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Friendly reminder: If Dario wasn't such a shitty, abusive, garbage person, then Dio wouldn't have been so compelled to infiltrate another family's house and, later down the line, have a forever grudge against said family bloodline.

So we can all agree that fuckass Dario Brando can eat all the shit in the world and go to the deepest pits of hell 😊🫶

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Thematic Parallels Between Jotaro and Bangtan's Rap Line: A Character Study

NOW. HEAR ME OUT. Trust me this one's good, I promise. It has pretty pictures too.

Remember my last post about the misogynist allegation believer? I used a decent amount of memes that are related to this post.

So, if ya'll weren't aware, that aside from June being Pride Month, it is also Bangtan Month a.k.a BTS month where all the members are coming back from their mandatory military service and I'm busting my ass out celebrating.

And yes, if you're wondering why I have the occasional tendency to put symbolism in everything I do, and over-analyze the fuck from any and all piece of detail that Jotaro shows on screen (and why I have no issue rebutting any counter arguments)-

I'm an ARMY since 2018, and so I was raised by both passive-aggressive King Namjoon and Minstradamus Yoongi, and the general fanbase itself as well lmao. And if I recall correctly, one or two of my followers were also giving ARMY vibes (any ARMYs in the room, please make yourselves known, this is a safe space uwu).

But speaking of Namjoon and Yoongi- because I have free will and creative liberties, I bring you another essay discussing how there's a surprising amount of parallels between Jotaro and the group's rap line, giving me the excuse to yap about my two favorites in one.

There's 3 members who are a part of the said line and I'll be writing each thematic parallel one-by-one.

JOTARO & SUGA (MIN YOONGI): Dealing with Trauma Through the Years

Let's start this by talking about my two favorite introverts that are known to be "cold and unfeeling" at first glance, wherein in reality, one is wolf-coded that is lowkey a nerd, and the other is cat-coded and is quite goofy when he wants to be.

With Suga (or more specifically his other stage persona Agust D), I found the thematic similarities more through his music and his story that he presents to his audience via his albums. This one tackles more about dealing with the painful past and the gradual path to healing; From his first album "Agust D" to his latest album "D-Day".

In the first album "Agust D", this album represents the introduction to titular character who first makes himself known as this hardcore rebel who's not afraid to make it known that he's cocky and might as well be an anarchist that says "fuck you" to the corrupt and rigid system and the haters he garnered. But the more the album progresses, the songs become less fiery and rebellious. It becomes more personal and messy, tackling more and more about the rapper's own mental health struggles with anxiety and depression.

And I personally found this album similar to Post Part 3 Jotaro. Like Agust D, that rebellious mask he puts on is a front. A bravado that hides someone that's hurting (as I mentioned in a previous essay).

I forgot to mention that I always headcanoned Jotaro to not only suffer from PTSD but depression as well, one that was more prominent during his college years, where he could've overworked himself to the bone as means to cope.

Notable lyrics from the album songs:

* 140503 -> "Hiding my true self behind the defensive mask" * The Last -> "I say I don't care, all those words are to hide my weak self" * so far away -> "Everyone is living fiercely but why am I still here alone?" "I can't die so I'm alive" "I try to release my anger, but the only person here is me, so what's the point?" "My friends and family are getting further away" "The feeling of being on my own, I am on my own right now"

Wherein the first album talked about the past, in the second album "D-2", Suga talks about the high-and-low details of the present, with tracks that are more mellowed out but still retaining a bit of that frustration towards his ever-present struggles. Unlike the rebellious hurting of the first album, the songs in this one are more composed, somewhat akin to resigned acceptance.

Sounds familiar? It should because I correlate "D-2" with Part 4 Jotaro. (I mean come on… one of the songs here is named "28" which is Suga's age during the production of this album. It's also Jotaro's age in DIU).

How does this relate to 4taro? Well, in "D-2", the theme surrounding this involves change: What changed, what he could've changed, and how things change. It's less anger towards what happened, but more of regret. While the drive to do something is still there, it's lesser than before, giving way for more time to introspect.

"If Agust D captured a very early 20s me-against-the-world feeling, D-2 is about what it means to be of the world. It records that transitional period of your mid-20s when you're growing up and figuring out how to be a person, desperately trying to find a way to reconcile the dreams of childhood with the reality of life and the things you can't control." - Jenna Guillaume, Junkee.

Notable lyrics from the album songs:

* Moonlight -> "Sometimes I ask myself again if it's possible to go back, will you go back?" "Although things have changed since I started 10 years ago, my head is still a mess" * 28 -> "I'm getting older and I'm getting to know the world" "Thought I'd change after I turned twenty… after I graduated… after I turn thirty…" "I guess I'm getting older I can't remember, what was it that I wanted?" "Where have the fragments of my dream gone? I am breathing but seems like my heart is broken." "To live without worrying even for a day…" * People -> "Flow along the way the water flows" "Who said that humans are animals of wisdom? To my eyes, it's certain they're the animals of regret." "My ordinary becomes your special, my special becomes your ordinary"

And while I wish I could talk about the last album of the trilogy "D-Day" being applicable to Part 6 Jotaro, it saddens me that he doesn't get the full-circle healing and liberation (the theme) Suga got when he produced the third album. You know… because he died before he got the chance to heal.

But what I can talk about is the most relevant song to this essay present in the album: "Amygdala"

For those who don't know, the amygdala is a small part of our brains that helps us process emotions and stores emotionally-charged negative events as strong memories to help avoid similar dangers in the future.

"Amygdala" explicitly tackles about dealing with trauma and the rapper's struggles to break free from the trauma he experienced. He wishes the pain of what had happened to stop but isn't able to control it and unable to make it go away. It's the song about being trapped in your pain, unable to move on, constantly relieving the memories, the wish for it to stop only for it to spiral again.

For Suga, it's witnessing his mother in a critical cardiac condition (another similarity I just noticed with Jotaro), a car accident that costed him his shoulder, and his father's liver cancer.

And you can imagine how this ties in to Jotaro and his PTSD of his trip to Cairo, where his amygdala had absorbed so much pain that it wore his psyche down over time (notice the tired tone of Part 6 Jotaro in contrast to his younger selves), to the point it he had to resort to hyper independence, isolating himself from his loved ones out of fear they might get hurt, and would rather give his life up than witness a loved one die in front of him.

Heck, I would also like to headcanon that because of his PTSD of people close to him dying is the reason he didn't return to check on Jolyne when she had that severe febrile fever, because in his unhealthy coping mindset, he chooses to overwork into stuff he can control and be distracted with, instead of witnessing his beloved daughter suffer so heavily it looked like she was dying, unable to do anything but be a helpless spectator- a feeling similar to how he felt witnessing the deaths of his friends in Egypt.

It's incredibly selfish. It makes him incredibly neglectful. It paints him as a terrible father in the eyes of many. But a disorder is a disorder- it heavily intervenes with one's daily living. He most likely never got the chance to properly process his trauma, and didn't seek professional help. So, it wouldn't be that much of a surprise when the decisions he made weren't the best.

In closure to this part of the essay, I'll leave it with this quote by Suga in an interview:

"There is this culture where masculinity is defined by certain emotions and characteristics. I'm not fond of these expressions. What does being masculine mean? People's conditions vary day by day.

"Many pretend to be to be okay, saying they're not 'weak', as if that would make you a weak person. I don't think that's right. People won't say you're a weak person if your physical condition is not that good. It should be the same for the mental condition as well… society should be more understanding."

JOTARO & RM (KIM NAMJOON): The Beauty of Character Growth

Ah yes, we are moving on to Fathers™

With RM, I found a lot of similarities between him and Jotaro via the concept of finding one's identity and how it can change as one matures in life from teenage hood to adulthood.

When I say that Jotaro being angsty and putting on a cool, punk bad boy image is a phase, I mean it.

He's a 17-year-old who puts up a tough front to possibly serve either purpose: To scare off threats (or so I say in my headcanon), and/or portray himself as his favorite protagonists (e.g., Columbo, any Clint Eastwood character, Bancho icons etc.) and take with him the traits he finds "badass" and "cool" from these said characters.

For RM, when he first debuted in Bangtan, he was a teenager when he joined the underground rap scene, so his early days were influenced by the genre of hip-hop and his rapper seniors. His image was then molded to be like them and so his first stage name was formed: Rap Monster. He carried himself as this cool kid who exaggerated the black shades and gold chains, he wrote his earliest songs with topics about striving to be the best rapper despite the hate, rebellious beats against rigid societal structures, and even common teenage boy hormones.

But being cool and being the best isn't everything. Both of them come to realize that fact; that behind that facade of punk and hip-hop, were the ambitions of an academic and a poet, respectively.

Jotaro was an intellectual who liked reading books during his pastime, probably preferring it over video games. He wanted to study about the planes and boats, and the creatures around him, more particularly those the dwell under the waves. He was a naturally curious individual who'd passively gaze at his surroundings and observe what he sees. With time, he becomes less angry, moody, and dismissive, no longer needing to adhere to his scary delinquent image. Instead, he pours all his energy into what he knows best: His academics. And through this, his rude nature was refined into that of stoic professionalism.

RM is an artist who was hidden behind the need to conform to an image, and in the process, he gradually grew lost and frustrated with who he was behind his idol image. However, he's always the person to introspect and reflect, often releasing his thoughts and feelings through his music. By doing so, he's able to learn more about who he truly is behind the scenes, to figure out what fit and what didn't. In the end, he's able to find it in him to finally change his stage name from "Rap Monster" to "RM" (which stands for "Real Me").

One grew from a rebellious teenager to a biologist that embraced his fascination of the sea and his passion to scientific field...

The other from an ambitious underground rapper to a global artist that grew to admire the nature around him and embraced the beauty of art.

As a little bonus, I think Jotaro would relate to two of RM's songs:

"Wild Flower" (a song that talks about the person yearning for an anonymous yet simpler and ordinary existence)

Where's my end finally gonna be? Everything's so exhausting, from A to Z When's this wretched mask finally gonna come off? Yeah, me no hero, me no villain I'm barely anything Idling repeats, memories turning vicious Lying in a field, I set my sights on the skies Now, I can't remember what I wanted so badly I trusted I was happy, now a mere memory Yeah, I been goin', no matter what's in front No matter what it may be

And "Closer" (a song that talks about a relationship that could never be closer than it already was).

I get a feelin' sometimes That I can't get close enough to you I feel it most in the nighttime Even though that's when I'm closest to you If I could be under your skin Closer than we've ever been We'd be closer than we've ever been, oh

If this is all we can do (Can do) Yeah, just lookin' at you (At you) There's gon' be no take two Stay where you are

And yes I picked these songs from his Indigo album because it's my favorite Namjoon album and those two songs are my favorites.

JOTARO & J-HOPE (JUNG HOSEOK): Representations of Hope

Now, for this one, I know this won't take much in-depth thematic analysis, because there's really only one thing that's worth an essay segment. The rest of it is pretty just me finding some cute "oh wow, they have this in common."

Now let's get the surface-level similarities out first.

Remember how Araki said that Jotaro was an Aquarius? And how it seems like the majority of the fandom headcanoned his birth month was February? Well, guess who else has his birthday in February and is therefore, also an Aquarius?

Yes. And it's so funny to think that despite having the same astrology…

J-hope, or Hobi as we like to call him, couldn't be any more opposite to Jotaro in terms of personality. Now, that I think about it, his personality is more similar to Holly if anything- both of them are literally sunshine incarnates who loves helping others with their open and vibrant energy. Difference is that while Holly is a total pacifist, Hobi can be quite aggressive and is fiery in his music if he wants to.

Speaking of Holly, I would also like to mention that Hobi is also quite a bit of a mama's boy as well, just like Jotaro. His mother being so supportive of her son's dancing career has helped the rapper to be the person be who he is today, and so as a gift of gratitude, he released a solo song "MAMA" as part of the group's album directly thanking his mother.

So, while nothing too deep connecting these two, I just thought that it was cute that both Jotaro and Hobi are mama's boys.

Also TMI, by the time I'm editing this, he just released his new music video, wherein his jacket bears a large singular star in the back just like how 6taro has on his coat.

But onto the main part of this segment: Both of them representing "hope".

For Hobi, it's in his stage name J-hope. He chose that stage name because he wanted to embody the concept as an artist in his music. He wants to be seen a positive person who reaches out to the masses carrying positive messages to lift his fans' spirits up and empower them, utilizing his cheerful personality for others. And therefore, his image was formed that came with his signature tagline: "You're my hope. I'm your hope. I'm J-hope."

Now how the heck is this tied in to Jotaro? Well, if you might recall, his tarot card is "The Star", which in reading, is meant to symbolize renewed power, perseverance, and hope. It's about experiencing the roughest of hells and still pushing through it all towards the light at the end of the tunnel.

I've always called him as the active patriarch of the Joestar bloodline, the pillar of hope as I called him once, and what I mean by that is that he's the person that's keeping the family safe and secure. He's the current foundation that everyone leans on for protection against the supernatural (Stands). He's the one sacrificing his life and enduring all the bullshit for the protection of his family and their chance of having an ordinary life.

What am I saying overall? While not exactly the same, both Hobi and Jotaro represent "hope" for others. For Hobi, it's being a vibrant individual who spreads positivity and empowerment through his music, thus giving his audience the needed a boost in optimism for when life becomes hard, and encouraging them to be not lose hope.

For Jotaro, it's being the silent guardian working in the background, enduring countless and dangerous Stand encounters, all for the sake of his loved ones to hopefully live a life that isn't so dangerous and life-threatening. It's becoming that one gleaming star in the midst of a dark sky serving to guide those who look up to him, or to shine that light to help illuminate the dark even if it is faint or small. He's the unconventional type of hope the Joestar bloodline has for it to continue on.

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Hi hello me again 🫡✨️

What if I said that I have a new jotaro character study essay cooked up for you?

Fresh from the oven yall ♡

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When you're in a "Defend Jotaro" competition and silent-sanctum pulls up, I will accept my loss cause my hat is off to you. I love that you defend Jotaro as a Jotaro fangirl myself seeing the mischaracterization of Jotaro ESPECIALLY for his love for Jolyne. Pre Stone Ocean anime content on how he loves another character more than his own child, especially when we've seen first hand how he would do anything for his family and somehow a boy he gives one compliment to and respect he loves him or the ocean more than his daughter and just his overall character period. Sorry for the long rant just I just wanted to let you know your essay,fanfics, and love for Jotaro is appreciated and love. You are one of my favorite Jotaro/Jojo accounts and keep up the good work 💕🫶🏽

Aww, thank you so so much for this anon! Genuinely 🥹🫶. Also, please don't apologize for rambling! I love reading rants sent to my inbox! Feel free to vent! This is a safe space ^^

But, you know what, let's share the Jotaro defender hats because I'm just a simple tumblr user with a character-dedicated account, working to provide fics, character studies, and the eradication of dogshit takes about Jotaro, one post at a time 🫡👑

Thank you again for the message! It's much appreciated - 💌

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thank you for posting actual jotanalysis, it really helps me feel sane in the sea of people blatantly mischaracterizing him

It's no problem, anon 🫶

In this household, we adhere to the proper characterization of the pookie 😌✨️

- 💌

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I won't deny the LGBTQAI+ community has a lot of misogynistic gay men who think they have every right to treat women and non-men poorly because they're gay, but if someone thinks of  that of every misogynist it's not good, it's basically generalizing and sticking to harmful gay stereotypes by the way, so whoever's you're arguing with probably has a lot of internalized-misogyny and is most likely projecting their past experience onto a fictional character. I just feel like I needed to point out the stereotype.

