madimpossibledreamer

So apparently Xander has a lot of cousins.  This one’s technically not even blood related, but like that matters.  We bring it up because the world tells us blood is everything, but it doesn’t tell you everything.  It doesn’t even tell you much of anything.  I mean, I share DNA with Buffy, but that’s not what made her my sis.  She made herself my sis, in a long story that I’m not going to tell because it’s embarrassing.  And Xander’s my bro, no matter how long I tried to make him something else, and Willow’s my…I don’t even know what, cool aunt maybe?, so I’m kind of an expert on this whole found family thing.  Any braindead jerk off the street can be genetically related.  I’m still counting Dad in all this, given that, well, we still haven’t heard from him, not even after the funeral or the sinkhole or anything that happened in the last few years.  So when I say Shizuka’s part of the family, she’s totally part of the family.

Also, that her power is totally awesome and I would’ve loved it when I was younger and trying to sneak past an overprotective big sis, or during my brief starring role as expert thief.  Still, we’ve run into other people without Stands with the Invisible Woman gig.  In Sunnydale, it was caused by people feeling invisible, but I’m not sure that works without a Hellmouth.  I will say I’m not sure she’s fought a lot, or at least not against demons or anything like that, although for all I know it’s only humans, back where they came from, because just invisibility wouldn’t be able to make a difference to enhanced hearing or any other supernatural senses.  Unless maybe she’s got some way of protecting against hearing or smell, too?  If so, it’s definitely more powerful than your old really-should-have-this-updated-she’s-not-a-baby-anymore Speedwagon Foundation notes.  And maybe a little bit of ‘clouding human’s minds’.  It doesn’t help against things that can sense life.  (Which makes hamon users sound like some weird D&D class, and I’ve been hanging out with Andrew too much.) 

Because she panicked a bit much when she realized her power didn’t actually work on the enemy.  I mean, the thought should’ve at least crossed her mind.  Her…cousin, whatever.  Cute half-vampire guy who’s making mob movies sexy again.  Exists.  So she should’ve realized ‘oh hey, there are people who can sense life, maybe I should do another hundred push-ups just in case I have to do the heavy lifting’.  Though maybe my sis being a Slayer skews my worldview, just a little.

I’d guess usually her fighting style is kinda guerilla.  Strike, vanish again.  Wear ‘em down.

Stand User: Shizuka Joestar

So, invisibility.  Maybe I’m being a bit harsh in my assessment.  She did end up probably saving Buffy’s life.  She doesn’t just make herself invisible. She can make other objects or people invisible, though if I had to guess it’s a radius thing.  Like, get too far away from Shizuka and suddenly you’re visible again.  At least she can choose what she makes invisible, which means she’s gotten better than when she was a kid.

That could probably be useful in a fight.  Because sometimes, in a fight, all you need is a good surprise.  Which I guess is just Shizuka all over.

Also, I have questions for you guys.  Most of the time it’s the Stand User who chooses the Stand Name, based on ‘it just feels right’.  But who chose Shizuka’s?  And why?  (It was Joseph, wasn’t it?  If that’s true, I pretty much answered all my questions, because apparently Josephine is a lot like her grandpa and even if there’s less similarities than everyone thinks it still pretty much answers that one.)

Lacuna Coil likes suffering as much as his partner, but prefers to not take chances.  He’s also charismatic and charming.  If possible, he will attempt to minimize the odds against them by any means necessary, including bribing or knocking out guards or others who might oppose them.  He’s also generally the one who cleans up any potential evidence that they might be leaving behind.  While his Stand would generally be useless without a partner or the User stepping in, it’s pretty handy in finding and scrubbing evidence the authorities might be otherwise able to use against them.  While he knows how to use a gun or other weapons, he never bothered to learn to shoot as well as Peter Gabriel.  It didn’t matter as much once he’d gained his Stand, since Apophis can enter any open wounds.  It is suspected that his motivation before that transformation and contract was to add wiggle room should he ever be caught (the penalties for assault are generally less strict than for homicide), but we have no official confirmation of that fact.  It is believed that Coil was also killed, but our agents sent to investigate the scene were unable to find either body.  It is likely that Wolfram & Hart may have retrieved the mercenaries’ bodies for study.

