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kaihuntrr · 9 months

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The Sea Prince: The ‘Red King’, Noblemen, and Hunters.

After exactly 3 months(?) of posting the first batch of designs, I’m finally able to send the second batch! TIES and their lore would be last, since they aren’t hunters- it feels right to finish up the Canaries, especially with the prologue coming out soon.

Closeups and lore under the cut as always, hope you enjoy!

They were so much fun to design! I wanted to reference other smps they were involved in, and try to make them stand out! While I am taking from Pirates SMP as inspiration, Cleo and Scar’s designs come from my interpretations before Pirates came out <3

Let’s start out from the individuals!

‘The Nobles’, children from high places.

A fun fact about all of them is that they come from relatively rich families! Be it in how they dress or act, they have a sense of formality. It was also a way to ‘separate’ them from the other hunters since they weren’t in the latest series :D

‘Ren Dogwarts.’

The suave and charming former leader of the Kestrels, Ren’s heart is as golden as the jewelry he wears. He claims to be related to the King, and dubs himself as the ‘Red King’ to take down the sea monsters in his name. He loves his crew, and loved Martyn much more. His feelings begin to waver when the blonde’s loyalty changes. He knew Martyn loved his former crew, but… their relationship tensed as the fateful day arrived. Now that he’s dead, Martyn’s heart is pained with guilt.

The red coat he wears is a supposed gift from the King, the hat and feather a gift from the Kestrels. The tie he wore is similar to the bandana Martyn wears, as if it were the same item.

‘Mumbo Jumbo.’

A nobleman and childhood friend of Grian’s, he spends his time researching about the different monsters they come across and report his findings to the Doctor, the royal inventor. He is very analytical, coming up with theories for certain creature behaviors and is very much not a fighter compared to other hunters. Due to his connection to Doc and his time in the military, the crew found themselves personally hired by the King.

He has a telescope he keeps with him at all times. It was a gift from Jimmy. Mumbo used to joke about throwing it away, but it’s the most precious item he owns.

‘Lizzie Shadow.’

The inheritor of her parents’ pearl industry, she’s taking her time away from all of that to be with the Canaries. It’s not that she wants to run away from her responsibilities- but she’d rather face her fears of the ocean and truly conquering it before coming home. She acts as a pseudo captain to the crew, and is grateful for all the support she’s been given.

She wears a coat similar to Grian and Joel, and is decorated in pearls. She wears her engagement ring with pride, and ties some of her hair up in a braided hair tie. She taught Jimmy how to make those when he was younger.

‘Clockers’, the hunter-born.

Found family! All of their parents died when they were tweens, so they stuck by each other ever since. They’re a little chaotic, but they have essential roles in the crew.

‘Cleo Zombie.’

Level-headed and headstrong, they’re the stable wall in the Canaries. She uses her previous naval experience as an advantage against the vicious sea monsters. She feels linked to Martyn, being someone to ground him in his messy thoughts, but her focus is on Scar and Bdubs. Those two always get into trouble, and there are times she’d want to join in on the fun.

Her scars are stitched and healing, and she has a Heron necklace from her time in the group. She has a big pocket watch she keeps on her at all times, tied to string on her waist.

‘Scar Goodtimes.’

Living life to the fullest means you have to be ready to face the consequences head on. Nicknamed for the many scars on his body, the man embraces it all with a smile and a hunger for more. Nothing keeps him down, and with his boundless energy, nothing ever will. He keeps the morale high and uplifts anyone in times of need, but even he was distraught when the third captain died.

He wears a bandana as a gift from Cleo and a big pocket watch as a gift from Bdubs. He wears a small parrot feather earring from Grian, and sometimes absentmindedly stares at it with a sense of longing.

‘Bdubs.’

The feistiest of the Canaries since Jimmy, he has a bit of a rebellious streak. Either by sneaking out to meet with Impulse, or coming up with outlandish ideas, he’s a bit unhinged but his heart is in the right place. He’s brave and tough, but sometimes he worries he isn’t doing enough. Whatever- if his crew appreciates him for who he is, that’s enough.

He, like Cleo and Scar, has a big pocket watch he keeps on his belt. He has a knife at the ready and a sword necklace he got as a gift from Impulse. He treasures it dearly.

