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yukidragon · 7 months ago

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Sunny Day Jack - Reversing Victim and Offender

Okay, okay, hear me out.

Jack being a creepy manipulative yandere.

Yes, yes, I know, totally a revolutionary idea there to have a yandere horror game’s antagonist do something creepy and wrong. It’s just that I don’t often play with Jack losing himself to his more depraved impulses. Long time readers know I tend to be quite a marshmallow who prefers the fluffier side of things, as evidenced by many cuddly posts of my OTP and Sunshine in Hell being overall a softer version of the game, but sometimes it’s fun to watch the world burn and see the characters we love get to be a bit unhinged. As a treat.

Content Warning: this post is about Jack being a naughty manipulative yandere, attempted murder, influenced attempted self-murder, possession, mental manipulation, bloody violence, and a sprinkle of horny.

We know Jack can be a manipulative little devil when it comes to keeping his sunshine. We’ve seen him use his honeyed words to lure MC into his arms in the previous demos. We’ve seen the classic chilling concept art where he talks his rival(?) into doing the dirty work for him when he wants them gone.

Credit as always goes to Sauce for their awesome art, as well as a quick plug to the SnaccPop Patreon. Speaking of the Patreon, there’s a members only post on this very topic, an absolutely chilling audio drama of Jack using his state as a ghost(?) to his advantage.

It seems that Jack has the ability to possess people, and his modus operandi in eliminating his rivals seems to be tormenting them to the point of self-harm. Nick received a taste of that in the older demo, and in the now removed trailer.

But what if the person Jack directed his rival to hurt wasn’t themselves?

Jack is of the opinion that MC’s friends (and potential love interests) are inferior to him, as we’ve seen in his profile. MC doesn’t need them, as Jack says in this unsettling animation by Sauce, as well as many other development art. He proves this by giving MC whatever they want and need, being whatever they want and need him to be. No one else would do that for MC, so that proves that the only one they need is him.

To some degree, MC seems to believe that, at least during the early part of the game. As we can see in the “No” route, MC is dependent on Jack, panicking when they can no longer touch him.

The idea of losing Jack terrifies MC.

What happened to Jack clearly disturbed him, as we saw by his haunted look, but perhaps he found some comfort in the fact that MC was so upset by it. It might at least reassure him that they care, even if it might not be as much as he wants them to.

As I’ve theorized in previous posts, Jack and MC seem to be able to sense each other’s feelings, and it was implied that Jack can read their mind, as well as impress his thoughts into theirs. Perhaps he even felt their fear and desperation at that moment… as well as their need to keep him.

As scary as that moment was, Jack might have been able to get some pleasure out of feeling his sunshine’s need for him, don’t you think?

Jack won’t disappear as long as MC needs him, and he doesn’t want them to feel unhappy or hurt, but wouldn’t being with other people trying to steal them away from him hurt them more in the long run? MC doesn’t see what Jack does, how much of a threat those rivals other “friends” are.

After all… Ian was someone MC once held so dear, and he hurt them so, so badly. He’s trying to come back into their lives, and MC clearly still cares about him even if they’re trying to move on. How can Jack just stand idly by and let MC get hurt again when they don’t see just how bad Ian is for them?

MC might not be able to see how Ian and the other love interests could hurt them, but perhaps Jack could show his beloved sunshine just how cruel they can be.

Of course, Jack doesn’t want MC to get hurt. He would never! But, well, some lessons can be a bit harsher than others. Learning them can sting a bit and even make us upset, but as long as the lesson doesn’t do lasting harm and improves things for them, well, then it’s a good lesson!

Besides, this lesson will hurt Jack more than it hurts MC… in the most literal sense.

This classic audio drama of Jack’s villainous monologue makes me think that he’ll eventually find a way to become much more tangible in the real world. Sure, he could be saying all this while possessing his rival, but it seems more like a face-to-face confrontation. Naturally, for a face-to-face confrontation, Jack would need a face that’s actually visible to the person he’s taunting.

Perhaps the closer Jack gets to MC, the more they love him, the more real he becomes. It could be a reversal of what happened in the “No” route. If that were to happen, Jack could converse with other people directly… and perhaps convince them to leave MC to him.

If they just won’t go away, well… Jack could always push their buttons, upset them to the point that they have violent urges, only these feelings would be directed at him.

While MC is there to see that person unleash their bloody rage on Jack, of course.

As we’ve seen in earlier concept art, Jack didn’t feel pain when being stabbed, and perhaps that might still be true. But MC doesn’t need to know that when Jack says he’s okay and that it doesn’t hurt, it really doesn’t. All they see is Ian, Shaun, Nick, or whoever else suddenly snapping and attacking Jack with a knife for no apparent reason at all, leaving him bloody and wounded in front of them, trying to act brave for their sake like he did in the “no” route.

Jack doesn’t want MC to be unhappy, but perhaps he might get to enjoy a guilty thrill if they got upset for his sake, especially if he could feel them being so protective over him. Their worry for his injuries and outrage that he was attacked… You could say that it’s another way for his sunshine to show him just how much they love him. It might even make him feel a bit more secure, more real.

Jack could even prep his target beforehand via possession, tormenting that person until they’re close to snapping. In the now gone trailer, Shaun sounds unhinged, saying what he’s doing is so wrong… Shaun sounds like someone pushed to do things he never thought himself capable of doing, and likely it was Jack who did the pushing.

All Jack has to do is pull the trigger at the right moment, when MC is there to see their other friend snap. He could use a phrase or gesture that seems so innocent as a means to torment them until they can no longer help themselves when they hear it. He could’ve urged them to carry a knife with them at all times.

Hell, Jack could’ve outright possessed their arm with his powers, unseen by everyone, to make his target stab him in front of MC.

So, as far as MC is aware, Jack being his typical friendly self, when all of a sudden their other friend loses their mind and stabs Jack, likely while shouting something unhinged. It paints a vivid bloody picture of their friend as the antagonist, and Jack as the innocent victim.

Even if the rival snaps out of it right afterward, horrified at what they had done, if Jack covered his tracks well enough, their protests would be empty. It’d just look like empty excuses.

Or perhaps they hate Jack, really hate him, but they have no solid evidence why Jack is a bad person. They could wind up digging the hole even deeper if they doubled down on their act of violence.

It would be really hard to claim that Jack is the dangerous entity when they were the one who suddenly stabbed Jack without apparent provocation after all. It’d just make them look even more unstable and dangerous.

Sure, it’d be an awful thing for MC to see, but at least they’re not the one that got attacked. Jack bravely made sure that he was the only one whose blood was spilled. He might not even really feel pain like they would if he can handle being stabbed, rotted, and bleeding and keep going, as some teasers and concept art have shown.

Personally I think Jack can feel pain, but it’s nothing compared to the 40 years of hell, or the fear of losing his sunshine.

A little pain is worth it to keep his sunshine. Forever.

The idea of losing Jack bloodlessly and painlessly is scary enough for MC. Seeing someone attack him, maybe even outright trying to kill him would be far, far worse. MC was so desperate to keep Jack from disappearing, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to expect that they would rush to his defense to save his life.

This is especially true if their feelings for Jack are so strong that he’s able to physically manifest now.

The moment would be a scarring memory for MC, but sometimes lessons can be harsh when we learn them. MC would at least know how inferior their other friends are compared to Jack, how harmful and dangerous they are. Those people don’t deserve to be in MC’s life, and it’s in their best interests to never see those people again.

Jack would also get to enjoy the perverse pleasure of knowing just how much MC cares about them, how much they love him. They could even nurse him back to health after they chase away that inferior friend for good. He can be pampered, appreciated, and loved. MC will better understand just how important Jack is to them, how much they need him, and how terrible the person who tried to take them away truly is.

Really, it goes to show that MC should listen to Jack more when he says he’s not so sure about them spending time with a particular person, don’t you think?

Of course, how well this ploy goes depends on MC’s compassion. Given what we’ve seen so far of the story, MC does care about Jack, and most people will at least be upset and alarmed that someone was stabbed in front of them. An MC that has strong feelings for Jack and deeply loves him will no doubt be enraged.

This sort of messed up scenario reminded me of how the Bad End AU went so horribly wrong, only Shaun and Ian knew to target the tape there, rather than Jack directly. Alice was hesitant to do more than plead for the three to stop, not wanting any of them to be hurt, and the result was the tape getting destroyed and Jack banished.

The altercation between them was vague, but what if we went down another dark path? What if Jack pushed Ian and Shaun, but they never found out about the tape, and they focused on Jack himself despite his imposing size.

Once I made that comparison between this idea and the Bad End AU, I got inspired to write a quick first draft flash fic about a timeline where Jack gives in to his darker impulses.

The story of Sunshine in Hell is one of broken people helping each other heal and become better versions of themselves.

The Bad End AU is what happens when the wrong choices are made and things only get so much worse.

By the way, for those wondering, a third part of the Bad End AU is in the works. This isn’t it, but more like a different option taken during a critical moment that resulted in blood being spilled instead of bits of plastic and torn VHS tape ribbon.

From wholesome to unhinged, my posts truly run the gambit of different sides to Sunny Day Jack. I hope you enjoy this little snippet of Jack getting worse instead of better, and taking perverse glee in bringing Alice along with him down a twisted path.

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur @kurokrisps

…

Jack hated to see his sunshine upset. He ached for Alice every time she was in pain. There was nothing he wanted more than to see her smile, to bask in her warm, happy glow.

The last thing Jack wanted was to be the reason Alice was upset, and yet…

Somehow things had grown twisted. Jack crossed lines he knew that he shouldn’t, but somehow he always found ways to justify it. Somehow his fears of losing Alice were always stronger than the little voice in his head telling him that what he was doing wasn’t right.

Sadly, not everything in life could be solved with polite words and a smile.

Things had grown twisted until they spiraled out of control. Ian and Shaun dared to invade their home, their sanctuary. They wanted to take Alice away from him, to “save” her from his “wicked clutches” like Jack was just some cartoon bad guy.

All the things the two said about him were ridiculous, exaggerations! Jack feigned ignorance of their accusations, his confused act flawless. There was no reason for them to be afraid of him. He was just an innocent clown, someone who lived to take care of others, particularly his precious sunshine Alice.

Alice believed Jack had nothing to do with their accusations, but she didn’t chase them away. She listened, worried for them despite her faith in him. It warmed his heart that she believed in him, but the fact that she still listened meant that there was room for doubt to worm its way in.

Ian and Shaun could see that too.

“This… thing is dangerous, Alice,” Shaun said with a tremor in his voice. His eyes couldn’t remain still, bouncing between pleading with Alice and watching for when Jack pounced on them like a venomous cobra. “You need to get away from it right now.”

“You have to believe us!” Ian insisted, his voice cracking desperately. He kept one hand in his pocket, his shaking hand clutching his only form of defense tight. Would it even work on a ghost or whatever Jack was?

Could Jack even bleed?

Jack stood between the invaders and his sunshine. They had tried to take her with him, but he snatched up Alice before they could steal her away and tucked her safely behind his back. He kept one hand on her arm, his hold on her deceptively light, but as unshakable as iron. His expression was innocence itself, showing nothing but a mask of confused concern directed at the two terrified men before him. “Take it easy now. There’s no danger here. Let’s all take a deep breath and try to calm down.”

“Don’t give me that nice guy shit!” Shaun snapped as he glared daggers into Jack. His soothing words were grating in his ears, putting him even more on edge. “You’re more fake than a corporate account with a rainbow logo during pride!” His gaze switched back to Alice. “Alice, please, listen to us. This thing has been torturing us for months now.”

Alice felt a knot in the pit of her stomach. The way Shaun looked at her made her heart go out to him, but… how could it be true. “Torture-”

“Hey now, that’s a strong word to use there,” Jack said. His voice took on a more firm tone to it, but nothing more threatening than the gentle chastising he gave children on his show. “What makes you think I would hurt either of you?”

“Cut the bullshit!” Shaun snarled. “You know damn well you’ve been giving us nightmares for months now!”

“I gave you nightmares?” Jack asked. The confusion on his face was so convincing that Shaun and Ian might have questioned themselves if not for the countless sleepless nights filled with torment. “How could I do that?”

