The Continuing Evolution of Clyde and Mab

Posted on September 14, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

Yes, I know I’ve done this kind of post before, but the relationship between Clyde and Mab is a central part of the story.  War of Nytefall: Ravenous will see a really big twist in this relationship.  There will be a brutal test for them to get through and it’s going to get messy.  Let’s be honest, folks.  People enjoy romances more when they aren’t clean and unchallenged.  It’s the perfect spot for drama.

Now, I can’t go into details because the book needs every bit of curiosity I can build to get some sales.  In Eradication, Clyde and Mab suffered a really big blow.  They’re still kind of standing, but it’s definitely awkward.  Strained is another way to look at it.  This creates a dangerous situation because of Clyde’s condition.  He can be very monstrous and violent when his temper is unleashed, which puts his humanity at risk.  It’s his mortal-like relationships that keep him grounded with the biggest one being Mab.  Even if they are only partners and not lovers, he depends a lot on her emotional and physical support. I know some might consider her a crutch, but she has something similar.  While not to Clyde’s extreme, Mab being with him helps give her a sense of belonging.  Otherwise, she would be a lone thief wandering around without any real connections.  Not a good thing for Dawn Fangs who can have emotional surges.

So, why do I like messing with these two?  Well, have you met me?  I did the same think to Luke Callindor and Kira Grasdon in Legends of Windemere.  It’s actually rare that I leave a relationship untouched.  Xavier Tempest and Nadia Sylvan might end up being the exception.  Putting relationships to the test help to make the reader believe that they are real and effort is being put in to maintain them.  If the characters become a couple and never have a challenge to that status then it doesn’t hold much weight.  Not unless that’s the end of the story.  Emotional drama and anguish stemming from relationship turmoil is very juicy because many people can relate to it.  Might not be to the same extent as the characters, but we all know a little about heartbreak.

An added challenge with Clyde and Mab is that I’ve trying to write a love story arc with a broken heart.  Yes, I’m noting the divorce again.  My blog and I can admit when it’s been a factor.  It makes it difficult to write romantic scenes, especially here.  This is the only relationship I had planned that was based around my own marriage, which one would think should result in me crashing it into the ground.  Yet, I can’t really take it out on the characters because their strong relationship is needed to keep the story going to the final volume.  That has resulted in me being a little more brutal to the characters.  It’s developed into something rather different than me being mean though.  I’ve turned it into a story where these characters will go through utter, mind-crumbling, heart-crushing hell and stay together.  I’m fine with this spoiler.  Mostly because I think this can give readers hope that you can make it through rough patches as long as you have the following in a relationship:

  • Love
  • Honesty
  • Trust
  • Humor
  • Empathy
  • Hope/Faith
  • Humility
  • Support

There might be more to add onto the list, but I’m going for myself.  You can even maintain one without all of those as long as you have some stability.  Those are what I see behind the Clyde and Mab relationship when I step back to write them.  It’s going to be something I try for in future stories where romance is going to happen.  As far as War of Nytefall goes, this is at the core of the connections.  I’d say this goes for Xavier and Nadia as well, but their relationship has enough of the first category that faltering in the others doesn’t make a dent.  Seriously, those two are blissfully enamored with each other, so it’s like an eternal honeymoon stage.  Funny how they’re also on the villain side of things.

So, what aspects of a relationship do you look for in a fictional relationship?  Do you enjoy them simply to see them fall apart?  Do you hate them entirely and wish romance would stay in its own lane?  (Pretty sure I’ll get more answers to that last one.)