Everyone has their place in the crew, and together they are the Canaries. Favored by the King and thrusted upon the opportunity of a lifetime, their only goal now is to show they can do the task given despite how crazy it sounds.

They’re determined to give it all.

But what will happen if their target was right in front of them all this time? Will they ever see him the same way again?

Or were they nothing but playthings?

The prologue, ‘Hide & Seek’, is coming soon. Ready or not, here they come.

#the sea prince au #limited life #limited life smp #traffic series #trafficblr #life series #rendog #mumbo jumbo #ldshadowlady #lizzie ldshadowlady #zombie cleo #zombiecleo #goodtimeswithscar #bdubs #bdoubleo100 #clockers #limited life clockers

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kaihuntrr · 8 months

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Chapter One: A Canary’s Song

We meet the main cast of the story; the Canaries!

To read the tumblr version, check under the read more!

The sea was dangerous, but humans could conquer the seas.

Ships hardened by metal and wielding powerful equipment could ward off the beasts, and each day the waters were tamed by powerful hunters. Hunters welcomed people from all classes, sorting themselves into different crews and factions with their own requirements and status. There were hunters who killed frequently, taking down multiple smaller beasts, hunters who took on larger and more imposing beasts but had a lesser kill count, and hunters who strove for a middle ground. None of these hunters or factions could compare to those in the employ of the king himself.

The Canaries were one such group of hunters.

“Beast in sight!”

From the waters rose a gigantic turtle-like beast with a set of large jaws and spikes that lined the edge of its scutes. Its yellow eyes pierced out of the oceanic depths, focusing on the hunters as it let out a bellowing roar. It swam towards the hunting ship as its flippers propelled the beast forward, creating waves that slapped against the side of the ship, rocking it back and forth.

A man with raven black hair and a mustache observed the creature with his telescope as it barreled forward, “It’s a class B, boneback! Aim for the exposed flesh, watch out for the scutes!” As if on command, the scutes on the boneback’s shell rose from its back and fired, creating dents on the ship’s metal plating.

Mumbo raised an eyebrow and chuckled, turning to his captain, Grian, a man with dirty blonde hair with a hat holding three parrot feathers. “It’s going to keep firing. I think we tire it out, then we strike back.”

His captain smiled in return, nodding, “Sounds like a plan. Alright everyone, you heard Mumbo, let’s get this ship moving!” The sounds of engines roared, shifting from a slower idle state to a higher gear. The whole ship came to life with the ground rumbling under them. The boneback growled as the hunters sped across the sea.

Grian turned to his brother, Joel, “Hm, ‘might be best if we get those cannons going.”

“I know that, Grian,” Joel rolled his eyes, noticing Scar loading his crossbow from the crow’s nest. Even without direction, the man knew what he was going to do. Joel grinned, calling up to him, “Give ‘em what you got, Scar! Join in on the fun!”

Scar’s smile was infectious, his excitable energy reaching the crew on the deck, “I have you covered! Hawk-eye!” Iron bolts shot out from the weapon, striking the boneback’s shell as it groaned in pain.

“I got an idea!” a voice piped up over the noise the fight caused.

Bdubs hefted a barrel in his arms, heaving as he attempted to run along the deck. He nearly stumbled, almost lost his footing before another set of hands joined him on the barrel. Cleo, one of his best friends, gave her crewmate a grin as she raised an eyebrow. “A stupid one, I’d bet.”

The white haired man grinned as the two hoisted the barrel of gunpowder together, their crewmates watching on. Cleo glanced at Lizzie, “Turn the ship around, Lizzie! We need a clear shot for this sucker.”

A woman with long, pink hair stood at the helm, locking eyes with Cleo as she gave her a shrug and a smile. Lizzie rolled her eyes, “On it!” The boat rocked as Lizzie made a sharp turn, barrels and boxes sliding towards the opposite side with the engine roaring.

Joel, Grian, and Mumbo were mounted on the cannons. Joel grinned manically, “Fire!”

The boneback groaned as the firearms began to hit the fragile spots of its shell, too exposed with all its scutes gone. It tucked its head into its shell before slamming against the hull. A loud resonating noise rumbled across the ship as the metal dented. The ship dashed through the water, the boneback growled as the hunters glanced to see its head duck out, turning around and charging towards them.