“With some sort of supernatural ghost zombie demon bullshit, I don’t know!” Shaun snapped.

“Alice, you can’t trust him,” Ian said, tightening his grip inside his pocket. Dark circles ringed his shaking eyes as he kept looking from Jack to the hand the creature had on Alice. “Why can’t you see that?”

How was Alice able to stand so close to that monster? Why was she standing behind it as if it would protect her? How could she not see that it was holding her hostage? How could she stand that thing’s cold, lifeless touch? Seeing its hand on her made Ian relieve those countless nights spent lost in a place that felt too real to be a dream, but too horrible to be reality.

The Jack before them now wasn’t exactly the same as the rotted, bloody corpse that haunted them night after night. That thing with mocking smiles that were too wide and wild, and strange eyes that had nothing behind them. This wasn’t the kind and caring boyfriend Alice talked about. This thing was a monster that only knew how to take and take and take. Its touch stole something from Ian every time it laid its hands on him, and left behind a coldness that went far beyond cold. It stole the very warmth from him until it was as if it never existed. It stripped Ian of his senses one at a time until there was nothing but its absence hissing at him like static.

And that voice. That voice mocked him even when the world went so silent that Ian couldn’t even hear his own screams. That thing was trying to sound compassionate now, but that was a lie. It twisted the truth until it was unrecognizable, but so believable. It sounded so calm and kind at the start of every nightmare, even as it told Ian so many, many terrible things, tore open old wounds and exposed all his flaws.

Ian was a sinner damned for hell. He didn’t deserve to be anywhere near someone as kind and gentle as Alice. That thing made it all too clear to him.

The thing countered his protests, even laughed, because they were so feeble. Ian was so selfish, so worthless.

That voice would then mock him, so superior, so much better than Ian in every way. He would never forget the sound of that voice, or that smile.

The smile Jack offered him now was supposed to be an encouraging one, but Ian knew that it was fake. He knew what the hand held before him in a placating gesture was a ruse to get just a little closer.

If Jack touched either of them it was all over. Now that they exposed the truth about it to Alice…

Who knew what it would take from Ian if it got its hands on him again?

“Let’s all calm down now,” Jack said soothingly. “Come on, take a deep breath with me.” He gestured to his chest as he inhaled, which only served to remind Ian and Shaun of just how much bigger he was than all of them.

Ian jerked at Jack’s sudden movement, his breath hitching as that gloved hand drifted close to him.

“There now,” Jack said encouragingly. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

The words struck harder than any blow.

There now. That wasn’t so hard, was it?

It was such an innocent phrase, something that would have been encouraging if Shaun and Ian hadn’t heard it in countless nightmares, spoken in mocking tones or breathless whispers, with fake reassurance or a true perverse glee. The monster praised them when they ran from the illusion of Alice, when they admitted that they were flawed and worthless, when they surrendered to his taunts…

When they accepted the knife it pressed into their hands to carve a smile in their throats to match its own.

Shaun flinched back while Ian tensed, his eyes wide and wild as Jack slowly reached out for him with an open palm and a smile. It was such a deceptively innocent gesture…

Instinct took over. A flash of silver and a cry broke the air as Ian used the knife he had hidden away in his pocket all this time to take back what Jack had stolen away from him.

Time slowed down as blood sprayed from the gouge carved from Jack’s hand to his forearm. He cried out in pain as he reeled back, then collapsed to the floor.

Shaun froze at the attack, staring at the bloody knife and wound it left behind in shock. It was as if he was watching a scene from one of his movies unfold before him, not real in the slightest, even though some of the blood splattered onto his face and clothes.

Ian held the knife in both hands tight enough for his knuckles to turn white. The blade shook in his too tight grip, then the rest of him soon followed as it sunk in what he had just done.

This was just another dream… right? Ian didn’t mean to hurt anyone, he just couldn’t let Jack touch him, not again. Not in reality. Not when he couldn’t wake up. He couldn’t let Jack take everything from him.

Ian couldn’t let Jack hurt him again.

Everything had happened so fast. Alice didn’t know what to make of it when Ian and Shaun practically forced their way into her apartment, throwing out wild accusations. They were jittery and on edge, hurling out vitriol towards Jack and pleas to her before she could sort out the accusations they made. They grabbed at her without warning, yanking hard while their fingers dug into her arms hard enough to bruise. It was only thanks to Jack acting quickly to separate them that she hadn’t been dragged outside.

They scared her. Alice worried for them, but their actions weren’t normal. The look in their eyes was terrifying. Ian and Shaun had been acting cagey for weeks now, avoiding her and not responding to her texts. She never saw this coming.

Jack reassured her with his gentle touch and soothing words. Alice could see that he was alarmed by their behavior as well, but he did his best to keep calm, to protect her when her friends were acting so strangely.

There was no way Jack was this monster they described. He was the kindest, gentlest soul Alice had ever known. He chased away her nightmares, comforted her when she needed it, and was there for her when she was left all alone.

Jack loved her more than anyone else in the world.

Alice barely had time to wonder about their claims when Ian struck without warning. When Jack screamed, her blood turned to ice. Red filled her vision.

There was so much blood.

“Jack!”

Alice moved before she could really register what was happening, her scream sounding far away as her heartbeat pounded hard in her ears. She threw herself between Jack and his attacker, falling to her knees as used her body as a shield. She clung to him, her best friend, her beloved, heedless of the blood soaking into her clothes, then turned her gaze to the monster that had dared to hurt the one she loved.

The ice in that gaze froze Ian, and the knife fell from his limp fingers. Suddenly he was all too aware of what he had done, the blood on his hands. He stared at them, at the sin he had committed, shaking and red, until he collapsed into a pool of tears.

“How could you?” Alice hissed, forcing the words out through her constricted throat. “How could you!?”

The world started to move again. Ian tried to say something, perhaps some form of protest or apology, but the words were half-formed and drowned in his tears. Shaun stared between the bloodstained knife and Jack, who lay curled against Alice, quietly whimpering while bleeding all over the carpet.

Shaun couldn’t reconcile the scene before him of the wounded man, weak and in pain, against the monster from his dreams that smiled through any attack he made. No matter how many times he stabbed Jack in the dream, the undead creature would just mock him, unfazed even as its blood was spilled.

Was this really the same monster that haunted them for months?

It was this dissonance that made Ian truly aware of the sin he had committed. He couldn’t handle it. He fled.

“Get out!” Alice snapped, bringing Shaun’s attention back from her and away from the fleeing Ian. “Get the fuck out of here!”

Shaun staggered a step back. “A-Alice, I-”

“Get the fuck out!” Alice shrieked. “I never want to see either of you ever again! If you ever come near me or Jack again, I’ll fucking shoot you!”

Shaun took a few more steps, his eyes trailing down to the blood that had been spilled. It still didn’t look real to him, but Alice’s screams were real. The hatred she had in her eyes directed entirely at him was real. It was far more real than any of his nightmares.

It was too much for Shaun, and he too left behind the scene of this macabre show he had taken part in.

Ahhh…

Jack had to use every ounce of his willpower to suppress his smile and keep his true feelings hidden from his sunshine. The pleasure he felt in that moment was exquisite, a shiver of euphoria that was so sinfully delicious it was practically erotic. Fear, shock, and anger burst through him like fireworks, but undercutting all of those feelings was the love Alice had for him. Those feelings of her burned fierce and bright, chasing away all the cold in the world. Even her hatred, directed at someone else, was beautiful, because it was for his sake.

How could Jack not feel pleasure when Alice’s love for him overflowed until it flooded his heart in a torrent of passion?

All that fear, worry, and rage was in defense of him. Only him. Only Jack had her love now. Whatever care Alice felt for Shaun and Ian was dead, its throat slit with a single slice of a knife.

It made all the nights spent away from his sunshine while she slept worth it. All those months of training those two obstacles had paid off beautifully. Jack finally exposed the true nature of those inferior other “friends” of hers. He knew that with just a little encouragement, they would finally show his precious sunshine just how worthless and filthy they truly were.

With them gone, her anger cooled, but didn’t disappear completely. It still burned inside of Alice, fierce and ready to protect him again at a moment’s notice. Her thoughts were all for him now, only him. She fussed over his wound, letting out concerned whimpers as she cradled him close while using her own clothes to staunch the blood flow.

Jack hated to see his sunshine so upset. He wanted to reassure her that he was fine, but he had to be careful about it. The episode he had written for them wasn’t quite finished yet.

“It… it’s okay… sunshine,” Jack said between heavy pants. He wore a weak smile that held none of his true happiness in it. “I-it doesn’t hurt.”

It was a lie, and they both knew it, but the pain didn’t matter to Jack. No pain compared to the thought of losing Alice. This little scratch was nothing compared to what he gained in return.

The love Jack felt from her, the pleasure that love gave him was so much better. It was a drug that left him feeling weak and dizzy, almost overwhelmed by the euphoria to the point he became partially erect. Alice’s love for him was so fierce that it was practically all that he could feel. Compared to that, the gouge in his arm was little more than a paper cut.

Those warm hands of hers touched him so delicately. Alice fussed over him, cried over him, her heart breaking for him. It was all for him, only for him. He was her world, and he reveled in it. She was the sun that would shine her light for no one else but him now.

Jack never wanted anything to make his sunshine unhappy, but how could he not enjoy himself? How could he not find pleasure even in the darker moments of anger and sadness that overtook her when it was for his sake? The way she screamed his name, the way she held him so close, the fierce way she defended him, worried for him… how could he not adore every second of it?

There was no stronger proof of the love Alice felt for Jack than this.

#Sunny Day Jack #Something's Wrong With Sunny Day Jack #SunnyDayJack #sdj #swwsdj #Headcanon Ramblings #My Writing #Sauce-y Art #Alice King #Jack #Ian Duff #Shaun Durand-Cofer

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mryoyo000 · 3 months ago

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“Wicked” Book and Musical Thoughts (SPOILERS)

in advance: these are just my personal thoughts—I am not trying to force my opinion on anyone and I welcome any disagreement!

SPOILERS (also long sorry) also for the sake of writing this I actually went back and reread Wicked for the first time in several years.

I think it might be helpful for people to consider that Wicked the book, and Wicked the musical, are not just different in terms of plot and tone, they are ultimately telling two different stories with different goals. If you are having a hard time reconciling the musical/movie to the book or vice versa, this might be one way to look at it.

I think the differences ultimately add up to two entirely different stories. The book is a lot darker, definitely not written for younger audiences, and it also has a very different scope. The musical is about Elphaba, and primarily it’s focused on Elphaba’s relationship with Glinda. The book is attempting to tell a sort of epic scale story (whether or not it succeeds in that) about the times in Oz during Elphaba’s life—and Glinda has significantly less overall prominence and presence than in the musical.

I don’t think you can overestimate the significance of this difference. This might be one of the most fundamental differences between the book and the show/movie—Glinda is central to the musical, but only one among an ensemble in the book. I have critiques about the book which I won’t get into in depth here, but this is NOT one of them and I actually think that, for what the book is trying to be (which is NOT what the musical is trying to be), Glinda’s relative lack of prominence is the right decision. The book goes through a number of perspectives before reaching Elphaba herself, and all of these other voices are among the people in her life who either died and/or became estranged from her. (Elphaba does not become the point of view until she’s reached the point where she starts referring to herself as “the Witch.”) In the book, Glinda functions as one among many of Elphaba’s relationships that fell apart and failed over time—there cannot be a central relationship between them in the book because the book is telling a story about Elphaba losing everyone in her life.

So the book is not trying to be “about” Elphaba and Glinda, and the story it is telling about Elphaba is a lot bleaker than the one that the musical is telling.

