If there's any story that defines crack taken seriously. It would definitely be this one.
Background: I've played Paper Mario: The Origami King after I heard it's a massive improvement to the previous games. After the mess that was Sticker Star. I pretty much lost hope in that franchise, Color Splash was better, but it still wasn't anything to write home about.
But then came the Origami King and my hopes were renewed. Sure the Paper Mario developers are crippled by the rules Nintendo gave them, but if we get more games like Origami King, I wouldn't mind too much.
And by far my favorite part of the games are the Legion of Stationery. Sure they're design may be basic, but they all have legit quirky personalities that are fun villains (And their theme songs are awesome, and I highly recommend Juno Song's songs, which is a major inspiration for this fic)
And now I'm trying to figure out where to put the Legion of Stationery. I've had three ideas. One with My Hero Academia where Izuku has the power to use LOS powers. I've decided against it since it's been a while since I've read my hero academia. And I heard news that it's entering its final stage so I decided against reading it until its finish. Also I wouldn't be using the LOS themselves.
My second idea was with Worm. This time the LOS was more involved by virtue of being created by Taylor. This was the one I was working on at first, and I might make a one-shot off of it. This was scrapped since I didn't know what to do after the first few arcs.
Until I finally decided to give the Danmachi series a try. And while its story is a bit of a mess, the world itself is fun to explore. And that's when I decided on a expand Hestia Familia story. And the two ideas combined.
Also, it gives me a great excuse to use the multiple great Legion of Stationery art I found. There is a lot of great art focused on personifying these guys, and it helps that they have enough personality to personify.
I had to figure out what tools would be in the Danmachi universe. Some like scissors or colored pencils are obvious. But others like Hole Punch, Rubber Band, and the works are much harder to guess.
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The Origami Princess
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Ahem! Today…
I'm going to tell you the story about the City of Adventurers, known as Orario. The reason this city has earned that title is due to mortals of the world gathering there to explore the dungeon located beneath Orario. An enigmatic labyrinth filled with monsters of all shapes and sizes, and seemingly endless with treasures and other rewards.
Orario especially expanded, when the gods themselves descended from Tenkai to aid the mortals in their exploration. They started by sealing the dungeon in the Tower of Babylon and bestowed upon the mortals the god's blessing: The Falna
The Falna connects the gods to the mortals. And with it, many adventurers can increase their powers and gain new and amazing skills. Anyone who holds a god's Falna is considered to be a member of their Familia.
And that leads us to one special Familia. A Familia that started out small, but due to the efforts of a wide-eyed adventurer, has soon become a place where many people gathered, and they once even saved the world.
And now let us be introduced to the story of the Origami Adventurer:
It started many years ago, when a young child discovered a treasure chest in his grandfather's home.
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"Hey grandpa, what's this?" A young white-haired boy asked. He was carrying a heavy chest with him. For all the time he spent here, this is the first time he ever saw the chest. Probably because he found it after accidentally pushing over a bookcase.
The kindly old man stroked his beard at the sight of the treasure chest and gives a small chuckle. "Never thought you would find that Bell. This here is a special chest. It was the remnant of a great hero."
"Really?" Bell's eyes sparkled. While his grandfather mainly focused on the impressing girls aspect of being adventurer, that doesn't mean he wouldn't tell the stories of great adventurers and heroes. "What kind of hero?"
"Oh a hero that defeats the evil king; saves the princess, that kind of stuff." He said with a chuckle. "That's a story for another time."
"Can we open it?"
"Why don't you open it?"
Bell looked confused, shrugged and clicked opens the locks. His grandfather merely nodded at the sight.
The albino was expecting a lot of things. Treasure. A sword. Maybe even some ancient scroll. But what he saw made him stare in surprise.
"And here's a special weapon, just for you Bell." His grandfather noted when he saw the expression on the boy's face.
Bell has planned for lot of things, but he wasn't suspecting a hammer. The hammer was a unique color. It was golden yellow and it almost looked like it was made out of paper. But Bell touched the base as saw it was as solid as any mallet.
There was also a pair of brown boots. Just regular brown boots. They seemed to be clean, but they were pretty basics.
There were a few more objects inside the chest, but they were strange. There was a roll of red paper. Two sheets of papers, one the same color as the hammer, and one that was purple. Finally there were six strange objects as well. He recognized one as a scissor and one as a colored pencil case but some of the other objects escaped him.
