Previous: >>6085853Your name is ITSASO MUNTEANU. You are a tall, gaunt, pale, and female IMAGEBOARD LURKER in your EARLY 20S. As your name implies, you are of BASQUE descent, but were born and raised in BUMFUCK, USA. You WERE an unremarkable mortal. Then, a couple of nights ago, you woke up thousands of miles away, decades in the past, and inside the story of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Luckily, you are an avid fan, and thus have the power of FOREKNOWLEDGE.For reasons unknown, you ended up right near the most notorious antagonist of the series, the vampire DIO. Out of survival instinct, you told him of a fate yet to happen (the canon one) and got his interest. You went to his mansion and headquarters, and...have had a nice stay so far. Turns out it'll be over a year before the actual plot of STARDUST CRUSADERS begins.The first full day, you met some mooks, read some books, and after nightfall got brutally stabbed by the Stand arrow. Thankfully, your will was found worthy, and you awakened a Stand named 『J-E-N-O-V-A』. Yes, after the FFVII one, and yes, you're pronouncing it "Jenova" and not the individual letters. Beyond being shaped like an alien pinecone (a "Mandelbulb"), and possessing some sort of fractal manipulation, you don't really know much about it yet.After that, you chose to discuss the timeline more with DIO. He knows you're from a future time, but not that you're from a world where he's a fictional character in a comic book series. Nor why exactly you ended up here, but neither do you...He presumes it was part of some plan in his benefit, Fate and Gravity and all that.You have time to change this world's fate, to minimize the suffering and death in the story you know. You want to stop as much BAD SHIT that happens in the "canon" as you can. But you also want to leave DIO alive. Why? You're not sure about "fixing" him, but to at least redirect his goals to something more beneficial. If good intentions can pave the way to Hell, can evil intentions be steered to the direction of Heaven (without an elaborate plan that resets the world)?DIO was willing to listen so far, the most relevant item to him being "not killed and pursued by the Joestar bloodline." A truce might even be on the table down the line (pending one full body transplant), but you're the one who has to reach out to said bloodline...(1/2)
Your CURRENT OBJECTIVE is meeting Muhammad Avdol, the nearest ally of the Joestars and a formidable Stand user in his own right. The plan is to explain the pertinent information to him (DIO wanting to avoid conflict with the Joestars and bypass the curse of his stolen body setting its descendants' spirits on constant alert) and hope he is convinced. If things go well enough he could be an ally from the get-go.However, being a total GREENHORN yourself, you're to go to his fortune telling shop in Cairo partnered up with another AGENT OF DIO. You were able to request said agent to be MICHAL, a young mute woman whose Stand 『Dark Mirage』can materialize mirages in light. Her existence proved TIE-IN material ("Genesis of Universe") to be relevant to this reality. Unlike some others in DIO's employ, Michal isn't a die-hard devotee or cutthroat killer. So there should be no issues going with her to talk to Avdol, right?---You are currently sitting in your ASSIGNED BEDROOM on the second floor of DIO's mansion. Today is your very first morning as a STAND USER! It's still very early, and the sun is barely risen, but you've already eaten breakfast and got dressed (in a blank t-shirt, fairly soft loose jeans, and sturdy sneakers). As you rub sunscreen on your arms (the mansion is stocked with plenty), you contemplate if you should go find Michal or take a bit of free time to interact with your Stand first.>The sooner you go meet Michal and go over today's task with her, the better. The day will only get hotter the more you wait.>Now that you've got a night's rest and freshened up, summon your Stand and try testing its abilities a little more. Get to know each other!(2/2)
>>6124494>Now that you've got a night's rest and freshened up, summon your Stand and try testing its abilities a little more. Get to know each other!I want to try it on our own body now. Just a little. Use it on a finger and see if we can feel sensations from all the fractal fingers.
>>6124494>Now that you've got a night's rest and freshened up, summon your Stand and try testing its abilities a little more. Get to know each other!
>>6124494>Now that you've got a night's rest and freshened up, summon your Stand and try testing its abilities a little more. Get to know each other!Hopefully my post doesn't get eaten this time.
