Author Topic: ZUN and Touhou Status 2  (Read 117808 times)

cuc

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ZUN and Touhou Status 2
« on: November 11, 2014, 02:11:23 PM »
A thread for discussing minor status updates about ZUN and Touhou, the second take.

Previous thread:
HERE



Names to know
* Name order is family name first, given name second. Unless noted, all names are pseudonyms. *

Hakurei Kannushi and family
ZUN: Sole member of Shanghai Alice Gengakudan (Shanghai Alice Fantasy Ensemble, English name: Team Shanghai Alice). Former employee at Taito. Making Touhou full-time since 2007, being a daddy full-time since 2014. @korindo

ki-san: ZUN's wife and former co-worker. Game programmer. Loves frogs. Also loves drinking.

Doujin game-making friends
Unabara Iruka: Leader and designer of the doujin game developer Twilight Frontier (Tasofro for short), developer of Touhou fighting games. The pseudonym means "Ocean Dolphin". @unabara

Akiyama Uni: a.k.a. U2, composer at Twilight Frontier. Wrote many beloved songs in the fighting games. @u2aki

D.N.A.: Real name: Ezaki Nozomu. Leader of the doujin game developer D.N.A. Softwares (Touhou Unreal Mahjong), he started the indie game event Digital Game Expo, and is now heading "Play,Doujin!", a programme to publish doujin games on PlayStation consoles. @dnasoftwares

Ruw: Member of D.N.A. Softwares. Helps ZUN and Tasofro with business and legal matters. Can drink as much as ZUN. @Ruw

tbn: Member of the doujin game circle Daisessen, who often helps ZUN manage booths at conventions. @tbn_

Heppoko: One half of the doujin game circle Eikyuu Loop (TWilight refrAIN, TWilight INSanity) until 2013, he is making games entirely on his own now. Works in the game industry by day. @heppoko

Murasame Aeju: The OTHER famous one-man doujin game maker who does nearly everything by himself, under the name of Platine Dispositif. The titles currently localized into English (Gundemonium trilogy and Bunny Must Die) represent only a small part of his highly varied portfolio. @_murasame

Game industry friends
Tanzawa Yūichi (real name): ZUN's former co-worker, now a game designer at Square Enix. Main member of the PoriPori Club web broadcast. @TANTAN_U1

Kimura Yoshirō (real name): Legendary game designer known for creating cult classics such as Moon: Remix Adventure, Chulip, Rule of Rose, and Little King Story. Main member of PoriPori Club. @yoshiro_kimura

Print work-related
Okonogi Tetsurō (real name): Editor of several Touhou print works at the publisher Ichijinsha until his resignation in July 2014. Hosts ZUN's monthly web broadcast "Radio Begins from the Second Pub" (Nikenme Radio). Has cameo appearances in the When They Cry franchise. @_nyogi

Azuma Aya: Touhou fan artist, also artist of Touhou Ibarakasen ~ Wild and Horned Hermit (published by Ichijinsha). Graduated from college in 2014. @a_to_z

Harukawa Moe: Artist of Touhou Suzunaan ~ Forbidden Scrollery (published by Kadokawa). Still in college.
« Last Edit: September 20, 2015, 11:36:56 AM by cuc »
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cuc

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: Digital Game Expo 11/16
« Reply #1 on: November 11, 2014, 02:50:16 PM »
The current state of things:

-The second Digital Game Expo organized by D.N.A. will be held on Nov 16 (Sun) at the 2nd floor of UDX Building, Akihabara. Shanghai Alice, Twilight Frontier and Platine Dispositif will be present at D-01a, D-01b and D-02a respectively. Information on attendance

-Autumn Reitaisai will be held on Nov 24 (Mon).

-The Touhou section of Comiket 87 takes place on its second day, Dec 29 (Mon). Twilight Frontier will be present at 東シ29a; their new release has yet to be announced.


Other activities of interest reported in the last thread:

Quote
Here's a fun report from Touhou Memory.

A Touhou-themed art exhibition "Touhou Art Festival" will be held in "Gallery You", an art gallery in Kichijōji, on Nov 22 and 23, immediately before the Autumn Reitaisai. Entry will be free.