"What does this all mean?" Bell asked curiously.
"Bell do you want to become a great adventurer one day?"
"Of course!"
"Well if that's the case, these items will help you one day."
"But the only one that seems useful is the hammer." Bell pointed out. "The rest are pieces of paper and some shoes, and I don't even know what some of these things are."
"Well they're a colored pencil case, rubber bands, a hole puncher, sticky tape, and a stapler." His grandpa pointed to each one. "They're primarily used in making art. Origami"
"Origami?"
"Not one I'm familiar with." Grandpa admitted with a smile. "However, trust me when these things will become the greatest ally you can have."
"Really?" Bell asked in confusion. "But these are just objects And the closest thing to a weapon is the scissors."
"You'll find out someday…after I've decided to train you!"
Bell's eyes widened in shock. But a smile came to his face.
"And I'm going to start…by teaching you how to jump!"
"Huh?"
Xxx
Bell sighed at the memory. Boy did grandpa teach him how to jump. He made Bell practice every day. And he still does even long after his Grandfather's unfortunate death.
And Bell could jump. He could jump good. But sadly that doesn't impress most Familia. His scrawny figure and wide-eye appearance tend to get people the wrong idea. As for the hammer, he just had to mash. And most hammer users were blacksmiths instead of adventurers.
That isn't to say he's unhappy with his new Familia…despite being the only member. Hestia found him one day and he considered her presence a blessing.
He still remembers when she first graced him with the Falna. And when he discovered his interesting ability.
Xxx
Hestia was over the moon! After so long, she finally finds the first member of her Familia. She was eager to bring him to her church and blessed him with her Falna.
Sure enough, when the process finished and she checked his stats, she found out a few surprise.
'Interesting' Hestia thought to herself as she saw Bell's ability. They weren't what she was expecting at all. Most adventurers usually can't use magic or have any noteworthy skills, but Bell was an exception.
Bell Cranel
Level 1
Strength: I0
Defense: I0
Dexterity: I0
Agility: I0
Magic: I0
Skills:
Jump-man: The user has an increased jumping ability that lets him jump on any target no matter the size, and inflict damage based on his current level.
Hammer Bash: The user has a increased proficiency with hammers and other mallet-like weapons.
Liaris Freese: Fast growth as long as feelings last. The strength of the effects corresponds with the level of the user's feelings. As a side effect it makes the user immune to charms
The hammer proficiency and jumping was surprising. And the Liaris Freese ability was something to note as well, but the most interesting piece of information was his magic skill
Magic:
The Fold of Life: Whenever the user folds a subject a certain way, the user can bring the subject to life
She still has no idea what that means. And neither does Bell. She gave him a piece of paper just to see what would happen, but nothing did.
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"I still don't understand…" Bell muttered to himself. "Exactly how can I use that ability..." He doesn't know why, but something tells him that ability is more than a simple spell.
"Oh how pretty!" He heard a child's voice called out.
Bell turned his head to see a young girl looking at a woman who was holding what appeared to be a flower. She gives the girl the flower that giggled and went away.
The woman looked to be eastern. And she was surrounded by many pieces of paper that she was folding in an artistic way.
"Um excuse me."
"Hmph? What is it?"
"What exactly are you doing?"
"Oh me? This is an art form from my country. The art of Origami."
"Origami?" Bell blinked in curiosity.
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"Origami is the art of folding paper in lots of creative ways." Bell revealed with a smile as he folded the white paper into that of a bear. "It's pretty common in the eastern lands."
"It's pretty cute." Hesita noted with a smile at the origami craft that Bell created. A red phoenix. A blue dragon. And a green turtle. She was surprised at the many different ways that simply folding papers can create an art piece. Looking at his creations, she felt the urge to ask…
"Why is the last one a bear?"
"Huh?"
"I thought you were going for a four beast theme? You know the turtle, dragon, bird, and tiger."
"Oh…well a bear felt more right." And that was the end of that conversation.
"But if this is what the fold of light mean, then I don't see anything coming to life."
"I know Goddess." Bell sighed. So Origami was a bust. But hey, at least he found a new hobby. One he even has a decent talent in if he thinks so himself.
"Think you can create any mortal pieces?" Hestia asked curiously. The albino rubbed his chin in thought. What kind of mortal pieces could he create? Human? Elf? Pallum? Maybe even a god?
"Wait just a second…" And Bell left for his room.