Yes and I'm aware. And it's sad that it has become this way.

I'm fully aware that not all gay people are misogynists. There are those who genuinely respects women. I have friends who are gay and they treat me fine and equally as they would to their fellow gendered folks. I also find my gay friends nice and fun to be with.

It's just that stereotype is formed for a reason, and like you said, it's due to the bad apples becoming loud because of a bad experience -> have internalised misogyny -> and are therefore resorting to projection as a coping mechanism. And it's sad. Truly it is.

I don't mean to attack the person I'm arguing with fully, nor take a jab at her sexuality. She randomly started yelling at one of my posts, and I countered with slight passive aggression yet still civil arguments.

Like I said. She can project whatever headcanon she desires to project. But if it begins to harm certain characterizations and warp it as canon, then I have to make some explanations.

Hope it clears things out 🙏 - 💌

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Okay first off, that meme should be for YOU and not me, because unlike the image you sent, I responded to each of your sentences DIRECTLY with short, straight-to-the-point counters. Meanwhile, you made the effort of writing whole ass paragraphs pulling headcanons and assumptions out of your ass in an attempt to argue with me.

I wanted my reply to be short and cute, but you decided to continue preaching, so here we are ♡

Plus your arguments completely missed the point of my post: I talked about how he's not a misogynist… not that he's not gay. And most of your words were of "Oh but he's queer!". So… again… that picture applies to you more than me lmao.

AGAIN. Because SOMEHOW, you're not processing it: It's okay to have a headcanon! All headcanons are valid! If you say "he has queer undertones" then good on you! That's a valid take!

My point is that don't try to convince me that your headcanon is universal, alright? That's what I'm trying to drill in that head of yours. I have my own headcanons and you have yours. I don't see those said undertones, and let's agree to disagree on that.

And I just know you haven't found my newer essay so I'm going to hold your hand bestie and link it right here. But if you still refuse to open it, I'll screencap the necessary answers for you~

Now let me counter your points AGAIN (because you decided to double down):

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"Jotaro doesn't bond with the men he's around. I think this is also extremely wrong. He gets along with the men just fine, it's the women-"

Miss ma'am… you forget this is a Shonen anime with a predominant male cast. There's not much women to talk to anyway? And no one's saying that he doesn't like his friends, because it is SHOWN to us he does have fun with them, hence why he's sentimental of the group.

Again, there is INSUFFICENT evidence of him ACTIVELY hating on women. All his negative gestures to those you cited as examples? Were of girls who were being unreasonably loud and fawny. He got annoyed by the noise and told them to not be loud. But my god, did he demean them in anyway?

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"But your gonna sit here and tell me Jotaro Mr. Wears A Chain on his Collar, tells the nurse not to mess up his pants, wears his jacket undone, never takes off his custom uniform isn’t a homosexual?"

Again… in a point about he's not a misogynist, you keep bringing up the gay bit. That ain't the point bestie~ Also, you talking like I'm missing the point when you bring up the nurse wanting to snip his pants to treat his wounds. What's the correlation??? Like yes, I don't want my expensive ass pants to be cut when it can be stitched easily.

Regardless, you are aware that the reason he dresses up the way he did is because of the Bancho aesthetic (you know, be trendy with the time of 80's JAPAN. Not America. JAPAN), right? He also dresses as such because he's a teenager who wants to look cool and be punk among his peers… you know… like a Bancho delinquent?

And you know what else was the standard go-to shortcut to looking extra cool was? Wearing black and gold chains. You want an example? Here's an example of my favorite group of boys wearing black and gold chains in their younger years in an attempt to look cool and hip.

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OKAY! Again with the "misogynists can still love the women in the family bit". Yes, that's true. But it doesn't necessarily apply to him now.

He's 17 trying to look cool. What he's doing during those FIRST 2 episodes was simply him being the "Mom, you're embarrassing me!" teen. And I don't know about you, but he clearly doesn't mean what he says. All that big talk of him saying what he said? He doesn't actually mean it bestie. He barks a lot but does the opposite.

His intentions were always out of the love he has for Holly. And she knows that. Suzy Q knows that. That's why they're unfazed by his rude words.

Misogynists mean what they say. When they say you're a bitch, then they genuinely think you are a bitch, and think you're lesser than them. This doesn't quite apply to Mr. I-love-my-mama's-cooking, I-wait-for-my-mama's-bye-bye-kisses, you-don't-look-well-you-should-rest, will-travel-the-world-for-you-mama Jotaro.

I also cited some examples of him engaging with women outside of family in my new essay! If you pulled the stick out your ass enough, you can see actual arguments there ♡.

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"As for his wife, we don’t KNOW if he loved her or not-"

"But there’s clearly evidence that it wasn’t only just “protecting her from stand users” there was something else definitely going on-"

WE DON'T KNOW. The key words are right there. And all what you said after are now delving into YOUR HEADCANONS. And I don't know how many times I have to say this: Your headcanons are valid! Just don't preach them to me as if it was something EXPLICITLY shown on screen.

'Clearly there's evidence-' Where? Where bestie? Is the evidence in the room with us?

Also, I know Araki references a lot of Western pop culture into his works, but you speaking like you're besties with Araki is weird. It's also unrelated to the misogynist point but sure "i'M tHE onE LOsinG tHE plOT"

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"Yet when we see them interact in prison while he’s trying to save his daughter from certain death he doesn’t exchange much words of sympathy like one’s father might."

… Are we talking about the same person here? This is Jotaro we're talking about, the guy who's shit at communication and can't express his feelings well. ESPECIALLY in a high-risk dangerous situations like… mmm I don't know… breaking a criminal out from jail and evading enemy Stand users simultaneously.

His priority was to get her to safety from the cops and the enemies, not to sit her down for a minute and suddenly enter into family therapy.

Also "doesn't exchange much words of sympathy"… when we should be aware that words are something he isn't good with, and that his love language is Acts of Service: He willingly commits a crime to break his daughter out of jail even if it meant putting himself in danger, sacrifices his life for her not once BUT TWICE, and if you REALLY NEED words from a father who loves his kid:

"I've always cherished you, Jolyne…" "You've grown, Jolyne…"

"It doesn’t ever make up for Jolyne’s trauma"

How??? Do you think in a high-risk danger situation he's able to completely unpack the baggage that was his absence? MY HEADCANON is that he might have planned to talk and explain everything about his absence AFTER bringing her to safety.

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"He's almost 30! Calling teenager girls bitches-"

Alright. Let me quote the ACTUAL subs from DIU Episode 1, and you can look it up on YT: "Shut up! I hate when girls FREAK OUT! Get out of here!"

Now… did he say they were bitches? Read it again. Where was the word "bitch", hm?

'Oh but he said he hates girls-' WHEN THEY FREAK OUT a.k.a being unnecessarily loud. Which is valid because it's objectively annoying. Apparently, it's inconsiderate and misogynistic for someone to have some peace and quiet… pop off, I guess?

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"And you act like gay men can’t exist like which is another problem I find in gay spaces.. and it doesn’t take much to find a tumblr post-"

Again… not my point. My point was you found my OLD ASS post from a year ago in a tag that updates with new posts daily. And now you're putting words in my mouth because where did I say gay men can't exist in certain spaces.

See? Pulling assumptions out your ass.

Also again, the whole gay topic? Not my point. At all. Lmao. You don't see me reblogging "he ain't gay! You wrong!" in someone else's post now, hm?

Because… let's repeat this again children… "All Headcanons are Valid! It's okay to have them because it's subjective interpretation!"

Or… and I'm not going to sugar coat this, alright? You placed words in my mouth so I'll put some in yours: "You're saying he's misogynistic to fuel your mlm ship. Complete disregard to women makes it a guarantee that he's gay and loves the other man in my ship."

I'm just saying ♡

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Anyways, just got back from my week long vacation you know touching grass and all and yes, I'm not gonna censor your name because lmao you found my old ass post and that's wild. But first off-

From your local Asexual, Happy Pride Month to all of the LGBTQ community!! 🤗🌈✨️

And happy Pride to my Pookie Jotaro Kujo, my *HEADCANON because I cannot stress this enough* biromantic demisexual king 😊🫶

Firstly, I just wanna say kudos to user @misspayn-e for finding my old ass in defense post when I've written a more detailed and newer essay in relation to the post you reblogged.

Second of all, you are a grown ass woman seething over an explained counterargument about a fictional character's sexuality. Like damn girl the effort.

But since I'm resting from jet lag right now, I'll breakdown your short dislike reblog and yap 😊

"I'm sorry-"

No you aren't. Let's not lie lmao.

"your MAN"

Yes, as a person with vision, he is a cis male with XY chromosomes and human male anatomy parts.

"Is a misogynistic gay man who uses misogyny to cover up his deeper feelings for men"

... alright. To all my audience reading. Friendly reminder: You can headcanon your favorite characters as any sexuality unless it's told EXPLICITLY by the author ♡

This sentence reads as a headcanon stemmed from either real-life experiences or a wattpad/fanfic story. Like it ain't that serious ma'am. And you are seething at me like you're Araki and your headcanon is real.

From my perspective and I have to stress this again, the canon material doesn't provide me substantial cues that he was closeted... at all. So, I don't get that level of passion in your sentiment.

Let's not do that. Okay? Pull that stick out of your ass ♡

"Mind you in Part 4, Jotaro is 40 something"

Not to be that person, but "uhm actually 🤓👆" , Jotaro is 28 in Part 4. What you're referring to is Part 6.

If you're gonna seethe at me, seethe right.

"He's still yelling at women!"

My dear audience, this is why context is important ♡ Why did he yell at them? Because the girls were being obnoxiously loud, just like when he was a teenager.

But if you can see past that, you can see how he matured past his teenager phase as talks with other women that's not yelling straight into his eardrums (i.e Tomoko and his calm response to her despite the lady squealing her love over and over again)

"You can still have feelings for women and still be sexist towards them"

Yes. That's true. And I've explained that thoroughly in my essay, but that doesn't apply to him necessarily... unless you're projecting that is. I'm just saying.

Now onto the pictures:

Great, and I'm also not interested in men so much (asexual). Does that necessarily mean I'm a closeted lesbian?

Again. Headcanon your favorite characters anything you want. If you want to think of him as a gay man, then go ahead. More power to you 💪.

I think of him as an asexual / demisexual and that's MY headcanon if you're assuming I picture him as completely straight.

But don't reblog me and come at me to preach about your headcanon, alright?

Again, context is important ♡

I don't know about you, but if I see this random person freely roaming, OVERLY FAWNING, and telling me "oh naurrr, please help me~ I'm in dire need of help~" in someone's shady residence, and NOT think of it as an obvious trap-

Then I don't know what I'm supposed to tell you.

Anyways, I don't know what lengths you had to go through to find my old defense post, but kudos I guess. You want a medal? 😊🏅

Happy Pride Month everyone! 🎉🏳️‍🌈✨️

[silent-sanctum]

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Anyways, just got back from my week long vacation you know touching grass and all and yes, I'm not gonna censor your name because lmao you found my old ass post and that's wild. But first off-

From your local Asexual, Happy Pride Month to all of the LGBTQ community!! 🤗���✨️

And happy Pride to my Pookie Jotaro Kujo, my *HEADCANON because I cannot stress this enough* biromantic demisexual king 😊🫶

Firstly, I just wanna say kudos to user @misspayn-e for finding my old ass in defense post when I've written a more detailed and newer essay in relation to the post you reblogged.

Second of all, you are a grown ass woman seething over an explained counterargument about a fictional character's sexuality. Like damn girl the effort.

But since I'm resting from jet lag right now, I'll breakdown your short dislike reblog and yap 😊

"I'm sorry-"

No you aren't. Let's not lie lmao.

"your MAN"

Yes, as a person with vision, he is a cis male with XY chromosomes and human male anatomy parts.

"Is a misogynistic gay man who uses misogyny to cover up his deeper feelings for men"

... alright. To all my audience reading. Friendly reminder: You can headcanon your favorite characters as any sexuality unless it's told EXPLICITLY by the author ♡

This sentence reads as a headcanon stemmed from either real-life experiences or a wattpad/fanfic story. Like it ain't that serious ma'am. And you are seething at me like you're Araki and your headcanon is real.

From my perspective and I have to stress this again, the canon material doesn't provide me substantial cues that he was closeted... at all. So, I don't get that level of passion in your sentiment.

Let's not do that. Okay? Pull that stick out of your ass ♡

"Mind you in Part 4, Jotaro is 40 something"

Not to be that person, but "uhm actually 🤓👆" , Jotaro is 28 in Part 4. What you're referring to is Part 6.

If you're gonna seethe at me, seethe right.

"He's still yelling at women!"

My dear audience, this is why context is important ♡ Why did he yell at them? Because the girls were being obnoxiously loud, just like when he was a teenager.

But if you can see past that, you can see how he matured past his teenager phase as talks with other women that's not yelling straight into his eardrums (i.e Tomoko and his calm response to her despite the lady squealing her love over and over again)

"You can still have feelings for women and still be sexist towards them"

Yes. That's true. And I've explained that thoroughly in my essay, but that doesn't apply to him necessarily... unless you're projecting that is. I'm just saying.

Now onto the pictures:

Great, and I'm also not interested in men so much (asexual). Does that necessarily mean I'm a closeted lesbian?

Again. Headcanon your favorite characters anything you want. If you want to think of him as a gay man, then go ahead. More power to you 💪.

I think of him as an asexual / demisexual and that's MY headcanon if you're assuming I picture him as completely straight.

But don't reblog me and come at me to preach about your headcanon, alright?

Again, context is important ♡

I don't know about you, but if I see this random person freely roaming, OVERLY FAWNING, and telling me "oh naurrr, please help me~ I'm in dire need of help~" in someone's shady residence, and NOT think of it as an obvious trap-

Then I don't know what I'm supposed to tell you.

Anyways, I don't know what lengths you had to go through to find my old defense post, but kudos I guess. You want a medal? 😊🏅

Happy Pride Month everyone! 🎉🏳️‍🌈✨️

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EVERYONE

I'm proud to announce that I have my very first HATE / STRONGLY DISLIKE comment 🎉🎉🎉

I've made it yall. I pissed someone off because of my detailed opinion 😭👏

And yes i will respond to it because it's funny 🤡

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If you're still doing fanfic requests, I hope you do mine with a Jotaro x cosplayer Gender Neutral Reader. The reader is a cosplayer and Jotaro’s spouse, and they were able to convince Jotaro to hop on the cosplay train, and he actually enjoys it while he doesn't do it all the time when he is able to he does it bonus points with little Jolyne joining (You also don't have to namedrop any other media just to keep it fair for the reader) . Just a fun story. Thank you, and I hope you're doing well. I love your work🩵🩷

Hi!! It's me! Thank you for your kind words 🫶💕 I heard you, and I've cooked up something for you! This one's short, but I hope my understanding of cosplaying and the overall fic gives justice to your prompt. Enjoy! 🤗

Dress Up - Jotaro x Reader

word count: 1.9k

Dressing up was always a hobby of yours, always determined to be as stylish as possible.

