A True Lady's Quest

[Lilithium]

Should we really be telling Dio, who my kindle wants to call Dip?

 

[Tetsurō]

[X] on your first boxing lesson. You want to trust Father, but you can't shake the feeling that you've taken your first step into a larger world, one that it is now too late to leave.

 

[Guile]

[X] reading up on spirits and the like. You've never given your father's studies much thought before, but his talk of 'interested parties' has you on your guard.

I'm not really 'into' all this physical violence stuff. It all seems rather barbaric, and that's what we have Dio around for.

 

[FurikoMaru]

A wild Stand-user appeared!

Go, Dio! I choose you!

"MUDA DA!"

~ Dio used CHARISMA! ~

~ It's super-effective! ~

./////. "Dio-sama!"

8)

 

[Torgamous]

[X] reading up on spirits and the like. You've never given your father's studies much thought before, but his talk of 'interested parties' has you on your guard.

 

[Aranfan]

I think Father's concerns about "interested parties" are going to happen no matter how much we hide it. And Dio already knows.

[X] Self-Defense

 

[drake_azathoth]

I'm sure we'll catch some flack for it, but as people have said, 'interested parties' will be interested no matter what. Given our ability to terrorize the servants, (and I assume we have already made an example of anyone snitching to Father about things we'd prefer go unremarked), the likely way Father will find out is if Dio gives Jojo a black eye. In which case, it's more Dio's problem than ours.

Might accelerate plan 'Kill Jojo's father', but that's enroute anyway, and backing out would likely leave an even worse impression with Dio than getting him in trouble.

[X] on your first boxing lesson. You want to trust Father, but you can't shake the feeling that you've taken your first step into a larger world, one that it is now too late to leave.

 

[FurikoMaru]

[X] Swing Low, Sweet Chariot*

The blossoms have fallen in the orchard, but for the most part the apples have yet to grow in their place.

"Unless you want to break your thumb, I would suggest putting it on the outside of your folded fingers."

Dio's hands are soft on yours as he gently readjusts your digits. "And there's no need for you to make such a tight fist," he adds, a hint of amusement in his voice. "You're meant to be hurting your assailant, not yourself."

"My apologies," you say, "I'm rather nervous."

"Don't be." He smiles. "I'll start slow."

It quickly becomes apparent that Dio's idea of 'slow' is a sane person's idea of 'frenetic'. He dives and swerves around the makeshift training post like a hawk in flight; half of his movements you don't even see at first, and when he stops to briefly explain why he's doing what he's doing, some of the jargon drifts right past you without so much as a backward glance.

Nonetheless, you don't ask questions. Your eyes track him as best they can, and eventually, through painstaking effort, they grow accustomed to his speed. Every shift in posture, every turn in limb is noted; the toss of his hair, like a proud racehorse. Sweat glistens on the curve of his neck and his arms, laid bare to the elbow by rolled-up sleeves. His braces strain against his shoulders as they roll into punch after punch; the stacked sacks of beans dent and rip under his assault. You unconsciously step forward, not fully aware of why-

- in drawing his fist back for his next strike, Dio accidentally rams his elbow hard into your face. With a cry, you tumble to the ground.

"Jojo!"

[X] Cry. Hell's teeth, it hurts! Are you bleeding?

[X] Restrain your tears. You were the one who wanted to learn to fight, and part of fighting is taking a hit every now and then. Get on your feet.

[X] ... is that a faint note of worry you hear in Dio's voice? Reassure him that you're fine.

----------

* Aww, man, how much fun would it be to introduce Polnareff to Joanna?

I gotta admit, it took a lot of effort not to use the word raptor.

 

[Biigoh]

[X] ... is that a faint note of worry you hear in Dio's voice? Reassure him that you're fine.

 

[Pipeman]

[X] Restrain your tears. You were the one who wanted to learn to fight, and part of fighting is taking a hit every now and then. Get on your feet.

