#also sorry trish ilu

[epitaffia]

V - I SEE YOU IN THE EYE OF JUPITER. A MOUTHWASHING AU.

in this alternate universe their early life remains near enough the same ; their mother gives birth to them in prison, they are adopted by a priest, they meet donatella, the priest is murdered & they flee from sardinia during a fire age 17, believing to be one of many who perished in the village fire. they spend the first year volunteering for archaeological expeditions in egypt, accumulating stolen artifacts which are sold for large sums of money in local black markets. this wealth eventually gives them the means to create a new life for themselves. when they return to italy it is with expertly forged documents & identifications. below the cut is where things diverge significantly from jojo ( cw for mention of assault below. the game deals with heavy & triggering themes, in general. please take care if you play it. blank pony express template from here ).

BEFORE THE TULPAR. upon their return to italy at the age of 19 a small apartment is acquired ; it's not perfect, there's an annoying leaky pipe & it's a little noisy outside during rush hour, but it's close to the local university. you see, from an early age they've always had a fascination with space. spending long hours gazing at the stars, wondering if alien civilizations exist out there, a love & interest blooming in humanities ventures into the great unknown.

they study astrobiology & related fields for several years. it's difficult, & they're never at the top of their class, but they enjoy it tremendously. their wild theories & hypothesis, combined with their odd personality & clumsiness, leads to not being taken very seriously by professors & the more up tight class mates. but they persevere, & one day that determination pays off ...

at 27 they are selected to join a prestigious agency specializing in space exploration. many a trip is taken to luna, until eventually, they are given their first job far beyond earth. the space agency & pony express have a fragile partnership, the former paying the latter to send their scientists aboard these long haul flights to destinations of interest. something about saving money & time ...

ABOARD THE TULPAR. so this is how they find themself aboard the tulpar at the age of 33 ; with their own personal room & space to store equipment & food, & other necessities. it's a small space almost half the size of the medbay. for the most part they keep to themself, busying about their job in the limited way they can. but that isn't to say they avoid the other crew members !

there's some enjoyment joining in with boardgames, especially with daisuke & anya. although dop isn't very good at them, while dia is. while not working, dop can usually be seen playing pokemon on their pink gameboy sp, while dia often enjoys reading & drawing.

they aren't terribly social or outgoing, & their habit of talking to themself has led to concerns & weird looks from certain other crew members. while they are not officially diagnosed with DID, their psych evaluation notes a suspected disassociation disorder. dop is unaware of this & remembers little if anything after these weekly sessions, while dia tends to front during them & spins half-truths, enough to not be a cause for concern to themself or others. this doesn't often interfere with their work, that is ... until the crash.

AFTER THE CRASH. the time following the crash is terribly distressing for them. not only due to the events which are shown in game, but also the reawakening of other parts of their system which had previously been dormant since fleeing their home.

there is ... an intense dislike of jimmy. feelings present before the crash, but only increasing after ( especially if they are told of his assault on anya, that fact hitting a painful personal cord ). you see, dia recognizes the type of man he is ; the facade of pride built upon the suffering & belittling of others, worming his way into lives with sweet lies & an act of care. or maybe there was care. but dia didn't care, not for the likes of him. they do not listen to the new captain.

there's difficulty in remaining calm in the face of a likely slow death stranded in space, made all the more worse with those they have come to enjoy being around suffering ... paranoia & anxieties skyrocket, & at some point they barricade themself in their quarters, unable to cope with it all. until they are rescued ...

RETURN TO EARTH. readjusting to life on earth usually wasn't so difficult, but after the talpar ... there is many restless nights, far more than usual. they are offered therapy which they reluctantly accept, & so they take a temporary leave from work, using up the remainder of holiday days for this.

so, what are they up to now? not much, for the most part, aside from attending weekly therapy sessions. while this initially begins with the talpar, it eventually drifts into addressing the trauma of their past. eventually coming to understand they have DID & beginning the process of recovery. they can be found strolling about & having lunch at local parks, & occasionally frequenting cafes & restaurants. whether they keep in contact with tulpar members is down to individual plotting, but i like to think they do so with anya & daisuke, perhaps the others too ... ( not jimmy ).

NOTABLE DIFFERENCES FROM JOJO. . their mother isn't suddenly pregnant to term overnight, it's discovered as she starts showing. she doesn't die either ... so she's out there somewhere, but believes her child died in the village fire. . k crimson exists only as another part & isn't a stand that can manifest, nor has powers. it has the same appearance in their headspace. . their hair isn't naturally pink, but dyed ( dark spots of their natural hair colour being a nod to dia's jojo hair ). . their eyes don't change to show who's fronting. instead, they have central heterochromia ; eyes being a golden hazel around the pupil, & green ( the green also doesn't glow ). . if it wasn't obvious above, their hyperfixation in this au isn't mafia stuff, but space. . trish, their canonical daughter, doesn't exist ( yay for protection !).