Writing

Aug. 18th, 2025 12:14 am
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
[personal profile] china_shop has posted "Writing meta: What Middles Are For." It's an excellent essay about story structure.

Read "For the Many" by Beepbird

Aug. 17th, 2025 11:23 pm
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
[personal profile] beepbird has written "For the Many," a book about plurality / multiplicity.  It is available at this post with links to download PDF or EPUB formats. 

I know I have a bunch of plural people in my audience, and I write about some plural characters such as Damask in Polychrome Heroics or Bruce-and-Hulk in Love Is For Children (The Avengers), so I'm always watching for good resources on this topic.  Go read the book.  It is very clearly written and includes many practical descriptions of how to achieve healthy multiplicity.  Many of the suggestions are good people skills for living in other communal contexts too.  It's good to read if you have plural friends, so you don't hurt them, because society affords them little or no protection.  If you want to know how to do something, listen to someone who's been doing it a while --  not an "expert" who has never done it.

How to not build the Torment Nexus

Aug. 17th, 2025 11:10 pm
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
How to not build the Torment Nexus

This week’s question comes to us from Will Hopkins:
When your job and healthcare depends on building the Torment Nexus, but you actually learned the lesson from the popular book Don't Build the Torment Nexus, how do you keep your soul intact and try to put less torment into the world?



I would add: when your survival requires a job, and most jobs involve building some form of Torment Nexus, be aware that your society is in the toilet, circling the drain.  And it's not an accident for people to feel outright trapped in truly heinous jobs.  That's what homeless people are for: so the boss can say, "Quit dragging your feet and build the goddamn Torment Nexus!  Or do you want to be homeless?"

Affordable Housing

Aug. 17th, 2025 08:37 pm
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Small Changes With Big Impacts in Dallas

On April 23, the Dallas City Council did something worth paying attention to.
They voted unanimously to approve a change to the city’s building code that allows up to eight dwelling units in three-story buildings under a modified version of the International Residential Code (IRC).



Multiplexes and small apartment buildings belong to the "missing middle" of affordable housing.  They mix well with freestanding homes, particularly if you put them on the larger corner lots of a block.  Imagine a block of mostly 2-3 bedroom houses with the corners holding a couple of small apartment buildings or multiplexes and a couple of bigger 4+ bedroom houses that could be for large families, sharehouses, boarding houses, etc.  And some of those single-family homes could also have a garage apartment or a home business on the porch or garage.  Such blocks exist in many of the towns near me, and they are awesome.

Moment of Silence: Terence Stamp

Aug. 17th, 2025 08:12 pm
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Famous actor Terence Stamp has passed away. He was best known for his role in two Superman movies ("Kneel before Zod!") but performed in many other roles as well.


Carry on the Work:

Acting -- how to articles from wikiHow

The Creative Writer's Ultimate Guide to Science Fantasy

How to Study Voice Acting: A Step-by-Step Guide


Climate Change

Aug. 17th, 2025 07:41 pm
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Unprecedented climate shocks are changing the Great Lakes forever

Heat waves and cold spells are now more common on the Great Lakes, according to U-M research, with implications for the region's weather, economy and ecology.
Extreme heat waves and cold spells on the Great Lakes have more than doubled since the late 1990s, coinciding with a major El Niño event. Using advanced ocean-style modeling adapted for the lakes, researchers traced temperature trends back to 1940, revealing alarming potential impacts on billion-dollar fishing industries, fragile ecosystems, and drinking water quality
.

Birdfeeding

Aug. 17th, 2025 03:21 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today is partly sunny and sweltering.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 8/17/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 8/17/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 8/17/25 -- I watered the patio plants and the old picnic table garden.

I picked 4 goldenberries.

I've seen a male cardinal.

EDIT 8/17/25 -- I watered the new picnic table garden.

I picked 2 red cherry tomatoes.





Robotics

Aug. 17th, 2025 01:38 pm
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
China firm plans world’s first pregnancy humanoid robot using artificial womb

The innovation uses artificial amniotic fluid and nutrient delivery via hose, replicating natural gestation, now to be integrated into humanoid robots.

Read more... )

Sunday Sale Digest!

Aug. 17th, 2025 08:00 am
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Posted by Amanda

This piece of literary mayhem is exclusive to Smart Bitches After Dark, but fret not. If you'd like to join, we'd love to have you!

Have a look at our membership options, and come join the fun!

If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section with exclusive content and events.