 

[Lilithium]

Asdfg. What pick should I option.

The last maybe falsehood. And yet.

 

[Aranfan]

[X] Restrain your tears. You were the one who wanted to learn to fight, and part of fighting is taking a hit every now and then. Get on your feet.

 

[FurikoMaru]

Asdfg. What pick should I option.

The last maybe falsehood. And yet.

Click to shrink...

There are no wrong answers here. :3 Every option has its benefits.

 

[Scia]

[X] ... is that a faint note of worry you hear in Dio's voice? Reassure him that you're fine.

 

[Tetsurō]

[X] Restrain your tears. You were the one who wanted to learn to fight, and part of fighting is taking a hit every now and then. Get on your feet.
-[X] ... is that a faint note of worry you hear in Dio's voice? Reassure him that you're fine.

Not mutually exclusive.

 

[FurikoMaru]

Not mutually exclusive.

Click to shrink...

I wonder...

 

[Pipeman]

Not mutually exclusive.

Click to shrink...

Doesn't one emphasize getting through this on our own while the other does the exact opposite?

 

[Tetsurō]

Doesn't one emphasize getting through this on our own while the other does the exact opposite?

Click to shrink...

Not quite my read of it, the first is to get right back onto the bike and try again, it is self-reliance and determination and all that. While the second one notes Dio's concern, which very probably not for us, and reassures him that we are 'Okay', it is the empathy and compassion response compared to the Strength response of the first one I chose. The other response is more directly opposite to the Strength response, crying at the sight of blood and probably freaking out, which will effectively turn into our thorns coming out, that is the response that will likely lead us to better directly controlling them while Strength is more indirectly as it will teach us how to control our fear reaction more.

 

[Guile]

[X] Restrain your tears. You were the one who wanted to learn to fight, and part of fighting is taking a hit every now and then. Get on your feet.
"I do believe this is the first time I've been struck in the face. I know it was my idea, but I do hope this doesn't bruise too badly."

Furiko, I love me some Polneraff. And with the power of the arrow, all things are possible!

 

[FurikoMaru]

Hints on the choices.

1. Choosing either of the first two options has the potential to make Lilithium gnash her teeth in frustration.

2. Choosing the third makes you lose out on the rival route.

3. Choosing the first makes Dio underestimate you.

 

[drake_azathoth]

[X] ... is that a faint note of worry you hear in Dio's voice? Reassure him that you're fine.

I would worry about how Dio will react with the third choice. Is implying he cares about Jojo going to cause a backlash somehow? But... You know, he's still only twelve.

We may want to consider the idea he's not yet a complete sociopath. And the third choice isn't actually all that big a move one way or another. So if it does backfire, I don't think it'll be a disaster.

 

[FurikoMaru]

I think Dio's more of a psycho than a sociopath. I mean, aren't sociopaths people who've become detached from their own emotions to the point that they can't fully process them, so they just pretend they don't exist/functionally lack them? Dio's whole problem is that he's so in touch with his own emotions that he lets them decide his every course of action.

 

[Pipeman]

Changing to:

[X] ... is that a faint note of worry you hear in Dio's voice? Reassure him that you're fine.

I'm sure this will end just fine.

 

[Fallenblades643]

I think Dio's more of a psycho than a sociopath. I mean, aren't sociopaths people who've become detached from their own emotions to the point that they can't fully process them, so they just pretend they don't exist/functionally lack them? Dio's whole problem is that he's so in touch with his own emotions that he lets them decide his every course of action.

Click to shrink...

A Psychopath is someone affected by psychosis. which is \/
: fundamental derangement of the mind (as in schizophrenia) characterized by defective or lost contact with reality especially as evidenced by delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech and behavior

A Sociopath is
:a person with a psychopathic personality whose behavior is antisocial, often criminal, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience.

