Volume Nine Issue Six
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= .............._______ ............./ / THE LEGENDARY TIMES ............/ / .........../ /.....______.._____.....______.._____.......____ ........../ /...../ /./ \.../ /./ \...../ \ ........./ /...../ ___/./ ____/../ ___/./ __. \.../ /\ \ ......../ /...../ /_.../ /....../ /_.../ /..\ >./ /./ / ......./ /...../ __/../ /____../ __/../ /.../ /./ /./ / ....../ /_____/__/__../ \_\ /./ /__../ /.../ /./ /_/ / ...../ / /./ /./ /./ /.../ /./ / ..../ /_/..\______/./_____/./__/.../__/./_______/ MUD .../________________/ running on mud.legendmud.org 9999 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= http://www.legendmud.org/ ftp://ftp.legendmud.org/pub =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= VOLUME NINE, NUMBER SIX February 9, 2002 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= TABLE OF CONTENTS The Editor's Note NEWS, REPORTS, UPDATES Calendar of Events Immortal Applications Due March 1st Recent Updates Recent Q&A Topics DID YOU KNOW: Preview and Trade Commands LEGENDITES Announcements Clan News Damsel in Distress The Fibre of Fabric, The Way of the World. The Perfect Gift... ___ ___ \ |-----------------------------------------------------------------| / /__| The Editor's Note |__\ '-----------------------------------------------------------------' If you haven't voted for this year's Expies, there are still three days left! If you didn't get a Final Ballot or have misplaced yours, you can request that one be sent to you at: http://www.legendmud.org/Community/expie.php But hurry! The same deadline also looms for sending in your Valentine's greetings for publication here in the LT. Short and sweet or quick and cutting. All are due by Monday, the 11th, at midnight. Thursday, the 14th, marks LegendMUD's 8th Anniversary of being open to the public. As usual, we plan on celebrating all day! We will be doing next week's code and area updates one day early as it will include some birthday presents from the coders and builders. I'm also sure that there will be games, surprises and other prizes as well. The Expies ceremony will be held at 7:00pm (system time) on February 14th! So come and join us, we know it's spammy, but it's a great time for everyone to get together and cheer each other on for the time and effort that they put into making this such a great community. Next Saturday, the 16th, we'll also be holding a Special Q&A Session that will focus on questions people have about the Immort Application Process. See the section below for lots of places to go for more general information The deadline for applications/proposals is March 1st (3 weeks away). And please, if you're feeling left out because you haven't seen your name up in lights here lately, write in and let us know what's been going on with you! Everyone is welcome to send in articles, ads, information, RP and PK happenings. Let's hear what you've been doing. -Kaige ___ ___ \ |-----------------------------------------------------------------| / /__| LegendMUD Calendar of Events |__\ '-----------------------------------------------------------------' [All times are system time unless otherwise specified] */* *\* */* *\* February */* *\* */* *\* Monday, February 11th midnight Expies Final Ballot due Valentine's Messages due to LT Wednesday, February 13th 9:00 pm Recalltag! Thursday, February 14th Valentine's Day and LegendMUD's 8th Birthday 7:00 pm Expies Ceremony Saturday, February 16th 2:00 pm Special Q & A on Immorting Wednesday, February 20th 9:00 pm Recalltag! Thursday, February 21st 6:00 pm Q & A in the OOC Auditorium Saturday, February 23rd 2:00 pm RP Workshop in the OOC (TBA) Wednesday, February 27th 9:00 pm Recalltag! Thursday, February 28th 6:00 pm Q & A in the OOC Auditorium */* *\* */* *\* March */* *\* */* *\* Friday, March 1st midnight Immortal Apps Due ___ ___ \ |----------------------------------------------------------------| / /__| Immortal Applications Due March 1st |__\ '----------------------------------------------------------------' It's that time of year again. The deadline for Immortal Applications is March 1st, 2002. If you are interested in applying to become an immortal, be sure to speak to the appropriate department head about your proposed project before you submit your application. Additional information on Becoming an Immortal at LegendMUD can be found by reading HELP APPLICATION online as well as pointing your browser to: http://www.legendmud.org/Reference/documents.html The individual links to take you directly to the important pages are: THE IMMORT CODE OF CONDUCT www.legendmud.org/Reference/imm_conduct.html IMMORT PROPOSAL REVIEW PROCESS www.legendmud.org/Reference/proposals/app_vote.html THE GENERAL APPLICATION FOR IMMORTING www.legendmud.org/Reference/proposals/gen_app.html THE ADMINISTRATION PROPOSAL www.legendmud.org/Reference/proposals/admin_prop.html THE BUILDER PROPOSAL www.legendmud.org/Reference/proposals/builder_prop.html THE CODING PROPOSAL www.legendmud.org/Reference/proposals/code_prop.html THE PUBLIC RELATIONS PROPOSAL www.legendmud.org/Reference/proposals/pr_prop.html ___ ___ \ |-----------------------------------------------------------------| / /__| Recent Updates |__\ '-----------------------------------------------------------------' /\ CODE UPDATES / \ / \ THERE WAS NO CODE UPDATE IN PREPARATION FOR FEB 14TH. /_ _\ | | HELP FILE UPDATES | | | | The following helpfile was recently updated: |__| FAQ /\ / \ Thank you to all the players & imms who assisted in this update! / \ /_ _\ AREA UPDATES | | | | If you want to suggest specific improvements or new additions | | to existing areas please don't hesitate to submit them with |__| the idea/bug/typo commands or drop mudmail to the builder /\ responsible for the area (check AREAINFO to find out!) / \ / \ Installed Area Updates /_ _\ | | THERE WERE NO AREA UPDATES IN PREPARATION FOR FEB 14TH. | | | | In Progress Area Updates | | |__| This section is intended to let everyone know what builders /\ are working on behind the scenes. It is not a perfect record / \ of progress as all builders will not make updates every week. / \ Players badgering builders about progress or a perceived lack /_ _\ thereof will be flogged. Remember, the longer spent answering | | questions, the longer the project takes to complete. | | | | Kaige & Ptah 1950's Americana |__| Straussy R. M. S. Titanic =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _______ ____ _______ / ___ \ / __ \ / ___ \ Logs of Q&A sessions are available on the | / \ | \ \/ / | / \ | web pages for those who are unable to attend | | | | \ / | \___/ | or had to leave early. The most recent ones | | | | / \/\ | ___ | are listed on the sitemap page or you can | | /\| | / /\ / | / \ | get a complete list on the Q&A index page | \_\ \ | \ \/ \ | \ / | at the url below. \___\/_/ \__/\/ \_/ \_| http://www.legendmud.org/Community/lectures/QandA/QA_index.html RECENT TOPICS o Why is Levelling Mages Hard? o Two Exits to one House? o Low Move Homunculi? o Changes to Pkill Coming? o Hitroll & Damroll Balance o Why's Hydra so Hard? o Possibility of New Weapons? o Armslore & Rand Stats? o Command to Damage Eq? ت =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _____ / _ \ DID YOU KNOW: Tips and tricks and little-used features /__/ \ \ / / LegendMUD has several commands that are useful when dealing / / with shopkeepers. As a buyer, the TRADE and PREVIEW commands /__/ may be useful to you. __ / \ TRADE allows you to trade items of equal value instead of \__/ paying out hard cash for every item. The shopkeeper has to be _____ interested in the item you are putting up for trade and the / _ \ shopkeeper has to be satisfied the value is equivalent. /__/ \ \ The syntax is TRADE <obj to trade> <obj to obtain>. / / / / PREVIEW allows you to get information about a specific item /__/ before you purchase it from the shopkeeper. The syntax is __ identical to that of BUY and handles multiple shopkeepers. / \ \__/ For more info, see HELP TRADE, HELP PREVIEW and HELP SHOPS. ___ ___ \ |----------------------------------------------------------------| / /__| LEGENDITES: Information Regarding the People of Our World |__\ '----------------------------------------------------------------' Announcements ============= Vanion has reached 100 million experience! Israfel has reached 700 million experience! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= One dark, eerie night... A sinister force took its presence... Empowered by darkness and shunning the light, it stalked the land... Driving it's razor sharp claws into it's helpless victims... It burned and destroyed the villages... Riven, Lord of Hatred... finally revealed his true form. Old Short Desc: a silver-eyed archer Old Long Desc: An experienced archer stands here, polishing his dagger. New Short Desc: a dark horseman New Long Desc: Dark auras surrounding him, a sinister knight stands here solemly. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Many people see Snowwhite as "a fairy princess" and they have been approaching her with requests to put them in contact with the fairy king or fairy queen. Naturally - if unfortunately - she can't oblige. After all, She is Snowwhite, very much human, and not a fairy. Unfortunately, when she sacrificed to the gods of this world with a request to make her appear as a fairy tale princess her wicked step mother put an evil spell on her. The spell clouded her brain and made her head spin, so she omitted the word tale from her humble request. She now appeals to the immortal and powerful gods, 'Do not let my wicked and vicious stepmother have her way and keep laughing at me. Make me appear to the world as I am, a fairy tale princess, not a fairy, which I am not. Listen to my humble prayers, please?' Old Short Desc: a fairy princess Old Long Desc: A fairy princess blinds you with a whiteness lighter than white marble. New Short Desc: a fairy tale princess New Long Desc: A fairy tale princess blinds you with a whiteness lighter than white marble. ___ ___ \ |----------------------------------------------------------------| / /__| Clan News |__\ '----------------------------------------------------------------' Congratulations to The United Surgeons of Legend, and The Agrabah Mafia These two clans will both be celebrating the third year of their founding on February 15th under the freeforming clans system. Here's what Ameilia of the United Surgeons of Legend had to say when we asked her to tell us a bit about the