The boneback roared, mouth opening wide as Cleo and Bdubs threw the barrel into its open maw.

Bdubs pulled a gun out from his belt, grinning, “Got you now, beast!”

“Get down!” Martyn’s sudden shout alerted the crew as he ran from the lower deck. Bdubs raised his gun in the air.

Martyn’s eyes focused on the beast and he grinned. He dashed towards Cleo and Bdubs, hearing the beast. Martyn crashed into Bdubs, taking the shot at the boneback while the white haired man was still in shock.

The explosion was bright and blinding. There was a split second for the Canaries to shut their eyes and brace for the blow, the loud bang filling their ears. The shock rattled the ship sideways and their ears rang with white noise.

The beast cried out in pain, smoke and blood pouring out of its gaping maw. Its body jerked before collapsing. There was a brief moment of white noise lingering in the hunters’ ears before the sounds of the calm ocean flooded back in.

Lizzie had shut off the engine, the gentle swaying waves brushed against the sides of the ship. “Tie it up,” Lizzie said, “Let’s head home!”

Joel placed his hand on Cleo’s back, “Come on, Cleo. Help me out with the rope; tie it to the ship.” They nodded, grabbing several thick ropes and handing them to Joel, the man jumping down on the beast’s head to wrap the ropes around its neck.

He fastened the ropes together with a hard knot before approaching the cracked soft shell. Bonebacks would use their hard scutes to fire, but once they’re out of scutes the shell was entirely soft and exposed to cracks. Joel saw a small, malformed scute near the boneback’s head and pried it out with his sword.

Bdubs groaned. He threw his arms up, tapping his foot as he huffed at the blonde who knocked him over, “Aw come on, Martyn! What was that for?!”

Martyn chuckled, scratching his head with a shrug, “Sorry ‘dubs, the adrenaline rush got to me.” Bdubs rolled his eyes, clearly not amused, but Martyn sure was.

Joel used the rope to climb back, the scute pinned between his arm and chest. Cleo grabbed his arm and pulled him back onto the ship.

“Thanks.” Joel smiled, swinging his legs over the ship’s railing and landing on the deck. She had already finished tying the ropes to the back of the ship, allowing them to drag the carcass behind them. Cleo nodded in return, a small smile crept up on their face.

Mumbo elbowed Martyn’s shoulder, “Say that when you were more involved in the fight.” He straightened out his red cravat, dusting off any dirt on his clothes. “Where even were you?”

Joel approached the commotion, holding the scute. “Why are we suddenly questioning him? Martyn contributed to the fight at least.” Bdubs rolled his eyes.

“But that was my plan!” Bdubs crossed his arms. Martyn patted the man’s back, Bdubs sighed.

“You’ll get it next time, promise!” Martyn looked at Bdubs, smiling as the man furrowed his eyebrows. He was sorry! He didn’t want to miss out on a fight. Martyn scratched the back of his head, “I was just… busy.”

Bdubs glanced at Martyn, raising an eyebrow, “Busy with what?”

Martyn let out a noncommittal hum in response, eyes darting away from the crew. Grian smirked, raising his eyebrows, “Busy on the lower deck, lost in his head daydreaming about him again.” Martyn’s face flushed burning red, raising his hands defensively raising his hands. There was a glint in everyone’s eyes. Martyn hesitated, thinking of something to say, “I- I wasn’t! I was–”

Grian laughed, causing Martyn’s face to flush an even brighter red. Joel gently nudged his shoulder with a grin, “It’s fine, loverboy. We’re going home after this. The king’s expecting us this afternoon, so you’ll see him again.”

See him again.

The thought made Martyn’s heart do all sorts of backflips. Something about him was so- so enchanting, Martyn couldn’t stand the wait to see him again. What he could stand to wait for, however, was his crew openly joking about this. He loved them, but they got on his nerves sometimes.

Martyn covered his face, letting out a sigh, “Joel– ugh. This isn’t funny.”

Martyn could hear Lizzie laugh from the rear end of the ship, “It’s funny to us, Martyn! You get so worked up over it too!” It couldn’t be that obvious, could it?

Martyn’s mysterious ‘him’ was the beautiful Scott Major.

