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Columnist
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OP
Columnist
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 653 Likes: 5 |
I hope you enjoyed this quick little reimagining of TOGOM as much as I did!
Being a reporter is as much a diagnosis as a job description. ~Anna Quindlen
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Kerth
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Kerth
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,161 |
What an interesting take on how they resolved Clark’s ‘death.’ You did indeed bring up some interesting points especially when not one person noticed there were no blood stains anywhere.
Last edited by Crazy_Babe; 11/06/21 02:25 PM.
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched they must be felt with the heart
Helen Keller
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Boards Chief Administrator Pulitzer
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Boards Chief Administrator Pulitzer
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 3,110 Likes: 42 |
It wouldn’t bring Clark back, and without that, everything else seemed pointless.  She had thought that twice before though, only to find the tears streaming down her face again an hour later, so it was probably just a matter of time. *sniffle* She just wanted to sit at her desk and pretend he was just off returning a video or having his teeth cleaned for the third time this month. LOL awwwwwww She took a breath and sighed, then turned her head back to its previous position without acknowledging the sound. Wow. Yeah, but makes sense. She stepped back, flinching at his voice. But he mistook her movement for assent, and glided into the room, landing within an arm’s reach of her.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She cringed. How could she ever be okay again?
“You should go,” she said woodenly. Love this awkwardness and pain. “Don’t touch me,” she said, stepping back.
He looked as if she had struck him. Ooh! Is she mad at him for not saving Clark?? “I know you’re grieving too. But I can’t. I can’t share him with you tonight.” Whoa... She stepped back and held up a hand to stop him. “I’ve told you again and again that whatever you can do is enough. That you don’t owe the world anything. I’ve told you that you can come to me if you need someone to talk to. And I know I should say all those things to you again tonight. But I can’t. I can’t even look at you. I know that’s not fair. I know you don’t deserve that. But you need to go, before I say things I can never take back .”
“Lois, I-”
“Where were you?” she cried, unable to hold back any longer. “Where? How could you let this happen?” Oooh! Powerful, especially the first paragraph!! She didn’t wait for him to answer, her grief swelling in her, erupting out of her. “You’ve saved me a hundred times! You’re never too late to save me! How many bullets have you caught that were meant for me? Where were you?” OH!  Now, Clark... now is the time to spin into Clark! “You made me think I was invincible. We were invincible. He told me over and over to be more careful. He worried about me constantly, and I never listened to a word he said. But he was right. I should have been more careful. He was trying to protect me! He died for me, and he never even knew! I never even got to tell him!” She was yelling now, her voice echoing in the quiet apartment, ringing in her ears.
“Tell him what?” Superman asked, his voice soft and gentle, his eyes full of grief, stoking the fire of her rage. How dare he come to her for absolution? How dare he pretend he didn’t know? Damn... this is intense. And Clark... dude... I know you’re kinda grieving yourself (haha double meaning) and shocked by her reaction, but... change already! “I hate you,” she said quietly, her voice barely a whisper. “You ruined everything. You dazzled me, and made me blind. He loved me. And I couldn’t even see him because of you. He told me he loved me, and I asked him for you! I asked him to send you to me instead! What the hell was wrong with me?”
He looked stricken, shocked by her mention of that night that they never discussed. This is intense and I’m upset, but also... Hah! I mean... of all the times to be called out on this behavior... only Lois and Martha, really, are the ones able to do it, and I LOVE that she’s doing it without knowing. But... oh, it’s sad. “And Mayson cut in. And I LET her. Because I thought we had time! I thought we had time to get it right. I told Perry it was okay, because I could never lose him. And I came home that night, and I was thinking of him. Not you!” she shouted at him, and he flinched. Love it! Her face twisted in anger. “And then YOU showed up,” she went on, her voice hard with anger, dripping with vitriol. “And you smiled at me. And you flirted with me. And I asked you to dance instead. And you said, ‘This isn’t dancing.’” she intoned, her voice high and mocking, edged with loathing.
