn’t warned them against a dangerous city, but then, if he was in on it or was used to such dangers, he might not have. And that’s only counting ordinary dangers, the type that an average human might notice.
Darling shivers, drawing Beefheart’s attention away from the scenery.
“Did Whisper find anything?” Robin asks, concerned, and the teenager shrugs, trying to seem less affected than she already is.
“It’s not like I can see through Whisper’s eyes. This place just feels…right uncanny.” That might honestly be a problem, if her Stand gets attacked without her even noticing, but at least she’d be fine, if that’s the case.
The Captain takes that moment to take stock. Jojo is acting more settled, but he’s easier to take unawares than normal and even Fitz has made him jump. The blond Brit is, well, he’s pretty much how he always is, acting like Jojo is the only thing in the world that matters. And…yeah, all right, that’s a little exaggerated, since he’s started to warm up to the rest of them, but it’s not by much. He’s only taking this seriously because however much he likes to complain about Jojo’s paranoia, he’d listen to anything the man said. It’s on her to think this through, then.
First things first, some intel. “Robin, you’ve been to Mexico before. Is this normal?”
He shakes his head. “Not this more rural part, no. Mexico City and Guadalajara, to visit Speedwagon Foundation agents, but…”
And Jojo interrupts, looking amazed. “Wait, you’re Speedwagon Foundation?”
“We work with them, yes,” von Stroheim responds. She could have sworn she’d mentioned that before, but no matter.
She’s bracing herself for an onslaught of questions, but Jojo just grins, lopsided, understanding, and lets it pass without comment. She’s almost impressed. “Joseph’s chiming to pop up, but his info’s a couple decades out of date, and while he did see a bit more of this rural area, most of what he saw was a vast stretch of desert, cacti, and a Nazi training camp.”
Fitz has been frowning during the entire conversation, and when he finally speaks up, the Captain expects a reprimand, but here, she’s again proven wrong. “I was trying to remember what I’ve read about the region, and we’ve basically just been going east, according to my compass. This entire latitude should have the highest population in Mexico.”
They all exchange glances, and Beefheart pulls out her pocket watch. It’s a simple enough matter to turn it into a Marschkompass with the help of Panzermensch. Fortunately, Fitz figures out fairly quickly what she’s doing and brings his out. The comparison suggests that yes, something is in fact wrong.
“So, I guess the next order of business is finding out where the hell we are,” Jojo states, faux-cheerful.
Main Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: Johan's crew finds that getting to the pyramid isn't as simple as they hoped.
Word Count: 1146
Rating: Teen
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS
mild cursing
When they reach a small town (quaint, von Stroheim feels, would almost be the word if not for the slightly oppressive feel of the place), the farmer apologizes profusely, explaining that this is as far as they’re going but perhaps they can get supplies or even perhaps another ride. He’d keep going, he says, but it’d make him late for another appointment, and in any case there’s no shortage of friendly people in Mexico. They can probably get another ride, or at least some supplies before they continue on their journey.
He drives off with a speed that matches the look of the vehicle and owner, and yet.
It’s easy to jumpscare yourself, if you’re in the frame of mind to do so. Instinct shouldn’t be discarded, of course. It’s a survival mechanism—but sometimes it yaps at harmless shadows because, when it comes to direct consequences, it’s better to avoid being eaten by the sabertooth in the dark than to be too bold and have nothing happen. Of course, there are also deeper consequences, like the quiet toll from stress or anxiety, but still, evolution didn’t have long-term consequences on its mind when designing a system for creatures that tended to live short lives from war, disease, wild animals, starvation, or any other number of things. And as much as humans liked to proclaim themselves the peak of evolution, an improvement on every previous generation before it, and other such lies to protect fragile egos, in reality humanity just happens to be stuck with a plethora of such artifacts.
Which is all an incredibly long-winded way of saying that even skeptics with a vast knowledge of the horror genre can occasionally have their imaginations get the better of them. A lot of it involves providing the right atmosphere, which can be an incredibly personal assessment at best. It requires careful consideration to pin down the exact elements, but fortunately, while Beefheart doesn’t happen to be the spotter of the duo, she’s no stranger to observation of a situation, particularly to determine any possible lurking threats.
