Mature Subjects (pg15)

Chances Are - Part 8

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 


Chances Are...
Stories of Hope

Melina's Chance
by Andrea Lena DiMaggio
 




Stories of hope in lives healed by second chances




If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 20 words long.

At Last ‘A Life’ ~ Chapter 64

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

At last ‘A life’
By Julie D Cole
Chapter 64 Doctors visit

Well the news from Kate had been a shock and I wanted to respect Kate’s request to keep it secret but I was aching already to tell somebody.

I felt that it was difficult since in my situation I realized just what it was like to feel like everybody was looking at me and talking about me. I knew it was my imagination but it was affecting my confidence and I could see why Jessica might react badly if she was the subject of gossip.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 97 words long.

How to go from office geek to president of the company

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Elements: 

Character Age: 

Other Keywords: 

Permission: 

Harrison Kimball was the office geek and CFO all rolled into one. Working his way up the ladder was going well up to a point, and a feminist co-worker might be about to pull the rug out from under him. Will success elude him or will he just need to trade in his suit and tie for something a little softer. It seems she had a plan for just that.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 70 words long.

Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 1401

The Daily Dormouse.
(aka Bike)
Part 1401
by Angharad

Copyright © 2011 Angharad
All Rights Reserved.
  
-Dormouse-001.jpg


If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 13 words long.

Riding Home 15

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

CHAPTER 15
“You need a hat in His house, Annie!”

“I am not playing Saburo in some bloody milliner’s nightmare, Merry! It’s a meal for crumblies and a carol service, not a royal garden party”



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 36 words long.

To Have and To Hold

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

To Have and To Hold
by Katelynne Perry

When is a boy not a boy? When he turns into a candy store.

I always thought that riddle was cute because it fit me to a tee except you have to take 'the candy store' and replace it with 'a little girl'. I've had the misfortune of being born with a female brain inside a male body. Sometimes, though, I think it is a blessing because I've been able to see life from both genders, kind of.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 86 words long.

War and Peace Pt 2

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

War and Peace

By

Jacquimac

Part Two

So for the seeable future I have to live as a woman and a mother until I can get get back behind our own lines, wherever they are now.

It was almost two weeks before any enemy troops entered the settlement as they were too busy clearing out pockets of resistance and clearing minefields.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 61 words long.

Andrew’s Dilemma Part 14

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

--SEPARATOR--

Andrew’s Dilemma

Part 14

By, Cain129

Special Thanks to Wren Phoenix for the editing.--SEPARATOR--

Synopsis:   Andrew has finally become the person that he had always wanted to be and is settling into her new life. Unfortunately, that life is about to become very complicated. Her father now knows where she is living and will stop at nothing to make sure that Andrew never makes it to court. He has powerful allies that could allow him to succeed, except for one variable. Andrew no longer exists, and Jessica is not about to let Jake take away everything that she has worked so hard to gain.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 104 words long.

Marked Target - Chapter 1

Marked Target
~ Chapter One ~

by:
Danielle Krieger
(c) 2011

Lawrence "Lex" McKinley lives about as average a life as one can with metahumans popping up everywhere. Well, as normal as someone who spends their free time as an MMA fighter really can. He's about to get the shock of his life--the punch he never saw coming.

In this installment: We meet "Lex" and get a window into his world. Something sinister is afoot, though. Can "The Animal" handle it?

X-23_RetCon_Title.jpg


If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 78 words long.

Riding Home 14

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

CHAPTER 14
The next morning she was singing, some chapel hymn or other, and I couldn’t help but contrast the state Merry was in compared to that of a certain camp-site morning.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 32 words long.

Catwalk Confidence - Part 58

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 


Catwalk Confidence

By Connie Alexander



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 5 words long.

The Butterfly and the Flame - Chapter 4

the-butterfly-and-flame.jpg

In this chapter, Emily's father, James faces a Sophie's choice: Surrender his trans-daughter into an arranged marriage knowing the possible deadly consequences when she comes of age, or slowly starve to death over the winter months.

As a special promotion for July I am pleased to announce that The Butterfly and the Flame is available on Kindle and Nook for $.99



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 60 words long.

The Center: Chimera

The Center: Chimera
Chapter 1

What do you say when you're at the end? Do you apologize for things you wish were different? Do you smile knowing it’s finally over? I don't know what you would do, but I was calm inside and out. Surprising, once you get to know me. When you find out what really goes on in my head, regardless of what I show the rest of the world. I guess I should start at the beginning right? My life changed on a Wednesday. Funny how you remember the day when your whole life becomes something you never thought was possible.
---



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 105 words long.

