GubGar

Steel Ball Run | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Mentions: @Severance

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The immediate shift in mood that the person Simon foolishly confronted about his bag was like whiplash, while he pulled up, he seemed friendly despite his imposing figure, but when he actually made it next to him, that mood had shifted into anger. Scary face, scary horse, and bad mood were three red flags. Simon immediately regretted talking to this fellow. He should have known better than to take a risk when he had double 13 as his number. Maybe he could just ride away before this scary guy could respond-

It was at that moment that Simon saw this guy's rope seemingly fly right into his hand. Oh God, oh crap. This guy was haunted too. That was definitely haunted behavior. Ropes didn't fly into people's hands on their own. Unless it was really windy, and the person had their hands out. Or maybe if someone threw the rope into someone's hands. But neither thing was happening in this situation, which meant it was a ghost. Simon could feel himself going pale out of fear. An angry, haunted stranger whom Simon had approached while being saddled (literally) with the unluckiest possible number. He was dead, he was totally dead.

While Simon ran through possibilities in his head, and debating as to whether it was morally okay to shoot this guy as a preemptive strike, he completely failed to notice said guy try to lasso a piece of paper only to have the Badger Boy known as Donny Brando snatch it up before he could. All Simon noticed, or rather, heard, was the stranger reacting to Donny snatching the paper. He had declared, quite angrily, 'You're Dead.' Having completely ignored the context, Simon's blood ran cold.

Within an instant, Simon hands tightened on Cecilia's reigns. He lashes them, aggressive for his standards, but very gently for most jockey's standards. Just enough to let his partner know that he needed to move. Now. And move he did, Cecilia was, after all, strongest when it came for her stability and short-distance speed. Before Simon could hear JoJo actually respond to him, and realize that this stranger meant no ill will whatsoever, he was off in a burst of abrupt speed.

"OhgollyOhgollyOhgollyOhgolly.." Simon muttered frantically as he abruptly began gaining on the other racers. Even blazing by a few of them. He rapidly approached the slope, managing to keep his wits just long enough to pull back on the reigns. Cecilia began to slow, but with their momentum, they began speeding down the slope at a quick rate despite his attempts at slowing down. It was, fortunately for both rider and horse, not enough speed to lose control and eat it.

What was not fortunate, was the pile up at the bottom of the slope. Simon let out a very unbecoming shriek, and lurched off to the side in his saddle, tugging on the reigns in order to guide Cecilia off to the side. His horse stumbled as she tried to move despite the forwards and downwards momentum, and for a minute it seemed that both would join the other ten racers at the bottom of the hill. But thanks to Cecilia being relatively used to unpleasant terrain such as the sands in the Devil's Palm, they managed to avoid collapsing, and briefly maneuver off-track in order to avoid trampling or tripping on the less fortunate racers.

Steel Ball Run | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Mentions: @Severance

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Focusing more on the riders than the course was costing Simon a bit of speed, but honestly he felt he was far better off for it. After all, it was better to have a slow start, than have the race cut short by another racer getting violent with him. He vaguely noticed the Badger Man speed up, seeming to hurry away from the duo riding double. Perhaps the clattering of the strange armor was irritating him? Simon could understand that. It was pretty odd, all things considered, seeing someone dressed up like that for a race. And he could only assume it was very loud, though Simon himself wasn't close enough to hear it himself.

By observing Donny, Simon ended up witnessing the piece of paper smack him right in the face. He frowned. Was someone littering on the race track? If that paper got under a horse's foot, it might make the poor thing lose traction and hurt itself. That just wouldn't do. So, trusting Cecilia to remain on track, Simon begins to search for the source of the paper. It took a little bit, but he managed to locate an incredibly imposing figure riding an equally imposing horse. What was noteworthy, was that the rider's satchel was unbuttoned, and opened wide. Simon noted what seemed to be several more papers were stuffed hastily into the bag, and were currently getting battered by the wind. That must've been the guy- or, well, maybe it wasn't. But it was the most likely guy Simon could spot.

It seemed that he had misjudged the imposing rider. He wasn't trying to sabotage other racers, he was merely having trouble with his bag. Simon leaned forward in his saddle, and Cecilia immediately began to speed up. Her skill at short distance sprinting meant Simon had little trouble closing the distance between himself and the imposing rider. But it took a bit longer for him to work up the courage to talk, which meant he was just sort of riding near him, and looking at him silently. It was incredibly awkward.

Finally, Simon spoke up, having decided that a good deed might give him enough good karma to balance out his bad luck. "Excuse me, Pardner!" He called out, his voice deep and rumbling, yet notably not intense in any sense of the word. "Ah don't mean ta distract you from the race or nothin', but I couldn't help but notice that your bag's come loose. Ah don't want you ta lose nothin' valuable. That'd be rotten luck ta' start the race off with somethin' goin' missing." He had to shout a bit due to the deafening sound of a great deal of horses galloping, but even when throwing his voice to ensure he was heard, Simon seemed overly polite and nervous.

