He's always been able to change from one form to another, yeah. I haven't seen very many other Stands that could. [Demonstrating the point, Hierophant briefly raised one arm; it unraveled into a coil before reforming and settling back on its user's shoulders.]
[Carlos...actually claps, though not in any kind of condescension at all. He just looks very genuinely excited about the noodle Stand.]
Well, um...just a theory, but nearly every person in this town is in some way...special.
[There's air quotes around that last word.]
I don't like using that word, but it does fit. Unusual. Supernatural, in most cases. I think that everyone here has the inherent ability to see a Stand, but out of the manifestation of some other ability or trait. A special kind of sight.
Almost the reverse, actually. I'm saying that a Stand is a manifestation of some other kind of power, and that those powers are all kind of...compatible, if that makes sense? It's like wavelengths, or whatever. Everyone here is on the same wavelength of existence.
[There's something akin to a lecture in his tone--you can't ever really outgrow being a teacher.]
What I don't understand is why people come and go. That's the strange part.
I think I understand that. It does make sense; Stands are effectively made of life energy, and everyone must have that in some shape or form no matter the world or universe.
[Some people never stopped being students, either.]
A friend and I have been thinking of following the train tracks--I don't expect we'll find much in the way of answers, but if there is an end point to them surely there would be something to find if we can reach it.
Stands are--very interesting, I think! They're just a physical manifestation of what everyone has, but not everyone possesses the ability to manifest. Or, as I've come to thing, not everybody possesses the ability to manifest in that specific manner. I certainly don't, as far as I know, but I do have my abilities and disabilities.
[Will he elaborate? Nah.]
I don't think you'll find much. Maybe they'll put you back here in the city--I knew a place like this, once. It ends where it begins.
Hm...yeah, I think that you're right. Being a Stand user or not...doesn't really make people that different at all, does it? [That sounded pretty significant for a basic observation, and Kakyoin punctuated it by laughing under his breath.] I never really understood that myself until I got here.
[He shrugged, hands dropped to his sides as Hierophant curled in closer to its user.]
I don't think it will end in any worthwhile results, but I have to try regardless. Just on the thin chance that we'll find something.
It's all just a matter of expression of traits, like anything else. I think so, anyways--maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm right. Either way, the differences are only superficial at best.
[He clears his throat, flipping the folder back open.]
Speaking of: did he arrive exactly when you did? Could you ever be separated in any way?
[His sudden tone sounded offended, but from the look on his face it was more of a kneejerk expression of genuine horror.]
No. A Stand and its user can't be separated. [He reached up to Hierophant's arms again, curling his fingers loosely around the Stand's wrist. Was that accurate?]
[No. He knew from what Giorno had said--about Silver Chariot and what had happened to him--that it wasn't impossible, and that scared him more than a city full of clock towers.]
That's like arriving without a sense of your own self or personality. Without Hierophant, I'm not 'Noriaki Kakyoin'.
No, it's okay. Sorry, I...[he shrugged, trying to shake off the lingering unease.] It's fine. Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you.
As for your question, my Hierophant has a range of exactly fifty meters in any given direction. If I try to reach in as many directions as possible, I have to cut that down to somewhere around twenty; it's difficult to manage more than that, because it's splitting my own senses between myself and wherever Hierophant is. It's easiest to just send him off in a single direction; that way it's only divided by half.
Well...I'll try, sure. If he's in his main body like this, I can see pretty clearly through his eyes and even project my voice through him. Basically, it's like standing in two places at the same time; I can see either what I'm looking at in one spot, or what Hierophant is looking at in another.
[If he did find the earnest questions unsettling, Kakyoin didn't point it out--actually, this was his favorite subject. Seeing someone else that interested was actually pretty nice.]
If he's split apart, it's a little more difficult. Since he doesn't really have eyes in that form the best I've ever been able to manage is detecting unclear shapes, sounds, and motion. Hierophant is a Stand best utilized for scouting, and he has a longer reach than nearly any other I can think of.
