Imagine if Sunny Day Jack was a NSFW platformer game instead of a NSFW visual novel.
Content Warning: This post is full of smut with a sprinkle of yandere horror on top for a bit of spice. I know it goes without saying with a title and opening line like that, but I like to cover my bases.
You know about NSFW platformers, right? The MC runs around doing the usual platforming gameplay stuff, but whenever they get hit, the enemies have sex with them. I've never been a big fan of the implied dubious/non-consent aspect of those kind of games, plus there's some mixed signals here. I mean, getting hit is what you try to avoid in those games, yet the fail state becomes the reason why we play NSFW platformers in the first place. Even without the discomfort of dubious consent, that seems kind of backwards to me.
I know that we're here to watch the MC have sex in kinky creative ways when playing a NSFW platformer, but I think the concept can be improved. Enthusiastic consent makes everything a hell of a lot sexier you know. Why not have the game be centered around a scenario where MC is just as eager as the player to go down to pound town?
Instead of enemies being the source of the lewdness like usual NSFW platformer games and inserting dubious/non-consent, the player can instead choose to summon Jack at any time for some enthusiastically consenting spicy fun. Consent is baked into his character, and we all know that he's always ready to show his sunshine lots of love anywhere at any time. It can even be the game's healing mechanic.
Yes, I know it might lessen the challenge of a platformer game when you can heal yourself at any time at the press of a button, but the point of NSFW platformer games is just having an excuse to watch the MC get railed. I prefer my thinly veiled excuse for sexy times to be consenting, thank you very much.
Jack could even use the various level settings and backgrounds as props for different animations. He could also have different initial commentary depending on how injured the player is.
Jack: Oh my gosh, Sunshine! Don't worry, I'll help you feel better right away. Just relax and let me take care of you.
Jack: Oh dear, that looks like it really hurts. Leave it to me, Sunshine, I'll make sure you forget all about it in no time at all.
Jack: My poor, Sunshine. Here, let me kiss that booboo all better for you. And I think this spot could use a kiss too. And here too. Can't forget here either...
Heck, the player can summon Jack even when their life bar is full.
Jack: Sunshine, you don't seem to be injured. Why did you call...? Oh... I see, you're not hurt, you're just aching for my love right now, aren't you?*amused, throaty chuckle* That's okay, you know I'm always ready to make you feel absolutely amazing. Come here.
Jack: Oh? Not ready to say goodbye yet, Sunshine? *chuckle* That's okay. You know I'll never get tired of showing you just how much I love you. We can make love as many times as you like.
And other such commentary, plus smutty comments during the act itself as Jack heals MC thoroughly with his love~!
The cutscenes don't necessarily have smut, but a lot of flirting and banter between Jack and MC. Mostly just bonding as a couple and enjoying each other's company for some fun character interaction. Also he gives tips on beating the upcoming boss.
The yandere part comes in when MC loses all their health bar. Instead of a game over, while MC is unconscious on the ground, the screen starts to glitch and Jack's sprite appears, now distorted and terrifying. The background itself starts to warp in unsettling ways, growing darker and the colors more muted.
Jack: *glitchy and angry* I know you wanted to deal with things yourself, Sunshine... but I just can't stand back and watch these monsters hurt you anymore.
Cue creepypasta-esque distortions and the horrors.
Then boop, everything pops back to normal in a snap, the screen cleared of enemies, and MC slowly wakes up, confused. Jack, now back to normal, kneels beside them, helping them up as he cuddles them close. He's a bit shaken up and clingy.
Jack: Easy now, Sunshine. I know you want to get back up and try again as soon as possible, but you need to rest and let me heal you first. That's it... just let me take care of you. I'll make you feel so, so good.
Jack: You've worked so hard for so long and you've been hurting so much. I might not be able to fight in your place, but I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe. I love you so much, Sunshine.
There's probably no lives system, not unless dying too many times makes Jack totally snap to yandere mode, resulting in a bad end. Though, really the "bad" end is him convincing MC to abandon their quest to keep making love to him endlessly. It's just an excuse for more sexy times with some yandere spice on top.
In that case, each time Jack goes yandere mode, he's a bit scarier and kills off more enemies in the level. Like the first time it's just the screen they're on, then each time spreads the effect beyond the surrounding screen. It'd leave for some creepy moments of MC running through an empty world until they find enemies again.
Of course, Jack is clingier each time he heals MC back to full health, with more possessive, needy, and downright desperate dialogue until finally he can't take it anymore.
Jack might be able to heal MC at any time. He might be able to rescue them when they're in trouble, but he just can't watch them hurt themselves anymore.
Jack: I'm sorry, but this is for your own good, Sunshine.
At this point Jack takes them into a pocket zone that they can't escape from. Maybe Cloudy Town themed with some faintly warped colorful scenery. The bad end is just him convincing MC to forget about continuing the quest. After all the pain they've been through, they just decide to give in. Endless sex with their lover, even when he's in scary yandere mode is soooo much better than the pain of dying repeatedly after all.
Jack: There now... isn't this better? You don't have to hurt anymore. You don't have to fight anymore. All you need to do is feel. Feel the way my hands caress you. It feels so good, doesn't it? You don't have to hurt or ache anymore. You can just focus on my hands, my lips... my cock...
Jack: Oh, Sunshine. My precious, perfect, beautiful Sunshine. You don't have to worry about fighting anymore. Just forget about all about that silly quest. Forget about anything else. None of it matters anymore. All you need to do is focus on me and how I make you feel.
Jack: That's it, Sunshine. Take my cock, just like that. Oh God... It feels so good. It... it's better this way, isn't it? We don't have to leave if you don't want to. It can just be you and me. It can just be me pounding my cock into your pretty holes... kissing every inch of your aching body... making you scream my name. I can make you feel like this forever.
Hmm... really, Jack's dialogue might be a lot more unhinged, yandere, and demanding than that by this point in a bad end, but eh, you get the gist. Regardless, MC makes it clear to the player that at this point they're done fighting and only want to feel good with Jack now.
Naturally the good end also involves sexy times with Jack. Victory sexy times. I mean, this is a NSFW game. Sexy time scenes are the entire point. And you know Jack will want to celebrate his sunshine's victory the best way he knows how - a gratuitous full screen CG sex scene.
Contrasting with the bad end, the good end is softer, more loving.
Jack: You did it, Sunshine! Oh, I knew you could.
Jack: Now that you've saved the day, it's time for some well earned rest. You can relax and let me take care of you from now on. *seductively* After all, a hero like you deserves your reward, don't you think?
Jack: That's it. Oh, Sunshine... my brave, mighty hero. You're so beautiful, so courageous. You're so wonderful.
Of course there'd be more exchanges between MC and Jack in the dialogue. Banter makes the intimacy more fun after all. This post is mostly just ideas from off the top of my head as they come to me.
Speaking of endings, I can think of at least one secret one in this kind of game. It's mostly for the hardcore gamer crowd who likes a challenge. In this case, if the player never gets hit and never summons Jack for sexual healing, the ending scene is a just a bit different. Jack still appears during cutscenes to banter with MC and encourage them like usual, but he gets just a little pent up by the end of each level. Maybe even dropping hints how they shouldn't be afraid to rest sometimes, and he's always ready to show them just how much he loves them.
By the time the player beats the game, Jack is just ready to burst. He's just so messy and needy and overwhelming MC with praise as he gives them their reward.
Jack: Oh fuck, Sunshine. I need you so, so badly. I can't wait anymore. Please... please...!
