madimpossibledreamer

The archives are more of a mess than usual.  Part of this, Dr. Kujo tells me, is the vagaries of ending up in another dimension.  I’m glad we were stabilized somehow in the transition, or things could have been conceivably worse. 

Unfortunately, several of our interns went missing.  Again.  We’re checking into it, but it’s probably one of the artifacts we’ve found.  I’ve been told that there’s considerably more variety to the dangers in this world, and that we’ll be receiving a good deal of information from an organization called the ‘Slayers and Watchers Council’, or SWC.  Just in case, the Artifacts Room has been quarantined again.

There’s Dr. Kujo himself.  He keeps looking through our notes on Stand Users, particularly ones on his own family.  It’s been an odd obsession for months.  He seems to think there’s someone missing, but won’t respond to any questions with anything other than his usual noncommittal grunt.

And, of course, due to our new terms of agreement with the Passione, they’re going to have access to some of our records as well—to the discretion of Dr. Kujo.  The notes on the Italian Stand Users are of particular interest, of course, but I’m not sure what other records they should have access to.  I hope someone clarifies which documents before they actually show up, because I don’t want to have to be the one to tell the mafia that they’re not allowed in until I know their level of clearance.

Backstreet Boy

Stand User: Grappa Calabrese

Power: A	Speed: C	Range: B
Durability: B	Precision: C	Potential: C

Backstreet Boy excels at assassinations and other assignments that require studying the target.  In addition, while destructive, Backstreet Boy does not deal well with many enemies at once, since Grappa can ‘play’ for only one person at a time.  The stand itself can attack while the music is playing, and its User can as well, but if more enemies are expected, it’s better to send Grappa with at least one other Stand User or send someone else in her place.

To Grappa and Backstreet Boy, everyone has a song that’s identified with their soul.  Spending time around someone allows her to become familiar with the song, which means that, if required, Backstreet Boy can ‘play’ that song, with varying effects.

Unmistakable-Backstreet Boy can play the song of someone she knows well, effectively getting their attention.  While this doesn’t serve like a telephone (i.e. she can’t get a clear message with words across), strong feelings can get across, and she can ‘suggest’ the subject of the song to do very simple tasks.  This usually consists of traveling to a specific point.

Show ‘Em-Backstreet Boy can make alterations when playing back the song, allowing her to take control of the subject of the song and control their actions.  While Unmistakable is ‘noninvasive’, serving as mere suggestions, Show ‘Em makes herself more of the puppeteer, and the subject of the song becomes the puppet.

I’m very, very sorry, Mr. Kujo, but we appear to be missing the picture of Sarde’s Stand.  We’re not entirely certain where it went—adjusting to this ‘alternate dimension’ thing has been a bit of an adjustment, even for the Speedwagon Foundation, and given that he was a Foundation Employee he could have come in and removed the picture of his Stand before we realized exactly how…untrustworthy the man was.

Don’t mince words.  The guy’s a bastard, pure and simple, and Josephine’s been warning you for years.  If I’d had any idea of the lengths the guy was willing to go and how insane he was, even the word of a Speedwagon wouldn’t have stopped me from Ora’ing his ass.  Mercia and a new Joestar kid are counting on you, so don’t let them down.

…Right, Mr. Kujo.  We’ll pull in our interns, and we’ll find this picture or at least get someone on sketching.

Incognito

Stand User: Gordon Sarde

Power: D	Speed: A	Range: C
Durability: E	Precision: E	Potential: D

 

Incognito’s power is not in direct combat.  In fact, it excels most when no fight takes place.  Despite this, it is considered one of the great assets of the Speedwagon Foundation most dangerous enemy Stands in existence, simply because there is very little way of defending against it.  As with many, it is better to target the User himself.

The power was hailed as a humane way of dealing with rogue or evil Stand Users—you could let them live on and potentially be a boon to society.  However, it clearly has a dark side as Sarde’s ulterior motives have demonstrated.   

Goodbye to Yesterday-If the Stand touches you, it can ‘stamp’ over part of your identity.  For example, it can erase a distinctive birthmark or make you forget a childhood memory.  The effect is cumulative, though if you can somehow break away, the countdown will start over.  The Stand is stronger (i.e. has a higher Power ranking) when it actively focuses on using this ability, but this also decreases the User’s awareness.  If it reaches the end point, it can completely rewrite your identity, to the point that even those closest to you may not recognize you despite your resemblance.  It doesn’t fully change your appearance (for example, Josephine retained the red hair), but it’s a kind of mental influence—those looking at you won’t recognize you.  It may completely alter personality, and those in your new identity (for example, memories of a family to which you never really belonged) will share the same false memories of a shared past that never truly existed.  It doesn’t erase the fact that you existed—those in your old life will still remember you existed and that you disappeared one day, but the likelihood of you being found is very low.  Sarde cannot control the outcome, but since he’s not likely to be attacked by someone to whom he’s now a stranger, there’s no real need to do so.  The only known ‘antidote’, so to speak, is apparently Crazy Diamond’s ability to fix things, but as Josuke would have to know a) that this is someone affected by Incognito and b) who they used to be, it is unlikely that this is widely applicable.  The fact that he was able to find his daughter itself is remarkable, given Goodbye to Yesterday’s own defensive memory/recognition altering mechanism.