Have you tried fooling around with how many parts he can be split into? Like, could you have...eight bits of him going in different directions, like an octopus? Or is it really limited to four?
[He mimes the common gesture for "invertebrate tendrils". You know, just the usual.]
Honestly, I don't know how you do it! That's a lot of focus.
It's not limited to just cardinal directions or anything like that at all. [Hierophant's entire body unraveled into at least half a dozen coils of varying sizes, like a group of snakes curling loosely around Kakyoin's arms and shoulders.] I've never really counted a specific upper limit to how many parts he can split into, but we can lay down a net of tripwires and be completely aware of any sound or motion within it. Kind of like a spiderweb, but not quite as neatly organized.
[He shrugged, one coil wrapping around his right hand and lacing between his fingers.]
Okay, can you--can you elaborate on that last bit? How long have you been able to use his abilities to the fullest? Did they develop alongside the rest of your natural talents?
...Also, at some point--not now, of course--I'd appreciate a demonstration. If that's okay?
Well...that's a little tough to explain. I learned to use Hierophant the same way people learn to walk or develop any kind of skill. Some things we've been able to do for as long as I can remember, and others developed through practice and intuition. There have been some things in the past that I simply didn't know we could do until it occurred to me to try, like Hierophant was showing me himself. Maybe that seems a little strange, since neither of us is independent of the other--think of it like talking to yourself trying to work out a problem, maybe.
[It was hard to explain without feeling like he was making himself sound crazy.]
I don't even know if I am able to use his abilities to the fullest. I'm only eighteen, and I have no idea how different Stands might develop and at what rates. For all I know, he could still have abilities I haven't discovered yet.
[developmental potential: D]
...I can demonstrate now, if you'd rather not wait. I really don't mind at all.
No, no, that definitely makes sense. In my research, while Stands are absolutely a facet of the human being in question, they can also act semi-independently. It's absolutely not an outside force, but it displays different sides of your personality than you're used to, making it able to hold a conversation apart from yourself.
[He pauses to breathe, reaching for another file folder.]
Of course, Hierophant here seems a bit less independent than others, so perhaps that's not feasible. However, I've spoken with Gold Experience some--very wonderful personality, I add--and he offered a unique perspective on a situation to his user. It really varies.
...Anyways, I'd absolutely love to see the extent of your abilities! We can step outside, if that's more convenient.
Right. I've been able to hold conversations with Star that Jotaro didn't even realize were going on, but Hierophant just...doesn't work that way. He's never said a word or made a sound for our whole lives.
[He really didn't get it, at this point. But Hierophant was Hierophant; that was just the way he worked. Even if Kakyoin could have changed that, he wouldn't.]
Sure--going outside would probably be much easier. I can show you whatever you'd like.
[He's up and standing before it seems he's moved at all, unsettlingly enough, and he even has his coat back on. Strange. Then again, virtually everything about him is veiled in some kind of strangeness, so that really can't be helped.]
Excellent! You can just show me the extent of any and all abilities you are able to access. If...that's not too tiring, I mean.
[Maybe it's better he doesn't know about the whole mind-control tentacles thing. That could lead to some unfortunate places.]
There's a pretty nice open area out between here and the training school, I think.
[And, again, he's gone in a surprisingly fast blur of white lab coat and excitement, leaving Kakyoin and the lab behind. He just has a lot of Thoughts and Opinions.]
[yep, let's just keep that to ourselves and what carlos doesn't know won't be a disaster. He was certainly eager, at any rate--a little unnervingly so, but that probably wasn't a bad thing. Probably.]
[Kakyoin shrugged and followed behind him, Hierophant trailing along as he always did.]
[He's a good twenty feet outside the building by the time Kakyoin exits, waving excitedly. It seems as though he really is dedicated to his scientific pursuits, though he might be taking the "pursuits" part a little too literally.]
[It looks like he's saying something, though it's a bit distant. Something about "proximity" and "so much fun".]