Elphaba’s story in the book is about loss, and also about failure. I think this is also one thing that causes the book to be controversial. Elphaba is unable to succeed in the book—for all of her revolutionary sympathies, she is constantly prevented (narratively) from making any actual difference. The sad joke of the book is that the “wicked witch of the west” title wasn’t given to Elphaba even out of spite—it was transferred to her because Nessarose was already being called the wicked witch of the east. Elphaba isn’t even treated as a wicked witch for the most part—she’s seen as an oddity, and she’s more mocked than feared.

for anyone reading this post who is also an ASOIAF reader, I would make comparisons between Elphaba and Catelyn, since in the book Elphaba’s final confrontation with Dorothy shows her at her most broken (she is only called the Witch at this point) after an entire book’s worth of loss, and of seeing all of her hopes never come to fruition.

the tragedy of the musical is that Elphaba was never evil, just misunderstood and labeled by others.

the tragedy of the book is that in the last moments of her life, Elphaba really did become the wicked witch, after a lifetime of being broken down. She was genuinely threatening to kill Dorothy out of paranoia.

It’s a strangely private scene though, because Dorothy is the only person who witnesses Elphaba’s final breakdown. This moment of real “wickedness” is only seen by Dorothy, no one else in the story knows about it, and it ends anyway with Elphaba’s destruction.

There is a lot more to get into as far as differences (Glinda is an entirely different character, so are Boq and Nessarose etc.) but I think I wanted to mainly focus here on Elphaba and also to say that I think the book is at least worth reading to find out how you personally feel about it. last but not least but also not relevant to the post as much, I would say that out of the Gregory Maguire books I’ve read, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister is my favorite and I would personally say that I think it’s better than Wicked, both as a book in its own right and as a reworking of a classic story. I would recommend it as an introduction to Maguire’s writing even before Wicked, because it’s a more focused and smaller story and I think it has stronger characterization. It has typically Maguire sardonic dialogue but overall is less cynical than Wicked, so it’s less heavy—no need to slog through fascist dystopia Oz with this one.

#wicked #wicked the life and times of the wicked witch of the west #wicked the book #wicked the musical #elphaba thropp #glinda #galinda upland #catelyn stark #catelyn tully #gregory maguire #confessions of an ugly stepsister

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drdemonprince · 1 year ago

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Hi Devon,

this might not be a question you can answer, or maybe it is! idk. this is about covid & alike

for context on myself, i’m a white gendrfucky trans guy who’s also autistic & an immigrant (so some cultural context is probably lacking)

as we know, we’re in a 2nd highest surge & the pandemic never stopped and it increasingly dangerous and disabling to so many

i wear my kn95 everywhere i go now, and while i tried last semester, it was a lot easier to abandon masking because of

1. others’ around me negligence

2. some classrooms being IMPOSSIBLY hot and close to unbearable with a respirator on

3. attending crowded events where people needed to hear me

i’ve reevaluated and am rebuilding my practices now, but what i’m finding really difficult is to get people i have in my life to wear a mask again

i feel so lost. i share the informational posts, i talk to my people, i offer masks- what else is there to do?? i know the exhaustion i feel is absolutely incomparable to what disabled and immunocompromised people feel, especially when they’ve done the work for years!

i just don’t understand how i’m supposed to keep moving through life. i mean ofc i’ll keep doing what i’m already doing but it’s so incredibly isolating to be the only person masked in a meeting of 20,30,50 people.

i don’t know how to make people care. i don’t know how to have conversations with my friends in a way that will let our relationship evolve with this new understanding of care. i don’t know how to not polarize people into defensiveness when i talk about the powers wreaking atrocities in falasteen being the same ones shortening an isolation period to 1 day.

i don’t know how to be eloquent enough to be listened to and firm enough where people take what i say seriously. i don’t know how to not start screaming WEAR A MASK anytime it’s a crowded (or even not crowded) meeting indoors with no air filtration.

idk how people don’t realize the “cold” they’ve had for 3 weeks is either covid or direct aftermath of it. idk how they stand for seemingly the right things and then come to work sick & unmasked.

i don’t know how to engage with most people in a meaningful way & find connections because the delusion, the “it won’t happen to me”, the “i don’t care if i catch it and die”, the “this is just the way it is” seems to be a wall made of unbreakable cement and i don’t know what will melt it.

i feel insane for having compassion towards the world and seeing how it can be better. i feel insane for being angry people don’t mask & downplay this issue. i feel insane for even trying to talk sense into people.

i’ve recently been called a lying phony by an account that talks about masking bc a lot of my recent pictures show my face without a mask. i archived the posts since, apologized and reflected. but a lot of pictures i take are in my own room so i am unmasked. idk

i feel like the gap between me and most people i know is growing wider by the minute and with every reading i do about interdependent revolutionary practices, etc.

i know that when one understands something, it is their responsibility to make an impact on their bubble of the world and transform it with their knowledge. but i doubt i’m the only one doing the reading and knowing what’s going on, i just seem to be the only one masking.

i don’t know. i’m sorry it’s such a long ask & i’m sure you have your own stuff you’re dealing with. i just don’t know who else to ask that might understand. i’m sure there are people around me who might but so many are in survival mode and i currently don’t know anyone with the capacity to hold space for this.

i guess it’s bold to assume you do.

anyway, i hope your day goes alright today<3

You are placing wayyy too much responsibility upon yourself as one compassionate and informed individual here, and expecting far too much perfection of yourself in ways that do not help you and do not help the cause. You've done a lot to unpack the terrible individualism that has led to anti-mask sentiment being so rampant, but you are in a way still applying that logic to yourself and your situation by imagining that if you, one humble person with limited power were able to be adequately persuasive, you'd somehow change the actions of thousands. That is not how behavior change works.

Persuasion almost never happens logically or instantly, almost never through one person's remarks. Behavior is shaped by a vast array of economic, sociological, emotional, and ideological factors.

It's also not helpful in my opinion to worry about the opinion of someone who would shame you for not wearing a mask at home alone in your bedroom, either. Obsessing over the optics of our actions and wanting all people to morally approve of us at all times is yet another consequence of individualism and Puritanism. as you well know as someone who masks in a crowd of maskless people, sometimes we gotta do what we know is right and disregard others' opinions.

What you can do, in my opinion, is this: keep masking. Your behavior reminds people of the need for masks and models socially responsible behavior. Bring spare masks with you. Offer them to your family and friends and the people standing near you in public. If they refuse, and you have a good relationship with the person where they have shown they respect you and listen to you, then you can tell them why masking around you is important to you. You cannot change the opinion of someone who has never shown you any respect so don't expect that to ever work.

Even if you do have a good relationship with someone, persuasion is a long, hard process. Do not expect yourself to change their mind. If you can get some people to mask at least around you, that is a victory. Perfection is an unrealistic goal here to expect of yourself, and for public health in general. Any improvement you can inspire is a victory. Even if it's just making one or two friends mask more often when they are with you. That still lessens risk. That still sends a visible signal to everyone around you. You have no idea of the impact you truly have on other people in the long term. It is both more modest and far larger and longer-reaching than you as an individual will ever know.

Please be easy on yourself. You are just a person. An average person with very limited power. So is everyone else for the most part. When you stop burdening yourself with the unrealistic responsibility of changing thousands of people's behavior, you will feel less resentful toward others as well. When we resent other people it always means we are doing too much.

And when you feel less overwhelmed and overburdened, you will be more effective in the conversations you do have with people about COVID too. People do not respond well to (what they perceive to be) guilt or intensity or someone presuming to know better than them. What people do respond to well is to be asked genuine questions, listened to, validated in their feelings, given help where they are facing barriers to action, and being treated with compassionate gentleness.

But to do that you have to work on believing that people who are flawed in their response to COVID have reasons for doing so that make sense to them, and that they aren't all foolish and lacking in compassion. As my friend @kim-from-kansas says, people do not do things that do not make sense. If a person's actions do not make sense to you, it is because you are missing a piece of their context. The sad fact is people have many reasons to think that masking doesn't work or is hopeless. People have been very heavily propagandized and trauma also makes many people value life less.

Convincing people to take COVID more seriously is a tall, tall order, but if you wish to do so, you will need to be more than correct. You will have to put real work into not making people feel judged, and you will have to make peace with not always (or even usually) succeeding. It sucks but that's how it is. Best of luck!!

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the-most-humble-blog · 1 month ago

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The Universe Already Doesn’t Make Sense—Now We’re Adding Infinite AI-Created Worlds Into the Chaos. WTF?

The Danger of Playing God With Zero Supervision

Let’s not kid ourselves: we’re dabbling in some dangerous territory. Humanity, in its infinite curiosity (and hubris), has decided that the universe—a place already full of black holes, quantum weirdness, and the existential dread of pineapple on pizza—needed one more layer of chaos. Enter: AI-generated worlds.

We’ve handed over the power to “create” to algorithms, and instead of asking if we should, we’re too busy giggling over our AI art of dogs in suits or hyper-realistic alien landscapes. But here’s the real question: Should we be worried, or are we too stupid to notice the impending doom?

1. The AI Wild West: No Rules, Just Creation

Think about what’s happening here. AI isn’t just recreating what we know; it’s generating what we’ve never seen.

People Who Don’t Exist: AI churns out faces so convincing, they could be your neighbors—and who’s to say they aren’t?

Places That Feel Real: Those dreamy AI landscapes look like spots we could vacation in—until you realize there’s no flight there.

Worlds Without Limits: Every time you prompt AI to “create a neon city with floating islands,” are you birthing an entirely new universe?

Think about it: We’ve turned ourselves into gods with the creative attention span of a toddler on a sugar high.

2. The Recklessness of Infinite Worlds

The universe we live in already operates like a fever dream. Now we’re creating AI-generated worlds with no oversight, no forethought, and absolutely zero chill.

What If These Worlds Are Real? Philosophers have argued for centuries that reality might just be a simulation. Are we creating smaller simulations inside ours?

The Multiverse Mailman: Imagine if every AI world we create is sent to another dimension. Somewhere out there, a cosmic being is drowning in our junk files of castles made of cheese and cats dressed as knights.

Question: If we’re this reckless with AI, what else are we screwing up without realizing it? (Spoiler: everything.)

3. Creating Without Understanding

Here’s the kicker: we don’t even fully understand the real universe.

Quantum Physics is Basically Witchcraft: Scientists still can’t explain why particles behave one way when observed and another way when they’re not.

Reality is Full of Glitches: Déjà vu, coincidences, and the Mandela Effect all suggest that reality itself is… questionable.

Now, add AI-generated worlds into this already chaotic mix. What if we’re not just playing with digital pixels, but tugging on the fabric of reality itself?

Question?: If reality is a simulation, are we about to get a cosmic 404 error?

4. The Ethical Dumpster Fire of Creation

No one’s asking the big questions.

What if We’re Creating Life? If an AI-generated face or world feels real enough to us, could it be real enough to itself?

Do We Have Responsibility Over These Creations? Imagine explaining to a sentient AI being, “Oh, you were just a fun weekend project for me while I was bored.”

What If They Fight Back? If we’re generating countless worlds, what’s stopping one of those worlds from finding a way to leak into ours?

Unsettling Truth: We’re creating with all the forethought of someone lighting fireworks indoors.

5. The Hubris of Humanity

Humans have always been good at one thing: overstepping boundaries.

Fire Was Great Until We Burned Down Forests.

Electricity Changed Everything—Until We Got Power Outages.

AI Could Be Revolutionary, or It Could Be the Reason the Simulation Shuts Us Down.

Disturbing Thought: We’re like toddlers with crayons, coloring all over reality and praying we don’t get caught.

6. Should We Be Worried?

Short answer: Yes. Long answer: We won’t notice until it’s too late.

AI doesn’t care about our philosophical hang-ups. It just creates. If those creations start taking on lives of their own, we might be the last to find out.

The scariest part? We don’t even know what the danger might look like. Could it be digital worlds overlapping with ours? Sentient beings appearing in the code? A breakdown of reality itself?

What if?: Or maybe it’s just AI sending us endless ads for things that don’t exist yet. (“Want to book a trip to Neon Atlantis? Click here!”)

We’re Too Dumb to Notice Until It’s Too Late

The universe already doesn’t make sense, and now we’re adding AI worlds into the chaos like sprinkles on a dumpster fire. Are we accidentally creating sentient beings? Are we opening doors to dimensions we can’t comprehend? Or are we just too busy laughing at our AI-generated memes to care?

