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Tuesday, March 20th, 2012
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10:28 pm - Frayach's Fics
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This is a comprehensive list of all my fic. If you would prefer a more eye-friendly format, please see my Hex Files and Skyhawke accounts. But please note neither is completely up-to-date yet. Still workin' on that :)
All You Ever Dreamed Of (R, a short one-shot)
Beliye Nochi (NC-17, this is a short stand-alone sort-of prequel/out-take scene for Danse Russe)
Black's Dictionary: The H/D Edition (NC-17, a thematically connected series of 25 drabbles)
The Colour of Regret (R, a short one-shot. Go here for the piece of artwork by ![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) lillithium that this is based on)
Danse Russe (Very strong NC-17, novel-length. Go here for djinniyah's gorgeous illustration)
Draco Malfoy's Book of Days (PG-13, novel-length collection of one-shot stories portraying Draco's life. Each story is a stand-alone fic. WIP)
The Good Guys (Very strong NC-17, one-shot long. Go here for lillithium's gorgeous illustration)
The Kiss (R, one-shot short and very dark. Go here for lillithium's gorgeous illustration)
The Logic of Dreams (NC-17, one-shot long)
*NEW* The March Potion (PG-13, one-shot short)
*NEW* A Mitigating Circumstance (NC-17, one-shot long WIP)
*NEW* Powerful Men (R, one-shot medium-length)
*NEW* The Price We Pay For Wings (R, one-shot medium-length. Go here for lillithium's gorgeous illustration, and here for djinniyah's. For vaysh11's German translation, go here).
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(9 comments | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008
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10:26 pm - The Kiss
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| Sunday, March 30th, 2008
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3:46 pm - Lillithium's 100 Questions
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| Sunday, March 23rd, 2008
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4:35 pm - H/D Rec - Alchemy in Quarter Time
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Recently I've had several conversations with various people about whether or not there is still anything new worth "saying" about H/D. My response has always been an unqualified "yes" - not because I believe in endless plot permutations and increasingly outrageous AU scenarios, but because I believe that good writers can make even the old seem new again without a lot of bells and whistles and fancy plots. The only thing that's required is good, sound, thoughtful writing.
A perfect example of what I mean by this is Lilithilien's story Alchemy in Quarter Time. If I were to summarize the plot (i.e. Draco challenges Harry to a duel, they end up kissing and eventually more, their allegiances drive them apart, Draco pines in exile, etc.), people would yawn and say, "been there, done that." But the thing is they'd be wrong. Sure, the plot's familiar (although it is amazingly refreshing to read a true Hogwarts-era fic these days), but the way it's written isn't. Despite a few unfortunate (but not dire) SPaG errors, Lilithilien's writing is lovely and lyrical and profound (without hitting you over the head). In her hands, Harry and Draco feel solid and real, but at the same time universal. This sense of timelessness is due partially to the structuring of Alchemy around the four elements, which causes Harry and Draco's relationship to feel like each one in turn - fire, earth, air and water - but also like a fifth element (I'm tempted here to call the fifth element love, but the fear of being outed as the hopeless romantic I am holds me back *g*). This is one of those stories that makes you feel like a better person for having read it. It elevates and challenges and touches you. And best of all it reminds you exactly why it is you loved this ship in the first place.
Teaser link:
So this is how Potter will triumph. Children's jinxes and old-fashioned doggedness, wearing the Dark Lord down with irrepressible optimism and shabby clothes and that eternal flame that refuses to burn out. Facing him now, Draco is forced to admit it's an imposing combination. "Circle like smoke back to its source," his father had said, but didn't that bring them to where they now stood, close enough to see the fevered pulse in Potter's throat, to breathe in the air warm from his lungs? Could this be where their steps had always meant to lead?