Scott always greeted the hunters with a smile, welcoming and encouraging them to talk about their month on the savage seas. He was a friendly, bubbly guy, and his tavern was always open to those who wanted a place to drink and have a good time.

How Scott acted towards Martyn, however, was a different story.

Scott loved to talk to the Canaries, but to Martyn? Scott winked, playfully nudged, and said things Martyn knew he wouldn’t say to anyone else unless Scott thought they were attractive. God, Scott was flirting with him, and he was falling for every single line.

Martyn adored Scott right back, doing everything he could to flirt back or to talk to him, and this back and forth has been going on for months.

Maybe it was the way Martyn was constantly smiling at the thought of him, or how much his heart raced whenever they came close to shore that made his feelings so obvious to the others. It was probably a bad idea to fall for a guy adamant about remaining on land, but Martyn, mostly, didn’t care.

Martyn shook his head. ‘Best to think of something else for now,’ he told himself, ‘Don’t even think of telling the others how, for a good chunk of time now, you’ve been drawing him in your sketchbook.’

Nope. Definitely do not tell them that.

What were they doing now? Oh, right. They were going home. Meeting the king.

Every end of the month, the Canaries would return with trophies from beasts they’d previously slain and the body of their final hunt. Trophies were to be rewarded with gold and wealth, while the bodies were used for further research into weaponsmithing.

The hunters dispersed into their little groups to relax as the ship sailed back to the kingdom, the engine humming along the waters. Martyn took a glance at Mumbo, writing in his journal. “Writing the gunpowder barrel trick into your notes?” Martyn asked.

Mumbo perked up, snapping his journal shut as he finished, “Of course. Can’t have any killing method go undocumented.” Mumbo was the ship’s analyst and mechanic, and someone Martyn often found himself around. The two would have a calm air of silence as they respectively wrote or drew in their own notebooks. Mumbo had the specific task of documenting the Canaries’ kills and ways they did it, along with any significant change in patterns or behaviors the monsters exhibited. It was always better to be safe than sorry.

Mumbo hummed, “Though it might be best if we don’t use that often. A whole barrel of gunpowder? Just wasted like that? There has got to be a better way to conserve resources...” His eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed as he rested his hand on his chin, mumbling away under his breath.

Best not to disturb him. Martyn tilted his head away, signaling to Mumbo that he’d be leaving. Mumbo’s eyes focused on him for a moment and he nodded.

Cleo, Scar, and Bdubs were off on one side of the deck talking about something, their laughter loud and hearty. Joel had joined Lizzie by the steering wheel, leaving Grian by himself to stare out into the ocean. Martyn sighed. Grian shouldn’t be left staring at the ocean for too long.

He approached the captain, a small smile on his face, “Grian?” he called out just before he got there. The captain flinched, turning around to look at Martyn with his shoulders raised before a sigh escaped him and he deflated. Martyn tilted his head, “Am I.. intruding?”

Grian shook his head, “No, you’re fine. Just… thinking.” Grian tried to force a smile, but his shoulders dropped as he stared outwards again.

Martyn glanced at Grian as he stood beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder, “Thinking about… Jimmy?”

Jimmy Solidarity, Grian and Joel’s older brother, was dead. Been dead for a while.

Martyn silently wished he had been there for them when it happened, but he hadn’t been. It was a difficult situation and he hoped he was doing good by being there for them now.

Grian crossed his arms, “It’s just not right. He can’t be dead. It’s just…”

It was commonplace for Grian to be a bit of a trickster, impressively cunning with an edge of playfulness on the side. He was a fun-loving guy, surprising the crew with pranks and messing with them using jokes and mischievously taking items from a person before returning it with a snarky remark. So seeing this side of their captain hurt. They’d all seen glimpses of it, but Martyn was sure he’d seen more of Grian’s pain than anyone else, save for maybe Joel and Lizzie.

“The ocean’s demons took so much from us,” Martyn hissed, his eyes narrowed. Grian sighed. Martyn turned to his captain, “We’ve all lost people out here.”

Too many important people die out in these waters.

Martyn rubbed Grian’s back, “You’ll find the monster that did it, I know you will.”