But cosplaying was on a whole another level of dedication- to collect a wide variety of colorful clothes and unique accessories and mesh them together to recreate the fashion of your favorite characters. It made you feel good to roam around in events and public spaces where fellow people like you could band together and have fun.

And a thought came to your mind.

Apparently, one of your friends had brought up the idea of you inviting your family to an upcoming convention, dressed in cosplay together with you. It was an interesting idea to imagine for your husband and child to not only be part of your shenanigans, but to spend more quality time outside as a family.

The second the suggestion was brought to the table, your head started to churn out what anime, video game, or show was suitable for three people, or more specifically, a family. At the top of your head, one media came to mind that involved both parents being undercover agents with their special adopted daughter, and running with that idea, you began surfing the net for the best cosplay for a massive guy and a little girl.

But then, in the middle of your online shopping spree, your fingers stopped when “The Obstacle” popped into mind.

And it’s the two other people in question.

Jolyne, for the most part, would be easy to bring into your world of dress-up. After all, the little girl was a bundle of energy that wanted to do everything and try everything that a 7-year-old could do. Becoming a live recreation of a telepathic child her age was up her alley of stuff she’d do in her spare time.

The waters become murky when it came to your husband.

Jotaro was a guy who had a specific style he’d like to don on and was pretty consistent with. Before, it was being the rebellious, delinquent who spoke mostly with his fists. That was thanks to either his young teenage brain of “being cool” or hopping on the trend of being one of Japan’s teenage bad boys.

However, with his angsty phase done, he had refined himself into someone who was clean-cut and chic- often preferring to keep his hair slicked and trimmed, and to wear turtlenecks and coat combos. You weren’t sure if that was mainly due to his maturity combined with his profession, or he finally had the chance to let that smart nerd in his “bad boy” shell out, and evolve into the professor with a doctorate it wanted to be.

And now, you don’t know if he was okay with playing dress-up with you, decked in clothing he’s unfamiliar with. Heck, he was a busy man too. You weren’t sure if he had the time to be doing something random as cosplay, which wasn’t part of his priorities.

But fuck it. You already placed the order in and the convention was set to happen in two weeks. Might as well rip the Band-Aid off and ask while it’s still early.

A chance to do so was given once he chose to have a day-off due to him feeling unwell.

You curled up with him in blankets on the living room sofa with a movie playing, and you watched it alongside him, waiting for the right time to ask. Behind him, you caught Jolyne peeking around the corner, watching with wide anticipating eyes. You gestured her to be quiet and the little girl grinned and nodded.

It was when the credits start rolling did you took the opportunity. “Can I ask you something?” He hummed in acknowledgment. “You don’t mind if you… I don’t know… cosplay with me for an upcoming convention?” You asked with much conviction you could muster.

Jotaro cocked a brow and crossed his arms. “I know you enjoy dressing up for some time, but this is new. Why?”

“Look,” You sighed. “You know I’ve always been doing anything under the sun, and honestly, I… I wanted to experience my hobby with you and Jolyne at least once.” You contemplated continuing but you did anyways. “I’ve always wanted to ask you for some time, but I know you’re busy so I kept letting the idea simmer in the back of my mind.”

He tilted his head, and your cheeks fumed lightly. “Of course, you can refuse if you don’t feel comfortable doing so-”

“Alright.”

You paused and stared at him in surprise. “Alright?”

“To be more specific, it depends on the clothes.” He shrugged. “Does my cosplay involve heavy make-up, wigs, and/or revealing or complicated outfits? If so, then you need to persuade me better.”

“Not at all. I’m aware of your sensitivity to texture, so I picked a set of cosplay outfits that wouldn’t be too overbearing or stuffy,” you said. “All you have to wear, really, is a 3-piece-suit and a pair of gloves. I ordered a wig too but I’ll let you decide if you want to wear it or not.”

He cocked his head and hummed yet again, this time, sounding more relieved and piqued. “Is that so? That’s all I have to wear?”

“Mhm.”

“Then, I’ll indulge in your interests. But I won’t guarantee you that I’d be doing this again if I find myself getting uncomfortable during my first time.”

Your eyes sparkled and a wide smile blossomed on your face. You were about to throw yourself into his arms with a string of “thank you’s”, but the excited squeals of your 7-year-old daughter beat you to it, followed by the same child making a direct beeline toward her father.

“Papa’s going to play dress-up with us!”

“You love us this much, huh?” You laughed softly.

“Good grief.” He rolled his eyes with affection, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “The things I do for you two…”

---

Today was the day of the convention.

Followers of your social media accounts, together with friends, fellow cosplayers, and the other people attending the event, would see one of their favorites in person yet again, wanting to meet and catch-up, even snapping a couple of photos while decked in your best outfit of one of your favorite characters.

What they didn’t expect were the two other people joining you for the event: A tall, well-built man in a crisp olive suit, and a little girl with a pink wig and black dress with gold accents.

The crowd hovered around your little family, complimenting the outfits you wore. Some of them would even ask permission if they could take a picture with your partner and/or child. Jolyne had no problem with photos, being the adventurous little girl she was.

The same couldn’t be said about Jotaro and his distaste of being photographed casually in public by strangers. He already underwent the whole “swarm of fangirls taking selfies and/or pictures of him without his consent” phase when he was a teenager. He’d appreciate it greatly if his boundaries were maintained by telling people to not press up against him.

But if it was a random photographer wanting to snap a photo of him with his family as a whole, then he can tolerate it. Your happiness was worth the trouble.

But if there weren’t any cameras shoved at his direction, he grew accustomed to his cosplay; often adjusting his suit, dusting his pants free from dust, and fixing his gloves. In the rare chances you had, you found him standing at a nearby mirror, gazing at himself in this new fit.

You huffed with a smile. He was an open-minded man… and a person with many interests apparently.

The friend who brought up the suggestion in the first place found you and your family amongst the many convention goers, dressed in a cosplay of their own. Behind them, two other individuals accompanied their pal. “Hey!” They waved their hand to catch your attention. “Y/N!”

You turned to the person, and with your husband and daughter in tow, you greeted them with a wide smile on your face. “Oh my god! Hello! You look amazing as usual!”

“Me? Amazing?” They laughed. “You should look at the mirror and look at yourself! You… and your kickass family!” They leaned over to wave at Jotaro and Jolyne. “Hi Mr. Kujo! Jojo!” Jolyne eagerly reciprocated the gesture, while he nodded once in return. “No but for real though; I was just kidding about the whole inviting your entire family to your cosplay world. I did not, for the life of me, expect you to actually pull through.”

“What can I say?” You chuckled and ran your fingers through your hair. “I’m a person of many talents~ Nothing’s impossible when I get to have a say in anything.” Behind you, you could hear your husband scoff with a tinge of exasperated affection.

“Aha! You there!” Your little girl skipped over to your side and threw her arms up to the air as her way of making a cute entrance, much like the character she cosplayed as. “You! I can read your mind!”

“Jolyne, don’t overplay it…” You could just tell he was hiding his face behind his hands. But you didn’t mind your kid’s dramatics.

Neither did your companions. “Oh?” They knelt and cupped their cheek when facing the child. “And what am I thinking right now, hm? Bet you can’t guess it.”

Jolyne puffed her cheeks, balled her little fists, and shut her eyes with hyper focus. Jotaro closed the distance between you and him, joining you and your buddies to watch a little girl “at work” with amusement.

She opened her eyes after a few seconds and pointed at your friend. “You want to take pictures of me and my family!” They played up a theatrical gasp, paired with the exaggerated wide eyes, hand on the chest, and furrowed brows.

“Oh god! You clever little thing. How did you know?!”

Jolyne snickered, posing cutely for the group. “I have my ways.”

“She really does get it from you,” Jotaro muttered with a subtle nudge to your arm.

“Get what?”

“Your dramatic ass.” You whacked him playfully in the chest in retort. “Am I wrong?”

“Yeah. Sure. Whatever James Bond.”

“Well, isn’t my character supposed to be an agent?”

“Oh shut- Don’t get cheeky with me now, mister.” You snorted, lightly shoving your husband to the side. Somehow, he maintained an air of nonchalance even after teasing you.

Your fellow cosplayer pulled out their camera and smiled. “Like your kid said, my friends and I really want to take some pictures with you and your family. All of you look so awesome together!”

You looked down at Jolyne, who’s more than ready to have another round of photos taken of her, then glanced over at Jotaro, wanting his permission before being subjected to more cameras. For a minute, he held your gaze with his characteristic aloof expression, before he sighed deeply. “You’re lucky you’re Y/N’s friends…”

Suffice it to say, it was guaranteed that your friends were blessed with the exclusive reward of having a photo snapped with not only you and your amazing cosplay, but with your equally stunning spouse and adorable child as well.

All that’s left is whether Jotaro would allow for another try at cosplaying another character sometime in the future, but you had the answer in mind when you peeked at him fixing his suit while growing fond at seeing the little girl cheer and squeal over their elaborated dress-up event.

You smiled to yourself, having a strong hunch that despite his initial reluctance, he won’t mind joining again next time.

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I thought it was just me, but I've always said to myself when I first saw and heard Jotaro in Stone Ocean:

"Damn, he sounds tired and depressed."

And I've seen a few comments saying the same thing like "Oh my god, the skill for Ono/Mercer to have to make Jotaro sound drained, sad, and tired at 40"

And it's just makes me so sad. This man most likely couldn't cope properly, no one to help him long-term, and so he just resorted to overworking himself to the bone, just so he wouldn't think about how his issues are ruining his life- compensating weakening bonds and declining willpower, with getting achievements at his job and a reputation.

( content notes: suicidal ideation )

( spoilers: part 6 / stone ocean )

i've been working on compiling scenes of part 4 jotaro that i find interesting (idk, to prove a point i guess), and i've had to re-sub all of them,

and from doing that i get the impression even more than jotaro's whole mood in part 4 is like "i fucking want to go home. i'm done. i'm fucking exhausted. i miss my wife and daughter. i thought this fucking shit was over ten years ago. i'm probably going to have to leave my family now because of this and i want to fucking die."

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Everyone... Speaking of Dadtaro...

Look what I found :D

He's such a girl dad istg

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"Jotaro as a Father"

Alright, this is another popular discussion about Jotaro's character. It also falls victim to the fandom's tendency to resort to "black and white" thinking, perhaps combined with other minor factors (and another case of me liking to overanalyze my favorite characters because Araki left so much about him vague)

This user has posted this on another "opinions that I will defend until the end of time" and garnered thousands of likes. This was probably the most liked quoted retweet. And it irked me. Am I surprised? Not really. Disappointed? Absolutely. And they are probably the 80% Jotaro fans that don't understand him.

And as your local Jotaro defender and anti-Jotaro mischaracterization person, I am here with another essay exploring more of his mentality. This time, it's about him being a parent, and while he isn't the best father, he isn't that bad either, or at least how the majority of the fandom thinks him to be.

I have made a previous character essay that talked about Jotaro's crippling weaknesses under the facade of strength and competence in detail. If you're interested, I'll leave this sentence linked to the post.

Now keep in mind: This character study is all assumptions and headcanons, BUT they are grounded in canon (e.g., pattern of behavior, general personality, actions he took, etc.) instead of what is popular in fanon interpretations. And much like how I wrote my previous essay (with the CEO and her POV on her emotional reservation), I will be drawing a lot of thematic comparisons with another show I've watched.

Why? Because sometimes, there are patterns on how groups of people can function in life, and it's not just the writer's bias and blind defense of their favorite character.

Second, I need to make this clear also: Jolyne is valid for being mad at her father. I am not invalidating her feelings at all. This essay is about exploring his headspace and what led him to do what he did. That's it.

Okay. Now onto the essay itself.

"Is he a bad father?"

Ehh, I can say that while he isn't good, he isn't bad either. His parenting lands more in the grey area, instead of either end of the spectrum. Because we all know at the surface level that he got married, had a daughter, went AWOL, divorced his wife, and stayed away from his family for their safety.

The action was bad: Neglect is neglect, no matter the excuse, and it can cause the affected people to respond to it negatively in the long term, especially for children with an absent parent.

However, the intention was good: He chose to stay away from his family because he attracted danger to his loved ones, who couldn't see the threat. He's a Stand user who could likely draw in other Stand users. He cared for them, and he wouldn't want to risk their safety by being around them.

It's complicated and nuanced. I feel like it's wrong to just shoehorn him into the "bad father" category, when the generalized view of what a "bad dad" is being abusive or leaving the child with malicious and/or selfish intent. But he doesn't hold up the "good father" title either, when being a "good dad" involves being a constant support for one's child, which he didn't do in Jolyne's late childhood to her teens.

So, he's neither good nor bad. He's a father doing all that he can with his current circumstances.

And yes, while I could leave it at that with the whole "he's neither good nor bad, but somewhere in between", many have placed their arguments about why he's a bad father and the alternatives he could've taken instead of completely choosing the self-isolation route.

The most popular one was this question:

"If he knew he was a danger, why did he have Jolyne? Why did he choose to have a family when he was going to stay away from them in the end?"

Here's the thing though… He didn't.

Jotaro doesn't have the hindsight that the audience has. He couldn't have known until he noticed it later down adulthood, where he grew to become more observant of his surroundings.

And even if he did know, is he not allowed to be human? Do you want him to just be a lonely marine biologist who just does the Speedwagon Foundation's (SWF) Stand work 24/7? Is he not a person who is capable of feeling love for someone else, and has wants for himself outside his job?

Yes, he's diligent. He is capable of self-preservation. He is powerful. But even the strongest individuals have families of their own. They have close bonds with others that they treasure. Why? Because being able to love and feel love is what makes someone "human". Jotaro is a human just like most of us. He isn't a working machine who just does his job.

Let me introduce this show called "Moving." It's a show where basically "superpowered parents who used to be special agents, hide their superpowered children from organizations who wish to exploit or kill them." It's a relevant show to this essay since the protagonist's father behaves similarly to Jotaro.

In the show, this man is the government's best agent with special abilities. He carries out his missions and reports back after completing his task. He does his job seriously and rarely fails an assignment. In isolation, he describes himself to be cold and stoic, who is unable to socialize much due to his role as a special operations agent.

One day, he encounters the protagonist's mother: The organization's top graduate with exceptional marksmanship, who also possesses special abilities.

And despite both of them knowing the risks of getting too personal and intimate, guess what happened?

They both fall in love, even if it means being locked into being exploited by the government. And not only that, guess what else happened.

They have a child together.

Let me remind you: They know they are high-profile agents. The best of the best. They are aware of the risks that come with interpersonal connections, but they had that family anyway. Why? Because they were human. To find normalcy in the midst of their circumstances.