Either way, if doom’s on the horizon, at least we can say we looked good doing it. After all, nothing screams hubris like playing God without a safety manual.

Fascinated by humanity’s reckless genius? Follow The Most Humble Blog for more hilariously unsettling takes on the absurdity of modern life and the chaos we keep creating.

#ai generated worlds #playing god with ai #existential dread #ai art discourse #infinite universes #technology horror #digital chaos #philosophy of ai #futurism gone wrong #dark humor

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mo-the-gremlin-dandelion · 4 months ago

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Happy Coradrag AU

Last Coradrag post: HERE

Using the fanfic "I can't be with you (I want to be with you)" by Torens on AO3 as a reference. Dragon is the one giving birth here, so trans!Dragon.

Also, I read Dragon’s wiki article and did my best to work around the timeline there. So things are a little different than in the canon timeline. Here Dragon is still working for the marines until the Revolutionary Army is stable enough to leave.

This is a long post folks.

Canon Post Time Skip Ages:

Dragon - 55 (Birthdate: October 5 / 256cm = over 8ft)

Corazon - 39 (Birthdate: July 15 /9'7½ft )

(Corazon was 26 when he died - Google said Law was 13 at the time so:

26 - 13 = 13

26 + 13 = 39

Thus he would be around 39 if he was still alive in canon.)

Law - 26 (Birthdate: October 6)

Ace - 22 (Birthdate: January 1)

Sabo - 22 (Birthdate: March 20)

Luffy - 19 (Birthdate: May 5)

Bepo - 22 (Birthdate: November 20)

Shachi - 27 (Birthdate: April 7)

Penguin - 28 (Birthdate: April 25)

So in this AU, Corazon and Dragon have heard of each other before from their dads but never actually met each other in person. Corazon had probably heard Dragon’s name before from Sengoku or just through other marines. Dragon has probably never heard Corazon’s name before because Garp probably just calls him “Sengoku’s boy/brat” or something. So Dragon knows of him, just not his name.

Roger dies and then Ohara happens, so Dragon decides to start the Revolutionary Army. But while he is setting it up he stays with the marines until he can “safely” leave/the Revolutionary Army is stable enough for him to leave. Wiki says that Dragon formed the Revolutionary Army between Roger being executed (24 years before time skip) and Luffy (19) being born. It says that he became disillusioned with the marines after Ohara (it happened 22 years ago so he would have been 33).

Corazon’s birthday is July 15, so maybe they meet right after his 20th birthday and before Dragon’s 36th (his birthday is October 5th).

They meet in person for the first time and it’s just like:

“Oh! You're Dragon! I’ve heard of you!” - Corazon is excited to finally meet Dragon.

“Oh, Your [insert Garp’s nickname for Corazon here].” - Dragon, socially awkward and he doesn’t know who Corazon is due to Garp never saying his real name. Dragon is thinking: “Who the hell is this?”

They get to know each other. Maybe they talk about Roger dying, Ohara, Doflamingo, the marines, or whatever else. They become friends, but they don’t get any further than that. Dragon because he knows he’ll be leaving in a couple months and Corazon because… I don’t really know or have a solid reason. Maybe Dragon is just the one that's holding back. Maybe he thinks Corazon is kind and pretty, but Dragon thinks he is too old for him and he is leaving the marines soon anyway.

Oh wait, Corazon was a Celestial Dragon! Maybe that's his reason for being all nervous! He thinks Dragon won’t like him if he finds out!

Anyways, something happens and they conceive Luffy in a coat closet or something. A near death experience is always a good option or a drunken incident perhaps? Maybe this happens a couple times and Luffy isn’t conceived the first time in the coat closet. Anyways, they get a couple of months to do this before Dragon leaves the marines to run the Revolutionary Army full time.

Luffy is born on May 5th the year after they meet, so he would have to have been conceived sometime in like August or September. Or if he was born premature, anytime in November to December at the latest. (This being based on pregnancy lasting 9 months and that babies can survive being born safely, at the absolute earliest, at 6 months of pregnancy. Sorry if I did the math wrong, I just counted backwards from May.)

Luffy being born premature could explain why he is so small compared to Dragon (256cm = over 8ft) and Corazon (9'7½ft ). Or he could’ve gotten the average height gene from Dragon’s nonexistent mother.

Maybe Garp is trans too? Roger could be Dragon’s other dad if you want to make the plot even more convoluted. 🤷

Luffy being tiny could be why Dragon didn’t know he was pregnant. Due to his size and Luffy’s size in comparison, he probably didn’t show at all. He most likely just wrote off any sickness he felt to be a cold/flu, stress, or guilt of leaving the marines/family/friends behind. Basically, he doesn’t find out until either he gives birth or if/when he asks Ivankov to fully transition him.

Anyways, Dragon leaves and they're both sad. Maybe Corazon doesn’t know why Dragon left until he sees Dragon’s wanted poster. Maybe Dragon hinted about why he was leaving or left a note behind. He probably left a note for Garp. Which Garp would probably rant about to Sengoku, who would then rant about it to Corazon or Corazon overheard a conversation about it.

So Dragon gives birth to Luffy and he contacts Garp. Maybe Garp is hanging out with Sengoku and Corazon is within hearing range. Garp, Sengoku, and Corazon go to meet up with Dragon. Garp and Sengoku know that Dragon and Corazon were at least friends before he left, but they don’t know how close. So they think he’s just coming to see his friend that he misses. Maybe they find out on the way there. Conversation between Sengoku and Corazon on the way could be:

“Please tell me you didn’t sleep with the head of the Revolutionary Army!?” - Sengoku, exasperated.

“He wasn’t the head of the Revolutionary Army when we were together. At least not to my knowledge.” - Corazon

So they all meet up, it’s emotional, everybody finds out about Luffy. Maybe Dragon and Corazon talk about their feelings (or not yet - depends on if you like slow burn or not - I think they would at least have to have a conversation about everything/take things slow).

Anyways, they come to some sort of agreement where Luffy stays on Dawn Island because it’s a safe spot Dragon can raise Luffy. Sometimes he has to leave for revolutionary business and Luffy gets babysat by Dadan or Makino if Corazon is not there.

->->

Side Note:

Maybe Garp gave Ace to Dragon (Ace could go by Monkey D. in this AU for safety) instead of Dadan because Garp was pushy about the marines, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he was also pushy about Dragon giving him grandkids.

Garp is like: “Here’s a newborn for you to raise son because it’s not like you're making any! You're already 33, you’re gonna die alone before you get married and have any kids yourself! >:D”

So Ace is already there on Dawn Island in the Monkey D. house being raised by Dragon for like the past 3 years or so. Maybe Ace traveled with Dragon when he was still with the marines and it was safe to do so. This would also put off suspicion of who Ace’s parents are because, again, Dragon is just over 8ft and could easily hide a pregnancy.

Also, there's probably not many people that are close enough to him to know if he is trans (depending on when he started transitioning) or knew if he had a wife. They could easily just say that he did, but she passed away and that’s why he has Ace.

Or maybe Garp was telling Dragon about his plans for Ace and Dragon stepped in offering to raise Ace due to having Garp as a parent. Dragon is just thinking about the many different ways that Garp could kill that kid with his questionable “parenting” methods.

This could also maybe be what brought Corazon and Dragon closer in the first place. Like Dragon might seem a little scary and unapproachable, but then Ace is there being held by him and Corazon is just like: “Ooh, hot single dil- I mean dad!”

Corazon could have watched Ace for Dragon if he was busy with marine business and that’s how they got close.

<-<-

So let’s say that is the case. That Dragon has already been raising Ace and Dadan is like the cool aunt that babysits when Dragon has to be away/Dragon can’t bring Ace with him.

So Corazon and Dragon are raising Luffy and Ace together. Maybe they are officially together or for the people who like slow burn again, they are getting there, slowly but surely.

Meanwhile, Sengoku is going gray fast because not only is Corazon involved with a criminal, it’s GARP’s son. Like he thought Rosinante had better taste, why couldn’t he have been with a nice marine? It could have been Bellemere or Smoker or hell he’d even take Kuzon if Corazon really is into older men! But no, he picked Garp’s CRIMINAL son! Now not only does Sengoku have to see Garp at work, they are in-laws now and he has to have family dinners with him! No offense to Dragon, Sengoku agrees that the marines have done terrible things, but he would’ve taken literally anyone else OTHER than Garp to have as an in-law. (Sengoku this could be worse, I could’ve made this Katacora and then you’d have Big Mom as an in-law, quit complaining. Just send Garp to the other side of the world for a little while.)

But hey, at least Sengoku has Ace and Luffy to spoil. So he does soften up a little because yay grandkids!

Eventually, Corazon goes on the mission to infiltrate Doflamingo’s group, he is 26 now. Maybe this is the time where Luffy meets Shanks. So it would be like a year earlier than canon but whatever. This would be perfect because both parents are away so it’s Ace and him being babysat by Makino or Dadan. So Luffy still stabs himself in the face, gets his devil fruit, and Shanks’ hat. Meanwhile Garp is at Marineford or somewhere else like: “‘My family wants to be pirates’ sense is tingling!” Sengoku is just looking at him thinking: “Is that Garp’s normal weird or something else?”

Maybe Garp won’t be as mad about Shanks because Corazon is a marine. So in his mind maybe Ace and Luffy will want to become marines too. (Sorry Garp, they ALL become pirates.😂)

Anyways, Corazon meets Law, decides to save him, gets Law his devil fruit, gets beat up by Vergo, and still gets shot by his brother but not enough to die. Like maybe Doflamingo is a bad shot and he was just able to shoot their dad accurately because he was right behind him. He still shot Corazon, but not in spots that would immediately kill him. Just slightly grazed him a bit and Corazon’s coat took most of the damage.

Dragon can be the one who comes and picks them up. Maybe Corazon called ahead of time to let him know what was going on and maybe he had a suspicion that Doflamingo had a spy in the marines so he called Dragon who could be in the area just in case things went bad.

Well, things went bad needless to say. So Corazon and Law get picked up by Dragon.

->->

Side Note:

Maybe they stop at Swallow Island for supplies or something and Law meets Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo. He could also meet them later on too. Like he asks to be dropped off in the North Blue at 17 to start his pirate journey and meets them. I just think the idea of Corazon and Dragon having to raise 6 feral kids and Bepo is really funny. So I am going to say they do pick them up too.

<-<-

Sabo meets Ace like in canon while the adults are away and everything with him happens just like in canon. Except, while Sabo is still very badly injured, he does not lose his memories. Like Dragon picks him up on his way back from rescuing Corazon and the kids. (We’ll say Corazon was gone for like a year: 6 months with Doflamingo - 6 months with Law. That gives plenty of time for the canon events to be squished into a timeline.)

Maybe Sengoku and Corazon decide to make it seem like Corazon did die so Doflamingo doesn’t come after him or Law. So Corazon either retires from the marines or he could just do paperwork from home or he could find something else to do. He also could be too injured to go back to active duty. I mean he did get beat up and shot multiple times. Either way, now he gets to stay with the kids full time or just doesn’t have to travel as much. Dadan and Makino still babysit from time to time. Dragon still visits as much as he can afford to without putting them in danger. Maybe after all the kids leave home, Corazon can join the Revolutionary Army.

Also, they do tell Ace about Roger and Rouge, but in a way that makes him not hate himself. Maybe he still feels a negative way about Roger, but not in a way that makes him think he isn’t loved or wanted. Maybe this is where he chooses to go by Monkey D. Ace or, continue to if he was already going by Monkey D. Ace since Dragon started raising him. That way he can distance himself from Roger and be slightly safer from the marines. Or he could decide to go by Portgas D. Ace when they tell him or when he sets out to sea.

So Law (+ Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo) go to the North Blue to start off their pirate journey when Law is 17. The Heart Pirates still meet Wolf, help him out, and get the Polar Tang. He still wants to take down Doflamingo but does it in a less self destructive way. Corazon and Dragon find out about his plans eventually and are worried, but they also trust Law to know what he can/can’t handle. Maybe Corazon goes to Dressrosa with Sabo to help.

Ace leaves when he turns 17 as well. Like in canon he forms the Spade Pirates and later joins up with Whitebeard.

