#and like. the funniest scene i have is when they go to the grove and literally EVERYONE there knows who she is.

[queenerdloser]

reading baldur's gate fic is so funny to me sometimes because almost every single tav i've read is like. a nerd. awkward. stuck in a library/commune/forest and doesn't know How To Do People. combat unready. a wee paper slip of a person. self-doubting and uncertain.

whereas i am out here with my bard who dumped all her stats in charisma and perception and therefore is no longer able to fail a persuasion check. and my personal backstory for her is that she's an insanely well known frontman for a rock band in baldur's gate so literally everyone they meet knows who she is. nonstop flirt. clocks manipulation left and right because seeing through performances is like half of her skillset. oh yeah. and she can fucking oneshot you by being mean in your direction.

[b-skarsgard]

Bill Skarsgård is on his feet, furiously pumping his arms back and forth. Standing 6-foot-4, he could cover a lot of ground if he wanted to, but he’s channeling a specific 5-year-old at play here.

We are talking about picking up other people’s physicalities and incorporating bits and pieces of them into his characters when he shoots up to demonstrate his bag of tricks. Standing in the open space of an Upper West Side home’s library, he brings his shoulders up to his ears, keeping the energy in his top half akin to a runner sprinting to his finish line, while from the waist down he appears more as a slow loris than Sonic the Hedgehog.

“That’s my little brother [Ossian],” Skarsgård says with a laugh, explaining the movement’s inspiration. “He’s 10 now, but when he was 4 or 5, he had a really funny way of running. You ever see kids do this? It’s the funniest thing ever.” Funny, sure, but when done by someone of the actor’s stature, slightly bewildering and creepy. “If you look at Pennywise,” he says, “Pennywise does this.”

Skarsgård is, of course, referring to his biggest role to date: Stephen King’s clown creation at the center of the “It” film franchise. As the evil entity known for eating children alive, Skarsgård has taken Pennywise the Dancing Clown—first imagined in King’s 1986 behemoth novel before being brought to the screen by Tim Curry in a campy 1990 miniseries—and morphed him into a truly terrifying being who brings into vivid clarity just how scary circus attire can be.

In case you somehow missed it, “It” premiered in 2017 and quickly became a pop culture phenomenon, grossing $700 million worldwide and breaking the record for the highest-grossing horror film of all time. It inspired Halloween costumes, “Saturday Night Live” spoofs, and a whole new generation of genre fans who will never look at red balloons the same way again.

Skarsgård and his cast—which includes kid co-stars Finn Wolfhard (“Stranger Things”), Jaeden Martell (“Masters of Sex”), Sophia Lillis (“Sharp Objects”), and a standout Jack Dylan Grazer (“Shazam!”), plus their adult counterparts Bill Hader, James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, and James Ransone, respectively—are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle once more this September with “It Chapter Two.” Picking up 27 years after the first film and Pennywise’s apparent—but temporary—defeat at the hands of the Losers Club, the film is another chance for Skarsgård to showcase the impressive physicality and personality he brought to Round 1.

Just minutes into a conversation with the actor—and after that performance of a 5-year-old running—it’s clear his calculated character work is thanks to a keen sense of observation. Take the Swede’s analysis of Scandinavian cities, for instance: His hometown of Stockholm is not as laid-back as Copenhagen, which by comparison feels more European. Having been raised in Sweden to a family of acting royalty—Stellan Skarsgård (an Emmy nominee this year for “Chernobyl”) is his father and Alexander Skarsgård (Emmy winner for “Big Little Lies”) is his brother—he recalls his people as more serious, the type to follow rules and structure.

His observations let him steal tangible details and tics from strangers, friends, family, and cultures, pulling them into the people (and, in the case of “It,” evil entities) he plays.

“Sometimes I even do it subconsciously, where I do something in a scene and I’m like, Wait a minute, that’s the guy from the subway. I saw this guy and I thought he was weird. Now I just did it in a scene,” he says, getting excited. “I fucking love when it happens so much because it’s literally happening in the moment.”

He’s not Method in his acting, but Skarsgård’s approach certainly feels all-encompassing. He has the capacity to go so deep that he makes it a point to draw clear boundaries for himself; during the audition process, he consciously avoids getting too attached to the role, limiting his prep work to memorizing the sides and making a strong, well-thought-out choice about the character he’s playing.

“You can prepare as much as you want—prepare in terms of the scene or think about the character, but the research I put into a role is emotional, especially if I have a book to read about it,” he says. “The ‘It’ book is a really particular one, but usually, [if] you read about the character, delving much deeper into who [they are], you start getting emotionally attached. You can get emotionally attached to a character without doing much research at all. It’s just shitty when you don’t book it... For me, when I book it is when I let myself go [and] really feel safe to emotionally give so much of myself to it.”

His wariness is understandable when you look at his résumé. Life for any actor naturally ebbs and flows between bookings and rejections, but that’s amplified for an actor like Skarsgård, who has built a career on playing brooding types often living in dire circumstances. His breakout role stateside was as vampire Roman Godfrey on Netflix’s “Hemlock Grove” before going on to play a character in the third installment of the post-apocalyptic “Divergent” series and then a mysterious inmate who’s been theorized to be the actual devil in another Stephen King-inspired screen project, “Castle Rock.” It’s not exactly light fare, and diving into those psyches unnecessarily could become detrimental.

“I like living by [the motto] ‘It is what it is’; you adapt and you’re spontaneous and you change things,” Skarsgård says when asked if he adheres to any specific technique to capture the characters he plays. “My life is not very structured or organized to begin with, and that obviously bleeds into the work that I do.”

It’s the spontaneity of his choices onscreen, too, that makes the 29-year-old so fun to watch, particularly as Pennywise. Two of his contributions to the final incarnation of Pennywise’s appearance include the cartoonishly pointed bottom lip—a thing Skarsgård can really do with his mouth, something he says he’s never seen anyone other than his family members do—and Pennywise’s walleyed stare, in which one of his pupils wanders off to the side while the other stays firmly focused on you.