[Were most scientists that fast? He couldn't quite make out what Carlos was saying, but given what he could catch taking an educated guess seemed feasible. Besides, Hierophant could cross that distance a lot faster than Kakyoin himself.]
[So he did exactly that, sneaking underground and coming back up right next to Carlos with a small, friendly wave.]
[He stumbles back slightly in surprise, very nearly dropping his small stack of folders before grinning wide.]
Very impressive, Hierophant! I'm impressed. That impressed me.
[He turns back to Kakyoin and waves again, giving a THUMBS UP of approval.]
From what you told me, I'm assuming you can hear me from here?
[Being speedy isn't a scientific trait; it's just the product of running from things for a few years. He may have the physical strength of a wet noodle, but he sure can run.]
Loud and clear, no problem. [Said Kakyoin's voice from Hierophant's mouthrespirator...from the general vicinity of Hierophant's face.] Sorry, we weren't trying to startle you.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2016-05-28 12:52 am (UTC)Do you? What do you think about it?
no subject
Date: 2016-05-28 12:59 am (UTC)Well, um...just a theory, but nearly every person in this town is in some way...special.
[There's air quotes around that last word.]
I don't like using that word, but it does fit. Unusual. Supernatural, in most cases. I think that everyone here has the inherent ability to see a Stand, but out of the manifestation of some other ability or trait. A special kind of sight.
[His eyes trail back down to "C. G. PALMER".]
no subject
Date: 2016-05-28 01:12 am (UTC)[Kakyoin frowned, drumming his fingers against Hierophant's arm.]
So what you mean amounts to the idea that some facet of a Stand user's ability manifests in a different way for different people, roughly speaking?
no subject
Date: 2016-05-28 01:18 am (UTC)[There's something akin to a lecture in his tone--you can't ever really outgrow being a teacher.]
What I don't understand is why people come and go. That's the strange part.
no subject
Date: 2016-05-28 01:20 am (UTC)[Some people never stopped being students, either.]
A friend and I have been thinking of following the train tracks--I don't expect we'll find much in the way of answers, but if there is an end point to them surely there would be something to find if we can reach it.
no subject
Date: 2016-05-28 01:33 am (UTC)[Will he elaborate? Nah.]
I don't think you'll find much. Maybe they'll put you back here in the city--I knew a place like this, once. It ends where it begins.
no subject
Date: 2016-05-28 01:38 am (UTC)[He shrugged, hands dropped to his sides as Hierophant curled in closer to its user.]
I don't think it will end in any worthwhile results, but I have to try regardless. Just on the thin chance that we'll find something.
no subject
Date: 2016-05-28 02:07 am (UTC)[He clears his throat, flipping the folder back open.]
Speaking of: did he arrive exactly when you did? Could you ever be separated in any way?
no subject
Date: 2016-05-28 02:18 am (UTC)[His sudden tone sounded offended, but from the look on his face it was more of a kneejerk expression of genuine horror.]
No. A Stand and its user can't be separated. [He reached up to Hierophant's arms again, curling his fingers loosely around the Stand's wrist. Was that accurate?]
[No. He knew from what Giorno had said--about Silver Chariot and what had happened to him--that it wasn't impossible, and that scared him more than a city full of clock towers.]
That's like arriving without a sense of your own self or personality. Without Hierophant, I'm not 'Noriaki Kakyoin'.
no subject
Date: 2016-05-28 02:46 am (UTC)It's...I'm sorry. My fault, I just had to clarify. In the same vein, though...
[He's just looking down, now, not meeting Kakyoin's eye.]
...How far is his range, if we use you as a centerpoint? Does it favor directions?
no subject
Date: 2016-05-28 02:52 am (UTC)As for your question, my Hierophant has a range of exactly fifty meters in any given direction. If I try to reach in as many directions as possible, I have to cut that down to somewhere around twenty; it's difficult to manage more than that, because it's splitting my own senses between myself and wherever Hierophant is. It's easiest to just send him off in a single direction; that way it's only divided by half.
no subject
Date: 2016-05-28 02:58 am (UTC)Now, can you tell me--as exactly as you can--what this split consciousness feels like?
no subject
Date: 2016-05-28 03:07 am (UTC)[If he did find the earnest questions unsettling, Kakyoin didn't point it out--actually, this was his favorite subject. Seeing someone else that interested was actually pretty nice.]