Oh, also, any enemies on the screen probably stop what they're doing to watch while Jack is healing MC, so we get bonus exhibition kink. It might even result in some different positions/animations as Jack intentionally puts on a show when there's other characters around to see. And maybe some leaning on the 4th wall since he's showing off sexy times to the player.
Knowing Alice, she wouldn't be summoning Jack for sexy fun healing times unless there were no enemies on screen. She'd summon him even when fully healed sometimes too, since his love heals more than just her body~
If an enemy projectile would hit the MC while they're in "healing" mode, the attacks are deflected. Like it gets interrupted by Jack's supernatural powers with some yandere hints or something. Or all enemies freeze completely, attacks disappear, and everything becomes a show of Jack healing MC. I dunno. This is just a bunch of silly ideas I'm giving off the cuff. I'd have to put more thought into the details if I was to make this game a reality.
If I had the spoons to program and animate a 2D platformer, I'd be tempted to take a crack at this kind of super self-indulgent smutty game, or at least make some mock screenshots. Of course, I'd have to use Alice as the MC, since there's no way I could create every permutation of MC if they have a sprite visible on screen for sexy times.
Hmm... maybe a character select screen to choose between Alice, Arthur, or Ace... Though that'd still be a ridiculous amount of different sprites to animate in various positions of sexy times with Jack.
Sadly, since I simply lack the spoons for such an undertaking, the world will just have to settle for this ramble. Maybe I'll inspire someone to take a crack at it. Maybe I'll just write a short story full of game tropes and shameless smutty OPT indulgence someday. Who knows?
In any case, I hope you enjoyed this spicy game concept of Jack repeatedly seducing MC while they try to save the world or something in a video game platformer.
Been a while since I did a ramble, hasn't it? Chronic illness life do be like that sometimes. Still not up for doing much, but I did have a thought that I wanted to share while I could scrape up a little energy.
Ever notice that we haven't gotten any sort of kids media with clowns in it for the past decade or so? That's thanks to the whole creepy clown craze that bled over into real world pranks and sightings that totally tainted the family friendly image of clowns. It's why McDonalds quietly retired its mascot Ronald McDonald despite how iconic he's been for decades.
Imagine if a similar incident happened in the world of SWWSDJ. LambsWork, being a corporation focused heavily on brand image, much like McDonalds, decided that clowns were not a good fit as mascots for kids anymore. Companies tend to override creative freedoms for the sake of brand safe appeal. An example would be how Hasbro decided that Celestia should be called a princess instead of a queen since queens are almost always evil in kids media.
So now in the SunnyTime Crew Show reboot, Sunny Day Jack and the rest of the crew aren't "clowns," but some other brand safe thing. They still have the makeup and colorful clothes, but their reboot redesigns were made with minimizing their clown roots in mind. They're just cool and colorful adults teaching kids how to be good.
The SunnyTime Crew are probably just called "the crew" or "crewmates" or some other cool and quirky name. I'm not sure what word they'd swap out for "clown," if anything. I'd have to give it some thought when I can scrape up more spoons.
Then again, there might not even be a need to come up with a new name. The SunnyTime Crew are humans after all, not ponies with cutie marks. Besides, there's no need to complicate things with actual lore or whatever, right? I mean it's just a show made for really young kids, so why bother putting too much thought into it when they don't even respect their adult consumers? Just show bright colors and fast cuts between shots to keep the attention of the ankle biters, with some tacked on good morals at the end of the episode, and call it good.
It's not like LambsWork Productions is reviving the SunnyTime Crew Show out of any respect for the original show or the audience. They just had this IP lying around collecting dust that did well 40 years ago. Just feed what they have into some generative AI model and go with whatever it spits out and see if it actually makes them any money. They'll just sand off any potential rough edges that might make a modern audience clutch their pearls.
It's not like the there are still fans around to feel nostalgic for the show and complain about it being bastardized in the reboot. LambsWork did a good job scrubbing all traces of the original SunnyTime Crew Show after all. Without any evidence, any memories will be hazy and easy to gaslight away with a good PR team.
Imagine if the reason Ian decided to cheat was out of revenge because MC cheated on him. Or at least, he was convinced that they did.
Yup, it's another fun and silly what if scenario for SDJ, and it's about Ian's affair again.
Okay maybe not fun and silly, but I enjoyed writing it.
Sorry not sorry for bullying you all the time like this, Ian. Can I help it that the biggest mistake of your life is such a good source for drama, angst, and schadenfreude?
Now, whether or not MC actually did cheat or how easy it would be to convince Ian would depend on the MC.
Take my girl Alice for example. As I've said in the past, she would never cheat on her partner. Being on the aroace spectrum and only being comfortable with touch from people she cares about and trusts, this would be a a hard sell for Ian to buy into.
But not impossible.
Ian is a very insecure person. He's felt jealous of other people all his life, feeling unworthy and never matching any standards society sets for men. However, he never felt as jealous or insecure of anyone like he did towards Shaun. He couldn't help but constantly compare the two of them, always seeing Shaun as superior to him in every way.
His biggest fear was that one day Alice would see it too.
Oh Ian tried to get along with Shaun, but it always seemed to end in disaster. Alice was so close with Shaun, so comfortable with him in their shared living space. Seeing the two of them sitting all cozy together on the sofa watching TV at their place left him feeling like the third wheel in his own relationship sometimes.
Ian knew full well that their friendship was platonic. He knew Alice would never cheat on him. He knew that he was the one who made her eyes light up when he entered a room, even if he didn't really understand why.
But that didn't silence the little voice that whispered at the back of his mind and said that he wasn't good enough.
Shaun and Alice made so much more sense as a couple to Ian, and that thought drove him crazy.
It was this irrational fear that one day Alice might fall in love with Shaun that pushed Ian into getting an apartment with her. He felt so guilty about his jealous thoughts. He trusted Alice, really, he did! She was his partner. He knew she would never do anything to hurt him intentionally.
It was Shaun and his smooth charm that Ian didn't trust. That's all.
Things got better when they lived together. Ian and Alice were finally having sex. They were able to really plan for the future and things were going well for them. Sure, the apartment was a bit pricier than they'd like while the college dorms came as part of the tuition, but living together was worth it!
Even if Shaun came to visit for movie nights or they went to see him at the dorms, Ian could take comfort in the fact that at the end of the night, it would be just Ian and Alice alone in their home, in her bed.
Transferring to his dream college was a dream come true, but Ian couldn't help but fear about what would happen to their relationship over long distance. He could never say it out loud, but he feared Shaun and Alice getting closer while he was away. He could only bear to leave after getting her to promise that she would remain faithful, to wait for him to come back, to not forget him and how much they love each other.
The first few weeks were so rough on Ian. He would call and text Alice as often as he could, often falling asleep on phone calls or video chats with her.
But over time, Ian made new friends. He made his mark on his new school. He became popular, and that led to a slippery slope. His new friends were the partying type, and he got swept away by all the excitement. They were also so much more experienced than he was. They had so many relationships over the years, loved and lost, and had tons of mind-blowing sex all the time!
All Ian had ever known was Alice and his porn ecchi collection.
So Ian received lots of advice from these friends. He didn't agree with all of it, and at times it made him uncomfortable, but how could he contradict them? They were his friends. He was finally making friends. A few rough spots in beliefs and opinions were just part of friendship... right?
These new friends were much more casual about sex and far more cynical. They encouraged Ian to get out and "live a little." They had a lot of influence over him, so if they leaned a bit more on the angle that "long-distance relationships always lead to cheating," they might give Ian reason to second-guess things.
This is especially true if his future affair partner, who is a very manipulative person, decided it would be entertaining to convince Ian that his partner was cheating on him. After all, in an alternate what if scenario, she convinced him to play a cruel prank on Alice by pretending to cheat.