Everything you’re used to seeing at the Hot Pink Palace that is Smart Bitches Trashy Books will remain free as always, because we remain committed to fostering community among brilliant readers who love romance.

Get Rec’d with Amanda – Volume 96

Aug. 17th, 2025 06:00 am
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Posted by Amanda

Welcome back to Get Rec’d, as we creep every closer to 100 of these things!

This time, there’s a mystery and a romance for fiction options. For non-fiction, we have some kinky niche history and an essay collection by trans and gender-nonconforming writers.

Get any good recommendations lately? Let us know in the comments!

Both/And

With trans and queer people and spaces under attack, this anthology focuses on celebrating joy and self-acceptance.

From Denne Michele Norris and Electric Literature, a vital anthology of essays by trans and gender-nonconforming writers of color, sharing stories of joy, heartbreak, rage, and self-discovery.

Featuring seventeen essays by trans people of color—spanning writers, scientists, actors, activists, and drag queens—Both/And explores what it means to live as a trans or gender nonconforming person of color today.

Acclaimed authors Akwaeke Emezi, Tanaïs, and Meredith Talusan share their stories alongside activist and organizer Raquel Willis and RuPaul’s Drag Race star Peppermint, as well as a host of rising literary talent. Each story is told with honesty, authenticity, and beauty. A nonbinary molecular biologist has nightmares about their estranged father transitioning. A writer revisits a casual hook-up when she discovered her womanhood. And a woman vacations with her wife in Hawaii, where she gets in touch with the fire goddess within. These stories depict real trans lives from trans points of view, at a time when these perspectives are most urgent and valuable.

Inspired by Electric Literature’s groundbreaking series and edited by the first Black, openly trans editor-in-chief of a major literary publication, Both/And uplifts and amplifies stories of queer joy, heartbreak, rage, and self-discovery.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

The Dead Husband Cookbook

The marketing I’ve seen for this has been so fun, and the more I see it, the more tempted I am to pick it up.

A deliciously wicked new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Danielle Valentine.

One husband, well done.

When infamous chef, restaurateur, and television personality Maria Capello’s husband died, the media circus was intense…and quick to cast the blame. Whispers claimed Maria murdered her husband to build her culinary empire on his bones, and that there was an all-too-grisly reason his body was never recovered. Yet for the past few decades, the Capello family maintained their stoney silence—until now.

Thea Woods has no idea why she was chosen to work with Maria on her sure-to-be-infamous memoir, but she doesn’t question her luck. Spirited away to the Capello’s rustic upstate farm, she’s soon embroiled in the mystery—and cut off from the rest of the world. It should be the job of a lifetime, but something’s not quite right with the close-knit clan, and Damien Capello isn’t the only one to go mysteriously missing over the years. As the true story of Maria’s past unfolds and the stench of rot hidden behind the kind coastal grandmother veneer rises, Thea finds herself trapped…and desperately afraid.

Because there are reasons why Damien’s body was never found…and why, in over thirty years, Maria Capello has never revealed the secret ingredient in her most famous recipe.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Kinky History

For all my niche history nerds! I follow James on socials, so feel free to poke around her IG and TikTok accounts to get a sense of the subject matter.

A provocative journey through human sexual history, packed with fun factoids and forgotten stories, from the historian and storyteller behind Kinky History, @esme.louisee on TikTok

Contrary to popular belief, our predecessors had all sorts of obscene hobbies long before Christian Grey hit the scene. In this enlightening romp, learn about the first instances of homosexuality on record from the ancient world and the diverse history of nonbinary gender; encounter a thousand years’ worth of hilarious and horrifying contraceptive methods; consider the positive and negative effects of the widespread availability of pornography in the digital age—and how our relationship to it changed during the pandemic; take a sneaky riffle through centuries of bedside drawers; and discover the dirty little secrets of luminaries such as Julius Caesar, James Joyce, Albert Einstein, and Virginia Woolf.

Esmé Louise James also identifies the key tipping points that directly inform current beliefs around sex to place the past in conversation with the present. By educating ourselves about the weird, wonderful, and varied spectrum of human sexuality and experience, we can normalize and destigmatize sex, write people of marginalized sexual identities back into the pages of history, and build toward a more liberated future.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Like First Love, Again

If you prefer your romances to pack an emotional punch with a bonus side of pining and yearning, add this to your TBR pile.

When the one who got away comes back…

Real estate broker Tori Cruz has spent years building a life of structure and control — keeping her heart, and her past, carefully locked away. But when Mia Falcon, her childhood best friend and secret first love, crashes back into her life after fourteen years apart, everything Tori thought she buried comes rushing back.