Physically, the role is demanding, requiring him to yell, shake, and contort his face in ways that leave him exhausted; that’s not to mention the hours spent sitting in hair and makeup. “You have glue all over your face; there’s paint. Your hair is up in [a skullcap]—it’s itching. There’s, like, a foam head on top of it.” To put it mildly, “It” and its sequel are unlike any of Skarsgård’s other acting experiences. For myriad reasons, it lacked the give and take of more traditional projects. He had to be at “150 percent intensity” whenever the camera was on him. “A lot of the stuff I do sometimes is literally like”—he makes a gurgling sound like a chainsaw underwater. “It’s like one big jump scare, charging the camera screaming and shaking my head violently. There’s never a scene where you’re just chilling.”

The final product is an amalgamation of script work, Skarsgård’s own imagination, and King’s classic novel, which he leaned on more than usual since the script, told from the perspective of the film’s child leads, necessarily left out Pennywise’s perspective. He also used YouTube to watch videos of mimes, hyenas, baboons, and monkeys, using elements from each to piece together the way Pennywise moves through space.

With all the information he’s gathered from his prep process at his fingertips, the on-set experience becomes about playing to the truth of the scene and the “essence of what the character is at that point.”

“You completely intellectualize the character,” he explains about the early stages of figuring out the person he’s playing. “Who is this guy psychologically? Why is he acting this way? What is his relationship with the world and the people closest to him? The way I do it is objectively going out and studying him separately from me. Observing him, judging him, understanding him, and sympathizing with him.”

He admits to developing a fondness for Pennywise, who refused to vacate his mental premises even after the film wrapped. “You go with a character and you think about that character obsessively for a very long time, and then overnight there’s nothing left to think about,” he says. The uncoupling manifested itself in his dreams, where he sometimes was Pennywise and sometimes was talking to Pennywise, upset that he was somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be. “And then I wake up and I’m like, that was kind of sweet.” It’s the kind of affection only an actor who has lovingly pieced together a character over four years can have for something so objectively sinister.

But no matter the role—or its wickedness—we relish the moment Skarsgård stands up to show us what he’s found today.

[cncoluv]

Can you write where you have a sleepover with the boys?

Warnings: Kissing, Brief Nudity and Gentle Touching

Word Count: 2191

Setting: The Omni Grove Park Inn (Asheville, NC)

There will be another story. I hope you enjoy this one.

You and the boys have been friends since they were in La Banda because your brother was a contestant. It was their last day on tour and they had the idea to meet up with you so you all could catch up. You hadn’t seen them in a while with the tour that was going on, so they asked what you wanted to do. Your answer was a sleepover and watch all of your childhood movies like The Lion King, Tarzan, High School Musical, etc… They all agreed to meet you by Friday morning, about 10 AM, since you did not have class on Friday. They had their final show for the tour tonight so they were not gonna be up to it. They give you the info to the hotel. You put it in your gps and noticed that it would take you approximately 3 hours to drive there. This was not an issue for you because you live 4 hours away from college back to your home.

You knew that you would have to get up early to get there.You set your alarm and almost couldn’t sleep because you were so excited. There was one of the members that you were very fond of, but you were not sure if they felt the same way. Soon that would change. The next morning you get up and get ready. You were in a yellow flowered crop top, a pair of light colored blue jeans, a pair of yellow heels, and a summer hat. When you arrive, you feel a little tired but you knew that it would be worth it. You text everyone that you are there. A few moments later, you see a familiar face, but his appearance had changed from the last time you had seen him. To be honest, college was hard, so you had little to no time for social media.

You get out of your car and smiled, “Erick!” He looks up with the same smile that was still so innocent. You run up to hug him and he did the same. Before you could stop, your bodies collided. “Oww” was the only thing you said after that. His hug turned into an unwavering sense of a kind, very gentle, yet strong person that knows what they want. This almost made you want to be hugged by him more, and feel his gentle embrace, but you knew it was wrong. You feel that he was pulling back at the same time that you were and he stared into your eyes for a moment. He shyly looked away and offered to take your bag for you.

As you walk into the hotel lobby, Erick seemed excited to ask if you were liking college and how hard it was to balance it. He said, “I want to go to college.”  I smiled, “I think that college would suit you perfectly.” He gave the biggest smile “You think so? The boys…” You walk in front of him making sure he stopped, “Erick, you are so smart. Don’t let people make you think otherwise; including anybody on social media or otherwise.” A wave of sadness came over him. “There are so many people that say that I am clueless when the boys are talking.” You felt bad for him because this was an issue, even when they were in La Banda. You hug him and say, “Let others think what they want. I know you are smart and you can do anything you put your mind to, don’t let others discourage you. Even the boys.” You smile and turn around towards the elevator. Just as you hit the up button, the door opened and there were two other familiar faces.

Joel and Zabdiel appeared very concerned. Joel was the first person to notice you and he smiled, stepping off of the elevator first, then Zab followed. Joel gave you a hug. It was a gentle, yet strong and aggressive hug. You felt that he was working out more. His muscular arm caressed your back, pulling you in closer. As you pull back from Joel, you see Zab looking at you. His gaze met yours. You hear Joel and Erick mention they were going up to the front desk to ask a question. You hear their footsteps fade and Zab is still caressing you with the softest hug. Right before you try and pull away from him, he whispers in your ear, “I missed you.” He gives you a super soft kiss on the cheek. You remembered how the guys always teased him and Richard for liking you. Joel and Erick come back around the corner. Joel raises an eyebrow, “You two are still hugging?” You immediately pull away and could tell Zab didn’t want to let you go. Erick picked at Zab like old times, “Ohh you still have a crush~” Zab gave him the death glare and he stopped.

Joel had pushed the button and it immediately opened with a older couple. They smiled and the husband stepped out. The older woman looked in my direction.  Joel held the door so it wouldn’t close. The older woman walked out and towards me, whispering, “Young lady, the man standing beside you likes you. He keeps staring at you. His look is the same as my husband’s, and he is not bad on the eyes at all.” You smile, kind of embarrassed, but you knew it was Zab standing beside you. You look up at him and the lady taps your shoulder before walking away.

You step into the elevator quickly and you go up. When the door opens, Christopher looked frustrated, but his frustration melted as he smiled and gave a hug. His arms were more buff than what you remembered, but he was still the same giggly person. Everyone is walking down the hall to get to the room. All of you were doing silly things and running up and down the hall until you reached the room. Zab had opened the door and allowed you to walk in first. You see Richard in a towel. He sees you and gets startled, resulting in his towel falling. He picks up the towel quickly as you turn and you hear the door slam behind you. Zab was right there and he held you in his arms, asking if you were okay. You nodded, “Yeah, just a little startled is all.” The boys got quiet and they changed the subject. They started talking about the movies you were set to watch, so you jumped into the conversation as well. You wanted to forget about the embarrassing scene that played out just then.