Of course, Jojo isn’t helping matters. If one person is on edge, particularly if they’re one whose judgment you trust (well…mostly…she’s not sure she’ll ever forget Lovecraftian Abomination Jojo, even if it’s a plan that in fact worked out perfectly, within certain parameters), even if you hadn’t been worried to begin with, it might put you in a state of heightened awareness. And it’s always possible that while, unlike Fitz, she had not been lucky enough to hear stories about her own ancestor’s accomplishments (never mind the conflicted feeling she gets about the whole thing), the little she does know about the stories about the fight against the Pillar Men might be making her slightly apprehensive.
It’s too quiet, she decides, listening to what should be the vibrant sounds of a city going about its early night business. For as small as the city is, it’s clearly a city and not a village. It’s larger, for one, with shops and paved roads and quaint little storefronts. The number of cars parked along the side suggest the inhabitants aren’t entirely poor, and that there are more of them than the few going about their businesses would suggest. They greet each other, but quietly, and from here the Captain can make out nothing. Their movements are furtive, as if trying to do whatever they need to do outdoors quickly and return to the safety of somewhere indoors.
That’s a trope, sometimes, the ‘it’s quiet, maybe too quiet’, but there’s also a good reason for the trope. Silence is artificial. Nature’s only quiet if there’s something to hide from. Humans can manufacture silence as well, but it can feel downright unnatural. And it’s not silent—if she strains her ears she can hear the car driving down the side street, but it’s as if all sound is dampened. This could easily be explained as the effects of fog, if there were any signs of such—no clammy feeling on her skin, nothing obstructing her vision.
The man hadn’t warned them against a dangerous city, but then, if he was in on it or was used to such dangers, he might not have. And that’s only counting ordinary dangers, the type that an average human might notice.
Darling shivers, drawing Beefheart’s attention away from the scenery.
“Did Whisper find anything?” Robin asks, concerned, and the teenager shrugs, trying to seem less affected than she already is.
“It’s not like I can see through Whisper’s eyes. This place just feels…right uncanny.” That might honestly be a problem, if her Stand gets attacked without her even noticing, but at least she’d be fine, if that’s the case.
The Captain takes that moment to take stock. Jojo is acting more settled, but he’s easier to take unawares than normal and even Fitz has made him jump. The blond Brit is, well, he’s pretty much how he always is, acting like Jojo is the only thing in the world that matters. And…yeah, all right, that’s a little exaggerated, since he’s started to warm up to the rest of them, but it’s not by much. He’s only taking this seriously because however much he likes to complain about Jojo’s paranoia, he’d listen to anything the man said. It’s on her to think this through, then.
First things first, some intel. “Robin, you’ve been to Mexico before. Is this normal?”
He shakes his head. “Not this more rural part, no. Mexico City and Guadalajara, to visit Speedwagon Foundation agents, but…”
And Jojo interrupts, looking amazed. “Wait, you’re Speedwagon Foundation?”
“We work with them, yes,” von Stroheim responds. She could have sworn she’d mentioned that before, but no matter.
She’s bracing herself for an onslaught of questions, but Jojo just grins, lopsided, understanding, and lets it pass without comment. She’s almost impressed. “Joseph’s chiming to pop up, but his info’s a couple decades out of date, and while he did see a bit more of this rural area, most of what he saw was a vast stretch of desert, cacti, and a Nazi training camp.”
Fitz has been frowning during the entire conversation, and when he finally speaks up, the Captain expects a reprimand, but here, she’s again proven wrong. “I was trying to remember what I’ve read about the region, and we’ve basically just been going east, according to my compass. This entire latitude should have the highest population in Mexico.”
They all exchange glances, and Beefheart pulls out her pocket watch. It’s a simple enough matter to turn it into a Marschkompass with the help of Panzermensch. Fortunately, Fitz figures out fairly quickly what she’s doing and brings his out. The comparison suggests that yes, something is in fact wrong.
“So, I guess the next order of business is finding out where the hell we are,” Jojo states, faux-cheerful.