“And you floated me all around my living room. And you looked at me like you loved me. But you don’t love me! You never did. HE loves me. Loved me,” she corrected sofly, all the anger draining out of her. “And I love him. And I never even got to tell him.” Whoa!!! “Oh, my god,” he said softly, obviously stunned. “What have I done?” Yeah. Exactly, Clark... what have you done??? “Lois, look at me,” he said softly, after a minute of tense silence. He was kneeling on the ground in front of her, she realized. His hand rested on her shoulder, thumb stroking gently. “Look at me, sweetheart. It’s okay.” GAH! I love the “sweetheart”! Also... he had better have changed! Something was different. Something wasn’t right. His eyes were the same, but his hair was different, falling in soft curls over his forehead. Her eyes roamed his face, from his hair, to his eyes, down his jaw, to the collar of the soft gray shirt that lay at his throat. *lets out breath she’s been holding* Whew! He changed! “I’m sorry,” he said, and she had never heard him sound more sorry. “I should have told you. I wanted to tell you a million times. I thought we had more time too. I wanted us to get it right. And then I was going to tell you. We were so close. I was going to tell you.”
“You’re alive,” she said, pulling her hand back to her chest, where her heart was hammering. Ooooh! Love the apology... now what’s going to be her reaction??? His face faltered. “Clark Kent is dead Lois. A whole room full of people saw him gunned down. I had to pretend to die or reveal my secret. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t put my parents at risk. I couldn’t put you at risk. You’re already too closely associated with Superman. I worry all the time about people using you to get to me. If the world knew…”
“You’re alive,” she repeated. She couldn’t process anything more. Love it... I should have come straight to you. I’m sorry.” *deep breath* Yeah, you should have... “Lois, you’ve seen bullets bounce off me before. This was no different, I promise. I was only pretending.”
“It’s different,” she said. “It was different.”
He nodded, his eyes gentle. “I know,” he said softly. “Come here.” Gah!!! “No! No, Lois,” he said, holding her tighter. “You didn’t do anything wrong. He touched you, and I was furious. I rushed him. You didn’t do anything but stand there being beautiful. That’s not your fault. How could that be your fault?” LOVE the “I was furious” part! Not sure how I feel about the beautiful part...  “I wish I could, Lois. But under the circumstances, I don’t see how I can,” she said softly, quoting him verbatim. “I always wondered what you meant by that. What circumstances,” she continued. She shook her head sadly, eyes filling with tears again. “I’m so sorry, Clark. I don’t know how you don’t hate me. Why in the world did you stay friends with me after that? Oooh powerful! Of course you preferred that version of me to the one who fought with you and-”
“I didn’t though,” she said, a soft whimpering cry escaping despite her best efforts to rein in her tears. “I was dazzled by him, but it was always you I came back to.” Yay!! She saw the kiss coming just seconds before his lips touched hers. He dipped his head and met her gaze, his eyes filled with love. And then his lips were on hers, and her heart felt like it would explode. She reached up and wrapped her hands around him, one curving around his neck, the other burrowing in his hair.
His lips tugged and caressed, and she met him at every turn, desperate for his love. Desperate to show him how much she loved him.  He stilled and pulled back to look into her eyes, his thumb stroking her cheek. “Lois, I have loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you. I’m so sorry we didn’t figure this out before. I’m so sorry. I thought we’d have more time.”
And then she realized what he was doing. Why he was loving her so gently and thoroughly, memorizing the taste and feel of her.
“No,” she said softly. “Don’t say it like that.”
“Lois, Clark Kent is dead.”
“No!” she said her hands on his chest, shoving him away, not wanting to hear what else he would say. You tell him, Lois! She wheeled on him, furious. “Help me, Clark! Don’t just shoot my ideas down! Are you really just going to give up and walk away without even trying?”
“I’ve been trying to figure this out all day!” he snapped back at her. Ooooh! “I can’t believe I spent all night being interviewed by detectives and none of them asked why there was no blood on my dress, on my hands.” Hah! Right? “Or you were wearing a bulletproof vest!”
Clark’s jaw dropped.
“We’re trying to come up with all these crazy explanations of how you recovered, when the obvious answer is that you were never shot. There was no blood. I mean... how come no one else thought of these things?? <G> He handed her the vest and took a step back. He smiled at her and hesitated.
“What?” she asked.
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this in front of you,” he said. He gave her one more smile, and then disappeared into a blur of red and blue. When he stopped spinning, he was Superman. All traces of Clark gone.
She stood agog, unable to formulate a response. He stepped forward and kissed her hard and fast. “I’ll be right back.”
She nodded, and he shot out the window, a gust of wind ruffling her hair.