Everyone sat on the couch with Zab sitting right beside you. You noticed that Zab was kind of angry, and you saw him texting someone. You figured it was Richard, but you left it alone. You started debating which movie you were gonna watch, then Zab put his head on your shoulder and got comfortable. You were used to it from all of them. For a moment, it seemed the movie debate was very intense, and the intensity left the room when the door opened and Richard emerged. Everyone looked at him, his face red with embarrassment. He never looked in my direction until he spoke up, “Hey, (Y/N), could you talk to me on the balcony?” He immediately looked down and walked out onto the balcony.

Zab groaned as he lifted his head from your shoulder. You stood up and walked out to the balcony. Richard immediately closed the door behind you and began to apologize, “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t realize what time it was and I thought I had a few more minutes.” You laugh, telling him it was fine and that it was an honest mistake. You knew he didn’t mean to drop the towel, so there was nothing to stress over. He looked at you and he smiled, “Thanks for understanding. Again, I am so sorry.” You smile and he hugs you, feeling his muscles ripping through his shirt. You back off because it was too much.

You open the door, seeing that Zab was glaring at him. You scan the room, seeing that Chris was making the popcorn. They had decided what movie they were watching. It was Mulan and you loved it. Joel went into the room and you followed. You notice a California king bed and you see him with a remote in his hand, so you figure everyone was going in the room. Chris said the popcorn was ready and he had a bag full of snacks. It looked like it was enough for 4 days. But you remembered how much Chris ate, so it was totally called for. Everyone went to the room and you all laid on the bed. Zab laid down next to you on your left, and then Richard laid next to you on the right.

It felt calming. Everyone was having a good time picking out the parts that were the funniest, grabbing food, and ordering room service. You paused the movie to sing and dance to some Aventura, Selena, Paula Abdul, Ricky Martin, Michael Jackson, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, TLC, Whitney Houston, etc… You woke up and remembered that you had gone through 12 movies. Somehow, it had changed over time because Coco was on. You felt Zab was asleep on your chest, and so was Richard, but you did not want to move because they looked so peaceful. The problem was that you had to use the bathroom, so something was going to change. You gently moved their heads and got up. You felt Richard grab your arm and ask if you were okay. You smile, telling him you are okay and he goes back to sleep. You go to the bathroom and come back. You checked your phone when you got back, 5:32 AM.

You crawl back into the bed and go back to sleep. You wake back up and everyone else is awake by now. You debate what to watch again and everyone eventually got their pick. You chose your favorite movie, The Lion King. All of you stay up again and be silly all over again. This time, instead of watching movies, there was a skating rink nearby that had 90’s night. All of you went; it was one of the best times you have ever had. Everyone talked and roller skated.There were a couple of slips and falls, along with a little laughter afterwards, but overall that was an adventure. You grabbed fro-yo and then and you went to a mystery museum. You had a great time because Christopher was trying to scare you. He did and he laughed the whole time.

You looked at the clock and saw the time was 11:30 PM. You told them that you had to go back to the room and go to sleep. This would end your adventures in the city, which sucked.  When you got back, Joel asked why you had to get back to sleep. You reply, “I had to set an alarm to get up early because I have class Monday. I still have to drive back.” He frowned, “Oh, ok.” There was an extra room so you could sleep in peace. You calmed down and eventually drift off. Your alarm goes off, so you get up and shower. You get all of your stuff together, saddened. With everything packed up, you were on your way out of the door, about to say bye to the boys.

You hear a knock at the door so you open it and see all of the boys at the door with the saddest puppy dog eyes. “Are you sure you have to go?” Erick asked sadly. You sigh, “Unfortunately. I do. I’m gonna miss y’all.” You give everyone hugs and Zab walked away, which meant he was crying. You walk over to him and look him in his eyes; they were puffy and red. You smile and tell him that he can visit your university anytime he wants. He can even perform there when they have their annual celebrity performance. He smiles and a tear falls from his face onto yours. You wipe away his tears as well as your own. You give him a kiss on the cheek to say goodbye. You try and walk away, but Zab gently grabs your face and kisses you. His lips were soft against yours, like the center of a rose petal. You smile, trying to hold back tears, and he kisses you again. You tell him, “Stop, you’re gonna make me cry.” He lets go and tells you goodbye. You walk out the door and get into your car, waving at them. They were looking out the window sadly. You drive off, playing your favorite happy songs to stop from crying.

#CNCO #Zabdiel # Richard # Erick #Joel #Christopher

[quinlin-blog1]

The Lost Island ~ Chapter One

**Just a quick note. This is one of the first ever books I wrote. Disclaimer being that it’s going to be cringe-y at the beginning but it does get better** 

The warm May sun beams, joyfully, almost playfully, through the window of a tall house at the end of a quiet street. Children cheerfully ran playing up and down the road and skipping ropes at the local park. From inside the house, a girl of sixteen could see her little siblings as they rough-housed in the front yard. The sun came through the window, illuminating her bright green eyes and shining on her long soft brown hair, with its teal dip-dyed ends tumbling down to her lower back.

That's me. My name is Adriana Langster, I have five siblings, four of which are younger than me, and one is older. I live in Australia, though I won’t say where exactly.

My head was resting on my palm, my other hand sketching the scene in front of me. I found myself smiling as I thought about my little siblings, but then, the smile dropped.

I will be going away soon. My mother is sending me to a finishing school for girls on faraway island. I won’t see my friends or family for three years. My baby sister will be starting school, with my brothers and younger sister.

Flashback:

I was in my backyard, playing With Maya, my baby sister.

"Adriana!" My mother, Lana, called.

"Coming mum!" I called back and set Maya on the sun chair, and ran inside. My mother was sitting on the couch, looking absolutely elated.

"What's up mum?" I asked sitting in my favorite chair, swinging my legs off the edge of the arm.

"Remember how when you were younger, you said you’d like to go to that finishing school that our neighbor Olive went to?" She asked me. Yes, I remembered, but why was she bringing this up now? That was eight years ago.

"Uh-huh?" I answered hesitantly. ‘Wow, really elegant Addy’ I thought.