Grian shot a glance at Martyn, a smile tugging at his face. “We’ll find out what beast did it, and tear its heart out.” That was a promise.

“And you will,” Martyn nodded, raising an eyebrow, “Leave some of the beast open for the rest of us, though. Everyone on this ship wants a piece out of it too.”

Grian let out a snort, nudging Martyn away with a grin, “We’ll try, but no promises.” Martyn rolled his eyes. At least he was feeling better now. The two shared a laugh as they looked out over the open sea together.

Something caught Martyn’s eyes. He raised his hand to his forehead to block out the sun from hitting his eyes as he leaned in over the railing. “Patrol ships. We should hand this haul over to them.”

Grian nodded, placing his hands on the sides of his mouth to shout down to the crew still on deck, “Untie the beast! They’ll take it from here.”

The whirr of engines rolled closer as the ships approached. The sounds died down as the vessels slowed upon seeing the hunting ship. Two ships sailed in from either side, hailing to the Canaries. “Oh, hunters! What joy it is to see you all alive and well,” the captain on the right beamed, “Wretched thing you got back there!”

“You know it! This isn’t even the biggest we’ve fought,” Joel grinned with a smug look on his face. He shrugged, “Or the most dangerous.”

The captain nodded, “Ah. Your ship must be all tuckered out for the month, then.”

“All tuckered out and ready for proper repairs,” Joel nodded back. He looked at the body of the boneback, “We’re turning in now and getting ready for the next month. I’m sure those researchers are going to enjoy dissecting this one. You can handle taking this back, right?” He gestured to the creature.

The captain laughed, “Ay, I’ll bet! It must be proper beaten then, with you lot being the king’s hunters and all.”

The Canaries were proud hunters. On top of being hunters personally employed by the king, they were out on the wild seas most of the time, so they always brought home many trophies within the span of a month.

“We’ll take it from here, lads.” The captain gave a small salute towards Joel.

The captain looked at the sky, checking the time, “Judging by the sun’s spot in the sky, the king’s court should be over in a couple of hours, so you made it just in time. Welcome home, Canaries!”

The two ships sailed past the Canaries and tied the carcass of the boneback to their stern, sailing away with it. The Canaries’ ship’s engine shut off as the sails came down, the wind blowing inland. Lizzie maneuvered the ship, steering it towards the main gates. Joel approached Martyn and Grian, who smiled upon his arrival.

Mumbo approached where Martyn, Grian, and Joel were standing by the railing, his face scrunched up as he watched the body of the beast get dragged away. “I was looking through my notes earlier.” He opened his journal and flipped to the page for the turtle-like monster. It was full of notes and scribbles of its anatomy, weak points, size charts, and some illegible handwritten notes. Mumbo pointed at one of the notes, “It says here that bonebacks only attack in warmer weathers. It’s the beginning of autumn,” he fidgeted with his notebook, “So this boneback is far too active for this time of year, it’s supposed to be preparing for hibernation.”

Right, winter was on its way. Once the ice freezes over island shores, hunters were to remain on land until the ice thawed and the temperature no longer deathly cold. Those were always the weirdest months. No salty sea air, no adrenaline-inducing monster fights, none of that. Only the cold weather, snowfall, and the chance to catch up on sleep. Other hunters enjoyed the winter because of it, engaging in their own hobbies or going off to do anything else, but not Martyn. Martyn would rather be out there on the waters fighting monsters than being stuck on an island for months! Hunting to him was like an itch to be satisfied, and not hunting made the itch unbearable.

One thought lingered in his mind, however; what if he spent the winter with Scott?

Scott definitely enjoyed his company, and did constantly tease Martyn about his lacking presence in his life. It could be possible. It’d give him something to do other than sulk around or continue to train.

Hunting was an essential part of his life, he didn’t know who he was without it. Hunting made him alive. It gave him a passion. His parents raised him into being the best hunter, and he hoped it showed.

Martyn’s eyes darted around until he noticed Mumbo waving at him. “Martyn? Martyn, are you listening?”

Martyn blinked rapidly, shaking his head, “Wha– sorry, I wasn’t. I remember you mentioning the boneback strikes in warmer waters?”