“Wow,” she said. Wow is right! She took a fortifying breath and reached for the shirt. “We don’t have time right now,” she said softly. “But when this is settled, I have…a lot of questions.” Haha! “I love you,” he said, and she was surprised to hear the timidity in his voice. As if he still wasn’t completely sure what her response would be to that. Awwwwww! She handed him his shirt, and he put it on over the vest. Then he put on the jacket as well. Her hands trembled, seeing him in that suit again. Seeing the bullet holes.
“I’ll just…find a pen,” she said, turning to look for one and trying to hide the quiver in her voice.
“Hey,” he said softly, catching her arm before she could walk away. He pulled her back gently, hugging her.
She needed to keep moving. If she was working, her brain was too busy to remember the grief she’d been drowning in for the last twenty four hours. Poor Lois!! When he raised his eyes back to hers, she was looking at him in amusement. He raised his eyebrows, clearly unsure what part of this situation she found funny.
“I could never figure out if you were nearsighted or farsighted. You were always sliding your glasses down to look at things.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes at herself.  She pulled away after just a few seconds, and his eyes were bright and laser focused on hers. “And you’ll fly us into a building,” she finished playfully. awwwww “Are you my girlfriend?” he asked softly, interrupting her.
“Am I...not? Do you not want...” she asked, suddenly self conscious. They had made a lot of declarations of love today, and talked about having a life together, but they hadn’t exactly defined their relationship.
He laughed softly and smiled at her. “Oh, yeah. You are definitely my girlfriend if you want to be.” LOVE this!! He smiled down at her with a twinkle in his eye, and she couldn’t help taking a step toward him. His hands went to her waist. “No more secrets,” he said quietly, and she smiled up at him invitingly. He raised his eyebrows and paused, giving her a chance to back away, and when she didn’t, he leaned forward and captured her lips in a tender kiss. Her hands slid up to his cheeks, holding him in place.
“Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. It’s about damn time,” she heard Perry say, her lips curling into a smile without leaving Clark’s. Awwwwww! Lois watched as his gaze swept slowly around the apartment. When his eyes met hers again, she felt her breath catch.
“I thought I’d never see this place again,” he said, his voice low and reverent. “Thank you.” Awwwwww!! his shampoo to wash her hair, and her heart clenched at the familiar smell of it. Suddenly she couldn’t stand to be away from him, even long enough to shower. GAH!! Love this detail! “Well, we’re thrilled,” Martha said, and Lois could hear the sincerity in her voice. “You’re like family. We always hoped you two would find your way.” Awwwwww <3 She looked up at him as she sat back, and smiled when she saw his head lolled back against the sofa, eyes closed, his breathing shallow and steady. She stroked his cheek and whispered his name, but he didn’t stir. LOL aww he still falls asleep at the end. <g>
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,597 |
Well, you already know that I love it, but ... I love it! The "how did the detectives not even realize there was no blood" cracked me up because ... yes! Duh! This is a very satisfying story, and I can't wait to see what you write next. (Hint, hint.  )
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,831 Likes: 42 |
I've read a lot of different stories based on TOGOM. But honestly this is one of the best. Thank you so much! “No,” she said, shaking her head. “No. It’s not too late. You’re here. You’re alive. We can find a way.”
“How, Lois? How? How are we going to explain to a room full of people that what they think they saw never happened. He shot me at point blank range. It was too close to miss. There were three shots. They dragged me out. It’s all over the news. There’s no fixing this. I spent all morning rehashing this with my parents. There’s no way to spin this. Clark Kent is dead.” Yes there is a way, if you two work together! Clark, don't be such a lunkhead!  “Or you were wearing a bulletproof vest!”
Clark’s jaw dropped.
“We’re trying to come up with all these crazy explanations of how you recovered, when the obvious answer is that you were never shot. There was no blood. No one examined you. You can say you passed out from the shock. Or maybe you were pretending intentionally. Maybe you thought it was safer for me if you played dead. Maybe you met up with Superman after they dumped you, and the two of you…did something?” Oh man, this is so much better than Dr. Hamilton cloning him! Of course mild-mannered Clark would wear a bullet-proof vest! It would make perfect sense for him to lay low until the heat wore off. Yes! Tomorrow they could worry about writing the details of his return and hashing out the details of their past and future. Tonight she just wanted to sleep in his arms safe in the knowledge that he was alive, and he loved her, and they had all the time they needed to get things right. That's my idea of a happy ending! 