clan: The United Surgeons of Legend was formed three years ago by Doctor Mertjai LaRue with the purpose of uniting surgeons to provide healing services for the LegendMUD community. Over time, the USL has enjoyed a substantial membership base and a veritable who's-who of healers. The USL expanded for a brief time into a sister clan, the USL II, and also boasts a legion of loyal USL Thugs. Although not a military clan, the USL recently incorporated a system of military-style ranking. We would like to thank our members, past and present, and always welcome inquiries from surgeons interested in joining our ranks. The Agrabah Mafia couldn't be reached for comment, but the plaque outside their hall reads, 'All those who study the black arts are welcome to our halls. We wish to increase our knowledge, we want to become famous and wise. To reach our destiny we are both in our halls: teacher and pupil.' Congratulations are also in store for The Avengers. They are proudly celebrating their second year of their founding on February 9th. About the clan, LadyDagger says: We got off to a rocky start, but we prevailed. We are currently looking for new members to help bring new life into our family. The Avengers are a rp/pkill clan, containing members from both communities. Avengers defend the loyal citizens of LegendMud and help fellow good clans. Avengers may also pertain to comic book rp as well. So, if you think Avengers is the place you would like to be send a mudmail to LadyDagger. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The Mercenaries were out in force again this week; their contract business thriving. Several members of the IRA and the Dark Enforcers have also been active but just as many sit around getting rusty and perhaps losing their knack? Things remain quiet with the Hermetic Order and the Grand Coven. One wonders what the Goddess plans for her followers and what new spells the Hermetics are researching or if their power wanes. Are the Secretives quietly marking time or just slowly fading away? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Murder most foul! A link-dead Ruby was slain after a sneak attack by Goin'fission, who then looted several strings from his slain foe. After DT'ing and collecting the strings Ruby was rejected, leaving the furious Dark Enforcer to seek other means of retribution. Clan Mercenary was soon enlisted to retrieve the items. After an operation involving 6 Mercenaries and 3 inns, the strings were returned to their rightful owner. Merc GM Krynn later told our intrepid reporter that his clan was open for business and ready to take on all comers. A new duo in town? The Knight Lady Freja was recently lured into a trap by an individual posing as a damsel in distress. She was subsequently killed in the attack. Her assailant was revealed to be Mallory and a viking warlord companion. Also, Freja reports: 'Well, I was bested by Isam yesterday because he had forgotten to bathe, so I was stunned most of the fight.' In other pkill news, Krynn, GM of The Mercenaries, issued a press release: 'Interested shareholders, this release is to bring you up to speed on Mercenary activity. Recently we have completed contracts on Isam, Robar, Katherin, and a heft 7 contracts on Goin'Fission. We also completed the retrival of several strings in the process for a hefty sum of money. Also, noteably, we stumbled across of the Knights of Legend Code of Conduct which was immediately claimed as a trophy and now sits on display in one of our clanhalls. In conclusion, business is good.' Have you witnessed any glorious or nefarious deeds? Send a short report to us at the LT. If you are looking for a fight, recruiting, or anything else related to the pk world, advertise with us! It's free and you get to see your name in print! Be a celebrity, the envy of all your friends, tick off your enemies! The possibilities are endless -- act today!!!!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= There are currently 19 RP clans and 9 PK clans. This leaves open slots for four (4) more clans to form. For more information, read HELP CLAN and see the clan information list via the CLANS command while logged into the game. For a basic handbook and reference for players interested in founding and running a clan, visit http://www.legendmud.org/Reference/gm.html. _______________________ / \ o O | Wonder what folks are | `\|||/ | doing over at LegendMUD?| (o o) \_______________________/ ooO_(_)_Ooo________________________________________________________________ _____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|___ __|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Damsel in Distress Last Wednesday, the evening sky just south of the Abbey was lit by a great fire. The Institute of Healing Arts clanhall was on fire. A few moment later Sir Robar Royce was seen leading an army of naiads dressed as fire fighters (was this living out a fantasy or was he headed for the burning clanhall?). Later that night, when the fire was almost extinguished, some say Masha was seen heading in the opposite direction. It is not clear what had happened, but here we offer the explanation of Sir Robar Royce, eyewitness and True Knight of Legend. 