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Destruction of Potential

Posted on September 13, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

Born with a goal
Yet not with a promise
Every human
Given a plan
Shown by dreams and skills
That society denies
Crumbling their truth
Until a husk remains
Smiling with pride
At basic survival
Ignoring the scar
Of what has been removed
I wonder how many
Have been destroyed
Never to touch their truth
Driven away
From what they were born to do
Dying unfinished
__________________________________________________________

I’ve been thinking a lot about this, especially as schools reopen.  While it isn’t a popular opinion, I do believe in destiny.  Every person on this planet exists for a purpose and they have the skills to achieve this goal.  All they need is the opportunity, which is where things go wrong.  Society doesn’t really nurture dreams.  We label things as practical and impractical, which leads to discouraging certain paths.  You can’t make money doing that?  You can do that when you retire!  It’s time to put childish dreams away!  These are the phrases that have crushed many people.  We wonder why mental illness is on the rise while stamping out dreams.  This comes a lot from being a member of my generation, which doesn’t really have a name.  Growing up, all of us were told that you can do anything if you work hard and get a good education.  It was a lie.  Those of us who didn’t go for the ‘practical’ jobs found that working hard didn’t get you as far as nepotism and luck.  Even those who did follow the ‘right’ path found that hard work wasn’t the guarantee for success.  This mixed with us rushing off to college, incurring debts, and graduating to find that it didn’t really help.  We all know people who are working in fields that have nothing to do with their degree.  It makes one wonder what the point of all the hard work and education was if you end up somewhere that you didn’t plan.  Society forces most of us to strive solely for survival of the body while the mind and spirit are left to drag themselves along for the ride.  Then . . . one dies.  Whatever they were meant to do goes unfinished and the world loses whatever it would have gained.  It makes me wonder how many souls are on the other side wishing they had their chance to shine.  This rings exceptionally true during when you see people dying who didn’t have to die.  Did the cure for cancer just die of Covid-19?  Did the next great novel just die in a war zone?  What would that have child become if they weren’t shot while playing with friends?  Sure, this is dark and it’s a winding rant.  Yet, I can’t help, but feel like humans created a world where dreams and potential are crushed more than nurtured.  This is at the root of so many problems for the individual and society as a whole.  I mean, wouldn’t the world be a happier place if everyone got to follow their dreams?

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This Is Saturday, Right?

Posted on September 12, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

So, I released War of Nytefall: Ravenous last weekend.  A lot of people were excited and I had some promos go out.  Plenty said they liked the idea and the blurb, so they were going to buy it.  Some even told me they had.  That makes the ‘4 Sales to Date‘ rather confusing and disappointing.  I can never tell if Amazon isn’t showing me the sales or people are giving me lip service.  It’s another reason why I have little faith in marketing these days.  All the excitement and praise in the world means nothing if the person speaking doesn’t actually buy the book.  Sorry, but that’s how it kind of works.  Not even Kindle Unlimited pages on this one.  Authors can’t keep going if they aren’t making any money to justify their actions.  At least the ones that are still being questioned about their path or aren’t financially stable.  Anyway, that’s the reminder that I have a book out, which is more of a rant.

This is added to the exhaustion I have.  Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and whatever other ‘ally’ things you got.  Had to get back into the work schedule, so sleeping was thrown off a bit.  This was enhanced by my son starting middle school, which means he’s getting up earlier too.  Having to get my own act together on top of getting him into a schedule he’s never had before is a nightmare.  He was remote for part of the week, which made things easier, but not by much.  Remember that autistic people do better with routine and transitions are tough.  In other words, everything was a mess.  Learning new computer programs, learning the new schedule, anxiety rearing up, being on a big bus for the first time, and some old issues returning.  I’m surprised I made it to the end of the week.

Work itself is going to be interesting.  As usual, I can’t go into details.  All I can say is that I’m going to be busy.  This week was a lot of setting up and adjustments.  Getting used to all of the changes too.  It usually takes about a month for everything to really settle down and a routine to appear.  Might take longer this time given the situation, but it’ll happen eventually.  Rolling with the punches and doing the best that I can.  What else can you do these days?

Really wish I had more to talk about.  I’d hoped to do a little writing at night, but that really didn’t work out.  I got one chapter section done at some point . . . some how . . . some way.  My plan was to write last night, but I didn’t have it in me.  Went to the notebooks and worked more on ‘Ryusuke: Honor of Vengeance’, which is almost done in the outlining stage.  I think I’m going to reexamine the ‘Keys of Eden’ story too.  I might make it a single hero (The Prince) and see if my son wants to help me create all of the monsters.  The whole balance thing ran into an issue because it felt like any weakness I was giving to the female character was being hyper-criticized.  This could be a fun father/son project then.  Only problem is that he’ll expect me to write it immediately if I do this.