A flash of inspiration has hit him. He went back to his room where he kept his beloved chest. Not even Hestia knew what was inside it. He didn't mean to keep it a secret, but his Goddess respected his privacy.
Still the insides were still the same as the day he found it. He couldn't fit into the boot, and he still couldn't wield the hammer. He still didn't know why. so head to make due with a make-shift boots and hammer instead. But that wasn't relevant to him at the moment. What was relevant was the paper inside the chest.
There was an idea that was spinning in Bell's mind. An idea for a kingdom made out of paper. And every kingdom needs royalty.
And with that thought Bell got to work. It was simple compared to the previous animals, but something about this creation just felt right. As if nothing he's done would be completed until he finishes this last art project. Until finally he was done.
Bell smiled at the cute origami figure he made. It was a small pixie-like girl, complete with a crown on top. He took a black piece of paper and dotted it eyes.
"I think I'd call you Olivia." Bell decided at the origami figure. He knew that name was right for the young girl. It reminded him of one of the stories his grandpa used to tell him. A story about a pair of siblings, one good and one bad.
Bell concentrated on the tiny figure and started thinking deeply to himself. It felt like he was on the urge of something…but he just couldn't figure out what. Until finally, something happened.
That's why it took a while for him to notice the glow in his arms. When it reached his eyes, he blinked in surprise.
"Huh?" Bell broke from his daze and saw a startling sight.
Olivia was bathed in a yellow light. Bell dropped it in panic and yet it still floated in the air. An unfamiliar energy was emitting from the origami girl. The light eventually died down leaving the figure still in the air.
The black dots on the girl's eyes suddenly started to blink. She turned to the adventurer and tilted her head.
"Hello there." The origami princess said in the voice of a young girl. "My name is Olivia. Are you my creator?"
Bell's jaw dropped. "Huh?"
Xxx
And on that day, Bell's life became so much more interesting.
And the start of the legend of Hestia's Familia began. When the Origami Queen was created.
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Needless to say, after dragging Hestia back to look at his new creation, the goddess's jaw dropped in shock. She seen her fair share of weird things courtesy of the gods, but to see a mortal breath life into an object…
"Hestia-sama!" Bell whispered in amazement. "What happened?!"
"Bell!" Hestia exclaimed in amazement. "Your magic skill!"
"My what?"
"'The Fold of Life'" Hestia pointed out. "When you folded Olivia, you've created new life!"
"But what about the other things I created? And I tried folding things before it didn't work!"
"Did you do anything different this time?"
"Well…I was concentrating really hard on her…and then she started to glow."
"That what made it different…"
"So he is my creator?" Olivia asked again.
Bell scratched the back of his head. From a technical point of view it was correct…but it was still embarrassing for a guy his age to know he created life.
Meanwhile Hestia was mulling over the implication of such a skill. Most skills and magic focused on combat or something similar. She can't recall any skills that involve making life. Taming or controlling beasts were as close as it gets. And even then, Olivia was clearly more sentient then a random dog.
"I wonder what the other Familia might say" Hestia wondered to herself. She'll have to ask Hephaestus about this. Maybe the goddess of forge could figure out what the 'Fold of Life' mean. Maybe Take-Mizukachi and the other eastern gods as well considering Origami was a eastern tradition.
"What's a Familia? Is that a family?"
Hestia paused at that. Oh yeah, this girl was a newcomer in every sense of the word. It's a surprise she can even speak coherently.
So Hestia explained the Familia system to the curious paper girl. Her eyes lighting up with excitement at the idea of joining a team of adventurer."
"Ooh! Can I join!?"
"You want to join my Familia?" Hestia asked in surprise.
"Sure! Can I?"
"Can she?" Bell asked in confusion. "I mean…is Olivia even a mortal…physically speaking?"
That…was a very good question. Truthfully, this is the first time Hestia ever found herself in this situation. But Olivia was so cute. And a small part was desperate for some more Familia members.
But this was still a very weird situation. She heard that gods were able to put their Falna on objects before. So maybe the same can apply to Olivia.
Olivia was flat on the table, and Hestia took her knife out. She gazed at the knife and hope it won't tear the girl apart.
"Will this hurt?"
"Not at all dear!" Hestia comforted. Though in all honesty she had no idea.
Thankfully, she has no trouble putting the Falna on the girl, the only issue being the girls small size. And she wasn't that surprised to see Olivia had a strange Falna sheet as well.