'Everything happened very fast, I am still not sure I have a clear picture of the tragedy. Late afternoon when I strolled down the streets of Kleinstadt enforcing law and order I heard a cry for help from Hannah of the Institute. I hurried to their clanhall as that was where the cry had come from, only to find Masha outside the gates trying to force her way inside to the poor and very scared lady Hannah. Trinity was trying to protect Hannah, but when she saw I came she must have thought Hannah safe for I think she took of, at least I do not remember seeing her again that night. Anyway, it did not take long for Masha to force herself into the clanhall of the peaceful Institute, where she started putting the buildings on fire, demanding the soul of poor Hannah in exchange of stopping the evil act. Seeing the desperacy of the situation, I hurried to the ocean calling some naiads to aid fighting the fire. Returning to the hall and the scared damsel, me and my servants started throwing water at the fire, I must say I was not much help compared to the ladies of water. My devotion to putting out the fire should be the doom of poor Hannah. For as I had not thought she valued the buildings and treasures of the institute higher than her own mortal soul. And though I tried to convince her otherwise, she saw it necesary to stop the fire by giving her soul to the wicked Masha. I must have turned my back on the ladies to rescue some scared animals out of the burning buildings because the next thing I knew was poor Hannah lying unconcious on the ground while Masha laughing evilly fled out the gates towards cover in the darkness of the night. There was nothing more I could do, Hannah had given up her soul. After being sure that she was still alive, I left the scene in search of damsels who was actually interested in being saved.' When asked to comment on the tragedy, Emrysia, the Headmistress of the Healing Institute had this to say, 'The Institute is planning to do everything in it's power to retrieve Hannah's soul and seek retribution for the damage to the Insititute buildings.' =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The Fibre of Fabric, The Way of the World. As some of you may know this weekend I was married to Lachesis, in a ceremony presided over by Fate herself, this in itself was rather surprising to those of us with a more scientific mindset, but being that I am happily in love and rather more tolerant of the mystic nature of the universe these days I accepted the fact that Fate simply should not exist. And that is how I came to one of my newest points of research.. quite unknowingly. After the ceremony and just before Fate left I had opportunity to slice a small section of her dress which I desperately wanted to study further, it was a shimmering fabric which Lachesis later told me she herself had helped create. For the majority in the past I listened to Lachesis tell her tales of Fate and her role in the world more as metaphors for life, not as pure fact so I really needed to put some things to the more real tests of bunsen burner and magnifying glass. Of course no one knew I had taken the fabric, no one knew I was going to research what I did, but the conclusions I have drawn are simply quite stunning. You see the fabric was not normal, not in the slightest, it showed no fibre and it shimmered with its own faint glow, and so as I studied I noticed some striking similarities between the fabric and several of my older more notorious experiments. The fabric was ALIVE! It seemed this fabric was formed of the souls of mortals, this is an idea which took me a lot of getting used to, considering for the last ten years I have been attempting to prove the soul does not exist. So as the daylight came rolling over the hills and my sampling came to a close I suddenly realised that reanimating the dead was almost childish in comparison to what I could do with this new knowledge, you see I had seen the soul before, several times in my studies of the anatomy. But I had never known what it was... And with this new found knowledge it would be all too simple for me to exchange the souls of two people, but the experiment will have to wait for next time... It is late and Lachesis will be wondering why I never came to bed, I must remember my experiments need to not take so much of my time now. with kindest regards, Dr. Herbert West. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The Perfect Gift... Hot, gritty desert sand blew hard against the flap of the tent as it opened slightly. It was a foot soldier seeking audience. Salah ad-Din Yusuf waved a hand for him to enter. He dropped to his knees before his Saladin, eyes averted in respect. 'Goings on... Travelers stopping.. Parcels...' he stammered. 'Strangers to the East, between here and Mosul.' Strangers passing through? Salah ad-Din Yusuf chortled heartily, for this was nothing new. Travelers often traipsed through to shop or attempt siege of the Tower. He peered down at the shaken soldier. Was this something different? His eyes steadied on the boy, 'Tell me what you heard.' Thrilled to have the complete attention of one so mighty as Saladin, the soldier wove the tale of what he knew. \@/ =-= \@/ =-= \@/ =-= \@/ =-= \@/ 'Here?' she asks her confidant. 'Or that other spot?' The woman, her golden hair askew from the wind, sighs back at her. 