>>6124506>>6124631>>6124764>>6124783You try summoning your Stand. It feels a bit like tensing an invisible muscle in your mind, but not quite in your mind. 'Jenova' materializes. In the morning light, it looks a bit less ominous as it floats beside you. Does it have thoughts of its own?You reach out a hand to it, as if petting an unfamiliar animal. You try to silently instruct your Stand to use its ability on one of your fingers...Immediately a little wispy pseudopod curls out of its body, and wraps around your left pointer finger. You feel a little zap on the fingertip, and lo and behold: you now have gradually smaller versions of that finger going out in a single line, creating a longer one with extra joints! The line isn't straight, rather a sort of knobbly zig-zaggy pattern* with the line segments being increasingly miniature fingers, but it's functional.A great idea comes to your mind. You get Jenova to repeat the process for all of your other fingers, testing its ability to clone different objects at once (albeit similar ones located on the same entity and body area). Good for grabbing or manipulating things? Instinctively, the extra fractal joints move in tandem with the originals they stem from, but it you focus harder you can move thinner parts on their own. Your brain should be able to retain the new motor skills with practice."I like rusty spooons..." you mutter in a shitty impression. Jenova doesn't seem amused, or responsive at all, but you crack yourself up."Staaar Finger!" You flex your pointer and middle finger so that they stick out straight and jab through the air with it. You don't have a microscope to check, but the fractal copies should continue at least to the microscopic scale (maybe down until atoms get involved?), so if you were to poke someone in combat it might be pretty sharp. "Sutahhh Fingah!" It may be in bad taste to do an impression of the guy once fated to kill your new boss, but neither are around to see it.(1/2)[*Refer to the attached image of a Koch curve.]
>>6125071Back to business. With a directed thought your fingers return to normal. You note that the "branching copies" of your fractals just disappear into thin air (starting from the furthest ones, up to the edge of the original thing being copied).It's a bit different from 'Kiss'. Actually, the only other Stand you can think of in the series (maybe not this world per se) dealing with fractals and duplicates in this way is...Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, with the whole "copies of the same thing, excluding the user, exploding into Menger sponges upon contact with each other" stipulation.You wonder if a Stand like that had something to do with your appearance in this universe to begin with. Thoughts to file away for later.Your hands feel a little tingly for a second, fingers feeling short and stubby without their extension. All of this only took about a minute or so. You repeat the process, but with variations: Jenova duplicates your nails layered on top of each other in a fractal, essentially turning them into a curved stack that ends at a sharp, microscopic tip--makeshift claws. The scale of the initial clones can be specified, too (as long as they're smaller than the original, and attached to it at some point). A nail can have little tiny versions of itself on its edge, so that it becomes serrated and sharp. And you can repeat that process for multiple nails.Back to the fingers, you have Jenova clone them again but as microscopic "bristles" patterning your actual fingers' undersides and palms. The feeling is weird, a sort of inverse of being itchy and just as uncomfortable. If your hunch is right, this should work along the same principle as Velcro, burrs and the setae on gecko feet...you go to an empty corner of the room, hop up, and press your hands into the walls, trying to cling to them like a nondescript spider-person of some sort.Sweet! You manage to sort of hold onto the wall for a few seconds. Granted, there's not that much space, and your fractal fingers feel a little weird and tingly, and you left a scratchy imprint on the walls, but you have the proof it works.(2/2)>Keep experimenting on yourself with little tests, mainly on the fingers, nails and hands.>Try testing the limit of how large an object Jenova can use as a basis to clone off of. Kiss could clone entire arms, after all.>Switch to an inanimate object, to simulate using your Stand on some random shit lying around in a battle scenario. What makes a good found weapon, besides yourself?
>>6125075>>Switch to an inanimate object, to simulate using your Stand on some random shit lying around in a battle scenario. What makes a good found weapon, besides yourself?
>>6125075>Switch to an inanimate object, to simulate using your Stand on some random shit lying around in a battle scenario. What makes a good found weapon, besides yourself?Main things I'm wondering about are whether we can delay when our power triggers on a remote object if we are able to do that, and how exactly damaging the original/copy affects the other and vice versa.If the former works, I'm thinking we could pull a Joseph Joestar and use clackers to hack off limbs by having the string grow inwards.
>>6125075>Switch to an inanimate object, to simulate using your Stand on some random shit lying around in a battle scenario. What makes a good found weapon, besides yourself?Experiment, if you would, on a bottle. One filled with water, and the other filled with air. Open a fractal of the one filled with air underwater, to see if bubbles come up - if they do, then it duplicates gasses.Pour out the fractal of the one filled with water. Does the poured water disappear if you undo the fractal? Is there water in there to begin with?Surely there is, with the blood and gasses inside a human finger.Ah, what happens if you sever a fractal? Cut one of the bottles from the rest with a knife.
