Do you seek adventure beyond the treacherous waterfalls? Do you seek the mythical being that...
The Secret of Stands, and the Blue Water too. (Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water X JoJo)
- Thread starter Iceblocks
- Start date
- Created
- Status
- Ongoing
- Watchers
- 22
- Recent readers
- 0
- Threadmarks
- 7
-
Statistics (7 threadmarks, 5k words)
User Total Iceblocks 7 Threadmarks Reader mode
Intro
Do you seek adventure beyond the treacherous waterfalls? Do you seek the mythical being that dwells within this unreachable place? If you do, then you must first find me…
-Unknown.
-Unknown.
The year is 1889.
Countless ships are being consumed by the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. People whisper in fear about terrible sea monsters. However, governments of the world suspect that the ships are victims of secret weapons used by their enemies. The industrial world, meanwhile, strengthens itself with steel. World powers growl at each other for new colonies in Africa and Asia, the threats become terrible warfare. As the twentieth century grows closer civilization grows richer, but the people tremble in fear. And the clouds of a world-wide war darken the horizon…
Our story begins in Paris, 1889. The Exposition Universelle is well underway with technology, art and people from all over the world in attendance. Set on the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution, the Exposition of both a celebration of human progress and a chance for the Great Powers to display their technological and cultural might.
Also in attendance are two children. One is on a boat with his uncle and his friend, here on a small river boat to partake in the contest for Best Flying Machine (with a grand prize of 20,000 Francs). The other is already in Paris and is currently leaving her wagon with her pet lion cub and her friend, having decided to see the sights of the French Capital while she has free time.
Here in Paris they shall meet.
You are the friend of one of these two children, unseen by all but them for the entirety of their lives. But…which child?
[] Jean.
Young Jean is a little inventor from the area around Le Havre in northern France. For the moment he lives with his uncle and his aunt, his father having gone missing at sea more than a year ago.
[] Nadia.
Nadia is a performer at a travelling circus, serving as both acrobat and lion tamer (as well as exotic curiosity). She spends most of her free time trying to figure out where she is from, having no memories before her life of travelling.
Index
Quest Rules and Stand Mechanics
Quest Mechanics.
This quest makes use of vote weighing, where some options are worth more or less depending on the situation. As Nadia's Stand options that avoid conflict are generally weighed more than agressive ones. This is from Nadia's own dislike of harming other human beings (and her hangups with taking life in general), her only being 12-15 years old, and the trauma of seeing you beat a lion until it lost consciousness, and then continuing until it lost its life, and then continuing until the body lost its status as solid matter.
Stand Mechanics.
What is a Stand? For those of you unfamilliar with JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, a Stand is a manifestation of a character's soul/psychic powers. All Stands follow these rules.
1. There are exceptions to every rule.
2. Only Stand Users can see Stands.
3. Only Stands and Stand effects can damage Stands. This is because of intangibility as Stands self-select if they interact with physical matter or not.
4. Stands may freely interact with the physical.
5. Stands become weaker the further they are from their User.
6. Damage caused to a Stand will cause sympathetic injuries to appear on the User and vice versa. If the Stand is destroyed the user will die, and vice versa.
7. If the User loses their will to fight/falls to despair their mental energy will be reduced to Zero, making their Stand lose all its power and cause all Stand effects to fail.
There are probably some rules I have forgotten at the moment, so this section may be updated as we go along.
Stands and their abilities have Stats that range from A to E.
Destructive Power is self-explanationary. This is how much damage the Stand itself is capable of causing. In JoJo the DP stat uses one value to cover both the Stand itself and its ability, but I decided to split them up for clarity's sake.
Speed. Also self-explanationary. How fast the Stand can move, whether it is floating or hitting things.
Range covers both the range of the Stand's ability and how far the Stand can move from the User before weakening to the point of uselessness.
Durability/Staying is an odd one. Durability concerns the Stand itself. How tough is it? How much punishment can it take before it becomes seriously injured. Durability sometimes affects the ration of the sympathetic injuries that appear on the User when the Stand is damaged.
Staying, on the other hand, concerns the Stand's ability, specifically how much effort o the User's part is necessary to use/maintain the Stand's ability or how long the Stand's ability can remain activated.
Precision concerns the Stand's senses as well as the precision of its ability.
Development Potential represents the untapped potential that remains within the Stand. As this potential is tapped the Stand may increase in strength or even gain new modes or a new shape. It can also simply represent that the User has yet to fully understand how to make use of their Stand.
Types of Stand:
Normal type Stands simply take a (usually humanoid) form and serves the user.
Object Stands are mindless objects, though their Users gain all the abilities that Stand Users share.
Dependence-Independence.
Dependent Stands are the most common kind of Stand. These Stands have no minds of their own and mostly behave like anthropomorphic limbs separate from the body. Object Stands are almost always Dependent (the Semi-Independent/Independent Toth comes to mind).
Semi-Automatic Stands come in two flavors. The first behave like Dependent Stands but are controlled by the User's subconscious rather than theri conscious will, and the other have rudimentary minds that are closely linked to their Users. Holy Diver (you) and Stratovarius fall in the latter category.
Everything on this list will be subject to updates as the Quest goes on.
This quest makes use of vote weighing, where some options are worth more or less depending on the situation. As Nadia's Stand options that avoid conflict are generally weighed more than agressive ones. This is from Nadia's own dislike of harming other human beings (and her hangups with taking life in general), her only being 12-15 years old, and the trauma of seeing you beat a lion until it lost consciousness, and then continuing until it lost its life, and then continuing until the body lost its status as solid matter.
Stand Mechanics.
What is a Stand? For those of you unfamilliar with JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, a Stand is a manifestation of a character's soul/psychic powers. All Stands follow these rules.
1. There are exceptions to every rule.
2. Only Stand Users can see Stands.
3. Only Stands and Stand effects can damage Stands. This is because of intangibility as Stands self-select if they interact with physical matter or not.
