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redactable2020-11-15 01:53 pm
retellers) wrote in redactable2020-11-15 01:53 pm
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WEEK SEVEN: MINGLE
WEEK SEVEN: MINGLE (21 remain) Rise and shine, gremlins. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it's the start of a new week. To the participants, yesterday's events may seem distant now—albeit not as distant as their life before this. Whether or not they notice, they will have lost a memory upon waking up. As usual, the participants will find that their lodgings have changed, and should anyone check their PHS, Chiron, Ochako, Soo-won, and Dorothy's profiles have been removed. They may also find that they have difficulty recalling complete details of the past weeks. Furthermore, it looks as though the rules have updated. Not everything is the same as the previous pattern, though. The barrier to the north is back up, and once more, what lies beyond is an empty field. In contrast, however, participants may notice that they can finally access a place they haven't been able to before... Additionally, it looks like the Leaders aren't around. No matter where the participants look, they're nowhere to be found. Should anyone try calling for them in the Planetarium, there will be no response—not even a message telling the participant that they're busy. Finally, everything around the participants begins to... glitch? Buildings may suddenly blink out of existence and then back in, random items like chairs or cups may suddenly distort even while they're being used, and looking at any particular thing for too long may give someone a headache. It's worse than it was that one week, though: participants will find that it's happening to themselves as well. Body parts might suddenly glitch out of existence then back in, and there will be a shot of pain when it occurs. It'll happen randomly, but it also seems to occur more often if they're touching something or another person. |
NAVIGATION locations ₓ˚. statuses *+:｡ ic profiles :ₓo ic rules ･ﾟﾟ･｡ audience requests murder proposals ｡✧o private conversations ･ﾟo｡ curfew ･ﾟ✧ memories |
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In this case, to another part of Goat's memories.
This time, the parallels aren't lost on him. And with his own memory freshly restored to him, with Xie Lian standing at his side, with what he knows - it makes for a powerful twist of fate, across the three realms, across the Realm itself, and through Goat's homeworld to have them be the ones to witness this series of memories. (And, of course, Jan coming for our throats.)
His hand goes and settles on Xie Lian's arm, staying there even after he's steadied himself, as he reorients himself, as well.
Xie Lian's words settle on him, and he can't say he's surprised as his gaze settles on Ares, young and vulnerable, a time in the past that could have been changed, for all the suffering it would likely prevent.
(Would this have been Hua Cheng, in another life? For all the kindness that he and Ares were shown, what followed, to lead Ares down this path where Hua Cheng had taken another? For all that he had loathed mankind and its cruelty, the years of people causing him misery, the star he was born under causing him a less than fortuitous fate...
He looks at Xie Lian, remembering the hand that reached out to him, the one that cradled him close when so much of the world had cast him aside.
... he can pretend he doesn't care about people, but things have changed. And they had begun to change a long time ago because of one person.) ]
If Goat made his choice, then he'd made his choice. The same as Ares would come to.
[ I can't tell you what to choose, he'd said, to another heartbroken and lost child. You deserve to make the choice yourself, for what feels right in the end. Whether it will be - that's for you to find out. ]
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usagi looks rather overwhelmed by the past five minutes but she manages to give lexter a stink eye for his comment. don’t try her, npc-kun....! she’s learned how to punch!!
yet her she is, yelling from the back of his magic hover ride ]
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[ he's still tenderly holding that falcon. he hasn't made a move to grab his swords or attack bark. he's just standing there. ]
... I don't want to fight you. I haven't even drawn my weapon.
[ a beat, because usagi did. ] We've been attacked a lot today, and she's jumpy and .... kind of..... I mean, she burned me earlier. [ zuko just throws usagi under the bus???? at least she's out of earshot. ] As for the other guy.... from what I've gathered, there's some kind of war going on here?
[ maybe it's not his place to get involved, but war..... is bad. ]
[ he sighs, though. ]
Look, if you attack me, I'll defend myself. But I'm not here for a fight. I'm trying to find my fr---
[ a beat, here. are he and goat friends? zuko wanted to be, but he still hasn't gotten to know him too well. and goat's been disappointed before, he said. and zuko knows, more than anything, how much he's disappointed others. maybe it's only a matter of time. ]
[ then there's the other end of it. could zuko trust goat? he'd trusted his own leader, and he'd gotten burned for it. ]
[ ... ]
... I'm trying to find someone I care about. She is, too. He's got silver hair, he teleports, and he likes animals. He's in trouble. And I'm going to do whatever it takes to help him. I don't have any issue with you. But if you try to stop me, then we're going to have to fight.
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You will not sacrifice anyone...?