Princess Olivia
Level 1
Strength: I0
Defense: I0
Dexterity: I0
Agility: I0
Magic: I0
Magic: Vellumental Morph: If the user finds a bibliofold, they will gain the ability to turn into the creature the bibliofold represent.
Fold of Power: The user is capable of manipulate any living thing and augmenting their size and strength. Limited by the user's experience.
Mortal Morph: The user is able to morph between a mortal form and their paper form.
"Vellumental?" Hestia read out loud. "What does that mean? Wait hold on! Mortal Morph?!"
"Ooh? That means I can turn human? Let me try!"
"Wait hold on!"
But Olivia already started. Her body suddenly turned into a square paper. The paper started twisting multiple different ways until it resembled a facsimile of a human body. And that started glowing as well, and underneath that was Olivia's new body.
It would seem Olivia heavily expanded. She looked to be about the same age as a twelve year old girl. Her clothes went from being paper to being cloth. Her skin was pale and her hair was blonde. She gives a small smile to the goddess and the adventure.
And here teeth were razor-sharp. That was unexpected.
Olivia looks down at herself. "Wow! I became so big!"
Bell's mouth was agape. This day was weird as hell. He made an origami girl and now this girl is human and..."Wait you can fly?"
"Of course! Can't people do that?"
"Uh...no, at least not without help"
"Huh?"
THUMP!
And both the albino and the goddess winced at the girl falling down.
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After a few embarrassing conservation of the making of her new mortal body, Olivia asked the question again.
"So an I join your Familia? Bell is my creator, so I have to join his family!"
"Well you already have my Falna." Hestia smiled. "So now you're the second member of my Familia. And I guess that makes Bell your dad."
"How about…calling me your big brother instead!" Bell insisted. a blush on his face. But to his surprise, he saw Olivia's face wilt.
"No…" Olivia frowned. "I'd rather not"
"Huh?"
"There's someone…never mind, I'm calling you Bell!"
"Ok then…" Bell nodded at the girl. He then saw Hestia tug his shirt as she turned to their newcomer.
"Hey Olivia, mind if me and Bell talk for a little bit?"
"Sure!"
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"Ok Bell." Hestia slowly intoned to her first adventurer. "While I'm happy I got my second member, we still have to discuss this ability of yours."
Bell looks down at his hand and nodded in agreement. "I didn't know I could even do that! I mean, Grandpa always said that I had blessed hands, I didn't think he meant that way."
Hestia had to ignore the urge to ask exactly what way he meant but she couldn't stop the blush on her face. She don't know what to do. Ability like this was strange. And she didn't know if it would work on other things!
And then there was Olivia. Not only does she have lots of strange magic, but the ability to morph between forms? All the abilities she've seen are common in Tenkei, but in Orario by non-deities? This requires some digging.
Olivia herself was nice. But Hestia could tell she was hiding something. The way she reacted to calling someone brother...that got her mind thinking.
Xxx
"So I'm alive again…" Olivia noted to herself as she stared at the new location around her. "I'm so happy…! And I'm so big…!"
But she can't fly, which is sad. But she can walk now! And given what she knows about humans, maybe she can even bath without losing her crinkles.
She still has faint memories of her past life. The adventure she shared with Mario to stop her brother. Which ended with her losing her life…she shook her head. No depressing thoughts right now.
Her mind went back to her new creator Bell and his…goddess? Boy that was weird. But they both seemed nice. And to be honest, the ideas of going on more adventures really appealed to her.
Bell…she wonder if she'll make her brother again. Maybe this time Olly won't be such a jerk!
She looked down at her stomach grumbling…huh? So that's what hungry feel like.
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Okay, I hope everyone likes that story. If it gets positive review, I might continue this. Any constructive criticism will be good for my muse. This is the first fanfic on spacebattles, and the first fic I wrote since 2016.
Yes I'm turning Bell into Mario. No I don't regret anything about that choice. Just be glad he's not wearing red.
Olivia's design is pretty basic. Essentially a humanization of her canon design. The shark-tooth was just my personal touch that I've seen a lot in anime and liked. (And it will be a plot point later on)
I'm trying to brainstorm the best way to make Olivia mortalized. I debated from the falna, the fold of life, to them just doing it themselves (Similar to how Olly disguised as a Shy Guy at the beginning of the game). So I hope this explanation is fine. I've also debated just keeping them in their paper/tool form, but that's too cracky as it is.
Next chapter: The Missile Maestro