It wouldn't be easy, but it wouldn't be impossible. Some faked screenshots, maybe some edited photos, and Ian would get "proof" that Alice was "just like all those other cheating bitches."
Ian could get angry. He should get angry. But he doesn't. He just gets very, very sad.
It was stupid of him to believe that things would end up any other way.
Ian will forgive her though. He'll always forgive Alice even if she cheats on him more than once. Even if the affair was going on for a while. Even if it was going on while Alice and Shaun were still roommates, he'll still forgive Alice.
Ian owes Alice so much. He loves her... and he won't ever do better than her. He didn't even think he could get someone half as good as her.
Sadly, Ian can't bring himself to confront Alice. He can't stand the idea of hearing her admit to cheating and betraying his trust. She's been sounding so tired for a while now when they interact. He didn't want to admit it, but clearly she was getting fed up with him. Sure she tries to sound cheerful and happy when they call, but she's not as bubbly as she used to be. She's stressed and at times distant.
Why couldn't things be like they were when they were children? Everything was so much simpler then. They were happier then.
Alice picks up on Ian's somber mood. She comforts him, as always. So many things make her poor boyfriend so sad and down about himself. He's especially self-depreciating that night when they share a call, and nothing she says seems to get through to him.
So Alice is surprised when Ian asks if, hypothetically, she ever thought about being with another person romantically. If so, who?
Though caught off guard, Alice has no problem answering that she has no idea because she's never thought about it. She has only ever thought about Ian that way.
Then what about sex? Ian asks Alice if she ever thought about sleeping with someone else. Real or fictional, if her crush wanted to sleep with her, would she?
Inwardly Ian thinks if it's just sex then it might be easier, more forgivable than an emotionally-driven affair, despite what those screenshots suggested...
The line of questioning makes Alice very uncomfortable. She reiterates that she doesn't have a crush on anyone else, and she doesn't want to sleep with anyone either.
"What's this about, Ian?" Alice can't help but ask. She knows there's more to this. They had conversations like this in the past, back when they were teens, before they ever got together. She made her stance clear that she didn't feel that way about anyone, and eventually only Ian became her exception.
Ian tries to beat around the bush, but things slowly start to unravel. Alice wants to get to the bottom of things and speak plainly about what's on his mind, but he doesn't want to say it. He doesn't want to even think it.
But between the stress of the conversation, some alcohol, and Alice saying something that reminds Ian of the screenshots, it all finally comes out.
"I know about Shaun!" Ian sobs. "You don't have to keep pretending anymore!"
Alice is at first confused, then shocked, then offended and hurt. Ian can't help but lash out after he felt like his wounds were dug into against his will and left bare for all to see, even if the call is only between the two of them.
Ian is angry. He never wanted to believe it, but he saw the "proof" for himself. He knows, he "knows" Alice and Shaun are sleeping together. Her denials even after he sends her the "proof" after dragging this out of him just hurt more. The alcohol doesn't help. He drank before the call and kept drinking his cans of beer during the call, getting more and more inebriated.
Ian couldn't help but drink after being convinced that Alice was cheating on him. It dulled the pain, but also his critical thinking, and made his emotions go out of control.
It's an ugly, ugly fight. Alice can't believe that Ian would think that of her and believe these faked screenshots over her. Moments with Shaun that Ian witnessed are thrown in her face, innocent happy memories tarred with a filthy coating of infidelity. They were "signs," he said, that she was falling in love with Shaun all along.
The conversation is devastating to them both. Although Ian does the most damage, Alice can't help but snap back at him when she's constantly under attack. How could he think that way about her? How could he say such horrible things? Drunk or not, how could he?
Doesn't he know her at all?
The fight just reinforces to Ian the idea that it's all true, but Alice won't admit to it. The conversation just shows him a side of her that he didn't think her capable of. He never would've thought her as someone who could just lie to his face like this and keep lying even when she's been caught.
Ian always did say Alice was a fantastic actress. She was just proving him right.
The two of them are left crushed after the call. Though Ian regrets it in the morning during his hungover, all he can do is just leave her a message saying that he's sorry for fighting with her.
Ian forgives her. He forgives her for all of it... but they can't move forward until she admits the truth and apologizes too.
Alice doesn't pick up the phone. She doesn't go to class that day. She stayed up all night, alone, tucked in a ball and crying her heart out. She can't even go to her friends for comfort, as that would probably just make things worse.
The voice mail he left just leaves her feeling more hurt and conflicted.
Ian doesn't stay alone after the fight that night. He can't. Drunk, lonely, and hurt, he seeks comfort. He goes to his closest friend to vent everything. He stays at her place and cries into her arms all night.
The next morning his friend is so kind to him, making him coffee and helping him nurse his hangover. It's like things used to be with Alice... and Ian starts crying again.
Nothing untoward happened while Ian was drunk, or even in the immediate aftermath while he's hungover. He's just couldn't stand to be alone after what happened. They spend the day together, His friend is so kind, so supportive. She lets him cry on her... just like Alice used to.
Even though that thought just makes Ian cry again, it also shows him that Alice isn't the only one who will dry his tears and hold him when he's feeling miserable. He has someone else on his side, a true and caring friend who showed him the truth behind his romantic relationship.
His friend is so pretty, so kind and lovely. She's everything a geeky dweeb like Ian could ever dream of, a sexy babe straight out of the most fan-service-filled anime. She has been there for him when Alice was not. She's still there with him, even as the hours tick by with no response from Alice.
Ian keeps checking his phone. He keeps waiting for Alice's call. Or a text. Or something. She must've heard his voice mail by now. Alice was never one to let hurt feelings linger. She should've called him by now. Sure they had a fight, which rarely ever happens to them, but she's always the first to come to him and try to make him feel better.
But not this time. There's no call, no text. The voice mail was too harsh a blow when Alice was already so hurt.
Above all else, Alice feels betrayed. The voice mail shows that, even without alcohol to cloud Ian's judgement, he's already made up his mind about her. He's convinced that she cheated, despite everything she has done over the years to earn his trust. She's never lied to him or done anything even remotely like this... so how could he ever think that of her? How could he see her that way?
Looking back, Alice can see the moments she, Ian, and Shaun interacted in a new light, an ugly light. She knew that Ian was insecure, but she didn't realize just how deep it went. She always did everything in her power to reassure him, but it wasn't enough, apparently. They were keeping their relationship mostly private, but she still would kiss Ian and say that she loved him even if other people were watching, including Shaun.
The idea that Ian saw her interactions with Shaun as so much more than they were leaves Alice feeling dirty, as if she did do something wrong. She treated Shaun like one of her siblings, hugging, gently teasing, and even lightly rough housing with him at times. That's all it was.
But Shaun isn't her sibling. These feelings of Ian's are a cold reminder of that fact and the way the world might've seen their relationship.
The screenshots are fake, but that wasn't Ian's only evidence. Warm and happy moments that Alice never considered as anything strange were now tainted. They were dredged up and dyed in toxic colors, given a new context that painted her as someone selfish and insensitive.
Did she do something wrong? Alice struggled to make friends for all of her life. For the longest time, it was only Ian, and eventually that relationship turned romantic.
Was the line between friendship and romance really so easy to cross?
Alice had no experience dating anyone besides Ian. Before Shaun, Ian was her only friend. Was she really crossing lines right in front of her boyfriend's eyes just because simply she didn't know any better? Did her intentions even matter if she was making Ian feel like he couldn't trust her anymore?