War and Peace Pt 1

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

War and Peace

By

Jacquimac

Part One

As usual for the twentieth century we were once again embroiled in a war thousands of miles from home, losses were very low within the taskforce and nil in our unit.

I was a Sergeant in Dressing station at the time and we were in the process of evacuating our casualties when a local woman from one of the nearby settlements asked for medical help for one of they`re people.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 78 words long.

My Dearest Charlotte...

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

My Dearest Charlotte...



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 3 words long.

Steel Skinned

Steel Skinned

by:
Enemyoffun


During a mission on the 4th of July, Amy Allen reflects back on how she became who she is today, all the while confronting her past head on in the present.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 35 words long.

MAU Superman & Supergirl Chapter 1

“I’m still finding it really hard to believe that it actually worked.” Kacy Prescott answered honestly. Having watched his mom’s car pull out of the driveway where she’d just dropped him off at his best friend’s house for the weekend.

“You should’ve had a little more faith in me. Your mom is going to busy with her new job to check up on us and besides by this time tomorrow we’ll be in Las Vegas.” Matt replied confidently smiled back at his friend, toying with what appeared to Kacy to be an oversized metal brief case.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 102 words long.

Alternative Release - 3

Alternative Release Chapter 3
By Kerry Brown

Transition keeps coming and so does the day of reckoning at work.
Lives change and people move on albeit slowly.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 26 words long.

What Light Through Yonder Shadow... - Act 3; 2

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

TG Universes & Series: 

Other Keywords: 

Permission: 

darkness_angelus_top_cow_by_nebezial.jpgwitchblade178.jpg

"How can this be?" Brent repeated for the third time. "We shouldn't be entering New York for at least another eight hours, did the Witchblade get us here this quickly?" he inquired of Ginger.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 34 words long.

The Omega Unicorn Chronicles Book 3 Rescue Mission Ch. 11

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

The Rescue Mission
Chapter 11

Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman


sunset06.jpg
J-ville-Memorial-Hospital.jpg
two-butterflies02.jpg



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 12 words long.

You are What You Read - Chapter 1

You Are What You Read
Chapter One


If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 7 words long.

Marked Target

Marked Target

by:
Danielle Krieger
(c) 2011

Lawrence "Lex" McKinley lives about as average a life as one can with metahumans popping up everywhere. Well, as normal as someone who spends their free time as an MMA fighter really can. He's about to get the shock of his life--the punch he never saw coming.

[A retroactive continuity of X-23 from Marvel Comics' X-Men.]

X-23_RetCon_Big.jpg


If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 62 words long.

You Have it All Wrong Three - Part 19

You Have It All Wrong Three

By SaraUK

 

Part 19



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 9 words long.

Mediterranean Slave Dreams

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Contests: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

Other Keywords: 

Permission: 

If it be your will.. and other Mediterranean dreams

Warning:
The story deals with offensive language and coarse subject matter , is purely fictional and is restricted for an Adult Audience. It deals with topics like Chastity, Mind Control, Longing, Femdom, Cuckolding , Penis Envy And Other Mind Games between a Mistress and her Slave.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 53 words long.

Bound to Serve the Dark: Epilogue

Bound to Serve the Dark: Epilogue
by:
Lilith Langtree


Darkness is a friend, an ally. It allows us to be honest with ourselves, to express those values that we would disavow in the light. The light blinds us. It is only in the dark that we see clearly, and there is a great dark hidden among these worlds.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 58 words long.

Build Your Own Body

Build Your Own Body
By Stanman63


If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 6 words long.

How I became a girly girl - 3

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

Jen

Julian and I go to see his mother
and then find plenty to do

How I became a girly girl

by Louise Anne Smithson


Chapter 3

’The Vegetable’



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 26 words long.

Riding Home 13

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

CHAPTER 13
Merry was quite direct in the car, as she woke from her daze.

“You, dear cousin, set me up”



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 20 words long.

The Rusted Blade, Chapter 13


The Rusted Blade, Chapter 13

A collaboration by darkice and kitn

Slurping back the tea Rall stared at the sword. “We need to talk I think.”
--SEPARATOR--



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 25 words long.

Deep Into That Darkness Peering Part-6

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

Character Age: 

TG Universes & Series: 

Other Keywords: 

Permission: 

Deep Into That Darkness Peering-
Part Six

by:
Enemyoffun


Ryan Roth is a college freshman with a good life. He has a great girlfriend, a good best friend and seems to be starting his college career off on the right start. But something dark and dangerous comes into his life and things go from bad to worse.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 56 words long.