Last edited by Morgana; 11/07/21 06:50 PM.
Morgana
A writer's job is to think of new plots and create characters who stay with you long after the final page has been read. If that mission is accomplished than we have done what we set out to do, which is to entertain and hopefully educate.
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Joined: Jan 2019
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 1,011 Likes: 21 |
There can never be too many versions of TOMOG ^_^ I'm so glad Clark came to her the way he did, and I loved how you had them approach and solve their problem. Thanks for providing this nice escape from real life 
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Joined: Jun 2006
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,666 Likes: 58 |
Loved this version and how they worked together to save Clark's life, in a manner of speaking. Thanks for sharing
It's never too dark to be cool. 
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,761 |
Lois's angry speech to Superman is E V E R Y T H I N G.
Loved the way you handled it, really well done!
See ya,
AnnaBtG.
What we've got here is failure to communicate...
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Posts: 2,591 Likes: 11
Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,591 Likes: 11 |
Hello!  I'm back after a really long time.  I sort of drifted away from the boards for a time, but never completely away from the Superman universe. I was catching up in my comic book reading and the series Superman & Lois made me miss the fanfics, then here I am.  Thanks to Morgana, too, that kept in touch all this time and always gently nudged me to come back.  When I got to the boards your story caught my eye because I love this song. It was the song I used the first time I made a Lois and Clark music video. I think it's perfect for them in a lot of ways. And TOGOM rewrites are always a pleasure to read. It's one of my favorite episodes. Lois doesn't getting angry at Clark when she found out the truth made perfect sense in this case. Both were afraid, both were waiting for the right time, then they were even. It was the perfect fic to come back to.  Now I have a lot of fanfics to catch up. Happy new year everybody!  Andreia
"My wife's love is what unites Krypton and Earth in my heart. Without it, without her, I truly would be in hell."
~ Superman: Man of Tomorrow #15
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,831 Likes: 42
Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,831 Likes: 42 |
HOORAY!!!
WELCOME BACK MY DEAR FRIEND!!!!
Morgana
A writer's job is to think of new plots and create characters who stay with you long after the final page has been read. If that mission is accomplished than we have done what we set out to do, which is to entertain and hopefully educate.
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Joined: Jan 2018
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Blogger
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Blogger
Joined: Jan 2018
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A great TOGOM adaptation, love how you handled the confession and revelation.
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Beat Reporter
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Beat Reporter
Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 441 Likes: 20 |
“I hate you,” she said quietly, her voice barely a whisper. “You ruined everything. You dazzled me, and made me blind. He loved me. And I couldn’t even see him because of you. He told me he loved me, and I asked him for you! I asked him to send you to me instead! What the hell was wrong with me?” Out of all the fics I've seen for this ep, this has to be my favourite line out of them. Great story, thanks for sharing.
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 9,085 Likes: 39
Boards Chief Administrator Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Boards Chief Administrator Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 9,085 Likes: 39 |
Hi Annie! This is, shockingly, my first TOGOM rewrite, Hey, someone needs to pick up the slack and give us our yearly TOGOM, now that Tank has stopped  I just kept thinking about Clark...lying there. Yes, he has indeed been lying there. It wouldn’t bring Clark back, and without that, everything else seemed pointless. It probably would have been best if Clark had simply slept with Lois in Season One, then with Cat. It would have prevented this current massive heartbreak. The detective picked up the phone on Lois’ desk, speaking to someone about a tip, and jotted down an address on her notepad. He thanked her and left, and she picked up the pad automatically, looking at the indentation of his words. Awww, nice one. She wandered through her apartment with unseeing eyes, drifting aimlessly. Eventually she wound up in a corner of the couch, not even bothering to take her shoes off before curling into a ball. /Imagines Lois bumping around like a billiard ball on a Carom table/ But her home didn’t feel like home either. The only place she wanted to be was on Clark’s couch with his arm around her. Maybe she could comfort Superman in his grief for his better half. Somehow, some way, Clark Kent would keep her safe. And finally, she had relaxed. She’d curled up beside him, resting her head