In Fate and Desire

An AU where in stars and time has crossed over with Jojo's Bizzare Adventure! Written by @blahguy78 Illustrated by @Kuro-is-doodlin

[ifad78]

It seems you have strayed from your Path of Desire

You are trapped. Trapped in Dormont, trapped in the house of change, trapped in an endless cycle. All because you fail to see your Path of Desire, doomed to stray from where you are met to tread upon.

It wasn't always like this, there was once a time where this power brought to you by your stand filled you with hope and excitement. Perhaps you should look back on these times, before things went so amiss. Maybe if you look back on what went wrong in the past, you can better understand what we need to do in our present.

May you rest easy knowing that when you stray from your Path of Desire, Safe Words will follow, no matter how far you've strayed.

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

All illustrations seen on this page are done by @kuro-is-doodlin, go follow them.

[ifad78]

Isabeau

The gentle giant himself. Isabeau’s stand felt much more simple then everyone else's Stands'. Out of the two forms of his stand, you always preferred its "friend mode" form, ot was nice and friendly, just like Isa. You still liked the other form of his Stand though, it's just it felt much less friendly.

Isa was by far your closest ally. You always valued his ability to keep a cheery attitude even when things would seem so bleak. It could the end of the world and he would still have that beautifully dumb smile on his face. Even right now, when your trapped on this road of confusion, just remembering the fun times you had with Isa brings a smile to your face. Maybe things will be all right?

What would his Path of Desire look like? Despite being so close to him, you struggle to come up with up with something. How wretched. You don't even know what one of your best friends would want out of life? Can he even be considered such a close friend? Can you even be considered a good friend? Clearly not if you don't even know the most basic thing about him! It's a wonder why someone like him spends much time with a cretin like you. Perhaps it's out of pity?

You know that's not true, or at least you hope you know. The question still remains, what does a man like Isa desire? Maybe, one of these loops, it wouldn't hurt to ask.

[ifad78]

OSSS - Mirabelle's Oddloop

Pre-notes:

This one is a personal favorite of mine. Similar to Hot Chip, Mirabelle has informed me that her Stand also has 2 forms. Unlike Hot Chip though, she is much more reluctant to provide me with any strategic data regarding this form; even refusing to give me a sketch of it. When pressed further, she explained she’s only not really comfortable using this second form unless the situation practically requires it. Personally, I find this to be quite frustrating as it means any potential information I list here could be inaccurate due to unfamiliarity with the capabilities of this “second form”. Nevertheless I’ll respect Mirabelle’s decision, even if I heavily disagree with it.

Appearance:

As per protocol, a sketch made by Mirabelle has been attached below.

Categorical Evaluation:

Destructive power: C

Reasoning: As previously stated, Oddloop’s offensive output has provided mixed results. The main problem lies in bulkier opponents, the harder something is to rip apart, the harder time the stand will have in ripping them apart. Where the stand excels though is environmental destruction, as most environmental objects will already have holes and cracks that Oddloop can take advantage of. From there, it’s much easier to rip apart and destroy these objects compared to a living being.

Speed: B

Reasoning: Siffrin had reported that specific parts of the Stand’s body were able to not only match his speed, but exceed it. He noted that while the body remained stationary and linked to Mirabelle’s movements, the arms had much more freedom and were able to easily outspeed him. If it weren’t for the lack of mobility of the main body of the stand, this would likely be an easy A, but with that restriction in mind I will have to dock some points from the overall rating.

Range: A

Reasoning: Mirabelle reported being able retain full control over the Stand’s arms at a distance of 15 meters away. That was the maximum distance Mirabelle was willing to test on her own because “I was worried if I went farther, then I’d lose where my arms were and I wouldn’t be able to bring them back!” With the arms being key to the Stand’s functionality, this essentially could imply that the Stand's range is limitless.

Stamina: D

Reasoning: Stamina is the main weak point of Oddloop, being reliant on the User’s grip strength; the stronger the User’s grip strength, the more effective the stand is at ripping something apart and vice versa. Luckily it’s healing capabilities do not require any form of extreme physical exertion, only when it’s used in offensive settings is the stamina of the stand a problem point. 

Precision: A

Reasoning: Precision is another strong point in the stands arsenal. When in a healing role, the Stand seals the wound in question through simply connecting the two ends and sealing them together, making it seem good as new. To do this effectively the Stand’s hands are able to precisely and gently grab the two ends of a wound and bring them together perfectly to allow a small light to form and close the wound. Offensively it is the same thing just instead of bringing the two ends of the opening together, it instead brings them farther apart. Either way this still requires a great amount of precision as even incredibly small wounds are susceptible to Oddloop's ability.