>>6125075>Try testing the limit of how large an object Jenova can use as a basis to clone off of. Kiss could clone entire arms, after all.
>>6125075>>Keep experimenting on yourself with little tests, mainly on the fingers, nails and hands.
>>6125075>Switch to an inanimate object, to simulate using your Stand on some random shit lying around in a battle scenario. What makes a good found weapon, besides yourself?What if we fractal(?) the air in front of us? In the case of, say, an enemy stand throws fire at us, that heat should dissipate in the infinite air before us. Maybe.
>>6125078>>6125084>>6125085>>6125427>>6125712>>6125741>Switch to an inanimate object, to simulate using your Stand on some random shit lying around in a battle scenario. What makes a good found weapon, besides yourself?Time to give your fingers a break. You examine the items already squirreled away in the room during your stay. The mansion might be your home for the time being, but it's still creepy and a pain to navigate repeatedly, so you filled a random shopping bag with empty soda bottles refilled with water and hauled it up to your safe room. Their shape is different than your future ones (and the plastic craze hasn't quite dominated yet), but you don't mind, especially with the heat and dodgy tap.You fish out an empty one to start out with and set it on the dressing table. As you watch Jenova clone it as ordered, you notice how its singular limb "scans" the bottle before tapping a point where fractals branch out. The process seems instant to the untrained eye, but it requires your Stand's direct contact with the object. Like Soft & Wet's bubbles.Speaking of those bubbles, you wonder if you can control the timing of the effect. The bottle's extra growths vanish. Now you repeat the process, but ask Jenova with your mind-voice (talking to yourself out loud is stupid unless you're practicing things to say to other people) to delay it.It "scans" the bottle in an impossibly fast swipe, and then pauses; its pseudopod seems to have little reflections of the bottle shimmering inside it. Jenova floats for a few seconds--its surface seems to oscillate a bit more antsily--and then makes the mama water bottle grow little baby bottles off of its side. You can time a delay between selecting something and activating the fractal (fractivating?), but both actions need your Stand to be able to touch it directly. You don't know the exact upper limit of said delay, but it doesn't feel like more than five seconds.You recall your physics lessons...(1/2)
>>6126129If your thoughts are right, Jenova is able to clone all states of matter of an object: solid, liquid and gas. This could be the flesh, blood and gasses inside your hands, or the glass, water and air I'm a bottle. The latter is easier to see and thus confirm this hypothesis.You place the empty bottle and a full bottle side by side, and get the cap off from the latter. If you clone the empty bottle into having a "nozzle" made of its smaller copies, you could place it upside down above the full bottle, and try doing a variation on a classic experiment. (Thank God you at least paid attention in your science classes.) Jenova's tendril moves at your directive a bit more naturally, almost as automatic as moving your own limbs, with each repetition. You hold the empty bottle mouth-down, and furrow your brow. Up till now you opened a fractal on a solid point, but what happens if you do one starting from air? It should obey gravity, but if you think about the firstmost copy lining up just right with the inside surface...You extend a nested line of copies from inside the empty bottle. They poke outwards like a nozzle, the base of the first clone fitting neatly into the mouth of the original. Now the extension is small enough to fit into the full bottle's opening.For lack of a better term, you "dock" the empty bottle inside of the full one, tip to cloned tip. The moment of truth: bubbles indeed fizz up the previously still water. It works!You stare at your little setup for a moment, and are about to vanish the fractal when a jolt of worry stops your hand. Creating even microscopic vacuums inside of glass might be...destructive. And you're not wearing any goggles, now, are you?You try to wiggle the empty bottle, fractal nozzle and all, out first to avoid this issue. Shit--they're stuck!(2/2)>Recall a video you once saw of a pistol shrimp shooting "cavitation bubbles" from its claw. This could at least be proof of concept for another way to weaponize your Stand...but you'd better get as far away in the room as you can before poofing the duplicated air bubbles.>Just break off the end of the empty bottle, and see what happens if part of a fractalized object is severed as a bonus. Either way you're probably getting broken glass around.
>>6126152>Recall a video you once saw of a pistol shrimp shooting "cavitation bubbles" from its claw. This could at least be proof of concept for another way to weaponize your Stand...but you'd better get as far away in the room as you can before poofing the duplicated air bubbles.We can do the other one with a glass shard pretty easily afterward!
>>6126152>>Recall a video you once saw of a pistol shrimp shooting "cavitation bubbles" from its claw. This could at least be proof of concept for another way to weaponize your Stand...but you'd better get as far away in the room as you can before poofing the duplicated air bubbles.