Ian was convinced that Alice had fallen for Shaun. She didn't. She couldn't have. She loved Ian. What she felt for Shaun might have been love too, but it was nothing like what she felt for Ian. The love she had for Shaun was gentle, friendly, and wholesome. It was purely platonic and nothing more. Shaun had become like family to her, and she him.
It felt so wrong to be accused of perverting their friendship and violating her relationship with Ian. Shaun would never do that. She would never do that. She loved Ian, and knowing that he believed that she cheated on him gutted her.
Tangled up with all the hurt and sadness were some threads of anger. How could Ian think that way about her? How could he believe these fake screenshots over her? How could he see her actions in the worst light possible?
Eventually, Alice needs to call someone. She considers calling Ian, wanting to somehow fix things, but she worries that will just cause another fight. He's waiting for an apology from her for something she didn't do. Even while sober, he's convinced that she's a cheater.
Alice can't bring herself to reach out to Shaun, or any of the other friends she's made at college. The fight made the very idea taboo.
Fortunately, she has a loving family who will always support her.
Barbie is, to put it mildly, pissed off at Ian. She knew Ian could be dramatic at times, but how could he be so stupid to believe something like that? She breaks apart all the edits of the screenshots within minutes on her computer to show how they were so clearly faked.
Not that it matters of course. Ian's insecurities went beyond doctored screenshots.
Barbie isn't the best at dealing with people. She's direct and can be abrasive, especially when riled up. At this point, she's not going scorched earth on Ian, but she is pissed off at him. It's only because she's busy comforting Alice that she didn't already call Ian up to scream a blue streak in his ear.
Fortunately, Barbie is good at multi-tasking. She can talk to Alice while typing up some choice words to give to Ian, along with the proof that the screenshots were photoshopped.
Not that Ian sees the proof. Not yet. Seeing Barbie's name pop up on his phone along with an all caps insult is all the reason he needs to mute his conversation with her.
He'll deal with her later. Ian likes Barbie, but she can be a bit much, even on the best of days, and this day is anything but. He'll read the texts later... when he's doing better.
The lack of response from Alice troubles Ian. Shouldn't she have called by now? If Barbie is on his case then Alice must've told her sister about their fight.
What did Alice tell Barbie? Whatever it was, it pissed Barbie off. It tempts Ian to look at the texts, but the insults chase him away and he mutes her again.
Fortunately Ian has his friend to take his phone away and cut through his spiraling thoughts. He's been waiting for Alice's call for hours and that isn't good for him. He shouldn't expect Alice to own up to cheating, she says. Cheaters rarely ever admit the truth unless they're presented with the evidence.
It really shows what type of person Alice is that she'd keep trying to gaslight Ian even after getting caught, the friend bemoans. What an awful partner she is. Ian doesn't deserve to be treated that way. He deserves to be with someone loyal, someone who is supportive and not a two-faced liar.
Yes, the affair partner character is a real piece of work. I still need to come up with a name and description for her, but she's one of those types who thrives off of drama. She marked Ian as an easy target right from the start.
With Ian in a vulnerable state and his "friend" pouring poison in his ears, he clings to her for support. One thing leads to another and her comfort turns into something far less platonic.
All the effort his friend put into wearing down his barriers and blurring the lines between them pays off. Lonely, hurt, and horny, Ian clings onto the comfort she offers him and gives in to the temptation he's struggled to resist these past few months.
What's good for the goose is good for the gander after all. If Alice can have sex with her hot friend, then so can he.
It doesn't hurt that his friend looks like one of those hot, busty yet skinny anime waifus like in his favorite ecchi manga. A geek like him would be crazy to pass up the chance to score with a 10 like her. Even the heroic and chaste every-man protagonist can't resist the charms of a hot girl who's throwing herself at him forever.
Of course, all the excuses in the world don't stop Ian from being slammed with guilt when the post-nut clarity hits.
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. What Alice did is wrong, but what right did Ian have to do the same thing to get back at her? He feels like scum. He has to call her again and apologize.
Maybe if Ian confesses his sins then Alice will finally confess hers. Then maybe they can forgive each other and wash all of this away and everything will be fine. Everything will be fixed.
Of course, that's not what happens. Between the accusation and Ian confessing to cheating, the trust is broken between them and Alice is devastated. No matter how much he apologizes, even after finding out the screenshots were faked, there's no mending things.
How can they be together if Ian doesn't trust Alice even when she's pleading with him to believe her? How can she trust him when he has sex with someone just to hurt her? He might not admit that was part of it, but the revenge part of that sex is clear, especially since the affair partner was the one who sent him the screenshots in the first place.
Ian still needs that forgiveness and to make amends. Unfortunately, Alice simply doesn't know how they can fix things.
That won't stop Ian from trying though.
So Alice doesn't give Ian a second chance in this timeline. Fortunately, she didn't give herself alcohol poisoning either. Instead she went back to the family home to recover for a while.
There's a bit of distance between Alice and Shaun for a while too. It's awkward hanging out after finding out their closeness led to Ian's paranoia. Fortunately, over time, as Alice heals, she accepts that she didn't do anything wrong. Sadly, it's not long after that before Shaun has to move away to pursue his own dreams.
The accusations of cheating do leave Alice more aware of how she might come across to other people. She's a little more guarded when it comes to touch and hugs outside of her family, not wanting to give the wrong idea.
Even if Alice is no longer in a relationship, the idea that someone could misread her intentions leaves her feeling dirty. She doesn't see people that way. How many other people have made these sort of assumptions about her?
Sadly, this means that it'll take a while before Alice is comfortable enough to share some cuddle time with Jack. Though she will offer a comforting hug when he truly needs one. Worries about perception are not enough to erase her compassion for others who need it.
Despite this minor issue, eventually Jack helps Alice to accept that she really didn't do anything wrong. Ian's insecurities and jealousy were his own, and he expressed them in an unhealthy way. She shouldn't let the feelings of others control her and make her feel ashamed of expressing herself and her feelings in healthy and consensual ways. She is a loving person who shines beautiful and bright. It'd be terrible to let other people eclipse her warm and wonderful light.
Of course, that doesn't stop Jack from experiencing his own feelings of jealousy and insecurity when it comes to Shaun and other people in Alice's life. He just knows that there are scummy people out there who will lie to break your trust in someone in order to steal that trust for themselves and use you. He won't think the worst of someone he loves... at least not until his faith in them has been abused to the breaking point.
Jack won't fall for such lies. He wouldn't even back when he was Joseph, or James, or any of the other names he's used in the past.
Hmm... that gives me a thought involving Victoria, but that'll have to wait for another post.
The tragic thing is that Ian and Alice's relationship was always doomed by his insecurities, both in himself and in other people. The affair partner might have manipulated him, but he was the one who ultimately destroyed his relationship with Alice and hurt the one he loved in so many ways.
Hush hush by pcd fits Alice feelings towards Ian after the cheating
Oh man, you are absolutely right. The lyrics fit so well with how Alice feels after finally breaking up with Ian. This is going right into the Sunshine in Hell playlist.
Even the core premise/title of the song is perfect. Alice simply doesn't want to hear from Ian again. Everything is too broken, too painful for her to even think about him anymore. Talking at this point will only lead to further pain, so it'd be best for both of them if they didn't talk anymore.
Not that Ian is going to give in so easily.
Content Warning: toxic relationships, cheating, bullying, fatphobia, and unhealthy obsession, just to name a few. You know the drill. It's another ramble about how messy Ian and Alice's relationship was. You can also check out the plethora of links to past posts on the topic here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
The song itself is also a really good bop. Here's the music video if anyone else wants to give it a listen.
And of course I've got to share these fire lyrics.