Mumbo tilted his head and hummed. He glanced at his journal, his eyebrows furrowed as he frowned. “It’s worrying. Maybe it’s a change in territory location, or new behavior in general. We’ll have to look out for these types of changes. I’m not sure what it means yet.” He closed his journal, shrugging.

Monsters act weird all the time. They’re monsters.

It’s hard to understand what isn’t supposed to be understood. Maybe it’s some weird behavior quirk, or maybe it's… but why wouldn’t they just attack the ship instead of sending monsters? Martyn waved the thought away.

—————

The ship rocked slowly as they passed through the stream, Martyn was with Lizzie as she held the steering wheel. It had been a comfortable ride without any monster attacks. The beasts live in the salty deep ocean, so there was nothing dangerous here, nothing but fish for people to catch and eat. Pure bliss.

Lizzie looked at Martyn, “Do you have any plans for winter?”

Martyn paused. He did think of spending time with Scott, but he didn’t ask yet. He shook his head, “No, not really. I was hoping I could just sleep the whole winter away, hibernate or something.” He shrugged, “...Maybe I’ll ask Scott out or something. It’s been eating at me.”

Lizzie let out a little chuckle. Martyn blushed and crossed his arms. She smiled at him, “You should! Sooner is better than later.” Martyn was silent, unsure of how to answer. Lizzie raised an eyebrow at him, a small blush rising to her cheeks, “I crushed on Joel for a while before he confessed to me. Maybe Scott’s waiting for you to make the first move.”

“Is- is he? No- no, no that’d be stupid,” Martyn blushed. He could hear Lizzie’s laugh. He looked away, “I- I’m not- I’m not sure I’m ready yet.” He shook his head with a sigh.

“I understand. Things like this are a serious commitment.” Lizzie looked at her engagement ring.

Martyn felt all warm and fuzzy whenever Lizzie or Joel showed off their rings. They were planning on getting married soon, the date wasn’t set but they were planning it during the winter. That was probably why she asked Martyn if he was doing anything. He didn’t dwell on it.

Lizzie glanced down to where Joel was talking to Scar and Bdubs before their eyes made contact. Joel grinned and waved at her, causing Lizzie to give a small wave back with a little giggle.

She continued to stare at her ring then looked at Joel again. A wistful sigh escaped her, Lizzie catching Martyn off guard with a quick hug, “Don’t rush it. There’s going to be a time and place when both of you will be ready to take the world on together, you just need to wait for the right moment.”

While Lizzie loved to join in on the teasing, the advice she’d give was a constant reassurance.

Martyn placed his hand on top of Lizzie’s. “Thank you, Liz.”

“Anytime,” Lizzie grinned, “It looks like we’re here!”

Before them was a huge gate, walls adorning the sides as layers of steel and nets lowered to provide an entrance to the hunters. They could see the sprawling port town in front of them, and far from here, past the forests and mountains, was the kingdom proper.

The town was nothing too spectacular. It had concrete walls and flooring, and buildings made with different types of stone and wood stood near the entrance. Market stalls were set up in various places of the entrance as the town went further and further in. A forest separated the town from the castle town and rivers sprawled out into the waters.

Martyn glanced at Lizzie as she gave him a smirk. “Can’t leave him waiting, can you?”

They were here.

The ship was docked to one of the ports. Scar laid down the gangplank to connect them to solid ground once more. Scar grinned, spreading his arms out to the crowd, “We have returned!”

The citizens of the port lit up in cheers as they disembarked the ship. Martyn breathed a sigh of relief. Once again, they had made it back in one piece, as always.

Grian approached Martyn, jerking his head towards the town, “Go ahead. We got things covered here. The carriage should be around soon, and we’ll have the others lift the trophies.”

“Get out of here, loverboy!” Joel laughed, giving Martyn a push from the gangplank.

Martyn can hear the other Canaries shouting at him, all friendly and encouraging, but stupidly embarrassing for him. “Go on, Martyn! Tell him we said hi!” “Kiss him already!” “Don’t be stupid!”

Martyn rolled his eyes, fully aware of the blush on his face. “Alright, alright! Jeez!” he laughed, shaking his head as he began a run towards the tavern he and his huntermates were all too familiar with.

He wanted to hear Scott’s laugh again. See his eyes again. See his smile. He wanted to see Scott.

He can’t wait to see Scott again.

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