The artists are: Utsugi, Koneneko, Koyoi, .COM, nisu, Misawa Hiroshi, and Megusuri.

The media are digital painting for .COM, Japanese traditional painting for Koyoi, and other Western styles for the other artists.

Make no mistake, one of the artists is different from the others. Six of them are young students still learning their trade; Misawa Hiroshi, however, is an oil painter with over 30 years of experience, known for his expertise in anatomy and dedication to education (plus willingness to draw Touhou, and intermingle with the nerdy Pixiv/NicoNico/Comiket crowd, of course!) Let's just say, you can buy his textbooks on oil painting and anatomy even in China.

Ōbari Kentarō, curator of the show said this about Misawa's "Ordinary Magician", the painting used in the poster above: "It's the largest painting displayed in our exhibition. You must see it with your own eyes to feel its power."

Quote
For the coming Sunday's Digital Game Expo, the doujin circle Endless Shirafu (∀kashicverse) has set up a competition.

During the expo, players in this "Doujin Shooting Game Caravan" competition will play the STG games displayed at certain booths for score. Both their scores and a stamp imprint representing said booth will be marked on their score sheets. After having played at 7 or more booths, they will turn their score sheets in at the booth of Endless Shirafu. Repeated attempts are allowed: after turning in your score sheet, you can get another sheet and try again.

- Everyone with 7 or more stamps will get Reward A.
- Everyone who collected all stamps will get Reward A and Reward B.
- The top 3 players by 3:00 PM will receive a "big prize".

They've already got 14 doujin STG developers signed up, including Shanghai Alice. If you are going to drop by Akihabara this Sunday, this would be a fun thing to do.
Touhou Fantasy News: twitter

Tengukami

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: Digital Game Expo 11/16
« Reply #2 on: November 11, 2014, 03:16:17 PM »
That STG contest sounds like great fun, and I don't even play for score. It just sounds like it would be a fun time. Plus, going over the different circles, a lot of these games look great.


"Human history and growth are both linked closely to strife. Without conflict, humanity would have no impetus for growth. When humans are satisfied with their present condition, they may as well give up on life."

cuc

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: Twilight Frontier goes digital
« Reply #3 on: November 12, 2014, 01:13:55 AM »
Forgot to mention this:

Twilight Frontier has released a demo for their most recent title, the sidescrolling STG Shoot Shoot Nitori, and announced they will release a downloadable version of the game through 4 doujin vendors on Dec 14: Toranoana, Melonbooks, DLSite, and Surfers' Paradise. This will be the first digital release in their history.

Unabara said:
Quote
Physical products are great, but we don't want to forego the convenience of a digital version...
« Last Edit: November 12, 2014, 01:36:23 AM by cuc »
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Colticide

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: Twilight Frontier goes digital
« Reply #4 on: November 12, 2014, 01:32:40 AM »
I'm always in support of digital versions, relying on others to get my games doesn't sit right with me so I'm very happy to see many devs going digital.
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N-Forza

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: Twilight Frontier goes digital
« Reply #5 on: November 12, 2014, 06:30:18 AM »
I imagine this should help set more of a precedent to digitally distribute Touhou fangames.

cuc

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: ZUN making a minigame for Digital Game Expo!
« Reply #6 on: November 14, 2014, 05:07:07 AM »
Digital Game Expo is near, and things are heating up!

============

Via Touhou Memory:

Nal, leader of the doujin circle Edelweiss (Ether Vapor, Fairy Bloom, Astebreed) tweeted this after meeting ZUN:
Quote
Nal: I asked ZUN if he will continue making STGs. He said "I still want to make them! I want to make them even more now!" What an awesome guy, I thought...
He's not going to retire any soon, is he?

============

D.N.A. and tbn will be hosting a special Nae Radio broadcast at the Expo, from 1:30 to 3:30 PM. The show will be broadcast on Ustream here.

Many groups are showing their new works at the Expo. If you have wondered what will Tasofro show, well, a huge new game has been announced (click the link to see a screenshot)! Titled 在庫の達人 Zaiko no Tatsujin "Master of Inventory", the game is made in only two days.

And what does ZUN have to say today?
Quote
ZUN: So I haven't notified you... out of the blue, I will be attending the doujin & indie game event, Digital Game Expo 2014. Guess I should get working on something I can bring there, right now.

ZUN: Ah, please don't misunderstand. It will be a minigame built only for playing at that place, containing nothing marketable. It's for Shooting Game Caravan.

============

My thoughts: making a game in a short time frame specifically for an event, this is an idea they learnt from the Western indie culture. However, I'm not sure Unabara and ZUN have internalized the idea that the purpose of doing all that is for communication and interaction, which means these experimental minigames should also be released publically for free, preferrably with source code.

In any case, this is ZUN's first non-packaged game since Pubs at Dusk ~ Uwabami Breakers. Given that he have only two days to make it, it will likely reuse Touhou assets, which would make it part of Touhou canon. That's a curious thought.
« Last Edit: November 14, 2014, 06:38:05 AM by cuc »
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Firestorm29

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: ZUN making a minigame for Digital Game Expo!
« Reply #7 on: November 14, 2014, 03:12:33 PM »
These two day games, if kinda sounds like that Hour of Code challenge I've heard going around college campuses. Is the short creation time a challenge they made themselves or is it a limit that Digital Games Expo is putting out?

cuc

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: ZUN making a minigame for Digital Game Expo!
« Reply #8 on: November 14, 2014, 04:06:06 PM »
Those kinds of speed game making events are called "game jams" in the Western indie game world.

Digi Game Expo is only a doujin/indie game exhibition, not a game jam; you are only required to bring your original game (no adult content) to the expo. They either set the limit themselves, or are too lazy to be willing to spend more time on these games.
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N-Forza

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: ZUN making a minigame for Digital Game Expo!
« Reply #9 on: November 15, 2014, 06:28:00 AM »
ZUN has just tweeted about his contribution to the Caravan,"Danmaku Amanojaku (ISC) Gold Rush": https://twitter.com/korindo/status/533502892678733824

It'll feature a 10th cheat item that "destroys danmaku" so it'll probably be heavy on bullet-cancelling, and he says it was meant to be an easy game made just for score attacking.

Drake

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: ZUN making a minigame for Digital Game Expo!
« Reply #10 on: November 15, 2014, 07:15:21 AM »


Fun fact: The coins in the picture appear to be the Canadian bullion gold maple leaf coin:


A Colorful Calculating Creative and Cuddly Crafty Callipygous Clever Commander
- original art by Aiけん | ウサホリ -

cuc

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: ZUN making a minigame for Digital Game Expo!
« Reply #11 on: November 15, 2014, 07:43:20 AM »

Text on the screenshot:
Danmaku Amanojaku Gold Rush
Special Game for Digital Game Expo Score Attack
(c)2014 Shanghai Alice Gengakudan


Quote
ZUN: I've made it in this way, "Danmaku Amanojaku Gold Rush". A game where the amanojaku has obtained the 10th rule-breaking item, and must destroy the rule-breaking-ish danmaku. It's a game with low difficulty that lasts a short time, only for score attack. You must play it tomorrow.

ZUN: What would happen in the actual place on tomorrow's convention floor, I have absolutely no idea.

ZUN: |-`).。oO(...I've wastefully built a score attack mode with a new game system.

ZUN: I fear it might be that tomorrow it'd be impossible for one player to challenge the game multiple times. They'd have to earn their scores in one try. That would be grisly.

ZUN: Ah, please note that Danmaku Amanojaku Gold Rush is not meant to be a marketable game. Making an unmarketable joke game is quite enjoyable.


It's easy to guess that the 10th rule-breaker is some sort of Midas touch that turns danmaku into gold. Which means... something from Nazrin and Shou?
« Last Edit: November 16, 2014, 01:51:48 AM by cuc »
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Colticide

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: ZUN making a minigame for Digital Game Expo!
« Reply #12 on: November 15, 2014, 10:13:44 AM »
Do you think there would be any chance that he would put this game up on his website? If it does have some kind of short story to it I'd still like to play it even if its just for the event.
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Helepolis

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: ZUN making a minigame for Digital Game Expo!
« Reply #13 on: November 15, 2014, 01:43:00 PM »
He tweeted in game example it seems : https://twitter.com/korindo/status/533613383581302784