It’s hard to believe this is a Saturday.  I know I worked this past week and my son had school, but it’s been so long since this was the schedule.  All of the days bled into each other for months.  It’s like I shifted out of the passage of time and the markings of it aren’t registering entirely.  Kind of proves that it’s a human construct and might not really exist by the divisions we created.  The plan is to relax since next week is going to be longer and busier than before.  Only have my son for half of it, so I might get some writing done if I have the energy.  Back to the slow crawl of progress, but I don’t know how long it will take this time.  War of Nytefall: Eulogy has 10 chapters left and it would normally take me 12 days at 3 sections/day.  That means I probably won’t finish until October.  It isn’t bad, but I was hoping to finish by the end of September.  I had too many August days where I couldn’t focus.  We’ll see if that changes.

Nothing to talk about TV-wise.  Finished ‘Cobra Kai’, which was a lot of fun.  Great characters since they’re all flawed.  Looking forward to season 3.  I’m holding off on ‘The Boys’ until all episodes are out.  So, I’m mucking about a bunch of anime like ‘Black Butler’ and maybe ‘The Slayers’.  Might tackle one of the big ones like ‘D-Grayman’ or ‘Black Clover’.  Those are over one hundred as far as episodes, but I’ve been holding off until I felt like I had time to binge.  After I’m done with this book would probably be the best because then I can put them on while I outline Tales of the Slumberlord.  Plans will happen, but I can’t be sure of what.

Perhaps the only other highlight is that I found something I’d been searching for for a long time.  (I really hate how that sentence looks.)  It’s Boboli’s pizza sauce, which I loved when I found it in Florida.  Only found it twice up here in the last 10 years.  So, I grabbed two boxes (3 packets each) and will hopefully make a pie with my son when we’re feeling up to it.  School stress has made things a little dicey.  Still, happy to have found something I’d thought was discontinued.

So, what’s the plan for next week?

  1. Get back into the working/teaching groove.
  2. Help my son with his schooling when I can.
  3. Get writing done during the time he’s with his mother.
  4. Outlining.
  5. TV.
  6. Puzzle.
  7. Fun with son this weekend.  (Legos and drawing.)
  8. Sleep.
  9. Pizza next weekend.  I’ll have deserved it.
Posted in Goal Posts | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

The Vengeance Hounds: Still in the Game

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

Berserk . . . Best I Could Do

So, I can’t really go into details about the state of the Vengeance Hounds because of what happened in War of Nytefall: Eradication.  They are still dealing with the fallout in War of Nytefall: Ravenous, but I did get to give them some good scenes.  Desirae Duvall is fully aware that these Dawn Fangs are the ones she will have to contend with first if she fights with Nytefall.  That means they are prime targets that she needs to remove before she can even think of facing Clyde and Mab.  So, let’s do a little refresher for those who don’t know much about this team.

Who are the Vengeance Hounds?

These are people in Clyde’s gang who make up a bulk of the membership.  Before the Great Cataclysm, they were a small army of mercenary vampires who followed Titus Winthrop.  They didn’t always work as a whole unit, but they took on jobs and heists that Clyde and Mab weren’t interested in.  This helped to bring in more money for their activities and grow their reputation.  Sadly, they were used as branch of Nyte’s army after the Great Cataclysm, which saw their numbers get reduced to three.  Nobody wanted to join them because of terrible disasters that were caused by bad planning or horrible luck.  Under Nytefall, they have remained as the core trio with the addition of only one member, so they act more like a small mercenary group and specialty team.  Part of this is because Titus isn’t ready to have so many people under his lead because he’s still smarting from losing so many friends.  Now, who are the members?