Development potential: D

Reasoning: Mirabelle has informed that she had awakened to her stand while she was living in the house of change during her teen years. She has had a long time to figure out what works about her stand and what doesn’t so I doubt there is much more room for it to develop. The only reason it doesn’t get an E ranking is actually due to this mysterious “Second form” that she recently discovered within her stand during her travels with us. 

Overall Evaluation: 

Mirabelle’s Oddloop excels primarily in a support role with the potential of being an amazing offensive piece. It’s ease of use when it comes to healing any wound one of our members may attain means we’ll always have a reliable form of recovery; if it weren’t for the caveat that use of this healing would enter Mirabelle in a cooldown state, we would seldom bring any sour tonics with us on our journey. The range of Oddloop only helps its reliability as no matter how far Mirabelle is from a wounded target, as long as she remains outside a cooldown state she can easily tend to them. That’s not to mention the potential offensive applications that Oddloop can provide, only giving it more versatility.

While its healing capabilities lack any notable flaws, its offensive attributes are where the Stand’s weaknesses come into play. The reliance on the User’s grip strength means the weaker the user, the harder it is to take full advantage of Oddloops ability. This also extends to the bulkiness of the target, recently we even witnessed a catastrophic failure of a test to use the Stand effectively due to the size of the enemy in question. The unreliable nature of this ability makes it much harder to rely on than its healing attributes. Oddloop is a support stand first, and an offensive stand third or fourth but I still believe there is great potential to be had in exploring its offensive capabilities.

[ifad78]

OSSS - Isabeau’s Hot Chip

Pre notes:

I have decided it would be in our best interest for me to chart everyone’s stands and identify their strengths and weaknesses. To do this most effectively I have created a standardized rating tool to which I can apply to each one of our stands. I call this rating system the “Odile’s Stand Strategy Summary” or “OSSS” for short. I have created 6 categories for a stand to be evaluated on through an E-A ranking system. These 6 categories are: Destructive power, Speed, Range, Stamina, Precision, and Development potential. These will be measured based on a mix of comparisons with other members, and theory crafting whenever there are gaps in information. From there, a final overall evaluation will be made noting the stands strengths and weaknesses. Hot Chip will be the first stand to be put through this evaluation.

Isabeau has two separate forms of Hot Chip that he usually switches between depending on the severity of the moment. When we have found ourselves in moments of levity, Isabeau will bring his stand into what he has dubbed “Friend Mode”. For the sake of the evaluation, Friend Mode will be mostly ignored as Isabeau does not use this mode in more intense situations. Instead, Isabeau uses what he has dubbed “Attack Mode” which is superior in every way and sports a much more intimidating appearance.

Appearance:

Hot Chip has two visually distinct forms. I'm not very prone to writing visual descriptions so I requested Mirabelle to provide me with sketches of the stand. On the left, Attack mode, on the right, Friend mode.

Ability:

The stand has the ability to make anything the user grabs malleable. From there, the user can change the item's shape, and even hardness to suit his needs. For instance, the user can grab the bark of a tree and easily rip out the wood. The rigid wood would turn into a much more gelatinous substance and would be prone to being reshaped. From there, after being shaped into something the user deem’s satisfying, they can make the item retain the properties of wood but have a hardness comparable to that of steel, all while still maintaining its reformed shape.

Categorical Evaluation:

Destructive power: A

Reasoning: The stand has shown itself to be more than capable of incapacitating Sadness in a single strike. This raw strength is only elevated through its ability, which can be used to both tear the environment apart and use whatever it wants as a weapon. Oftentimes, Isabeau will even use the earth as a boxing glove, despite it being dirt it remains just as effective as a pair of the finest brass knuckles money can buy.

Speed: D

Reasoning: Siffrin reported that in attempting to compare movement speed between him and Hot Chip, the stand struggled to keep up. It seems the main problem area is the substantial weight the stand exhibits with each movement. While this weight serves great benefit to improving the stand’s destructive power, it heavily hinders its speed.

Range: C

Reasoning: If I were just evaluating the stand’s punch length, it would be a D, but I am also evaluating the range of its ability. With that taken into consideration its range becomes a little more favorable as Isabeau has informed me anything reshaped or reformed in a 6 meter radius will continue to have its properties altered until Hot Chip is over 6 meters away.

Stamina: B

Reasoning: Isabeau has reported not experiencing too much extra straining when using his stand compared to if he were to fight without its assistance. He did note that using his reforming ability requires an excess amount of energy, but one that he says is still manageable.