"Well. Guess who was accepted?" She asked eagerly with a huge grin.

"Lily?" I asked hopefully. ‘Oh No, I don't want to go!’ I begged inside my head.

"No silly, you! They have accepted you in! Isn't that great!?" Mum shouted as she tackled me with a hug.

"Uh mum?" I asked. How was I supposed to tell her?

"Yeah?" She asked, smiling like a goof.

"You do realize that, that was eight years ago right?" I started slowly.

"Yes, time flies huh?"

"I don't think I want to go anymore mum" I told her.

She looked confused. "Why? When Olive told you about it you were begging to go" She pointed out to me.

"Yeah but, I've changed since then. I've made friends, I have a life now. I'm enjoying myself here. That place is a school to teach girls how to become proper ladies. I don't really think I belong there" I told her.

"That's why you're going. Because you need to learn to become a lady."

"If that was your plan to send me there, then why not send me earlier?! Why would you wait till now, when I’m happy and comfortable here?" I snapped.

“Sweetheart your name has been on that list since you first showed interest in going! Olive made sure of it!”

“I know mum! But I've changed from the little girl I was then!”

“Don't think that I haven't noticed.”

“My point is! I've changed, I don't want to go to that school any more. I'm happy with  the one I’m going to now!”

"I'm not sending you because I want to ruin your life, I'm sending you because it's better for you and will give you more opportunities." She said.

I shouted in exasperation and stomped upstairs to my bedroom.

End flashback.

  As you can tell I didn't take it so well.

Someone banged on my door, knocking me out of my thoughts. I went over and opened it. No one was there.

"Addy!" A little voice cried.

I looked down to see Maya hugging my legs. She couldn't pronounce my name right, none of them could at that age. I leaned down and picked her up. Since Maya was born, we’ve always had a very special connection. I sit down on my bed and bounce her on  my knee. Maya loves this. She also find's it funny when someone sneezes. Seriously, it's like the funniest thing in the world for her.

"Addy's going to have to go away soon" I told her. Tears coming to my eyes. I hated the idea of abandoning my baby sister. She needs me and I need her. Maya tilted her head slightly. Her small hand reached up and touched my cheek lightly.

“Why?” She asked me quizzically.

I didn’t want to answer the question, so instead I brought up another subject.

"Are you hungry?" I asked her.

"Yes" She replied. Of course, she’s always hungry. I smiled down at her.

I lifted Maya up and put her on my shoulders. She giggled as I bounced down the stairs. Her small arms wrapped tightly around my neck as she hung on.

I haven't been on very good terms with my mother since that conversation. Though we still speak it's not as carefree as it used to be. When I reached the kitchen. Lily and Lysander were taking large drinks of water. They had bruises and slight scrapes on their arms and legs. I smiled and shook my head slightly.

"Hi Addy,” Lysander said.

"Are you coming to our magic show tonight?" Lily asked. They were always putting on magic shows and performances. The two of them were almost like twins, even though Lily was a few years older than Lysander.

"Of course. Why not?" I told them.

 They smiled. Uriah, my youngest brother ran in, holding his superhero figure out with his arms spread wide open.

"What time is your magic show?” I asked. Peeling an apple and cutting it into quarters. "Ow!" I exclaimed when Lysander bumped into me making me cut my finger.

"Oh! Sorry Addy!" He stated.

"It's alright" I said, running the cut under cold water.

"The magic show is at six o'clock. Here's your ticket" Lily stated, handing me a piece of paper with my name and a big six on it. I smiled at my sister and kissed Lysander’s head.

"Ew! Sister Germs!" He yelled and ran away. Lily chasing after him.

"Addy? Can we watch a movie?” Uriah asked me.

"Of course, let's go" I said, Picking Maya up off the counter and carrying her into the living room where Uriah turned on the T.V. Backyardagains was playing. Uriah plopped on the floor in front of it. I sat on the couch with Maya curled up on my lap, gnawing on an apple slice. Eventually I fell asleep listening to the cheesy songs from the show and Uriah’s laughing.

I was awoken abruptly, when the family dog Lee and my dog Twilight ran into the living room, wanting me to take them for a walk. Twilight was huge, being part Dane part husky, I often put Maya on her back and let her ride Twilight. Lee, on the other hand, was just a tiny little thing. We rescued her a few years ago when she was two years old and she still looks like a puppy.

I groaned.

"Alright, alright!" I said. Getting up and stretching. My back made a series of relieving popping noises.

I walked to the door and grabbed Lee’s leash. Twilight never left my side. I had rescued her when she was a puppy from some kids that were throwing rocks at her. I took her home, cleaned her and nursed her to health. Since then she has become my best friend and protector. Of course, she was the protector of the entire family. When Maya was born, Twilight looked after her like she was her own. I was Twilight's mother and Maya was the baby sister.

I clipped the leash to Lee’s collar and I opened the door. I was instantly hit by a wave of heat. Even though it was autumn it felt like midsummer.

We walked down the streets, waving to the neighbors, when suddenly I was slammed into the ground, there was a person was on top of me. Catherine.

"You know. If you weren't so shy, I would say to try out for the football team" I groaned sarcastically. She laughed and climbed off me.

Catherine was quiet most of the time, though when we're together she's quite animated figuratively speaking. She had pale blonde hair and amber colored eyes. It was hard for Catherine at first, because her hearing is impaired, we had issues communicating when we first met for a school project, but my mother had taught me basic sign language at a young age.

But, of course, Catherine wasn’t alone. Our other friend Crystal was standing not too far away during these events, holding Lee. Crystal always loved that dog, probably because she was easy to pick up and cuddle.

Crystal was something else to say the least. Crystal is Catherine’s opposite. She tends to be more girly than either of us. Her black hair was cut just to her shoulders, the roots dyed bright. And she tends to be quite random.

Catherine’s purple streaked hair was pulled back into a ponytail, as per always, while Crystal’s was a riot of braids.

I had already told my friends that I was leaving in a few days.

We had been spending as much time together as possible. We headed over to my house to drop off Lee. Twilight will whine if we left without her, so we decided to bring her along.

"Hey mum?! I'm going to go to the park with Crystal and Catherine!" I called up as I left the house on my bike. Crystal and Catherine had already grabbed their bikes and were waiting for me.

We didn’t usually go to the park, unless we had to take the little kids with us.