4. Stands may freely interact with the physical.
5. Stands become weaker the further they are from their User.
6. Damage caused to a Stand will cause sympathetic injuries to appear on the User and vice versa. If the Stand is destroyed the user will die, and vice versa.
7. If the User loses their will to fight/falls to despair their mental energy will be reduced to Zero, making their Stand lose all its power and cause all Stand effects to fail.
There are probably some rules I have forgotten at the moment, so this section may be updated as we go along.
Stands and their abilities have Stats that range from A to E.
Destructive Power is self-explanationary. This is how much damage the Stand itself is capable of causing. In JoJo the DP stat uses one value to cover both the Stand itself and its ability, but I decided to split them up for clarity's sake.
Speed. Also self-explanationary. How fast the Stand can move, whether it is floating or hitting things.
Range covers both the range of the Stand's ability and how far the Stand can move from the User before weakening to the point of uselessness.
Durability/Staying is an odd one. Durability concerns the Stand itself. How tough is it? How much punishment can it take before it becomes seriously injured. Durability sometimes affects the ration of the sympathetic injuries that appear on the User when the Stand is damaged.
Staying, on the other hand, concerns the Stand's ability, specifically how much effort o the User's part is necessary to use/maintain the Stand's ability or how long the Stand's ability can remain activated.
Precision concerns the Stand's senses as well as the precision of its ability.
Development Potential represents the untapped potential that remains within the Stand. As this potential is tapped the Stand may increase in strength or even gain new modes or a new shape. It can also simply represent that the User has yet to fully understand how to make use of their Stand.
Types of Stand:
Normal type Stands simply take a (usually humanoid) form and serves the user.
Object Stands are mindless objects, though their Users gain all the abilities that Stand Users share.
Dependence-Independence.
Dependent Stands are the most common kind of Stand. These Stands have no minds of their own and mostly behave like anthropomorphic limbs separate from the body. Object Stands are almost always Dependent (the Semi-Independent/Independent Toth comes to mind).
Semi-Automatic Stands come in two flavors. The first behave like Dependent Stands but are controlled by the User's subconscious rather than theri conscious will, and the other have rudimentary minds that are closely linked to their Users. Holy Diver (you) and Stratovarius fall in the latter category.
Everything on this list will be subject to updates as the Quest goes on.
Last edited:
Nadia Paris - 1
[X] Nadia.
Up until today, little Nadia's life has been one of mystery.
Where did she come from? None of the other performers at the circus knew anything about the life she led before she stumbled into their lives several years ago, and her own stateless appearance left both them and others clueless as to whether she was from Spain, India, or anywhere in between.
Would she ever find out where she was born? She sent most of what little free time she had searching for the answer to that question, but nowhere on her journey did anyone have an answer for her. The brilliant blue gem hanging around her neck was her only clue, but the stone attracted as much greed as it did help.
Would anyone ever understand her? As a member of a circus troupe she has seen many people in her short life, but how many of those people she saw truly understood each other? The lean clown and the bearded lady in the wagon beside hers had each other, some of the other performers had someone who understood them as well, and the other two children who worked there always talked about friendship, love and marriage. Nadia had King, a little grey lion cub, as a friend, but he could never understand her either. For how could anyone who couldn't see you understand her? You have been by her side several times in the circus ring, but nobody had ever sought her out to ask about you. Sometimes she wondered if she was the only one.
In itself it doesn't bother you, but that it bothers her makes you feel listless.
The Paris Exposition of 1889 is in full swing, people from all over the world having come to the French Capital. The bustle is such that even a circus can go unnoticed, especially one that is hours away from its next performance.
You follow Nadia as she puts on her best clothes, the ones she has to put on whenever the other performers drag her to church every Sunday. She then takes the bicycle the circus' children share between them and, after informing the ringmaster, set out to explore the city. You do not bother with staying manifested as she travels through the city, taking in the sights of the Exposition as she passes them by. Through your shared senses you behold some sort of contest for flying machines by a nearby canal, but as the spectacle fails to catch Nadia's attention the memory of the event disappears within moments.
'Eiffel Tower', the sign reads in several languages. Nadia reads the rest out loud to the lion cub in the basket of her bicycle. Apparently they built this just for today. Nadia is impressed, and, though the why of it all escapes you, because Nadia is impressed you are impressed. She has to leave her bicycle in a stand by the tower's foot, the people guarding it does not allow anything other than people and pets onboard the elevator.
The view from the top of the Eifel Tower stuns Nadia into silence, though it does little to brighten her mood. The thoughts swirling inside her mind are familiar to you, she is once again wondering about the origins. You never wonder about your origins. You were born from Nadia, and you will stay by her side.
She leans down and speaks to the lion cub. "King, do you think I was born in Africa like you were? Or is it someplace we haven't even thought of yet..." The little lion purrs at her, making her giggle quietly to herself.
"But I don't suppose you would know, would you?" She says quietly, as if to herself.
King simply purrs again, gesturing with a grey-furred front paw towards the sky. An airship passes by the tower, leisurely making its way through the air towards its destination, or perhaps it is here to celebrate the Exposition.
"Maybe we could find it if we fly…" She mumbles distantly, voicing her thoughts without a care as to who might be listening.
"Oh, but you can fly!"
The words shock her out of her thoughts. 'Stupid!' she thinks to herself. She should have checked regularly to see if anyone else had come up here! She whips around, King doing the same, coming face to face with a boy her age. The boy smiles friendlily, his eyes closed as he adjusts his bowtie.
She manifests you, calling you to her side as a precaution. If the boy is hostile-
He opens his mouth along with his eyes to say something, but no sound come out as his eyes rest upon you. Nadia's own eyes widen along with his. Could-could he?!
"Can you see her?!" She demands while gesturing towards you, hoping beyond hope that the answer would be 'yes'.
"Can you see-"
[] Holy Diver.