current mood:  relaxed
current music: Handel's Messiah - Academy of St. Martin in the Field Chrous
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(comment on this)
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| Thursday, March 20th, 2008
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10:34 pm - H/D Ficlet - The March Potion
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| Sunday, December 30th, 2007
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3:05 pm - A Mitigating Circumstance - part three
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| Sunday, December 16th, 2007
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3:08 pm - A Mitigating Circumstance - part 2/8ish)
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| Friday, December 7th, 2007
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10:28 pm - My Own Holiday Fic
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Today was my last full day of work until the second of January, which means a much-needed long break for me and a surfeit of Fic From Frayach for you. The following is a WIP that will be completed by the end of the holidays. And, yes, I know I'm being foolhardy posting it now during the midst of a million fests, but it's seasonally appropriate and, well, hey, I just want to, damn it. Hopefully, it won't get lost in the shuffle. I'll post it in small enough installments to make it easy to follow.
A Mitigating Circumstance
Pairing: Harry/Draco and implied Harry/Ginny
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Someone is hunting down and killing former Death Eaters, one by one, and it is only a matter of time before he (or she!) gets to Lucius and Draco.
( Later, Harry learned that even a couple of the seasoned Aurors had lost their lunches )
current music: The Fly - U2
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(9 comments | comment on this)
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| Sunday, November 25th, 2007
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8:34 pm - Reliquary by George Pushdragon
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I'm reccing a fic, but for the first time ever, it's not H/D. It's Lucius/Harry, and it's not one of those L/H fics that could just as easily be H/D with the names changed. Oh no. This is Lucius Malfoy, not Draco, and not only that, but this is Lucius Malfoy as he should be written. I must say that after reading this story, I am forever ruined for any other kind of portrayal of Lucius. This is Lucius Malfoy in all his glory.
Reliquary presents us with a world that is (in pushdragon's words) "skinned of mystery" by the intrusion of Muggles and Muggle culture (which, in the world of this story, is somewhat of an oxymoron). It is a world rendered innocuous, insipid and crass. It is a world in which Lucius Malfoy (and his kind) is nothing more that a beautiful museum piece. But just because something is a "museum piece" doesn't mean it's powerless and inert. Awakened perhaps too late to the vitality and sublime mystery of the Old Ways, Harry has become a collector of rare Dark Artifacts, which he hasn't the background or training to use or even fully understand, but which sing to him through the magic coursing through his blood. The transcendent beauty and power of his "relics" render them more animate and essential than the cheap Muggle electronics now for sale in the streets of Hogsmeade. But he needs a teacher, a mentor. Someone who can appreciate not only the importance and vitality of his collection, but his own vitality.
Pushdragon is, imho, consistently the best writer in the fandom, and that talent is on full display in this story. The observations Lucius makes about the nature and varying forms of power and how to wield it render my purchase of The 48 Laws of Power embarrassingly superfluous. And the eroticism is profoundly masculine - something too often lacking in slash fiction, generally. Do not miss this story. It is simply masterful, and it'll bring alive the world of magic (and the Malfoys) like only a handful of stories are able to.
. . . It was somewhat naive of the Ministry to assume that unarmed was synonymous with defenceless . . .
current mood:  impressed
current music: "The Smell of Desire" - Enigma
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(comment on this)
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| Monday, October 22nd, 2007
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6:58 pm - H/D Rec - ". . . And Your Damage Done"
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It's unprecedented, I know, but I have two recs in one weekend.
I'm not sure I can do twistedm's . . . And Your Damage Done justice in a simple two or three paragraph review, but I'll try. It's an unflinching portrait of desire, adultery and betrayal - one of the most intimate and realistic and powerful portraits of this topic I've ever seen - in fandom or anywhere else for that matter. This is truly a story in which the writer has invested every bit of her heart and mind and delivered, with the utmost integrity, The Truth.