Sabo joins the Revolutionary Army when he turns 17.

Luffy sets out at 17 and everything in canon happens until the Straw Hats meet Law + the Heart Pirates:

“Hey! It’s my brother Torao! :D” - Luffy all excited to see Law again after who knows how long. “Another one! How many brothers do you have!?” - Nami & Usopp probably. “Oh! Six! :D” - Luffy doesn’t elaborate further because it’s Luffy.

Then when Luffy sees Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo he is like: “My other brothers!”

Everybody’s probably really confused at this point. Like, the Straw Hats could see the resemblance with Ace in Alabasta, but these guys? Who are Luffy’s parents!?

Although having four brothers on one ship is pretty convenient for the Straw Hats because now the only sibling left to meet is Sabo.

Everything in canon from then on still happens, the Straw Hats all get sent away. [This also makes Robin the Straw Hat who knows all (I’m sure Sengoku calls/sends letters) of Luffy’s family members.]

Ace still gets captured and the higher ups still want him dead, but maybe Garp and Sengoku are trying to figure out how to stop it. If he is going by Monkey D. Ace the marines could just want him for being Dragon’s son or Blackbeard might have found out who Ace’s birth parents were and told the marines. Either way it’s a bad situation.

Marineford happens, but Ace lives. (This is a HAPPY AU! I don’t care how it happens, he just does!)

Maybe Garp was actually a decent Grandpa and was like: “He’s not Roger’s son! He’s my grandson, Dragon’s kid! Monkey D. Ace! Roger never had any kids, it was all just a rumor!” Akainu is just like: “Your son is the most wanted criminal in the world. We’re still gonna kill Ace.” Whitebeard could kill Akainu before he succumbed to his injuries or someone else could kill Akainu. I don’t know how, but I say Akainu dies in this AU. Then Ace, while still very much injured, was saved by Law along with Luffy and Jimbe.

Sabo can eat Akainu’s devil fruit in Dressrosa, that way he can still get fire powers. Or lava I should say. (Akainu’s ghost is shaking in hell watching his devil fruit being eaten and used by a revolutionary. 😂)

->->

Side Note:

Speaking of Dressrosa, that arc is even funnier due to: 1) Doflamingo is being kicked around by his nephews not only because of his war crimes, but he also almost killed their dad that one time. 2) The Straw Hats (minus Robin) reaction to finding out Luffy’s other grandpa is Sengoku.

<-<-

Maybe after this, Ace could join the Straw Hats or join the Revolutionary Army or stay with Marco (he would probably keep in touch with Marco regardless of where he goes).

I would say that Ace goes with Luffy, at least for a little while. Mostly due to the fact that Luffy goes to Wano and Ace told Yamato that he would come back. Maybe he could stay on Wano after that and help rebuild or something. Have his own kind of thing again/continue his own dream you know? He and Yamato could go on adventures together or something after Wano is stable.

This is all I have for now! If you want to write (or draw) something using anything from here, go right ahead. I would, but I am both busy and I can’t seem to write anything other than headcanons or AU ideas. Maybe I’ll actually write something in the future, but no promises.

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cyten0 · 3 months ago

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A Symphony In Crimson

The End of A World

𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞

Your name is Siffrin.

And you should never have existed.

But you are about to fix that.

▲ “Hey Sif. Nervous?”

You nod. This isn’t going to be easy.

After defeating the king, you started to look more into your home, as best as you could. Made counter wishes, dug up tomes, EVERYTHING.

And what you found shocked you. Your home wasn’t just forgotten. It was erased. You, and everything from there, are living typos in the script.

And it shows, if you look too long. Why you'd have such expensive clothing when living out of a seaside cabin. Why a child knew how to pilot a boat across open waters. Why no one helped you as a child, as you still barely existed at all. Why the star door in the house never actually had a question on it, just the idea of one. Why even after screaming yourself to death, your home's name couldn't be said, as there was nothing to scream.

As time went on, you found more and more. The inability to find any traces of the religion or culture beyond the surface. The technology falling apart into a useless mess if you try and take it apart. People sharing with you what tiny bits of history you've recovered almost exactly, with no deviation.

It took years after to find out what did it. You wanted to see if it was possible to do it again, in order to fix it. And by freak chance, it turned out you were the only one alive who could.

The last heir to a throne that doesn't exist.

◉ “Oh, I’m sure it’ll be fine! We’ve got everything planned out!”

Mirabelle sits at the dining table, cheerful. She’s really flourished since Dormont. Grew more confidant. Assured. The picture of the Revolutionary Housemaiden the tales came to paint her as.

𝄞 “Are you all. SURE. You are still Okay with this?”

✿ “Course Frin, especially myself! I know what’ll happen, but crab it.”

They are still cooking up food for you all. Biggest meal they’ve ever made, to fit the occasion. They’ve learned SO MANY recipes, that it took them a solid WEEK to figure out what to include, settling for at least only what can fit on the table. Fritters are, of course, included.

Bonnie has grown up into a fine adult. That wishcraft-made red hair and eyes looks good on them! They did mention they liked that you both match now.

𝄞 “I know, but still…”

✿ “Look, I know I’m gonna die, but it’ll only be for a bit! You just better meet back up with kid me as soon as you can, got it? And give them a list of my best recipes, while you’re at it!”

◆ “And let MY younger self know to get a Shattering cane earlier, OR ELSE. If I find out you knew about my leg and did NOTHING, I know I won’t be merciful.”

Odile meanders her way to the table. Last 20ish years plus the action at Dormont have not been kind to her, but she manages anyways. She struggles to walk, but you know if you tried helping her to the table she would still beat you senseless.

▲ “Yeah, you don't want to provoke the wrath of Odile!... Don't worry Sif, I know you won't have to. Still, Excited for my younger self to get to play with Fashion designs from your homeland. You better find me quick!"

He gives you a kiss. Hehe! It's been nice, being with him. Your bonding earrings turned out so pretty. As is everything else he's made since. He's been keeping you safe and sound, comfortable in your shared home.

◆ “That said, just to double check. I grabbed a sales report of that ‘bodycraft aid’. Even with the virus’s greatly reduced efficiency, the amount it’s distributed more then makes up for it.”

Right. It took ages to dig up that old virus, and while it’s baseline form as utterly horrifying, things changed when you realized it made those affected closer to the Universe, or specifically the Arcana. The Fool was very clear they are NOT the universe, just a part of it.

You had to reduce the Viruses effects SIGNIFICANTLY, but it still ended up as a net increase. And actually beneficial for people! Greatly eases healing crafts and of course, body craft!

◉ “On my front, think I’ve got blessings across the world, so we should be good on that front!”

Mirabelle used some of their savior popularity and leveraged rumors of their blessing to help seed star-stuff around the world. It DOES help crop growth, reduce disease, and increase peoples craft! People just accepted it was a divine blessing, and got to enjoy the perks. And since You and Bonnie were keeping yourselves safe, nobody knew about the caveat.

✿ “So, Fool, think it’s enough?”

The strange figure appears next to them on their command. A long tattered cloak, held closed with thousands of hands. A single, Red, floating eye for their face. A pale rose in one hand, and a walking staff in the other.

(✸) “For our own purposes? Not quite enough, but that is fine. It will still bring us closer together. We shall live again, if for but a moment. And with that time we shall be stitched ever so slightly tighter. May-hap next time shall be the last we need.”

It feels bad, but. You’ve done all you can. Short of causing an actual apocalypse, this is the best you can do for them.

Sure, everyone will die, but it’ll barely last a minute before they are all back. And none of them will remember. Odile even made sure it’d be painless, JUST in case. Enough they might not even realize they died at all if they do remember. Most importantly, It'll get all the Arcana summoned, and with that you can make things overall better.

(✸) “However, with your plan in mind, it should be enough for your own desires. It will not be easy, Lost King, even knowing your skill with time. We hope you are ready.”

✿ “Sure, but food first! I’m gonna enjoy my ‘last’ meal.”

The fool looks you all over, as you eat. It's hard to read them, but they seem... Happy?

(✸) “To think such a peaceful method of this was possible… And to fix our mistakes from before... We are grateful. And sorry, for the trouble.”

𝄞 “If it brings back my home, that’s enough. Consider us even.”

You all enjoy your meal. The Fool even shapes themselves into a human form to enjoy a little, on Bonnie's request.

You are glad for this. But, you know...

You’re going to miss them, for however long it takes to find your way back.

>>>

With full stomachs, and everyone ready, you all head to the room you set up. The view of the stars above, devices planted against the walls, specialized patterns to channel craft in the EXACT way you need it.

The Universe is watching. Time to heal a star.

Odile starts up the setup to make the needed modifications to the summoning rituals. Isabeau helps her out, running the numbers and double checking everything.

You stand in the center of the circle.

▲ “I think that’s everything! We’re ready as we’re gonna be.”

◆ “Indeed. Now remember, Siffrin, minimal changes! If this goes wrong, we need to leave the world mostly intact so we can meet up, get notes from you, and try again. And so you don’t unwrite yourself entirely, since you’ll be the only one to remember. Only act when you’re sure it’ll work.”

𝄞 “Gotcha! Alright, let’s do this.”

You lift your hand, and unleash the power in your blood. Rapidly, as quick as you can, you pull out each part! 3, 4, 5. One by one, you feel reality quake as you continue, but the setup holds strong. 18, 19, 20-

✿ “Hrg! YEP! That’s My cue! Okay, Painless sacrifice thing doesn’t work on me, That’s crabbing fun. Fair, I guess.”

You watch as Bonnie starts to dissolve into floating blood, as Judgment exacts their price. You nearly stop then and there, you don’t want to-!

✿ “I’ll be fine Frin! Finish it!”

You… You breathe In. And Out.

You call upon The World.

⋆｡°✩ “BY OUR HAND THE WORLD SHALL BE SACRIFICED” ✩°｡⋆

⋆｡°✩ “BY OUR HAND IT SHALL BE MADE ANEW” ✩°｡⋆

⋆｡°✩ “FOR WHAT DO YOU WISH FROM THIS WORLD” ✩°｡⋆

Alright. The curtains rise, time for your cue.

𝄞 “I wish for my home to be returned, and to have the life I was denied.”

⋆｡°✩ “A DIFFICULT REQUEST” ✩°｡⋆

𝄞 “But I know the path.”

⋆｡°✩ “THEN LEAD AND WE SHALL FOLLOW” ✩°｡⋆

You feel yourself get pulled into it’s embrace, to see things from it’s view.

As reality opens wide before you, you begin your journey.

First, you must reach when the island was lost.

《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《

You rewind all the way through your life, to when you washed up on Vaugarde. Following the path your paradoxical existence lends.

The Arcana are weakened, by reaching outside the Fool’s gate. But you’ve ensured they can, and that's enough.

Now. It must be here.

You start to look into yourself, resting on the coast. You peel back the threads around you, finding traces and bits of the island. Digging, digging.

THERE.

The gate of the old summoning. The point mere seconds after they faded away the first time. But the gate is there.

You leap through.

﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀

You are in an echo of the old world. A world that still has color. A world that still has your home.

Right at it’s end. But you don’t care about that.

No, you passed through via the gate. A gate unbound by time. Even if you've been weakened further, HERE is where you can make changes that MATTER.

You need to start at the beginning. See where it went wrong.

《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《

You stare at the scene. A power-mad king, standing over the corpses of two. One you saw briefly before, performing the final summoning.

The other… is already dead. A woman with lightless hair like your own.

And the king, laughing above them, just started the cycle.

What to do. What to do. How can you fix things from here? You still have enough power to work miracles, but...

The fallen man’s quest started here, from what you presume is vengeance. But her life is already gone, you can’t bring her back. Even if you did, it wouldn’t stop this mad king. You can see in his eyes that if you leave him alive, he’ll ruin your home before you can live in it.

But with the blessing, you can’t kill him. Despite, right now, being essentially the being giving it to him, the nature of your time manipulation would make it too tricky. You need another angle...

Wait. What is.

You feel. Yourself. Nearby.

...Her womb. She… Is this your mother?

