By popular demand "Lucky Son of a Bitch" is the first story up and next will be "Jaune Arc Wants to Live a Quiet Life" so I hope you guys enjoy both.
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Lucky Son of a Bitch:
When Jaune Arc was born his aura was already activated due to complications with his birth. Since then, his semblance has been activated and has blessed him with supernatural luck in everything he does. However, "luck" is a very subjective thing and your luck might be another's misfortune.
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I, Jaune Arc, wanted some ice cream.
Relatively simple goal right? It was a bright, hot midsummer day in Ansel, Vale and I wanted some ice cream to beat the heat. No man would fault me for such an endeavor right?
Le Sigh, if only it were as simple as it sounded. It had all gone pretty well up until I had some of the damn stuff in my hands, the trip was just fine and nothing had exploded or wrecked on my way over there. And now, a nice vanilla cone in hand, I felt an ominous premonition, like when you get a test back that you know you did horribly on and you can kinda feel a sinking feeling in your gut? Yep, I had that.
I decided to make myself scarce before someone could get hurt but by the second step I took a hard fall. I mean, a really hard fall. It probably would have been a twisted ankle if I didn't have aura with me. Yeah, about that, I've had since the doctors had to unlock it due to complications with my birth, there was only a 35% chance of success and yet here I am, lucky right?
Le sigh, yeah that's lucky me alright. Anyways, back to my story, my frozen treat splattered across the park's sidewalk which accented the Crack! of my fall. Almost instantly people called to me to ask if I was ok to which I nodded wearily, used to this treatment, and waved off those who came closer to make sure I was ok. Then, off in the distance, I could see the beginning workings of my semblance.
A white ice cream van was currently barreling down the street towards the very spot I was standing. If I were to guess, judging by how the driver swerved and crossed red lights, the brakes were having some kind of issue at the moment. I just kinda rubbed my forehead and waited for it to be over, knowing I couldn't get involved unless more people wanted to get hurt.
The van, when it came close enough to my spot, flipped on its side and skidded into the park, tearing up grass and sidewalk as it rumbled towards me, and yet I didn't move an inch. The van spun slowly as it came near, buried in the dirt and concrete, and when the doors were less than 5 feet away they fell open, spraying a pile of delicious ice cream bars and snacks to land perfectly at my feet.
No one would even notice if I took them and left, no one would even question it. But I refused to let it win me over using my own greed, and I made for the driver's side of the still overturned van. I opened the dented door and gingerly plucked out the ice cream man inside, judging by the angle of his right arm I'd say he suffered a complete breakage of the bone.
I carefully set him down and awaited the paramedics in case they had any questions for me. I took the time to look at the van itself, it was obviously beyond repair at this point and probably reached in the 60 thousands for damages. Not to mention the park which would probably require a couple hundred thousand in repairs, not to mention anyone or anything hit by the rampaging ice cream truck along the way.
"Aaagh, my brakes they were..." the ice cream man groaned. So it looks like I was right in the end, it was his breaks.
"Relax man, the medics are on the way so don't try to move." I responded lazily, maybe I was becoming desensitized to people getting horrifically injured in my presence. Ah, I suppose I should explain my rather "laissez-faire" attitude to this incredibly dangerous and damaging accident. In other words introductions were in order.
My name is Jaune Berwick Arc, I am 17 years old and the only male of 8 children. My sisters are a motley mix of huntresses, scientists, and a single novelist who publishes a rather racy book series that I am not a particular fan. Of course I have my aura unlocked and most importantly:
My semblance, Deus Ex Machina, gives me supernatural luck at the massive expense of others. So far, I have, inadvertently, hospitalized 49 people, caused millions in damages, and once destroyed a city block due to my semblance setting off a gas explosion.
It could be worse I suppose, I could be some poor sucker with Misfortune instead of Good Fortune. Man that would suck ass to the most extreme. I sighed mournfully, I should probably head home before someone else gets hurt because of me.
The walk back was generally uneventful all things considered, some bird that took a flying poop landed on the guy next to me (dressed in a nice suit). The walk gave me time to contemplate my semblance and its mechanics, such as: do the events that transpire thanks to my semblance occur because of my semblance, or do these events occur and my semblance uses them to benefit me the most at the cost of others?
It was an interesting theory to say the least, and one that I didn't wish to test out lest someone die because of it. And, of course, that was a real danger when it came to testing out my semblance, I found that my relative impassiveness kept people atleast alive. To be honest, I was afraid of my semblance simply because its potential to cause mayhem and my inability to control it were both key ingredients to a disaster waiting to happen.
When I was young, all I wanted to do was be a huntsman and save innocent people wherever I could. I grew up with that principle and that ideal until I became a teenager and puberty hit, needless to say I kinda figured out what was actually going on around me. What I treated as lucky occurrences were actually accidents and dangers for everyone else, and the more I capitalized on them the more I felt that I was taking advantage of those people's suffering.