Apophis

Stand User: Lacuna Coil

            Apophis appears as a swarm of black scarab beetles.  Like Hierophant Green, the Stand “prefers” to hide within something else, only coming into play when the enemy is wounded in another fashion, as the scarabs are too weak to get through skin on their own.  Apophis is even completely incapable of harming another Stand provided it has not been wounded first.  The Stand is also considered semi-automatic, since it disappeared when choked out or killed by Yamagishi, but did not seem able to make decisions on its own.  Like other swarm Stands, killing a few has no effect on the User.

Soul Into Hades-It might be easy to dismiss Apophis as a Stand, but that would be a mistake, as Apophis’ one known power is extremely dangerous.  Any open wound allows for Apophis to inject venom into the wound, and the agony is great enough that it usually involves passing out.  It is suspected that the effects grow worse over time and those affected die in agony (based on the reports we have obtained of the suspected kills of Lacuna Coil and Peter Gabriel).  It is possible that either unconsciousness or death de-summons the Stand and makes this effect disappear, at least enough for treatment to be effective.  The alternative is that Coil is alive and is able to make the effect to disappear in order to better play dead.

Hate to join a crowd, and all that, but I’m surprised I got called up.  Rupert stopped trying to have me write reports years ago.  That being said, this Hol Horse bloke reminds me of me.

I didn’t think I’d miss Peaches.

And yeah, I’ll get to your boy eventually, but you called on me to do my thing, so you’re stuck with the result.

So, my Grandsire.  Right tosser he was, soul or no soul.  With the soul, he was all senseless violence.  I’m not above a spot of violence myself, but he had no style.  And all that stuff about ending the world?  Can't drink blood or fight or watch TV if the world ends.  Should be obvious, but while the man has a head for violence, even strategy when he bothers, he was never too sharp when it came to the consequences bit.

That’s something he kept, “Angel” and “Angelus”.  Never thought there’d be any.

Annoyance, that’s all I’d thought he was.  Worked with him grudgingly, shaking down the demons for the word on the Siphon.  But now he’s gone, I miss him.  Guess it’s one of those things where he’s such a fixture I thought he’d just be a brooding gargoyle for all time.  I’d feel bad about saying it, but I figure you lot aren’t likely to go and gossip like a ladies’ book club with my lot.

So, there’s me.  Don’t share the stupid wish to never be Number One.  Holding yourself back like that won’t get you a rep or the heads of your enemies.  But there’s the whole luck thing.  I’ve fought the Slayer, and fought alongside her, and the most I’ve gotten is being a ghost for a while.  And maybe I did the same thing—developed sympathy for the enemy, ended up joining the winning side, and had enough luck to live to do it and survive the choice.

Also, I’m not much of one for guns.  Not very personal, or impressive.  But I’d think about it, if I had a Stand like that.

And I’ve got a question for you lot.  I’ve heard some of them talk about Stands as a person’s soul.  Could something without a soul get a Stand?

Stand User: Hol Horse

Kind of straightforward, this one, but I can respect that.  A gun that you can call to your hand and bullets you can control.  Least you’re never without a weapon, and for a human, that’s important.

Stand User: Yukako Yamagishi

The oddest part of this, probably, is that Yamagishi’s Stand works almost identically to the Kaminoke Akuma (Hair Demon) found in Japan (though sightings outside Japan have also occurred).  The power is bound in the hair, and can allow for extra hair growth or Asian hair horror (I haven’t seen that specific type of horror used anywhere else).  It can stretch and is remarkably strong.  Unlike the stories, from what I’ve heard Yamagishi hasn’t tried to lure more than one man into her clutches, and she hasn’t tried to kill him (again?).  (See: Yuki-Onna, Jorogumo.)  It’s a change to have that kind of power on our side, certainly.

Much as I hate to admit it, this Mafia Boss Giovanna may have a point.  I’ve done a lot of thinking, and no matter how I tried not to follow what I’d learned from the Watchers’ Council, I seem to have internalized quite a lot of it.  One of the most pressing is that the Watcher makes the choices the Slayers have to follow.  In name, we’ve undone that.  Slayers are just as equal in leadership roles as Watchers in the new Council.  In practice, well.  Buffy doesn’t have the logistics knowledge I do, so of course I coordinate everyone.  That’s the logic.  Which utterly fails to take into account that I should be teaching her these things, particularly if I want her to accept a less combat oriented role (mostly over the consistent fear that I will lose the woman I’ve come to regard as practically my own daughter).  How is she meant to develop the skills if I won’t impart the knowledge or allow her to practice?

