Captain Jenno — Roleplayer Guild

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is an action-oriented series of manga and anime seasons based around the prolific Joestar family, and in the latter part of the series the focus comes to be around them fighting with metaphysical manifestations of their will and fighting spirits, Stands. Chocked full of musical pop culture references and creative over-the-top action, it's fun for a very specific part of the family. This roleplay will follow the basic themes of Part IV, Diamond is Unbreakable, in the sense that it's an action/slice-of-life that rotates around a small, fictional town where everyone knows one another.


"... the body was found at 5pm this morning, crumpled on the kitchen floor, face contorted in horror..."

"... police are considering this an open homicide case..."

"The victim's husband has denied allegations of foul play, and toxicology reports are coming back negative..."


It was plastered all over the news for weeks. Deaths always are, in quiet, idyllic little coastal towns like this one: Pleasant Valley, California.
But it started on June 20th, 2000: that was the day the killings started.
Havana Reddy had been a perfectly healthy, twenty year old repatriated suburbanite, with a loving husband, a plethora of middle-class friends and a stress-free job as a yoga instructor at her local gym. She ate well, and took care of herself. 
She turned up dead at 5pm on a warm Tuesday afternoon, sprawled out on her kitchen floor. Her husband had found her clutching a broken makeup mirror, surrounded by the shattered remains of a glass of store-bought "health juice". Her face had been contorted, in abject agony.

Police reported that there wasn't a mark on her, but suspected foul play. They thought her drink had looked suspicious, and took her husband in on suspicion of poisoning: but the toxicology came back negative, and a subsequent autopsy returned no signs of conventional poison.
In the end, they concluded that it was a rare, but not unheard of, case of sudden, unexplained death. It wasn't a common occurrence, but it happened: several times a year in the U.S. alone.
And with that verdict, most people were happy. It seemed feasible to most of the people of Pleasant Valley, and it put their minds at rest to know there wasn't a killer stalking their happy little town...
... but a small, fringe group of citizens knew better. 

To most, Havana Reddy had been a spirited, spritely young woman, but otherwise unremarkable: but to a rare few with which she shared a special power, she was known instead to be the wielder of the remarkable, emotional-manipulating Stand,Midnight Oil.
Because Havana Reddy was part of a secret society of less than one hundred, a minority that had come- through the influence of some cursed antiquated arrow, introduced to Pleasant Valley at the turn of the millennium- to possess the awesome power of a Stand, a metaphysical  manifestation of her own strength of will, a superhuman power. 
And whilst to the rest of Pleasant Valley, her death might have seemed an unpleasant coincidence: to them, it was something much, much more. 
No Stand user could be so easily felled, and in the world of Stands, there was no such thing as coincidence. There was no doubt about it: "this has to be the work of an enemy stand!"

But even knowing this, there was a great hesitation about intervening, throughout the whole Stand User community. There was a resounding fear that, should anyone stand forwards and get involved, they might be next. 
Maybe Havana Reddy was a one-off? Maybe her death was enough...

22nd of October, 2000. Sunday. Damien Bourke has just been found dead, the sixth victim of this "Stand Killer" in the last four months alone. His stand, Celtic Spring, was one which controlled weather. Now that it's perished, nature struggles to adjust, and the rain makes the sand unto wet clay.
Something needs to be done. That's where you come in.

You are The Boomtown Rats, a group of students from the graduating class of Pleasant Valley High. You stepped up to the plate when the rest of the Stand community buried its head in the sand: because when injustice arises, one can always invest their faith in the recklessness of students. 
You all know each other, somewhat. Faces seen passing in the hall, notes exchanged between desks during boring classes. But in many ways, you are perfect strangers. You know only the names of one another's stands, and that when nobody else was willing to bat, you all stepped forwards together. 
Your mission: to find and stop The Stand Killer, before your own numbers come up.

But beware, because there are powerful forces working against you. Poking around murder investigations won't make you any friends in the Pleasant Valley Police Department, and making ripples in the Stand Community brings with it the risk of upsetting Pleasant Valley's resident gangsters - a troupe of Stand Users whose Stands suggest The Chinese Zodiac: The Zodiac Killers. They are the current known possessors of The Antique Arrow that gave the majority of Pleasant Valley's Stand Users their powers.

You've got a long way to go, Boomtown Rats. Hah. So much for Pleasant Valley Sundays.

A Tourist's Guide to Pleasant Valley - Your wildest questions, answered!