Titus Winthrop

This is their leader who is a towering warrior covered in scars and swinging twin claymores as if they’re nothing.  He is also Mab’s younger brother and not by fang, but by blood relation.  That’s rather unique among vampires from their era.  His powers are rather niche in that they only have combat uses, but he is finding other situations for his ’empowering voice’ ability.  The others are that he can create a solid double that stands back-to-back with him and his blood can turn a weapon into a Chaoswind.  These are evil weapons that cause pain to anyone with good in their soul that they cut.  The level of agony depends on how good-hearted they are.  Titus is almost like the Nytefall version of Decker, but he isn’t as good of a general because he has never commanded an official army.  He is more of a mercenary.  Still, Clyde goes to him for military advice and everyone else knows he is one of the most dependable Dawn Fangs around.

Luther Grathan

Another of the originals who joined after fighting Titus to a draw.  He is a forest tracker who uses sickles for weapons, but his main use is reconnaissance.  Being able to create phantom doubles, transforming into a raven, and tasting emotions in the air make him a very talented spy.  Luther doesn’t really like the cities, so he does most of his snooping in the wilderness and small towns.  He leaves the more urban places for Chastity Sullivan, which makes them a very talented duo.  In fact, they have a close relationship that borders on crushes, but it’s really a high amount of success.  Luther and Chastity see each other as the only ones who they can be honest with, which helps them to compare notes.  Still, he does a similar relationship with Bob.  As much as Luther gets frustrated with his friend, they always jump at the chance to work together.  It’s very much like two brothers who will bicker until they need to team up.

Bob

The last of the surviving originals, he is . . . odd.  Bob is an elf whose hair is half blonde and half black.  He carries a lance as a weapon and his armor is usually beaten up while his riding boots are pristine.  He is obsessed with horses and his greatest ability is to build different types of steeds out of parts.  His invisibility makes him a great spy, but he is easily distracted and can go off task at times.  Bob still gets the job done, but there might be some extraneous activities that he has to report on.  Part of this is because he was tortured by a paladin before Titus saved him.  The experience left him loyal to his new friend and lacking a tight grip on reality.  Being able to speak to animals doesn’t help because he has to add their opinions in on what he’s reporting.  Many times, this involves their opinion on horses or he complains that there weren’t any horses for him to interview, which makes him sad.  All zaniness aside, Bob is a character that will suddenly speak to the point of a problem and come through when you need him most.  Also, he’s no longer the wildest of the Vengeance Hounds.

Lost

Anyone who has been on this blog for a while knows who this is.  The first womb-born of Windemere.  The daughter of Chastity Sullivan.  The not-daughter of Xavier Tempest.  The bestower of pink ribbons.  The Princess General  The dangerous psionic of Nytefall that most enemies focus on removing first.  Back when she had first appeared, Lost didn’t know where she belonged, especially since she left her own army behind to go in search of her father.  This resulted in her opening up to the Vengeance Hounds and being made an honorary member.  Ever since, her and her bunny have been working hard to show they deserve what they have been given.

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Immortal Wars: The Summoning Part 35 #fiction #throwback

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

(Previously on Immortal Wars.)

(Again, we shall revel in my teenage originality.  Everyone groan in unison.)

Disclaimer: Immortal Wars was the book I came up with and wrote in high school.  I hadn’t even hit college by the time I wrote the first two books.  That means I hadn’t developed my style yet, wasn’t good at self-editing, and the story was fairly basic. So, you’ve been warned that this is the ultimate author throwback segment for my blog and will show my author origins.  FYI-  I put the first book (The Summoning) through a Print-on-Demand publisher and the second one (Light, Blood, & Tears) never saw the light of day.  Enjoy!

When Fate and Solix appear in the sun base’s enormous docking bay, the other three guardians are already there.  Without asking any questions, the young immortals follow Solix into one of the several space skimmers.  The space skimmer is a spaceship that is the approximate size of a jumbo jet, but much thinner and a lot more maneuverable.  The two cylinder-shaped engines are found on the ends of the angular wings.  No weapons can be seen on the small, silver ship because it is primarily used for quick transportation and was never intended to deal with any kind of space battle.

“I haven’t used these vehicles in centuries, but all of the important systems check out okay.  Well, here we go!” yells Solix as he pushes several buttons on the various consoles of the bridge.  With a high pitched whine of the twin engines, the space skimmer quickly soars out into the ebony void of space.

