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Told in present tense. ", "count": "86", "submission_left_submission_id": "2632514", "submission_left_file_name": "3890146_Rylasasin_stars_of_iron_p6a37_visitor.rtf", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/3890/3890146_Rylasasin_stars_of_iron_p6a37_visitor.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3890/3890146_Rylasasin_stars_of_iron_p6a37_visitor.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3890/3890146_Rylasasin_stars_of_iron_p6a37_visitor.jpg", "submission_left_thumb_huge_x": "269", "submission_left_thumb_huge_y": "123", "submission_left_thumb_large_x": "200", "submission_left_thumb_large_y": "91", "submission_left_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_left_thumb_medium_y": "55", "submission_right_submission_id": "2638012", "submission_right_file_name": "3898471_Rylasasin_stars_of_iron_p7a38_rehabilitation.rtf", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/3898/3898471_Rylasasin_stars_of_iron_p7a38_rehabilitation.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3898/3898471_Rylasasin_stars_of_iron_p7a38_rehabilitation.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3898/3898471_Rylasasin_stars_of_iron_p7a38_rehabilitation.jpg", "submission_right_thumb_huge_x": "269", "submission_right_thumb_huge_y": "123", "submission_right_thumb_large_x": "200", "submission_right_thumb_large_y": "91", "submission_right_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_right_thumb_medium_y": "55" } ], "description": "And we start out Part 7 with a dream...\n\nIf you don't mind spoilers, the rest of Part 7 can be found [url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mCRZdG7xGSzXWMyupl66ciLuJmZFdENCnvapqt96Dxg/edit#]here[/url].\n\n[url=https://inkbunny.net/submissionsviewall.php?rid=c6a9fd4348&mode=pool&pool_id=59838&page=1&orderby=pool_order&random=no&success=]Also, obligatory link to the comic itself to which this is a fanfiction of.[/url]", "description_bbcode_parsed": "And we start out Part 7 with a dream...

If you don't mind spoilers, the rest of Part 7 can be found here.