My point is that Jotaro is a person who's allowed to have a life, even if it couldn't be completely normal given his situation. Jonathan got married and had a kid. Joseph got married and had children. What makes Jotaro any different? Because he's workaholic, stoic, and reserved like the dad in the show? That's not a fair assumption if you ask me.

Another thought raised was this:

"Couldn't he just have given and trained Jolyne with her Stand?"

It seems plausible, and it sounds cool. But you have to know how Jotaro operated and why that couldn't be the case. His life after Egypt went down the drain. Heck, you could even say that his life changed when Star Platinum awakened in him. When Stands became a permanent thing in his day-to-day.

No matter how much he likes to focus on his day job as a biologist, he now had to shoulder being the SWF's go-to investigator for the supernatural. Not only did he work hard in his profession, but he had to do the Foundation's tasks as the Joestar bloodline's active patriarch and as the one who slayed DIO.

He couldn't have a normal life anymore. Not with his involvement with the Foundation and the enemies he attracted.

Now answer me this- What parent who loves their child will subject them to a life like theirs?

"Moving's" main premise is the lengths that families will go to protect their children, including from their past. The couple I mentioned raised their superpowered baby in hiding. And here's the kicker: It's the father who chose to suppress his son's abilities so he could live a normal life.

Again, this is the same cold, stoic man whom the organization treats as its best agent. And it's not just this family. There are multiple examples of parents in this show choosing to let their kids hide their powers.

Your daughter has caught the teacher's attention because of her power? Fake her death.

When you see the organization's leader smirk at you after learning that powers are hereditary, and you have a child? Go off the radar and leave everything, but your family, behind.

Jotaro never wanted Jolyne to be involved with Stands. He didn't want her to risk her life fighting a random Stand user when she could live the life of a normal teenager. She didn't have a Stand. Her mother didn't have one either. Why burden his child with the responsibility he had?

And did his isolation work? For the most part, yes. That is, until the incident with Romeo.

But then you ask yourself:

"He could've called her! Texted her! Sent an email- something! It's the 2000s! Technology's a thing by this point!"

Remember what his main character flaw is… Communication. If there's any fault that he has without debate, it's his inability to connect and socialize with others properly, and his poor maintenance of his bonds (as I have stated in my previous essay).

This argument could go in two ways. One is the whole communication issue, and maybe he was either too caught up in his job to update them, or he didn't want to share any details, thinking it's best for them not to know. As flawed as that thought was.

OR we could go the Snipster route, wherein he DID call Jolyne to check in on her, but because he kept making excuses as to why he's not coming home and is always away, she gradually grew to resent and hate him through the years, up until at one point, she yells at him to not call her anymore if he was going to continue being an absent father.

Pick your poison.

This leads to the next argument:

"He's a bad father because he's completely absent from Jolyne's life! He rarely bonded with Jolyne at all!"

Then why does Jolyne have so much anger towards him? If he were a fully absent father (as in I-didn't-know-you-existed type of absent), she shouldn't be holding so much resentment toward Jotaro. So, why is she hateful to him?

Because at one point, he was a present parent in Jolyne's childhood before he left. Yes, he could be busy working, but he could've spent his few moments of respite taking care of his daughter to the best he could as a loving father. She is the child he cherished after all. His weakness.

Not to Jonathan or Joseph levels of "golden retriever" and "grandiose" type of affection, but perhaps in more domestic, quiet ways: Cook her meals, read her books, listen to her talk about her day, help and teach her with homework, etc.

If he were a fully absent father, Jolyne should've felt apathetic and confused when meeting him again, not anger. If he were completely absent, Jolyne wouldn't have engaged in delinquent activity to catch her father's attention.

Again, in Moving, the protagonist is raised by a single mother from his childhood to his teens. He does not know who his father is, because when the dad was present, he was a toddler and therefore couldn't remember him. To him, his father is a stranger.

And how he reacts to the father at the end of the show is him not being upset or mad. It's him being surprised, confused, and neutral toward him. Why? Because he doesn't know him.

I would show the images but there's an image limit and I'm sad

Heck, you can say the same for Josuke and Joseph if you want an in-universe example. Josuke never knew who his dad was and was raised by Tomoko all his life. And when he meets old man Joseph for the first time, he's confused and is generally neutral to him. He's shy even when he helps him after his cane broke.

---

Jotaro leaves a lot to interpretation, and while I see a gem of a post here and there sometimes, I have to trudge through a sludge of mischaracterization and an oversaturation of memes that downplay what's canon in favor of fanon validation.

And I get it. I browse Twitter, check the timeline for updates, and notice that most users are impressionable teenagers who are from the West and go about their days living with Western individualistic values.

Maybe, just maybe, some people will project the "bad father" image to Jotaro as a result of their own daddy issues. Just like how misogynists will project themselves onto a favorite character like Jotaro.

I'm not saying this as a definitive truth, but as a possibility. Jotaro is fictional after all, and people will use fiction as a reprieve from reality.

TL;DR? He isn't a bad father, but he isn't a good one either. He's a father who does what he can to protect his daughter, with all his flawed mentality and caring heart.

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HI SO-

I'll repost my last essay after some minor tweaking.

Don't mind the early posting

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OMG I POSTED TOO EARLY TUMBLR WHY

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Hi! I'm a huge fan of your Jotaro writings, it's super refreshing to see someone else interpret him the way you (we?) do :'> Anyhow! If you still have requests open, I've had an idea rolling around; Eyes of Heaven timeline, so Jotaro is still trying to balance being a father with all the Stand nonsense, but he and Jolyne's mother are just too incompatible to work as a couple. Following the divorce, he meets Stand User!Reader and the two of them occasionally work together with the Speedwagon Foundation. After some time as friends, he starts getting caught between wanting to be in a relationship again and feeling like he shouldn't get any more people involved in his life. How do you think a love confession would go down in this scenario, and what would really push him to pursue someone he likes after all that? :D

Hello anon! Thank you for being a fan of my stuff :'D I always appreciate your lovely compliments. Helps motivate me. So, this prompt you sent is actually one that has been stewing in my mind for a while now, and you pushed me to write something out of that. Thank you for that as well ^^ This took a while to make, and it's pretty lengthy (mostly because it was an idea I really liked to explore, and I had to scrap one draft because it deviated from your prompt). But here it is now! Tags include: Banter mates to lovers, mild angst, hurt/comfort, drunken confessions Anyways, I hope you like this anon. This one's for you!

Partners - Jotaro x Reader

word count: 14.9k

What comes next after knowingly resetting the timeline? The question lingered in Jotaro Kujo’s mind for as long as he knew since the event.

After a life-altering fight against an overpowered vampire, he was given the choice to go back in time to undo one mistake in his life. For him, the answer came in the form of a memory: Of a little girl not older than 7 with space buns and a bright smile that had yet to fade as a result of his neglect.

And so he stepped back in time and inserted himself in the past, and he vividly remembered the utter joy on his daughter’s face when he stepped through the door with his luggage in hand- her small arms wrapped as much as they could around him, her excited chatter, her rosy cheeks. There, he knew that this decision was worth it.

Enemy Stand users be damned.

A few months have passed since then, and a lot has happened within that time frame, mostly stemming from Jotaro’s conscious effort to right some wrongs the way he could with the help of future hindsight. Most of the said changes were how his family would move forward, starting as early as possible at the age of 28.

His priority was always his child. Jolyne was the sole reason he rewrote reality, the guilt of being the reason behind his little girl’s miserable path to delinquency and hatred, weighing heavily in his heart that pushed and yelled at him to make amends and be there for his daughter. To not throw away the second chance he was blessed with.

But unfortunately, even if he did manage to maintain the relationship he had with his daughter before he could mess it up, the same couldn’t be said for his wife… or ex-wife at this point.

Jotaro tried. He genuinely did. The day he returned to the past and back at the doorstep of Madelyn's house where Jolyne stayed, she had greeted him with the same open arms but unlike the one with his child, he couldn’t feel the heart in him to fake the same enthusiasm back, which ended up in him giving her a half-armed embrace and a small smile.

Did anything change? He married her for a reason, right? The spark must be there somewhere… All that stormed his thoughts during the entirety of his attempts to catch up with her, to make up for lost time. He went along with her on dates (just like before), accepted her displays of affection (just like before), and somewhat returned her conversations (just like before).

Eventually, he concluded that it just wasn’t working. That “spark” he felt during his younger years was simply him looking for a semblance of normalcy, and he just so happened to latch onto the first person who wasn’t checking him out or screaming into his ear on the daily. But beyond that youthful romance, whatever fire he had for this relationship had dwindled into embers.

And he had to let her know truthfully.

It wasn’t emotionally charged nor did it hold as much resentment like it was when they ended things off at an older age. This talk was more civilized, speaking from the heart about him no longer having strong feelings for Madelyn and that she’d deserve someone who reciprocated her love the same way, instead of clinging to one that barely had any charge.

Jolyne, as he would have expected, wasn’t happy at the news, but with enough explanation from both parents, she would reluctantly have to adjust to the change. After the divorce, both he and Madelyn agreed to share custody of their daughter- she would have her from Monday to Thursday, and he would have her from Friday to Sunday. Another change from the previous timeline wherein his ex-wife had full custody of her.

Here he was now- sitting alone in his seaside villa’s manor office room, reviewing stacks of research articles and reports under the dim lighting of his lamp. On his desk were two picture frames: One was the group his grandfather formed- his friends- that banded together to defeat DIO, and the other was of Jolyne. He used to keep a frame of him and his ex, but there’s no point in keeping up images anymore.

The ring finger of his left hand never felt so bare, devoid of the silver band that used to adorn it.

Jotaro put down the pen and sighed, leaning back against his office chair. He pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed his eyes. The place outside him was so quiet that even if this was what he wished for, he may perhaps have started to get used to a little bit of chatter. The silence always fucked with him, letting his head run a million miles into unwanted memories of loss and near-death experiences.

He needed to move. He needed to do something. Anything. just to keep him busy. And in perfect timing, his office telephone rang and he answered. “Dr. Jotaro Kujo speaking.”

”Good afternoon Dr. Kujo, your presence is required at the Speedwagon Foundation for another pressing Stand user case. It’s vital that you be here as soon as possible. Reception room A.”

He looked at his calendar and stared at the current day. A Monday. At least Jolyne’s with her mother today… “I’ll be there.”

Perhaps this was his fate. This was his new life and he had to get used to it: A life of doing his professional job and investigating Stand users of all varieties, all while he returned to an empty home and an overwhelming feeling of solitude. A lonely life in exchange for everyone’s safety.

Jotaro fixed his office, filing away the papers into folders before standing and getting his keys, promptly leaving his residence and getting into his car.

The drive to the Speedwagon Foundation felt like it had gotten shorter with each visit and it was almost routine by this point from the number of times he went back and forth from the place, but before he could dwell on that thought, he arrived at the familiar establishment of the private organization.

The security greeted his arrival as per usual and he nodded once in greetings before stepping inside to the meeting room told to him.

With a twist of the knob, he opened the door expecting to be met with the same agent with his glasses and folders in hand. What he was met with was not only the aforementioned man, but a woman sitting near the head of the table, wearing a pair of sleek shades and a 2-piece black cropped suit, holding a glass of red wine.

“Greetings. You’re on time.” Jotaro nodded once to him before glancing at the newcomer casually lounging in the space they were in. “Ah yes. My apologies. I had forgotten to introduce the new member to our on-field team. She’s-”

“I can handle the introductions myself, Agent Townsend,” you said with a raise of your hand. The agent in question immediately complied, his mouth clamped shut at your words. “I believe I told you that before contacting him.”

You took one more sip from your glass before you stood and strode over to Jotaro with an unsettling mix of confidence, intensity, and neutrality to your stance. You stopped a few feet away from him and allowed a quick second of silence for him to process your sudden appearance. And even he didn’t know he needed that one second of “who are you” until you did it for him.

You took off your shades and let them hang on the collar of your button-up dress shirt, staring up at him with a smile comparable to a businesswoman offering a lucrative deal. “Pleasure meeting you, Dr. Kujo.” You held up a hand to him. “Y/N L/N.”

“Jotaro Kujo,” he said in return, shaking your hand. “Though you already knew that beforehand.”

You nodded and shoved your hands back in your pockets, turning your head to the side. Without looking, you addressed the other person in the room: “You may continue with the rest of the introductions.” You looked back at him as the agent spoke behind her.

“Y-Yes. I’ll do just that,” Townsend stammered but with a cough and a clear of his throat, his professionalism slipped back on. “She’s one of the Foundation’s top beneficiaries that has been supporting us for 4 years now. It was only 2 years ago that she decided to be an active member of the organization.”

“Slight correction,” you started. “I decided to join because apparently, this organization’s leaders refused to branch out into more progressive paths, more specifically investing in improving this whole Stand investigation business. It appears you guys are short on agents dealing with this specific issue. Alas, I’m here.”

“W-Well to be fair, we can’t exactly find willing civilians with Stands who’d join our private organization-”

“I have contacted friends who also have Stands. They’ll be finalizing some local work and they’ll inform me of their transfer to the Speedwagon Foundation. I can start figuring out how to recruit for more after their adjustment.” Townsend, once again, zipped his lips shut and nodded.

“But for now,” you redirected your words to Jotaro with a light curl to your lip. “You and I will be handling these pesky Stand users. You can thank me if, at some point, you wondered why your workload in the Foundation has been halved.”

Jotaro was at a loss for words as he remained silent, staring at the new face in front of him with disbelief and confusion. This… this wasn’t the case in the previous timeline. Where were you then? Why didn’t you volunteer your services when he needed it before? Did he do something new that he wasn’t aware of?

“You…” He started. “You’ve dealt with Stand users?”

“I wouldn’t be investing my money and time here otherwise,” you said, matter-of-fact. “Nor would I be this annoyed, again, for the executives in this place for using my funding for medical use or research purposes instead of-” You cut yourself and took a deep breath. “Whatever.”

As much as Jotaro appreciated an extra hand, he had mixed feelings about having someone else help him. Stressful as his job was, at least he got used to it and managed to finish each case independently without having to worry about anyone else’s safety.

“Mr. Townsend, with all due respect, I can handle these cases by myself,” he said. “I have no doubts she has the capabilities, but my assignments are mine to deal with.”

You cocked a brow up at him and let out a drawled “ahh”. “Afraid I might get hurt, big guy?”

“I-” His brows furrowed at that unnerving guess because that was exactly it. He kept his calm and crossed his arms. “It’s not like that.”

“Then I don’t know what other reason you possibly could have for declining assistance,” you said, crossing your arms as well. “Unless you’re that type of man.”

He scoffed. “You’re putting words in my mouth.”

“You aren’t exactly giving me clear answers either.”

Jotaro glared at his supposed new “work partner,” who stared back at him with nonchalance, unaffected. If he was 11 years younger, he might’ve called you a “bitch” out of teenage pettiness or spite. Age does wonders for his patience.