Agents have been unable to find important manuscripts that have been shelved not more than ten minutes earlier.  Nobody’s died in the field yet, but the number of mishaps are alarming.  Trains are being missed.  Lunches (and coffee) have been spilled.  Miscommunication abounds.  Technology has ceased to function for no clear reason.  Snowstorms have appeared out of nowhere in London, trapping agents indoors.  A note about this has already been mislaid.  No one panic, but on the other hand, don’t think you’re invincible either.  Something’s going on.  It’s entirely possible that it’s a Stand.  Fortunately, Koichi and his partner are arriving to take a look, so until then, hang tight and do not let your emotions get the better of you.  That’s already resulted in a broken hand, and really, we don’t want a repeat of that incident.

Bye Bye Beautiful (B3)

Stand User: Josephine Joestar

Power: A	Speed: B	Range: D
Durability: B	Precision: B	Potential: C

 

Bye Bye Beautiful, or B3, taps deep into ancient stories of Sidhe (which Buffy has met and assures me are not nice).  Beautiful, but deadly, and able to trod the faery paths (which were not meant for mortals). 

Bye Bye Beautiful allows its user to pass through different ‘portals’/doorways and walk through a different one, effectively teleporting in combat.  This isn’t a power of B3, but Josephine also knows Hamon, though she didn’t get the cheat sheet like her son.

Dark Chest of Wonders— The opening of the connection between the ‘doorways’.  (These doorways don’t even really have to work or open, just be, symbolically, a doorway.)  To pass through and fall into the trap, the target has to be the same size as the doorway they’re going to pass through.  B3 doesn’t allow only one doorway to open, so a passage must be created (and escape must be possible), but Josephine can manipulate the length of the hallway to make it more difficult to reach the end goal or to disorient.  Alternatively (though this is risky), B3 can open two doors and close the first once all have passed through the opening.  This is inherently unstable and could collapse at any time.

We’ll Be Waiting – What lays in the passageway between doorways is a dangerous and Lovecraftian world.  Josephine, Kakyoin, and Jotaro seem unworried about these things being set loose on the world, potentially because the doorways don’t tend to be open for long.  Exposure to this world might explain Josephine’s mental state.  The Joestars are our patrons.  Do not write things like this in official documents.  Thanks for the vote of confidence, boys!  I really am a wonder, aren’t I?

All right, no one panic.  Everything's under control.  But if you see a toad wandering around the library, please don't step on it.  Instead, just bring it to Josuke Higashikata, or, if he's not around, call Dr. Jotaro Kujo and he'll get in touch with Josuke.  That might be the head librarian.  We're not entirely sure.  Also, if you see any other strange toads that weren't there in the last couple days, don't panic and call Dr. Kujo straight away, as that might be an indication that the Stand User is still wandering around unrestrained in the general area instead of having left as was previously indicated.  Thanks!  -Kaelyn

If you get turned into a toad, please hop to the nearest phone, manage somehow to dial Dr. Kujo's number, and we'll get back to you.  Hopefully you'll be human again.  With any luck, Crazy Diamond will be able to fix that.  That, or we'll defeat the Stand User and everything will go back to normal.  You'll receive sick pay in compensation should that occur.

Violent Whispers

Stand User: Darling Violetta

Power: A	Speed: B	Range: B
Durability: C	Precision: B	Potential: C

 The actual physical damage is only about average, but being hurt by Violent Whispers is more worrisome than just cutting yourself on a knife.

Violent Whispers has two effects, Heart Runs Empty and Bleeds to an End, and all it takes is a touch (this includes attacking it). It’s more severe with a longer or more violent connection (such as an attack from either side) as well as number of times of contact.  Control by the User of Violent Whispers is largely unconscious, but given that she has so far avoided seriously injuring anyone so far with such a possibly dangerous Stand, her control is fairly impressive.  The range of effect is large though not infinite, so that might be a factor.  There also might be another way to counter Heart Runs Empty and Bleeds to an End, but this is not yet known.