Edit: Seems more like Shinmyoumaru is going to feature this game.  Smash bullets, get gold. ZUN lyfe. *spastic gestures*
Edit2: Sprite looks like Seija though.
« Last Edit: November 15, 2014, 01:45:37 PM by Helepolis »

cuc

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: ZUN making a minigame for Digital Game Expo!
« Reply #14 on: November 15, 2014, 02:05:45 PM »
Touhou Fantasy News: twitter

Maiden Synnae ミ☆

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: ZUN making a minigame for Digital Game Expo!
« Reply #15 on: November 15, 2014, 04:33:19 PM »
If you have wondered what will Tasofro show, well, a huge new game has been announced (click the link to see a screenshot)! Titled 在庫の達人 Zaiko no Tatsujin "Master of Inventory", the game is made in only two days.



^ I'm a bit confused. Is this the game they will release at winter comiket as well or will they make a completely different one for that event? (This doesn't look like a Touhou fangame to me, btw)

Sweetness and love~ ♥

Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: ZUN making a minigame for Digital Game Expo!
« Reply #16 on: November 15, 2014, 08:27:09 PM »
http://i.imgur.com/VBUbt5b.png

Fun fact: The coins in the picture appear to be the Canadian bullion gold maple leaf coin:
http://i.imgur.com/8KDsGzQ.png

ZUN confirmed that Gensokyo is located in Canada!

sekibanki

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: ZUN making a minigame for Digital Game Expo!
« Reply #17 on: November 17, 2014, 08:38:14 PM »
The gold maple leaf coins were really popular in Japan during the bubble years, probably because of aggressive marketing + maple leaves being a popular, evocative symbol. Japan doesn't mint its own bullion coins, since there hasn't been any gold mining done in decades.

cuc

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: ZUN making a minigame for Digital Game Expo!
« Reply #18 on: November 21, 2014, 08:13:53 AM »
The gold maple leaf coins were really popular in Japan during the bubble years, probably because of aggressive marketing + maple leaves being a popular, evocative symbol. Japan doesn't mint its own bullion coins, since there hasn't been any gold mining done in decades.
Wikipedia says it was the only gold coin continuously being minted and be available to the world for a while in late 20th century. Could that also be a reason? I have totally no idea, though!

ZUN's stream schedule:
2014-11-24 (Mon), 20:00 PM JST: PoriPori Club: ZUN and D.N.A. will talk about Digital Game Expo.
2014-11-26 (Wed), 20:00 PM JST: Nikenme Radio.

Quote
ZUN: With the manuscript done, I'm going to attend a meeting. Should I drink something warm?

ZUN: The meeting took place with Ms. Moe lecturing the editor throughout. I got my warm drinks.
Harukawa Moe is no ordinary newbie mangaka  :].
« Last Edit: November 21, 2014, 09:49:29 AM by cuc »
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N-Forza

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2
« Reply #19 on: November 21, 2014, 01:18:40 PM »
I don't think she was lecturing the editor, but ZUN lol.

sekibanki

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: ZUN making a minigame for Digital Game Expo!
« Reply #20 on: November 21, 2014, 05:29:52 PM »
Wikipedia says it was the only gold coin continuously being minted and be available to the world for a while in late 20th century. Could that also be a reason? I have totally no idea, though!

Yeah, the kind of gold coins being sold varies depending on which countries have gold mines running or are selling off gold reserves. Gold is just gold but coins themselves become evocative depending on how they are used. For example, in the US the South African Krugerrand had a vaguely sinister reputation in the late 1980s, reflecting their origin in apartheid South Africa and percieved use by criminals.

The "gold rush" theme is certainly timely given Japan's current economic woes.

Tengukami

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2
« Reply #21 on: November 21, 2014, 08:10:01 PM »
Ha, "current". That's great.

Quote
ZUN: The meeting took place with Ms. Moe lecturing the editor throughout. I got my warm drinks.

Glad ZUN has his priorities straight!

"Human history and growth are both linked closely to strife. Without conflict, humanity would have no impetus for growth. When humans are satisfied with their present condition, they may as well give up on life."

sekibanki

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2
« Reply #22 on: November 24, 2014, 02:10:29 AM »
Ha, "current". That's great.