Luckily Lily was best friends with Alex, Catherine’s younger sister so we regularly brought them to the playground.

When it was just us, we went to our favorite grove of trees on a cliff, overlooking a lake, covered with vast trees. There, we had made our tree houses, three separate from one main one.

No one ever came here, but if they did they wouldn't have been able to find the tree houses unless they knew what they were looking for. Mine, was filled with pictures that I had taken…I want to be a photographer, a video camera and an underwater camera, a lap top for photo editing, my snorkel and mask, books. The main house had a few seats and an extra-large first aid kit. Catherine’s idea, she wants to be a doctor. Getting up there wasn't easiest thing in the world, let me tell you. We had to make it hard to get up so that people won't think of trying. We each have different ways of getting up. Crystal's way is an inconspicuous platform that she can crank up, Catherine’s is a rope ladder that she wove the first day (It took several tireless days to get this all done, in which our parents thought we were out at a science fair) and mine was a simple, "find as many ways to climb up as possible" kind of deal.

We reached the hang out and climbed up to the main house. I looked at my surroundings. Many pictures of past summers, Halloweens, Christmases, Easters, Birthdays and many more different ones, hung up on the walls. We made this tree house three years ago. It made me sad that I would have to leave it all behind for another three. What will change while she's gone? All this would be gone. We would be older. Nineteen, wow.

"Don't worry Dell. We won't ever change" Catherine said as she came in. I must have looked as confused as I felt because Crystal spoke up next.

"You were thinking aloud Dell”

 (Some clarity, my friends call me Dell to stand for Delta, Catherine is Alpha or Alphs for leader and Crystal is Beta or Bets.)

 "Sorry, can't help myself. Think, I won't be able to see you guys for three years, excluding Christmas." I stated sadly.

"I'll see you. My mum set me up to go too. Aren't otters adorable?" Crystal asked.

"Yes Bets, otters are adorable. Then it's just me?" Catherine said

"Why don't you go?" I asked.

"Because Dell, you know my mum" Catherine had a point. Her mother wasn't the nicest person on the planet, she was very stern and had a high shrill voice that could cut glass at the lowest whisper. She didn't like me or Catherine very much so she loved to lecture Catherine on us. This was one of the reasons Catherine was so shy.

"You don't have to tell us we're going. You can tell her that you've given it some thought and decided you wanted to go" I stated.

"I couldn't ask for an otter" Crystal sang happily.

I face-palmed, so it's otters now? Last week it was bunnies, the week before it was sloths. Crystal is obsessed with cute baby animals. She begs her parents for one, they say no, she moves on to a new one and repeat. Catherine seemed to be thinking the same thing because she repeated my actions.

"Are we allowed to bring pets?" Catherine asked. Last month, her parents had caved and bought her a pet penguin that she named Sparkle. Personally, I still couldn’t believe that she had gotten a penguin, we were in Australia for heaven’s sake!

"Yeah, I'll be bringing Twilight." I explained.

We were quiet for a few minutes, each one of us doing our own thing, when Catherine suggested going swimming, to which Crystal and I agreed.

I ran out and ran across the bridge to my house, wobbling unsteadily as I did so. I took out my bathing suit and changed quickly, before climbing down the tree and jumping the last few feet to the ground. I raced to the cliff at the edge of lake with Crystal and Catherine chasing after me. I reached the lake and began to remove my shorts and t-shirt and dove into the water just as Crystal and Catherine arrived. I resurfaced and was splashed by Catherine. Crystal was rubbing sunscreen onto her pale skin on shore since she did not tan well. Catherine and I began to splash each other, laughing uncontrollably. After a while we headed back to shore and collapsed in the sand to relax and tan for a bit.

I was going to miss my girls.

"We'll miss you too Dell" Catherine stated.

I need to stop thinking out loud. I thought.

"Yes, you do" Crystal agreed.

"Dang it!” I exclaimed and my best friends laughed.

"What if your mum says yes? Then we could all go together!" Crystal tried.

"Yeah, I could ask her tonight when I get home" Catherine stated.

"Actually, I was thinking we could have a sleepover tonight. You could ask if that’s ok when you go to get your stuff" I told them. I had asked my dad this morning and he said it was all right. He thought that since I’d be leaving soon we should cram in as much time together as we could.

"Sounds good." Crystal said happily. She's always happy. Maybe that's not a bad thing

I leaned over, making sure that my friends didn't see, and picked up two handfuls of wet sand, balled it up and threw it at them. Crystal screamed and Catherine fell off her chair face first into the sand.

"DELL!" They screech. I ran.

It quickly turned into an all-out sand war. Catherine threw one into my hair and I hit Crystal in the shoulder. Crystal set a timer for one hour, and the sand fort competition began. Forty- five minutes later my fort was done, with walls taller than myself and a foot thick. As the others continued to build up their forts. I began to make ammo.

I had made about twenty sand balls before the timer began to sing the duck song. ‘Really Bets?’ I thought to myself.

Instantly Crystal let out a war cry and began to throw sand bombs at both me and Catherine, who ducked behind her fort for cover.  I ran around them and behind Catherine. Grabbing a handful of sand and shoving it down the back of her shirt. She squealed and jumped up and down, trying to get the sand out of her shirt. I was rolling on the floor laughing until tears rolled down my face. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Catherine stop throwing sand and look at Crystal. Suddenly they both jumped from behind me grabbing sand and shoving it down my own shirt as revenge.

This continued for ages, with us teaming up against each other. Finally, we all collapsed on the sand, panting for air.

"Alphs, what time is it?" I asked.

Catherine reached over to her bag and pulled out her phone.

"Two twenty- eight" She replied.

"We've been here for three hours?" Crystal questioned

"Yup" I answered.

"What do we do now?" Catherine said.

"Well my dear buddies. We, are going to shower, get dressed, then go to my place. My mom wants to take us out for dinner, to celebrate" Crystal stated.

"Celebrate what?" I asked.

"Getting into school. Alphs will have time to convince her mom to let her go before we leave" Crystal pointed out.

"She has a point" I said.

"I guess I can try. It wouldn't be too bad getting out of that place for a while." Catherine concurred.

"Great! Let's head back and meet up at my place around four, mum wants to take us at five thirty" Crystal said happily.

"Then we can have time to get ready for you guys staying over" I said.