Ooh-oh, yeah
Ooh-ooh
I never needed you to be strong
I never needed you for pointing out my wrongs
I never needed pain, I never needed strain
My love for you was strong enough, you should've known
I never needed you for judgment
I never needed you to question what I spent
I never asked for help, I take care of myself
I don't know why you think you got a hold on me
And it's a little late for conversations
There isn't anything for you to say
And my eyes hurt, hands shiver
So look at me and listen to me, because
I don't want to stay another minute
I don't want you to say a single word
Hush, hush, hush, hush
There is no other way, I get the final say, because
I don't want to do this any longer
I don't want you, there's nothing left to say
Hush, hush, hush, hush
I've already spoken, our love is broken
Baby, hush hush
I never needed your corrections
On everything from how I act to what I say
I never needed words, I never needed hurt
I never needed you to be there every day
I'm sorry for the way I let go
On everything I wanted when you came along
But I ain't never beatin', broken not defeated
I know next to you is not where I belong
And it's a little late for explanations
There isn't anything that you can do
And my eyes hurt, hands shiver
So you will listen when I say (Baby)
I don't want to stay another minute
I don't want you to say a single word
Hush, hush, hush, hush
There is no other way, I get the final say, because
I don't want to do this any longer
I don't want you, there's nothing left to say
Hush, hush, hush, hush
I've already spoken, our love is broken
Baby, hush, hush
At first I was afraid, I was petrified
Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side
But I spent oh so many nights, thinking how you did me wrong
But I grew strong, I learned how to carry on
Oh (Hush, hush, hush, hush)
I've already spoken
Our love is broken, baby
Oh no, not I, I will survive
Oh, as long as I know how to love
I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live
I've got all my love to give, but I will survive
I will survive, hey, hey
Hush, hush, hush, hush
There is no other way
I get the final say
I don't want to do this any longer
I don't want you, there's nothing left to say
Hush, hush, hush, hush
I've already spoken, our love is broken
Baby, hush, hush
Alice never needed Ian to be strong or "manly." She loved him for his kind heart and how being with him made her feel safe and loved.
Sadly, she doesn't feel that way anymore.
It's hard to feel safe when your partner cheated on you, even if it was "just" one time. Even if they claim that they will never do it again.
Such claims fall short when a partner already claimed that they would never cheat and that you're the only one they want.
It's hard to feel loved when your partner proves through their actions that you're just not enough to satisfy them, even if it was "only" in a single moment of "weakness."
What happens the next time Ian feels weak, lonely, vulnerable, and tempted?
Trust, when broken, is so difficult to repair.
Alice thought that she understood Ian better than anybody. She believed that the gestures that he made to show that he cared and was looking out for her meant that he was mindful of her feelings and needs. He just... struggled at times. He was so wounded, so consumed by his own self-loathing and trauma that he couldn't see that some things he said or did hurt her. He was lost in his own pain sometimes and needed help to escape it. She needed to be strong for him.
Alice just never thought that she would have to be the strong one so much of the time. Ian was so broken. He needed her and her love to keep himself together. He always said as such. He always said that she was the only one who made him feel loved.
Ian always claimed that Alice was the only one he desired too. It didn't matter that she didn't look skinny yet voluptuous like all of his fictional crushes or the main characters in his favorite manga. What mattered was that she was real and not just a fantasy.
Fantasies are just fantasies after all, and Ian needed someone as kind, loving, and supportive as Alice to love him.
Alice truly believed that he didn't judge her for her looks like so many people did. But it was hard not to feel like he would prefer it if she was different, if she was skinny like a model or the characters in porn ecchi.
Alice has the curves. She's soft and cuddly, with the big boobs and booty like Ian lusts for. She just doesn't have the unrealistically itty bitty waist, skinny legs, or slim arms to go with them.
Ian never complained about her appearance or weight. He was helpful, suggesting changes in diet and means of weight loss because, well, everyone always says that being overweight is unhealthy. Besides, Alice was always bothered by her weight and how people saw her. He understood what it was like to have unattractive features after all. He worked hard to change himself so that others weren't repulsed by him, so he would help her do the same. It's what a good partner does, right?
Alice always saw that as Ian being thoughtful. He was just looking out for her. It didn't mean that he was unsatisfied with her body. He himself told her how he only wanted her, both with love or with lust. A flaw didn't mean that he didn't see her as beautiful and worthy.
The cheating totally destroyed that perception.
The affair partner looked exactly like a porn ecchi star, with the figure that most people would kill for. She was sexually liberated, flirty, and confident. She wore revealing clothes that Alice felt too self-conscious to go out in public in.
Ian swore up and down that he and the affair partner were only friends. He said the her flirty behavior made him uncomfortable at times with how touchy she was, how it only made him miss Alice all the more. Alice believed him when he said that he found other people "weird" and undesirable, unlike her.
Yet Ian still cheated. He still called Alice from the affair partner's bedroom, covered in another woman's lipstick and bite marks. Even as he stank of sex and betrayal, he was in tears, begging for her understanding and forgiveness.
Ian couldn't even explain to himself how it happened. He didn't want to accept
Alice kept overlooking all the problems even as they mounted up over time. It was just what you did in a relationship, wasn't it? Everyone is flawed. Everyone has problems. Heaven knows she has many, which people (especially bullies) had no problem pointing out all the time.
Ian didn't intentionally act judgmental, but he was raised on judgement. Every flaw was thrown into his face by his mother, by his peers, and by society at large. It was impossible for him not to see the flaws in himself and others because of it. Even though he always saw himself as the one with the most flaws of anyone.
It was so hard to call out such behavior when it was so easy to make Ian cry and think the worst of himself. He needed therapy, but was too afraid to seek it out. Alice didn't want to push him. She hoped that her love and support might be enough to help him heal.
Ian never meant to hurt Alice, so she never took it personally. She knew that he didn't want to hurt her.
It was Shaun who helped Alice to see that, intentional or not, it wasn't right that Ian hurt Alice in so many ways.
It's easier to see red flags and toxic behaviors from the outside looking in. It's frustrating seeing someone letting their partner, family, or whoever abusing them and taking advantage of their kindness. Being in that sort of situation messes with perception, and it gets harder for the person in the toxic relationship to realize just how unbalanced things are.
Shaun helped Alice see what she had been overlooking for so long. The cheating incident, though terrible, was a necessary pain to show her that Ian isn't always an innocent victim.
Ian never meant to hurt Alice, but that doesn't negate the pain he caused. It doesn't erase the selfishness from his actions just because they were done in a moment of weakness and impulse.
Alice loved Ian so deeply, sacrificed so much for him. She couldn't imagine a future without him for so long. The cheating forced her to see who Ian really is and to stop treating him with kid gloves.
Ian is a grown adult. They're not children anymore. They are young, but they're already in their 20s. Ian knew what he did was wrong. He knew so much of what he did was wrong and he did it anyway.
Alice never deserved to be treated the way she was. Her desire to help Ian didn't give him a pass to take advantage of her kindness.
Alice forgave Ian again and again because his tears hurt her so badly. She's weak to people crying and suffering, especially if she cares for them.
That's why Alice doesn't want to talk to Ian again. Hearing the pain in his voice and his desperate promises and reminders of what they once had absolutely guts her. A part of her still wants to take away his pain.
But she can't. Shaun helped Alice realize that she doesn't deserve to be in pain just to spare Ian of his.
It took a lot of processing for Alice to see that the love she had for Ian, the one that felt safe and happy with him as her partner, was gone. She still loved him, but it wasn't the same type of love anymore. It was something toxic and painful.
Alice knows now that there is no future for the two of them. Maybe there never really was. Maybe the relationship they had was just one of convenience, of desperation. She was the only one in Ian's corner, the only one supporting and caring for him. Of course he would think fondly of her.
Ian is a man with a high libido. Of course he'd want to have sex with the only person willing to be with him that way.
Now Ian has other options. He might not want to accept it, but his actions prove that they are simply incompatable.
It doesn't stop Alice from loving Ian or longing for what they had... what she thought they had, and the future that she imagined for them. It's painful to think of any of it. It's painful to even think his name, let alone be reminded of him or hear his voice.
So Alice just wants it all to hush. There's nothing left to say. She doesn't want to hear from Ian again because all it does is make the pain worse.
This is the end of them. The relationship they had, be it romantic or as friends, is broken. Alice knows it. Ian is just in denial about it.
Alice wants to move on and never think about Ian or hear his voice again. She also wants the guilt to stop.
So, yeah, the song indeed fits quite well. Thanks for sharing it with me!
Valentine's Day is coming up soon, and that means more justification to create fluff of my OTP. When I came across this picrew, I just had to use it for Joseph and Mary.
Aren't they just so cute? Valentine's Day was a perfect excuse for the two of them to show each other lots and lots of love. (Also lots of sexy times since Joseph has always been a very horny man, especially when it comes to his sunshine.)
They really were very happy back then despite all that they had gone through. Life was hard for the both of them, but they always made sure to make time for each other. Somehow they managed to carve out a little slice of paradise for the two of them in those all too brief stolen moments, even in the midst of so much struggle and strife.
Alice: (soft, just wants some love and peace. Very sweet and compromising to the point it might be detrimental, but trying her best. Loves her friends.)
Also Alice, to those same friends in a Bad End: https://youtu.be/mS3J3Ujd0ZQ?si=lLrB6_3IQY1wUhVd
So tragic, but true. And that's even before she Came Back Wrong™.
Image credit of course goes to the fantastic EC for really capturing the unsettling horror in this part of the Bad End AU.
Content Warning: This post contains talk of body horror, death, gaslighting, manipulation, psychological torture, and the consequences of a yandere doing toxic yandere things.
Jack was masterful in the way he manipulated everyone. He really set quite the convincing scene when he pushed Shaun and Ian to their breaking point. Although it was something that had been slowly building over months, Alice never expected Ian and Shaun to barge into her apartment and attempt to kidnap her.
They were sleep deprived and not thinking straight. They didn't really see how it would look from her perspective. They were scared and Alice didn't believe them when they tried to tell her that the supernatural giant clown that suddenly appeared one day was dangerous. She was already so in love with Jack and trusted him completely.
Alice just couldn't believe that Jack would ever hurt anyone.
The confrontation just cemented it in her mind. Jack was the innocent victim, just a gentle giant who only wanted to keep her safe. It was Ian and Shaun who were the dangerous ones. She could barely recognize her dear friends anymore after what they did.
It was exactly what Jack wanted.
Even still, even after that horrible incident, even after Alice swore at them that she'd shoot them if she ever saw them again... She couldn't go through with her threat, even when they invaded the apartment for a second time.
That's how they were able to destroy Jack's video tape after all.
Alice really was all talk. She loved Ian and Shaun dearly, and she could never hurt the ones she loved. She might have lashed out verbally in a moment of fear and rage, but she never would've followed through on her threat. She can't stand to see someone she loves in pain.
Alice has a big heart. She loves sincerely and cares deeply, to the point that it costs her dearly.
And it it did cost her. It cost her Jack, her sanity, and even her life.
Alice isn't the same anymore. Her soul has been broken, her heart traded away, and terrible forces beyond their understanding have filled in the gaps left behind.
Alice always had so much love to give to those around her, even to her own detriment. That love is what she held most dear, and it made a fine sacrifice.
It doesn't mean her love is gone. No, no. Alice loves Jack. Her last thoughts were of how much she loves Jack. She will always love Jack.
Alice exists just to love Jack.
He's the only one who made her feel safe and loved. He was the one who took care of her. He was the one who listened to her. He was the only one who understood her, the only one who knew her inside and out.
He's the only one who can understand her even now. He still loves her.
The only thing she can't understand is why he's so sad.
They're together again. They're happy. Jack loves her, and Alice loves him. Forever. That's all they need. It's all they ever needed.
That love for him consumed Alice, and it consumes her even now. Jack wanted to be the only one his sunshine needed, and he succeeded... much to Joseph's everlasting regret.
The love Alice had for Ian and Shaun died the day that they destroyed the video tape. She was scared of them when they tried to kidnap her, enraged when they made Jack bleed... but she still loved them even if she didn't want to be around them anymore.
Love has always been so important to Alice. Being betrayed by those she loves hurts far more than anything she can imagine... at least until she loses Jack.
Alice broke when Shaun and Ian killed Jack.
Alice hesitated to fight back because she still loved Shaun and Ian. She warned them, screamed and swore at them, but she didn't follow through. She didn't even touch her gun. She couldn't do anything but scream and beg when the fight broke out
It was her fault that Jack died. That's why she had to fix it, no matter the cost.
Jack was right. Alice didn't need anyone else but him.
She also knows now that talk is worthless without action. She knows that she can't hold love for two sides when one hates the other. She knows her love for Jack is more important than anything.
Her love for Jack will always be more important than anything or anyone. The suffering of others mean nothing compared to him and their love.
Alice knows all this all too well. She knows so many things now, so many terrible and unspeakable things that no human can know.
There is going to be a next part to the Bad End AU... eventually. I do have an idea in mind, but I'm still deciding on some details while I'm recharging my writing batteries. The horrors require quite a few spoons to truly dig into how messed up they can get after all.
I will give a little teaser about what I have in store though. Ian and Shaun are going to make another appearance in the Bad End AU. Even though their nightmares are finally over and Jack is dead, they can't help but worry about Alice. They haven't heard from her in so long...
If Alice won't answer their texts or phone calls, then maybe they're going to have to force their way into the apartment again. They do say third time's the charm after all.
You know, often times we like to imagine Jack having some VHS distortion type glitches and CRT lines as a nod to him coming from the videotape. I mean, if it's his one real weak spot, besides his sunshine Alice, destroying the VHS tape would mean banishing him for good.
Imagine if that means Jack has a weakness to magnets too. VHS tapes work using magnetic tape after all, and magnets are professionally used to erase said videotapes.
Since Sunny Day Jack is trying to be wholesome and good like Superman, it just makes sense that he has his own kind of kryptonite, am I right?
Okay, maybe not, but, I mean, let's face it, a knife isn't going to stop him. The other love interests gotta try something to stop this crazy obsessed undead yandere.
So, yeah, this is just a short and silly post with a spontaneously written dark comedy flash fic. Quite the departure from last week's super long ramble filled with serious topics like body horror, trauma, and sex, isn't it? I've got range, baby!
Content Warning: Violence, blood, and Jack being a crazed yandere. It's played for laughs, but still I want to give a heads up anyway.
...
Jack smirked at the three men before him, his smile frighteningly deranged and surprisingly cocky for someone with a large knife stabbed into his chest right through the heart. “You really thought you won, didn’t you?” he cackled. “You really thought something like this could stop me?”
Ian reeled back in horror, his shaking hands covered in blood from all the times he stabbed the insane undead clown. “That… i-it’s impossible…”
Jack chuckled wickedly as he reached out to Ian. “Now then… how shall I return the favor-”
“Out of the way, gingersnap!” Nick shouted as he slammed his elbow into Ian’s shoulder to shake off Jack’s grip on the other man. Before the clown could recover, he drew his handgun from its hidden holster in his jacket and fired at point blank range.