>>6126152>Recall a video you once saw of a pistol shrimp shooting "cavitation bubbles" from its claw. This could at least be proof of concept for another way to weaponize your Stand...but you'd better get as far away in the room as you can before poofing the duplicated air bubbles.
>>6126165>>6126175>>6126238>>6126280>>6126289>>6127041Steeling yourself, you back off until you nearly bump into the wall at the far side of the room.Jenova! Deactivate! you mind-shout.The extension of the top bottle disappears in a flash, and so do the spare bubbles in the one with water. You hear a series of loud pops, and almost jump as you shut your eyes out of instinct and clasp your hands against your ears. Good thing you did, because as you take a peek at the scene there are shards of bottle glass that flew a good way from the table, stopping just a couple feet away.The vacuums produced by the empty space where the air bubbles were managed to destroy the water bottle and break the air bottle pretty badly. Water with glass fragments in it is dripping on the antique wood of the table, while the remaining bottle is rolling on its side with cracks snaking down its neck and a battered but mostly intact body.Stepping over the transparent carnage, and noting how a few bits of glass ended up stabbing the ceiling and wall, you get a closer look at the better-preserved bottle. Even the patterns of the cracked edges seem rougher and more fractalline than your average broken glass.Pinching one of the larger shards on its smooth surface, avoiding its sharp edges, you set it down again and fractal it out from one corner. Your makeshift blade lengthens. With another shard, you crack off part of the cloned tip. The end that falls off disintegrates immediately, leaving nothing behind, but the rest of the larger clones remain. Good to know!Before you can experiment further, or at least clear away the glass, you hear a stomping in the hallway and knocking at the door. Someone else in the mansion must've heard the noise. Jenova bobs over in the air to float at your side.You shove open the door; it's Terrence. His hair is half-done up and his face adorned only with a tired scowl."Is everything alright?" He leans into his toes and looks at the crime scene behind you, then flinches a little at your shiny new Stand. Then he sighs. You note Terrence is already clutching a mop and bucket in his hands; this mansion has definitely seen its regular share of messier occurrences. Before you can answer he shoves past you wordlessly, then leaves the room. In a minute he returns with a dustpan, broom and gloves. You realize his sigh was relief that the only liquid he was cleaning up was water.>Ask D'Arby what his first impression of your Stand is.>Offer to help clean up.>Just take anything you need for today from the room and go downstairs. He's the butler.
(Whoops, forgot my name.)
>>6127684>>Ask D'Arby what his first impression of your Stand is.Kinda freaky ain't it
>>6127684>Offer to help clean up.Now I feel kind of bad.
>>6127684>Ask D'Arby what his first impression of your Stand is.>Offer to help clean up.
>>6127684>Offer to help clean up.
[Updates keep happening at a slower pace, too much IRL bullshit this week. Will try for at least a few rounds tomorrow and Friday and then hopefully some faster update times on the weekend.]
>>6127684>>Offer to help clean up.
>>6127704>>6127706>>6127982>>6128115>>6128569You figure it's only fair to help clean up the mess you made. Terrence turns around when he realizes you didn't just leave; he may be annoyed you're getting in his way, but it's outweighed by the appeal of getting the work done faster."So what's your first impression of my Stand?" you ask the butler while sweeping up the broken bottle bits. The floating mandelbulb in the room fades away."It's...interesting. Unnerving, if you're going for a fear factor." His eyes dart over to the handprints you left indented in the wall. "Lord DIO will help you develop its potential, whatever it is."Terrence bags the broken glass, checking for any missed pieces. "Have you named it?""Yes. It's called Jenova...""Like Jehovah?""Somewhat, partially, yeah." You bite your tongue to stop from explaining the lore of a game that's not even out yet. Now with a Stand of your own, you can see the metal, pinkish outline of Terrence's Atum looming behind him. It might be poking into your head right now, asking yes/no questions, though for what you're not sure."Whatever that name is from, it sounds unique." Terrence gathers the trash and admires how fast he mopped the water up. "Enjoy your morning." He does the trick where he floats up into the air, holding his cleaning supplies, as he leaves; you can see his Stand hoisting him up, but it still looks cool.You get your own things into a small backpack and head downstairs to meet Michal. You find her in the kitchen court, listening to something her brother is saying. Both look as they do in what you remember of the book's illustrations, if slightly younger and in looser-fitting, more conservative garb. You notice Michal's initial-adorned necklace, which almost covers up the scarring underneath that left her mute.Absalom, the older brother, stands up in front of Michal and stares you down."Hello. You're the one who Lord DIO assigned with Michal on a mission. In the city." His accented English is far less notable than the distaste in his voice. Right, these two work as a team...You're realizing, impromptu, he may not like the idea of his little sister exposed to potential danger with only an unseasoned Stand user to accompany...into the city where they got injured and traumatized in a train accident.Even without the context, you'd understand his hesitation, given that:>You were the older/eldest sibling in your family.>You were the middle sister and had to deal with a hierarchy of overprotectiveness.>You were the youngest sibling and got fawned over.>You were the only child, but the present members of your family doted on you as you imagine an older sibling would.