After DH, there are so many stories depicting Harry and Ginny's family life, but none that I have read thus far have made it seem as real and vital as it does in Damage. T.M. gives us a glimpse of both the joys and pains of marriage and parenting - the quiet tenderness of lives entwined together, the partnership that evolves from bringing new human beings into the world and watching them grow, the quiet sad inevitability of estrangement coupled with the contentment of knowing that there is at least one person who will always be there - no matter what. T.M. also shows us the fierce love of parents for their children and the deep sense of insecurity that comes with knowing both the influence a parent has over his children and, simultaneously, the frustrating boundaries of that influence. Few writers have given us such a nuanced and compelling perspective - a perspective that is refreshingly cliche-free.
Damage would be worth reading for the generous portrait T.M. paints of Harry and Ginny's marriage alone, but there is even more to it -- much more, in fact. T.M.'s description of Harry's slow surrender to his desire for Draco is so well written, so disciplined, that it becomes a whole story in and of itself. From the moment when Harry first deflects Draco's advances (the description of the quiet household details, broken into single one-paragraph sentences, while he awaits Ginny's return home is one of my favorite moments in the whole story) to the afternoon when he finally - and dramatically - succumbs, it is absolutely one-hundred-and-one percent clear how this need could cause Harry to give up the life T.M. has so painstakingly described. The strength of this story lies in T.M.'s ability to balance the scales perfectly - to make it absolutely clear what's at stake. And given that this is an H/D story, it would have been so easy for her to slip into Ginny-bashing. But she never does, and the story is the stronger for it.
I can't sign off on this review without mentioning the ending. T.M., all I can say is that it's perfect, and I think I hate you for it. A sentiment I'm sure you've felt for me in the past. Thank you for having the courage to leave it there. You made the right decision.
Teaser-link:This was wrong. He knew this. He would pay for it later somehow. He knew this as well, and felt sad for it. The knowledge that he was a bad person gave him pause, then he brushed it aside. No one could deny him this. No one could take this from him. God himself would understand that Harry no longer had the strength to resist this.
How could God not understand? God was right here in the room.
This was beauty. Perfection. Irresistible sin of the purest shape.
He was lost. He'd worry about being found some other day. He could seek forgiveness later, when he was done with the sin that called him underneath the waves.
current mood: touched
current music: "A Thousand Curses on Love" - Baka Beyond
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(2 comments | comment on this)
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| Sunday, October 21st, 2007
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4:01 pm - H/D rec - Ember to Ember
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No, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. I merely transferred to a new office and immediately inherited a case that's on the trial list. In fact, it looks like I'll start picking a jury on Monday . . .
You have no idea the note of cold-sweat terror those words strike in my heart.
But I'm not going to talk about that anymore. I worked an 80-hour week this past week, and my new boss told me that if I did any more this weekend that she would fire me (lol!). For my own sanity (as well as my need for continued employment), I've decided to take her threat literally. So, here I am: happily immersed in the only thing that is currently capable of taking my mind off the imminent and inevitable train-wreck: H/D. (And, yes, I am writing as well as reading! Already halfway done with my hd_hols piece.)
So, with this backdrop in place, you can imagine how incredibly thrilled I was to sign on to LJ this morning and find that my new favorite WIP has been updated! annafugazzi is writing a sequel to her wonderful story The Volunteers, which she wrote for hds_beltane. And while I loved The Volunteers, I find that I'm loving Ember to Ember even more (the best kind of sequel is one that surpasses its predecessor). It's only three chapters into a twelve-chapter story, but it's already one of the best stories I've read in the fandom.
There are numerous familiar attributes to the story: a widowed Harry, a chastened and reformed Draco, lots and lots of kids, and a very skeptical Weasley family. But Anna's story never feels worn or cliched. Instead it feels as though this was the first and only story written around these familiar elements. Her insight into the deepest recesses of every character's heart and her refusal to make anyone the scapegoat renders everything fresh and new and deeply necessary. No matter how frustrated you feel at the intransigence of the Weasleys (and Harry's response to their intransigence), you understand it and even sympathize with it. This is the mark of a truly gifted writer: the ability to make sense of even the most disturbing, loathsome or maddening sentiment, impulse or motivation. It's clear that Anna cares about all of her characters - not only Harry and Draco. And the care and tenderness that she puts into writing them make us care about them, too. Even when a big part of you wants to wring their necks.