The explosive barrage of gunshots was deafening. All those hours Nick spent at the gun range paid off, as each one hit home square and true. Every bullet sent Jack staggering back as part of him exploded in a shower of blood like a burst of confetti. The last shot blew out his right eye entirely in a poetically perfect recreation of the incident of 1984.
Despite all the damage done, despite Nick emptying out an entire clip of bullets into the thing in front of them, despite all the holes punched through several vital organs - including the brain - Jack was somehow still standing.
“Well,” Jack said, his voice gurgling a bit through the blood trickling from his mouth, “that was rude.” He wagged a finger at Nick as he clucked his tongue with disapproval. “It’s not very friendly to interrupt someone while they’re still talking, is it?”
Nick couldn’t answer, his eyes wide and unblinking as the blood drained from his face. His trembling hands kept pulling the trigger, but all that came from the gun now were merely impotent clicks.
The fear in men’s eyes only made Jack’s manic smile widen. “I think you three are long overdue for a lesson in manners.” He pulled the knife from his chest and lightly traced the blood soaked edge with a gloved hand as he took a step closer. “Don’t worry though. Your friend, good old Sunny Day Jack, is a very good teacher.”
“Not so fast!” Shaun shouted as he shoved Nick out of the way before the psychotic clown could close in on his friend.
Jack sighed. These interruptions were starting to get old now, as well as these futile attempts to kill him.
The only thing these three chuckleheads were killing was his groove.
Shaun drew his own concealed weapon, and brandished it menacingly at the giant undead clown. “I came prepared for this. I know your weakness, Jack!”
The thing Shaun held was a large rectangular object, flat in the front with a curved handle for easy holding. It was appropriately colored with red and black to match the red streaks in his black hair.
What remained of Jack's face flattened into a deadpan expression. “A staple gun. Really? How is that going to-”
“It’s not a staple gun,” Shaun said with his best cocky action hero grin. “It’s a magnet.”
Jack simply stared at Shaun.
Nick also stared at Shaun.
Ian couldn’t do anything but join in on the staring.
Moon Pie would have Shaun if she could see. As it was, she merely listened to the commotion from her perch on the highest shelf she could find. She easily cut through the moment of tense, awkward silence with a loud meow to cheer her daddy on. Or to demand a second dinner. It’s hard to tell with cats.
Jack waited a little longer until it was crystal clear that Shaun was being serious. This really was the punchline.
And people said his jokes were bad!
“And that’s supposed to scare me because…?” Jack finally said.
The heroic action hero moment Shaun tried to act out joined the killer’s groove in the communal grave of failed real life cinematic moments. He dropped his ten out of ten rated devil-may-care smile and traded it for his standard annoyed and weary director’s frown. “Hey, man, you’re the one from the 80’s. Shouldn’t you know how to take care of VHS tapes properly? Don’t you know you’re not supposed to put those things anywhere near magnets?”
Jack scratched the back of his head with the knife. He might have been worried about cutting himself or smearing the blood on his hair if there wasn’t already a hole blown through his face. “I don’t remember anyone saying anything about magnets being bad for tapes. I do know that after you finish watching, it’s always kind to rewind-”
Shaun decided that it was long past time to end this nonsense and cut Jack off mid-sentence by poking the psychotic clown right in the painted nose. Without another word, and with disappointingly little fanfare, the powerful and very colorful undead giant suddenly popped out of existence like a glitch-filled soap bubble.
Nick and Ian could only stare in disbelief at the empty space where the unstoppable immortal yandere used to be. Unfortunately for them, the gratuitous amounts of blood splattered all over them didn’t disappear along with Jack, which still left them with a killer mess to deal with.
Now it was Shaun’s turn to sigh. “Man… that would've been such a cool scene if that clown actually knew anything about media preservation.” He scoffed quietly and rolled his eyes. “Actors.”
...
Originally I intended to just do a quick bit of dialogue to go with this silly idea. Maybe throw in some asterisks around Jack falling into the Yamcha or family guy death pose. However, as you can see, this idea blew up into something juuuust a bit bigger than that.
I suppose it's just as well. Sadly, as Jack is an old man of the 80's, he was never exposed to modern pop culture or memes. As such, he wouldn't instinctively fall into one of those poses during a comedic defeat, though he certainly would strike a silly pose if he could. The man was truly dedicated to his craft as both an actor and as a clown after all.
Also sadly, there wouldn't actually be a body left behind to make a silly death pose if a magnet could take him out. Magnets erase everything written on VHS tapes completely and stop them from working at all. This means that if magnets really could hurt Jack like they could a VHS tape, getting too close to one would probably just instantly erase him from existence, as I wrote above.
Needless to say, magnets aren't going to be the way to defeat Jack in Sunshine in Hell or the fan game I'm working on. It'd be funny - and do I hope that my story gave you a giggle - but it'd be a bit of anti-climax outside of some non-canon nonsense like this, don't you think?
Also, for those wondering where Alice was during this story, I let her sit this one out after I was so mean to her last week. I mean, her boyfriend did get erased from existence here. Let's save the angsty aftermath for the Bad End AU, shall we?
Granted, I was also mean to Jack last week, and here I am bullying him again. But, in my defense, I already rewarded him by letting him enjoy his exhibitionism and cucking his rival kinks in that same post. Alice isn't up for either of those kinks in most universes after all, so it was an extra special treat for the guy.
Maybe I can make it up to my OTP with something fluffier next week. Or maybe I'll bully one or both of them again. Who knows really? I rarely plan out these rambles in advance after all.
On that note, I hope you enjoyed this silly ramble and my silly writing! Thanks for reading!
I was thinking what if MC was a medium and saw spirits besides Jack? like how would jack react when he realized that mc sees other ghosts and spirits that jack probably can't see?
(I spent a few days thinking about how funny this could be,I was watching Mieruko Chan when I had this idea)
Oooh, this is such an intriguing idea. If MC was used to seeing ghosts, meeting Jack wouldn't be all that unusual for them. It'd be just a part of their everyday life.
It'd also be an interesting twist if Jack is unable to see other spirits. It'd better reflect the fact that he's not simply a ghost. He's somewhere between life and death, tethered to reality and life only through the bond he shares with his sunshine.
If the spirits are warped and distorted into nightmare fuel like those in Mieruko-chan, Jack would stand out all the more with how human he is. Really, in that case it'd probably freak MC out only after they realized that they let a ghost(?) know that they could see him. Spirits are monstrous and very dangerous in that manga's world after all.
Really, if that was the case, it'd be a blessing that Jack was unable to see all the spirits around them. Seeing horrors all around him would no doubt damage his already fragile mental state.
Of course the spirits aren't quite as distorted in Sunshine in Hell's canon as they are in Mieuroko-chan. Elias was decapitated and is always floating around with a detached head and a bloody stump. It's an unsettling feature, but otherwise he looks normal.
A nightmare fuel version of Elias would be pretty interesting. Coraline will still fall in love with him though.
Really, it would be interesting if the reason MC could summon Jack was because they could see spirits like him and Elias. There's plenty of stories about mediums summoning spirits for rituals and communication. They could have intentionally brought him out of the tape to help him pass on if they're used to doing so for all sorts of spirits.
That does give an interesting new dimension to the bond Alice and Jack have. Although Alice did consent to it, she didn't fully understand what she was getting into in Sunshine in Hell. If she's used to dealing with spirits and summoning them as a medium in his AU, then she'd have a good idea of the bond she forged even if she forgot their first meeting.
Hell, if Alice was used to using spiritual powers, she probably wouldn't have forgotten it at all. The reason why she forgot is because of the shock to her soul. If she's used to manipulating her own spiritual energy as a medium, it wouldn't be as much of a shock to the system.