Immediately after, Simon winced. What if this guy didn't appreciate his information. Maybe he knew his bag had opened up already, and was now irritated that Simon had drawn unnecessary attention to it. Ugh, maybe he should've just kept his mouth shut and his head down. Now he'd gone and drawn an imposing looking fellow's attention to himself.

Steel Ball Run | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Mentions: @Lord Orgasmo

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Simon's strategy of not sweating it and keeping a steady pace was surprisingly effective. He wasn't entirely sure why almost every other racer was treating the race as if it were a short-distance sprinting contest, when it was in fact, an endurance run. Maybe they didn't really believe they could win and wanted to at least get a high ranking during the first portion of the first leg. Simon could understand that, better to be a winner briefly than a loser throughout the whole thing.

However, before Simon could continue down that downright depressing train of thought, he heard a voice. An unfortunately familiar, aggressive and metallic voice. "Psst! Earth to Dumb Mustache!" It was obvious who it belonged to no one else's voice sounded like a fork on a washboard. Oh no. Simon thought. "Oh no." Simon said. While he was distracted, his horrible evil ghost had manifested behind him. The scary specter called itself Perform This Way, Simon called it his awful ghost. "Oh no? Did you just lament my arrival? Yeah, okay, you're eating dirt next time you need me pal. But that ain't the point. Look over there!" Perform this way's stubby robotic hands grab onto Simon's head. It took all of Simon's willpower not to freak out and accidentally fall off Cecilia, who wouldn't have gotten even remotely spooked by Simon if he had freaked out.

His awful ghost forces him to look over at another rider. What made this one different, was the fact that she was riding double with what appeared to be an individual in a suit of armor. "Oh, wow. That's really amazing that those two trust each other enough to ride double like that. I think it's a bit cruel on the horse to wear such heavy armor, though." Simon noted, somehow missing the fact that the 'person' in the armor was phasing partially through the woman, and was obviously a ghost. His earnest statement was met with a long, irritated exhale by Perform This Way. "You know what? Never mind. Sure. They're riding double." The ghost proceeds to fade away in irritation, totally giving up on warning Simon about the potentially violent Stand that was riding somewhat nearby.

Simon frowned. That was strange. Usually his evil spirit only manifested to torment him or laugh when he stubbed his toe. Simon was fairly certain that it was just trying to get in his head and mess with him, so he promptly decides to forget about the whole affair, and continue focusing on the race. His current strategy was to ensure Cecilia didn't get too close to any of the aggressive looking riders. Simon suspected foul play was a given in this race. After all, having been a Policeman for years, Simon knew greed tended to lead to violence. This strategy was another safe bet, but it made Simon seem like a very bad jockey, as his horse was just sort of gradually zigzagging around while pressing forwards, instead of going straight forward.

One Piece: The Next Voyage

I'm gonna bail out fellas. It's getting a bit too messy for my tastes.

With that in mind, have fun, safe sailing, and all that.

Steel Ball Run | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Mentions: N/A

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Thankfully, Simon didn't need to interfere in what he had thought would be an incredibly violent horseback shootout. The moment he and Cecilia rounded the corner, they were met with a line-up of various other racers and their horses. He was able to note the victim of the Human Badger briefly, before she soon vanished into the crowd. Simon looked timidly at one of the organizers, who was currently giving him an intense glare for so noisily rounding the corner, and nearly disturbing the peace. Simon barely managed to choke out a timid response. "Ah, um, sorry. Very sorry." With that, he leads Cecilia to his place. 1313. How awful.

The person next to him seemed to agree, letting out a wince and briefly stating that he thought his number was unlucky, but that Simon's was far worse. Simon could barely hear him over the roaring in his ears. The race was about to begin, and he had wasted his time beforehand getting into fights, and trying to stop other fights. He didn't get to trade away his horribly unlucky number. Simon was practically doomed before the race even began..in his opinion, anyway. Anyone who wasn't a total defeatist wouldn't feel the same.

Regardless, the embarrassment and awkwardness of bailing out at the finish line was too much for Simon to handle. So he gripped Cecilia's reigns nervously, and began taking deep breaths to calm himself. The chanting of the crowd really didn't help much either. And as if sensing his distress, the voice of Perform This Way could be heard in his head, joining in the chant. Simon began to grit his teeth.

And before he knew it, the race was underway. The sound of fireworks bursting in the air signalling the start. Simon leaned forward in his saddle, which spurred Cecilia forwards. No lashing of the reigns was needed for his trusty police horse to get the message loud and clear. Somehow Simon managed to find himself at a cozy lead compared to most of the other racers, he was far from the front of the pack, but was at a pleasant middle ground. This was due to the simple fact that Cecilia wasn't phased by the explosions, and thus wasn't thrown off whatsoever. Simon found himself headed forward at a steady pace.