Q. What is a 'Stand?'
A. A Stand is a type of spiritual entity that can be summoned in order to fight (or perform other tasks) on their user's behalf. At their most basic, a Stand is the metaphysical representation of its user's soul and strength of will: the form your Stand takes and the ability it possesses say a lot about you and your innermost workings. 

(OOC) A Stand can look like anything you want it to, but there are some slight rules your particular stands must obey: they can't be more than a few inches taller than their user, and they can't resemble stands already established in the JoJo canon. Furthermore, whilst your Stand can bestow a power similar to one in the established canon (to an extent), it can't have The World or Star Platinum's powers, or any other 'final boss tier' Stand's for that matter. Remember, your stand must be named after a band or a song - no matter how tenuous the relationship to its ability might be. That's half the fun!

Q. What's the deal with The Zodiac Killers?
A. The Zodiac Killers are a name specifically used by the Stand community to refer to a collection of hitmen (and women) in the employ of the local organised crime family, a branch of a Russian crime syndicate called The Bratva. Whilst it might seem easy to assume they're the killers, The Bratva have actually gone on record denying their involvement, which is something they've never done, despite the heinous crimes they're known to have committed. Because of the peculiar nature of their express refusal to be associated with the murders, there's no real reason not to believe them. Although they didn't bring it here, they're also the current owners of The Antique Arrow, the ancient artefact credited with the ability to create Stand users - including, most likely, the killer you're searching for.

Q. What is The Stand Community like? Do they all know one another?
A. The Stand Community is a bit of a misnomer, as it implies that Stand Users all know one another personally: this isn't actually the case. Instead it refers to a small population (approximately one hundred of Pleasant Valley's 10,000-person population) of people who, either through exposure to the arrow or else other circumstances (ie intense, prolonged suffering or a heritage of stand users), have developed the power to summon their own stands.
The Stand Community are mostly un-associated with one another, but Stand Users (in this canon, anyway) can sense one another's power, so they're all aware that other stand users exist and are in close proximity. Some Stand Users become friends through this, as (it's rumoured) Stand Users are simply drawn to one another. However, there is a golden rule of thumb practiced by most all Stand Users in Pleasant Valley: don't tell your associates what your Stand does until they see it themselves, that element of surprise may well save your life.

The Boomtown Rats have gained a small amount of notoriety within The Stand Community, for being either incredibly brave or incredibly reckless. Perhaps this will make some Stand Users more inclined to help you, or hinder you. Only time will tell.

Q. What are the rules of having a Stand?
A. Your Stand cannot be seen by 'normal' people, but it can still influence them, even kill them, if you so desire it. You can sense other stand users, unless they're actively suppressing their power, in which case you wouldn't be able to tell who is and isn't one. This, however, is a skill only 'practicing' stand users (that is, people who are less afraid of using their powers, a minority) possess. An unpracticed Stand User cannot suppress their presence. 
In terms of combat, Stand Users tend to obey a 'turn-based' rule, just out of common decency. Expect this of a rival with decorum, but an underhanded enemy might use it to their advantage. Cheating this rule yourself is cause for great mistrust in your motives.

Q. What're some of the more well-known areas of Pleasant Valley? Asking for a friend.
A. Pleasant Valley has a few hotspots and watering holes that everyone will know about, here's a list:

The Blue Note - Everyone's favourite watering hole, The Blue Note is an old fashioned lounge bar, complete with a resident jazz band and a plethora of guest singers. It's not far from town centre, and you can spot it a mile off at night by the neon blue quarter-note they hang above the door.
It serves guests of all ages (only age appropriate drinks, of course!), and it's run by the worldly, middle-aged Stand User William "Billy" Joel, an expatriate of Long Island. His stand is a mystery, but he doesn't try to suppress its presence. His bar is considered the smoothest night out in town. Billy himself is regarded as a man you can put your faith into. After all, everything the bar tender hears is confidential, isn't it?

Town Centre, The Piazza Del Sol - In the middle of Pleasant Valley is The Piazza Del Sol, a large, open square fashioned in the traditional renaissance style. Large, golden-brown stone tiles make up most of the floor, unevenly tanned to create the illusion of the sun sweeping across the square at all times. In the middle, a large water fountain is carved to look as though it's an unfolding flower, from which water pours throughout the year. In the colder seasons, the square is largely unoccupied except for by the benches flanking its edges, and the spherically tipped lamp posts. But in the Summer, market stalls open up and sell everything from fresh food to electronics. The third victim, Stevie Vito, was found here in August.

Umbrella Beach - So named because in the Summer months, tourists from all across the coast flock to Pleasant Valley and set up their parasols here. Umbrella Beach is a white sand beach on a bright blue coast, and it's famous for good waves and good vibrations. The beach itself was a much favoured vacation spot even before Pleasant Valley sprang up in the early 50s. 

The Dock of the Bay/Sugar Bay - Named for the white sand that surrounds it, Sugar Bay is an inlet of sea to the north West of Pleasant Valley and the direct West of Umbrella Beach. It's from here that Pleasant Valley sprang forth, as "The Dock" was the foundation of the fishing village that one day became the town.
The Bay is known to be a popular diving spot for lovers of the life aquatic, particularly tourists coming to see the illusive Sugar Ray. But The Dock is less popular, as legal fish numbers have dropped exponentially in the past decade. Now The Dock is associated with the shady dealings of The Bratva: the appearance of the fourth victim, Kristin McGrath (stand: Abracadabra) on The Dock is what motivated The Bratva to discuss their lack of involvement in the murders.

Pleasant Valley High - Otherwise known as 'Boomtown' within The Stand Community for its increasingly high number of stand users, this is the local high school and Pleasant Valley's pride and joy. The school delivers consistently high grades each year, although nobody is quite sure why given the amount of delinquents to attend - The Boomtown Rats included. The building was built in 1993 and is considered state of the art, with five floors full of the latest projectors, PCs and Macintosh computers. 
Legend has it, the staff room even has a PlayStation 2 in it! 
The school has a dark side, however: The Head Boy, Dee Snider, has a reputation for being an insufferable egotist and a class A bully, who uses his authority to terrorise the other students. He is Stand-less, but as brave as he is foolish.

Pleasant Valley High is located near the Eastern border of the town, and faces the hills of the East valley. Thus far, no students have been killed.

Rainbow Park - Originally known as 'Rainbow in the Dark Park' before it was re-branded to appear more 'family friendly', is a skate park to the west of The Piazza del Sol. Most of its residents are students (or drop outs) of Pleasant Valley High, but a few are college students clinging to their youth. It's notable that this skate park is fabled to house a sort of 'fight club' for Stand Users, although nobody ever seems to talk about it. Nobody is entirely sure how the rumours started. 

The second murder was apparently committed here, the victim was Booker T. Potts and his sense-altering stand Green Onions.

Warehouse - Although it began life in the 60s as Dreaming Tables Ltd's biggest warehouse on the West coast, Warehouse has now been reduced to its function. It's a large, empty, dilapidated building not a mile West from Pleasant Valley high. It's got a reputation for being the place students bunk off to go smoke and drink. Occasionally bloody marks are found here, but thus far it's unrelated to any known murders or assaults: authorities think these incidents might be the fallout of a "rumble" between rival students.

Valley Mall - A touch of suburbia, Valley Mall is a large space for such a small town: it's to the South of town centre, and comprises a good portion of the work economy here in Pleasant Valley. It hosts the usual array of stores, and a few... esoteric ones. For whatever reason, Valley Mall is the host to a quarter dozen occultist stores, which offer wares a bit heavier than the average, new-age peddlers. 
The food court is a common hangout spot for Pleasant Valley teens outside of school hours.


So that's Pleasant Valley, now what about you?

Stand User
Name:
Age: (17 - 19, you're in the last year of high school.) 
Gender: 
Brief description of appearance: Written descriptions are preferred over pictures, since a CS is an example of your quality as a writer.
Personality summary:
Short biography: How'd you get to Pleasant Valley, and how did you get your Stand?
Dark Secret: Leave this blank, but send your character's darkest, most hideous secret to me, via PMs. This will be worked into their role in the story. Try to be creative with it.

Stand
Name: Please name this after a song, band or memorable lyric.
Description of Appearance: It can't be much taller than a grown person, or particularly broad, but otherwise may look how you desire. DISCLAIMER: This rule doesn't apply to enemy stands you might face.
Power: This is where you'd enter your Stand's ability. It can have any ability, within reason, excluding the 'final boss' tier abilities from the series. Describe it concisely, and then elaborate. i.e; "Teleport - Now I'm over there." If yours is a short term ability (like teleporting), it can't be used in rapid succession, you'll need time to "recharge". 
Stats: This is where we determine your Stand's effectiveness. Don't worry too much about these letters, I won't penalise you if you do something particularly cool but it doesn't fit a rigid scoring system. These are more just a means of squaring up to other Stands, comparatively. If you're facing a stand two ranks stronger than you, for example, then you know already that you won't win in a straight up punch out, etc etc.

You have five letters to spend: one A, two Bs, and two Cs. Note that these stats aren't necessarily permanent - if your stand changes form, or over the course of the plot becomes more powerful, then enter the new stats under the original, in a hider labelled "augmented stats."

Destructive Power: This is how hard your stand hits. Does your stand punch like a boxer, or hit like a southbound freight train?
Speed: This is how quick your stand can be. If you want to be able to mach punch (ORA ORA ORA ORA) then you're going to need at least a B.
Range: This is how far your stand can reach. Note: if your Destructive Power stat is high, then this is low. If you have an A in DP, this must be a C. If you have a B in DP, this must be a B. If you have a C in DP, this must also be an A. So on, etc.
Durability: How tough your stand is. Can you take as good a punch as you can throw?
Precision: How precise are you? A C is just as precise as anyone else, an A is being a Jedi.


For example:

Stand User
Name: Bruno Garcia Hays
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Brief description of appearance: Bruno is a tall, slender figure, 5'11", with narrow shoulders and an overall thin build. His hair is a cobalt blue, and he wears it up in a pompadour (although, to allay concerns, he isn't too defensive about it). His eyes are green, and his skin is lightly tanned, betraying his origins in a hotter climate. He wears a black leather jacket, around the collar of which is a black-and-white checkered pattern, and a pair of black leather gloves, although the one on his left hand seems to be padded, whilst the one on the right is otherwise generic. 

Personality summary: Bruno is an Aussie, through and through: hot tempered and fast-mouthed. A reformed teen gangster, Bruno's heart is in the right place, but his execution can sometimes be less so. His playful teasing can seem cruel at times, and his rushing to fix problems with his fists can sometimes make them much, much worse. Still, his loyalty, once earned, is nigh unshakable. 

Short biography: Bruno Harrison is an Australian immigrant who was moved forcefully from his hometown of Trenchtown, New South Wales, by his parents, after he'd been involved in a botched museum robbery, orchestrated by The Trenchtown Thugs, a gang of teen anarchists. During this robbery, a collection of valuable antiques went missing: Bruno never saw the benefits of any of them.
Instead, in the commotion preceding his arrest, Bruno panicked and ran into the road, colliding head-on with a police car and losing his left arm due to a complication during the ensuing surgery. 
It was un-salvageable, and replaced with an inflexible wooden substitute, all that his family could afford, and such reality motivated Bruno to leave his roguish lifestyle behind. It was well crafted, like the arm of a well made doll, but it was totally inanimate.

Bruno moved to Pleasant Valley with his estranged then-girlfriend Maria Shintaro, expecting to spend the rest of his life as "the one armed man". But upon arriving, Bruno suddenly found himself in the possession of a powerful spirit which allowed him to move his wooden arm as though it were made of flesh and bone again: and when he touched things with it, he could emulate the material. His arm could become stone, metal, any solid material. 
He would later learn that this was the birth of his stand, Matter of Fact!

Over the years he's kept it to himself, and wears a glove over his "stand arm" when he isn't using it. Sometime in the last few years, Maria left Bruno, leaving only a note which declared she was running to L.A., after she'd ransacked his room and stolen some of his most valuable possessions.
He recently joined The Boomtown Rats, under the impression that his violent early teens might be put to better use via vigilantism. 

Note: Namesakes are "Bruno Renzella" of Australian band Fat Lip, "Jerry Garcia", a finger amputee from the American rock band Grateful Dead, and "Colin Hays", a Scottish musician from the Australian band Men at Work.

Dark Secret: [Zilch]

Stand
Name: Matter of Fact (Duran Duran)
Description of Appearance: N/A: Bruno has never seen Matter of Fact "in person", as it were. He's only ever seen its arm, which remains even when he removes his wooden prosthetic. Said arm is a translucent sea green, and seems almost to let off a pale blue steam whenever it's outside of Bruno's arm. Although not particularly broad or powerful, the arm is fairly well toned and covered in what look to be small Widmanstätten patterns. In the absence of his prosthetic, Bruno wields this, but can no longer absorb other forms of matter.
Power: Matter adoption - When Bruno touches a solid surface with his wooden arm, he can assimilate the materials and change the material his arm consists of, for the duration of the fight. This alters his stats. 
Stats:
[Default - Wood]
Destructive Power: B
Speed: A
Range: B
Durability: C
Precision: C 

List of approved Stand Users
Bruno Hays - Matter of Fact
J.D. - Birds of a Feather.
Ramika "Ram Jam" Jamison - Black Betty (Bam-ba-lam)
Lewis "Maz" Mazzaferri - Power of Love
Florence Squire - Life on Mars
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