Mia didn’t mean to find Tori again. She definitely didn’t mean to want her. Divorcing, grieving, and lost, Mia only wanted help selling her mother’s house. She wasn’t prepared for feelings she never dared name to come rushing back — hotter, deeper, and far more dangerous than before.

Back together, and it’s like no time has passed. And when Mia realizes that home isn’t a place — it’s a person — she knows she can’t walk away again.

Old feelings resurface. New ones spark. And some loves? They never die. They wait.

A steamy, slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance full of heart, heat, and second chances.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Genetics

Aug. 16th, 2025 02:56 pm
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Great white sharks have a DNA mystery science still can’t explain

Once on the brink during the last ice age, great white sharks made a remarkable recovery globally, but their DNA reveals a baffling story. Classic migration explanations fail, leaving scientists with a mystery that defies reproductive and evolutionary logic.


The most important part of science is being willing and able to say, "I don't know."

Birdfeeding

Aug. 16th, 2025 02:47 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today is partly sunny and sweltering.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a male cardinal, and a mourning dove.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 8/16/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 8/16/25 -- I did a more work around the patio.

EDIT 8/16/25 -- I watered the patio plants and old picnic table garden.

EDIT 8/16/25 -- I watered the new picnic table garden.

I picked 5 ground cherries and a red cherry tomato.  The ground cherries are related to tomatillos, with a sweet fruit inside a husk.  They are about the size of a chickpea with a faint pineapple flavor.  :D

EDIT 8/16/25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden and a few of the savanna seedlngs.

Cicacas and crickets are singing.  Fireflies are out.  I saw a bat.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.
 

Crafts

Aug. 16th, 2025 02:15 pm
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
DIY Vader and Leia Coke Can Lights

These turned out so well. :D
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Posted by Amanda

Book Beat aims to highlight other books that we may hear about through friends, social media, or other sources. We could see a gorgeous ad! Or find a new-to-us author on a list of underrated romances! Think of Book Beat as Teen Beat or Tiger Beat, but for books. And no staples to open to get the fold-out poster.

Backhanded Compliments

Backhanded Compliments by Katie Chandler

Author: Katie Chandler
Released: June 10, 2025 by Atria Books
Genre: , ,

A steamy sapphic romance with a fantastical twist about two bitter tennis rivals who realize they are reluctant soulmates—perfect for fans of Expiration Dates and Here We Go Again.

Juliette Ricci dreams of only one being the best women’s tennis player in the world. She’s worked nonstop with her strict father/coach to prepare for her big chance in the Australian Open. Unfortunately, she’ll be playing Lucky Luca Kacic, an aloof player whose unorthodox style and reigning popularity deeply irritate Juliette.

For months they’ve traded sly insults in their press conferences leading up to their showdown on the court, and their first ever match is the most anticipated of the season. But Juliette refuses to let her nerves—or Luca’s annoyingly perfect abs—get the best of her.

Meanwhile, Luca seemingly has everything Juliette desires but there’s one thing missing from her love. When she shakes hands with Juliette after an agonizing match and sees her rival’s name appear on her wrist, it feels like a cruel joke. Juliette is a spoiled, arrogant brat who wants absolutely nothing to do with Luca or a soulmate.

But despite their personal and professional clashes, the two grow closer after late-night massages and one too many shots of limoncello. Their chemistry is tangible, but Luca’s anxiety tells her that Juliette is just messing with her head to throw her off her game, and Juliette can’t understand why Luca is so hot and cold. With the pressure of the world scrutinizing their every move, they will have to decide what’s more important—being together or being number one.

This rivals to lovers tennis romance is a debut! And if you’re playing SBTB Summer Romance Bingo, this would work for the sports romance square.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

The Gentleman and His Vowsmith

The Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide

Author: Rebecca Ide
Released: April 15, 2025 by S&S/Saga Press
Genre: , , , ,

A young lord, his future bride, and his former lover become unlikely allies to survive a deadly mystery in this spine-tingling historical fantasy of magic, murder, and steamy encounters.

Lord Nicholas Monterris is trapped. The only heir to a declining dukedom, Nic is destined for a marriage of convenience. What he doesn’t expect is for his bride to be Lady Leaf Serral, daughter of his father’s hated rival.