So, albeit rather unwillingly, I've grown apathetic to some degree about my surroundings. I'm not an emo, or a psychopath but I found that distancing myself from something out of my control keeps me sane. You could argue I have a personal responsibility to control my semblance and not let it wreak havoc, but to that I say how? How do you control your semblance that is supernatural luck? By hiding yourself away from everyone else in the world?
Well, that's not fair to me. I'm still a 17 year old kid and I deserve to have some social interaction with friends and family, and I'm not gonna go into hiding because of a semblance I can't control. Well, now that I got that off my chest I can get back to the real world right?
I entered my house, a modest three story brick one that had been standing since time immemorial, and was greeted by my mom and little sister Rowena. Rowena was happily enjoying some dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets while watching the TV while my mom sat on the couch and braided her hair. As I entered, Rowena looked at me and smiled while my mom's eyes crinkled somewhat.
"I heard there was some accident down at the park not too long ago." she asked, in an amused, but tired, way. "Wanna tell me what happened."
"Ice cream truck flipped into the park." I responded boringly.
She cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? Imagine all the free ice cream for the taking huh."
Rowena suddenly chimed in, excited like all little kids are. "Oh! Big brother did you bring back some!?"
I chuckled a little bit but shook my head. "No Rowena because that would have been stealing, and I would have been taking advantage of the injured."
Rowena pouted some what which turned into a cry of indignation as I stole a nugget or her's. She hissed at me like a kitten and my mom chuckled while continually braiding her hair.
I elected to go upstairs for a bit and just relax, I had had enough for today and I settled into my bed for a quick nap. When I awoke the sun had begun to set so I decided to head downstairs to get some dinner. If I was lucky enough, hahaha, there'd be enough dinosaur nuggets left for me to get a good snack. When I got to the kitchen I found my mom chewing her nails, something she only did when she was nervous.
"Mom, everything ok?" I asked as I opened the fridge.
"No, your sisters, Rowena and Melody, went outside earlier and they haven't come home yet." I shut the fridge immediately and reached into our junk drawer for a flashlight. While the forests around our town weren't heavily populated by any Grimm, I still didn't want them out there at night. There was only so much a 9 year old and a 11 year old could do when lost in the wilderness.
Before I left I made sure to grab a rather large hunting knife of dad's. Melody had always been a more adventurous child and Rowena was intensely curious, a combination that got them in a lot of trouble. I reached the edge of the woods in no time, adrenaline kickstarting my senses, and I began my search. Ever since they started doing this we made sure that they knew they could only go to certain places for their own safety. I knew every "secret" spot of theirs so I roamed around the forest, checking each spot and yet finding nothing.
I had been at it for maybe 30 minutes when I heard the first howl. That blood-curdling sound that sent a chill up your back and told your brain to get on the express flight the fuck outta here. However, if Melody or Rowena were trapped, I needed to hunt that damn thing down. Despite my distaste for it I had the utmost faith in my semblance and knew that'd I be alive by the end of this.
I just hoped it wouldn't be at my sisters expense.
Dashing through the thicket I heard the howls get closer, and with it the sounds of whimpering that made my blood boil with rage. I finally tracked down the source of the sounds and found a relatively small beowulf cornering Rowena and Melody. It was no more than maybe 6 feet tall, and while certainly threatening, I knew how big these motherfuckers could get.
"Hey asshole!" I shouted, drawing its attention from my sisters. I needed to be brave, like dad would, for them atleast if nothing else. The monster snarled at me and drew closer, I needed to wrap this up quick, beowulves hunted in packs you see.
Not wasting time the imposing creature leap for me, intending to tear out my throat. In shock I took a step back and tripped on a root that had sprouted up from the ground, the Grimm flew overhead and completely missed its mark. As it tumbled down the rocky hillside I heard a sharp whine followed by a sickening crunch and peaked down below me.
The Grimm, already disappearing, had apparently cracked its head on a rock that had been jutting out of the door. It completely caved the creature's skull in leaving a trail of thick, black goo all the way down.
Shaking my head of that, I ran to my sisters and picked them up with my aura-enhanced strength. I ran like a bat out of hell back home to where they were greeted by my Mom, who was thoroughly pissed off, and my Dad, who was geared up for battle.
Dad patted me on the back and said: "Well son, looks like you still got the makings of a hunter in you!"
I smiled and punched his chest lightly and we watched my mom chew out both Melody and Rowena, as well as ground them too! They both sat there with their heads down and accepted the punishment while Dad and I laughed a little at their expense.
Then of course, my dad being hyperactive as shit, dragged me to the downstairs bar to listen about what happened. By the end of my story my Dad was in tears at the thought of such a dangerous threat to humanity killing itself by launching its massive body down a hill. The image was admittedly hilarious and I couldn't help laughing a little bit.
My dad tossed me a small can as a victory drink, it was nothing special, like a 2% alcohol base, and I drank it slowly as my dead talked about his recent hunts. He and I got along like two peas in a pod, while my mom was smart, calm, and collected Dad was like a man-child who could flatten a house with his hammer if it got in his way. I liked my family a lot, and that was the best part I supposed. Despite my shitty semblance my family didn't care, they still loved me either way.
Still though, what if I could become a hunter?