[] Otherworld.
[] Burn my Dread.
[] Ultra.
[] Zodiac Mindwarp.
[] Isolated.
"Y-yes. I can." The boy replies, a figure manifesting beside him as if responding to his surprise. Nadia's eyes lock onto it, a conflicting mixture of joy, wariness and confusion warring in her mind.
The boy doesn't seem to notice. "But what about you? Can you see my-"
[] Stratovarius.
[] Century Color.
[] Technologic.
[] Blumenkranz.
[] Metallica.
[] Five Iron Frenzy.
Up until today, little Nadia's life has been one of mystery.
Where did she come from? None of the other performers at the circus knew anything about the life she led before she stumbled into their lives several years ago, and her own stateless appearance left both them and others clueless as to whether she was from Spain, India, or anywhere in between.
Would she ever find out where she was born? She sent most of what little free time she had searching for the answer to that question, but nowhere on her journey did anyone have an answer for her. The brilliant blue gem hanging around her neck was her only clue, but the stone attracted as much greed as it did help.
Would anyone ever understand her? As a member of a circus troupe she has seen many people in her short life, but how many of those people she saw truly understood each other? The lean clown and the bearded lady in the wagon beside hers had each other, some of the other performers had someone who understood them as well, and the other two children who worked there always talked about friendship, love and marriage. Nadia had King, a little grey lion cub, as a friend, but he could never understand her either. For how could anyone who couldn't see you understand her? You have been by her side several times in the circus ring, but nobody had ever sought her out to ask about you. Sometimes she wondered if she was the only one.
In itself it doesn't bother you, but that it bothers her makes you feel listless.
The Paris Exposition of 1889 is in full swing, people from all over the world having come to the French Capital. The bustle is such that even a circus can go unnoticed, especially one that is hours away from its next performance.
You follow Nadia as she puts on her best clothes, the ones she has to put on whenever the other performers drag her to church every Sunday. She then takes the bicycle the circus' children share between them and, after informing the ringmaster, set out to explore the city. You do not bother with staying manifested as she travels through the city, taking in the sights of the Exposition as she passes them by. Through your shared senses you behold some sort of contest for flying machines by a nearby canal, but as the spectacle fails to catch Nadia's attention the memory of the event disappears within moments.
'Eiffel Tower', the sign reads in several languages. Nadia reads the rest out loud to the lion cub in the basket of her bicycle. Apparently they built this just for today. Nadia is impressed, and, though the why of it all escapes you, because Nadia is impressed you are impressed. She has to leave her bicycle in a stand by the tower's foot, the people guarding it does not allow anything other than people and pets onboard the elevator.
The view from the top of the Eifel Tower stuns Nadia into silence, though it does little to brighten her mood. The thoughts swirling inside her mind are familiar to you, she is once again wondering about the origins. You never wonder about your origins. You were born from Nadia, and you will stay by her side.
She leans down and speaks to the lion cub. "King, do you think I was born in Africa like you were? Or is it someplace we haven't even thought of yet..." The little lion purrs at her, making her giggle quietly to herself.
"But I don't suppose you would know, would you?" She says quietly, as if to herself.
King simply purrs again, gesturing with a grey-furred front paw towards the sky. An airship passes by the tower, leisurely making its way through the air towards its destination, or perhaps it is here to celebrate the Exposition.
"Maybe we could find it if we fly…" She mumbles distantly, voicing her thoughts without a care as to who might be listening.
"Oh, but you can fly!"
The words shock her out of her thoughts. 'Stupid!' she thinks to herself. She should have checked regularly to see if anyone else had come up here! She whips around, King doing the same, coming face to face with a boy her age. The boy smiles friendlily, his eyes closed as he adjusts his bowtie.
She manifests you, calling you to her side as a precaution. If the boy is hostile-
He opens his mouth along with his eyes to say something, but no sound come out as his eyes rest upon you. Nadia's own eyes widen along with his. Could-could he?!
"Can you see her?!" She demands while gesturing towards you, hoping beyond hope that the answer would be 'yes'.
"Can you see-"
[] Holy Diver.
[] Otherworld.
[] Burn my Dread.
[] Ultra.
[] Zodiac Mindwarp.
[] Isolated.
"Y-yes. I can." The boy replies, a figure manifesting beside him as if responding to his surprise. Nadia's eyes lock onto it, a conflicting mixture of joy, wariness and confusion warring in her mind.
The boy doesn't seem to notice. "But what about you? Can you see my-"
[] Stratovarius.
[] Century Color.
[] Technologic.
[] Blumenkranz.
[] Metallica.
[] Five Iron Frenzy.
Nadia Paris - 2
[X] Holy Diver.
"Can you see her?!" Nadia demands while gesturing towards you, hoping beyond hope that the answer would be 'yes'.
"Can you see Holy Diver?"
You idly hover in the air beside her, you dark blue diamond-shaped eyes never leaving the boy before you. He seems quite taken by your midnight black armor and the blood red light that dully spills from the crack in the metal of your face that serves as your mouth. Other than those features, you are clad head to toe in armor, obscuring everything that might lie underneath. Nadia tried to take your armor off when she was younger, but all her attempts failed until the day she gave up.
[X] Stratovarius.
"Y-yes. I can." The boy replies, a figure manifesting beside him as if responding to his surprise. Nadia's eyes lock onto it, a conflicting mixture of joy, wariness and confusion warring in her mind.
The boy doesn't seem to notice. "But what about you? Can you see my Stratovarius?"
Stratovarius is shaped like a human like a human torso, limbless except for the threads of light that emerge from the stumps. Its face is blank, as are its eyes, but there is a purple tattoo on its forehead that portrays a stylized eye. With the exception of the tattoo the entirety of its body is colored an odd shade of whitish-blue.
Nadia answers his question with the affirmative, giving him a short description of what she sees as she does. Both of them are smiling, Nadia because someone can see you and the boy, 'Jean', for reasons you do not know. The conversation turns from you and Stratovarius to where Nadia is from, and from there to flying.