If he's split apart, it's a little more difficult. Since he doesn't really have eyes in that form the best I've ever been able to manage is detecting unclear shapes, sounds, and motion. Hierophant is a Stand best utilized for scouting, and he has a longer reach than nearly any other I can think of.
no subject
Date: 2016-05-30 11:18 pm (UTC)[He mimes the common gesture for "invertebrate tendrils". You know, just the usual.]
Honestly, I don't know how you do it! That's a lot of focus.
no subject
Date: 2016-05-30 11:24 pm (UTC)[He shrugged, one coil wrapping around his right hand and lacing between his fingers.]
We've had a long time to practice.
no subject
Date: 2016-05-31 12:24 am (UTC)...Also, at some point--not now, of course--I'd appreciate a demonstration. If that's okay?
no subject
Date: 2016-05-31 12:33 am (UTC)[It was hard to explain without feeling like he was making himself sound crazy.]
I don't even know if I am able to use his abilities to the fullest. I'm only eighteen, and I have no idea how different Stands might develop and at what rates. For all I know, he could still have abilities I haven't discovered yet.
[developmental potential: D]
...I can demonstrate now, if you'd rather not wait. I really don't mind at all.
this escaped my inbox?? yikes
Date: 2016-06-05 05:12 pm (UTC)[He pauses to breathe, reaching for another file folder.]
Of course, Hierophant here seems a bit less independent than others, so perhaps that's not feasible. However, I've spoken with Gold Experience some--very wonderful personality, I add--and he offered a unique perspective on a situation to his user. It really varies.
...Anyways, I'd absolutely love to see the extent of your abilities! We can step outside, if that's more convenient.
oops
Date: 2016-06-05 05:46 pm (UTC)[He really didn't get it, at this point. But Hierophant was Hierophant; that was just the way he worked. Even if Kakyoin could have changed that, he wouldn't.]
Sure--going outside would probably be much easier. I can show you whatever you'd like.
no subject
Date: 2016-06-05 06:04 pm (UTC)Excellent! You can just show me the extent of any and all abilities you are able to access. If...that's not too tiring, I mean.
[Maybe it's better he doesn't know about the whole mind-control tentacles thing. That could lead to some unfortunate places.]
There's a pretty nice open area out between here and the training school, I think.
[And, again, he's gone in a surprisingly fast blur of white lab coat and excitement, leaving Kakyoin and the lab behind. He just has a lot of Thoughts and Opinions.]
no subject
Date: 2016-06-05 06:10 pm (UTC)[Kakyoin shrugged and followed behind him, Hierophant trailing along as he always did.]
no subject
Date: 2016-06-05 06:16 pm (UTC)[It looks like he's saying something, though it's a bit distant. Something about "proximity" and "so much fun".]
no subject
Date: 2016-06-05 06:31 pm (UTC)[Were most scientists that fast? He couldn't quite make out what Carlos was saying, but given what he could catch taking an educated guess seemed feasible. Besides, Hierophant could cross that distance a lot faster than Kakyoin himself.]
[So he did exactly that, sneaking underground and coming back up right next to Carlos with a small, friendly wave.]
no subject
Date: 2016-06-05 06:41 pm (UTC)Very impressive, Hierophant! I'm impressed. That impressed me.
[He turns back to Kakyoin and waves again, giving a THUMBS UP of approval.]
From what you told me, I'm assuming you can hear me from here?
[Being speedy isn't a scientific trait; it's just the product of running from things for a few years. He may have the physical strength of a wet noodle, but he sure can run.]
no subject
Date: 2016-06-05 06:49 pm (UTC)mouthrespirator...from the general vicinity of Hierophant's face.] Sorry, we weren't trying to startle you.(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From: