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Don't you just hate it when you step outside and turn into a giant purple bug?

Plasma's Folly is a Darker and Edgier take on Pokémon Black and White.

The premise of the story is painfully cliché, although it is handled in a fairly interesting manner. As it is not yet finished, the main plot is not completely clear. It is known that a genetic engineer by the name of Kelvin abducted a number of teenagers and had them turned into "Pokémon hybrids" (Involuntary Shapeshifters who transform into Legendary Pokémon at random times). He planned on using them as an army to take down Team Plasma, but was captured and imprisoned before he had the chance to even tell the hybrids what happened to them. It's eventually revealed that he intended to use the hybrids to avenge a former lover. While Kelvin was dealt with, his creations were left abandoned. Unbeknownst to N (who was on a research trip), Ghetsis took matters into his own hands by calling off all of Team Plasma's projects and instructing them to hunt down the missing hybrids. On top of delving into the struggles of several Pokémon hybrids and the Team Plasma grunts who are trying to capture them, the story also explores N's upbringing and ambitions, Ghetsis's motivations, the creation of Genesect, and what bonds humans and Pokémon truly share.

The story is told in third person, but each chapter follows one of six main characters:

  • Destiny, an optimistic but cowardly girl who has been fused with Genesect. She isn't particularly bright or talented, and she frequently ponders her importance in the world. While she is generally portrayed as cheerful, she has a tendency to break down in the event of a major problem and she also displays antipathy towards certain people. Although she is revolted by her Pokémon form, she seems to enjoy taking advantage of its power and intimidating appearance.
  • Drake (referred to as Dragon), a calm and somewhat sympathetic Team Plasma grunt. He is very self-conscious about the way he presents himself, and he tries to disguise himself as a tough guy to hide the fact that he's sensitive and insecure at heart. He is suspicious about Team Plasma's motives from the start, and he claims he only joined because he wanted to make a difference in the world. He questions the authenticity of Team Plasma more and more as the story progresses. His signature Pokémon is an Archeops.
  • Colby, an upbeat and happy-go-lucky rookie trainer. While searching for Pokémon to battle, he stumbles upon Destiny and Aurelia and is thrown into their mess of troubling situations. He is eager to help the two hybrids, but at the same time he wants to follow his own dreams. He is driven by the desire to become a hero, and he is slightly envious of Aurelia and Destiny's abilities to transform into Pokémon. His starter Pokémon was a Sandile.
  • Aurelia, a very bad-tempered and cynical Arceus hybrid. She has a Dark and Troubled Past, which she often uses as a way to get pity and draw attention to herself. She is narcissistic and highly unsympathetic. She is a strong believer in fate (which she considers to be cruel and unforgiving, especially to her), and blames all of her bad experiences on it. When she is assuming her Arceus form, her attitude becomes even worse than it usually is. Prior to when she was turned into a hybrid, she was a reasonably skilled Pokémon trainer-consequently, she has a lot of street smarts.
  • Ben, a Zekrom hybrid who is often seen as a geek. Unsurprisingly, he is very intelligent, especially when it comes to Pokémon. He hoped to one day become a Pokémon researcher, but upon turning into a hybrid his dreams were ultimately crushed. Unlike Destiny and Aurelia, he initially enjoys being a hybrid. He is bold and headstrong, and rarely takes things seriously unless a Pokémon's welfare is on the line. He often questions people and likes to debate. He is captured by Team Plasma early in the story.
  • N, the apparent leader of Team Plasma. Instead of seeking to revive Reshiram or Zekrom, he shows an interest in recreating the "Great Dragon", or Reshiram and Zekrom's original, united form. He is not present in the first part of the story because he is off on a research trip. When he returns, he is greeted with a mess of problems. It doesn't take long for him to find out about how Ghetsis commanded Team Plasma to take down the hybrids or how the corrupt officials have been working on modifying Genesect, and he is less than pleased about both situations. Because of what Ghetsis taught him as a child, he defiantly opposes genetically altered organisms and considers Mercy Killing both Genesect and the hybrids, although he is also strongly against killing anything.

Plasma's Folly contains examples of:

  • Abandoned Hospital: Destiny compares the building she woke up in to a recently abandoned hospital.
  • Achilles' Heel: When Dragon tries to take down Genesect, he finds that none of Archeops's moves damage it. Ghetsis shows up shortly after and yanks out its drive, which "kills" it instantly.
  • A God Am I: Aurelia lets her transformation into Arceus get to her head in "Human". She later claims that she felt as if Arceus's mind had taken control of her body, but the authenticity of her statement is questionable.
    Aurelia: I am God! I can never be captured!
  • All There in the Manual: A lot of information concerning the characters (age, appearance, hometown, etc.) is left ambiguous in the actual story. However, all of this is available on a seldom updated character profiles page.
  • Ambition Is Evil: Discussed by both Kelvin and N.
  • An Arm and a Leg: Archeops bites the Golurk's leg in half, causing it to collapse and crumble into pieces. Afterwards, Druddigon rips Archeops's wing off when Dragon orders it to get it out from under the Golurk's remains.
  • Brainy Brunette: Ben, who has dark chestnut hair, is exceptionally intelligent. Once you get through her whining, Aurelia is also reasonably bright.
  • Break the Cutie: When N was a child, Ghetsis gave him numerous Pokémon to play with. All of these Pokémon were suffering from life-threatening injuries, and died shortly thereafter. N is still haunted by these experiences, as evidenced in "Verdict".
  • Butterfly of Transformation: The chapter in which Colby is killed is named "Chrysalis"
  • Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Ghetsis is keeping Kelvin alive because he intends to learn the secrets of the formula from him.
  • The Chessmaster: Kelvin's plot turns out to be surprisingly more elaborate than it was initially presented.
  • Chest Burster: Colby is killed when his own skeleton, which is turning into that of a Lugia, bursts from his body.
  • Chronic Hero Syndrome: Colby desperately wants to be seen as a hero, which causes him to blindly run into dangerous situations.
  • Chubby Mama, Skinny Papa: Mandy and Rodger.
  • Cloud Cuckoolander: The more rational Ben scolds N for living with his head in the clouds.
  • Conditioned to Accept Horror: After losing her entire family, very few things come as a shock to Aurelia.
  • Cold-Blooded Torture: While he is listing off reasons why it'd be a bad idea to kill him, Kelvin steps on Ben's distended abdomen and causes him to vomit for added effect.
  • Comically Missing the Point: This exchange in "Retribution" pokes fun at Ben's tendency to over-analyze things:
    Kelvin: To put things simply, Plasma turned my love into a monster.
    Ben: Hoo boy, I can see how that could break a relationship. Those crazy activists take their work way too seriously, and it's even worse now that they're trying to murder us hybrids.
    Kelvin: That wasn't a metaphor. Plasma literally turned my girlfriend into a monster.
    Ben: ... Oh.
  • Creation Myth: A recount of the creation myth from Sinnoh mythology is included in "Alpha and Omega".
  • Cruel and Unusual Death: Dr. Kinsey and Colby would both agree that being ripped apart by your own skeleton probably isn't the most pleasant way to die.
  • The Cutie: Colby. He's a sweet, if not foolish young boy who just wants to help people.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: Aurelia. Her parents were divorced when she was very young, her brother passed away when he was six, and her mother vanished without a trace.
  • Darker and Edgier: Very much so.
  • Dark Fic
  • Deadpan Snarker:
    • Aurelia is prone to sarcasm.
      Destiny: I don't think that's a hybrid.
      Aurelia: Oh? Why would you say that? Yeah, because the real Zekrom hasn't been dead for centuries, and of course it would choose to hang out in a place crawling with kids who can turn into Legendary Pokémon.
    • Kelvin's also had a few moments of sass.
    Ben: You're telling me that if I get laid, the chick will be stuck turning into Zekrom, too?
    Kelvin: You shouldn't have to worry about that ever happening.
  • Death by Gluttony: Nearly happens to Ben in (the appropriately named) "Gluttony".
  • Did I Just Say That Out Loud?: Ben's plans to stealthily escape the P2 Laboratory are quickly derailed when Dragon reveals he was unknowingly projecting his thoughts out loud in the form of Telepathy.
  • Dirty Coward: It was Kelvin's intention to wind up imprisoned by Team Plasma because he feared being apprehended for his murderous experiments.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: Basically the entire premise of the plot. Kelvin assembles an army of fifty kids who can turn into Legendary Pokémon to outright obliterate Team Plasma because his girlfriend was made into Genesect.
  • Don't Call Me "Sir": Kelvin insists on being called by his first name because he does not think he is worthy of a title.
  • Dragged by the Collar: To bring Ben to the P2 Laboratory, Dragon has his Archeops bite down on the hood of his sweatshirt and carry him away.
    Dragon: (thinking) I wonder what that sweatshirt's made out of. It's a miracle it's so durable.
  • Drama Queen: Aurelia.
    Aurelia: I've been abandoned by my entire family. And now the only thing I've had to live for, Pokémon training, has been stolen from me as well. I'm starting to wonder why I still cling to this pathetic existence. Burning in Hell would be just as enjoyable.
  • Dumb Blonde: All three of the blonde-haired characters aren't exactly known for their intelligence. They're especially bad at planning and thinking things through.
  • Dying for Symbolism: Colby could be seen as a symbol of hope, especially in regard to Destiny.
  • Extreme Omnivore: Aurelia guesses that the Ditto's diet is as versatile as its appearance.
  • Eye Scream: In "Moving Forward", Aurelia kicks Lynn's Galvantula in the face and smashes one of its eyes.
  • Face Palm: N has a tendency to do this.
  • Family Business: The IPMC is run by Mandy and Rodger, Ben's parents. Dragon infers that Mandy wants her son to work alongside them in the future.
  • Fantastically Indifferent: Aurelia isn't surprised in the slightest to find herself in the abandoned building. She has a stronger reaction to her transformation, but she does a good job hiding it at first.
  • Fearless Fool: Colby boldly challenges an obviously more skillful Lynn... only to have his Sandile knocked out in one hit.
  • Flawed Prototype: Genesect is considered to be a prototype hybrid, or at least the only one to survive its initial transformation.
  • Foreshadowing: And how.
    • There's a brief part in Aurelia's debut chapter that hints at the identity of her Pokémon form.
    • Lynn delivers a hint to Colby's death in "Encounter".
      Lynn: You might want to try looking for Pokémon elsewhere if you want to avoid being torn to shreds.
    • There are a number of clues leading up to the revelation of Genesect's true identity.
      • Genesect is referred to as a female for seemingly no reason, whereas no other Legendary Pokémon are gendered.
      • Dudley drops one regarding the authenticity of his second story.
      • Dragon points out that Genesect acts a like a human.
    • The Ditto's early appearance more or less hints at its involvement in the creation of the hybrids.
  • From Bad to Worse: At this rate, it doesn't look like Destiny and Aurelia's experiences in the forest are going to get any better.
  • Frozen Face: While assuming her Genesect form, Destiny's face is locked in a grin and thus she is incapable of displaying emotion. The same obviously applies to the original Genesect as well.
  • Geek Physiques: Ben falls into the skinny category... until his mishap in the Team Plasma HQ's dungeon.
  • Genre Savvy: Aurelia warns that when people split up in TV and movies, something always goes wrong.
  • Ghostly Chill: Destiny experiences one when the ghost of Colby visits her in her nightmare.
  • Ghost Story: When N states that he believes the Light Stone can be found in Dragonspiral Tower, Ben, a resident of Icirrus City, starts to ramble about how the kids at his school would always tell stories about someone sneaking into it and never returning.
  • Glass Cannon: Aurelia refers to Skyla's Swoobat as this in "Reflections".
  • Gone Horribly Wrong: The failed formula in "Chrysalis".
  • Green-Eyed Monster: Aurelia is immensely jealous of Destiny, especially in regard to her family. Fittingly, both Aurelia and her Pokémon form actually have green eyes.
  • Hated by All: Part of Kelvin's plot involves Team Plasma's approval rating plummeting due to their slaughtering of innocent young people.
  • He Who Fights Monsters: Kelvin's desperation to get back at Team Plasma drove him to ruin the lives of fifty-something teenagers.
  • Honor Before Reason: This seems to be how Colby thinks.
  • How Would You Like to Die?: In "Moving Forward", Lynn lets Aurelia choose between Galvantula's Slash, Electroweb, and Bug Bite attacks.
  • Hypocrite:
    • Dragon, as well as the rest of Team Plasma, are commonly viewed as this, particularly by Ben.
    • The reason Kelvin sought revenge was because Team Plasma put his girlfriend through what he ended up doing to the fifty abductees (to a more severe extent).
  • I Am a Monster: Kelvin says this in his journal entry in "Chrysalis" after witnessing what his failed formula did to Dr. Kinsey.
  • In-Series Nickname: Drake has dubbed himself "Dragon" in an attempt to look tough. To his dismay, this leaves the opposite impression on most people.
  • Involuntary Shapeshifter: All of the Pokémon hybrids.
  • I Lied: As part of his heroic shenanigan, Colby says this in response to Lynn when she mentions he told her he knew nothing about the hybrids.
  • I Want Them Alive!: Ghetsis would prefer if the hybrids were captured alive, but he gives the grunts permission to kill them if trouble arises.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Any redeeming qualities Kelvin may have possessed are quickly negated when he reveals the true objectives of his scheme.
  • Just Between You and Me: When Ben begins to suspect that Kelvin is being dishonest, Kelvin decides to give away the full details of his plan. Though it would normally be decidedly foolish to reveal this to someone who can turn into a Legendary Pokémon (as lampshaded by Ben), he easily proceeds to convince him not to do anything.
  • Killer Rabbit: Once the Ditto reveals its true form, Aurelia decides it isn't a threat... until Destiny manages to make it angry.
  • Kill the Cutie: The author appears to be a big fan of this trope.
    • "Broken" features a flashback in which Ghetsis gives a young N a baby Deino to take care of. While their relationship is shaky at first, the two eventually form a close bond... until Ghetsis snaps the Deino's neck as part of a demonstration in which he exposes the "true evils of Pokémon trainers".
    • Another (perhaps more extreme) example of this trope is present in "Chrysalis". The cheerful Colby meets his untimely and unnecessarily gruesome death when he stumbles upon a faulty vial of the formula and makes the not-so-bright decision of injecting himself with it.
  • Lack of Empathy: A trait shared by both Ben and Kelvin, who will do whatever it takes to advance themselves even if it means others will suffer.
  • Laser-Guided Amnesia: The hybrids wake without knowing how they ended up in the building. Their memories from directly before the abduction are foggy.
  • Leeroy Jenkins: Colby, when he's trying to rescue his hybrid friends from Lynn and her Galvantula. Instead of devising a more logical plan (such as having Sandile cut down the fence right away, like Lynn later suggests), Colby makes Sandile attack Galvantula without considering what could go wrong.
  • LEGO Genetics: The hybrids were infused with a formula containing specifically programmed Ditto DNA, giving them the ability to transform into a certain Pokémon.
  • The Load: Destiny considers herself this.
  • Locked in the Dungeon: Kelvin is being kept in a cell beneath the Team Plasma headquarters that is reminiscent of a dungeon. Ben later joins him, although it is not for punishment.
  • Love Makes You Evil: Kelvin participated in villainous deeds to avenge his girlfriend.
  • Magic Pants: According to Word of God, the hybrids are clothed when they turn back to normal because the challenge of them finding new clothing would deviate from the plot. This is lampshaded by Aurelia in "Reversal":
    Aurelia: I'm not sure which is weirder: the fact that she turned back into a human, or how she's wearing clothes...
  • The Man Behind the Man: Kelvin claims to be manipulating Ghetsis, who has been pulling Team Plasma's strings.
  • Man on Fire: "Night Terror" ends with Destiny being set ablaze by an enraged Ditto.
  • Mercy Kill: N is faced with the conflict of deciding whether or not Genesect is worthy of this.
  • Misplaced Retribution:
    • In the end, the hybrids are the ones who end up suffering as a result of Kelvin's revenge plot.
    • When Aurelia questions Destiny's father about whether he's actually seen the hybrids doing what he claims, he does not respond.
  • Mood Whiplash: This is especially present in "Broken".
  • Moral Myopia: Dragon, who is unaware of Ghetsis's motives, perceives his plan to use allied hybrids to combat the ones created by Kelvin as this.
  • Motor Mouth: Colby, when he's explaining what he found out from Lynn. N is also described this way.
  • Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Parodied with Drake, who appointed himself the nickname "Dragon" in hopes that it would make him appear imposing. Unfortunately for him, most people take it as a joke.
  • Nay-Theist: Ben knows that Arceus exists, but he refuses to believe that it has anything to do with fate or destiny and that there is an afterlife.
  • Neck Snap:
    • How the Deino is killed.
    • Skyla's Swoobat nearly does this to Aurelia's Axew with its Psychic attack.
  • Nervous Wreck: Destiny appears to be turning into one.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: When Colby smashes Lynn's C-Gear with a rock to keep her from calling for backup, Lynn declares that she'll just have to kill Destiny and Aurelia then and there.
  • Nightmare Sequence: The Ditto, who was assuming the shape of a Darkrai, causes Destiny to experience one in "Night Terror".
  • No Name Given: Kelvin's girlfriend.
  • No Sympathy: Aurelia likes to use her traumatic experiences as an excuse to be an unsympathetic bitch. This is especially evident at the end of "Lost and Found".
    Aurelia: Just accept it. People die every day; it's an unavoidable part of life. Some people have died for crazier, even more perplexing reasons than this. Denying it won't bring Colby back to life.
    • Additionally, Destiny feels absolutely no sympathy towards Aurelia.
  • Obliviously Evil: As in canon, N and the majority of Team Plasma believe their actions will benefit the Unova region.
  • Obfuscating Stupidity: Kelvin reveals to Ben that his supposed plot was intentionally ridiculous because he had something different in mind for the hybrids all along.
    Kelvin: Did you really think I turned fifty kids into monsters to send them to war against Team Plasma? Even a fool would know that's absolutely absurd! There is no logic in the notion of convincing a band of rebellious teenagers to fight an organization they had nothing to do with. It was all a cover-up; a trick I knew Team Plasma would fall for.
  • Offing the Offspring: Destiny's father comes seconds from doing this, although he is unaware that the "monster" he is about to shoot is actually his daughter.
  • Oh, Crap!: Ben's reaction when he finds out he can use telepathy in a very inconvenient time.
  • Only in It for the Money: Why Team Plasma's scientists saw no need to question the morality of their actions.
  • Only Sane Man: Ben has trouble making sense of anything Team Plasma does, and considers himself to be the only rational person among them. He frequently questions them, and treats most of their goals as jokes.
  • Painful Transformation: While the hybrids usually only exhibit mild discomfort, this is taken up to eleven in "Chrysalis".
  • Papa Wolf: Destiny's father, who believes the hybrids are to blame for his daughter's disappearance, has taken it upon himself to shoot down every last one of them to avenge her.
  • Perma-Stubble: Kelvin.
  • Perpetual Smiler: Genesect's face is described as being stuck this way.
  • Playing with Syringes
  • Please Wake Up: After Ghetsis kills the Deino, a tearful N begs:
    N: C'mon, let's play with the train. Don't you want to play?
  • Pokémon Speak: Averted. The Pokémon communicate by making animalistic noises.
  • Poor Communication Kills: As Kelvin failed to explain exactly why it would be a bad idea for Ben to gorge himself in his Zekrom form, Ben shrugged off his warning and nearly ate himself to death.
  • Punny Name: Kelvin Celsius Fahrenheit... er, Kelvin C. Frater.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Ben and Dragon, although the former is more book smart than the latter. The same applies to Aurelia and Destiny.
  • Revenge Before Reason:
    • After his failed formula kills his first subject, Kelvin doesn't stop to consider that the approach he has in mind might not be the most rational option. Desperate for vengeance, his plans become even more unreasonable.
      Kelvin: When one's love intervenes, men become beasts. I suppose it is just human nature to use irrational means to set things right.
    • When Aurelia questions Destiny's father if he's actually seen any of the hybrids hurting anyone, he changes the subject.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Destiny's father, who believes his daughter has been murdered by hybrids, has been ruthlessly slaughtering any that walk into Mistralton City.
  • Rump Roast: At one point, Archeops's Dragonbreath burns Ben's rear end.
  • Sadistic Choice: N is torn between killing the hybrids and Genesect and letting them continue to suffer.