 

[drake_azathoth]

Sociopath is a problematic word because it's used for various disorders, actually. It's been used for antisocial personality disorder, dissocial personality disorder, and psychopathy. A psychopath is NOT someone affected by psychosis, but the term is often confused with psychoticism, which is why the term sociopath is often used in common parlance rather than psychopath in recent years.

Antisocial personality disorder is indicated by three or more of the following over the course of years:
failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest;
deception, as indicated by repeatedly lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure;
impulsiveness or failure to plan ahead;
irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults;
reckless disregard for safety of self or others;
consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations;
lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another;

Dissocial personality disorider is is indicated by three or more of the following over the course of years:
Callous unconcern for the feelings of others;
Gross and persistent attitude of irresponsibility and disregard for social norms, rules, and obligations;
Incapacity to maintain enduring relationships, though having no difficulty in establishing them;
Very low tolerance to frustration and a low threshold for discharge of aggression, including violence;
Incapacity to experience guilt or to profit from experience, particularly punishment;
Marked readiness to blame others or to offer plausible rationalizations for the behavior that has brought the person into conflict with society.

Sociopathy and psychopathy are often used interchangeably, but in some cases the term sociopathy is preferred because it is less likely than is psychopathy to be confused with psychoticism by a layman, whereas in other cases which term is used may "reflect the user's views on the origins and determinates of the disorder," with the term sociopathy preferred by those that see the causes as due to social factors and early environment, and the term psychopathy preferred by those who believe that there are psychological, biological, and genetic factors involved in addition to environmental factors.

edit: To clarify, sociopath and psychopath are less exact terms. Sociopaths are usually diagnosed as anyone without an effective conscience. They needn't lack emotion, so long as they feel no guilt where others would feel empathy. Psychopaths have characteristics like egocentricity, lack of empathy, pathological manipulative behavior, and persistent violation of social norms such as criminal behavior.

It's entirely possible to be categorized as a psychopath AND a sociopath AND having antisocial personality disorder OR dissocial personality disorder by a psychologist. Not that they'd write it up like that, but the conditions are not mutually exclusive except for the disorders.

 

[useless101]

[X] ... is that a faint note of worry you hear in Dio's voice? Reassure him that you're fine.

There's no point in making Lilithium damage her teeth.

 

[Disminded]

[X] Restrain your tears. You were the one who wanted to learn to fight, and part of fighting is taking a hit every now and then. Get on your feet.

 

[FurikoMaru]

Informative but for the most part needlessly confusing stuff.

Click to shrink...

>_< The terminology of psychiatry and psychology seems incredibly poorly organized.

Also, is it just me, or do all those criteria sound kind of vague and authoritarian in the perfect way to facilitate teenage self-diagnosis?

 

[Biigoh]

Choosing the third MIGHT open up the pathway to Dio X Jojo... it'll be hilarious.

 

[drake_azathoth]

>_< The terminology of psychiatry and psychology seems incredibly poorly organized.

Also, is it just me, or do all those criteria sound kind of vague and authoritarian in the perfect way to facilitate teenage self-diagnosis?

Click to shrink...

...They're more vague and authoritarian in order to allow you to legally lock up in an insane asylum pretty much anyone you consider so dangerous to the public that you'd stake your reputation on it being a good idea. It doesn't help that the word 'psychopath' dates back to 1885 and 'sociopath' is from 1930. That sounds pretty recent, but psychology is a YOUNG science, it's actually ancient, before a lot of work in criminal psychology and neuroscience.

The behavioral disorder ones are the most modern and honestly the most useful. Pretty much anyone will fit ONE of those various models like narcissistic personality disorder, so looking up coping mechanisms, treatment, and potential medication is easier. And in all honesty- they model behavior pretty well. Most personality disorders are far less threatening than antisocial or dissocial personality disorder though- those two won't get you locked up or anything like it in themselves, but the headshrinker may wake up and take notice. You do not take someone with dissocial personality disorder lightly.