I’ve been undermining her skills as a leader, both to herself and others.  Not giving her opportunities, and when she takes those for herself questioning her decisions.  No wonder she was so frustrated.

And it is certainly difficult.  I haven’t heard of other children of vampires before, but that very fact makes it hard to trust Giovanna as Buffy had.  He’s poised, in control.  It’s hard to read him, and even some of our new allies, Dr. Kujo for one, don’t seem to trust him fully.  This is not including the doctor’s attitude toward the mafia.  He doesn’t seem to have any problems with the others, or with breaking the law.  It’s a problem with Giovanna, and while I don’t trust Dr. Kujo or even Josephine Higashikata as much as the others, I do feel they are more trustworthy than this leader of Passione. 

So I looked into this “Stand User” Giovanna sent against the “Slaypires”.  I couldn’t find much; even the Speedwagon Foundation, whose interns have been told to be at our disposal as part of a different agreement than the one Giovanna’s trying to form now, doesn’t have much.  I had to resort to asking Althenea about what she could find, and I’ll send what little I can to Buffy’s phone (hopefully she can make heads or tails of my grammar; I could attempt to send an email but, much as I hate to admit it, would fare little better when it comes to any of these infernal machines).  What she did get both reassures and horrifies me, because we haven’t heard of any mass deaths in Italy, yet I’m not comfortable with such power in the hands of an ambitious, questionable son of a vampire ruling a criminal empire.

Stand User: Pannacotta Fugo

When she tried, Althenea kept getting images of the aftermath of the Black Death, the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic, the Plague of Justinian, and the like.  Pandemics, in other words.  The commonality is that “a lot of people died” and “a disease was involved”, to summarize for the Californians who aren’t interested in a history lesson and at the very least have attention problems.  She also got several images of vampires dying in the sun, which I’m not sure how it relates but feel it must somehow.  And, for whatever reason, a musical performer named Jimi Hendrix.  I don’t know how Stands work, but my own (admittedly long ago!) experience with magic tells me that music can be used, and misused, for magic, good or bad.  Perhaps it’s something along the same lines?

A note to the interns: Yes, there are good reasons to have notes on this Stand.  Not only do notes on Stands give you a better understanding of the various types of Stands, but we’ve also been assured that as a Wolfram & Hart employee Whitney Houston will return.  It is unknown whether Stands persist after death if it’s not a Stand specifically designed for that purpose.  It’s possible that the ghoul or whatever form she returns in could have the Stand still.

Simple Plan

Stand User: Whitney Houston

            Simple Plan takes the form of a green crystalline suit of armor and matching sword.  It seems to be relatively light, unlike real armor, judging by the fact that Whitney can perform acrobatics while the Stand is active.  The sword has infinite durability as long as the armor is active.  However, the armor can be broken, if enough attacks hit it.  The suit reduces but does not prevent damage to its User, so it’s common for Whitney to be bruised after use.  While the power is relatively straightforward, it is sufficient for use during most Stand battles, coupled with Whitney’s knowledge of other Stands.

Get Your Heart On!—This is the main part of the Stand, a suit of protective armor.

Last One Standing—This is the secondary part of the Stand, a sword.

A note to the field agents: I realize that you’re getting antsy, but we’ve already lost far more than our usual numbers due to the hunt Wolfram & Hart seems to have declared on our agents.  This is unacceptable, so we have instituted a policy of only letting the field agents with Stands in the field.

I’m not sure why a law firm is acting so outside the purview of a law firm, even if it is evil, because such things draw attention when it’s better to not have that, but then, I’m not giving the orders to a bunch of murdering lunatics, I’m giving the orders to a bunch of great people I love to work with and have alive.

I know you’re all bored and trying to deal with it as best you can, and I’m the last person to tell you that food is an invalid choice.  But as much as I love cheese, I have to ask: why all the cheese?

Three Days Grace

Stand User: Antonia Ellis

            Three Days Grace is a humanoid figure with no facial features other than the goggles it wears.  Gears are visible through the skin of the Stand, constantly turning, and a spookily loudly ticking brass clock hangs next to a pouch at its side.  When not in action, Three Days Grace is as still as a statue.  When moving, Three Days Grace is unnaturally quick.  It does not use the giant brass shears to attack directly, but instead uses them to cut paper retrieved from the pouch at its side.  Antonia has barely used her Stand, however, so she is only aware of a few of the traps Three Days Grace is capable of making.  Three Days Grace has yet to directly act in combat, moving quickly enough to stay out of the way of attackers.  It has not used its shears on any attackers, either.  Three Days Grace’s main form of attack is traps symbolized by the paper cut-outs that once placed adhere to any surface.  These can be set off by anyone, even allies, while set.  Allies must take care to avoid the traps when set, indicated by when the Stand sets down the cut piece of paper.  However, if the attacker can avoid all the set traps, there’s not much Three Days Grace or Antonia can do about it.  All traps once sprung appear to be only made of paper, but they cut as sharp as any blade and work as well as the “real thing”.  Three Days Grace, like any Stand, matches the personality of its User, because Antonia prefers to do the dirty work of beating up the enemy User with her own hands or the weapons they hold, so traps are a perfect compliment.

Break—Bear traps.  A circular design with a smooth circle inside and a bunch of triangles cut on the outside.

Pain—Buzzsaw.  A paper chain with a bunch of jagged edges.

Riot—A fear trap.  The targets smell what they believe to be the sulfurous smell of mustard gas and uncontrollably run away.  However, this particular trap does not in fact affect the lungs, just the mind.  Paper footprint chain.

Drown—A water trap, akin to the one found in the Mummy Returns.  This one must be placed on a vertical surface.  Paper rocks form and crumble away to reveal a horde of paper streamers that appear and sweep you away.  They are just as powerful as a flood and can easily sweep you away and even drown you. Drown consists of a single sheet of paper connected only by a thin part at the left side that is not cut—the rest are cut in wavy lines. 

Outsider—Trapdoor.  The actual “doors” are formed by the ground beneath the trap, which fold away (and one can see the paper rimming the edges of the “doors”).  Looks vaguely like a card with rectangular cutouts.

I’m kind of used to writing reports by now, whether for the Foundation or for the Morioh Police Department.  I don’t like it any more than I liked my homework years ago, but there’s a better reason behind it, anyway.  These are to keep people informed and safe, so that’s worth a whole lot more.

I’m sending this with the representatives of the SWC that they’re sending to collect the old man, too, which is even more important because if they read it they’ll at least have an idea of how to fight it if he tries anything funny.

Oh, and I got his name from his wallet.  Apparently he was fighting because his grandkids are in danger, so we should see if we can’t rescue them.

I’d like to say hi to the young lady I talked to on the phone.  It was great talking to you, kid.

Back in Time

Stand User: William Kaulitz

Back in Time is a really terrifying Stand, but that’s true for most of the Stands that can control time (just ask Jotaro-san!)  Once it gets off its effect, you’re stuck going through your past.  I suppose it’s a kind of stealth Stand, too, since it can’t really protect its user.  It takes the form of a pocket watch without a cover.  I found it searching him when he was unconscious, and it looks weird enough it probably is a Stand.

Don’t Look Back: Back in Time’s main mechanism is shuffling you through moments in your past you’ll either want to change or situations you’ll find it difficult to get out of without changing.  It works off the opponent’s psychology, which is the terrifying part, since everybody’s probably had days and moments they wanted to change.  If you give in to the urge or mess up, you’ll start turning transparent and in general begin fading from the world.  However, this also means that certain powers in the past don’t affect you in the same way as the last time, and if this lets you survive something that would’ve killed you, it can at least partially undo the transparent effect.  It’s possible that managing to go through a certain number of jumps without messing up is all you need to do, but I didn’t get to test this.  Back in Time also has no way to protect its User specifically, so if you can take him out or get him to stop using his Stand, you should be good.  (Though from what I can tell, he’s actually a nice guy, and he’s also old, so if you can not kill him, that would be great.)  He should be easy to spot, though, once you know what you’re looking for—he reverse ages in every ‘era’ you visit.  It looks a little like it’s proportional, but I didn’t get a good look.

What’s going on?  This just appeared here…

Okay, don’t panic.  That’s probably Pretender.  Somehow.  Probably from one of the times I was unconscious.  Anyway, I know that Fitz, despite the fact that he doesn’t want to be called Speedwagon, would be super psyched to get in, but he doesn’t know how to get in touch with you guys.  Probably due to the fact that the worlds haven’t quite patched together yet because Dawnie doesn’t use her power on purpose much.  (Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining.  I’m not going ‘she did it all wrong, I could do it better’ ‘cause I may have power now but I’m not sure I could even manage that.  Just saying…take it easy on her, would ya?)

Oh, yeah, probably should introduce myself.  Johan Higashikata, nice to meetcha.  It might be a good idea to have me write all of these against anyone I mimic with Mirroring Your Stand, given that I kinda got a sneak preview.  I’d almost wish I remembered more about who he was working for, as this isn’t my first creep party and I’m not naïve enough to believe it won’t come back later and bite us in the arse.

But.  I don’t know.  Living in distilled essence of teenager isn’t exactly something I like to do, particularly when it feels like I just might drown in it.  Cain’s a creep.  Big shock, right? 

He didn’t get the attention he wanted.  To him, it was attractive.  Like joining Magneto’s people.  Like he’d get respect.  He definitely had sociopathic tendencies.  Likes seeing people beg, people be in pain.  But, real talk, it’s not like we have never worked with those types of people before.  It’s a grey world and we do whatever we can to make it better, and if we have to make our choices between evil and slightly less evil, we make the choices we have to.

I’m rambling.  Sorry.  I’ll get to the point.  The pointy point says that there’s nothing that could’ve been done.  Not sure if he’s actually dead or just down for the count, so I guess I’m flagging this for a follow-up.  Preferably not by a red shirt.

Stereo Love

Stand User: Scott Cain

This Stand can only work on one person at a time, and in addition needs to be deployed (I’ve been wanting to use that word in a sentence for years; it just sounds cool) in a stealthy-type manner, since as you can tell from the included picture it’s not exactly hard to spot.  In addition, the music is noticeable, so unless it’s in an area where you aren’t likely to notice it right away, it’s hard to use.

Nobody listened to me when I said I’d run into issues in Italy.  We always tended to underestimate the bad guys, especially the ones in groups because that was so rare.  Well, it turns out that on a routine Slayer-finding assignment, I didn’t manage to get to her before Wolfram & Hart.  I’m pretty sure that they recruited her and didn’t just kill her, but it’s hard to tell, really.

Anyway, they were going to deal with me.  And despite the whole supervillain and evil sorcerer trying to take over the world thing, I wasn’t actually all that great with my powers.  I’ve gotten better since then, but I’m pretty much the classic D&D wizard and can’t do much without studying, so battle isn’t exactly the place I should be.

And then this guy runs out from the building a pulls out a pistol.  I wasn’t actually sure who he was trying to hit, at first.  I’ve managed to make some enemies, although I suppose some of them are better at setting aside their grudges than others.  He shoots at me, and here I am thinking that it’s the end and it’s kind of poetic, really, and I should really tell Jonathan that I’m sorry and an idiot, when the bullets just kind of swerve around me.

The guy behind me falls, and I turn to look, and am thinking that he’s some kind of awesome telekinetic or something, and then I turn back and start to thank him profusely, forgetting that he probably doesn’t have a clue what I’m saying because it’s English, not Italian.  And then he looks at me and just says, “Don’t thank me.  I’ve been looking for an excuse to shoot one of those guys for a while.”  It’s a really heavy accent, but it’s actually English.

And then the hard look gets a little amused, and he says, “I’d leave, tourist” and I take off running.

Apparently they call me Coniglio, now.  A little insulting (you know, after I looked it up), but still.  Now I can actually tell the Council and they’ll believe me.

Also, apparently it was a Stand.  That I still can’t see.  I’m working on that, though.  Using powers responsibly, for the good of everyone.  If I had an Uncle Ben, I hope he’d be proud.

So, if you want to read the actual notes on the Stand, that’s cool, I guess.  I don’t have that much to add, honestly. Mostly just the little story above, but I guess it's a good indication of how things are going in Italy.

Andrew’s Notes on Sex Pistols

Stand User: Guido Mista

Appearance: Dunno.  Haven’t been able to see any yet.  Working on it, because if there are gonna be more Stand Users actually trying to kill us, it might help to be able to see them so we can maybe fight them?  Or avoid them somehow?

Main Power: Actually kind of like telekinesis, only it just works with the bullets in his revolver.  Mista’s still scary enough I wouldn’t mess with him.

This says something about being an assassination style Stand, which is a common theme in the Passione (that’s the Mafia’s name for the Mafia).  Let’s hope we stay on their good side, for all our sakes.  (That’s if Mista has a good side.  It’s honestly hard to tell.  Seems like he’s loyal to the big bad Mafia boss, though, so mostly we just gotta keep Giovanna happy.)