Townsend cleared his throat the second time. “I apologize, Dr. Kujo, but the higher-ups have agreed that having someone to help you in the Stand investigation might garner quicker results for our research team to study.” He adjusted his glasses and continued. “The faster the Stand users are dealt with, the less you have to worry about your family being harmed.”

His family may be his top priority, but the allies surrounding him were a close second. If anything were to happen out of the blue, and you get injured or worse- “Kujo-ssi…” His train of thought halted at your sudden shift of tone. “Like Agent Townsend said, I took up half your workload and came out unscathed. He can attest that I delivered the needed results with time to spare. Trust my words when I say I can handle it. This isn’t my first rodeo.”

Jotaro warred with himself on what to do, his hands clenched in his pant pockets.

“If it helps, Ms. L/N comes from a convenient background that has been useful in this field. A former member of law enforcement, and has extensive knowledge of criminology and criminal justice.”

In all honesty, it should, but whether you were skilled or not, he still couldn’t help but be hesitant. His old friends were skilled. They knew how to use their Stands, and he knew they were strong allies. That didn’t stop death from taking them regardless.

But just like him, you were stubborn and didn’t know how to back down. “Let’s compromise, then. Just one case, and you can decide whether we continue our partnership.”

“Why are you so adamant about teaming up with me?” He gritted his teeth.

“Efficiency,” you shrugged. “You’re quite popular in the Foundation, and I’ve learned a lot about your skill set and competencies. If we put our skills together, we can breeze past several cases in comparison to a slower, one-man expedition. Don’t deny it. You want assistance.”

“How about you learn how to mind your damn business?” Jotaro said, both frustrated at your adamant choice and embarrassed with himself, knowing deep down you were right. He wanted to spend time with his child, and this new timeline gave him the human incarnate of volition who could help him with this job.

You crossed your arms and maintained eye contact with him, unperturbed by his intimidation. “This is my business, and I think you should learn how to trust in others and reinvest in new win-win deals, hm?”

At that moment, his youthful bite sparked and it took a great amount of restraint to filter “You’re such a bitch” into “You’re so annoying” but of course, you smirked at his retort. “I’ve been told.”

“Should… should we proceed with discussing the cases?” In the background, Agent Townsend interrupted the two, uncomfortable with the tension in the room.

“I don’t agree-”

“Yes, we should,” you said at the same time he spoke. “I believe introductions are over, and we have yet to be briefed about who we’re dealing with.” You took your seat, and with no other say in this, Jotaro took his spot with irritation and an inkling of concern.

He grumbled to himself under his hat and muttered a quick “Good fucking grief…”

---

Jotaro could’ve gone to the next assignment and left the first to you, but damn you for pitching the idea of keeping the documents in your possession.

Their first assignment was to investigate an unusual pattern of events in Jacksonville. Details of the occurrence traced back to a shaggy man in his mid-20s who had a habit of moving from a cheap apartment or motel room to another, each place of residence he left now covered with corrosive acid that burned not only furniture but nearby civilians as well.

Usually, he would just go to the different sites that the Stand user had been through, sweep the area to gather anything that the person left behind, and work with what he had to track down the target. It was time-consuming and more of a brute force type of method, but it worked for him every time, so he never deviated from it.

You, on the other hand, took the more proactive approach that proved your background as a former detective.

You took note of whatever details he found in each site, and spoke with witnesses about what the guy was like and whether he shared details in any conversations. You coordinated with other professionals (SWF researchers, local officers, security personnel, medical staff, etc.) and gathered more intel to formulate a pattern in his path of trouble.

And in the span of three days, all the information led the duo to another rundown motel by the edge of the city. Jotaro refused to believe your tactics worked just for the sake of breaking connections with you, but when you reached the location, the place was in the process of being corroded by neon green acid, other residents fleeing the scene screaming for their lives, leaving behind the young man stepping through a newly corroded door with unsteady feet, patting his stuffed duffle bag.

Well, I’ll be damned. Your approach was faster. You spared him one glance that said “I told you” before heading to block the Stand user’s next path. He held back a groan and followed after you.

“Hey!” The man stopped and stared at you with surprise like a deer caught by headlights. His pupils were unnaturally dilated. He stood a couple of feet away from where you were. “Where do you think you’re going?” He shrank in on himself and was about to turn to the other direction, only for Jotaro to block that path as well.

“You have some questions to answer, Mr. Deville. I’d rather we talk it out like adults,” you said. “Or are you too high to even care?”

Deville snorted and pointed at the two. “Who do you think you are, huh?” He spat on the pavement. “Don’t you see all this? I made that! And I can show you more if you don’t move!”

“You’re not convincing anyone with that bravado, so drop the act already,” Jotaro said.

The young man looked at you with confusion before it warped into another snort and then into a series of cackles. “Oh, you really want to end up as fleshy goop! Okay! I can show you!”

Jotaro tensed as Deville reached into his bag to pull something out, Star Platinum ready to attack, only for a gunshot to ring into the air, followed by the guy shrieking in pain as a bullet lodged itself into his bicep. Stunned, Jotaro turned to you as you walked over to him, a revolver in hand, still aimed at Deville.

You had a gun? “Hey, a woman has to be prepared,” you said. If she had a gun, then does that mean she was just a regular Foundation agent without a Stand?

Deville gripped his bleeding arm and sneered at you. “You dumbfucks actually fell for it. Every cop does, and now you get to see my cool acid in action yourselves!”

He braced himself for the young man’s Stand ability, and he heard an audible hiss flying through the air behind them. Star was already out, ready to deflect the incoming acidic projectile. It’ll burn his knuckles and it’ll hurt like hell, sure, but he had experienced worse injuries.

However, before his Stand could do so, a shimmering wall of rose gold had zipped behind them just in time to shield both of them from the acid, taking no damage from the corrosive substance. Jotaro furrowed his brows and trailed the length of the fabric, and when he found its end disappearing into your body, his eyes widened in realization.

You had a Stand.

A SWF agent with not only the skills of a seasoned detective but also the ability to wield a whole supernatural entity.

Deville stepped back in shock. “N-No way. No fucking way. That’s not fair! How?!”

“Kujo,” you started. “You get close to him and knock that guy out. I’ll cover you by dealing with his Stand.” On cue, the humanoid blob Stand gurgled with displeasure as it quickly moved closer to regurgitate another spew of acid. With no second thought, Jotaro followed your instructions and took off as your Stand shielded you from the corrosion.

The culprit cursed and turned to flee in a panic. In response, his Stand redirected its attention to him. His heart raced as soon as he knew that the blob was after him, but before it could touch him, your Stand’s fabrics had already stretched forward and wrapped themselves around the slime and yanked it back and away from him.

He shouldn’t waste any more time. With a silent command, Star Platinum froze time, halting the world around him as he continued to sprint toward the fleeing Stand user.

By the time everything began to move, he was already in front of Deville. In a split second, Star delivered a solid jab and two before launching into its signature fist barrage. With the man rendered unconscious, his Stand dissolved back into the concrete.

Jotaro took in a couple of breaths after all that running and went over to make sure that the Stand user was out cold. “Ah damn. A bit of acid got on my sleeves. Ruined it.” You said with a click of your tongue as you joined him a few seconds after, pulling out a long silver pin from your hair clip. “Just one more thing before closing the case and reporting to HQ.”

“What are you doing?” You didn’t answer as you quickly punctured the side of Deville’s throat with the sharp steel. “L/N! What the hell?! We’re not supposed to kill-” You stopped him with a raised hand as you withdrew the pin. The wound closed in by itself, and at the blunt end of the steel, a feathered quill emerged.

“A druggie shouldn’t have the possession of a Stand. I highly doubt he’d listen to any persuasion if we simply brought him back to the Foundation.” You tucked the quill into your pocket and slid the hairpin back into your hair. “So, might as well nip it in the bud, and then send him to rehab.”

“What… the hell did you do?”

“You know the whole Stand Arrow business? How they gift lucky people with Stands?” You started. “A colleague of mine has a Stand that just so happened to procure a secondary ability to extract other Stands without harming the individual, and convert them into these inked quills for documentation.”

“So what you did was-”

“Remove Deville’s Stand. He’s still alive, too, so you don’t have to worry about him dying due to blood loss.”

“You… might honestly be a little insane.” Jotaro sighed, tipping his hat over his face. “My god, you can’t just stab people out of the blue. At least warn a guy.”

You shrugged. “Alright. I’ll admit… I forgot to tell you about my closing process. I offer my sincerest apologies.” He cast a deadpan stare at you. “Let’s contact the guys back in the Foundation so they can deal with him.” At that, he nodded. “And after that, how about we treat ourselves to a little celebration before heading back?”

“A celebration?” He crossed his arms. “Isn’t that a bit too excessive? Or too early? This is just the first case after all.”

“There’s no harm in giving yourself a reward for a job well done, right?” You smiled, eyes glinting. “Let’s eat out. I saw this small sandwich restaurant, and the selection looked too good to pass.”

Jotaro grunted in response and spent a second looking at his watch. He’s supposed to head back by now, hand in his report, and return to finishing paperwork from his day job as a biologist, but then his stomach growled at his inconvenience. It just occurred to him that he hadn’t eaten properly for the past three days. A bad habit he developed out of stress. Damnit. Damn it all. “Fine, but let’s freshen up first and we can eat.”

You cocked your head and look down at your dust-covered clothes then back at him. “Good idea. Let’s do that.”

---

“You’re that good with firearms?”

“I’m one of the top marksmen of my batch. It may or may not also be a compensation for my shit grade at hand-to-hand combat. How about you? You look built. I’m sure you’ve put your physique to good use.”

“You could say that. After all, one has to be in good shape when you have people consistently after you.”

“Hm, you’re quite resilient. I like that. It’s no wonder the Foundation likes sending you out here to do their bidding.”

“Being recognized as reliable is a huge pain in the ass though. It has gotten me feeling like a war veteran in my late 20s.”

“Touché, but some people get used to it. Perhaps even use it to their advantage.”

“People like you?” You smirked and took a sip of your coffee. Intrigued, he kept his focus on you as he drank his cup.

Honestly, Jotaro never expected anything to come out of your suggestion to eat at a small restaurant. At first, he envisioned the whole night to be awkward, loaded with uncomfortable tension, considering how you and he were introduced. Hell, he dreaded the moment you might start small talk with him just because they were work partners.

But after a change of clothes, both of you entered the sandwich shop, and you immediately accommodated him as if he were an old colleague for months instead of days, which caught him off guard.

The moment you and he took your seats, you made sure to keep the mood light by naturally launching into conversation topics that he was familiar with- Stands, the Speedwagon Foundation, a couple of experiences working for them, etc. He’s supposed to hate casual conversation like this, but there was something in the way you talked with passion and depth, and how you responded to his thoughts with equal depth that kept him engaged.

It was a breath of fresh air when most of his life consisted of him having to be mostly the receiving end of a variety of small talks (most of which had people talk about their interests and something adjacent to that, while he could only give off some sign that he was listening), or be the other half of a formal discussion at work.

He didn’t mind being a listener, but it did get annoying and lonely sometimes.

You were a rare case when he realized that he reciprocated your every thought and opinion about Stand users and the system behind the Foundation. For once, he wasn’t hesitant when voicing out his frustrations and knowledge about this whole shadow job he got himself into.

Even as your sandwiches arrived, you somehow still managed to slip in interesting topics for them to talk about over dinner and coffee. He liked listening to you.

“Huh. So, you live something like a double life, sort of? You work as a marine biologist on the daily and as the Foundation’s favorite agent for half a week?” He nodded. “Don’t you have any spare time in that tight schedule? You must’ve.”

“I’d rather keep myself busy,” he said, not looking at you. “It helps distract me from… my thoughts. Besides, both jobs require me to work full time, and, fortunately, I’m able to use intimidation to just get by and do the tasks I want to focus on.”

“As a fellow workaholic, you should at least get some time to yourself. Work with no play can lead to misery.”

“Is it?” He huffed out a poor imitation of a chuckle, empty and a tiny bit self-deprecating. “It isn’t exactly miserable when I don’t think it to be.”

“My god,” You stared at him, dumbfounded. “That’s… masochistic.” You cocked your head. “Yeah, no. I am sure I'm going to drag your ass with me to my food stops after every assignment.” He scoffed but wasn’t completely against it.

Once sandwiches were consumed, Jotaro couldn’t help but share that observation about you. “Can I just say… You do know your way of getting people to pay attention to you. It’s also remarkable you kept finding new things to talk about to someone who initially didn’t want your help.”

“First impressions are not supposed to be a judge of character.” You dabbed your lips free from any sauce and shrugged. “I’ve learned how to build rapport over the years, and from that, I don’t see why I have to keep up any hostility around you.” You smiled.

At that reply, Jotaro paused. There were a lot of things he didn’t expect from you. He was ready to just bear a night of sass and passive-aggression and go home before his ex could drop off Jolyne into his care. And yet, here he was sitting in front of a surprisingly accommodating, sharpshooter SWF agent with a Stand, wanting to listen to more of your ramblings.

With a clear of your throat, you switched back to work mode and said, “Now we had our fill, I believe we still have 2 more cases to investigate. None of which has a set deadline so we can be flexible with the scheduling.” He nodded. “Are you down to starting the second case the day after tomorrow?”

Jotaro shook his head. “I have to watch over my kid for the next 3 days. That and I have to do some work with my day job.”

You raised a brow. “You have a kid?”

“A daughter. She’s just 7, and I’ve been wanting to spend more time with her when I can.” While she still accepted and trusted her father, that is…

“I assume you hire a babysitter when you’re out and about doing work?”

“She’s with her mother,” he said. He should stop revealing more information about himself, but being with someone willing to listen to him in return had urged him to just continue spilling them out. “I arranged all the heavier aspects of work on the days she’s with her, so when she’s with me, I can attend to her more.”

You didn’t answer for a second, choosing your words right most likely, before you spoke. “Shared custody?” His eyes lowered to his plate and nodded. “With your… ex?”

There was that hesitation before the “ex”, a side of you that didn’t want to assume, but you weren’t wrong, so he replied with a curt “Yes.”

“I see,” you hummed. “Well, I don’t see a problem with postponing duties. We can deal with our next assignment on Monday, then.”

“You’re easily swayed. Aren’t you supposed to be all about dealing with the issue as early as possible?”

“Like I said, there are no deadlines set. I don’t see why I have to be an asshole about ruining your schedule.” He had nothing to say, but he was grateful for your understanding. He looked at his watch to check the time. 8:00 PM. There was still a little bit of time before they’d temporarily part ways.

Jotaro low-key hoped you noticed the spare time and waited for you to enter into another conversation, but to his disappointment, you stood and got your things in order. “It’s getting late, and I know you’re itching to go home and rest.” No… I don’t mind staying a little longer… He kept those words to himself and just stared at you with a slight furrow of his brow.

“I have other matters to tend to, so let’s call it a night, yeah?” She smiled at him. He swallowed his feelings and masked nonchalance as he stood after you with his hands in his pockets, nodding. “Doesn’t feel all that bad having assistance now, does it?”

He huffed. “I suppose the whole ‘having a work partner’ doesn’t seem too bad…”

“Then, is it safe to assume I’ll expect to meet up with you again next week for our next case, Kujo? She raised a hand to him.

