EVIL MARCO: What are the differences and how they might come into play! A Write-up

[evilfierybluebird]

To every person there is a shadow. Using Jungian psychology; an instinctive baser self, one who dwells in the yin darkness of one's heart. What happens then if only one's dark!self were to appear? Perhaps there is strength in such aggressions, perhaps a little taste of power can corrupt a very long way indeed.

Or perhaps not.

The yin yang example isn't perfect of course, because where it's all about balance, this is all about a Marco who has lost his balance. He's embraced his shadow side, but this isn't a good thing. At all.

While I do want to do something with Marco's shadow; and the specific aspect similar to Peter Pan (whom I still feel Marco accidentally?? references/embodies in many ways) I don't want to go too much into it because it was already done with Brook and that would be a repeat/regression/copycat. THUS, his shadow taking over, rather than external fight to try re-glue his shadow back on.




Physical:

First and foremost, he has black hair. The tattoo on his chest is gone, but he has the manji symbol on his neck. In Luceti, his filial wings will be black and not electric blue, and this should be, perhaps, the biggest tipoff for everyone to run.

But he also likes to embrace a sort of "goth" look, not just in dying his hair black, but in painting his nails black and piercing his ears a ton. This isn't just a symbolism of "his pain" ie; the loss of Thatch/Ace/Whitebeard, but also flaunts his phoenix side and how he regenerates. Literally flaunts. It cuts directly to things Marco generally hides or at least is vague about and instead fully puts them on display; while moving his tattoo which is his normal flaunting of what he's all about, also symbolizes a certain shift. It's still important to him and his reason for living/doing anything, but it's more closely guarded and personal; ironically less what he wants to flaunt as publicly as possible.

As a phoenix he is still generally blue, of course. But the idea of the Ashen! or Black!phoenix cuts into the heart of what is the corrupted power. Going with the idea that in between resurrections; in between "new eras" right when the old era has fallen and everything is ash, before Marco "rises again" he is (hypothetically; and as Dark!Marco) in an ashen state. This is the "darkest hour before the dawn" metaphor taken in a more literal sense.

Black!Phoenix is more vulnerable. Emotionally Marco's gone yang/dark/black, but physically there is a hypothetical untapped power to be had. HOWEVER; it comes at a very grave cost. Not just in the "corruption of his soul" but physically he's more vulnerable. Just as Awakened Zoan are able to be stronger, faster, and regenerate better, this is vaguely similar. Marco won't have any of those things; but ashen!phoenix form will be "more powerful" in a sense that would apply (hypothetically) to back home and protecting his nakama. The cost is also similar to awakened zoans, however, in that he has to lose part of himself mentally/emotionally/stably. He won't go fully into awakened mode, just as he won't fully lose himself either. Instead it's a trade-off cost. The power he gains, he won't explain to anyone if asked. Not even Robin. He knows that Whitebeard did not seek power for power's sake and while he's not quite ashamed of choosing a different route, he's not proud of it either. He'll be very closely guarded about it.

Ashen!Phoenix is "crisper" however. Easier to mold or shape or blow about. This has it's good sides for someone like Dark!Marco who wants to use it; but it also makes it something he's a lot more wary of because others might be able to do the same. And as such, he will be extraordinarily more hesitant to use it. He knows he's literally toeing the line of turning nearly into Awakened Mode and losing himself, and he won't try to walk that tightrope often; if at all.




Emotionally: Emotionally Dark!Marco is... all the things regular Marco is not. He's a lot more raw. Where his response to Rockstar was born out of an extreme impatience, general irritation with rookies, and certainly a strong lack of desire to pamper Shanks' nakama, this is a Marco whose nearly whole crux of personality lies on that instantaneous reaction. He was already hurting from Thatch's murder, Blackbeard's betrayal, and Ace taking off against orders to hunt Blackbeard down. This is indeed a shadow!Marco.

Normally one of Marco's greatest strengths is how composed he is. Deadpan, he rarely does get emotionally exposed. It takes some very extreme circumstances, and even then he bounces back amazingly well; such as even his father's death couldn't shake him enough not to pull everyone together by telling them to protect Luffy no matter what. Shadow!Marco is ashen. He hasn't "risen" yet or been reborn out of the ashes and between eras, he has all the emotional turmoil and trauma, the shadow of resentments and rage that have taken over. Much like the 9th Doctor Who and the one who gets "given" to Rose is one who's born out of the rage and hurt of war, this a Marco who is almost entirely that.

As himself and in canon, Marco is able to take these events and keep moving on and healing. Dark!Marco does not. He lets these things fester and take hold of him. He'll be more obsessed with his failings, bringing them up to a prominence mentally even if he tries to hide it from others, he can't hide it from himself and he can't completely let go and move on.

Crisper, he's "rawer" emotionally and mentally. Like a frayed nerve more exposed. He's an exposed live wire and while there's a lot of hurt in that, there's also a lot of "fire" or at least reactionary violence. He's much more temperamental, impatient, bitter, hurting, and angry. He's still Marco so his reasoning is the same, but it's far more raw emotionally and much more in the moment of mourning than after or during pulling through. (See also: stages of grief.)

Carnivorous zoans are more bloodthirsty, and while Marco is relatively omnivorous usually, as Evil!Marco, he's embracing this whole bloodthirsty thing hardcore. Lots and lots of meat.



Miscellany:
- Dark!Marco is more indulgent and selfish. His "normal self" is already fairly self-indulgent and selfish unless he has reasons not to be, but now the reasons not to will matter less. Far more of a black-hearted pirate indeed.
- Revenge is of course a very big thing, but as Dark!Marco the revenge almost matters more than protecting his nakama. While the revenge is still in order to protect his nakama in the first place, if dark!Marco thought sacrificing himself would kill Blackbeard, he'd do it. Regular Marco has come to terms with the fact that his brothers need him beyond just Blackbeard; they have other enemies to fight. Dark!Marco simply can't kill Blackbeard and he knows it, which also eats at him quite a bit and is indeed the inspiration for this transformation.
- If chibi!Marco is cute, Dark!Marco is all the Marco things that aren't cute. He's uglier, has an ugly duckling complex (because he is as an ashen phoenix literally pre-swan state) and he specifically flaunts the ugliness with his goth things. That said, where I play even regular Marco as "cute" about his insecurities when it comes to romance/dating/sex, dark!Marco has none of that.
- Dark!Marco is very confident/doesn't care if someone thinks he's not sexy, but he's much more of a flirt. A flirt without the cute reasons behind it. So "flirt." More like willing to sexually hit on people. By the same token, more confident about being sexual without strings attached. My regular Marco has a few insecurities about romance/sex/dating, Dark!Marco has none and doesn't care. This is not to say he won't petty/jealous/hurt, but he's much less worried and much more "c'est la vie" should things not work out the way he wants on romantic overtures. Where Regular Marco rebounds easily on other things, Dark!Marco is inversed.