“How long until we reach Pluto?” asks Miracle.  She has an electricity whip clipped onto her waistband and a compact freeze ray on her right wrist.  She had taken a lightweight, silver broadsword, but she gave it to Fate because he was only carrying a large combat knife that was in a steel box on the space skimmer.

“We will arrive at Pluto in half an hour at most.  But we’ll get there in a couple of minutes if I put the engines on its maximum energy cycle.”

“That’s pretty fast.  So, what are we going to do when we get there?” says Infinity while looking at a large spike attached to his left glove.  Lying in a sheath on the seat next to him is a battle-axe with a golden spearhead screwed onto the top of it.

“First of all, we will land about seven miles away from the actual construction site.  Then we will simply sneak in and attack our enemies at the earliest opportunity.  With any luck some of us will survive the melee,” mentions Solix in a casual tone.

“Please tell me you’re joking, Solix.  That’s definitely the dumbest battle plan I have ever heard.  Not that I’ve ever heard any before this one.  I thought you were uncaring and insane, but this is beyond ridiculous,” whispers Hydrana.  The only piece of equipment she had taken was an eye mounted laser sight, to help with her aim.

“I’m not joking.  That is my plan and I stand by it.  Unless someone thinks they have a better idea!”  He looks at Fate and slightly nods at him.  Fate responds to the small motion with the cunning smirk that he usually uses to get Miracle’s attention.

“Then you’re on your own, Solix.  I happen to have a better plan,” states the Mars guardian.  As soon as the words leave, he feels like a fool because it comes out like a line in a cheap comic book.

“Oh, this is gonna be good.  By the look of your smirk, I would rather go with Solix’s plan,” laughs Hydrana.

“Let him talk, you little brat!  And what’s wrong with his cute smirk!” shouts Miracle with a clenched fist.  Both of the girls are about to stand up and fight in the small cockpit when Infinity telekinetically straps them into their seats.  He also seals their lips so that they can’t yell and scream.

“Thanks, Infinity.  Here’s my plan.  I think that we should split into two teams.  A three person team will act as a distraction while the smaller team of two gets close enough to destroy whatever it is they’re building,” explains Fate as he tries to pace back and forth in the tiny cabin section.  Infinity releases the girls from their telekinetic bonds and they move to opposite sides of the space skimmer.

“I can live with that battle plan.  Hopefully,” mutters Hydrana.  She looks out of the window and watches Saturn quickly float past.

“Not a perfect plan, but it has enough potential to work out.  Now, who is going to be team one?” asks Solix.  The sun guardian pulls a small, grayish lever that is above his head and sends the space skimmer into its maximum energy cycle.  Everyone feels the sudden increase in speed and watch as the stars turn into long, white streaks across a black background.

“The smaller team that will be sneaking inside the construction site is going to be Infinity and myself.  His telekinetic powers and my luck powers can help us get much farther into the construction site than anyone else.  Well anyone except Solix, who can easily teleport into their camp, but that’s too dangerous and noticeable.  I want the rest of you to make distractions that can cause maximum damage, but try to stay out of sight,” orders Fate.  When he looks out the front window of the cabin, Pluto is right in front of the space skimmer.  In a couple of long minutes, they would all find out if Fate’s battle plan would work or if their heroic careers will be shorter than Hydrana’s skirt.

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Today I am with Keith Channing at Keith Krates

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

I am overseas with Keith Channing in the UK. You remember Keith from the Tuesday prompts. He is the one that comes up with the photos that defy …

Today I am with Keith Channing at Keith Krates
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War of Nytefall: Ravenous

Posted on September 9, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

DebyFredericks's avatarWyrmflight

The world of the Dawn Fangs is about to explode into chaos thanks to Desirae Duvall.

Cover Art by Alison Hunt

In the shadows of Windemere, fangs are sprouting from the least likely of maws.

