karma chameleon, you come and go

[fistofthejoestar]

WHO: Jonathan & Josuke
WHERE: Heropa 36
WHEN: During the memory share plot.
WHAT: Continuation of this! Jonathan learns he can stop time and no one in this family can deal with that like an adult.
WARNINGS: The World is probably going to perform several WWE moves on Josuke. He deserves it.

Now?

[he certainly doesn't appear to be offended by the request, instead tilting his head to the side in thought. there was no doubt that he trusted Josuke - but could he trust himself right now?

in the end, it really wasn't much of a choice. there was no way he could ever hope to understand this ability without practicing it, and there was no one else he would even consider asking for help. it was a family concern, after all.]

...I don't see why not.

[but how to do it? it was a difficult task, showing someone a power that by its very nature couldn't be seen, even more so with the time limit he seemed to be currently operating under.

Jonathan's gaze roves around the room now, searching for something that might help him provide an example. when his eyes alight on the small paperweight perched innocuously on the coffee table a thought finally comes to him, and his expression becomes calmer, albeit still a long way from its usual cheer.

he reaches out to grab it, passing it over to Josuke with his enormously long bara arm. his mind is already a few moments ahead, on actually intentionally bringing the world to a halt, and so the request he makes is a bit distracted sounding.]

Would you mind giving it a toss over?

Comments

[unbreaker]

No problem.

[Josuke accepts the paperweight from his great grandfather, small in both their hands, and heavy for its diminutive size. His fingers slide around its smooth surface slow and steady, familiarizing themselves with its shape even as he lifts his arm and prepares to toss, underhanded, the object towards Jonathan.

He won't see The World stop time, he already knows this. But the effects of having time stopped around him, those are things he can witness, and they will stand testament to Jonathan's new ability. A terrifying power to have...and life-saving should his great grandfather ever exhibit as much control over it as Jotaro has in the past.]

Heads up.

[With a nod, the paperweight leaves Josuke's hand with a gentle toss...]

[fistofthejoestar]

[and there it hangs at the arc's peak as The World quietly materializes at Jonathan's shoulder, heeding his mental call.

so it really was as easy as wanting it. the realization sits somewhere between awe and disturbance in his thoughts.

there isn't any time to dwell on that now, however - he knows with absolute certainty that he can't hold this crystallization for very long. Jonathan rises from the couch swiftly, reaching out to touch the paperweight as it hangs suspended in midair...and to give it a nudge in the opposite direction from which it had been thrown. the momentum of everything stopped was preserved, wasn't it? that ought to be all he needed.

a handful of moments stretch into forever for Jonathan, but for his great-grandson the whole thing happens in an instant. the paperwight leaves his hand, and then suddenly it shoots backwards at him - only to be caught by The World, hovering protectively at Jonathan's side and looking pretty self-satisfied for a stand.

he'd moved to stand behind Josuke's chair, although it likely looked like teleportation from an outside perspective. it's less of a demonstration and more strategic; his hands dig deep into the fabric of the chair, holding himself upright as the now-expected wave of fatigue washes over him. it's manageable this time, something he can swallow without much trouble. maybe he really did just need a little practice.]

[unbreaker]

[Time stands still as it has before, Jonathan and The World the only things that move of their own accord for what seems to Josuke like an imperceptibly short half-second. A blink, really. Maybe even less. During which he is completely unaware of his great grandfather's plan.

He only feels the paperweight leave his fingers and then, quite suddenly, its direction has changed. Instead of sailing through the air towards Jonathan, the object speeds towards him—

—and is caught by a familiar hand not far from his head.

He should be grateful, but surprised as he is to see The World so close, he reacts. His Stand reacts. Its ghostly body rising up from the space between his shoulder blades, is eyes narrowed, and fist protectively outstretched towards the chiseled line of a hard-set jaw...

Sorry, gramps. You don't get to relax just yet.]

[fistofthejoestar]

[there's no way that Jonathan could have prepared himself for that sort of reaction. no matter how many times they seem to clash, he just can't seem to grasp how deeply the enmity between his great-grandson and his stand seems to run - and so it never enters into his plans.

he thought that this would be a fun, harmless way to show off a power he still didn't quite understand. instead, he finds himself eating a punch more forceful than anything he's had to endure since Tarkus as Crazy Diamond connects solidly with The World's jaw.

he reels, barely remaining upright thanks to his grip on the chair, and his vision goes completely white for a brief moment. it's all The World needs. its own hands move just as swiftly as its foe's, locking the offending wrist in a vice grip as it attempts to bring the paperweight down on Crazy Diamond's knockoff helmeted skull.

it always comes back to this, doesn't it.]

[unbreaker]

[Shit.

Holy fucking shit. Fuck.

He's sorry, he's so sorry! Josuke regrets everything! For all of one second, or perhaps two. However long it takes for The World to recover and retaliate...

...and then the paperweight connects with the back of Crazy Diamond's head and Josuke feels his own explode with a disorienting pain that spots his vision. His knees buckle, legs giving out beneath his weight, and he very nearly hits the floor of Jonathan's home. Would have, were it not for The World's grip on Crazy Diamond's wrist.

There's still a ringing in his ears, though. And then there's anger. At himself for not being more in control, and at The World for leeching onto his great grandfather! It takes everything he has to keep from—

—nope, nope, everything he has isn't enough when he looks up and sees three of that Stand spinning in his vision.]

EAT SHIT!

[The wrist in The World's grip flexes, whole arm going tense before, legs spreading, knees bending, Crazy Diamond attempts to hoist the other Stand up into the air—and back down again in a body slam!]

[fistofthejoestar]

[he tastes nothing but blood. Jonathan's lip is streaming in two separate spots, from both the blow and his own teeth coming down too hard. when the mist finally clears from his vision, however, the coppery tang fades into insignificance.

Hulkamania The World, free to run wild, readily meets violence with violence. it allows itself to be lifted - and that's all. its free arm wraps around Crazy Diamond's neck, and as the other stand attempts to smash it into the ground it uses the momentum to twist.

this is completely out of control - he has to do something. but the blow is hardly something that even Jonathan can shake off; in his current condition reining in The World is completely out of the question. the brawl rages on just a moment longer as he's forced to tend to himself, pulling his thoughts away from the crackling frustration to put the ripple to work mending him enough to do something about this.

absolutely absurd. how had this entire thing spun so rapidly out of hand?]