[ If they turn around, there's a woman, ethereal and with a face identical to Goat's. She smiles. ]
If you return to the present like this, you will have to fight him regardless—and, in your current state, die by his hands. If you intend to kill him one way or another, what does it matter, to do it now or in the future?
[ Over with Usagi:
She and Lexter zoom around on a hoverboard, heading to the peak of the mountain. Once they're there and get off the board, Lexter manifests what might be a very familiar pink, heart-shaped scepter to her and presses it into her hands. ]
You gotta activate this! [ what ] Let there be light, and all that jazz. Once you do, the path will be complete.
[ Over with Zuko:
Bark eyes him for a moment, before speaking. ]
... So you're looking for Lord █████. However, Lord Ares has already deemed him unnecessary in his new kingdom, and so he must be disposed of.
[ His grip tightens around his weapon. ]
You've got spunk, kid. You would've made for a good Deman. But as Lord Ares's first follower, I will not let him down—so if you're going to get in our way, I won't let you.
[ And then, with superhuman strength as lightning crashes around them, he swings the mace at Zuko.]
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jan: :')
me:
me:
me: welp ]
Oh....!
[ she almost reverently takes her scepter, a fond gentle smile on her face as her eyes close. it doesn't take more than a simple thought to activate it and whoosh there goes the path, y'all have fun now ]
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xie lian holds still, for a moment, before he turns, and sees - well, he sees what he was expecting. the woman from goat's memories, wearing his face.
he regards her for a second. ]
...What would you know, if it mattered or not? [ xie lian says, slowly. ] You have no way to understand what he was feeling - [ not the child, but... more importantly, not goat, either. his hands curl at his sides, into fists. ] - and no way to understand that the future is not always set in stone.
Maybe it'll be the same. Maybe it won't. But there's no way of telling that if you cut something off before it ever has the chance to grow, because of some future that someone says has to be. No one makes their fate but themselves - and beings like you that cause more strife in the first place!
If it's a fool's errand to wait, then so be it, but if there's a chance, even a fraction of a chance that saving this child's life has done something good, even if it's just for the sake of saving his life right now, then it's worth it! Showing someone kindness isn't a weakness. Saving someone's life -- trying to save someone's life is never the wrong path. If something goes wrong, then that was this child's choice, and we will give him that choice to make himself. No matter how many times it goes wrong --
[ a beat, and his voice picks up some volume - xie lian gestures sharply with his free hand. ]
-- I am not afraid of failure, and neither is he!
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But he lifts his gaze up and turns, instead, unimpressed. ]
It's fascinating to me, that so many that would call themselves gods decide they know the best actions that need to be taken. Do they just enjoy watching mankind and taking their choices from them? For the greater good, for their own gain, for the well-being of humans. If he made his choice, and wouldn't come here himself to change it with the chance, then there's more important things to worry about.
[ Humans are selfish by nature, but amazing how gods will always take the crown, there. They don't even have the selfish desire for life that is so inherent in humans to excuse some of their actions. ]
No god, no star of misfortune, no Realm, will make my choices for me. I took my fate in my hands - if I face death, it won't be the first time, and it'll be my choice to face it head-on rather than killing a child.
One person's kindness granted me that chance. One person will always make a difference - one act of kindness, one person saved, can change fate.
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[ the irony here is not lost on zuko -- he knows his mountain, he was on it, screaming at the sky to strike him. and now the lightning's crashing around them, and it's a very real possibility. ]
[ his expression hardens at bark's words, and he finally reaches for his weapon. they're at an impasse - zuko's equally as determined not to let goat down, and there's no way around this. ]
[ too bad. ]
It is what it is, then.
[ with that, he throws himself under the mace, drawing out his broadsword with one fluid motion and striking to incapacitate him. their size difference and rng smiling upon zuko means it's easy enough for him to dodge -- but he has to jump pretty high to strike a significant blow. luckily, mario jumping and parkour comes easily enough, and he strikes precisely and without hesitation. ]
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If this had been a human, or perhaps a weaker Deman, Bark would certainly be dead—but then, despite the seemingly lethal hit, he appears to be regenerating...? That is, unfortunately for Zuko, he's dealing with a boss-level opponent. At this proximity, Bark's hand lashes out to grab Zuko's throat, either to choke the life out of him or maybe even to just tear his head from his neck.
—And then Usagi activates the scepter. It doesn't actually create a path, though. "Then why did Lexter keep talking about a road" there are some things that made more sense before canons collided.
Light erupts from her scepter, high up on the peak and spreading across the land. To humans, it brings no harm, but for every Deman it touches? Their skin burns and their bodies crumble away. Honestly, they're supposed to be weak to sunlight, so maybe Sailor MOON saving the day is horribly inappropriate, but it's fine.