Granted, he wasn't gaining speed, but he wasn't losing it either. It was a reliable speed that promised safety above all else, which was what Simon prioritized right now. Cecilia was all about bursts of speed, so when the end of the first segment came around, that would be when he gave it his all. Until then, it was time to coast.

Steel Ball Run | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Mentions: @AmpharosBoy @Ambra

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Simon's internal panicking was interrupted by that scary woman from earlier calling out to him. He barely registered the words 'good luck' before she had given him a rough pat on the back that caused him to yelp, and promptly rode off. He really hoped she hadn't heard the yelp...she definitely heard the yelp. Ugh. That was seriously embarrassing. First he chickens out of any type of conversation, then he yelps. She must've thought he was the biggest coward in the entire race. Not that she would be wrong for thinking that of Simon.

His downwards spiral of self-deprecation was broken when the Human Badger, whom he had heard earlier introduce himself as Donny, came trotting after her and- did he just scoop up horse crap? Simon's eyes widen, resembling saucers. Why in the world was he grabbing a fistful of crap!? Seconds after asking, Simon saw Donny approach the scary woman. Oh. Oh! Oh no.

"Watch out for-" His declaration was both too quiet, and too late, as the glob of horse dung was lobbed straight at the scary woman. Simon recoiled slightly as he was forced to watch the unfortunate collision. That was absolutely horrid, in both smell, and how cruel it was. Simon thinks back, recalling what she had said before patting him on the back. Was this Donny a competitor? Were all competitors eager to perform smear (poor word choice) tactics on each other!? This race was far too terrifying for Simon's tastes.

While he had a panic attack, the scary woman sped up. Eager to chase down the Shit Slinging Badger Boy. Her anger was palpable, was she about to do something she might regret? "Augh- I, Well- We probably ought to stop this from escalating.." With practiced speed, but the enthusiasm of a wet sock, Simon climbed atop Cecilia, and began to chase after the scary woman, who was chasing after Donny.

"Waaaait! Surely this doesn't need to escalate any further! You two might be at risk of being disqualified!" Simon called out desperately as the chase began in earnest, an unintentional prelude to the race itself.

Uncanny X-Factor - In need of new players

A superhero roleplay where I can be a corporate shill? Yes please. Also appealing as it deals with smaller-scale issues, which I tend to find gives better room for character focus. It's a lot easier to develop interesting dynamics when you aren't also dealing with the sky being on fire, in my personal opinion.

I'm most definitely interested, which means it's time to chew through all this lore. Can't promise I'll follow through for certain, though. Just a heads up.

Steel Ball Run | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Mentions: N/A

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And just like that, Simon had made a successful escape. Seemingly evading any and all repercussions for his actions. Nice! Well, actually, that just wasn't the case at all. While Simon had managed to escape the two Obviously Dangerous Strangers that harbored no ill will towards him and did nothing to him except compliment him, he did not escape the prying eyes of other people watching the bar brawl gone wrong. Several people saw Simon shoot a man straight in the back, and walk away just as quick. That, combined with the number on his saddle; 1313, gave people a false sense of danger concerning him. Simon had unintentionally given off the impression that he was some ruthless gunslinger ready to shoot people in the back instead of dueling them proper, which would likely paint a target on his back.

Yet as if lady luck floated down from the heavens and spat directly into his eye, Simon hadn't realized this whatsoever. He was far too focused on hoping that the two strangers hadn't seen just how quickly he was beating a hasty retreat. Did they know how scared he was? Agh, they probably did. Simon's mustache twitches just as he recalls why he was wandering around in the first place. Trading numbers, that's right. He was still stuck with the double thirteen, perhaps that's why he stumbled upon the bar fight. Because of that unlucky number.

But it was already getting to be a bit later than he'd like. When was the Race itself starting again? He couldn't recall. Simon briefly curses himself for not paying enough attention. Either way, it was better to be safe than to be sorry. He probably should start heading to the beach. "C'mon, Cecilia. We ought ta head over an' see how long 'til the race itself starts." Cecilia did not respond, because she was a horse. But she did follow Simon, as docile as ever.

While the duo of Rider and Horse made their way to the starting point of the race, Simon idly took out his six shooter. He removed the spent casing of his used bullet, and pocketed it just in case. Ignoring the fact that the voice telling him to pocket it sounded remarkably like Perform This Way. He replaced it with a new bullet, and holstered it once again. Did he expect to need the six shooter again so soon? No, and he certainly didn't expect to need all six bullets. But it was a habit, and habits helped distract from the fact that he was extraordinarily nervous.

One Piece: The Next Voyage

Can confirm that it is, in fact, submersion. Which is why Devil Fruit users can take showers (though not baths, as those would have them submerged), and keep going while its' raining.

As for the possibility of her post being that she rode a wave, that could be the case, I wasn't entirely certain based on the wording.

One Piece: The Next Voyage

I'd have to say I'm in agreement, mist/steam seems like a separate Logia all together. And I'm not certain why she couldn't just use her Logia to ride a wave towards the ship instead.