"My uncle and I have come from Le Havre to compete in the flying competition!" Jean says as the elevator opens behind you, three adults stepping off it. "I built it myself. Our flying machine." He adds proudly. Nadia's answer is cut off by the red glow that erupts from her pendant, the usually blur jewel blinking with a bright red light as it hums.
Jean adjusts his glasses as he leans down to get a better look. "What is that? Did you invent it?"
"N-no, I…" Nadia, her hands moving to cover the jewel, says before she turns to King and yourself. "King, Holy Diver, we should go-"
"You are too refined to create such a scene in public." You and the others turn to face the elevator. A tall red-haired woman stands flanked by two men in white suits.
"And I had to watch it!" She continues. "And I am so tired of watching it!" The two men whisper something to the furious woman before she tells them to shut up.
Having dealt with her companions, the woman pulls her eyes away from Nadia's necklace to look at her face. "Now kindly hand over your precious little bauble, my dear. We have been looking all over Europe to find-" The woman's mouth clicks shut one her eyes slip from the jewel hanging from around Nadia's neck to land on you. Her hand twitches reflexively and a dark-green cannon appears underneath her right forearm, its grip and trigger mechanism securely held in the woman's gloved hand.
"Hanson, Sanson…Do-do you see those things?" The men answer the negative, their easy smiles replaced by a measure of worry at the sight of the weapon attached to the woman's arm.
The woman is off-balance, and Nadia is preparing to flee the scene. The shadows on top the Eiffel Tower are few and faint, but enough.
[] Attack! (X 0.5)
--[] Red-haired woman.
--[] White-suited men.
[] Flee with Nadia and King (X 1)
--[] Take Jean with you.
--[] Leave Jean here.
[] Write in (Weighing varies)
**********************************************************************
Stand Data
Stand Name: Holy Diver.
Master: Nadia
Stats (Stand/Ability)
Destructive Power A/?
Speed A/?
Range D/?
Durability/Staying A/?
Precision A/?
Developmental Potential C
Abilities:
?
Traits.
Semi-Automatic Stand: Holy Diver possesses a certain degree of sapience, straddling the border between mindless Dependent Stands and the fully sapient Automatic Stands.
Stand Name: Stratovarius.
Master: Jean Rocque Raltique
Stats (Stand/Ability)
Destructive Power ?/?
Speed ?/?
Range ?/?
Durability/Staying ?/?
Precision ?/?
Developmental Potential ?
Abilities:
?
Traits.
Semi-Automatic Stand: Stratovarius possesses a certain degree of sapience, straddling the border between mindless Dependent Stands and the fully sapient Automatic Stands.
"Can you see her?!" Nadia demands while gesturing towards you, hoping beyond hope that the answer would be 'yes'.
"Can you see Holy Diver?"
You idly hover in the air beside her, you dark blue diamond-shaped eyes never leaving the boy before you. He seems quite taken by your midnight black armor and the blood red light that dully spills from the crack in the metal of your face that serves as your mouth. Other than those features, you are clad head to toe in armor, obscuring everything that might lie underneath. Nadia tried to take your armor off when she was younger, but all her attempts failed until the day she gave up.
[X] Stratovarius.
"Y-yes. I can." The boy replies, a figure manifesting beside him as if responding to his surprise. Nadia's eyes lock onto it, a conflicting mixture of joy, wariness and confusion warring in her mind.
The boy doesn't seem to notice. "But what about you? Can you see my Stratovarius?"
Stratovarius is shaped like a human like a human torso, limbless except for the threads of light that emerge from the stumps. Its face is blank, as are its eyes, but there is a purple tattoo on its forehead that portrays a stylized eye. With the exception of the tattoo the entirety of its body is colored an odd shade of whitish-blue.
Nadia answers his question with the affirmative, giving him a short description of what she sees as she does. Both of them are smiling, Nadia because someone can see you and the boy, 'Jean', for reasons you do not know. The conversation turns from you and Stratovarius to where Nadia is from, and from there to flying.
"My uncle and I have come from Le Havre to compete in the flying competition!" Jean says as the elevator opens behind you, three adults stepping off it. "I built it myself. Our flying machine." He adds proudly. Nadia's answer is cut off by the red glow that erupts from her pendant, the usually blur jewel blinking with a bright red light as it hums.
Jean adjusts his glasses as he leans down to get a better look. "What is that? Did you invent it?"
"N-no, I…" Nadia, her hands moving to cover the jewel, says before she turns to King and yourself. "King, Holy Diver, we should go-"
"You are too refined to create such a scene in public." You and the others turn to face the elevator. A tall red-haired woman stands flanked by two men in white suits.
"And I had to watch it!" She continues. "And I am so tired of watching it!" The two men whisper something to the furious woman before she tells them to shut up.
Having dealt with her companions, the woman pulls her eyes away from Nadia's necklace to look at her face. "Now kindly hand over your precious little bauble, my dear. We have been looking all over Europe to find-" The woman's mouth clicks shut one her eyes slip from the jewel hanging from around Nadia's neck to land on you. Her hand twitches reflexively and a dark-green cannon appears underneath her right forearm, its grip and trigger mechanism securely held in the woman's gloved hand.
"Hanson, Sanson…Do-do you see those things?" The men answer the negative, their easy smiles replaced by a measure of worry at the sight of the weapon attached to the woman's arm.
The woman is off-balance, and Nadia is preparing to flee the scene. The shadows on top the Eiffel Tower are few and faint, but enough.
[] Attack! (X 0.5)
--[] Red-haired woman.
--[] White-suited men.
[] Flee with Nadia and King (X 1)
--[] Take Jean with you.
--[] Leave Jean here.
[] Write in (Weighing varies)
**********************************************************************
Stand Data
Stand Name: Holy Diver.