As Bark begins to disintegrate, and after his initial shock, he can only smile in resignation. ]
... The victor is the one who's right, in the end.
[ A nod of respect for Zuko, there. And then, with the rest of the Demans, his body turns to nothing.
As for Xie Lian and Hua Cheng:
The woman only continues to smile serenely, making it difficult to decipher how she feels about their response. If anything at all, really. ]
We will see what comes from your choice, then.
[ Then, their surroundings shatter. When they come to their senses, they're back in the area where they were fighting Ares, though he's no longer there. In his place is another white cosmos flower; again, if any of them touches it, everyone in this group will regain one of their memories.
With the Demans dead, humans begin to fill the space; dressed in uniforms, so most likely they're the militia Lexter spoke of. Speaking of Lexter himself, when he climbs back down from the mountain (with Usagi and Zuko in tow, maybe), a burly, gruff-looking man dashes toward him to wrap him in a bear hug.
The humans look around in awe. The Demans are gone? They're free?
Looks like you've won... maybe? There's still no sign of Goat anywhere. ]
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when xie lian's senses return to him, he looks down, and the first thing he sees is another white cosmos flower, and this time, he's the one to pick it up.
and when he does, he inhales, a short, sharp intake of breath.
(remaining in the place where that ghost had stood - wu ming - was the sword fang xin, as cold and chilled as night, but silenced... and a single, pristine white flower, lightly dusted with dew. the only symbol of the sacrifice that 'no one' had made.)
his hand curls around the flower - xie lian squeezes it, shutting his eyes tightly for a moment, and briefly brings it to his heart, before he straightens again.
looking around to see zuko and usagi is a relief - it crosses his face immediately, expression softening into a smile. ] Zuko, Miss Serenity -
[ - and he watches the bear hug happen (i hope all of them get hugged), and starts to look around again. still holding the flower to his chest, he can feel the sensation of shock, and awe, and then, joy. it feels like a battlefield - the end of a war. the dawning of a new day.
...but something's missing. ]
...We... Brother Goat, we still have to find him. Young man --
[ someone start asking these people about our goat!! WHERE IS OUR GOAT ]
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(He already had the actions, the memories, but he didn't have his identity to go with it. Didn't have the name, or lack thereof, to go with it. Funny, how he's truly becoming nameless, and yet has gained something akin to one.)
If the Demans are gone, then it truly is a cause for celebration. And yet, they aren't done yet. They don't know where Goat is, and they're still here, in this world created from memories. Where's their dramatic exit and their rewards for the journey? They're not done yet. ]
Lexter! [ We don't have time for this. ] Where's "Mr. God?"
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which is why she’s perfectly fine following along after everyone smiling gently at the reunions happening ]
Usagi is fine, Xie Lian-san.
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[ zuko returns the nod of respect ]
.... No. Your convictions aren't wrong. We both wanted to protect someone we care about.
[ his last words as mark disappears and he's reunited with the fam. when he touches the flower and his memory returns he shudders... and sighs. ]
[ but that conviction is renewed. ]
... We have to find him.
[ he seems... driven. less directionless, maybe ]
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A void appears high up above everyone's head, like a black hole sucking in the sky itself. The group will feel an intense pressure; a menacing aura that can only be described as the impending end of the world. To Xie Lian and Hua Cheng especially, something about it rings familiar of the woman they just encountered.
Then, everything—everyone—around them begins to turn to ash. It's just slow enough that the humans can see what's going on, can look horrified before they and their loved ones dissipate and scatter. Lexter can't manage to say anything, before he and the man holding onto him join the others. Nothing but ashes, now.
All the while, an unfamiliar voice sounds out. ]
Now, o King, make thine second advent! Unlike 'Ra', only thou art seeing the correct world. May Destruction be our salvation—
[ Before it all reaches and kills Xie Lian and co., though, Zuko will feel the falcon stir. Light bursts forth from it, enveloping the group. It almost feels like a warm embrace, as if touched by the sunlight.
When the light fades, they'll see that they're safe, although everything else around them has been brought to ruin. Night has fallen, leaving them almost entirely in darkness. The bird is unconscious once more, and Zuko will be able to feel its life force growing weaker and weaker.
Aside from the newfound desolation, however, there's something that's different. If they walk a bit further out, they'll find a design drawn into the ground. Within the center lies a baby goat, surrounded by what look to be weapons: a gun, a flute, a double-sided lance, a gauntlet, a staff, an orb, a chain, and something resembling a two-pronged trident, but with the handle sharpened at the end like a spear.
If they try picking up any of the weapons, it turns into light in their hands. It doesn't quite retain a shape, like it's more a manifestation of power than a physical object, but it resembles a blade and seems sharp enough to stab something all the same. (If they put it back down, it returns to normal.) The only exception is the last, trident-like weapon, which does not change at all if they pick it up.
Voices echo. ]
Hurry! You must pierce the goat with the eight spears—complete the ceremony—
[ Then, more. ]
Do not listen to them—they are trying to trick you—she will be fully released if you do—
[ ...
So, what will you do? ]
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and then, there's nothing.
what was left behind here can only be called devastation. xie lian slowly rises as the light fades, standing up among the ashes for the first, second, third, hundredth time all the same, and feels his heart shatter to pieces at the sight. so many brief and beautiful moments of joy, and that void, endlessly yawning and cruel, at the center of it. destroying it in seconds.
... there's no time to focus on the suffering and loss, though. not now. only stand up, and walk forward. just up ahead, there's an array, and weapons, and... xie lian's heart surges at the sight of something tiny in the center of it. he's already starting to move as the voices echo around them. one step. two steps. three, to bound into the space of the array itself.
complete the ceremony.
of all of the parallels to his own life, xie lian thinks this may be the worst.
for a moment, the memory surges to life in the back of his head, something he's never forgotten - it has been eight hundred years and the trauma of his own altar still wakes him in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. one sword, one hundred times, reducing him to a pile of unrecognizable flesh in the name of a cure that didn't even matter.
even now, the mere words coming from the voices around them send ice into his veins, and xie lian feels his heartbeat ratchet up in his ears, in a moment of crystal clear terror. (it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, why can't i die, it hurts, IT HURTS)
but it's not terror for himself - it's for goat.
as he enters the array, he drops to his knees beside this tiny baby goat - what a fitting name, for their nameless leader, isn't it? -- and reaches for it, his hand hesitating for barely a second before he soothes a (shaking, trembling) hand over the top of its head, instead. if he can pick up baby goat he will. ]
Don't be scared. [ he says, barely loud enough to be heard, voice affected with emotion. his back is to the others, at the moment - a veritable shield. ] Don't worry. Nothing will hurt you.
[ xie lian is not going to let what happened to him happen again.
not if he can help it.
if someone has to be stabbed, then they can just stab him instead. ]
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Well, something to think about later. When the images of a fleeting victory crumble into nothing, and all that's left is the four of them and the again-unconscious falcon.
His gaze drops down to the bird in Zuko's arms, his hand on Usagi's back and his brow furrowed, before he moves to look at everything - at least, until more voices begin to echo throughout the ruin around them. The same words stick in his mind that do in Xie Lian's, and it's almost like someone took one of the "spears" and ran it through him.
Xie Lian's reaction is what wrenches it deeper.
Every step is followed, every trace of hesitation seen, the shaking of his hand driving the pain in further and further, as he remembers being forced to watch a ceremony, with no body to fight with, no hands to offer comfort with, no strength to do anything. It doesn't matter if it's only eight spears - to Xie Lian, and so to Hua Cheng, it's a hundred swords all over again. It's no wonder that this bond was forged.
He steps forward, following, but surveys the weapons.
After finding out what happens when they touch them - whether it's just him checking, or Zuko and Usagi check as well, it doesn't matter - he makes his decision.
Hua Cheng straightens, moving into the circle proper, and hooks the toe of his boot under the trident, kicking it up to catch. While he has his saber, this is a weapon provided by this memory, and is the only one to remain solid. It means something. He will not let some figment from Goat's past come near it, for risk that it could be used against them. ]
No. [ He sounds furious, in just one word.
He is not just some ghost fire, unable to fight, unable to protect. Not this time.
This will not happen again - it doesn't matter if it's to Xie Lian (although he knows he'd offer himself up, he remembers him doing it, for a people suffering the sins of a war long over), or if it's to the defenseless goat. ]
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[ there’s no time to stop it, no time to reactivate her temporary fix, all Usagi can do is look on in horror as the world turns to ash around them. but-
this falcon of theirs……… standing as close to zuko as she was, usagi slides a gentle finger down the back of its head in thanks as she too takes in this scene. both dad's reactions make her heart ache, the emotion behind both of their words clear enough to know Something about it is familiar to them. ]
How dare you assume we would hurt an innocent soul! There is nothing you say that would turn our hand against those we protect!