'You have been asking me for three days now, I told you I can not decide this for you.' She makes a poultice, applying it to the wound of her friend, who is now pacing about restlessly. Wind burns. 'Yes, I know that, it's just that...' a heavy sigh hangs in the desert air. The moonlight catches her attire; the sheen of a golden gown can be seen from between the folds of a heavy, hooded cloak. Something nuzzles her ankle; it's form vague in the night's darkness. A lithe, pale man with striking blue eyes rounds the corner. 'Have we decided yet?' he asks. Both women turn to frown at him. 'I guess not...', he mutters, taking a step back. A whistle is heard through the air as the wind whips cloaks feverishly about the figures who enter the clearing. The group bows deeply towards the first woman, the moonlight casting a soft glow upon the huddled group. One man drops to bended knee. 'Your Highness, I -' the man is hushed as all eyes glance about cautiously. A nearby figure, clad in desert attire tries to blend in with the local residents, remembering as much as he can to report back to his leader. He succeeds. They continue. 'Have we decided yet, Your Highness?' one of the cloaked figures asks quietly. Everyone turns, casting anxious eyes upon the pacing woman. She pauses, turning to face the cloaked group. 'I suppose,' she says, looking worried. 'It is such a huge undertaking though, what if....' Her voice trails off. A figure enters from the south road, a golden sari wrapping her form. 'Have we decided yet?' she asks. The grace-filled woman shakes her head, 'Not yet, no.' With a nod of understanding, the sari-draped woman pulls out a piece of embroidery work and takes needle to hand quietly. 'If I may,' speaks one of the cloaked men, his accent that of a local. 'This is indeed a huge endeavour, we would need to start immediately. We have assistance ready and willing your highness, enough so to be ready in Gods speed.' The woman nods slowly and quietly in understanding. She had to make a choice. 'I don't even know how Rowane will feel of such...' The woman resumes her pacing. 'What if he is unhappy with my gift?' Her companion turns, reaching out a hand to soothe her. 'He will be fine with it. And we all support you, you know that.' Quiet nods of agreement abound. The woman casts her eyes over the untouched desert area before her. It was certainly large enough for what was needed. 'The day I fell in love with him, I told him I wanted to give him the world,' she says nervously, glancing at those around her. 'I want to do precisely that... ' Her voice trails off. Her gaze returns to the vast area before her. For him. As close as she could come to keeping her promise. She nods at the group, yes. Here is fine. One of the figures mutters in foreign tongue, sending a nearby rider off at once to deliver word. He races off, a scroll gripped tightly in one hand, reigns in the other. A dark stallion kicks up sand behind him as he takes off into the night. With a sigh she steps off the path and into the sand, nodding quietly. So much to do, and in so little time. \@/ =-= \@/ =-= \@/ =-= \@/ =-= \@/ The foot soldier triumphantly offers up a scrap of scroll from his tightly clenched palm. His beaming smile bright against the darkness of his skin. Upon his lips is the boasting of his overtaking the cloaked rider and managing a brief grasp of the scroll from his hand before he escaped. Long enough to tear a fair portion to bring back. 'An entire Kingdom?' Saladin mutters to himself, eyes darting over the scrap. He angles it, squinting, attempting to make out unfamiliar words. He turns to his advisor. 'It seems we will soon have company,' His eyes level on those of his confidante as he passes him the scrap to examine. 'Positions available for a royal court, details of a tournament posting for Queen's Champion, provisions list for a staff... Is this what it seems??' Al-Fadil stares at Saladin, what does he truly think of all this? The two men stare silently off, their inner minds at work over what the future may hold. \@/ =-= \@/ =-= \@/ =-= \@/ =-= \@/ 'MoiraGywn. Moira, can you hear me? Oh this wind is just terrible, it wont be like this always will it?' Emrysia wraps her cloak about young Yohn, shielding the baby from sand particle assault. Hannah shakes her head, yelling to be heard in the wind. 'It is just a windstorm.' Dae rests a hand to MoiraGwyn's shoulder as she watches a team of riders and an enormous amount of building and provisional supplies already snaking its way across the desert toward them. 'Have we a name yet?' The simple question hangs anxiously in the air. A crown of argent and ebony leaves sways gently with the nod of her head. MoiraGwyn turns, speaking over her shoulder, her voice carrying along the wind as she yells to be heard. 'Carian Trag!' =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The Legendary Times is published by the immortals of LegendMUD. Please send subscription changes as well as replies, additions, or corrections to our address at [email protected] for inclusion in the next edition. We, however, reserve the right to moderate this forum and edit or reject any submission. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=