A ghost of a smile graced his lips as he shook your hand. He can’t wait to talk to you again. “Yes. I’m looking forward to it.”

---

“And that’s how the life of a beluga whale plays out…”

The little girl sitting on his lap pouted and looked up at her father, taking the storybook from his hands and furrowing her brows, “But Papa, how come Benny had to leave his pod at the end? Why not make friends with Blubber?”

He petted her hair with a low hum. “That’s just how nature works with species like belugas. Sometimes, there will be times when other animals are not that trusting and will hesitate to accept strangers into the group. This leads to the two fighting, and whoever wins gets to be in the group.”

“That’s so sad…”

“Did… did you want to hear a better story? I’m sorry I picked this-”

“No! I did like the story, Papa! Just like the stories of Ollie Orca and Penny Penguin! I learned a lot about the squishies!” Jolyne exclaimed, dropping the book to turn to him and press his cheeks together. “You make learning about sea animals nice!”

Jotaro smiled and nodded with a hint of bashfulness, his daughter’s encouragement never failing to make his day better. “I’m glad to hear that.”

Night had dawned on the father and daughter duo rather fast without either realizing. It took the ending of Benny Beluga for the child to realize that it was her bedtime and another day with her dad had gone by. Jotaro never felt confident in his parenting skills, but from the way her eyes glimmered at him and her smile widened with every laughter, he could almost feel proud that his efforts were coming to fruition.

Jolyne was her father’s little girl and she always made sure to remind him of that.

“Alright. You know what time it is,” he said as Star Platinum lifted the pouting girl off his lap and tucked her into bed. For Jolyne, she was used to the invisible ghost friend her father had and treated Star as her guardian angel. “Lights out, kiddo…”

“Will you stay up overnight again?” He offered a small smile and nodded. “But you always work overnight… you’re gonna get sick.”

“It’s fine, Jolyne. Papa’s used to it now.”

“But you look very sad when I see you working,” she muttered with a pout, gripping her blanket close to her. “I don’t like you being so sad…”

“I’m not. Trust me,” he said half-heartedly. He didn’t want to dump his adult issues onto his young daughter. Star handed her dolphin plushie and he adjusted the sheets over his daughter. “I’m feeling fine. You don’t have to worry about your old man because you’re here to make my day…”

“But what if I’m not here?” Jolyne pouted. “Who’s going to make you happy?

He averted his eyes and stared at his hand, still holding onto her blanket. He won’t admit it, but he could feel the loneliness start to drive him crazy. “I can manage those days.”

“Are you sure you don’t want Mama to come back and help you?”

He nodded once. “I’m sure and… I’m sorry…” Jolyne didn’t answer after that and settled into her pillow, hugging her stuffed toy, slightly saddened. He reached down to give her one more head ruffle and stood. “Get some sleep now. I’ll make your favorite breakfast when you wake up.”

“If not Mama… then can it be anyone else? I won’t mind… I swear…” He paused and looked back at his little girl, half-asleep. “I don’t want Papa to be alone…”

His heart clenched at her words. For his child to be open to him finding another partner just so she wouldn’t have to see or imagine his tired, overworked father alone, did a lot of emotional damage to his psyche, and made it hurt even more knowing that he had sacrificed this amount of love from his daughter in the old timeline.

“I have you and that’s enough for me…” Jotaro knelt one more time by her bedside and kissed the top of her head. “Don’t worry too much…”

At this point, Jolyne had already fallen asleep. He smiled and fixed her bangs before standing and leaving the room as quietly as possible.

---

A few months flew by, and working with you was probably one of the better decisions he reconsidered in his lifetime.

What felt like a slog to get through almost turned into a breeze with your added help. You proved to him countless times that tracking and catching criminals and suspects was your specialty. That your skills and methods worked well with his- his keen observation skills with your intuition, his grounded assumptions applied to your tight networking, his close combat prowess with your sharpshooter aim, his powerful Star Platinum paired with your impenetrable Silent Sanctuary.

Going with this rate, when 10 cases would take several months to accomplish, were finished within at least 5.

Outside of work, he surprisingly grew to like your rather no-filter, sharp attitude when he shouldn’t. It was never explicitly shared, but it was safe to say that you two grew to become close friends.

You automatically settled into a natural dynamic where he would more often follow after you while you were doing your own thing. When you had something in mind, he was there to lend an ear, and sometimes an opinion. There never was a quiet day when he was with you, and for the first time in a while, he didn’t mind the endless chatter you had. They piqued his interest, and you always had food or drink on the table whenever you had your tangents.

Then, to his unfortunate realization, he found out that all the traits you had that irked him in the beginning… were attractive. It wasn’t that the feeling brewed overnight. The moments of him stuck in his office after an assignment had left him mulling over a series of consistent interactions with the shameless agent, and how all of it wormed its way into his brain like a temptation.

Your authority and assertiveness:

”Care to answer why you chose to break the rule of ‘no stalking’?”

The former Stand user, tied up and heavily bruised, whimpered under the scrutiny of your gaze. His case involved having a Stand that was able to make him incorporeal, and with such an ability, he had multiple instances of stalking and harassing young women. But now, Jotaro doubted he would do any more harm, considering his Stand was extracted and he was under your intense interrogation.

The two victims stood behind Jotaro while everything unfolded before them and the eyes of law enforcement. “I-I didn’t mean- I only wanted- I mean- I should have-”

You grabbed a fistful of his hair and spat directly at his face, “Stop crying and talk properly, you degenerate.” You tilted your head and tugged at the strands of his hair. “Let me repeat myself in a more literal manner: What made you think it was alright to torment and stalk these ladies with such perversion?”

”I-I just wanted affection!”

Jotaro gritted his teeth and clenched his fists at the cheap excuse, more so when the girls behind him still cowered. You harshly let him go and made it clear you were not buying it either. “Pathetic. And knowing you’re married too?” You showed the man his silver ring. “You disgust me, and your wife should be too.”

One of the officers who arrived on the scene butted in. “We can take over from here-”

”No, the hell you’re not,” you snapped at him. “Not with you having the audacity to take your sweet time after these ladies have called for help. My partner and I will be dropping him off at the station ourselves and making sure he stays behind bars.”

”Now hold on. You dare speak to an officer of the law like that-”

”Girls, did I hear right that you said the cops usually disregard your calls and even heard them scoff through the phone?” You addressed the two women standing behind Jotaro, who nodded frantically. “And that he usually just lets creeps like him go for some reason?”

”We had to! There’s not enough evidence-”

”There are security cameras in the areas they went and people who saw it happen. You couldn’t go over the footage or ask anyone around? You couldn’t recognize a repeated pattern after many calls? Couldn’t you do your job better?” The cop fell silent. “Exactly. Like I said, I’ll be making sure he gets his due. I don’t care if I have to talk to your superiors, because I will if it means giving these ladies peace of mind.”

The officer bristled and turned to Jotaro. “What the hell are you doing just standing there like a bystander and letting your partner talk shit to us. You ignorant or what?”

He couldn’t care less getting berated out of the blue since it was stupid, but then, ”Hey!” You butted in, and his heart might have skipped a pulse. ”You don’t get to talk shit to him when I'm the one talking while he did nothing wrong.”

You pulled the tied man up to his wobbly legs and strode to the officers, staring them down as you shoved the man in the direction of your car. “Officer of the law,” you scoffed. “Earn your title first before flaunting it to my face just to get paid. A disgrace is what you are.” Again, the cops said nothing and avoided eye contact with you, cheeks slightly tinted with embarrassment.

Your care and protectiveness:

”You can be so reckless at times, you know that, right?”

”These aren’t that bad. I’ve dealt with worse…”

”The fuck do you mean ‘not that bad’?! You’re blood’s actively still soaking most of your clothes!”

Another case had been resolved involving a woman with a blade-based Stand. The whole investigation could’ve been better if she wasn’t neurotic and thought that everyone around her should bend to her whims. The encounter, in general, was nothing too unique in how she utilized her Stand to attack.

That didn’t stop her from landing a few deep gashes on his body when she managed to separate you from him momentarily.

But just like any other Stand encounter, he had the same pain tolerance from when he was younger and just brushed off his injuries as yet another common recurrence in his life. Even if, at times, said wounds would cause him to collapse and faint from blood loss.

And yet here you were, making sure he wouldn’t let him have another near-death experience by having him propped up against the headboard of a motel’s bed, and stripping him off his torn white coat and shirt, ripping it in some areas, if necessary. Despite feeling like he could pass out at any point, his cheeks warmed, almost feeling… shy as you exposed his skin and tended to his injuries with urgency and your classic intensity.

”You’re worrying too much. I said I’m fi-” You hissed at him, the sharp sound clamping his mouth shut immediately.

”You better stop downplaying your wounds or I might just leave you to die.” He was about to speak, only for him to wince from reflex as you poured streams of water on the large gash on his torso and the laceration up his arm. “Honestly, with the way you’re going about this, I think I’m growing more concerned you’re finding these injuries normal than the actual injuries themselves.”

Jotaro shrugged, looking elsewhere. “It is what it is. I got used to it… I even learned how to perform first aid by myself on the spot.”

”Shit,” you cocked your head with furrowed brows, your hands still cleaning his cuts with careful touches. With it still bleeding, you had Sanctuary lend her fabric to wrap around his gashes. “You call me insane, but I think you’re just as insane as I, but in a different way.”

At that, he let out an empty chuckle that sounded like a half-hearted scoff. “I don’t think resilience should be compared to being a bull in a china shop- ah!” He shut his eyes and yelped as your Stand tightened its cloth around his cuts, effectively preventing even more blood loss.

”I’m not that aggressive! Nor am I that brutish!” You said, and even with narrowed eyes, “At least say I’m like a rabid cat wrecking all her owner’s porcelain. At least I’d still look classy as I wreak havoc…” Jotaro looked down at you, and he could see your lips purse into a pout as you monitored his wounds. He could feel his lips curl into a smile. Cute… Wait.

”But that’s beside the point,” you huffed, removing your Stand’s fabrics and unfurling a roll of bandages to properly dress his gashes. “What I’m saying is that you might need further help if you’ve been this desensitized to severe wounds like these.”

”Oh? Suddenly, you’re a psychology expert?”

”No… but,” you gazed into his eyes as you tightened the bandages until it’s firmly secure, your hands holding his waist. “I am your partner. And partners look out for each other if they’re going to be together for the long run. And I’ll be damned to hell if I’m going to pretend you’re invincible or some other bullshit like that.”

Jotaro couldn’t say anything after that, speechless. If anything, his breath turned shaky when he could feel the rapid beat of his heart thumping in his chest as a swirl of emotions bubbled to the surface. “I am your partner”. He didn’t know why that struck a chord in him, but those words had formed a lump in his throat and a slight blur in his vision, even if he knew you meant it as work partners.

God, he wanted to hear that so bad…

You got up with a heavy sigh after his wounds were dressed and pulled the sheets over his abdomen. “Let’s rest here for the night and head back to HQ tomorrow. I’ll take the couch and…” You rubbed your arms from the chill and picked up his ruined coat, still stained with red. “Make your clothing still useful, I guess.”

”Don’t be stupid. The bed’s big enough for two,” he said, smoothing over the empty spot beside him. “And no, I don’t need all the space for a good night’s sleep even if I’m injured or a big person.”

You widened your eyes and spluttered with a hint of a blush on your cheeks, “You serious? I didn’t peg you to be a bed sharer, Kujo.”

The more you resisted, the more his cheeks warmed from embarrassment. He averted his gaze, turning flustered. “I’m just being practical. It’s a big bed designed for two. Might as well make use of it instead of toughing it out with my tattered coat as a blanket…” There was an awkward silence between you. “My god, just get in the damn bed already. It’s fine.”

You ended up under the covers with him, lying apart from each other. However, instead of facing away as they would’ve expected, Jotaro couldn’t help but face you, and you did the same, neither falling asleep. “Hey…” He hummed in acknowledgment. “When we’re together like this, I want you to promise me one thing…”

”… What is it?”

”Promise me you won’t hide your pains from me again. You have to tell me so I can do what I can to help you…”

He paused, his hand closing slightly from where it rested on the pillow. “And what if you can’t?”

You closed your eyes and muttered. “I’ll figure something out, but I’m not going to leave you to rot… that’s the least I can do…"

Jotaro pressed his cheek on his pillow and nodded once, his heart swelling with emotions. “Okay…”

He groaned and rubbed his face behind his hands, cheeks heating up significantly, more so remembering the day after. He couldn’t forget the second he had woken up, he found himself huddled close to you, both bodies curled against each other to bask in each other’s warmth.

What was he doing? This was dumb. He shouldn’t be thinking about this when he’s made peace with himself about being alone, and you had better things to do than to accommodate his tired ass. But at the same time, he couldn’t help but want more from the dynamic you and he had.

“Papa!” Jotaro snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look at Jolyne clutching his pants, looking up at him. “You’re in your deep thinking head mode again.”

“Oh… am I now?”

“Yeah! Your eyebrows do that thing where it gets close and it looks like you’re angry, but you’re not. That type- Like this!” She demonstrated by doing an exaggerated furrow of her brow, mimicking him. “You always do that.”

“Your Papa just has a lot of things going on in his mind, alright?” He stood and ruffled her hair. “It’s dinner time. Want to help me and Star in the kitchen? We’re making one of your favorites.” Of course, she already knew that. He always made her favorite meals when she was with him.

Jolyne beamed and nodded excitedly, her fists clenched and eager. “Which one?!”

“Which do you think?”

She hummed and said the first thing on her mind. “Ramen! The one in the big bowl!”

Jotaro cocked his brow as the duo stepped into the kitchen. “Again? Didn’t I make that for you last night?” He said that, but he had already opened the cupboard to grab the flour needed for the noodles. “You know, eating the same stuff over and over again isn’t good for you.”

“But it’s yummy!” Jolyne whined, bouncing on her feet with her hands on the countertop. “And Mama always cooks the same stuff all the time…”

“Are you saying her cooking’s bad?”

“No… It’s not bad… I just like Papa’s cooking better!” He chuckled as he gathered the ingredients together. Perhaps tolerating his mother’s cooking lessons throughout his younger years paid off.

But before he could start, the home phone rang. Jotaro furrowed his brows and placed down the pork. What the hell? I shouldn’t be receiving new assignments during my weekends. He walked over and lifted the phone to his ear. “Dr. Kujo speaking.”

He listened to the speaker, and his heart started to grow heavy. “Fuck. Again? Another emergency at the facility? Can’t you call someone else?” Jolyne watches on from the background, her face already despondent when she picks up on her father’s conflicted expression. “I can’t just leave my child by herself. I’m watching her. I’m cooking her dinner for god’s sake.”

I shouldn’t be working on my weekends. Damn it. “You swear this won’t take long?”

I don’t want to leave my daughter again. Not this time. “Fine. I’m going home as soon as this problem is dealt with. Don’t bother requesting my assistance again after.” He places the phone back down.