Alice wanted to save Jack. This would remain true even if she was a medium. This is especially true if she comes from a family of mediums. I mean, I already mentioned Coraline and Elias. It'd be fitting if Coraline was also a medium in this AU too.
Pff, that does give me the funny thought of Barbie, also being a medium, suspecting that Bo is actually a spirit trapped in a toy rather than an AI. She is sort of right though. He does have a soul, and he can't get out of the little digital toy without her help after all.
The dynamic between Alice and Jack would be a bit different in this sort of AU, but not significantly. The main change would be that Alice wants to help Jack's soul to find peace, while Jack does everything he can to convince her to let him stay with her forever.
I mean... even if Alice insisted the afterlife is supposed to be a welcome place for souls to find eternal rest and that wasn't where Jack has been trapped for 40+ years... can you really blame him for being scared of moving on?
Alice does her best to be reassuring, but even with all her knowledge and experience in helping other ghosts find their final rest, she hasn't actually seen what's on the other side for herself. (At least as far as she remembers.)
What happened to Jack was unnatural, a perversion of nature done by tainted magic. Alice broke him free from that cursed prison with her pure spirit, so warm and welcoming... She's his only security saving him from hell... both the one he knew and the one he doesn't.
This is a world that has evil spirits and other dangerous entities in it. Alice and her family help spirits find their way to a peaceful afterlife... but there is a real hell where wicked things dwell. Perhaps Jack simply got a taste of it in the place he was trapped, and the real thing is even worse.
I mean... LambsWork Productions was dabbling in malevolent forces and vile rituals. Where do you think they were getting this power from when they sacrificed so many innocent people?
Really, in this universe, Alice would have every reason to try and stop LambsWork Productions and undo all the damage they've done. Jack wasn't their only victim. They performed so many ghastly rituals for a long, long time. What happened to him simply had a unique outcome.
Jack has every reason to feel unsettled knowing that there are spirits around them all the time. He also has every reason to be extra possessive of his sunshine. If there are countless ghosts he can't see all begging for her attention and help just like him, then they could turn her attention away from him.
What if they make her forget him?
It's just more reason for Jack to become someone irreplaceable to Alice in whatever way will convince her to keep him with her forever. He just has to prove himself superior to all those other spirits trying to steal her away from him.
Just like with everything else in her life, Jack would help Alice as much as he could. He can't exactly stop her from seeing the other ghosts around them. She can't turn off this ability. She can't stop hearing poor lost souls like him pleading for her to save them. She can't just turn her back on them.
It's why Jack was saved after all.
Jack loves Alice so much. He adores her kindness and compassion. What she deals with on a daily basis is so stressful, scary, and even dangerous at times. She's so brave, so amazing.
But constantly giving so much of herself every single day like this isn't healthy. Alice struggles with putting herself first. She feels so much responsibility due to these powers. Their family has had this solemn duty for generations. As the oldest child, she above all else bears the most responsibility of her family.
Jack owes so much to Alice and these abilities of hers... but maybe it would be better if she couldn't use it anymore. Perhaps that's hypocritical of him to think that way, but he's thinking of what's best for his sunshine! If she didn't see other spirits or hear them call for her, she could focus entirely on him without distraction. She wouldn't be wearing herself to the bone doing things that no one else can see or understand. She wouldn't be pulled in so many directions until there's so little of her left...
Not that Jack can get rid of these powers of hers even if Alice wanted them gone. Even if she could, what if losing her powers severed the bond between them? If that happened...
Jack doesn't even want to think about it. He can't go back to that hell. He can't lose his sunshine. Never.
Instead, Jack can at least be her a safe harbor. Maybe he can take Alice away from the world, from all the people - the living and the dead - even if just for a little while. He can be a safe space for her to rest, an oasis in all the chaos. No guilt, no obligations... just the two of them together, warm and happy. She wouldn't have to hear all the whispers and screams, just his sweet, soothing words of love in her ear. He could give her the same warmth and security that she gave him with her beautiful light. Everything he has now is thanks to her. She deserves to have someone willing to give her just as much.
If only Jack could make these people go away and leave Alice alone. The living and the dead want to take her for themselves, and he can't let that happen. If only there was a way to chase them all away, to make them stop demanding so much of his sunshine - her time, attention, energy, love...
Selfishly, Jack wants it all for himself. He wants her everything. He knows that he's being greedy. He has to constantly keep himself in check, to not become one of hungry ghosts he heard her talk about that constantly take and take and take without any end to their hunger...
Alice is so tired from giving so much all the time. They keep dimming her beautiful light when they take and take without giving anything in return. Jack can't abide by that, especially when he sees just how bright she truly shines when she's happy.
They don't understand her. They just want to take and take and take. They don't care about her. Jack is the only one willing to give Alice whatever she needs to make her happy. He's the only one trying to help her light shine brighter. They don't deserve her.
Over time, Alice loses sight of her original goal of helping Jack find his final rest. She put it off at first to help him get over his trauma and help him find peace. Then she befriended him. As time went on, he grew to become a staple part of her life, a comforting presence, a confidant, a dear friend.
Mediums shouldn't get too attached to spirits. They know the importance of letting go for the sake of the living and the dead. Alice knows this all too well, and yet...
Alice doesn't want to lose Jack. The idea of losing him is so painful. She knows that she's not supposed to keep him here. As a medium she knows better. She knows she's supposed to do everything she can to encourage him to go, to put him at ease...
Why does she have to let him go? Jack gently challenges this notion over and over again.
What they have is special. Their bond is different. Their feelings for one another are different. He's not like all those ghosts haunting her. They have no heartbeat, no warmth... not like him.
Jack feels so alive. He's so different from the spirits Alice has encountered all her life. He can breathe, eat, and so much more. At times she almost forgets that he's not a human like her.
Ghosts can go through the motions of life, create convincing illusions, but he is so much more than a mere phantom.
This situation is unprecedented. Jack is a unique existence. He's not quite a ghost, but something entirely new.
Most of all... Jack doesn't want to leave. It would be cruel to force him to pass on after all he's been through.
Who does it really hurt if Jack stays with her? They're so happy together. Being with him has made her the happiest that she's been in a long, long time.
If anything, Jack is the one who finally allowed Alice to find some rest and peace. He's helped her ease up, to stop pushing herself so hard. He cares for her so much, spoils her really. He chases away her guilty thoughts that being with him is selfish of her.
How could this relationship be bad? They're both so happy, so content. They give each other so much without diminishing themselves. If anything, they're growing so much stronger together.
Alice forgets about the guilt when Jack is so sweet to her. When he tells her jokes that make her giggle or roll her eyes, or flusters her with compliments that send her heart fluttering, she forgets about all her responsibilities. She stops feeling apologetic for having these "selfish" and "greedy" desires. She feels so good with him... and she feels secure knowing that he feels good with her too.
With Alice knowing about the soul bond when she made it, she knows how to limit the flow of information. She also knows that the emotions that they willingly share with one another are sincere. It's impossible to lie about emotion, just hide it. The love and happiness she feels from Jack because of her is almost overwhelming.
It's addicting too.
Really, not too much changes in this AU compared to the canon timeline, when you get down to it. Jack still has to fight his darker impulses to not let his yandere side turn him into a monster, and Alice is dealing with a lot of complicated emotions, responsibilities, and guilt. She just has a bit more information and powers when it comes to spirits and the situation they're both in.
Though that might not help Alice all that much when it comes to Jack. LambsWork turned Sunny Day Jack into something that can't quite be called a ghost after all.