  • Seamless Spontaneous Lie: After Ben debunks the story about Genesect being a robot, Dudley is able to quickly conjure a much more reasonable lie that Ben sees no reason to question.
  • Shapeshifting: The cast is mainly made up of "Pokémon hybrids", humans who have been injected with a formula that causes them to transform into a certain Legendary Pokémon at random times.
  • Shock and Awe: Being a Zekrom hybrid, it's no surprise that Ben succumbs to this trope.
  • Sir Swears-a-Lot: Aurelia noticeably swears more than the rest of the cast.
  • Sickening "Crunch!": After Colby's skeletal arm breaks free from his flesh, he topples over out of shock and pain and lands on his Sandile, crushing its bones and killing it instantly.
  • Smug Snake: Kelvin.
  • Soap Opera Disease: This is how Aurelia's little brother dies.
  • The Sociopath: Kelvin.
  • Something Only They Would Say: Destiny, who suspects that Aurelia may be the Ditto in disguise, decides she couldn't be anyone but herself after she utters an insensitive remark.
  • Sour Outside, Sad Inside: Although Aurelia claims she's moved on from her traumatic experiences, it's evident that they still affect her.
  • Sweet Tooth: N appears to have a penchant for candy.
  • Swiss-Cheese Security: The door to the room holding Genesect was equipped with numerous locks, but for some reason they were left unhinged.
  • Switching P.O.V.: The story, which is written in a third person limited format, rotates between the perspectives of Destiny, Dragon, Colby, Aurelia, Ben, and N. A series of one-shots following minor characters has also been planned.
  • Telepathy: Aurelia can communicate while transformed via telepathy. Ben can as well, but he isn't aware of this at first.
  • Thou Shalt Not Kill: After witnessing the deaths of many Pokémon when he was a child, N is very opposed to killing. This becomes a bit of a problem when he realizes that Genesect may be better off dead.
  • This Is Unforgivable!: Uttered by Kelvin in "Retribution":
    Kelvin: In a way, Plasma succeeded. They created a near perfect replica of GMP 156, and gave it human intelligence to boot. Of course, the torture they put my love through to reach this is unforgivable.
  • Time for Plan B: When Ben is caught thinking out loud about making a stealthy escape from the P2 Laboratory, he utters this as he kicks a hole through the wall.
  • Too Dumb to Live: Even if the formula hadn't been faulty, common sense says it still wouldn't have been a very good idea for Colby to inject himself with a random syringe he found sitting in a paper bag.
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Dragon's Archeops adores Babiri Berries.
  • Troubled Backstory Flashback: "Broken" explores a piece of N's screwed up childhood.
  • Unscientific Science: Kelvin's explanation of how he created the formula.
  • Unwilling Roboticisation: This was the fate of Kelvin's girlfriend once her new shape rendered her helpless.
  • Viral Transformation: One of Aurelia's theories in "Hypotheses" involves her transformation being the result of coming into contact with Destiny. It's later revealed that the transformations are, in fact, caused by an altered strain of Pokérus.
  • Vomit Indiscretion Shot:
    • Happens with Destiny in "Lost and Found".
    • Ben is also subjected to this when Kelvin steps on his bloated stomach.
  • Was Once a Woman: Genesect.
  • Where's the Fun in That?: Lynn says this when Aurelia demands an explanation for why she and Destiny were captured.
  • Whole Episode Flashback: The entirety of "Broken" is a flashback to N's childhood.
  • Why Isn't It Attacking?: Colby wonders this about a transformed Destiny, who he believes to be a wild Pokémon.
  • Woman in the Machine: This is revealed to be the case with Genesect, who had her metal exoskeleton built over her after her initial transformation.
  • You Are Number 6: GMP 156, or should we say Genesect.
  • You Bastard!: An angry Ben says this when Ghetsis shows up and continues to play along with the "Genesect is a robot" story.
  • You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Pretty much Aurelia's response when Colby asks if the transformed Destiny hurt her.
  • You Monster!: Directed at Kelvin by Ben:
    Ben: I may not be a religious person, but I'd gladly start believing in Hell if it meant you would go there. You... you're a monster.
  • You're Not My Father: N says this to Ghetsis after he reveals that he's been hiding things from him.
  • You Wake Up in a Room: How the story starts.

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