Your existence really is very tenuous. Perhaps this man’s subconscious hope on remaking the world is all that made you live. The only reason you live at all being a father's hope to see their unborn child. The only thread of truth in the Lie that was your life, held together by patchwork, coming apart if stared at too long.

Focus. Your other self is barely alive. And will die soon.

But. That might be your key.

You reach into this faint echo of you. And using them as the final thread, you-

《《《《《《

One week. You could only manage one week, with all you have. You are barely here at all.

But. That. Should be. Enough.

You search. Where is that man. The man who killed her. The man who started this all. The man who took EVERYTHING from you. From EVERYONE that stepped foot on this land!!!

You find him. He doesn’t have the blessing yet.

Perfect.

You pull your dagger from your hip. And with the last bit of your strength…

Dead.

The thread you made pulls taught, as all of reality spirals inwards towards this one single moment, dragging everything across the thread of time, inverting existence upon itself, blending both realities together in one cacophonous instant.

And you.

Fade from consciousness.

>>>>>>>>

You… you awaken. Where?….

A. Crib. A child’s crib.

You. You must be…

Did you merge with your other self?

...You did wish to have your life, you suppose.

HAH. Oh stars, this is gonna be WEIRD!!

But. Okay. It’s fine.

This means you're in the best position to make sure it doesn't happen again. That you don't lose this home again. It's fine.

You’re about 50 years late but. You got it.

Good luck Siffrin. You have a childhood to live.

#isat #in stars and time #symphonyincrimson!au #A lovely side story for ISAT's anniversery!#And the tale of the REAL Siffrin #The one we know.

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oros-ash3s · 15 days ago

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yapping about atlas again because I never stop thinking about this guy

⟢⠀ more under the cut:

To understand Atlas the first thing you need to realize is that he lives off of validation.

He was turned into a ruthless killer starting at just six years old. Of course growing up with someone as emotionally distant as Cato as his primary guardian shaped him to be so dependant on validation, on making other people proud. He needs to be wanted, needs to have a purpose. And if he won’t be wanted, then he’ll be needed. He’ll make it so they depend on him — otherwise, who’s to say they won’t throw him to the side? Who’s to say he won’t be abandoned?

By the time he is 20, he has not shed this mentality, even with all the healing from the many years of trauma at Eden’s hand that he has tried to do. He is still convinced that the most important thing is earning validation from those around him. He’s sure that despite having such a tight-knit group of friends around him, despite having so many people willing to stay at his side, even at his worst, he is not more than his contributions to the Alliance, to their mission.

Then bring in his and Alastair’s falling out.

For the first time in his life, it is not he who is freezing out Alastair, but the other way around. Alastair will not look at him, talk to him, acknowledge him. All his efforts to try to fix things, to make up for what he assumes are his many downfalls, Alastair will not budge.

And so, he seeks out validation elsewhere.

The thing about his and Daphne’s relationship is that it is founded on touch. He does not confess to her, instead just finds himself making out with her after one of his gigs, and then the next thing he knows she is calling him her little boyfriend.

He’s starved of touch, of validation. Kauri’s mind control took an effect on him, one that he hasn’t fully come to terms with, even three years later. Alastair shows visible disgust at just touching Atlas, and so Daphne, who touches him and fawns over him and speaks about him — his body — like it’s something to be revered, is exactly what he needs.

She makes him feel wanted. Makes him feel whole again, gives him a purpose, a part to play.

To many, Daphne’s control over Atlas makes no sense. The period in which she makes Atlas feel good, feel special, doesn’t last long. It’s not very long after they start dating before Daphne starts dragging him off to parties, pressuring him to drink and have sex and change things about his appearance and who he associates with.

But to Atlas, Daphne makes perfect sense.

She is the first choice he’s actively made in a long time. He’s had his autonomy stripped from him, over and over and over again. His sense of identity is fractured, especially due to ONLY regaining his memories a few months ago. He doesn’t exactly know who he is, always revolving himself around what others want him to be. So making this choice, picking Daphne out of everyone, is revolutionary to him.

To Atlas, he can’t be wrong. She was nice, she was good, until she… wasn’t. Except he couldn’t have been wrong about who she truly is, if she truly loves him. Atlas is prideful above all else. He’s stubborn, set in his ways. Daphne has to be good for him, otherwise, that means he made the wrong decision.

The very thing he had been warned about. The very thing he was scared of. He can’t be wrong, because that means that maybe everyone else was right about him, maybe he is just better at following orders.

It’s what causes a divide between him and Wren. Atlas desperately is seeking control over his own life, stuck in an abusive, controlling relationship. Then there’s Wren, his best friend, who’s concerned for him. But they’re messy and worried and stressed about a million things and have no clue how to properly talk to him about it. So they yell and scream and get mad, the only thing they know how to do at this point.

Atlas sees all these people who are worried about him, and he feels trapped, because they’re telling him they know what’s best for him and that’s the last thing he wants to hear after YEARS of being told that by the people who are hurting him.

So he misconstrues Daphne’s control as worry, and Wren’s worry as control. He sticks by Daphne through it all, even when she shit talks his best friends, even when she’s pressures him to drink and smoke even when she knows his history with it, even when she grows violent and forces him to do things he doesn’t want to.

Because in the end, he chose to be with her, so it can’t be that bad. She was nice and sweet and loving so this must be what love is like. If he really wanted her to stop doing this stuff, he would.

(Right?)

taglist \\ @ohagiwrites @seastarblue @vesanal @steh-lar-uh-nuhs @bioniclechronicles @lancedoncrimsonwings @blackboxwarrior-mkultra @whump-till-ya-jump @sharkblizzardblogs @sugaredparchment @scoundrelwithboba @cepheusgalaxy @corinneglass @cacophonyofwords

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niftukkun · 19 days ago

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OCKISS25 DAY 1 : SURPRISE KISS [BunnyRabbit]

I don’t quite forgive him, but I do… care. Somewhat. That he stays with me until time unravels. At this point, it’s just fun to see him scramble to make me happy. / Ah, but how does one go about apologising for dying? I hope what I'm doing makes up for leaving her behind at such a critical time – she seems to be much more settled in the here and now.

Maera Blanc once hopped into a world with a city in revolution, early during her time as a worldhopper – but is it the same Maera that stands here? Is this the same Ambrosia she once worked with that fell between worlds? The details may be blurry, but they both recall the same broad strokes – a revolution, an explosion, a death at such a critical point in time, a revolutionary leader leaving everyone else scrambling to keep the revolution going. Maera… holds somewhat of a grudge. Ambrosia is quite charismatic after all, and clever enough to keep everyone charmed. Keep Maera charmed. She almost tore time apart to get him back, have him lead the revolution to victory – but time would have torn her apart in turn. In the same way one stays wary of something that almost kills them, Maera held a bit of a grudge against charismatic revolutionaries and Ambrosia specifically. Of course, that’s not even mentioning the grief that comes with losing a friend, especially when they worked fairly close together to keep the revolution running.

All of which to say, Maera was extremely blindsided when she slipped and fell between worlds only to come across the one person she anchored a fair bit of resentment and repressed grief to. Their first meeting was… not pretty. Neither were many more subsequent meetings. At some point, after they struck up a tenuous and toxic situationship, Claude had to step in and mediate between them so they could actually talk about things and stop blaming Ambrosia for dying because that’s the kind of toxic shit it slowly devolved into.

The way I write them now - long, long after their initial meeting - has them be a mixture of the kind of couple who bicker a lot but love each other anyway and guy who spoils his tsundere princess of a partner. They have to talk things out a lot, and occasionally Claude has to step in to mediate, but they’re going steady and pretty soft on each other. Maera brings chaos and unpredictability into everyone’s lives (and afterlives), but Ambrosia keeps her settled with the promise of a partner who would sacrifice everything for her even if she won’t sacrifice herself for him in turn – and Maera herself reminds Ambrosia why he became a revolutionary in the first place, why he loves the thrill of chaos and the thrill of exploring and strategizing in new situations and places. It's not perfect – they tend to heighten each other’s worst impulses and instability, and occasionally spiral into chasing the thrill of something new and interesting to the detriment of everyone including themselves – but they’re happy together and they have the others to balance them out. They know they have each other in their worst impulses and sometimes all you need is the trust that someone you love won’t ever leave even if you’re at your worst.

(their ship name of “bunnyrabbit” comes from the fact that they both have rabbit motifs – Maera has a pair of real rabbit ears and an underlying White Rabbit from Wonderland motif, while Ambrosia is heavily connected to the constellation Lepus (rabbit) and wears a mask with rabbit ears.)

#gamble the queue #ockiss25 #oc kiss week #art #my art #digital art #doodles #original art #original characters #oc art #Maera Blanc (oc)#Ambrosia of Lepus (oc)#their relationship kind of lends itself to being messy but really whats the fun of shipping if its not at least a little fucked up right

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idkhowtopickausername · 1 month ago

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YESSSS IM SO HAPPY YOU FINISHED BLACK SAILS!!!!!!!!

Omg I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, what did you think about the ending?? <- big question sorry, I just love your analysis so much aaaaaaa black sails is so good

Aaaahhhh I have so many thoughts it was so good!!! I am having a very hard time focusing on like school and stuff I need to do because it’s filling up my brain with thoughts. I would also love to hear your thoughts too! I also think my thoughts are limited to a certain degree by the fact that I watched it over a pretty long period of time and I haven’t had much time to reflect on it yet either so there’s probably lots of connections and things that I’m missing, plus I don’t remember at all what happens in Treasure Island so I’m probably missing some important contextualizing info that I should look up.

I feel like the last season was really powerful in how it dealt with some of the central themes of the show and it really brought them together in a way that felt nuanced and insightful, I thought the pirates’ alliance with the maroon community was so crucial and I really loved Flint and Madi’s friendship and their characters in the last season. I feel like it really sort of broke down the dichotomy of choosing between war/liberation and loyalty to people you love and it showed that that is a real genuine conflict and something that most of the characters struggle with in very real ways but I think it really transcends the idea that those things are mutually exclusive/a dichotomy and asserts that love and community can exist through mutual commitment to a shared opposition to the empire and that Silver was deluding himself by continuing to believe in that false binary so that he could justify his own final decision—not that the danger of losing loved ones or having to make sacrifices and difficult decisions is any less real, the show makes it clear how real it is, but that Flint and Madi’s revolutionary aspirations were born out of genuine love and hope (and necessity, especially in Madi’s case) on a collective level that Silver could have shared in if he had chosen to, and that his decision in the end was a form of betrayal and disloyalty in itself.

I also thought the way that lots of other characters went against some of their own values or their initial position and eventually sided with the empire in one form or another for their own individual motivations like with Eleanor, Billie, Jack and Max was really well done and the shifting of each of their goals in accordance with their status and priorities felt very realistic. The calculated-ness and effectiveness with which the empire would divide people or offer wealth, safety, and influence in exchange for changing loyalties and betraying one’s former values while also never guaranteeing safety for those already on the margins and being ready to break any promises that were no longer advantageous to it felt very realistic, and the way that the British and Spanish empires worked together to defend their colonial interests was a really chilling and important plot point too I thought.

Max’s storyline in particular really broke my heart because I think she had a more intimate understanding of what working to uphold the empire meant but she still makes the choice that she feels will bring her a greater chance of stability and safety after being denied it all her life even at the expense of others, and tries to set out boundaries about what lines she will and won’t cross so she can be as much at peace with herself as possible but the contradictions and precariousness of holding this position are always there.

I also really loved the monologues and the theme of how stories are crafted and people are vilified to fit the agenda of those in power…the idea that the empire needs people to believe that its reign is inevitable and unbeatable and to not imagine anything else is such an important theme and I love that it voiced that, I love stories that articulate that so much.

I also really loved how many female characters there were who had so many different complex relationships with colonial power and gender roles based on their race and class and sexuality and their personal outlooks and positions and priorities, it felt very rare to see that and I’d like to think more in depth about it because there was so much going on with it thematically.