>>6130723>>You were the middle sister and had to deal with a hierarchy of overprotectiveness.
>>6130723>You were the middle sister and had to deal with a hierarchy of overprotectiveness.
>>6130735>>6130740You wonder how your older sister and younger brother are doing. One's in grad school and the other is in middle school. Hopefully the interdimensional logic has it so time is frozen in your origin world; you haven't always gotten along with either, but you don't want the trauma of a presumed dead, missing or comatose sister to haunt them.Absalom has crossed his arms. You can tell he's struggling with DIO's team assignment splitting the duo, given he's the more fervent follower.You introduce yourself formally, and...>Verbally reassure Absalom and Michal; you're just going to meet someone who should be friendly and it's not a long distance to walk. Both would be less nervous/skeptical if convinced. [Roll 1d20, DC 13]>Just stay neutral, ignore Absalom's judgemental attitude and ask Michal if she's ready to go. [Roll 1d20, DC 8]>Before replying, just show off your Stand power. You're already getting a grasp on it, maybe this will prove you're no weakling. [Roll 1d20, DC 13]
>>6130750>>Verbally reassure Absalom and Michal; you're just going to meet someone who should be friendly and it's not a long distance to walk. Both would be less nervous/skeptical if convinced. [Roll 1d20, DC 13]Its just a milk run!
Rolled 18 (1d20)>>6130750>Verbally reassure Absalom and Michal; you're just going to meet someone who should be friendly and it's not a long distance to walk. Both would be less nervous/skeptical if convinced. [Roll 1d20, DC 13]>If he's still concerned after that, then suggest he can wait just down the street when you two go into Avdol's shop. If anything happens, he can come running to help in no time. But really, nothing should happen - Avdol isn't the type to attack women unless they attack first.
>>6130750>Verbally reassure Absalom and Michal; you're just going to meet someone who should be friendly and it's not a long distance to walk. Both would be less nervous/skeptical if convinced. [Roll 1d20, DC 13]
>>6130788+1
>>6130788Supporting
>>6130750Just saw this, big fan of this take on SDC, even if it is my least favorite Part of JJBA. No hate, I just find the plot of the others more compelling, if confusing at times.
>>6130751>>6130788>>6130912>>6131019>>6131293Things go better than expected; you have volumes in your memory to vouch for Avdol's character. The young man's expression softens, if not entirely.Absalom grunts with a weariness beyond his years. He mutters something to his sister, who responds with a few signs. You can make out the Arabic word for "where" (something like "ente" or "antei).You unfold your copy of a map of the area, which is frayed around the edges but serviceable. You trace your finger from the location of the mansion (left unmarked on the map) to where Avdol's shop is, and Michal nods affirmatively."I think we have everything we need." You say after triple-checking your own backpack of basic supplies and seeing the two siblings do the same. Michal signs what her brother explains is "danger" in case she needs to alert you. You never know..."It's a short trip only," Absalom mumbles, more to reassure himself than anything, before seeing you two off, "just a short trip." It appears if he's going to be following as backup it'll be at a distance or not at all.At last you and Michal are off into the city. You feel heat creeping in as the sun makes its way up. She walks slightly faster than you but is more cautious of the traffic already filling up the streets, from passersby to cars and even horse-drawn carriages for pyramid tourists. It shouldn't take long to get to Avdol's shop...[Roll 1d20, DC 11. One roll per unique-ID player. 2 or more rolls of 11 or higher, unless overwritten by a roll of 20 (crit success) or 1 (critfail).]
>>6132591[Thanks, glad you like it so far! SDC has its limitations, but it's a fun setting to play with. Even with Araki's map drawings not being 1:1 at least with modern Cairo.][Also, the first thread is now archived on suptg, to be included in future OPs: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Smack-Dab%20in%20Cairo]
Rolled 10 (1d20)>>6135285walk like an egyptian
Rolled 12 (1d20)>>6135285
Rolled 6 (1d20)>>6135285
Rolled 2 (1d20)>>6135285
Rolled 7 (1d20)>>6135285
Rolled 20 (1d20)>>6135285Come on dice!
>>6135285>>6135551WITNESS ME!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLa3ICmfYvc
>>6135292>>6135314>>6135338>>6135398>>6135549>>613555120 of 20. DC 11 passed.Travel: Crit Success!A morning walk in a city still new to you was something you expected to be scarier. Yet you and Michal wove through any clumps of passersby, sticking to the relatively quiet parts of the road. Figuratively speaking, you feel like you're on the sunny side of the street.You make it to Khan el-Khalili itself in what must be less than twenty minutes, based on the watch (borrowed from the mansion's extensive wardrobe) gathering sweat on your wrist. The path grows narrower and more cluttered; buildings are lined with storefronts and alcoves piled with trinkets from toy camels to lamps and far more. Among the currents of nice smells, you recognize cinnamon and cumin. This is the bazaar that you only saw shadows of on your first night here.Michal practically clings to the walls; the faster you get to the fortune teller's shop, the better.It turns out that the both of you have gotten to Avdol's shop before the man himself. After a few minutes of silently fiddling with the zipper on your backpack, you hear a third pair of footsteps...Muhammad Avdol is here. With his necklace and long, swishing coat and everything. You feel a brief moment of derealization, in a different way than you've had with DIO and those who work for him.The Egyptian man stops on his way to unlock the shop's front door, looking between you and Michal. As a fortune teller, he's probably doing a cold read right now."Good morning! Are you lost? Just exploring the souk? If you're looking for a fortune teller, then fate has led you right where you need to be." Avdol launches into a well-practiced salesman's speech, and unlocks the door with a creak. "The shop is just about to open for the day. Please, come in!"You find yourself in a cozy interior filled with lively esoterica and decorations. Some stock seems more touristy than others, but a lot of care went into the mystique of this shop and it shows."If you're interested in having your fortunes read, be patient for a minute while I inspect the store. But feel free to browse our wares!" Avdol strides over to rearrange a few crystals on the shelves, before checking the till.How will you go about breaking the ice with the fire-wielding Stand user?>Take the direct approach. Tell Avdol what you told DIO about the future and explain how you want to mediate between the Joestars, their allies, and DIO to dodge a bloody fate.>Don't immediately announce you and Michal came right from DIO's mansion. Just start with the parts about you having foreknowledge from the future and what that means for Avdol, Mr. Joestar, and friends. Test the waters.>Wait to get your fortunes read and browse the shop for something interesting. Maybe showing rather than telling will be effective, if Avdol has legitimate fortune telling skills (mundane and psychological included) alongside his Stand.
>>6135917>>Wait to get your fortunes read and browse the shop for something interesting. Maybe showing rather than telling will be effective, if Avdol has legitimate fortune telling skills (mundane and psychological included) alongside his Stand.
>>6135917>Wait to get your fortunes read and browse the shop for something interesting. Maybe showing rather than telling will be effective, if Avdol has legitimate fortune telling skills (mundane and psychological included) alongside his Stand.I never realized how weird his hair was until now.
Rolled 42, 33, 41, 24, 47 = 187 (5d100)[Update soon, rolling for items to be revealed.]
[Really went down a rabbit-hole of various items in Egypt. We might as well indulge in a little shopping that totally has no occult significance.]>>6135919>>6135998>>6136002While Avdol sets up shop for the day, you look through the dizzying arrays of trinkets and items. On the way here, you passed by shops and entrances with towering stacks of lanterns and alabaster bowls; there are some eye-catching larger figures and statuettes, but those are out of your current price range (let's say around 100 Egyptian pounds, at their 1987 value, in paper money. A mere crumb from DIO's coffers.) Most of the shop is an assortment of trinkets, likely part of trade and resale consolidated from other local merchants and crafters; Avdol's own specialty is more metaphysical, after all.As you and Michal wander around, what catches your eye most are the...>Blades. Knife-lovers rejoice; here is a part of a wall with some fancy-looking swords on display. Not too far away are ceremonial daggers, athames, and even khopeshes, their curves fitting in handcrafted leather sheaths. Some look to be replicas rather than the sharp Damascus steel of the more out-of-reach ones, but the intricate decorations on their hilts look no less cool for it.>Charms. A swarm of scarab beads on bracelets and necklaces; some jewelry in a glint of metals or matte. There are ankhs, Eyes of Horus, oblong cartouche pendants with hieroglyphics on them, still others with Greek or Arabic writing. Nazars--evil eye amulets--stare at you with bright blue irises embedded in beads or hand-shaped trinkets. Further are Coptic crosses, copper magic squares (with numerals you recognize as Eastern Arabic, or Hindu-Arabic, from yesterday's library session) and lockets with blessings from holy books sealed inside.>Staves. More ankhs. Sticks and scepters, wood or metal--some look practical enough to walk (or whack) with, while others are adorned with gems and inscriptions. A few papers in Arabic/English/French taped to the shelves serve as disclaimers: any items here are replicas rather than the original antiquity, sourced locally from craftsmen and not ransacked from graves. You doubt the riches in DIO's mansion adhere to the same standards.>Vessels. There are plain but nice-looking cups and bowls, mostly of alabaster or ceramic. Others are fancier vases, apparently for holding purified water or other ritual purposes. Michal peers at some incense burners and wooden boxes inlaid with mother-of-pearl, not unlike the ones you saw in the souk streets along the way here. There are even smaller boxes and pouches for storing the decks of tarot/oracle/Pharaonic-themed playing cards sold here.>Figurines. They range from cute hippos to snakes to the animal-headed Egyptian Gods, like the cat-headed Bastet and jackal-headed Anubis. The colors and materials also vary. Most are soapstone, glazed in blues, greens, ochers, or black. Would look great on your anime figurine shelf a universe away.
>>6138093>>Charms. A swarm of scarab beads on bracelets and necklaces; some jewelry in a glint of metals or matte. There are ankhs, Eyes of Horus, oblong cartouche pendants with hieroglyphics on them, still others with Greek or Arabic writing. Nazars--evil eye amulets--stare at you with bright blue irises embedded in beads or hand-shaped trinkets. Further are Coptic crosses, copper magic squares (with numerals you recognize as Eastern Arabic, or Hindu-Arabic, from yesterday's library session) and lockets with blessings from holy books sealed inside.
>>6138093>Charms. A swarm of scarab beads on bracelets and necklaces; some jewelry in a glint of metals or matte. There are ankhs, Eyes of Horus, oblong cartouche pendants with hieroglyphics on them, still others with Greek or Arabic writing. Nazars--evil eye amulets--stare at you with bright blue irises embedded in beads or hand-shaped trinkets. Further are Coptic crosses, copper magic squares (with numerals you recognize as Eastern Arabic, or Hindu-Arabic, from yesterday's library session) and lockets with blessings from holy books sealed inside.Hell, I wouldn't mind buying a tarot deck too. One of the weirder ones, like those that have The Aeon in it.
>>6138093>Figurines. They range from cute hippos to snakes to the animal-headed Egyptian Gods, like the cat-headed Bastet and jackal-headed Anubis. The colors and materials also vary. Most are soapstone, glazed in blues, greens, ochers, or black. Would look great on your anime figurine shelf a universe away.
>>6138093>Charms. A swarm of scarab beads on bracelets and necklaces; some jewelry in a glint of metals or matte. There are ankhs, Eyes of Horus, oblong cartouche pendants with hieroglyphics on them, still others with Greek or Arabic writing. Nazars--evil eye amulets--stare at you with bright blue irises embedded in beads or hand-shaped trinkets. Further are Coptic crosses, copper magic squares (with numerals you recognize as Eastern Arabic, or Hindu-Arabic, from yesterday's library session) and lockets with blessings from holy books sealed inside.>>6138120seconding this
Got bored and did a quick reading with a Crowley deck, Ankh array. The instructions given on it are thus:The Ankh Spread is for questions about the causes behind trends. It is similar to the Celtic Cross and Secret of the High Priestess spreads, but it covers the reasons behind the circumstances in question differently, perhaps giving a better explanation of why things are the way they are.The loop of the upper section of the ankh reveals the spiritual background and causes of the situation, while the stem of the base focuses on prospects for the outcome.The first two tarot cards represent the two parent causes of the situation. They will either complement each other or show two opposing sides of a conflict, depending on how they relate. These are the significator cards of the Ankh spread.3. This tarot card shines light upon the early causes of the trend in question.4. Pinpoints the causes that triggered the current situation.5. Reveals the spiritual perspective of the subject at hand.6. This card examines the reasons why this course of action had to unfold, as a means to this end.At this point, it is good to pause to soak in the meaning of the first six cards before moving forward to the last three cards. The last three reveal prospects for the future.7. The Next Step gives clues about the immediate future.8. Surprising Experiences encountered en route to the result.9. This represents the result.My results were:1 - Sun2 - Moon3 - Lust4 - Hermit5 - Fortune6 - Hanged Man7 - Adjustment (Justice)8 - Tower9 - The Universe (The World)
>>6138093>>Blades. Knife-lovers rejoice; here is a part of a wall with some fancy-looking swords on display. Not too far away are ceremonial daggers, athames, and even khopeshes, their curves fitting in handcrafted leather sheaths. Some look to be replicas rather than the sharp Damascus steel of the more out-of-reach ones, but the intricate decorations on their hilts look no less cool for it.
>>6138120+1
[Writing the next post and uploading after sleep. >>6138251 , your reading will be incorporated, and your choice of deck has been noted...]
>>6139251It's such a strangely fitting reading, isn't it?
>>6139251Pretty long nap, hope you're okay Sider
>>6142598[Sorry all, dealing with scheduling and migraines. Trying to queue up several post outlines in a row so it's more than 1-2 posts at a time. Also for the third thread I am setting up a summary document for background and MC stats/info/inventory, etc...but first things first.]
>>6138100>>6138120>>6138248Among the wearable jewelry, what gets your attention is surprisingly one of the plainer-looking items. Granted, its price tag is also fairly low, but the pewter pendant with an eye symbol feels like a reasonable buy. This one is marked as an "Eye of Ra," while others are marked as "Eye of Horus." You take it off the display rack and go over to Avdol. Michal doesn't look like she found any one specific thing she wanted, but she's still appreciating the art. Currently, she's admiring one of the little hippo figurines.You place the necklace with a clink on the shop counter, fishing out a couple bills to cover its 15-dollar (ugh, pound) cost."A fine eye for jewelry, I see?" Avdol picks the piece up, letting it dangle from his fingers. "The right wedjat—the eye—of the sun god, Ra, has also been known as the 'all-seeing eye.'" He slides it into a little sachet, then sweeps the bills into the cash register as skillfully as a magician would with cards, and hands it right back to you along with a quaint handwritten receipt. You fiddle with the necklace and put it on immediately. If you ever spontaneously appear back home, you should hopefully have a little proof of your travels now."Uh, is it too—I can get my fortune read too, right?" you ask. "Do you need to get another receipt for that—""Of course, of course!" He motions you to have a seat over at a table in the corner. "Tarot readings are one of the most popular fortunetelling services here. You're a new customer, so I'll give you a discount..."Out of a choice of decks, you point to the "Book of Thoth" deck. There are also "Marseilles" and "Deva" decks, but the first looks cool and thematically consistent (or, as Avdol says, you feel "drawn to it.") If it has any overlap with the Stand Thoth, it might actually hold merit for predictions. Being as general as possible, you say your name and that you're from America but visiting Cairo. You recently had a major change in your life (who hasn't?) and want insight into your current situation and future. Avdol pauses, then frowns slightly....That isn't enough. Your heart gets ready to sink; has Avdol sussed you out?"Please don't be afraid to put your questions in words, Ms. Munteanu. The querent, or client, of a reading, can get clearer answers the better they know what to ask for, whether they're grand changes in life or more specific issues. What brought you to Cairo, to this little shop? Is it tourism? Study? Work? Travel can be the cause or effect of a big change in life."Your mouth feels a little dry.>Lie. You're a college student (that part's true) just here on vacation and of course you're into spiritual stuff so you and your guide found this place.>Half-truth. You have a Stand, know some future events, are from the future, and want to change it.>Full truth. Same as above, but don't exclude that you're newly employed by DIO and just got your Stand last night.
>>6142863>>Half-truth. You have a Stand, know some future events, are from the future, and want to change it.
>>6142863>Half-truth. You have a Stand, know some future events, are from the future, and want to change it.Good to be back!>>6142739Take care QM. Hope you don't have anymore migraines, I know how much of a pain they can be.
>>6142863>Half-truth. You have a Stand, know some future events, are from the future, and want to change it.
>>6142739Thank you for all your effort, Sider. I find this quest very very enjoyable.>>6142863>Half-truth. You have a Stand, know some future events, are from the future, and want to change it.