on his chest, and the next thing she knew it was morning, and she was alone on the couch, covered in a blanket. Meanwhile, on the dark side… …or in an angst-fic Challenging her when she was being insufferable. Oh boy, she’s really down She stood and walked to the window, unhooking the latch that she hadn’t used in years until last night. Mad, huh? She knew how she must look in her oversized sweatshirt, with her hair unwashed and her face tear streaked. ![[Linked Image]](https://image.shutterstock.com/image-vector/raccoon-emotion-sadness-tears-his-600w-1039944742.jpg) She didn’t wait for him to answer, her grief swelling in her, erupting out of her. “You’ve saved me a hundred times! You’re never too late to save me! How many bullets have you caught that were meant for me? Where were you?” Uhm…around? Uhm…at work? What the hell was wrong with me?” Is that a trick question? warned you I would say things I could never take back.” Oh boy she’s gonna be ticked off now. Clark Kent is dead Lois. A whole room full of people saw him gunned down. Hey, it was just a flesh wound in his lower shoulder. No worries, a band-aid and a kiss and he’ll be fine though whether he was primarily concerned with their current predicament or her reaction to discovering his secret, she wasn’t sure. You can be worried about both the forest full of enemy soldiers and the landmine you’re currently standing on at the same time. You should have just let me marry Luthor and lie in the bed I made. Walked away and washed your hands of me.” Yes, but it would have been so icky. If I mess up this relationship, where do I go? If you rejected me, or if we dated and then broke up, the only person in my life who could get me through that loss, would be you. They could clone him? He dipped his head and met her gaze, his eyes filled with love. And then his lips were on hers, and her heart felt like it would explode. I just realized, this could I’d be the memory wipe kiss from Superman II. And then his lips were on hers, and her heart felt like it would explode. Maybe he shouldn’t use so much suction when kissing her? He stroked her back sweetly, gently and unhurried. Finally he pulled his mouth from hers, raining soft kisses all over her face, kissing away her tears I just realized: “Until death do us join.” “Lois, Clark Kent is dead.” See, now they can get married. I can’t ask you to leave behind your family, your home, your friends, your job and follow me god knows where On the next season…: “Somewhere in Alaska…” I spent all morning rehashing this with my parents. There’s no way to spin this. Clark Kent is dead.” What about Barry, the Superman impersonator? They could use his body? And say they used a Clark-lookalike so the real Clark could investigate unseen. , her body full of restless energy. Poor dear. All fired up for a night of flaming passion and the object of her ardor just pulled out a stop sign. “Superman? He…fixed you?” She was grasping at straws. He kissed each of the wounds, making Clark’s body forget about them? ? If a scientist can clone a whole person, why couldn’t they fix you and leave you without a scar?” They could just explain it with Superman having advanced medical equipment straight out of Star Trek? Stuff he has on his ship? “I can’t believe I spent all night being interviewed by detectives and none of them asked why there was no blood on my dress, on my hands.” Maybe they all know who Superman is, but since Lois doesn’t, they think it’s funny to keep her in the dark? I have…a lot of questions.” For instance: can he do the spin also in slo-mo? We need a good story about what you’ve been doing this whole time.” /Points at Lois/ they needed some life-affirming stress relief. “You’re a far higher priority to me than the police.” She blushed. “Don’t try to score points.” The far more important question is, why did Superman prioritize Clark? Is there actual truth to the rumors about Superman’s boyfriend? Also, cute! “Hollywood made a dozen versions of Frankenstein and this guy still didn’t get the point?” she muttered. He’s working on cloning mob bosses because there’s money in it? “Just because I’m your girlfriend now doesn’t mean you can tell me what-” “Are you my girlfriend?” he asked softly, interrupting her. He laughed softly and smiled at her. “Oh, yeah. You are definitely my girlfriend if you want to be.” /Suggests the more appropriate term ‘professional caregiver/ She couldn’t help but wonder with amusement if she’d receive the same warm welcome if she were the one miraculously back from the dead. Only from those who won the pool that her death was a fake out. I’m sure I have something you can sleep in.” Like his arms? “Well, we’re looking forward to your visit. I know you must have so many questions.” “I definitely do.” Lois laughed softly, looking forward to having a chance to sit down with Martha soon. “Clark also said...you’re together now?” Martha said, and Lois smiled at the hope in her voice. Will we get a repeat of the GGGoH scene? Tonight she just wanted to sleep in his arms safe in the knowledge that he was alive, and he loved her, and they had all the time they needed to get things right.
The End Aww, all very tidy with a bow  Great that someone’s picking up the TOGOM work Michael
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