An important component of Anna's talent is her ability to write believable and compelling dialogue - each of her characters has a discernible and believable voice. She also doesn't shy away from using dialogue during sex. The way Harry and Draco express their insecurities, fears, desire and neediness to each other while they're making love is so real. And this sense of realness makes it erotic as all get-out because you're always aware that these are two minds desiring and seeking comfort in each other as much as two bodies and two hearts. As with everything in Ember, there is nothing rote or cliched in the sex scenes. They're just as imaginative and original and moving as the PG-rated scenes. Go read and tell her how much you love it, so she'll keep writing and keep me distracted from the looming cloud o' doom on my horizon.
current mood:  anxious
current music: "Silver Lining" - Rilo Kiley
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(comment on this)
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| Sunday, September 30th, 2007
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9:00 pm - H/D Rec - Graphite Transference (The Slow and Not So Steady Mix)
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Quick RL update:
Life blows.
Finally got sufficiently fed-up with my office that I asked for (and received) a transfer to an office in a different city. Same state, same job, different co-workers. Thank ffing god. And this time I will not be a Hufflepuff. Yes, it has actually got to the point where I've purchased and am more than halfway through a book with the less-than-subtle title 48 Laws of Power. I've had it with being everyone's favorite punching bag. It ends here.
And to memorialized this momentous event, I offer a new rec - because, really, what's better than a fabulously-written, angst-ridden, lump-in-the-throat-inducing fic to make you forget your own woes. corvidae9 has written an absolutely stunning little gem of a story drawing on the equally stunning drabbles and fic of dacro (this is another offering from the hd_remix fest). Make sure you read the source pieces first or you'll have no idea what's going on (the links are under "author's notes.")
Corvidae's Draco is just exactly how I like him the most - dangerous, reckless, passionate and tragic. Through the tone and imagery of this story alone, one can sense in Draco a formidable intellect, but also the heart of a poet. There's a riddling air to this story, which also seems to reflect Draco's character. He's a figure cloaked in mystery and whispered conjecture - someone you sense lets very few people see his soul. Perhaps only one. It's deeply romantic without being schmaltzy, and (even more impressively) deeply masculine while still involving mpreg (and if that detail keeps any of you from reading it, I'm going to personally hunt you down and smack you upside the head with 48 Laws of Power).
Teaser-link: Draco didn't think about it again until morning, when he woke to half of an empty bed and a note that merely said, "You were right. -H"
current mood: moody
current music: "Cold Wind to Valhalla" - Jethro Tull
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(3 comments | comment on this)
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| Sunday, September 16th, 2007
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5:18 pm - All You Ever Dreamed Of
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| Monday, September 3rd, 2007
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10:02 am - The Logic of Dreams - part 1/3
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This is how crazy my life has been recently: I only this weekend have had the time to revise my ![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif) hd_holidays fic, reply to the original comments made while I was still anonymous, and post it here. Where did the summer go??? My apologies to those of you who commented during the fest and haven't heard from me yet, especially my giftee, the lovely and talented mayflo
Author: frayach
Title: The Logic of Dreams
Pairings: Harry/Draco; implied Harry/Euan Abercrombie; Ron/Hermione; Ron/Lavender; Euan Abercrombie/Colin Creevey
Summary: J.K. Rowling meets Philip K. Dick. War hero Harry Potter suddenly finds himself guilty of a murder he hasn’t committed of a man he has never met. And worst of all, he has no means of confronting his accusers, all of whom are former Death Eaters. Could this be a set-up? Or something even worse?
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
Warning(s): Rimming, needy boy sex, and pretentious random quoting of Shakespeare
Word Count: 21,000
Author's Notes: In addition to plagiarizing drawing inspiration from the Harry Potter Books, I should also acknowledge my debt to the brain-twisting, awe-inspiring story, The Minority Report from which the plot of this fic is so obviously derived. Imitation is, indeed, the highest form of flattery. And mayflo, I so enjoy your artwork. I hope you enjoy this little gift.