"I'm glad we don't ever do these things at my house, last time it was a disaster" Catherine mused

It was true, the last time we had a sleep over at her house was two year ago. Boy we sure learned our lesson. We accidentally burst one of her feather pillowed and stained her carpet and bed sheets with grape juice, her mother was none too impressed to say the least. Mind you we were like ten.

"We'll have the basement tonight, Lily.... Oh no!" I exclaimed.

"What?" My friends asked.

"Lily and Lysander are doing a magic show tonight at six! I won't be able to see it and they'll be upset”

The last time I pulled a stunt like this they whined at me for three days straight.

"Maybe they would bring it earlier if we told them we'd come" Catherine told me.

Lily loved Catherine more than she did me, though I loved Alex, Catherine’s little sister, tons, so it worked out nicely.

"I'll let her know that" I said and grabbed out my phone and turned on Skype. Instantly a message from Lily.

"When are you getting home? Is Cathy coming with?" It read.

"Well that's the thing, Cathy will be coming with me, but can you move the show the earlier so she can be there? Crys’ mum wants to see us at five thirty" I explained. It took a few moments but my phone beeped again none the less.

"Fine, but You have to be here at five" Lily stated.

"Perfect I'll be home soon. The others will be coming too, plus Alex" I could almost hear her squeal.

After saying quick goodbyes, I hung up the phone and turned to my friends with a grin.

"We're good, as long as your there by five and have Alex with you, she can stay over too.

"Oh, she'll love that. She'll probably screamed louder than anything and run to pack for the night" Catherine said amused

"That's why I love her" I said taking my hair out of its bun that was falling to the nape of my neck and shaking it out.

So, we left the beach back to our houses to drop off our stuff and head back to our actual homes. My brain couldn't stop thinking about how much things are going to change when I leave. I would be sixteen where I got back for the summer. I wouldn't be coming back for another summer for three years, Christmas and spring breaks, but nothing else. Then I would have to go back for another three years.  By the time I'd finished the school I'd be nineteen!

 “You’re thinking' too much about it Ads! It won't be as bad as you think!”

I have four voices in my head, two boys and two girls. The girls named Cal and Tori, the boys named Zell and Arrow.

Zell, Arrow and Tori mostly keep a level head about things, while Cal insists on always looking on the bright side. They had apparently been in my head since I was born. I hadn't ever told anyone accepts for Catherine and Crystal, who also had voices in their heads. I had never told my parents, though I had come very close to at many points in my life. Mostly when Cal and Tori were nagging me about something, or when Zell and Arrow were annoying me, or when one of them let something slip that they weren't meant to. I got so caught up in thought that my parents would notice and ask me about it. I always lied my way out of it smoothly.

“I can't help myself Arrow. I'll be gone for so long! Everything would be different!” I replied to Arrow’s statement.

“You’re thinking too much about it Sissy! It won't be that bad!” Cal said to me.

“Oh Sure! Everything is Goin' t' be fine and dandy when she be goin' t' a place where she don' be knowin' anyone, or even know where to be goin' Sure Cal She'll be fine!” Zell said sarcastically.

“This can't get any worse. I completely agree with Zell on this one. I don't know anything about where I'm going or who I'll be meeting”

“You'll be fine Mistress. It's best that you go to this school” Tori spoke up.

“Wait? Do you guys know anything about this school that I'm going to?” I asked.

“Er- No, nothing. We only know what you know” Tori lied.

“Nice try Tor. We be knowin' everythin' 'bout this. We just can't be tellin' you 'bout it” Zell covered.

“Under whose authority?” I said, dignified.

“The boss man! The big guy! The toughie! Think about it Ads. He's the one who doesn't want you to know anything about yourself that you don't already know! Remember that time when you were ten and playing football? There was no way you could have made that shot but you willed yourself to so you did! You saved the game because you did something impossible! I'll bet-” Arrow's monolog was interrupted by a loud smacking sound and his loud call of “Ouch”. Tori or Cal had Smacked Arrow.

“Arrow! You weren't supposed to say anything! We could get into trouble!” Tori scolded a pouting Arrow.

“Well it ain't like we can be leavin' Ads in a rut with no way out, Tor.” Zell pointed out to Tori 

“But the master told us not to tell her anything she doesn't need to know!” Cal reminded them.

This conversation seems to be very one sided.

“And we ain't goin' t'. But we ain't goin' t' leave 'er with Nothin'!” Zell said firmly.

“Yeah! She has the right to know what's going to happen! Or at least a rough edge of it!” Arrow agreed. 

Yep, very one sided.

“Well how do we know she can handle it?” Cal asked.

“Are you kidding me!? It's Ads! Of course, she can handle it!” Arrow exclaimed.

“Are you sure? Because it's this kind of stuff that makes people worry and stress.” Tori pointed out. 

“It's Ads we be talkin' 'bout! O' course she can handle this!”

“Guys!” I shouted, finally having enough. People looked at me weirdly.

“Go back to your knitting!” I told them and they averted their eyes.

“Point to Ads” Arrow joked.

“Thanks. What is going on?”

“What we are going on about Ads, is that the fact that you’re going to the school is important, you have to go. But Catherine and Crystal are going to be there too.” Cal reassured me.

Seems like I have no choice. I thought to myself. As I stepped through my door,. I was instantly ambushed by Maya and Twilight.

Maya riding on Twilight's back as they came romping up and trampled on top of me. Twilight licking my face, while Maya insisted on jumping endlessly on my belly. And I suddenly felt the bile rising in the back of my throat. No, I didn't really throw up. Thank whoever may be out there, for my iron stomach.

“Help! I'm being sat on by a demon baby!” I shouted 

My mother poked her head around the corner to see what was going on, only to roll her eyes, smile and walk back into the living room

“Thanks for the help!” I shouted after her.

“You're welcome!” Came the reply.

I turned back to Maya who was literally making my breakfast come back up.

“OK! OK! I'll make you a smoothie if you get off” I offered, laboring to breathe.

Maya got off and I hobbled off into the kitchen to make myself and Maya a smoothie.

                                                      *

  A loud ringing of the doorbell interrupted my giggling as Maya and myself hid away from Catherine, Alex and Crystal, who were the ones that were ringing.

You see, we were hiding from them, partly because I didn't want to get dressed, but mostly because we were hyper on sugar. It wasn't our fault that mother had left the cake and pies unattended.