The User has discovered more effects of Heart Runs Empty and Bleeds to an End, but as they haven't been seen 'on screen' they will not be detailed yet.

 

Heart Runs Empty – If the attacker/victim has a wound when Violent Whispers is touched, they feel an overwhelming emotion corresponding to the location of the wound. If the wound is healed, the emotion disappears. The wound or emotion intensifies the associated attribute, making it more difficult to break out of (this applies to Bleeds to an End too).

            Hands—Overwhelming despair.

Bleeds to an End – If the attacker/victim is feeling an overwhelming emotion when Violent Whispers is touched, they gain a wound corresponding to the emotion in question. If the person stops feeling the emotion, the wound disappears, though the damage must be healed normally.

            Worry-a wound close to the heart.

            Rage-a wound on the head, blood drips into the eyes and the person literally sees red.

SPWF NOTES: TOP SECRET

A note to the interns: Would you *stop* taking these out of the library? It’s
important for agents to get information on various Stands, yes, but just
leaving them out in the open where anyone could take them has proven to be
problematic (in the ‘people die’ way) and probably will continue to do so
in the future. We’ve gone an entire 243 days without any agents dying. Let’s
keep that record up.

The Pretender

Stand User: Xander Lavelle “Harris” Joestar

Power: B

Speed: A

Range: C

Durability: B

Precision: C

Potential: Infinite

(Due to special abilities)



The Pretender may appear on the surface to be a simple attack
Stand. Its appearance is roughly comparable to Star Platinum or The World,
unlike some of its less humanoid 'brethren'. Similarly, the name 'The
Pretender' seems straightforward, that the Stand's owner is nothing but a
pretender, a fake, not the real deal.

The Pretender is the living embodiment of the phrase
'appearances can be deceiving'.

If you listen to the lyrics of the associated song, they
clearly state that the listener, not the singer, is The Pretender. The
Stand's name, in that case, is a kind of irony applied to every opponent,
but even this is not so clear and straightforward. Johan's attitude
sometimes as well as most of the Pretender's abilities suggest the first
interpretation is correct. In the end, like much of its existence, the
true meaning of the Stand's name remains at best a question for another
day, at worst an ambiguity that will never be resolved.





Note: This picture doesn’t adequately capture the metallic-ness of the
boots. Also, I forgot to turn the picture to get the right angle to see
this, but Pretender has a star on the left, uncovered shoulder.

Like Hermit Purple, The Pretender’s most straightforward use is connected
to the use of Hamon. With the use of Same Old Story, the User of The
Pretender can learn Hamon moves without a teacher. This includes a Hamon
move that is from Pretender himself, Golden Mercy Sunlit Strike, which can
be used to knock out human opponents. Xander can use Hamon if, for
whatever reason, he can’t use Pretender, and can also use Hamon to sense
vampires and humans (useful, for a guy with one eye). Same Old Story and
Stranger Things Have Happened are two sides of the same coin, and are the
easiest for Xander to use, since technically he began using Stranger Things
Have Happened before he fully awakened to the power of his Stand. On the
other hand, if these powers of his Stand are blocked in some way, it makes
him irritable and unable to be refreshed by any amount of sleep.

Stranger Things Have Happened (Stranger) – In his dreams, Xander can relive
situations from the point of view of anyone of Joestar blood alive before
he was born (this takes into account the world colliding, odd timeline
effect, so he can, for instance, go through the memories of Jotaro or
Josuke). If Pretender believes that knowledge (or, in the case of Same Old
Story, technique) would be useful for Xander to know, he is capable of
pulling Xander into the dream world, but this can be risky in combat. In
addition, he slowly picks up things that he wouldn’t otherwise know (for
example, the word ‘sakura’) through general dreams not meant for a specific
end.

Same Old Story – Xander is also able to learn Joestar techniques through
dreams, though these must be ones which Pretender or Xander are capable of
performing (for example, The Pretender cannot turn into vines like Hermit
Purple).

The Colour and the Shape- As an extension of the powers in dreamscape, The
Pretender has created a ‘safe’ core, in which Xander can retreat to
strategize or just relax and prepare. It usually either resembles the Kujo
house or the Joestar mansion. The doors symbolize unlocking further power.
It was this that Xander entered and fully unlocked his Stand, despite the
dangers of having a new Stand and not knowing how to control one. No
matter how long he spends in here, if he’s there for a little while, he
wakes up fully refreshed.

Barrage of Punches – After using Same Old Story to copy Jotaro, The
Pretender learned another innate ability, the barrage of punches. The
Pretender shouts Tora when he uses this technique (Tora meaning 'tiger' or
'attack' in Japanese). As Pretender is not as strong as Star Platinum,
this technique does less damage.