Master: Nadia
Stats (Stand/Ability)
Destructive Power A/?
Speed A/?
Range D/?
Durability/Staying A/?
Precision A/?
Developmental Potential C
Abilities:
?
Traits.
Semi-Automatic Stand: Holy Diver possesses a certain degree of sapience, straddling the border between mindless Dependent Stands and the fully sapient Automatic Stands.
Stand Name: Stratovarius.
Master: Jean Rocque Raltique
Stats (Stand/Ability)
Destructive Power ?/?
Speed ?/?
Range ?/?
Durability/Staying ?/?
Precision ?/?
Developmental Potential ?
Abilities:
?
Traits.
Semi-Automatic Stand: Stratovarius possesses a certain degree of sapience, straddling the border between mindless Dependent Stands and the fully sapient Automatic Stands.
Nadia Paris - 3
[X] Flee with Nadia and King (X 1)
--[X] Take Jean with you.
You lay your hand on Nadia's shoulder and point at the faint shadow that the railing casts upon the platform. She nods, quickly picking up King, holding the lion cub to her chest with one arm while flinging the other around your neck. Her eyes widen when you reach out to bring your arm around Jean's waist before you lean down, reaching out with your other arm to touch the shadow of the railing.
"Jean, hold your breath!" Nadia shouts at him before following her own advice, taking a deep gulp of air.
"What are you doing!" Yells the red-haired woman as she brings her weapon to bear on you and the others. "Stop that at once-!"
You ignore her and place your hand on the shadow, its faint existence making it something of an effort to force it「Open」. Once it is open you 「Dive」right into it, into the 「Dark World」on the 「Other Side」. The only light within this world comes from the 「Windows of Light」, which are shadows and darkness in the World you just left.
This is your 「World」, one that only you can access. Your 「Midnight Sea」.
Below you there is a window that is 「Descending」, probably a shadow within the elevator the adults just stepped out of. There is no 「Gravity」within this world, allowing you to move freely at your full strength and speed in any direction as long as you carry Nadia with you. There is no「Air」either, so you must hurry. Nadia, King and Jean cannot be down too long in the 「Midnight Sea」.
You rocket down after the window within the elevator. It is moving but with your 「Speed」you should easily be able to catch up with it before Nadia or the other two run out of air-
Stratovarius appears, and then the 「Midnight Sea Shifts」, the window you were chasing suddenly appearing right beside you. At first you think of it as a new window, a new 「Darkness」 cast on the world you came from, but the view on the other side is definitively that of a 「Descending Elevator」. Jean reaches up to your neck to get Nadia's attention, and a few moments later you feel her order to reenter the 「World you escaped from」.
You push the others through first, only leaving the「Midnight Sea」after you are certain that all three of them are breathing. Nadia is the first to speak, being used to holding her breath for long periods of time after years of exposure to your ability. "Did you do that?" She asks Jean. "When the door of light suddenly appeared closer to us, was that you?"
Jean nods at her, still a little out of breath. "Yes…my Stratovarius can…extend or compress the…vertical distance between two objects…or two points in space."
While wary of the adults after Nadia, the two of them exchange a few questions and stories of their experiences with you and Stratovarius' abilities. Apparently Jean discovered that his friend that only he could see had such an ability after he fell from a tall tree only to find that the ground was actually right beneath him. You remember when you first took Nadia into the 「Midnight Sea」with you: She had been at the circus for about a year, the ringmaster was considering making her a performer after realizing that your friend had a talent for acrobatics. It was during some practice after the other members of the circus had left for their wagons, she slipped off the line she was walking on and fell. The shadows underneath her were deep enough that you could enter the 「Midnight Sea」with zero delay, and after bleeding off her momentum you took your breathless and terrified friend back up into the World of Light.
Once the elevator comes to a stop Nadia and Jean rush over to where she left her bike, retrieving it before Nadia leads Jean into a shadowed back alley. "It will be faster if we use Holy Diver."
When down in the 「Midnight Sea」the weight of two children, a lion cub and a bicycle does not impede you noticeably, and even with regular stops to let your passengers come up for air as you speed from dark corner to dark corner you reach the circus in good time.
The Strongman and the Bearded Lady, who refer to themselves as brother and sister though he is from Norway and she is from Hungary, are the first to notice Nadia and Jean as Nadia leads him into the cluster of wagons behind the circus. The sight of Nadia and Jean gives them pause for a second before the Strongman mumbles to the Bearded Lady that 'Nadia has discovered boys'. Your friend grits her teeth at the comment, but does nothing to acknowledge it, replying the affirmative when Jean asks her if she is alright.
When they reach the wagon Nadia shares with King she takes out the pouch of sweets she hides behind her desk, taking one for herself then giving one to Jean before putting it back into its hiding place. The conversation from the elevator picks up again, for even though the initial excitement of meeting someone who can see you has cooled off a bit Nadia is still interested in the boy in the wagon with her, a sentiment Jean seems to echo judging from all the questions he asks and the willingness he has to answer hers.
A noise from outside silences them for a moment before Nadia sends to look out the window. A quick peek confirms that the Bearded Lady is sitting underneath it, book in hand. Is she listening in? From the way she good-naturedly smiles as she listens you and Nadia, who is watching through your eyes, decide to leave her be.
Nadia's good mood vanishes when you peek out again and spot the Ringmaster. The man is harsh, yet he has never been cruel as far as she knows, but she isn't sure how he will react with Jean here. The Bearded Lady gets up when she sees the Ringmaster, walking up to him. They begin to talk, your senses, being sharper than Nadia's, allow you to listen in on their conversation. You and Nadia catch world like a questioning 'Licentious?' from the Ringmaster and a laughing 'Playing Make-Believe' from the Bearded Lady. The Ringmaster's expression softens a little, but he is still stern as he dismisses the Bearded Lady and continues his march towards Nadia's wagon.
Nadia and Jean quickly promise to meet again after Nadia has finished working before Jean exits the wagon. He runs into the Ringmaster, who asks him a few questions before letting him continue on his way. The Ringmaster interrogates Nadia for a bit before telling her to change into her acrobat costume. His tone made you want to hit him in the early years of Nadia's stay at the circus, but now you have learned to leave it be unless he becomes hostile, which he never does.
Some time later Nadia enters the ring to a cheering crowd. You float beside her, scanning the seats for Jean and Stratovarius. Once they are located Nadia gets to work with a spring in her step.
First up are the adult lions. Nadia directs the two of them to perform tricks for the amusement of the audience. The circus used to have three lions, King excluded, back when Nadia had just arrived there. The third lion made the mistake of snapping at her when she came to feed it, causing you to attack. You beat and beat and beat and beat it until it was nothing but a pile of 「Wet Meat」. The incident caused quite a stir in the town the circus was performing in at the time, the search for the brutal 'Lion Killer' coming up with nothing. Nadia was never suspected, of course. No seven year old girl could do that to an adult lion.
Nadia kept you on a tight leash ever since.
Nadia's performance ends after a display of acrobatics involving springboards and trapezes, and she quickly withdraws back behind the curtain to return to her wagon. King comes out from wherever he had been hiding to join her
She did not expect to find the three adults from the Eiffel Tower waiting for her, the ringmaster sitting behind them. He doesn't look in Nadia's direction, instead he stares downcast at the paper money in his hands.
The Red-Haired Woman smiles at Nadia before making a show of calling your friend her 'sister' as she levels the dark-green cannon at Nadia's chest. You rush ahead of Nadia to protect her, the blast of ice freezing your front solid. Nadia shivers a little from the cold, but she is not hurt because the ice doesn't hurt you. The Woman is clearly surprised when you break free of the ice and rush at her, your fist rearing back to-
The Woman's cannon fires again with a shout of "Quicksilver!", this time it is a concussive blast that takes you by surprise and sends you and Nadia flying out of the wagon. You are mostly uninjured, but Nadia has taken some bruises to her front.
You-
[] Attack! (X 1)
[] Flee! (X 1)
--[] Find Jean.
--[] Don't look for Jean.
**********************************************************
Stand Data
Update!
Stand Name: Holy Diver.
Master: Nadia
Stats (Stand/Ability)
Destructive Power A/E-D
Speed A/A
Range D/E
Durability/Staying A/A-D
Precision A/A
Developmental Potential C
Abilities:
The Midnight Sea: Holy Diver and its Master can move through a 'Dark World' accessible through shadows and darkness. There is no air within the Dark World, so Nadia and any she takes with her cannot be too long down there.
Traits.
Semi-Automatic Stand: Holy Diver possesses a certain degree of sapience, straddling the border between mindless Dependent Stands and the fully sapient Automatic Stands.
Update!
Stand Name: Stratovarius.
Master: Jean Rocque Raltique
Stats (Stand/Ability)
Destructive Power E/D-C
Speed B/A-D
Range C/B
Durability/Staying D/A
Precision B/A
Developmental Potential A
Abilities:
Deep Unknown: Stratovarius can extend or compress the vertical distance between two objects or points in space.
Traits.
Semi-Automatic Stand: Stratovarius possesses a certain degree of sapience, straddling the border between mindless Dependent Stands and the fully sapient Automatic Stands.
New Data
Stand Name: Quicksilver.
Master: Red-Haired Woman
Stats
Destructive Power A/A
Speed E/?
Range A/?
Durability/Staying C/?
Precision C/?
Developmental Potential B
Abilities:
Quicksilver: Quicksilver can fire several kinds of beams, blasts, shockwaves, kinetics and more esoteric projectiles. The power of a shot varies.
Traits.
Object Stand: Quicksilver is a mindless object. It has no will or sentience of its own and as such it is completely desynchronized with its master.
--[X] Take Jean with you.
You lay your hand on Nadia's shoulder and point at the faint shadow that the railing casts upon the platform. She nods, quickly picking up King, holding the lion cub to her chest with one arm while flinging the other around your neck. Her eyes widen when you reach out to bring your arm around Jean's waist before you lean down, reaching out with your other arm to touch the shadow of the railing.
"Jean, hold your breath!" Nadia shouts at him before following her own advice, taking a deep gulp of air.
"What are you doing!" Yells the red-haired woman as she brings her weapon to bear on you and the others. "Stop that at once-!"
You ignore her and place your hand on the shadow, its faint existence making it something of an effort to force it「Open」. Once it is open you 「Dive」right into it, into the 「Dark World」on the 「Other Side」. The only light within this world comes from the 「Windows of Light」, which are shadows and darkness in the World you just left.
This is your 「World」, one that only you can access. Your 「Midnight Sea」.
Below you there is a window that is 「Descending」, probably a shadow within the elevator the adults just stepped out of. There is no 「Gravity」within this world, allowing you to move freely at your full strength and speed in any direction as long as you carry Nadia with you. There is no「Air」either, so you must hurry. Nadia, King and Jean cannot be down too long in the 「Midnight Sea」.
You rocket down after the window within the elevator. It is moving but with your 「Speed」you should easily be able to catch up with it before Nadia or the other two run out of air-
Stratovarius appears, and then the 「Midnight Sea Shifts」, the window you were chasing suddenly appearing right beside you. At first you think of it as a new window, a new 「Darkness」 cast on the world you came from, but the view on the other side is definitively that of a 「Descending Elevator」. Jean reaches up to your neck to get Nadia's attention, and a few moments later you feel her order to reenter the 「World you escaped from」.
You push the others through first, only leaving the「Midnight Sea」after you are certain that all three of them are breathing. Nadia is the first to speak, being used to holding her breath for long periods of time after years of exposure to your ability. "Did you do that?" She asks Jean. "When the door of light suddenly appeared closer to us, was that you?"
Jean nods at her, still a little out of breath. "Yes…my Stratovarius can…extend or compress the…vertical distance between two objects…or two points in space."
While wary of the adults after Nadia, the two of them exchange a few questions and stories of their experiences with you and Stratovarius' abilities. Apparently Jean discovered that his friend that only he could see had such an ability after he fell from a tall tree only to find that the ground was actually right beneath him. You remember when you first took Nadia into the 「Midnight Sea」with you: She had been at the circus for about a year, the ringmaster was considering making her a performer after realizing that your friend had a talent for acrobatics. It was during some practice after the other members of the circus had left for their wagons, she slipped off the line she was walking on and fell. The shadows underneath her were deep enough that you could enter the 「Midnight Sea」with zero delay, and after bleeding off her momentum you took your breathless and terrified friend back up into the World of Light.
Once the elevator comes to a stop Nadia and Jean rush over to where she left her bike, retrieving it before Nadia leads Jean into a shadowed back alley. "It will be faster if we use Holy Diver."
When down in the 「Midnight Sea」the weight of two children, a lion cub and a bicycle does not impede you noticeably, and even with regular stops to let your passengers come up for air as you speed from dark corner to dark corner you reach the circus in good time.
The Strongman and the Bearded Lady, who refer to themselves as brother and sister though he is from Norway and she is from Hungary, are the first to notice Nadia and Jean as Nadia leads him into the cluster of wagons behind the circus. The sight of Nadia and Jean gives them pause for a second before the Strongman mumbles to the Bearded Lady that 'Nadia has discovered boys'. Your friend grits her teeth at the comment, but does nothing to acknowledge it, replying the affirmative when Jean asks her if she is alright.
When they reach the wagon Nadia shares with King she takes out the pouch of sweets she hides behind her desk, taking one for herself then giving one to Jean before putting it back into its hiding place. The conversation from the elevator picks up again, for even though the initial excitement of meeting someone who can see you has cooled off a bit Nadia is still interested in the boy in the wagon with her, a sentiment Jean seems to echo judging from all the questions he asks and the willingness he has to answer hers.
A noise from outside silences them for a moment before Nadia sends to look out the window. A quick peek confirms that the Bearded Lady is sitting underneath it, book in hand. Is she listening in? From the way she good-naturedly smiles as she listens you and Nadia, who is watching through your eyes, decide to leave her be.
Nadia's good mood vanishes when you peek out again and spot the Ringmaster. The man is harsh, yet he has never been cruel as far as she knows, but she isn't sure how he will react with Jean here. The Bearded Lady gets up when she sees the Ringmaster, walking up to him. They begin to talk, your senses, being sharper than Nadia's, allow you to listen in on their conversation. You and Nadia catch world like a questioning 'Licentious?' from the Ringmaster and a laughing 'Playing Make-Believe' from the Bearded Lady. The Ringmaster's expression softens a little, but he is still stern as he dismisses the Bearded Lady and continues his march towards Nadia's wagon.
Nadia and Jean quickly promise to meet again after Nadia has finished working before Jean exits the wagon. He runs into the Ringmaster, who asks him a few questions before letting him continue on his way. The Ringmaster interrogates Nadia for a bit before telling her to change into her acrobat costume. His tone made you want to hit him in the early years of Nadia's stay at the circus, but now you have learned to leave it be unless he becomes hostile, which he never does.
Some time later Nadia enters the ring to a cheering crowd. You float beside her, scanning the seats for Jean and Stratovarius. Once they are located Nadia gets to work with a spring in her step.
First up are the adult lions. Nadia directs the two of them to perform tricks for the amusement of the audience. The circus used to have three lions, King excluded, back when Nadia had just arrived there. The third lion made the mistake of snapping at her when she came to feed it, causing you to attack. You beat and beat and beat and beat it until it was nothing but a pile of 「Wet Meat」. The incident caused quite a stir in the town the circus was performing in at the time, the search for the brutal 'Lion Killer' coming up with nothing. Nadia was never suspected, of course. No seven year old girl could do that to an adult lion.
Nadia kept you on a tight leash ever since.
Nadia's performance ends after a display of acrobatics involving springboards and trapezes, and she quickly withdraws back behind the curtain to return to her wagon. King comes out from wherever he had been hiding to join her
She did not expect to find the three adults from the Eiffel Tower waiting for her, the ringmaster sitting behind them. He doesn't look in Nadia's direction, instead he stares downcast at the paper money in his hands.
The Red-Haired Woman smiles at Nadia before making a show of calling your friend her 'sister' as she levels the dark-green cannon at Nadia's chest. You rush ahead of Nadia to protect her, the blast of ice freezing your front solid. Nadia shivers a little from the cold, but she is not hurt because the ice doesn't hurt you. The Woman is clearly surprised when you break free of the ice and rush at her, your fist rearing back to-
The Woman's cannon fires again with a shout of "Quicksilver!", this time it is a concussive blast that takes you by surprise and sends you and Nadia flying out of the wagon. You are mostly uninjured, but Nadia has taken some bruises to her front.
You-
[] Attack! (X 1)
[] Flee! (X 1)
--[] Find Jean.
--[] Don't look for Jean.
**********************************************************
Stand Data
Update!
Stand Name: Holy Diver.
Master: Nadia
Stats (Stand/Ability)
Destructive Power A/E-D
Speed A/A
Range D/E
Durability/Staying A/A-D
Precision A/A
Developmental Potential C
Abilities:
The Midnight Sea: Holy Diver and its Master can move through a 'Dark World' accessible through shadows and darkness. There is no air within the Dark World, so Nadia and any she takes with her cannot be too long down there.
Traits.
Semi-Automatic Stand: Holy Diver possesses a certain degree of sapience, straddling the border between mindless Dependent Stands and the fully sapient Automatic Stands.
Update!
Stand Name: Stratovarius.