So here we were, hiding in Maya's large play house that was in her playroom. We heard footsteps up the stairs and the door open.

“Addy! I know you're in here! I want to hide too” Alex's voice came.

I opened the door and let her into the small house. We giggled and waited for Catherine and Crystal to come up and find us.

“Come on out Dell!” Catherine called.

“Yeah. Either we'll find you. Or the man- eating otters will!” Crystal added.

Que Catherine face palm and Alex's stifled laughter. Crystal and her silly obsession with baby animals. Alex and I were completely busting a gut, so much so that we failed to keep our laughter quiet for much longer.

“They’re in the house!” Crystal exclaimed as they heard us

“No, we're not” I said

“Yes, you are!” Catherine stated

“Can't touch this” I sang quietly to Alex who laughed harder, if possible.

“What did you say?!” Catherine and Crystal asked loudly

“Nothing!” We replied.

I counted down and we busted down the door, running out of the room with Maya asleep on the little bed in the house.

“Can't touch this!” I sang loudly causing both Catherine and Crystal to laugh.

“That's what you said!” Crystal exclaimed.

We ran into my room and collapsed on my bed and floor, laughing too hard.

“W-when do you l-leave?” Alex stuttered out as she tried to calm her laughter.

“In about six days.” I replied, taking in air.

“Cathy asked mother if she could go, I think mother will let her though. I'd love to go” Alex said to me.

“You’re just too young Al. You'll be going soon enough” I reminded her.

“Yeah, I know. Then Lily and I can go together!” Alex said brightly.

“Yeah, we'll be back soon enough for Christmas and then spring breaks.  Three years from now you can go too” I told her.

“I know. But it's going to feel like forever!” She emphasized the “Forever” in the sentence.

“I know!”

“Alright Alex. We need to get Dell ready, so out you go.” Catherine said as they walked in.

“Yeah. Come on, Delly!” Crystal Smirked. This was never a good sign.

[londontheatre]

Andrew Polec as Strat & Christina Bennington as Raven in BAT OUT OF HELL credit Specular

2017 has been a busy year with our team of reviewers attending and reviewing nearly 800 productions across London, including West End and Off-West End. These are the top picks for the year.

1. Bat Out of Hell The Musical – London Coliseum (21 June) Andrew Polec, as Strat (leader of ‘The Lost’, a collective of young rebels) leads a ridiculously talented cast with flair, energy and intensity. Polec’s vocals are outstanding, his stage presence amazing, and he was conspicuous by his absence whenever off-stage.

2. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – Apollo Theatre (22 November) Hilarious and hard-hitting in equal measure, this is a great British musical not to be missed. I don’t like this show. I love it.

3. Barber Shop Chronicles – National Theatre, Dorfman (7 June) Filled with laugh-out-loud humour as well as food for thought, this electrifying and magnificent production is theatrical heaven from beginning to end.

4. Henry V – Southwark Cathedral (3 February) I wasn’t prepared for… quite how different and spellbinding this production was from any other Henry V I’ve seen before… Powerful and poignant.

5. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? – Harold Pinter Theatre (9 March) The narrative unfolds over just one night, and this production is so intense and absorbing I found myself willing both the ‘interval’ of 15 minutes between Act 1 and Act 2 as well as the ‘pause’ of just five minutes between Act 2 and Act 3 to end.

6. The Life – Southwark Playhouse (30 March) The whole cast are well-drilled by veteran director Michael Blakemore, and the show is clearly influenced by more than one well-known musical theatre show […] what a magnificent and sensational production this is.

7. Hamlet – Harold Pinter Theatre (15 June) These sofas, these business suits, these sliding doors. It’s all bound to annoy the purists to high heaven. No matter. This is a surprisingly warm and inviting production, and a welcome addition to the many versions of this timeless play.

31 Hours – The Cast Photo by Lidia Crisafulli

8. 31 Hours – The Bunker Theatre (6 October) An admirable play with compelling performances, this intriguing and informative production doesn’t apportion blame or offer tidy solutions to a persistent problem. The script is poetic when it wants to be, other times flowing between characters so much it requires impeccable timing and pacing, which this cast possesses in abundance.

9. The State of Things – Jack Studio Theatre (13 September) A joyous final number sends the audience out with cheerfulness, even if all the ends aren’t tied up, loosely or otherwise. The script is tasteful and imaginative.

10. Fingering A Minor on the Piano – Soho Theatre (5 April) This is a compelling and passionate show, as much of an education into what’s really going on in the healthcare sector today as it is a fun-filled hour of hysterical anecdotes.

Chris Omaweng

*******

1. Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Bridewell Theatre This story of friendship and hope took two drag queens and a trans woman from Sydney to Alice Springs, in a big pink bus. Along the way, they met new friends, and face rampant homophobia. SEDOS brought every element of the show together beautifully, and to a standard that you would expect to see in the West End. Sold out virtually as soon as it was announced, this was the ‘must-see’ production of the year.

La Cage Aux Folles – Pamela Raith Photography

2. La Cage aux Folles, New Wimbledon Theatre This is was a touring production of a show that demonstrates the importance of family and how much a parent will sacrifice to help their offspring. John Partridge put on the stiletto heels and sequined gowns as Albert/Zaza and delivered a tour de force performance. With wonderful sets, costumes and songs like the iconic “I Am What I Am” this production hit all the right notes.

3. Richard III, Cockpit The amazing Kim Hardy led the cast in the title role of this first-rate production of Shakespeare’s play in fine style. With some extremely realistic battle scenes, the entire production brought the story to life in a really fantastic way. Richard is a role that Kim was born to play and has set the standard for anyone that wants to take on the king in the future

4. Henry V, Southwark Cathedral Another touring production as Antic Disposition visited various cathedrals around the UK this year with their version of this classic Shakespeare play. I caught the production at Southwark Cathedral where, under the watchful eye of the Bard himself. Aside from the highly impressive location, the production itself – set in a World War I field hospital – adds a wonderful poignancy to the show. Rhy Bevan was excellent in the role of Henry and led a superb cast who between them made this a very memorable show.

5. Loot, Park Theatre Back to the swinging sixties with this production of Joe Orton’s farce set around the funeral of an elderly woman. Whilst most assuredly of its time in some of its attitudes, Loot still works very well at holding various parts of society up to a critical light. The cast, set and costumes all worked perfectly to bring the sixties back to North London and overall this was one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a long while.