News is spreading that wild beasts with vampiric natures have been attacking mortals and carrying off random victims. With the Dawn Fangs still a secret from mortal society, Clyde fears that these strange creatures will reveal his peoples’ existence before they are ready. Old enemies and trusted friends begin to disappear as the investigation goes deeper into a business that has been lurking in the shadows of Windemere for decades. Those who return are beholden to a new master whose cunning is matched only by her primal desires. As his allies disappear, Clyde is left with the one he trusts the most in all of the world to help him solve this mystery. Too bad…

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7 Ways to Counter a Psionic Enemy

Posted on September 9, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

Professor X being lazy

There is a big problem within the pages of War of Nytefall: Ravenous.  In fact, this is an issue that has been a headache for a while.  Not for me, but the villains that decide to step up against Clyde’s gang.  While he is a monstrous force of destruction, there is another member who could be more dangerous.  That would be Lost.  Her psychic powers have evolved from mentally controlling others to full on telepathy, which has led to her being one of the most powerful Dawn Fangs.  I’ve even played with the idea of weakening her, especially because she doesn’t have much restraint.  Until then, villains need to find a way around her, so here are some tips.

  1. Let’s start with an easy one.  Get a psionic of your own.  They might not be as powerful as the one they’re facing, but they will be seen as the primary target.  Many weaker psionics develop tricks to face stronger enemies on the astral plane too.  So, they can keep the major threat busy and land a few blows that allow for somebody else to take them down.
  2. Remember that the strain of using mental powers is great even if the psionic doesn’t show it.  They can only effect so many minds, so you may be able to overpower them with great numbers.  Maybe a Herculean feat that requires them to expend a lot of their energy early on.  The point is to weaken them before the real encounter since they run out of steam faster than those who rely on brute force.
  3. Set a trap and DO NOT stand nearby.  In fact, don’t be anywhere in the area and keep those who helped you away as well.  A psionic can’t learn about a secret if they don’t have a mind to read or enemy to control.  This means that spike traps, pitfalls, and other more basic attacks are possible as long as you catch them by surprise.  They only give the illusion of being all-knowing since they can only know what those around them have in their heads.
  4. If you find yourself being telepathically probed or about to be mind-controlled, try to rattle the psionic.  Some may be ready for anything, but everyone has something that they are shocked by.  They are just as open as you are when they are in your mind, so bombard them with whatever makes them uncomfortable.  Needing focus to maintain contact, this can be a great way to break free.
  5. Buy or build a device that can block psionic abilities.  This seems like an obvious one, but it really depends on your resources.  It doesn’t have to go on them to work, so you can have a small charm on yourself that gives you protection.  Make sure it is something that can’t be easily lost or removed though.  Psionics tend to have friends to handle such things, so make sure they have to work for it.
  6. Shiny objects.  Okay, this might only work on Lost.
  7. Avoidance might be the best course of action.  They have incredible range and can scan an area for minds to tap into.  This means you can’t let your underlings know the entire or most of a plan.  Even you might have to find a way to erase some thoughts or make things up as you go along.  Not much you can do about the mind control, but if the psionic doesn’t know what you’re up to and you barely know yourself then you have a good chance of succeeding.
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New Release of War of Nytefall: Ravenous by Charles Yallowitz

Posted on September 9, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

It’s with great pleasure I welcome Charles Yallowitz to my blog today to celebrate his new release of War of Nytefall: Ravenous. I’ll let Charles …

New Release of War of Nytefall: Ravenous by Charles Yallowitz
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Check This Out—War of Nytefall: Ravenous

Posted on September 9, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

L. Marie's avatarEl Space--The Blog of L. Marie

The world of the Dawn Fangs is about to explode into chaos thanks to Desirae Duvall.

Cover Art by Alison Hunt

In the shadows of Windemere, fangs are sprouting from the least likely of maws.

News is spreading that wild beasts with vampiric natures have been attacking mortals and carrying off random victims. With the Dawn Fangs still a secret from mortal society, Clyde fears that these strange creatures will reveal his peoples’ existence before they are ready. Old enemies and trusted friends begin to disappear as the investigation goes deeper into a business that has been lurking in the shadows of Windemere for decades. Those who return are beholden to a new master whose cunning is matched only by her primal desires. As his allies disappear, Clyde is left with the one he trusts the most in all of the world to help him solve this mystery. Too bad…

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