Also, obligatory link to the comic itself to which this is a fanfiction of.", "writing": "[center][b]Intermission: Return to the Grove...?[/b][/center]\n\nFar, far away, a certain Decidueye stood in the royal halls of Ivy's court. Duci couldn't recall exactly how she escaped from Sandgun base, only that she had managed it through great effort and betrayal. It had been a long and arduous journey, but here she was, about to meet with the Princess. Now, she would prove all her detractors wrong. She'd prove Lea wrong. She'd prove to these 'Avali' that there was still merit to be had in Ivy.\n\nShe is still feeling tired but this won't stop her, she is so close. Duci is heading down a big hallway that seems to belong to a castle, walking along a carpet of grass to some big doors at the end that has two Sceptiles standing guard. She came to a stop in front of these doors. \"I am here to see Princess Ivy, I bring very important news regarding our campaign in the Land of Sands. Let me through immediately.\" She commands.\nThe two strong grass types by the doors obey her orders. They turned to the doors and pushed them open to allow entry into the Throne room.\nNot wasting any more time, the owl walks through to the throne room.\n\n\"Welcome home, Commander Duci.\" The princess, an Ivysaur, sits upon her throne of wood and leaves, surrounded by plants and flowers of various colors. She holds a wooden glass in her hand, filled with some sort of sap. The princess smiles at her warmly. So far so good.\n\"You have had a long and peril-filled journey to have this audience with me. I have heard you have information of importance.* She twirls her glass in her hand as she leans her head on her other boredly. \"Well, let's hear it.\"\n\nThe Decidueye almost forgot to bow down before speaking. \"Y-yes, my princess, that is correct. The town of Sandstone has been communing with beings that are not from our world. They have been using weapons we have never seen before.\" Keeping her composure is starting to be a little hard. \"On our second attack they...they used something called 'artillery' which rained death upon our army, breaking our resolve almost immediately...\"\n\nThe princess's eyes narrow. \"You mean to tell me our troops ran without as so much of a fight?\" She appears as if she is not happy to hear this. \"And you simply allowed them to do so?!\"\n\nNow Duci is starting to sense that this isn't going the way she wanted...but surely she can fix this right? She just needs to reason with Ivy. \"W-we barely got to the wall and a sizable portion of our forces were torn asunder without warning. If we didn't retreat we could have lost even more of our forces.\" Surely the princess can see that it's better to have live soldiers than dead soldiers...?\n\n\"Hmph.\" The princess sighs. \"I suppose it cannot be helped anymore. Please tell me that you have at least located the source of this... 'artillery'?\" Her tone is starting to grow darker, as is her expression.\n\nShe nods. \"Yes, my princess, I do indeed have. These beings supporting Sandstone, known as 'Avali' have managed to make their base in a mystery dungeon some distance away from the town of Sandstone.\"\n\n\"I see...\" The princess nods. \"Thank you for bringing me this information.\" She grins, but it is a dark, malicious grin. \"For bringing me this information, I will give you your just reward....\"\nShe looks a little off to the side, and gives a nod.\nSuddenly, Duci is grabbed by the arms, roughly. Presumably by the two Sceptiles she saw earlier.\n\"...[i]Your eternal reward[/i].\" She finishes. \"Do not worry, my little deserter\" She raises her hand. \"I will have your replacement invade the Dynamo Sands proper. It may be costly, but we will take this 'Artillery' for ourselves, and those who dared defy The Grove, my will, will bend knee, and so says me.\"\n\nDuci gasped in surprise when her wings/arms were grabbed by those same Sceptile from before. \"W-wait, my princess! That is not a good idea! They can somehow see us coming from far away! I-if we move in force they can use their artillery before we even get close enough to attack properly!\" She keeps trying to reason with Ivy. \"Please...i'm not a deserter! I served the Grove faithfully for all my life!\"\n\n\"Do you presume to command ME, deserter?\" Ivy gets up, clearly infuriated. She curls her unoccupied hand into a fist, and points at Duci accusingly with the other while still holding her glass. \"I am the princess, and my word is law, and my word is that you are a deserter. You allowed our soldiers to retreat in shame and allow that wretched city to maintain its independence instead of pushing the attack regardless of the losses. You ran away from your punishments, instead of accepting them. You went over your commanding officer's head to come here. And worst of all, you presumed to give me orders! ME! Your ruler!\"\nShe huffs and sits back down, and takes a sip of her glass.\n\"Soldiers can be replaced, and so can commanders.\" She says dismissively. \"Do not worry though, my little deserter. Your family has already been notified of your 'heroic sacrifice' in Sandstone. They've already been told about how you have died bravely in the failed attack, cut down by cowards and invalids. Take solace at least that they will not share in your shame.\"\nShe looks at the two guards holding her. \n\"Take this disgusting worm away, to her final fate.\"\nThe guards begin to move, taking her away from the throne room.\n\nThe Decidueye keeps pleading as she is dragged away. \"No! NO! Ivy we can't throw lives away like this!\" She shouted and struggled against the mons holding her, but it's all in vain. \"Please, you must believe me! These Avali must be like the humans from the legends! We can't underestimate them!\"\nWhen they dragged her out of the throne room, the door closed. Now the owl is heading to a grim fate, her final fate...\n\nShe's straight to a dungeon. It's almost as if the dungeon is directly connected to the throne room. \n\"I almost wish I could have my way with you before the end.\" One of the guards whispers in her ear. \"But Ivy wants you gone [i]now[/i]. Oh well, maybe I'll have my way with your corpse instead.\"\nShe is turned around, no longer dragged backwards, but now being forced forward. She sees a wooden platform, with a large lever off to the side. In the back of it, a long wooden back end, and from it, hanging a rope with a noose.