I was specifically referring to the snap elections.

cuc

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2
« Reply #23 on: November 24, 2014, 07:37:19 AM »
Gold Rush's stage is called "Financial Easing in Another Dimension". Easing is part of the Abenomics package, and apparently because the inflation had not reached the degree they planned, Bank of Japan did this 3 weeks ago, causing the yen to plummet like it hadn't in a long time.



Autumn Reitaisai is not the only news of the moment. From the day before yesterday (Nov 22):
Quote
ZUN: I'm going to a female cousin's wedding. This is the first time I bring my son to Karuizawa. I'm a bit nervous.
ZUN was born in Hakuba Village, Nagano. Hakuba (the name means "White Horse") is a mountainous village that has turned into a ski resort in modern day. I actually had a perfect opportunity to write about it earlier this year, but was too busy at that time. Karuizawa, meanwhile, is a famous tourist destination in Nagano.

This would have been an ordinary family reunion. But the same night, a shallow-focus M6.7 earthquake shook Nagano, with its epicenter only a few kilometers to the east of Hakuba. Hakuba suffered the most damage from the earthquake. Several buildings collapsed, and dozens of people were injured.
Quote
ZUN: It was a big one. I'm in Karuizawa now.

ZUN: My hometown happens to be at the epicenter. Due to the wedding, none of my family are staying at home. Is that good luck or bad luck?

ZUN: We are all good here. But news from home says the east of Hakuba was struck hard.

ZUN: Television is reporting on Hakuba nonstop. It's scary to hear such a small village's name being repeated on television.

Nov 24:
Quote
ZUN: The earthquake images from around my Hakuba hometown leave me with no words. So does news like the collapse of my classmate's house.
« Last Edit: November 24, 2014, 08:08:31 AM by cuc »
Touhou Fantasy News: twitter

Tengukami

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2
« Reply #24 on: November 24, 2014, 08:50:41 AM »
Well I'll be damned. Good call, sekibanki! So the spellcard is ... taking it easing.

Also, for some reason it makes sense to me that ZUN's family home would be in the rural mountains, as much as it informs his work. Glad he and his family are safe; I've been 15 years in a seismic/volcanic country and still can't get used to how scary earthquakes are. There's no panic quite like the earth moving under your feet.

"Human history and growth are both linked closely to strife. Without conflict, humanity would have no impetus for growth. When humans are satisfied with their present condition, they may as well give up on life."

Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2
« Reply #25 on: November 24, 2014, 10:35:32 AM »
Contrarily, I was born in a seismic country, and one of my first memories is of a major disastrous earthquake in my area, but I still laugh whenever I feel an earthquake. Even though I know I probably shouldn't. There's something fun about the minor ones...

cuc

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: Reitaisai 12 on May 10, 2015; Taiwan Reitaisai
« Reply #26 on: November 24, 2014, 12:29:56 PM »
Apparently the Reitaisai Committee has announced via their post-event stream: Reitaisai 12 will be held on May 10, 2015 (Sun); there will be a Taiwan Reitaisai.

No details on the Taiwan event seem to have been announced.
Touhou Fantasy News: twitter

sekibanki

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: Reitaisai 12 on May 10, 2015; Taiwan Reitaisai
« Reply #27 on: November 24, 2014, 10:34:21 PM »

Colticide

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: Reitaisai 12 on May 10, 2015; Taiwan Reitaisai
« Reply #28 on: November 24, 2014, 10:40:36 PM »


Krillin! Too soon!

Oddly my mind did go there, but my heart goes out to those who were hurt but this. I'm not familiar with earthquakes but torrnados I'm deathly afraid of though.
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cuc

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Re: ZUN and Touhou Status 2: Reitaisai 12 on May 10, 2015; Taiwan Reitaisai
« Reply #29 on: November 25, 2014, 12:55:45 AM »
There's no Suzunaan manga this month. Instead, we got chibi Kosuzu interviewing the sculptor of the Kosuzu figurine for the limited edition of Suzunaan Vol. 3.


Wasn't the limited editiion "strictly produced on demand"? From a corporate perspective, what's the point of informing consumers about it when the preorder period has long passed? Well, half a month ago some book store said you can still buy it there, and now Toranoana is also accepting new preorder.
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