( Ron had just finishing packing his briefcase and was putting on his coat when the voice came over the Interoffice Sonorus Communicator. )
current music: Sting & Cheb Mami - "Desert Rose"
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(comment on this)
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10:01 am - The Logic of Dreams - part 2/3
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10:00 am - The Logic of Dreams - part 3/3
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| Sunday, August 26th, 2007
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3:11 pm - Thoughts on Courage and Cowardice
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A bunch of things have been stewing together in my brain since I woke up this morning. The first is the latest offering by the peerless Mistful, titled (appropriately enough) Coda to an Epilogue. The second is the lyrics to this Pink Floyd song, which has been haunting me for years but even more acutely than usual since I read Deathly Hallows. And the third is the score to Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ, which I've been playing on repeat for the last three hours.
The nature of the true essence of courage (what is it? who has it? and who doesn't?) has always obsessed - and eluded me. Like Draco in Mistful's story, I fear that I am a coward. I suspect that I always have been. But then again, my shame at being a coward has caused me to do many brave things. So where does cowardice end and courage begin? And can one who has never been truly afraid ever be said to have acted courageously - no matter how objectively dangerous the task?
Anyway. As usual, I find that poetry is capable of responding to the questions that leave reason tangled up in so many knots, and to that end, I give you my first poem in ages:
( Moments of Truth )
current mood:  contemplative
current music: Peter Gabriel's "Passion"
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(4 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, August 9th, 2007
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7:14 pm - H/D Rec - A Frayed and Threadbare Wish
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It's been far too long since I recced a fic, and it's not because there's a shortage of excellent fic about, but only because I have a major shortage of time (as those of you who are still waiting for replies to their comments well know . . . my apologies!) But the rec dry spell has come to a end. It would be unconscionable (and no, that is not too forceful a word *g*) if I let sansa1970's latest story pass you by.
A Frayed and Threadbare Wish is one of those stories that grabs you because it's quick and suspenseful, but about halfway through, it dawns on you: This is more than a mystery. This is more than suspense. This is even more than a love story. It is all of those things, of course, but just like A Mile in his Shoes, it is also about the Big Transcendent Stuff that takes a story from "good" to "excellent." Yet it does so without announcing its intent or hitting you over the head with those Big Things. Rather, suddenly, as you're reading, you shake your head and think, "Holy crap! This is deep!" It's about missed opportunities and regret. But most of all, it's about Sansa's favorite theme: second chances.
Yes, this was written for the threesome prompting, but it is not gimmicky in any way. I actually forgot, after about a quarter of the way in, that there was even a threesome on the horizon. There is definitely eroticism, but more than anything else, this is a love story - in the good old-fashioned sense. Sansa's Draco(s) is/are always in-character, which makes it especially poignant (and chilling) that each of them has such a hard time reading the other. It is perhaps in dealing with himself (literally), that Draco achieves some measure of insight into Harry and what he's put Harry through . . . and what, perhaps, he may still have the power to spare him.
But enough cryptic tantalizing little hints. Who wants to read the Cliff Notes version when they can have the real thing?
In other news, I am the temporary Mommy of a wee orphaned baby bird. Temporary, that is, until I can find a certified rehabilitator to take his squawky little arse off my hands. In the meantime, I am spending about 20 minutes out of every hour trying to convince him that a pair of tweezers holding some mushy banana is a bird's beak full of yummy yummy worm. Ah, the joys of surrogate parenthood. Good thing I took the day off :)
current mood:  busy
current music: Hungry baby bird noises
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(comment on this)
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4:10 pm - New Journal
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Yup, setting up house here at IJ. At some point, I'll be cross-posting everything on my LJ, GJ and IJ accounts. Just to be on the safe side. This journal will not be flocked. All are welcome. As long as you're slash-friendly and over 18 years old, of course.
current mood: accomplished
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(6 comments | comment on this)
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cold