\n\nThis can't be happening...Is Ivy really that thirty for conquest? Is the owl nothing to her? When The Decidueye saw that wooden platform with the hanging noose above, she knew what this meant...one would expect her to face her death with dignity, it was something that was expected of her...but right now she is despairing. \"No...! Please not like this!\" Being choked to death is something she very much does not wish for.\n\nThe guards are stronger than her, and despite her struggles, she is led up to the gallows. Her hands are tied behind her back by the strong Sceptiles.\n\"I tried to warn you.\" She hears a very familiar male voice, but she cannot pinpoint its location. \"I tried to save you from this... but you wouldn't listen. And now... it is too late.\"\nThe noose is placed around her neck, she feels the tight rope against her throat as one of the guards takes his place by the lever, wrapping his paw around it, ready to yank it towards him and with it, drop the trap door she now finds herself standing on, sending her to her final moments.\n\nShe didn't have too much time to think about that voice, soon she was falling down, with the rope around her neck getting tighter and tighter frighteningly fast...\n\"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!\" The Ducidueye woke up screaming and gasping for air. She also ends up falling from her bed. After heading her head painfully on the ground, she looked up and found herself in a familiar place...her cell. \nShe is back in Sandgun base, or more accurately, never left in the first place. She realized that just now was but a bad dream, a very bad dream. She reaches around her neck, feeling that there is nothing there that can constrict it, what a relief.\n\n\"Oh good.\" She hears someone say from the other side. \"For a moment I was worried that I'd have to go in there and shake you awake. You sounded like you were having quite the nightmare.\"\n\n\"W-who's there?\" She looks in the direction of the voice.\n\nShe sees the all too familiar Easani looking at her. \"You didn't hurt yourself from the fall, did you?\" He asks, with genuine concern.\n\n\"I think...I will just eat one more of those pills right now.\" She sighs. \"How long were you standing there?\"\n\n\"Long enough to hear you screaming in your sleep.\" He sighs. \"You were shouting 'No Ivy, we can't throw away lives like this!' \"\nHe pauses for a bit, awkwardly thinking of something else to say.\n\"Do you... want to talk about it?\" He asks.\n\n\"Did I really shout in my sleep?\" She is kind of embarrassed to hear that. \"I dreamed that I escaped and managed to find my way back to the Grove capital, much like I said I wanted to. I was at the castle and was going to report it to the Princess...\"\n\n\"Let me guess.... It didn't go the way you wanted it to?\" Easani asks with a sigh.\n\n\"No.\" She shakes her head and continues. \"In my dream she refused to not target Sandstone, she would send even more forces against it...and I was hanged for desertion.\"\n\nHe nods in acknowledgement. \"Do you think that's what would actually happen? I mean, you probably know what my answer to that question is, but...\"\n\nAfter a moment of silence, she nods. \"Yes...I think that's how it would turn out for me...\"\n\n\"I'm inclined to agree.\" Easani nods. \n\"Erm, hope you don't mind, but I'm going to come in for just a moment. You okay with that?\"\n\n\"I'm not gonna stop you...but why?\"\n\nEasani doesn't answer right away. Now that he has permission, he clicks the button next to the cell, causing the door to open. He steps inside, and the cell door closes.\nWithout a word, he walks up to the Decidueye...\n... And wraps his arms around her, pulling her close for a hug. His left hand slowly rubs her back, while his upper hand rubs the back of her head as he holds her close.\n\"There there.\" He tells her comfortingly.\n\n\"Of course.\" He says as he continues to hold her in his embrace. \n\"By the way...\" He asks. \"How's your... well... your pains?\" He asks as he finally lets go after a while. \"Are they starting to let up?\"\n\n\"Hhhmmm, I can barely feel it. I was sleeping well thanks to that, until that nightmare happened...\"\n\n\"Well, the reason I ask is because the doctor told me to tell you that if you're feeling well enough, it might be time to start a little rehab.\" Easani informs her. \"Nothing much at first, just getting out of the cage, under supervision, and doing a little exercise outside, stretching around a bit. Doing a little walking around the base.\"\n\n\"What?\" That is...surprising, she never expected to be let out of this cell for a long time. \"Are you serious?\"\n\n\"Yeah. I'm serious.\" He says. \"I mean, we can't really let you waste away and atrophy in here, you know.\" He says with a chuckle.\n\"Though like I said, it'll be only for a little while. Like an hour or so at a time, and under strict supervision. Seph will probably be watching you during most of it.\"\n\n\"Alright then. So when do we do this?\"\n\n\"Well, it's still early. So maybe get some more sleep? Once you get back up and have some breakfast, we'll start.\"\n\n\"Ah, I see.\" It's not really possible to tell the time of day from here.\n\n\"Well, good night.\" Easani turns to leave. But he stops midway through.\n\"Erm... by the way... if I might ask...\" He turns back to her. \"A bit of a personal question but... Do you still consider me an enemy? Or the Avali?\"\n\nShe just got up on her feet when he asked that question from her. \"...No, i do know what to consider you or the Avali, but 'enemy' is not it.\"\n\nEasani smiles a bit at that. \"I see...\"\n\"Well at any rate...\" He comes over to her, and gives her a small kiss on the top of the head. \"Good night, and here's hoping you have better dreams than before.\"\n\nHis companionship is very much appreciated, it is no doubt what is making her consider seeing that there are better paths to go than what she was planning when she arrived here. \"Thank you, Easani.\" She said as she sat herself on her bed.\n\n\"Sleep tight.\" He says as he turns, the door opens for him, eh steps through, and it closes behind him automatically. \"I'll be back in a few hours with your breakfast.\"\n\n\"I will be seeing you then.\" The Owl lays down on her bed to sleep again, hopefully it will be a more pleasant rest.\n\nEasani turns his head, nods, and then walks out of the building, allowing the Decidueye to gain some much needed, and more restful sleep.", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "
Intermission: Return to the Grove...?