“Are you going back to work again…?” She muttered, gaze turning downcast to her hands fidgeting with the green onions. “I really wanted to play chef with you and Star again…”

Jotaro swallowed the rising guilt in his throat and approached his daughter, kneeling before her and taking her hands in his. “This won’t be one of my heavier duties. It won’t take long. It’ll only be for a few hours. I promise.”

Jolyne pressed her lips together, willing herself not to cry because she was a big girl now. “B-But what about dinner? You were supposed to make dinner with me…”

“I know. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.” He looked at the nearby wall clock and cursed to himself. A babysitter was an immediate solution that came to mind, but he saw his fair share of those people, and he refused to put his only child under the supervision of some teenager who’s only in it for the pay, especially for parents as wealthy as him. Calling his ex was also out of the question. It just made him uncomfortable.

Leaving only one person in mind, though he doubted it would work out.

It took him by surprise when 30 minutes after he sent the text, of him trying to figure out alternative solutions, the doorbell rang. He opened the door, and you were there to greet him casually. “Hey. You have impeccable timing to text me just as I was finishing up my meeting with my company’s human resources committee. Hope I didn’t take too long.”

I thought you were too busy even to bother, but you came… “No, you didn’t.” He stepped aside for you to enter.

Jotaro watched you look around the house. “The Foundation wasn’t kidding when they said the Joestars had money.” You set your bag on one of the couches in his living room. “Spacious, a mix of modern West and traditional Eastern design, and I can imagine it must be scenic when it’s daytime, having it by the sea. It sets a nice ambiance for your home,” you said. “I like your style.”

His cheeks flushed at the compliment. “It was mostly thanks to my mother. I don’t pay too much attention to that kind of detail.” He shrugged. “My daughter loves it though, so I’m glad that worked out in the end.”

“Oh! Speaking of your daughter, where is she? May I get to know her?”

Jotaro nodded and left for the kitchen to bring his 7-year-old girl to you. She wasn’t the type to be shy around strangers, and to you, she merely tilted her head and stared at you with curious eyes before looking back at him, confused. “Y/N, this is Jolyne. Jolyne, this is my work partner Y/N.”

You squatted down to level with the child and smiled. “Why hello, Jolyne. It’s nice meeting you.” Jolyne watched her with wide eyes, never once breaking eye contact, even as you offered her a hand to shake. “I heard you’re quite adventurous. I feel like you and I will get along just fine.” She grabbed your hand with both of hers.

“Y/N will watch over you while I’m out,” Jotaro said, petting the little girl’s head. “Try not to cause too much trouble, alright?” Jolyne furrowed her brows and bit her lip, still upset that he had to leave, but she nodded reluctantly. He patted her shoulder twice before standing to prepare.

He sighed and went to retrieve his bag and car keys. “I appreciate you coming over. I owe you one…”

“We can talk about that when you get back. You handle your business first,” you said.

He nodded once. “Alright. I won’t take long.”

---

You saw him off as he drove to work and closed the door behind you. “Okay. Let’s see…,” You muttered to yourself. “It’s dinner, so I should deal with that first.”

Stepping into the kitchen, Jolyne sat on one of the island stools, holding onto the box of flour among the many other ingredients on the counter. She caught you staring and waited for what you had planned. “Planned to cook with your dad, huh?” She nodded. You rolled up your sleeves and approached the counter. “What was on the menu?”

“… Ramen,” she muttered. “I was supposed to help him make a big bowl, but he’s back working late again…”

“Well, we can still make that big bowl of ramen if you want.” Jolyne looked up at you with wide eyes as you examined each ingredient your partner had left. “Of course, it won’t be on par with your dad’s recipe, but I promise mine won’t be too bad. Is that fine with you, young lady?”

Jolyne puffed her cheeks and hummed, giving it a thought. She pouted and crossed her arms. “It’s fine because I’m hungry.”

Aside from the given ingredients, you looked in the cabinets and fridge to check what else was there to use. “Your dad stocked up a lot of food,” you commented as you took in the number of produce, meat selections, and spices in his kitchen.

“Mhm! Papa said it’s all for me!” Jolyne exclaimed. “He always makes sure to have plenty of food for when we cook together with Star!”

You smiled at the thought of this big, scary man preparing meals for his energetic little girl, with a bulky purple ghost helping him out. “That does sound lovely. Say,” You plucked a couple more ingredients from the fridge. “Would you like me to prepare some side dishes to go with your ramen?”

She tilted her head. “Won’t that take too long?”

“We can multitask together, Jolyne,” you said with a cheeky smile. “Because like your dad, I also have a friend who can help us with dinner.”

Jolyne’s eyes sparkled. “You do?!”

To show off to the little girl, you had your Stand simultaneously grab several items, utensils, and equipment with its many fabrics and let them hover around her. If you could recall correctly, to his daughter, Stands were invisible, so all she saw now were floating objects. She watched them fly about with childlike awe, her smile wide and infectious.

You chuckled and went over to the aprons you found hanging on the wall. “Ready to make a delicious bowl of ramen?” You handed her the smaller apron, and with renewed enthusiasm, she nodded with a determined smirk.

Over time, you two hustled and bustled around the kitchen, helping one another to put together a savory meal for both of you. While you did more of the heavier parts of the cooking, you taught and supervised the child with the lighter ones, and she was more than eager to listen, happy to just be involved. Silent Sanctuary assisted in handing you and Jolyne what was next in the recipe.

Of course, you weren’t one to make the scene settle into awkward silence. With a similar approach you used on Jotaro, you opened up a conversation topic that might trigger the young girl to start sharing her interests. At first, you talked about her favorites while preparing to simmer the broth and braise the pork belly. By the time you began plating the dish, it was Jolyne’s turn to open up about your work and what you did.

You entertained her questions and kept the conversation light and digestible for a child when talking about your job that involved catching bad guys with her father, all while you proceeded to do the side dishes next. She listened to your many stories with full interest, butting in at times to fire a multitude of questions.

By the time everything was done, Jolyne was more than happy to chow down on her dinner. And you watched the little girl scarf down your meal, making a mess on the table and on her face. You shook your head with fond amusement, grabbing a tissue to wipe everything down. “Well? How do you like my recipe?”

With stuffed cheeks, Jolyne spoke with glimmering eyes. “Yummy! Just as yummy as Papa’s!”

“That’s good to hear. If your father asks me to watch over you again, I can show you more dishes that taste like the ramen we made. Sounds good?” She nodded vigorously.

After swallowing, she wanted to talk more about your profession. “So, you mean the bad guys also have invisible friends to help them do all that bad stuff?”

You hummed in agreement. “That’s why your father and I have to work so hard to fight these people. Because getting rid of them makes the world feel safer for innocent civilians like you.”

“I want to be like you and Papa when I grow up!” Jolyne mimicked a boxer’s stance and jabbed the air once. Twice. Thrice. “It also sounds fun! I want to kick their butts and show them who’s boss!”

“Fighting these bad guys isn’t a game, Jolyne.” You grabbed another tissue to wipe her cheeks. “They’re dangerous and can cause big wounds. I may not mind it that much, but your father hates dealing with them because it’s that tiring.”

She puffed her cheeks again and furrowed her brows, her spirited determination flaring once more. “Then… I want to help him! I want to learn how to fight and help Papa so it’s not tiring!”

“Well,” You chuckled. “If you’re older and able to have a ghost friend to help you fight, then you can find me and I can take you under my wing and help you with that.”

The little girl widened her eyes and smiled widely. “Really?!”

“You have potential, young lady. With enough experience and exposure, I have no doubts you can do so much not only for yourself but for your father as well.” You huffed. “But then again, that’s only when you have a ghost friend. So, I can’t guarantee it would happen.”

“I’ll find a way!”

You smiled. “Of course you will.”

The rest of the evening was spent with the two engrossed in a non-stop conversation about each other’s lives. When Jotaro had told her that his daughter was too much of a curious kid, he wasn’t exaggerating. While watching her favorite shows and taking care of her, Jolyne would begin to open up more and more, wanting to know more about her father’s colleague and the job you and he found yourselves in.

She was a sweet child with a soul that yearned to explore the world, and you admired the young girl’s youthful energy. It wasn’t long until you grew fond of her, wishing nothing more than to help her reach her dreams and guide her along the way.

Likewise, Jolyne would grow a liking for you. You knew how to make delicious food, you were invested in her many ramblings, never once annoyed by the number of questions she’d ask, and she found you cool and fun to be with in general. And when you said about potentially returning to babysit her, she’d rather want you than some other babysitter.

Eventually, the night would come to a close, and you tucked Jolyne to bed after telling her one of your bedtime stories from memory, handing her favorite plush toy and drawing the sheet over her. “Do you sleep with the lamp on or off?”

“On…”

“Okay,” You said, gently brushing her hair. “Get some sleep. I’m sure your father will be here to make you breakfast when you wake up.”

“Can… you marry my Papa?”

You froze, your cheeks heating up as she muttered those words in her sleepy trance. “Huh?”

“Papa’s sad… when I’m not here… I don’t want him to be sad…”

You thought back to the times you spent with him post-case, where it was supposed to be two colleagues taking the load off their shoulders and unwind with a simple talk, and in the midst of all your talk with him, there was a consistent pattern of Jotaro purposely making his day job and personal life vague, often dismisses it even if the topic wasn’t being intrusive.

It wasn’t out of character for this man to do his work diligently, but there was something in the way he spoke about himself that sounded…defeated? Like he gave up on something he wanted when he was younger. You picked up on this, and his child did as well.

And as much as it shouldn’t be your problem, you just couldn’t find it in yourself to let your work partner wallow in self-imposed suffering.

But for Jolyne to ask a suggestion so casually caused you to reflect on yourself and your feelings towards your colleague. Was this whole support each other supposed to just be an obligation as partners? Or did you actually feel something for him? You had a genuine interest in the guy, found his subtle mannerisms and underlying values endearing, the times when he did smile and chuckle at your words sparked pride and joy in your conscience…

“I am your partner.” You had said that to him, and in the moment, you hadn’t thought too much of it, but in retrospect, you found out how that sounded more intimate than it should have. Just like the time he had offered to share the bed with you in the guise of practicality.

You turned back to Jolyne, who had fallen asleep during the entirety of your introspection, and sighed.

“We’ll see how all this will turn out, little one…”

---

One night. One night of undesirable circumstances was all that was needed to get some answers from him.

You finished yet another investigation and took him out to a quaint, rustic bar not too far from their target’s location. There weren’t many people occupying the area, except for the handful of loyal patrons and nomadic tourists who were in for exploring niche places. After battling with another non-compliant Stand user, both of you needed some peace of quiet.

The bartender stepped in to slide you both glasses and placed a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon red wine and a Jack Daniel’s whiskey for Jotaro. “I assume you can handle your liquor well, hm?”

He made a low sound as he poured himself a drink. “I’ve been making sure to dial down my alcohol nowadays and stick to caffeine. But… I did like beer during my youth.” He sighed. “Tonight? I just had to… pour myself one for now…” He took a shot.

You nodded, pouring for yourself as well. “During your youth, huh? Are we talking early 20s? Or I-hit-18-and-I’m-legal-to-drink-now age?”

Despite the tiredness in his eyes, his lips quirked up into a slight smirk. “A year before that…”

“Underage drinking?” You cocked a brow and sipped your drink. “How bold of you. Got curious?”

“Not really. It was mostly an act,” he said as he poured another shot. “I was a teenager. I had to look cool and so… did some rebellious crap that I stopped once I graduated: Be an asshole, smoke cigarettes, and drink beer to show off. That stuff…”

“You must have been a pain to everyone around you in your rebel days, huh?”

He kept his gaze on his glass and replied, “In a way, I still am.”

Your chest had a minor pang at that, but you kept that to yourself and held your head in your hand and looked at him, dubious. “Mm, doesn’t seem like it. Sure, you still got that menacing vibe around you, still stoic obviously, but in all honesty, you’re not all bad. You seemed mellowed out and definitely a better person than I.”

He scoffed and took another shot. “Shut it with the flattery.”

“It’s called a compliment, Kujo. Offering flattery isn’t in my dictionary,” you replied in that playful tone you’d use. “Here I thought you knew me already.”

“Oh? Was I supposed to study you, L/N?” You shrugged as you finished your first glass. “Are you implying that I should start analyzing my colleagues now?”

“Keep your friends close. Your enemies closer.”

“You’re not my enemy.”

You stared at him with mischief. “I might. You never know.”

He paused for a moment, and for the first time today, Jotaro huffed out a soft laugh. “Cheeky, but fine.” He shot another glass. “Since you’re so goddamn persistent, I’ll play your game.”

And it all snowballed from there. Unlike most instances of you being the instigator of your conversations, he was the one who asked the questions. You told your answers and hurled the question back at him. From one question would stem many more, and both of you would lose yourself in a night of GTKY and alcohol.

It hadn’t occurred to you immediately, but you hadn’t noticed that hours had passed until the bartender told you they were closing in 15 minutes. On your side of the counter was an empty bottle of red wine, and on his side were 2 empty Jack Daniel’s.

Jotaro leaned heavily on his elbow, holding his head that was on the verge of dropping face-first onto the counter. You furrowed your brows and lightly nudged his shoulder. “Hey, are you doing okay?” You always thought he could handle his alcohol just as you could, but his sluggish movements combined with the flushed cheeks told you otherwise.

“Okay?” He scoffed, smiling bitterly behind his hand. “Hardly. None of what I’m doing feels okay. Can’t even drink damn alcohol now. I’m just getting tired of it…”

“Oh my god, you’re drunk.” He shook his head, slurring something about how he wasn’t and he was just sleepy. You thanked the bartender for his services and stood to approach your colleague. “Alright, big guy. Let’s get you back to your place.”

You managed to get a good grasp on his arm and, with some effort, not crumble to the floor as you hauled him off the bar stool and on unsteady feet. His arm remained slung over your shoulders, his head lolling to the side and hanging low. “I need you to cooperate with me here.”

“Why bother helping me?” He said, groggily. “I can go home by myself…”

“Ahuh. Sure, you can.” You fumbled around in his pockets until you fished out his car keys. “I’m driving, though.”

You half-dragged Jotaro out of the bar and out onto the sidewalk where his car was parked nearby. He stumbled along with you, often wobbling to the side and occasionally pulling you with him due to his weight. He continued to slur out complaints and proclamations about how he was fine, that he just felt sleepy, and he could drive fine.

“Don’t be stupid, Kujo. You gulped down more whiskey than you intended. You’re drunk and I’m not.” You heaved and readjusted his arm around your shoulder. “It’s obvious who should be behind the wheel tonight.”

“I can do everything by myself!” He said, his muddled voice rising with tired frustration. “I’ve always handled my shit alone! Leave me!”

You sighed. “We’ve talked about this months ago. No backing out of an agreement now.”

“I don’t want to burden you…” You stopped in your tracks and turned to him. His head still hung low, cheeks flushed red. “All this Stand bullshit is all his fault. All my fault. I should fix it. I need to fix it…”

“Hey…”

Jotaro raised his head to look at you with squinted eyes and tight brows. “And I don’t know how. Isn’t that a fucking joke?” He laughed an empty laugh, his head leaning heavily on your shoulder. “My successes and for what? More stress? More attention? More ruined relationships? I can’t even be with my own daughter properly without my day job draining all my spare time down the drain.”