Tradition dictates the families are confined together while the marriage contract is crafted, which should be the worst part. Until Nic learns the Serrals’ head negotiator is master vowsmith Dashiell sa Vare—beautiful, perfect Dashiell sa Vare—an old flame he has neither forgiven nor forgotten. Nic’s only defense is false smiles and too much wine.

When a dead body turns up, tension within the castle thickens. The first death is brushed off as an unfortunate accident, but a second reveals something sinister is unfolding at Monterris Court. As accusations fly and long-buried secrets surface, Nic must work with his former lover and his future bride to uncover a devious mastermind before they claim another victim.

“One part sweet and swoony romance, one part magic-infused mystery, and thoroughly enjoyable on all counts!” —Maiga Doocy, author of Sorcery and Small Magics

I keep seeing this one and I just know the Bitchery will have an interest in this. 

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

No Body, No Crime

No Body, No Crime by Tess Sharpe

Author: Tess Sharpe
Released: July 15, 2025 by MCD
Genre: , ,

From the bestselling author Tess Sharpe comes a new action packed thriller about two women whose lives—and hearts—are destined for each other.

Murder either bonds you or breaks you.

Rural PI Mel Tillman knows this well. She’s seen her fair share of bloody cases and botched cover-ups. But killing with someone? That is a different kind of mess all together, and Mel’s got real experience with it.

No one’s heard from Toby Dunne since Chloe Harper’s sweet sixteen party—because the birthday girl and sixteen-year-old Mel buried him so deep in the backwoods, no one’s ever finding him. Mel loses little sleep over it—Toby had been terrorizing them.

What she does lose sleep over is Chloe, the girl with whom she survived that horrible night in the woods. Chloe, the girl she fell in love with. Chloe, the girl who disappeared and hasn’t been seen in more than six years.

Tasked with locating Chloe by her family, Mel can’t resist the call of a good chase, or finding the one who got away with her heart (and with murder). When Mel finds an armed and vigilant Chloe living off-grid in a highly booby-trapped patch of Canadian wilderness, she realizes that Chloe had been expecting someone other than her ex to come looking for her. The thing that’s kept Chloe going for years is that she’s kept Mel safe by running. Now, the truth must come out as they run for their lives once again.

Because when they buried Toby Dunne in the backwoods, they buried something else, too. Something Toby took. And the powerful family he stole it from? They’ll do anything to get it back.

Twisty and razor-sharp, Tess Sharpe’s No Body No Crime is a heart-pounding thriller teeming with secrets, betrayals, and a star-crossed romance for the ages.

A queer, YA Thelma & Louise-inspired adventure. 

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Retreat

Retreat by Krysten Ritter

Author: Krysten Ritter
Released: February 11, 2025 by Harper
Genre:

“Multitalented Krysten Ritter is back with a sexy, breakneck thriller that immerses readers in the sometimes glamorous and sometimes deadly life of a con artist. Full of surprises and edge-of-your-seat scenes, Retreat is a wild ride.”—Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of She’s Not Sorry

“Smart, sexy, and wickedly this is everything you want in a sun-drenched thriller. Ritter can really write—you’ll race through Retreat in a day, rooting for its sparky anti-heroine (just try not to drop it in the pool at the jaw-dropping twist).”—Ellery Lloyd, bestselling author of The Club and The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby

A beautiful con artist insinuates herself into a wealthy socialite’s life . . . with deadly consequences, in this serpentine thriller about identity and obsession, from actress, director and bestselling author Krysten Ritter.

Liz Dawson weaves through a crowd with the ease of a tropical breeze, moving seamlessly through elite circles, sparking instant connections and making every new acquaintance feel like an intimate friend. She’s clever, smooth, and confident—qualities that make her a brilliant serial con artist.

Isabelle Beresford is strikingly beautiful, obscenely wealthy, and the new owner of Casa Esmerelda, a fabulous villa on the Mexican coast—attributes that make her the perfect mark. When she offers Liz a job handling the installation of a piece of art in her otherwise vacant home, Liz can’t resist the allure of a beach retreat. She longs for a reset, a chance to finally shed the grip of her addiction to the conning game.

But when Liz, with her lush dark hair and intense green eyes, is mistaken for Isabelle herself, Liz can’t help effortlessly slipping into the socialite’s identity. The transition is so easeful, it almost feels like fate. But just who is Isabelle Beresford really, and why does she seem to have abandoned this stunning life of hers?

As Liz insinuates herself deeper into the dazzling—and deceptive—world of the Punta Mita resort community, she draws closer to the dangers surrounding the real Isabelle. Dangers that may have already ensnared Liz, too. This might not be the con of her life—but the con that ends it.

Ritter had released a debut years ago (Bonfire), and now she’s back with another mystery. 

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

multifandom icons.

Aug. 16th, 2025 11:26 am
wickedgame: (Ivan & Patrick | Elite)
[personal profile] wickedgame posting in [community profile] iconic
 Fandoms: Beauty & The Beast, Chicago Fire, Country Comfort, Daredevil: Born Again, Dead Boy Detectives, DOC - Nelle Tue Mani, Good Trouble, Gotham Knights, Hawkeye, How To Get Away With Murder, Kevin Can F*** Himself, Nancy Drew, The Sandman, SkyMed, Warrior Nun, XO, Kitty, Young Royals

nancydrew-1x04a.png gothamknights-1x10harper.png hawkeye-1x01.png
rest HERE[community profile] mundodefieras 
 

Climate Change

Aug. 16th, 2025 01:20 am
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Mexican cave stalagmites reveal the deadly droughts behind the Maya collapse

Summary:
Chemical evidence from a stalagmite in Mexico has revealed that the Classic Maya civilization’s decline coincided with repeated severe wet-season droughts, including one that lasted 13 years. These prolonged droughts corresponded with halted monument construction and political disruption at key Maya sites, suggesting that climate stress played a major role in the collapse. The findings demonstrate how stalagmites offer unmatched precision for linking environmental change to historical events.


Just in case you thought climate change wasn't very important, a shift in the environmental conditions is one of the leading causes of civilization collapse.

Creative Jam

Aug. 16th, 2025 01:17 am
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
The August [community profile] crowdfunding Creative Jam is now up with a theme of "Inner vs. Outer Strength."  Come give us prompts or claim some for your own inspiration.


What I Have Written



From My Prompts



Creative Jam

Aug. 16th, 2025 01:04 am
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith posting in [community profile] crowdfunding
Welcome to the 145th Crowdfunding Creative Jam! This session will run Saturday, August 16-Sunday, August 17. The theme is "Inner vs. Outer Strength."

Crowdfunding Creative Jam

Everyone is eligible to post prompts, which may be words or phrases, titles, images, etc. Prompters may request a specific creator, but everyone else may still use that prompt if they wish. Prompts may specify a particular character/world/etc. but creators may use the prompt for something else anyway and post the results. Prompters are still encouraged to post mostly prompts that anyone could use anywhere, as this maximizes the chance of having creators make something based on your prompt. Please title your comment "Prompt" or "Prompts" when providing inspiration so these are easy to find.

Prompt responses may also be treated as prompts and used for further inspiration. For example, a prompt may lead to a sketch which leads to a story, and so on. This kind of cascading inspiration is one of the most fun things about a collective jam session.

Everyone is eligible to use prompts, and everyone who wants to use a given prompt may do so, for maximum flexibility of creator choice in inspiration. You do not have to post a "Claim" reply when you decide to use a prompt, but this does help indicate what is going on so that other prompters can spread out their choice of prompts if they wish.

Creators are encouraged, but not required, to post at least one item free. Likewise, sharing a private copy of material with the prompter is encouraged but not required. Creative material resulting from prompts should be indicated in a reply to the prompt, with a link to the full content elsewhere on the creator's site (if desired); a brief excerpt and/or description of the material may be included in the reply (if desired). It helps to title your comment "Prompt Filled" or something like that so these are easy to identify. There is no time limit on responding to prompts. However, creators are encouraged to post replies sooner rather than later, as the attention of prompters will be highest during and shortly after the session.

Some items created from prompts may become available for sponsorship. Some creators may offer perks for donations, linkbacks, or other activity relating to this project. Check creator comments and links for their respective offerings.

Prompters, creators, and bystanders are expected to behave in a responsible and civil manner. If the moderators have to drag someone out of the sandbox for improper behavior, we will not be amused. Please respect other people's territory and intellectual property rights, and only play with someone else's characters/setting/etc. if you have permission. (Fanfic/fanart freebies are okay.) If you want to invite folks to play with something of yours, title the comment something like "Open Playground" so it's easy to spot. This can be a good way to attract new people to a shared world or open-source project, or just have some good non-canon fun.

Boost the signal! The more people who participate, the more fun this will be. Hopefully we'll see activity from a lot of folks who regularly mention their projects in this community, but new people are always welcome. You can link to this session post or to individual items created from prompts, whatever you think is awesome enough to recommend to your friends.
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