6. The Clockwork Orange, Park Theatre Another trip back to the sixties with this all-male production of Anthony Burgess’s horrific story of a dystopian future that, at times, has too many links to the present to make comfortable viewing. Stripped back in colour and set, the sho is headed up by Jono Davies absolutely smashing the lead role of Alex. An intense production that is not easy to watch but is totally engaging.

7. Lord Dismiss Us, Above the Stag Theatre Glen Chandler’s play is partially based on genuine experiences at a public school in the sixties and as such is a very well observed study of the English upper classes at a time when the world was about to change. However , instead of focussing on the outside, the play brings us into the school where a violently homophobic new headmaster decides there will be none of that business going on in his school. One of the great elements of the play is that one of the more negative characters from the start of the play turns out ot be the hero of the story. A lovely bit of writing, excellent translated to the stage.

8. Posh, Pleasance Theatre Probably one of the real surprises of the theatrical year for me. Posh was the story of an elite male dining club from one of our red brick universities on a night out. A fairly normal story you might think, but in this production, all of the roles were played by women. Retaining their femininity, the actors really brought out the roles well to the point that their gender was totally unimportant. A brave staging choice that worked extremely well.

9, Boys in the Buff – The Musical, Stockwell Playhouse and Boys in the Buff – The Concert, King’s Head Tackling the subject of body image and how we view ourselves and each other is not an easy thing to do but in these productions – the full one and the cut down version – it is done in a wonderful way. Humour, songs, dance and great writing combined to make the Boys in the Buff shows something well worth seeing. A fine cast, willing to give their all for the show, really entertain and inform and leave everyone feeling just that bit better about themselves.

Out There On Fried Meat Ridge Rd

10. Out There on Fried Meat Ridge Road, White Bear Theatre Back in January, this show showed up at the newly refurbished White Bear Theatre and completely took my breath away. The story of the inhabitants of a run-down motel and the wonderful revelations that come out, with the wonderful twist at the end, set the bar for every show from then on. Following its time the White Bear, the play transferred for a very successful run at the Trafalgar Studios.

Terry Eastham

*******

1. Out There On Fried Meat Ridge Road by Keith Stevenson at Trafalgar Studios Small town America at its side-splittingly smallest.

2. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare at The National Simon Godwin’s delicious production takes role reversal to the limit.

3. Everyone’s Talking About Jamie by Tom MacRae & Dan Gillespie Sells at The Apollo Theatre Funny and heart-warming – best new musical of the century.

4. We Are The Lions Mr Manager by Neil Gore @ Tara Arts Theatre

Girl From The North Country

5. The Girl From The North Country by Conor McPherson @ The Old Vic (transferring). 6. The End of History by Ian Hollingshead @ Tristram Bates Theatre 7. Happiness by Lily Lowe-Myers @ The Bridewell Theatre 8. Rules For Living by Sam Holcroft @ The Rose Theatre 9. The Comedy About A Bank Robbery by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields – The Criterion Theatre. 10. Reasons To Be Cheerful by Paul Sirett @ Theatre Royal, Stratford East

Peter Yates

*******

Amadeus – Royal National Theatre Hedda Gabler – Royal National Theatre Follies – National Theatre Don Juan in Soho – Wyndhams

Paddy Briggs

  Martin Freeman (David Lyons), Tamsin Greig (Jean Whittaker). Photo by Johan Persson

The Ferryman – the most superb play/production seen in London for years! Totally gripping throughout its 3 and a quarter hours – yet nothing happened! So Irish!

The Best Man – which I saw at Windsor and which has not yet opened in London: superb, a gripping play about USA presidential election: could have so easily have been trite but beautifully written and directed and co-starring Jack Shepherd as the terminally ill past president. He was superb: charismatic. I hope Bill Kenwright brings this into town in 2018. (Martin Shaw was very good too!)

Labour of Love at Noel Coward Theatre: again superbly written and acted. There have been many first-rate plays this year!

John Groves

*******

Blush at Soho Theatre The Ugly One at Park Theatre La Soiree at Aldwych Theatre

And an extra that I loved but didn’t review was The End of Hope at Soho Theatre

Roz Wyllie

*******

Rent 21st Anniversary UK Tour – this show stole my heart and reignited my love for theatre. Bruce Guthrie directed the production perfectly. It was raw, gritty and truly touching. Choreography by Lee Proud was innovative and interesting and the entire cast were outstanding. It felt like they were living their lives through the character for those 2 and a half hours each night. All cast members poured everything into each performance and everything came together to create magic on stage.

Yank at the Charing Cross Theatre, London – the story was powerful, gripping and relevant. Scott Hunter and Andy Coxon were just superb in their roles, particularly Scott Hunter who shone throughout. Staging and choreography were slick and in keeping with the story. It was also fantastic to see an audience of predominantly men, so many in fact that men were lining up for the toilet.

The Toxic Avenger at The Arts Theatre, London – the show really impressed me with its comic-timing, fantastic use of the stage and the actors were fantastic. Songs were catchy and the plot fitted well together. Certainly different from my usual favourites but I laughed my way through this show.

Amanda Reynolds

*******

Girl From The North Country: This would have been a wonderful straight play with a tremendous book from Conor McPherson but add some of Bob Dylan’s greatest songs and you have a masterpiece. It’s atmospheric and at times mesmerising. I’ve seen it twice at The Old Vic and hope to see it again when it transfers to the Noel Coward next year.

Follies: Follies has always been a difficult musical to stage due to the fact it has no real plot and a downbeat ending but the National have done Sondheim’s Magnus Opus proud. The production is wonderful and the performances from the likes of Imelda Staunton, Janie Dee and Philip Quast sublime.

Romantics Anonymous: This was the most magical piece I’ve seen on the London stage for a long time and is Emma Rice’s swansong before she leaves her post as Artistic Director at the Globe. This was a bit of surprise as being at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, it slipped under my radar. Let’s hope it gets a transfer to the West End as it deserves it.

Alan Fitter

*******

Alice’s Adventures Underground in the Vaults – a kooky, surprising and interactive take on the classic tale. Hedda Gabler by Euphonia Studio at the Drayton Arms – a stark, pared-down, psychologically compelling performance. When Midnight Strikes by MKEC Productions at the Drayton Arms – a funny and moving tale of a special New Year’s Eve.

Genni Trickett

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