Precision: D

Reasoning: Mirabelle reported that Hot Chip struggled with precision due the size and slowness of its movements. Mirabelle attempted to compare the precise strikes of her rapier to the punches of Hot Chip. What she found is that while yes, accuracy isn’t a problem, the stand does struggle with keeping a steady pace.

Development potential: C

Reasoning: Apart from Mirabelle, I am the only other person among the group who was there to witness Isabeau first awaken his stand and get accustomed to his abilities. Isabeau has definitely found creative ways to use his ability, but his fighting is much more reliant on brute force rather than careful strategy which I believe severely limits what he can do with the stand. In due time, I'm sure he'll get more accustomed to using his stand outside of just punching things.

Overall Evaluation:

Isabeau’s Hot Chip excels primarily at one thing, hand to hand combat. It’s able to strike with punches that exceed its own user, while even being able enhance the users fighting capabilities. That’s not even to mention the defense ramifications it’s ability can have, being able to effortlessly create a wall out of anything and make it harder than steel is simply incredible. While yes, speed and precision are weak points for it I believe the raw strength the stand has easily makes up for it.

I believe the main issue with the stand lies in its lack of versatility. Stand battles are not just battles of brawns, they are also battles of brains. To have a stand that specifically excels in brawns means it will end up much worse in any matchup against a more creatively inclined stand user. So while the stand is very useful when it comes to any normal Sadness encounter, its use can be very one note when we encounter something that is outside the usual monster.

[ifad78]

Bonnie

Bonnie, Bonbon, or even Boniface depending on which of your friends you asked. Compared to the other stands, Bonnie’s felt like it had alot more life and energy in it. While everyone else's stands were essentially mindless beings that obeyed orders, Bonnie’s stand almost felt like an entirely seperate person, not too dissimilar to....

There was always a sense of youthful tragedy that followed Bonnie. Losing your sister and being forced into combat at such a young age surely isn't healthy for someone who hadn't even broken into their teens yet. Nethertheless, their determination was nothing short of inspirational. Going on this journey has surely allowed them to mature much more then the average kid their age, and as weird as it may have sounded, they were an important glue in holding the whole gang together.

What would their Path of Desire look like? Perhaps something reflective of their childish nature? It's very easy to guess what their current desire might be: to save their sister. But what about after that? Maybe it'll be to become "The best chef in the world!!!!!" If their's anyone that can achieve a desire like that, it would be Bonnie. You wonder if Bonnie’s Path of Desire will grow and change alongside them, perhaps as they grow older and mature more they might find themselves walking down an increasingly different Path from where they started.

You wonder if the Path of Desire you're trying to achieve has changed at all throughout your journey, or has stayed stagnate since the moment I showed up.

[ifad78]

Odile

The grandma of the group as Bonnie called her. You always found her stand to be the most interesting out of all of your friends. With it's lack of a physical appearance, and purely passive ability it certainly stuck out amongst the crowd of flashy brutes. You often felt Odile had this air of mystery to her. No matter how much you talked, prodded, and guessed you could never really quite tell what went on in that elderly skull of hers. In contrast, it felt like she could read your thoughts like a book at any time she pleased. You must be doing a great job at acting then if she hasn't picked up on your current circumstances.

What does her Path of Desire look like? Due to her age, perhaps her Path is much more mature then your peers paths. Unlike your other friends, who you were able to much more easily guess what their Paths entail, your lack of understanding regarding Odile's true character limits your imagination. Perhaps her desire is something simple and easily obtainable, like a book. Or maybe it's the complete opposite, something so abstract and complicated that the idea of achieving this potential desire is simply infeasible.

You can only hope that your Path of Desire is something that is realistically obtainable, and not something that'll be forever out of your reach.

[ifad78]

Mirabelle

A girl of many wonders. You admired how her stand managed to be a mix of graceful humility, and terrifying implications. You always saw her as a beacon of hope, that no matter how bad things may have gotten, friends were not too far to comfort you; even if at times, she would be the one that needed the comforting. Her dedication to her beilefs was commendable, if not mildly concerning regarding the lengths she went.

What does her Path of Desire look like? It would likely align with something relating her beilefs. Potentially, it might be as simple as wishing for the King's defeat. Maybe it's to continue spreading the good word of change while she continues to dedicate herself to the house. Thinking about it, it brings up numerous questions in your mind: What would her Path look like, unshackled from her beilefs? Would such a Path reasonably exist? Is the Path that she currently walking upon, one that truly reflects her earnest desires?

Perhaps, the Path you beileve you're walking on and the Path you are truly walking on are two seperate roads.