Master: Jean Rocque Raltique
Stats (Stand/Ability)
Destructive Power E/D-C
Speed B/A-D
Range C/B
Durability/Staying D/A
Precision B/A
Developmental Potential A
Abilities:
Deep Unknown: Stratovarius can extend or compress the vertical distance between two objects or points in space.
Traits.
Semi-Automatic Stand: Stratovarius possesses a certain degree of sapience, straddling the border between mindless Dependent Stands and the fully sapient Automatic Stands.
New Data
Stand Name: Quicksilver.
Master: Red-Haired Woman
Stats
Destructive Power A/A
Speed E/?
Range A/?
Durability/Staying C/?
Precision C/?
Developmental Potential B
Abilities:
Quicksilver: Quicksilver can fire several kinds of beams, blasts, shockwaves, kinetics and more esoteric projectiles. The power of a shot varies.
Traits.
Object Stand: Quicksilver is a mindless object. It has no will or sentience of its own and as such it is completely desynchronized with its master.
Last edited:
Nadia Paris - 4
Right then, sorry for the delay folks.
[X] Flee!
--[X] Find Jean.
You strike the shadow of one of the other circus wagons, grabbing Nadia and King and diving down into the 「Midnight Sea」. You didn't give them time to breathe in, so you are forced come up again on the inside of an empty wagon. It has a bigger bed than Nadia's, and there are both clown supplies and a dress hanging from the walls, so it is probably the wagon that the Bearded Lady shares with the Lean Clown.
Sounds of the Red-Haired Woman and the White Suited Men searching for you enter the wagon through the open window, prompting Nadia and King to take deep breaths before you dive back down. Nadia wants you to find Jean, so you head towards the 「Windows of Light」that lead out to the seats.
He's not there.
Nadia's arms tighten around your neck, driving you to search the 「Windows of Light」for any sight of the boy.
…
Not the seats. Not the entrance. Not among the food wagons. And not behind the curtain. Nadia's feelings fall with each failure, taking your strength with them. King frantically beating on your breastplate with his paws force you to come up for air, after you have made sure that the Red-Haired Woman isn't around.
A loud crash interrupts the sounds of heavy breathing within your hiding place, as does a familiar voice shouting "Get back here you stupid boy!"
Nadia is back on her feet in an instant. "Holy Diver!"
You quickly put King back under your arm, the lion cub hurrying to gulp down a lungful of air as Nadia jumps onto your back and wraps her arms around your neck before you dive back down. Jean is easy to find once you start looking in the direction of the Red-Haired Woman: Stratovarious' power distorts the 「Windows of Light」as he runs over the roofs of the wagons, the ground between them rushing upwards to ease his flight. You speed ahead of him, emerging from a shadow on his route with your free arms stretched out towards him.
He is surprised, but he takes a deep breath before he and Stratovarius jump into your embrace and are taken down into the 「Midnight Sea」.
It takes a minute of doubling back and hiding before the Red-Haired Woman and the White Suited Men give up the chase. After that you follow Jean's directions, speeding away from the circus through the 「Midnight Sea」until you exit into the interior of a sailboat anchored to canal pier.
Now that they are safe they discuss what to do now. Jean and his uncle has not yet been called to present their contribution to the flying contest, but on the other hand there are three people chasing them, Stratovarius and yourself.
Nadia looks at you. "What do you think?" She asks, sounding conflicted. "Should we stay?"
[] Yes. (X 0.6)
Stay in hiding until the contest is over.
[] No. (X 1)
You need to leave now!
[] Write in. (Weighing depends)
[X] Flee!
--[X] Find Jean.
You strike the shadow of one of the other circus wagons, grabbing Nadia and King and diving down into the 「Midnight Sea」. You didn't give them time to breathe in, so you are forced come up again on the inside of an empty wagon. It has a bigger bed than Nadia's, and there are both clown supplies and a dress hanging from the walls, so it is probably the wagon that the Bearded Lady shares with the Lean Clown.
Sounds of the Red-Haired Woman and the White Suited Men searching for you enter the wagon through the open window, prompting Nadia and King to take deep breaths before you dive back down. Nadia wants you to find Jean, so you head towards the 「Windows of Light」that lead out to the seats.
He's not there.
Nadia's arms tighten around your neck, driving you to search the 「Windows of Light」for any sight of the boy.
…
Not the seats. Not the entrance. Not among the food wagons. And not behind the curtain. Nadia's feelings fall with each failure, taking your strength with them. King frantically beating on your breastplate with his paws force you to come up for air, after you have made sure that the Red-Haired Woman isn't around.
A loud crash interrupts the sounds of heavy breathing within your hiding place, as does a familiar voice shouting "Get back here you stupid boy!"
Nadia is back on her feet in an instant. "Holy Diver!"
You quickly put King back under your arm, the lion cub hurrying to gulp down a lungful of air as Nadia jumps onto your back and wraps her arms around your neck before you dive back down. Jean is easy to find once you start looking in the direction of the Red-Haired Woman: Stratovarious' power distorts the 「Windows of Light」as he runs over the roofs of the wagons, the ground between them rushing upwards to ease his flight. You speed ahead of him, emerging from a shadow on his route with your free arms stretched out towards him.
He is surprised, but he takes a deep breath before he and Stratovarius jump into your embrace and are taken down into the 「Midnight Sea」.
It takes a minute of doubling back and hiding before the Red-Haired Woman and the White Suited Men give up the chase. After that you follow Jean's directions, speeding away from the circus through the 「Midnight Sea」until you exit into the interior of a sailboat anchored to canal pier.
Now that they are safe they discuss what to do now. Jean and his uncle has not yet been called to present their contribution to the flying contest, but on the other hand there are three people chasing them, Stratovarius and yourself.
Nadia looks at you. "What do you think?" She asks, sounding conflicted. "Should we stay?"
[] Yes. (X 0.6)
Stay in hiding until the contest is over.
[] No. (X 1)
You need to leave now!
[] Write in. (Weighing depends)
Last edited: