Your gateway to endless inspiration
Ok, so chances are none of you know a damn thing about JJK, but I started writing this fic on a whim, so I may as well tell you all about it:
Gregor as a jujutsu sorcerer. After the Underland, his parents just decided to get the hell away from that place that stole away their kids and shoved them into some war by moving to Japan. And then their son gets dragged into the world of Jujutsu sorcery, which adds an interesting parallel into the mix.
Not sure if I'll give him a technique or not, but I kinda like the idea of him just going at all the curses Japan has to offer with nothing but his skill with a sword and cursed energy manipulation. BUT what I could also do is give him some kind of curse bond, like Ares or maybe even the Bane, like how Yuta fights alongside Rika.
I'm honestly thinking of sending him to the Kyoto school to even out the scoreboard, as a rager with cursed energy on their side could start to even things out, along with Mechamaru and Todo. He could also act as opposition to the higher ups and Principal Gakuganji, though I wouldn't be surprised if he got scouted by Gojo and taken to Tokyo, where Kusakabe could've helped train him (although Kusakabe seems to have taught Miwa so it's not really a deal breaker if Gregor goes to Kyoto).
I also have some ideas about him finding a curse on accident at first, then as he fights it he ends up channeling cursed energy through his rage, which allows him to kill it, before a sorcerer and/or a window show up, as they intended to kill it before he showed up, which leads to him getting enrolled.
So yeah. Came out a bit longer than intended, and most of you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, but what do you guys think? Any other ideas? Thinking of calling it "The Cursed Warrior", but I might choose another name if I find or come up with a better one.
Ok, so I saw @yesthefandomfreakblr's post about Gregor not returning to the Underland, and it got me thinking about a potential fic idea.
I know this is going to sound very weird, and I've probably only been thinking about it because I've been watching the show recently, but hear me out here:
Gregor's Bizarre Adventure.
Like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, but the protagonist is Gregor. He gets his own stand, goes on a crazy adventure across America battling other stand users and making friends, with the whole story it's more or less removed from the Underland, focusing more on how that trauma affected him, and possibly maybe Vampire Solovet as an antagonist.
I might have seen this said before, on a different post, but I couldn't find it, so I'm just gonna say a few words on this, partially because of that and partially because it's been ages since I've last read the series, despite it being ingrained into my head.
Almost all of the characters in TUC have moments where they are genuine assholes. Gregor has a few points where he says some genuinely disrespectful shit. Luxa, as well as most of the other humans (including Gregor, although arguably to a lesser extent), are deeply prejudiced against the gnawers. Ripred, is, well, Ripred (look, I love him, we all do, but he's a dick).
Even Vikus, arguably one of the nicest characters in the series, admires Sandwich (I think, been a while), a man who literally used poison to commit genocide in the name of stealing land that didn't belong to him.
The only characters I can think of in TUC that don't have flaws are the ones who also have the least lines: Aurora, Dulcet, Miravet. Oh, and all of those characters? Probably also prejudiced against gnawers, just never explicitly stated (to my knowledge), probably due to their obscene lack of lines. Of course there are characters like Lizzie and Hazard, who are literal fucking children so as nice as they are, I think it's safe to say they can't really be counted up here. (Should probably also mention that Gregor and Luxa are also children, just ones that were forced to grow up faster, sadly).
Then again, all of these characters have redeeming qualities. Gregor can be disrespectful at times, but that's mainly because of the stress placed upon him by the various bullshit situations he has to go through, and he usually apologizes after. Luxa and all the humans are deeply prejudiced (actually, I should probably add the fliers might be in that category too), but they are basically raised from birth to hate and kill gnawers, and vice versa. plus, it's shown that despite what is practically being brainwashed from birth, they can grow and change to overcome their own bigotry and accept gnawers as genuine people, as well as friends.
And yes, Ripred, the glorious bastard himself, is a dick. But he's also a war veteran who's lost his family, and most of the respect from his people, meaning he mainly works with humans, who tend to treat him with suspicion, if not outright hostility (until they get to know him). And he makes up for it by letting his guard down at times to be a father to the traumatized pups that dragged him into their pack.
Point is, flawed characters are one of the things that make TUC so great. They're not few and hid away either, they're everywhere, with visible flaws. If you want to make a good character, TUC is a great series to use as an example. Everything casts a shadow, just like every character has a flaw. If they don't, you probably just can't see them from your angle. And if they don't? Like, at all? Give them some, just make sure the shadow they cast matches up with the object itself.
So, a brief expansion on this because this has always been lurking in the background of my mind:
-Version of the Underland called the Wild Woods (yes very original name I know), creepy, forest-covered, Transylvania-like place
-Only accessible via paths hidden deep within big forests across the planet, no other way in (or out)
-No day, only night
-Populated by vampires (underlanders), werewolves (gnawers), maybe Arachne-like spider-monsters (spinners), and so on and so on
-Various possibilities for Gregor: Fallen angel, Wendigo, Monster-hunter who switches sides, paranormal investigator, just a confused kid who stumbled down the wrong path with his sister while walking in the forest, etc
-Dire wolf Bane? But a bigger dire wolf? Like, elephant-sized?
-Ragers could be people cursed by some kind of blood frenzy, or maybe possession by some kind of demon/ghost
-Possibly throw in some oracle-magic for Nerissa and Sandwhich
So yeah, pretty much all I have down for this weird folklore-ish au of the Underland Chronicles. Thoughts?
*whispers* werewolf!gregor au
You're walking around on Sunday the 7th cuz that's when ur uncle's boyfriend got hit by a runaway jet ski or whatever, when you some weird kid with even weirder just chilling outside his house.
Little do you f*cking know, he's an echolocating rager who will not let you anywhere near his family, and you are about the experience what all your victims have felt, only a lot less humiliating.
I HC that Ripred is only hard on Gregor because he see's himself in that kid. Like, Ripred is a dick to everyone, I know that, but I think he keeps on putting cold, hard facts in front of Gregor, like how he's stuck with his rager abilities, because he just wants the kid to be ready and you know, not dead. I only realized this when reading this post about Ripred and Gregor's relationship, but it makes a lot of sense. Why else would Ripred tell Gregor about his disbelief in the prophecies and no-one else? Because he doesn't want his younger, human, more innocent counterpart getting caught up in that madman's bs. Ripred even promises to protect Gregor's family in the last book, because he doesn't want him to lose them the same way he lost his.
TLDR: Ripred has a tough-love thing with Gregor, but he only does it because he want's Gregor to be strong enough to handle his Warrior responsibilities (that he never asked for.) Not because he views Gregor as a political pawn, but because he sees himself in him and wants him to be happy.
gregor and ripred GREGOR AND RIPRED!!!!!!!
obviously ripred protects gregor. not in the same way he does lizzie or even luxa, but i'd say from the moment ripred saw gregor's horrified expression when henry was about to run a sword through him, he knew gregor was special. he told twitchtip to not judge gregor like she would other humans. he speaks softly when gregor is mourning. he teaches him life-or-death echolocation. he can't even tell gregor that the kid's gonna die in the prophecy of time. the "oh, tell me you didn't" to solovet after she locks gregor away. he promises to keep gregor's family safe, from one rager to another. he sees so much of himself in that kid and it's awful. the scene in cotw where ripred talks to gregor about being a rager (right after the frogs) will forever stick out to me. just. his peptalk to gregor before the final battle. ripred cares.
and so does gregor! gregor has so much respect for ripred, the rat, what has been the enemy for nearly his entire first journey in the underland, because he notices the pain in his eyes. he tells him "fly you high" when they first part ways, which is echoed by ripred when they last see each other. just the immediate relief that gregor feels any time ripred steps in. the way gregor messes with ripred, popping bubble gum after ripred insults him, joking about the prophecy at the end of book 5 ("time is turning back!" ripred - "shut up!"). in book 4, gregor sends the questers to busy themselves so ripred doesn't have to be vulnerable in front of so many. when gregor's in trouble, it's ripred's advice ("what's your plan?") that he thinks of. the section in book 5 where they all think ripred is dead and gregor is as upset by it as he is ares, that he "maybe even loved him." gregor looks up to him. just. the mentor/protege duo ever
With vampiric underlanders
*whispers* werewolf!gregor au