Far, far away, a certain Decidueye stood in the royal halls of Ivy's court. Duci couldn't recall exactly how she escaped from Sandgun base, only that she had managed it through great effort and betrayal. It had been a long and arduous journey, but here she was, about to meet with the Princess. Now, she would prove all her detractors wrong. She'd prove Lea wrong. She'd prove to these 'Avali' that there was still merit to be had in Ivy.

She is still feeling tired but this won't stop her, she is so close. Duci is heading down a big hallway that seems to belong to a castle, walking along a carpet of grass to some big doors at the end that has two Sceptiles standing guard. She came to a stop in front of these doors. "I am here to see Princess Ivy, I bring very important news regarding our campaign in the Land of Sands. Let me through immediately." She commands.
The two strong grass types by the doors obey her orders. They turned to the doors and pushed them open to allow entry into the Throne room.
Not wasting any more time, the owl walks through to the throne room.

"Welcome home, Commander Duci." The princess, an Ivysaur, sits upon her throne of wood and leaves, surrounded by plants and flowers of various colors. She holds a wooden glass in her hand, filled with some sort of sap. The princess smiles at her warmly. So far so good.
"You have had a long and peril-filled journey to have this audience with me. I have heard you have information of importance.* She twirls her glass in her hand as she leans her head on her other boredly. "Well, let's hear it."

The Decidueye almost forgot to bow down before speaking. "Y-yes, my princess, that is correct. The town of Sandstone has been communing with beings that are not from our world. They have been using weapons we have never seen before." Keeping her composure is starting to be a little hard. "On our second attack they...they used something called 'artillery' which rained death upon our army, breaking our resolve almost immediately..."

The princess's eyes narrow. "You mean to tell me our troops ran without as so much of a fight?" She appears as if she is not happy to hear this. "And you simply allowed them to do so?!"

Now Duci is starting to sense that this isn't going the way she wanted...but surely she can fix this right? She just needs to reason with Ivy. "W-we barely got to the wall and a sizable portion of our forces were torn asunder without warning. If we didn't retreat we could have lost even more of our forces." Surely the princess can see that it's better to have live soldiers than dead soldiers...?

"Hmph." The princess sighs. "I suppose it cannot be helped anymore. Please tell me that you have at least located the source of this... 'artillery'?" Her tone is starting to grow darker, as is her expression.

She nods. "Yes, my princess, I do indeed have. These beings supporting Sandstone, known as 'Avali' have managed to make their base in a mystery dungeon some distance away from the town of Sandstone."