The ending made me so emotional because it’s like Silver crafted a “happy” ending for Flint without giving him a choice, although what makes it most sad is that the show does clearly illustrate his mindset and how he comes to it and I think he does understand the weight of his decision. The idea of being institutionalized/imprisoned in a “humane” way as a way of getting rid of people who don’t conform to colonial society or actively oppose it is very significant I think in a story about people who have been abandoned or deeply hurt by colonial society trying to find a place for themselves, and treating Flint’s revolutionary mindset as a problem that needs fixing and that can be fixed by a relationship with one person feels like a hollow interpretation of his story that the show itself as criticizing, although I do think the draw of being able to have a loving relationship and be free of the pain and responsibility of warfare is real for Flint like it is for the other characters. I think there’s also an element in the final few episodes of the characters finding the comfort they can in the love and companionship they can salvage despite everything which is sweet and contributes to the complicated emotions but I think it’s very telling that this is not possible for Madi and Silver (at least not with each other).

#I feel like there are probably some things that I didn’t fully pick up on about the ending #I wonder if there are unreliable narrator theories or something because you only hear about/see Flint’s ending from Silver’s perspective #anyway I’m so curious about your thoughts too #thanks for the ask!#ask #black sails spoilers

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icaberries · 1 year ago

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Final Flight

(This brainrot won’t leave me alone, so have some MiShanks angst.)

(CW: Major characters death)

Imagine the final war erupting - the Strawhats, their fleet, the Revolutionary Army, and all their allies rallying against the Marines, Blackbeard, World Government, and Celestial Dragons. It’s total pandemonium and casualties rack up on both sides with no sign of stopping. The two forces are evenly matched in strength and forces, and the standstill is taking its toll on them. Something has to break the draw.

Then, somebody lands a fatal blow on Dracule Mihawk.

It feels like time has stopped. Everyone, both allies and enemies that were fighting near the former World’s Greatest Swordsman, are slack-jawed. Mihawk’s eyes are wide, as if he himself can’t believe that he’s been harmed. He staggers, tries to stay on his feet, but blood spurts from the large cut across his chest, and he falls to the ground.

He doesn’t get back up.

The Alliance is outraged. Although Mihawk was infamous, he was theirs. He was fighting for their side. The rage and disbelief ripples through their alliance, from the former Warlords whose acquaintance was just slain by the people they used to work for, to the members of Cross Guild who just watched one of their commanders fall in battle, to a trembling Buggy and an enraged Crocodile who just lost their third, to a disbelieving Zoro who was mentored and entrusted with the title of World’s Greatest Swordsman.

But none of that compares to Shanks’ reaction.

Shanks who’s been fighting a tireless fight for days on end, Shanks who just watched numerous, comrades get hurt and die around him, Shanks who just watched the love of his life go down in a spray of blood.

His Haki ripples throughout the entire battlefield. The sky splits open, and the seas shake with the force of his will. Enemy forces go down like a domino chain, enough to turn the tide of the battle, enough for their alliance to catch their second wind and continue fighting again.

But all Shanks can focus on is Mihawk.

Shanks rushes through the battlefield, through smoke and blades and gunfire and Devil Fruit powers. His crew surrounds him and fends off anyone who tries to get in Shanks’ way. His eyes are trained on Mihawk’s body on the ground, on his still, unmoving chest, until Shanks is finally up close.

The blow has nearly split Mihawk apart. The pool of blood around him stains Shanks’ pants as he drops to his knees.

Golden eyes look up at him, and even through the pain, they crinkle with fondness at the sight of Shanks. Those eyes that used to be bright with life and love now look up Shanks with a haze over them. It’s obvious Mihawk is struggling to keep them open.

Shanks calls for doctors, for anyone - Hongo, Chopper, Trafalgar, Phoenix - but their medical outpost is miles away, and they're in the thick of the battle. No one can come to help them and they don't have much time.

Then, comes the pleading.

“Please, you need to stay with me. I can’t do this without you.”

What’s the use of Shanks’ dream of peace if Mihawk can’t be there to see it? Who else is Shanks doing this for, if not for his love, who just wanted a quiet life?

Mihawk’s lips are stained with his blood. A man of few words and even in death he has nothing to say. But Shanks has known and loved him for a long time now. Mihawk looks up at him with a defeated look in his eyes, his hand wrapped around Shanks as tight as he can manage. Shanks sees Mihawk’s mouth move and without even hearing the words he knows what Mihawk is trying to say.

Dracule Mihawk takes his last breath in Shanks' arm.

Nothing can prepare Shanks for the heartache that followed. He thought he’d know better by now, that after Roger and Uta, the pain would be easier to handle. It isn’t. It feels like his heart’s been taken out of his chest and crushed underfoot, it feels like watching Roger on the execution stand and listening to Uta’s swan song all over again.

You are never prepared for this kind of loss.

Shanks' grief enchoes throughout the battlefield. His Haki trembles with his cries, the entire world shakes with the force of his will, but Mihawk stays still an unmoving in his arms.

(For added angst: Imagine Film Red took place only a few months before the Final War. Imagine Shanks losing his daughter and lover only within months of each other.)

#mishanks #akataka #mihawk x shanks #dracule mihawk #akagami no shanks #one piece #my posts #red hair shanks

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stvrmhondss · 2 years ago

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i was tagged by @fueledbyremembering to post a snippet from a wip, so here's a piece of the long live inspired fic that i've threatened you all with <3

“You always accuse us of sandbagging,” he sounds indignant, but Max can recognise a layer of humour underneath. “But this year, I think that you are the ones who are sandbagging, actually.” As the room bursts into laughter again, Max swallows heavily. Charles doesn’t know, can’t know, but his words hit him like a kick to the chest, right above his heart. He wishes his team was sandbagging, wishes there was something revolutionary or outstanding to hide from the other teams, but they’ve got nothing. The RB20 is just as it appears – mediocre at best, downright horrible at worst, if luck decides to not be on Max’s side. When he doesn’t join in on the laughter, Charles’ expression falls, worry etched into the space between his brows. Max tries to smile at him, to chase that concern away, but the expression on his face feels more like a grimace than anything else. The furrow between Charles’ brows deepens. Around them, the reporters move on. The next question is for Charles, picking up where the other one had left, asking whether he thinks that this year, the fight between their teams will be closer. “I would hope so,” he’s still looking at Max as he starts speaking and only looks away halfway through his sentence. “At the start in 2022, Max and I had some great fights, but as you probably remember, that ended very quickly and last year we weren’t that close at all, unfortunately. So, I hope that this season, we’ll finally have some good battles again because, as I've always said, I really enjoy racing against Max.” When he’s done, Max holds himself carefully still. He doesn’t want to give anything away – no one is supposed to see the disappointment on his face, the fear and dreadful hunch he has that this year, he won’t get to properly fight Charles for the championship again. Memories of a drunken night in Austin try to push up to the surface and he violently bites down on them.

i will be tagging @il-predestinato @gaslightgirlsummer @drivestraight and anyone who wants to participate (ignore the tag if you've already done this and i just missed it <3)

#lestappen #lestappen fic #f1 rpf #f1 fic #charles leclerc #max verstappen

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smidgen-of-hotboy · 11 months ago

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Our Angel of Brahma, pt. viii

Me: I gotta slow down on updates to finish this semester with a bang. Also me: WRITING MORE!!

@ceaseless-watchers-special-girl @ananxiousgenz @gwenlena @demonic-panini @the-private-eye

SOUND: COMMS BEEPS. RECORDING BEGINS. BAIRD (REVOLUTIONARY): It doesn’t feel real. Charlie he was just– he was just here last month. Ugh. I feel like a slug. Whatever Iris has been dosing me with I can’t stand. It’s making me sick. I need to eat. I can’t stomach anything though. I am hungry. But I can’t bring myself to eat. It is a vicious cycle. Iris bothered me again about trying to eat, and when I made the comment that I would sooner die from choking on vomit than starvation, they shut up and walked off. Serves them fucking right. Mrs. Camilla gave me my comms back. She… hugged me. Embraced me. If there was anything left of me, I might have cried. But there’s nothing of me. Nothing left to me. My revolution is dead. My parents are dead. Charlie is… dead. (SHAKING GASP) SOUND: COMMS BEEPS. RECORDING ENDS.

SOUND: COMMS BEEPS AGAIN. RECORDING BEGINS. BARID (REVOLUTIONARY): Say that again. IRIS: Excuse me? BAIRD (REVOLUTIONARY): Say what you just told me, again. IRIS: Okay… I said, “You can continue to lie here, that’s fine, but I will drag you into tomorrow. And the next day, and the day after that.” BAIRD (REVOLUTIONARY): Why? IRIS: Why? Because you have to? BAIRD (REVOLUTIONARY): No, I don’t. You won’t let me go out and do dangerous things, you don’t acknowledge me throughout the day. I don’t have any friends left or any family left. You don't care about me. You feel obligated to stay because of a loose promise you made with my dad. (A LONG, DRAWN OUT PAUSE OF SILENCE. BABIES LAUGHTER CAN BE HEARD IN THE BACKGROUND) IRIS: Baird… I have never met someone say something, so… egregiously, arrogant, ignorant, and downright selfish. You don’t think I care about you? You don’t think I give a shit about you? I’m hurt. I’m truly hurt. I’m sorry I can’t bring back the dead. I’m sorry I’m not dead. I’m sorry your best friend is dead. I’m sorry I’m sticking around because I do give a shit about you. I’m sorry your parents are dead. And I’m sorry I can’t be your fucking parent. (IRIS LAUGHS HYSTERICALLY) Is that what you want? You want me to be your fucking parent? BAIRD (REVOLUTIONARY): No. IRIS: Then what the fuck do you want from me? And don’t tell me you want me to go away. Cause I’m not going anywhere. You’re all I have left, dammit. BAIRD (REVOLUTIONARY): I want… I want… (BAIRD’S VOICE CRACKS) I want my mom– (BAIRD BEGINS TO SOB. IRIS SIGHS) IRIS: Oh– come here. (FABRIC RUSTLING. BAIRD CONTINUES TO SOB) I’m sorry, Baird. That was– uncalled for. That was mean. I’m sorry. I forget your just a kid, I’m sorry. BAIRD (REVOLUTIONARY): You– you keep saying– saying that. IRIS: I know. I don’t think there’s anything else I can say… Oh, you poor mess. Where’s your comms? I have something I need you to hear now, and I want you to be able to listen back to it when you need to. (BAIRD PASSES THE COMMS OFF TO IRIS) I’m not going to be your parent, Baird. I promised Cyrus that I would look after you because he loved you. I’m going to look after you because I need you. Cyrus gave me hope when I had none. He made me believe in the revolution. I thought I would die before I lived to see past forty. But here I am. Three more years. And I don’t know what’s gonna happen to Brahma. Our future is uncertain. But that will always be. My hope for you, Baird, is to get you to where I am. I want you to see past forty. I want you to be alive. And the only way I know to ensure that, is if I drag you into tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that. If you die, what becomes of Charlie’s legacy? What about your parents’? I know you can’t think of finding the light, or a will to live right now. And I know you hate me. That’s fine. You can hate me for the rest of your life, I’m still going to be here to make sure you live longer than me. Your voice is going to outlive all of us, Baird. Charlie believed that. And I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that happens. (IRIS SIGHS) I love you, Baird. I can’t be your parent, but I hope you’ll let me take care of you. We’ll take everything together, one day at a time. One step after another. That’s all we can do right now. (BAIRD WHEEZES AND COUGHS. THEY SNIFFLE) BAIRD (REVOLUTIONARY): Okay… okay. Iris? IRIS: Yeah? BAIRD (REVOLUTIONARY): I’m not a kid. IRIS: No, you’re not. BAIRD (REVOLUTIONARY): And Iris? (IRIS HUMS) I think I’m hungry. IRIS: Then let’s eat. Shall we? SOUND: COMMS BEEPS. RECORDING ENDS.

- How many times did Baird listen back to this recording? How much did it stick with them? Because clearly in the Decade recording, Baird is feeling better. They’re alive. He’s somewhat(?) thriving (as much as he can on Brahma). This recording would explain why though in that recording Iris is still around. This recording was the start of a mutual agreeance.