[ she’s stepping in slow circles, yelling at clouds, though the way her shoulders pull back and the defiant jut of her chin makes it seem like she’s done this before. all she needs now is the light of the moon to turn her into the sailor guardian she is. ]
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The group chooses to do nothing. The first voices speak again, urgent. ]
He is—
[ At that moment, though, vapour spills from the void, dark and filled with teeth and eyes. If any of them look up, it will hurt their own eyes, to the point where they might bleed—it's like looking at something that doesn't exist within the second or third dimension, not meant to be perceived by their eyes.
The pressure increases, and intense pain will wrack their bodies, screaming through their heads and forcing them to the ground. The goat slips from Xie Lian's arms; the weapon, from Hua Cheng's hands. The group will feel deathly cold.
Amidst the darkness, though, sunlight begins to peek from the horizon. ]
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i mean. well! pain is nothing he's not used to, so -- when xie lian drops, he drops hard, but both of his forearms fall on either side of where the goat fell, putting his body over top of the little creature without touching him, as protectively as he can, blood trickling down his cheeks.
even now, with the agony of the pain, with the sudden frozen chill of death, xie lian tries to protect goat. if he dies here, then maybe he'll have saved someone.]
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But he braces against it, regardless. And he sees that light, through the blood - and maybe that's an end to all this, no matter which direction it lands. ]
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her hand grips her locket tightly, squinting at the faint light of the horizon. ]
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Maybe we should go towards it.
[ the light... he might also have one of the weapons too i guess but he ain't gonna stab bb goat ]
[1/2]
And then, dawn breaks.
The falcon awakens, radiating light, before departing from Zuko. For a moment, if they focus, they might see a man amidst the glow, as he smiles gently down at Zuko and places a hand atop his head. Thank you.
A blink later, though, and he's nothing more than a bird, making his way over to the goat. He presses himself against the other animal, softly, as a voice echoes into the air.
"Do you remember when we named the stars together? One star for each soul... a light for every soul... I gave a star to each and every one of my children, and humans gave names to everything I made.
The name of that feeling is...
'Love'.
This is the last story I need to teach you.
Lessa. Continue to follow your heart. Just as there is love that does not fade, your tears should not end with just pain."
Finally, the last of his life fades, and with a last shine of warm light, he disappears. ]
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Then, it transforms, into a familiar figure. Goat—Lessa reaches out to steady Xie Lian, despite the weakness of his grasp. Shifting back, he looks around, before understanding sinks. Grief fills his face, because in the end, he knows.
Whether it be here, in his memories, or in reality, 'Ra' is gone.
Still, with determination in his eyes, he picks up the weapon that Hua Cheng dropped. He raises it above his head, vibrant energy swirling around it as he does so—and then, although this is what the group was trying to avoid, he stabs it right through his torso.
Power surges, and, abruptly, it's as if the world jolts. At last, some of the pain and pressure leaves the four; enough, at least, that they can move, however much effort it might require even to struggle.
Blood doesn't spill from where Lessa impaled himself, although it sure still looks like it hurts! A lot! Gritting his teeth through the pain, the 'spear' still pierced through his body, Lessa manages to speak. ]
You cannot hesitate...! To seal her away, there's no other—!
[ He's very sorry about everyone's trauma, but?
PLEASE
JUST STAB HIM ]
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but, the first time that xie lian says - ] Lessa! [ the name is torn out of his throat in a cry, instead.
and. honestly. it's...it's what he would do. xl deserved every "LOOKS AT XIE LIAN" comment i just got in the discord server. in this situation, it is the same desperation he would have taken on to try and stop something like this. it is the exact same suffering he took on in that temple. that he was ready to take on in yong'an, again.
he looks at lessa, dark eyes searching his face - and there is sorrow and suffering, and understanding. ] All eight...? [ he asks, just once, to confirm, and looks at the others.
and then... ] ... It has to be all eight of the weapons.
Hand me two of them.
[ once he's been handed (rolls dice) the chain and the orb, they change into the same sharp looking light spear weapons. xie lian looks back at lessa, again, trying to meet his eyes. ]
I'm here. [ he says, in a voice that aches with empathy, repeating the words goat said to him, what feels like months ago, now.
"they used you, instead."
because he knows exactly what this is going to feel like, as he pulls the spear out with all of the nerfed godly strength he has, grips it tight enough to go white knuckled around the first weapon.
his other arm comes to wrap around lessa's shoulders, steadying, and he holds on tight, closes his eyes and turns his head to the side. ] Don't be afraid.
[ his strike is true and clean, at the heart.
he grabs the second weapon he was handed, waits for it to change, squeezes his arm tight around his shoulders - and the stabs that one in an empty spot, too.
if it the energy that warps off of it hits him too, that's fine.
xie lian's not letting go. ]
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