"I see..." The princess nods. "Thank you for bringing me this information." She grins, but it is a dark, malicious grin. "For bringing me this information, I will give you your just reward...."
She looks a little off to the side, and gives a nod.
Suddenly, Duci is grabbed by the arms, roughly. Presumably by the two Sceptiles she saw earlier.
"...Your eternal reward." She finishes. "Do not worry, my little deserter" She raises her hand. "I will have your replacement invade the Dynamo Sands proper. It may be costly, but we will take this 'Artillery' for ourselves, and those who dared defy The Grove, my will, will bend knee, and so says me."

Duci gasped in surprise when her wings/arms were grabbed by those same Sceptile from before. "W-wait, my princess! That is not a good idea! They can somehow see us coming from far away! I-if we move in force they can use their artillery before we even get close enough to attack properly!" She keeps trying to reason with Ivy. "Please...i'm not a deserter! I served the Grove faithfully for all my life!"

"Do you presume to command ME, deserter?" Ivy gets up, clearly infuriated. She curls her unoccupied hand into a fist, and points at Duci accusingly with the other while still holding her glass. "I am the princess, and my word is law, and my word is that you are a deserter. You allowed our soldiers to retreat in shame and allow that wretched city to maintain its independence instead of pushing the attack regardless of the losses. You ran away from your punishments, instead of accepting them. You went over your commanding officer's head to come here. And worst of all, you presumed to give me orders! ME! Your ruler!"
She huffs and sits back down, and takes a sip of her glass.
"Soldiers can be replaced, and so can commanders." She says dismissively. "Do not worry though, my little deserter. Your family has already been notified of your 'heroic sacrifice' in Sandstone. They've already been told about how you have died bravely in the failed attack, cut down by cowards and invalids. Take solace at least that they will not share in your shame."
She looks at the two guards holding her.
"Take this disgusting worm away, to her final fate."
The guards begin to move, taking her away from the throne room.

The Decidueye keeps pleading as she is dragged away. "No! NO! Ivy we can't throw lives away like this!" She shouted and struggled against the mons holding her, but it's all in vain. "Please, you must believe me! These Avali must be like the humans from the legends! We can't underestimate them!"
When they dragged her out of the throne room, the door closed. Now the owl is heading to a grim fate, her final fate...

She's straight to a dungeon. It's almost as if the dungeon is directly connected to the throne room.
"I almost wish I could have my way with you before the end." One of the guards whispers in her ear. "But Ivy wants you gone now. Oh well, maybe I'll have my way with your corpse instead."
She is turned around, no longer dragged backwards, but now being forced forward. She sees a wooden platform, with a large lever off to the side. In the back of it, a long wooden back end, and from it, hanging a rope with a noose.

This can't be happening...Is Ivy really that thirty for conquest? Is the owl nothing to her? When The Decidueye saw that wooden platform with the hanging noose above, she knew what this meant...one would expect her to face her death with dignity, it was something that was expected of her...but right now she is despairing. "No...! Please not like this!" Being choked to death is something she very much does not wish for.

The guards are stronger than her, and despite her struggles, she is led up to the gallows. Her hands are tied behind her back by the strong Sceptiles.
"I tried to warn you." She hears a very familiar male voice, but she cannot pinpoint its location. "I tried to save you from this... but you wouldn't listen. And now... it is too late."
The noose is placed around her neck, she feels the tight rope against her throat as one of the guards takes his place by the lever, wrapping his paw around it, ready to yank it towards him and with it, drop the trap door she now finds herself standing on, sending her to her final moments.

She didn't have too much time to think about that voice, soon she was falling down, with the rope around her neck getting tighter and tighter frighteningly fast...
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" The Ducidueye woke up screaming and gasping for air. She also ends up falling from her bed. After heading her head painfully on the ground, she looked up and found herself in a familiar place...her cell.
She is back in Sandgun base, or more accurately, never left in the first place. She realized that just now was but a bad dream, a very bad dream. She reaches around her neck, feeling that there is nothing there that can constrict it, what a relief.

"Oh good." She hears someone say from the other side. "For a moment I was worried that I'd have to go in there and shake you awake. You sounded like you were having quite the nightmare."

"W-who's there?" She looks in the direction of the voice.