“And who needs friends when they all just leave and die in the end?” You stayed silent as he continued, his ironic chuckles now bordering on despairing sobs. Not quite on the latter yet, but even then… it still hurts to hear. He pressed his cheek to your shoulder and smiled at you with dull, wet eyes. “You chose to be with me and now tell me- when will you leave for greater things, or better yet… when will you die, hm? ‘Cause I’ll still be here, just ready to soak up all these bullshit feelings.”

Despite the uncharacteristically excessive and pessimistic talk, you knew there was no insult to his drunken speech. You knew what you were capable of, and your Stand’s primary ability prevented you from suffering any injury, and Jotaro knew that too. He wouldn’t have agreed to continue partnering with you.

When will you leave? When will you die? It was as if he was already bracing himself for the inevitable to lessen the pain. To expect the worst so he wouldn’t get his hopes up and get hurt when it comes.

He lazily pulled his head away from your shoulder and hung it low again. “Now, if you really want eff… effa… efficiency, you should just ditch me… and work on other projects-”

“Shut up and get in the car.” You didn’t know when you started walking while he continued to ramble into the night, but you did and found yourself standing beside his car. You opened the passenger’s door and nudged him to get in.

“I can-” You hissed at him, and he nodded. “Okay…” He begrudgingly stepped into the vehicle, bumping his head a little by accident on the car roof, and you closed it after he settled in. You walked around, entered the driver’s seat, started the ignition, and drove off.

The road back to his place was silent. You chose to keep the radio silent, thinking it might just irritate him. Throughout the trip, he remained slumped on the car door, half-asleep and the other half gazing out the window to watch the world pass by them under the evening sky.

Once you arrived, you parked the car accordingly and got off. You made quick work pulling the drunken man out of the passenger’s seat and dragging his ass through his front door. Struggling to get both your shoes off was one thing; getting him up the stairs was another challenge in itself. Eventually, you managed to reach his bedroom and dropped him onto the sheets. He went down easily enough like a toppled, semi-conscious tree log.

You exhaled a sigh of relief that you got to deliver him back to his room in one piece, but you didn’t know what to do next. Should you just leave him be? Or make sure he was comfortable enough? He groaned and used whatever energy he had left to rub his eyes, grimacing from how shitty he must be feeling.

Next thing you knew, you had already made up your mind. You rearranged his body and limbs so he lay properly with his head on the pillow and his feet on the foot of the bed. You paused in your caregiving and took a seat on the edge, sparing a few seconds to just watch him.

Jotaro might as well be already asleep by the time you get him on the pillows. You didn’t know the exact details of what you thought, but there was something about how he seemed more vulnerable when he was in his slumber. There was no trace of that stoicism he always had on, nor any of the more focused or sharp aspects that made him professional.

Instead, in his vulnerability, there was the defeat- his relaxed brows, the shadows under his eyes, the sad tilt of his lip, the subtle glint of a tear or two in his lashes. “How much did you have to suffer…? Since 17?” Your heart ached for the man whose life changed for the worse, where his attempts to make it seem normal just didn’t work. “You never wanted to be a part of this, huh?”

Without realizing it, you reached forward to brush aside the short curls off his forehead. “If you’d let me, I’d take over most if not all of your cases. Use the time for yourself.” He furrowed his brows and leaned his head into your hand. With a newfound sense of worry, you softly pet his hair. “You don’t have to shoulder everything on your own…”

Of course, he was asleep. He couldn’t have heard you. And he was still in his work clothes, which must be uncomfortable to sleep in. You leaned forward to lift his upper body so you could take off his white coat. And you did just that and pulled him up to lean him against you.

However, as you pulled the coat down to his biceps, you stiffened as his arms encircled you in a warm embrace, and his face buried itself on your shoulder. “K-Kujo! What are you-”

“You… mean that…?” He mumbled. “You’d… help me… that much?”

Your eyes softened. “When have I ever lied?”

“We’re partners… who got each other’s backs…” He gently tightened his arms around you and nuzzled closer to your neck, needing comfort. “Being your partner… was the best decision I ever made… in this new life…”

The tension in your body left, leaving only an immense amount of empathy and fondness for him. You returned his hug with a hand around his back, and the other cradling his head. He sighed shakily at the reciprocation. “I’m sorry… for being selfish… but… please…” He whispered. “Don’t leave me… alone…”

“I won’t…” You pressed your cheek on his and held him tighter, combing through his curls. “You know I won’t…”

As if he were reassured, his arms dropped limp onto the sheets, and his breathing evened out. You glanced down at him and confirmed that he had passed out. You returned to your task and pulled the coat off his body, and with that done, you eased him back on the sheets, got him comfortable, and drew the duvet over him.

“You’re lucky I like you,” you said under your breath. “Otherwise, I would’ve just dropped you off and left. You know that, right?” Jotaro remained asleep, turning his head slightly to the side. You contemplated what to do next as you kept watching over him, idly petting his hair.

An idea struck, and it was an impulsive one. But you already said you liked him. Was it that impulsive? What’s this going to matter anyway?

You stood and bent down, getting close to face. You gently cupped his cheek and thumbed the skin before leaning down to press a soft kiss on his forehead. He didn’t respond, obviously, but your heart did. Once you slowly withdrew, your heartbeat thundered in your chest, and your cheeks significantly grew three times warmer.

A hushed curse fled your lips. “Oh my god, what am I doing?” You stepped back and walked over to his drawers to find the nearest pen and paper. Keeping it short with a few words, you left the note on his nightstand before taking your leave and letting him rest.

Something came to mind just then. At that, you glanced one more time at him before heading out to do one more thing for him when he wakes tomorrow, already getting the pen and paper for a new note.

---

Jotaro woke up to a splitting headache.

Other than catching the Stand user red-handed and going out with you on one of your dine-outs, he could not for the life of him recall what happened last night. One moment he’s invested in talking with you on the topic of shorelines, and the next, he’s sitting upright on his bed in the same clothes with a throbbing head.

But it occurred to him that you were also there to witness whatever the fuck he had done during his lapse of memory. He held his face, groaning as his cheeks warmed at the thought of your fellow no-nonsense colleague watching him act out without inhibition.

“Good fucking grief…” He tossed his legs over the edge of the bed, and before he could stand, the savory aroma that wafted into his nose and the neon yellow sticky note standing out on his nightstand grabbed his attention. Looking over at it, the note was stuck onto a covered bowl of… soup? Sitting beside it was a spoon and a bottle of water.

He plucked the paper off the lid and read:

Rise and shine, lightweight!

I’ll have you know you were heavy as hell when I dragged you back here.

And no, you didn’t embarrass yourself in front of me. That’s if “being cute and sleepy” isn’t embarrassing.

Anyway, I left some hangover soup and something to hydrate yourself with. Just heat it when you wake.

I’ll drop by sometime tomorrow for updates, but in the meantime, take the time to freshen up.

Y/N

That warmth in his face intensified after reading it, setting the note aside and holding his face with both hands. “Cute and sleepy…” He scoffed. I shouldn’t have drunk that much whiskey. Never drink with others again, Kujo. Stick to caffeine.

Jotaro reached for the bowl and uncovered the lid, revealing a nicely made homemade beef broth soup. Even though the contents had turned lukewarm from being left overnight, it still smelled good. He grabbed the spoon and took a sip of the dish, and a soft moan was made.

Damn. It tasted good too, and to think that you made this for him? Jotaro’s cheeks would remain heated throughout breakfast.

He got into his morning routine right after he finished heating the soup and consuming all of it in a few minutes. He brushed, showered, got into new clothes, and stepped into his office to accomplish some pending tasks yet to finish for the upcoming research program.

Though he couldn’t fully focus on his work when all he could think about was not only the headache mildly being a nuisance, but also you.

He lost count of how many times he’d stopped writing or typing the second his brain flashed him a memory of you smiling at that bar, chuckling at an unintentional one-line he uttered with the faint blush on your cheeks, or you caging his bigger body against the wall earlier that day to protect him from an incoming projectile, or when you gazed at him under the dim moonlight of that motel room as you lay beside him on that bed-

He put down his pen for the nth time and leaned back on his chair, palming his heated face in frustration. It didn’t help that his heart would start to run a marathon at the mere thought of your snarky and unbothered banters, your face that had the right amount of audacity, and the number of your genuine caregiving gestures that never failed to set the butterflies in his stomach aflutter. “I am your partner.”

And you planned to visit him again within the day. How the hell is he supposed to compose himself when his feelings for you have gone awry?

With the devil’s timing, the doorbell rang in the middle of his attempt to get himself together. He schooled himself into nonchalance and headed to the front door, bracing for whatever physiological effect his body would brew at the sight of you on his doorstep.

Jotaro opened the door, and you greeted him with that smile that bordered on a smirk and a small wave. “Hey,” The butterflies flew wildly almost immediately, and his chest was on the verge of bursting. Yet his face remained neutral, save for the faint blush on his cheeks.

“L/N… You’re here.”

“I did say I’ll be dropping by today,” you said as you pulled out three folders from behind your back. “With updates. Remember? Unless you completely missed my note, then surprise! We have updates.”

“No. I got your note… and the soup.” He opened the door wider and stepped aside. “We should discuss this inside.”

You nodded and took off your shoes before entering his home. “By the way, how’s the hangover? Was it as bad as I assumed?”

He followed you into the dining room, tipping his hat over his face. “It’s nothing new, but it’s painful as hell. I can still feel it until now,” Jotaro grumbled and continued with heated cheeks. “But the soup helped… if that’s what you wanted to hear.”

“Just as I thought. I brought you a hangover relief drink to help with the lingering aches.” You placed the folders on the dining table and pulled out a small glass bottle with white and orange labeling from your bag. “This is newly imported, by the way. So, the effects should be at their best.”

Jotaro swallowed and nodded, reaching over to get it off your hand without looking at you for long. He gestured for you to take a seat, and out of the many empty seats, you settled for the one that was adjacent to him. To be fair, it wasn’t that close to him, but it was the nearest.

He fixed you a serving of the tea he had left in his cabinet, and you began detailing all the progress notes the Foundation had sent about the caught Stand users and their Stands- From how they reacted when they woke up in confinement, to present user background, down to what their choice was moving forward after being apprehended.

Unfortunately for Jotaro, he was still hung up on his newfound realization that he felt some way or another toward you like a dam of denial and denseness had been demolished. While he did listen to every piece of information you said, he’d chalked up half of his attention to the way you spoke with dedicated professionalism and the way your eyes glinted and lips smirked whenever you were pleased sharing a piece of intel.

His body’s physiological state is going haywire yet again, and his head throbbed. He uncapped the hangover cure and drank the tonic in a feeble attempt to distract himself from the irritating ache and his thoughts. And if it couldn’t get any worse, he drank too fast and ended up choking in front of you.

“Woah, hey now. You okay?”

Jotaro coughed behind his hand and nodded, waving a hand to dismiss your concerns. “F-Fine. Just choked is all.”

You chuckled and closed the folder to set aside. “Maybe slow down when drinking any other beverage that’s not water. That technique always helps prevent another choking episode.”

His cheeks flared. “I know that. I’m not stupid, L/N,” he said and cleared his throat. “I was… busy thinking.”

“Busy thinking?” You smirked, leaning on your elbow with your head in your hand. “Or distracted with something else?” Jotaro glared at you and grumbled to himself. “About last night, perhaps?” That… and the many other things about you. None of that was said, but did he even have to when you already knew?

At his self-imposed frustration and bashfulness, your teasing smirk softened into a smile. “Believe me when I say you didn’t do anything stupid last night. Well, to me at least. If anything, I felt privileged when you showed me a window into who the man responsible for DIO’s defeat was. A sneak peek into who Jotaro Kujo is now.”

He remained silent, watching you with a somewhat touched expression on his face. “And I found that brief moment of vulnerability fascinating and worth knowing.” His heart raced a million miles per hour the more you shared your thoughts. The playful gleam was still in your eyes when you continued. “There was nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I…You…” Jotaro was at a loss for words. What could he say? You telling him this was enough for him to shy away from your gaze in a mess of tinted cheeks. He’s aware of what he needs behind the walls of nonchalance and outward strength, and for you to learn said needs because of several shots of whiskey?

It was almost overwhelming. “You were never meant to know all that. They’re just… wishful thoughts.”

“And what if I said I can help make those thoughts real?”

He paused and stared at you with surprise. “What… what do you mean?”

“Let me rephrase that.” You sipped the warm tea and set it down, your smile still on. “I’ve said we’re work partners, and that we should always have each other’s backs, through thick and thin. Even if we met under ordinary circumstances unrelated to work, I think I’d still hold the same sentiment toward you.”

“Your reservation and stoicism can be frustrating, yes. But looking past that,” You swirled the half-full cup and tilted your head to him. “You are a delight to be with, in all your subtle acts of service, sudden bouts of humor, and fierce loyalty to those you hold dear.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I like you, Jotaro Kujo, and if you allow it, I’d want to get to know you more.”

His eyes widened. All air had left his lungs from your casual confession, blood rushing to his cheeks as every organ in his body went into ecstatic overdrive.

He genuinely had nothing to say, stunned to silence. He had spent the entire morning- no, the past few months battling with his feelings about whether to act on his pining toward you, or toss it away so you wouldn’t feel obligated to tolerate the dangers that came from being with him.

Every moment of overthinking, insecurity, and unwarranted pining… washed away with that simple sentence.

At his lack of response, you chuckled. “Cat got your tongue?”

“I… ah…”

“Here… let’s put it this way then. How about, for one time, I take you out somewhere nice for dinner? Then you can decide if you want to continue our partnership,” you said, just like the first time he had met you. “Sound good?”

“Good grief. Here I thought I’d be the one initiating, but…” From the depths of his heart, his lips curled into a smile, and he softly laughed behind his hand. “Always the professional, even when asking me out on a date, huh?”

You laughed with him, a faint pink tint blooming in your cheeks. “Old habits die hard. You don’t seem to mind though.”

He shook his head. “No… I don’t.”

You held out a hand to him, your palm open for him to hold. “Well? I’m still waiting.”

Jotaro looked at your hand for a minute. There were still parts of his mind that kept whispering to him about being a burden to you and how he’d only be led to more suffering when the inevitable threats would strike you down. But your determined eyes and the passionate fire held within them responded to his anxieties with a firm:

“I can handle it. Trust me and I’ll protect us.”

At that, he huffed and smiled as he reached forward to hold your hand, his chest surprisingly light. “I didn’t regret accepting to be your colleague. I don’t think I’ll regret this either.”

“Then…” You smiled and gently held his hand with both of yours. “I’m looking forward to being your partner, Jotaro.”

He returned the sentiment with a smile and nodded once. “Likewise, Y/N.”

[silent-sanctum]

GUYS HEAR ME OUT

After weeks of struggling...

Nearly 15k words of "banter mates to lovers"

Finally finished.

All that's left is polishing and it's out 😭🙏