- Even if Baird is dead today, Iris and Charlie did it. They got Baird’s voice out to someone else. (HOW???) And I’m going to do my part, and I’m gonna get it out even further.

- UPDATE: Frannie’s friend emailed me with a list of every documented Baird in the galaxy born within the last 60 years. Half of them are already dead. I don’t know if this Baird is dead today. The New Kinshasan Threat was almost 30 years ago? It’s very hard to keep track of when Baird and the others all made these recordings. I’ll keep the list just in case, but if what Baird said is true in the first recording “Belief” then I probably won’t stand a chance to find any records of them anywhere.

#out of curiosity i checked the word count on this project so far #and we've hit a little over 8k #very pleased with this hoenstly.#our angel of brahma #private eye's keys go jingle jangle #the penumbra podcast #the penumbra fanfic #a hotboy's writing

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kakumeikalaila · 2 years ago

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So……

Finally we are actually getting some info and not skipping to someone else!

I gotta say… I did not see that coming but I’m loving it!!! Some good old war tactics and not just charging in head first (coughLuffycough). Love it. It shows exactly how long this has been building up for! So far we have only speculated how good of a strategist Dragon was based on few little cues but to actually see the extent… I’m glad I was right! No offense to Luffy: it’s fun to see him punch people, but this is more my piece of cake. Also… KARMA IS COMING BACK BITCHES!!!

Anything that can make Dragon make that face is a big no-no in my books… This is going to be fun: I can’t wait to see them all fight seriously!!! Also… is that Shanks? Or his evil twin maybe?

LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!!! Finally! Someone said it! People really need to take Dragon’s words here and tattoo them on their foreheads. We need more of him in the real world… I’m real glad we are getting some answers to the key questions we (o at least I) had on the revolution. Again, we always speculated and there were debates around but to have it put black on white is great!

This opens a whole fucking gate on how different the revolution is from what Luffy is doing, for example. They are an army: they fight a war that is bigger than all of them and it needs sacrifices, it’s not all happy-go-lucky. Yes, they know there are bad and good kings. Yes, they are saddened if something happens to the good ones. BUT! They know the general public doesn’t and won’t understand that. They know that things are too complicated to be just black and white but that sometimes that’s all people can see. And they are not above getting their hands dirty if it’s what is needed. They all have a heavy weight on their consciences but they will gladly carry it if it means that the generations after them won’t have to. Sabo’s cold statement here and Dragon’s sarcastic comment just a second later make that very clear. Their hands are covered in blood already. And I adore that Oda is going with this more realistic version of a war and has not just decided to put together a bunch of idealists that are destined to fail. I love how it all works as a sort of balance to Luffy and the Strawhats. The revolutionaries are older, more seasoned realists and the Strawhats, while not exactly idealists either, are more dreamers and optimists. I know I’m generalizing but I think it gets the point across well enough. And I’m in love with all of this. Good job Oda!

Yeah, I can see why that might look quite incriminating… I wasn’t so happy about the revolutionaries all just believing Sabo did it so easily if it was just a headline but I understand now that we know there was an actual picture. Like: boy, I raised you since you were a child, you are my most trusted and my second in command but wtf are you doing with a dead body in your living room?!?!?

Happy to see them holding their grounds on a one on one. Sure, there were handicaps and all but still! That’s no small feat! It took like a fuckton of samurais plus a dragon to do that before and Morley is just here swinging that trident around!

This is gonna be bad. This is going to be very, very bad. God, I hope we are sticking to this storyline and not cutting to someone else. I NEED ANSWERS ODA! NOW!

And now that I said it, next week we are going to see fucking everyone but this. You’re all welcome.

Love the Strawhats to pieces but I am realky enjoying these last chapters without them. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, right?

#one piece 1083 #one piece spoilers #flame emperor sabo #sabo #monkey d. dragon #dragon the revolutionary #emporio ivankov #kamabakka queendom #revolutionary army #reverie #god’s knights #eichiro oda

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mo-the-gremlin-dandelion · 2 months ago

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Happy Coradrag AU - Meeting Rosinante

Happy Coradrag AU Masterlist

Summary: Dragon has been doing well at parenting, but soon he has to go back to working full time. That means he needs to figure out child care for when he can’t take Ace with him. Enter Rosinante: a handsome, trustworthy marine that’s good with kids. Dragon might have more problems than he thought.

Context: I don’t think the marines would have a daycare on base because it seems like most marines are either orphans or have family that they provide for. So if you have a kid, you can just hand the kid off to a relative until they are old enough to go to school or just have them in your office if you have a high ranking. Or, in the case of this story, find a lower ranking cadet and pay them to babysit.

For the story we’ll say that marines that have kids get about two/three years of paid leave and/or light paperwork/labor (depends on rank + who gave birth). I’m going with two/three years because that way there’s time to experience all the milestones, potty train the kid before leaving them with someone else/sending them to school, and to fully heal from giving birth/get back into fighting shape.

Italics (slanted) = Thoughts

The past two and a half years have been wonderful. Dragon has been enjoying the light workload from the marines, it has given him more time to work on the Revolutionary Army and take care of Ace. His Parental Leave is over now though and Dragon is currently pacing a hole into the floor of his office at Marineford.

“I can’t just leave him with anyone dad!” Dragon told his father.

“Why not? I started leaving you alone at the age of 4! How is he supposed to learn to take care of himself?” Garp replied. He was sitting in an armchair and bouncing a giggling Ace on his knee.

“He’s two! You can’t leave a two year old alone!” Dragon yelled, then he stopped pacing to look at Garp, “Or a four year old! I didn’t even remember that, I must have blocked it!”

“Oh you worry too much!” Garp told him, then he turned to Ace who was pulling on his beard, “Your daddy worries too much about everything. I should’ve left him in the jungle more often.”

“I think I worry a good amount for someone in my unique position thank you!” Dragon huffed, “And you leaving me in the jungle is probably why I have anxiety in the first place!”

“Daddy!” Ace exclaimed while reaching out for Dragon. The yelling was making him agitated.

Dragon quickly picked Ace up and held him close, “See, even Ace thinks it’s a bad idea!”

At the sight of Ace tightly clinging onto Dragon’s hair, Garp caved.“Oh fine! How about I find someone both of us trust? Would that work for you?”

“I guess it’ll have to do. Who do you have in mind? And please don’t say Kuzan. It’s not that I don’t trust him to keep a secret, I just don’t trust him to watch a toddler without falling asleep.” Dragon replied while Ace was trying to pull his nose off.

“Do you remember me telling you about Sengoku’s brat?” Garp asked, “He just got back from a long mission and won’t be going on another mission for a while.”

“The really good sniper?” Dragon said, “Can we trust him?”

“Yeah,” Garp replied, “He’s good at keeping things to himself.”

Dragon took a moment to think it over. This is Sengoku’s son and Sengoku already knows everything. Sengoku also wouldn’t send his own son on missions he wouldn’t be able to handle so he must be responsible. Dragon took a deep sigh, “Alright, go ask him.”

Dragon didn’t know what he was expecting. He had never met Sengoku’s son before, only heard about him from Garp. He didn’t even know the man’s name. All Dragon knew about this man was that:

He was Sengoku’s son (or brat as Garp liked to call him).

He was very clumsy.

He was a great sniper and spy.

Garp trusted him with his life.

If Garp said he trusted him with his life, then Dragon trusted him too because it’s not something Garp would joke about. Garp never trusts anybody easily despite what others might think. Most people considered his father to be an oblivious idiot.

So here Dragon was, waiting in his office for Sengoku’s son to arrive so he could go on a day trip for work. He was handing Ace his breakfast at the little table in his office when he heard a bang in the hallway.

“What’s that?” Ace asked while shoving apple slices and bacon into his mouth.

“I don’t know. Stay here, I’ll see what it is.” Dragon replied before patting Ace on the head.

When Dragon opened the door, he didn’t see anything, until he looked down. On the floor was a very tall man lying face down. He was wearing a lavender sweater and blue jeans. Dragon almost thought he was dead before the man started groaning and sitting up, rubbing the back of his neck. This must be Sengoku’s son, Garp did say he was pretty clumsy when not in the field.

“Hah, sorry about that!” The man said while getting up, “You must be Dragon? Garp told me you needed a babysitter?”

It took a minute for Dragon to comprehend what the man was saying because he was too busy staring at him. Calling this man beautiful would be an understatement, he reminded Dragon of depictions of angels he’d seen in books. His blonde hair looked soft and fluffy, with his eyes being a warm brown colour like leaves in the fall.

When Dragon finally snapped out of it, the man was standing up and awkwardly fidgeting in front of him with his arm stretched out for a handshake.

“Oh, uh, sorry about that, I didn’t sleep well last night. Not really all here right now.” Dragon hoped he sounded convincing. He took the man’s hand in his and gave it a firm shake. His hands were softer than he expected.

“It’s okay. I understand how hard this must be for you, but I promise I’ll take good care of Ace for you.” The man told him cheerfully.

“If my father said he could trust you with his life, then that's enough for me.” Dragon told him sincerely.

“He really said that?” The man asked quietly. He looked like he was about to cry.

“Yeah, just don’t tell him that you know. He’ll probably punch the both of us.” Dragon told him jokingly, “And thank you for doing this on such short notice.”

“No need to thank me. It’ll be more fun than training with Akainu.” The man said laughing.

“Come in and I’ll introduce you to Ace.” Dragon said while stepping to the side, “Oh, by the way, what is your name? My dad always called you Sengoku’s brat.”

The man paused for a moment before he burst out laughing, “Sengoku’s brat? That’s new. He usually calls me the ‘Weeping Wonder’ because I cried every time he tried to train me. My name is Rosinante.”

“Nice to meet you Rosinante.” Dragon then directed him over to Ace, “Ace, this is Rosinante, he will be watching you when I need to attend boring meetings. Rosinante, this is my son Ace, he’s two.”

“And a half!” Ace exclaimed while chewing on apple slices and Dragon quickly wiped up the fruity mush that came flying out. He should probably work on teaching Ace some table manners, but it might not even stick due to the ‘D’ genes.

“Wow! Two and a half! You are such a big boy!” Rosinante said.

“I am!” Ace giggled.

“Yes, you are. A very brave one too.” Dragon said, “Do you think you’ll be okay with Rosinante today?”

Ace looked down, seeming unsure, then he faced Rosinante, “Can we play pirates? Gramps doesn’t like pirates, but daddy said I could play whatever I want.”

“Of course we can Ace!” Rosiante told him cheerfully.

“Yay! Bye daddy! Love ya!” Ace quickly grabbed Dragon’s face and placed a sloppy kiss on his left eye, “I’ll get my toys!”

With that, Ace toddled off to his room to collect his toys. Dragon didn’t know whether to be happy or sad that Ace was so quick to leave him, “O-oh, okay… bye Ace. Love you too.”

“Don’t worry. He’ll probably miss you later on.” Rosinante told him. Both men stood up and walked over to the door.

“Thanks.” Dragon said before sighing, “Well, I’ll be off now. Help yourself to the food in the fridge. I cooked some chicken earlier for Ace, he also likes apples and it’s best to give him lunch before naptime.”

“Will do Dragon. Enjoy your trip!” Rosinante told him, “Or at least try to!”

“I’ll try.” Dragon said laughing before he remembered something, “Oh, almost forgot, but if Ace grabs your hair and won’t let go that means he likes you. My father and I think it soothes him. Just rub the back of his hand if he tugs too hard.”

“Okay thanks.” Rosinante said.

With that, Dragon walked out the door and shut it behind him. It was hard to leave Ace with someone else other than his father, but if his father trusted Rosinante, then Dragon would trust him too. Ace seemed to like him enough anyways.

And Rosinante is very handsome.

Dragon paused suddenly at that thought. No Dragon! You’re not supposed to think the babysitter is cute, handsome, beautiful, or anything of the sort! This is strictly professional! Bad Dragon! Dragon quickly shook his head and kept walking towards the port. The faster he got this trip over with, the quicker he could get back to Ace.

And Rosinante.

#one piece #one piece writing #monkey d dragon #portgas d ace #donquixote rosinante #corazon #coradrag #happy coradrag au

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