She sees the all too familiar Easani looking at her. "You didn't hurt yourself from the fall, did you?" He asks, with genuine concern.

"I think...I will just eat one more of those pills right now." She sighs. "How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough to hear you screaming in your sleep." He sighs. "You were shouting 'No Ivy, we can't throw away lives like this!' "
He pauses for a bit, awkwardly thinking of something else to say.
"Do you... want to talk about it?" He asks.

"Did I really shout in my sleep?" She is kind of embarrassed to hear that. "I dreamed that I escaped and managed to find my way back to the Grove capital, much like I said I wanted to. I was at the castle and was going to report it to the Princess..."

"Let me guess.... It didn't go the way you wanted it to?" Easani asks with a sigh.

"No." She shakes her head and continues. "In my dream she refused to not target Sandstone, she would send even more forces against it...and I was hanged for desertion."

He nods in acknowledgement. "Do you think that's what would actually happen? I mean, you probably know what my answer to that question is, but..."

After a moment of silence, she nods. "Yes...I think that's how it would turn out for me..."

"I'm inclined to agree." Easani nods.
"Erm, hope you don't mind, but I'm going to come in for just a moment. You okay with that?"

"I'm not gonna stop you...but why?"

Easani doesn't answer right away. Now that he has permission, he clicks the button next to the cell, causing the door to open. He steps inside, and the cell door closes.
Without a word, he walks up to the Decidueye...
... And wraps his arms around her, pulling her close for a hug. His left hand slowly rubs her back, while his upper hand rubs the back of her head as he holds her close.
"There there." He tells her comfortingly.

"Of course." He says as he continues to hold her in his embrace.
"By the way..." He asks. "How's your... well... your pains?" He asks as he finally lets go after a while. "Are they starting to let up?"

"Hhhmmm, I can barely feel it. I was sleeping well thanks to that, until that nightmare happened..."

"Well, the reason I ask is because the doctor told me to tell you that if you're feeling well enough, it might be time to start a little rehab." Easani informs her. "Nothing much at first, just getting out of the cage, under supervision, and doing a little exercise outside, stretching around a bit. Doing a little walking around the base."

"What?" That is...surprising, she never expected to be let out of this cell for a long time. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. I'm serious." He says. "I mean, we can't really let you waste away and atrophy in here, you know." He says with a chuckle.
"Though like I said, it'll be only for a little while. Like an hour or so at a time, and under strict supervision. Seph will probably be watching you during most of it."

"Alright then. So when do we do this?"

"Well, it's still early. So maybe get some more sleep? Once you get back up and have some breakfast, we'll start."

"Ah, I see." It's not really possible to tell the time of day from here.

"Well, good night." Easani turns to leave. But he stops midway through.
"Erm... by the way... if I might ask..." He turns back to her. "A bit of a personal question but... Do you still consider me an enemy? Or the Avali?"

She just got up on her feet when he asked that question from her. "...No, i do know what to consider you or the Avali, but 'enemy' is not it."

Easani smiles a bit at that. "I see..."
"Well at any rate..." He comes over to her, and gives her a small kiss on the top of the head. "Good night, and here's hoping you have better dreams than before."

His companionship is very much appreciated, it is no doubt what is making her consider seeing that there are better paths to go than what she was planning when she arrived here. "Thank you, Easani." She said as she sat herself on her bed.

"Sleep tight." He says as he turns, the door opens for him, eh steps through, and it closes behind him automatically.  "I'll be back in a few hours with your breakfast."

"I will be seeing you then." The Owl lays down on her bed to sleep again, hopefully it will be a more pleasant rest.

Easani turns his head, nods, and then walks out of the building, allowing the Decidueye to gain some much needed, and more restful sleep.", "pools_count": 1, "title": "Stars of Iron Intermission 5: Return to the Grove...?", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "text/rtf", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "2", "rating_name": "Adult", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "4", "name": "Sexual Themes", "description": "Erotic imagery, sexual activity or arousal", "rating_id": "2" }, { "content_tag_id": "5", "name": "Strong Violence", "description": "Strong violence, blood, serious injury or death", "rating_id": "2" } ], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "t", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "0", "views": "37" }