You Couldn't Afford It...

You Couldn't Afford It
by Roland and DiMaggio



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 8 words long.

Andrew’s Dilemma Part 13

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

--SEPARATOR--

Andrew’s Dilemma
Part 13
By, Cain129

--SEPARATOR--

Special Thanks to Wren Phoenix for the editing.

Synopsis:   After Jessica’s operation, she’s starting to settle into her new life and the challenges that are sure to follow. With her new outlook on life comes new strength, and she’s ready to do whatever it takes to have the life she’s always dreamed of.   She still has people in her life that she has to deal with, most notably her parents.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 80 words long.

Riding Home 12

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

CHAPTER 12
I rode into the school yard, looking at the surprisingly small number of bicycles in the stands. This was yet another of those schools that had decided that they preferred dozens of cars fighting for space outside the gates to children arriving healthily under their own steam, all in the interests of “road safety” as they saw it. Bizarre.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 60 words long.

Someone To Watch Over Me...

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 



gettyimages-sb10064337a-008-2048x2048 (1)_0.jpg


There’s a saying old, says that love is blind
Still we’re often told, "seek and ye shall find"
So I’m going to seek a certain lad I’ve had in mind

Looking everywhere, haven’t found him yet
He’s the big affair I cannot forget
Only man I ever think of with regret



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 57 words long.

Alternative Release - 2

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

 

Alternative Release Chapter 2
By Kerry Brown

A surprise from the legal system, the first meeting of Kerry and the Ex.
A change of viewpoint and Kerry keeps emerging.

Enjoy!



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 29 words long.

The Metro-incident

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

The Metro-incident

by Misrah

Missy was heavily breathing while she ran through the barely lighted corridors of the metro station as fast as she could. She stumbled around the corner, nearly tripped.

"Over there! Just got around the corner over there!"

The voice she heard was filled with hatred. They were hunting her. But why, lord why?



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 57 words long.

The Second Time Around...

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 


The Second Time Around...




If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 4 words long.

WHERE

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Permission: 

WHERE

by

Jacqueline

It`s bitter cold I`ve been chasing the mysterious figure throw the snow for 2 days and never quite get close enough to see who it is.

Whoever it is seems to be running for their very life, but if they don`t stop they`re going to die a painful death or a lingering one.

There is a high cliff about twenty miles in front, if they take the path they`ll end up on the moors were very few people live.

Whoever it is had taken the path, there are no trees for many miles and the land under the blanket of snow is just heather cobered peat bog.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 114 words long.

And Remember...Spelling Counts!

dfyrdIwd_400x400 (1).jpg



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 0 words long.

Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 1395

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

The Daily Dormouse.
(aka Bike)
Part 1395
by Angharad

Copyright © 2011 Angharad
All Rights Reserved.
  
-Dormouse-001.jpg


If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 13 words long.

Concert of Remembrance Pt 12

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

Concert of Remembrance

by

Jacquimac

Part 12

Sunday 11th November arrived and today was Remembrance Day, the day the country remembered those that had commited the Ultimate Sacrifice in the Service of their country.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 33 words long.

Simon(e) - Book Two: Chapter 3

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

”2
 
Simon(e)
Book 2: Chapter 3 of 12

by D.L.

Copyright  © 2011 D.L. All Rights Reserved.

“I noticed something back in the changing room,” my mother states as she drives.

“What?” I ask puzzled. “I hope I didn’t behave out of the ordinary for a girl.”



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 45 words long.

Riding Home 11

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

CHAPTER 11
That was all I needed from that weekend, but not all I wanted. Ideas came thick and fast, promises followed behind, and Arwel astonished me by promising to sort out the flowers. It was only later that I discovered the sly old bugger had relatives with a flower shop.

Our second night was spent in the pub, as is only natural, but this time Merry had gone home, and it was a much more sedate evening. Alice had her foot firmly on the brakes with her husband and stepson, and I suspect the hangover hadn’t been forgotten by Eric.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 101 words long.

Bound to Serve the Dark: 7/8

Bound to Serve the Dark: 7 of 8
by:
Lilith Langtree


Darkness is a friend, an ally. It allows us to be honest with ourselves, to express those values that we would disavow in the light. The light blinds us. It is only in the dark that we see clearly, and there is a great dark hidden among these worlds.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 58 words long.

Ode to a Dreamer

Ode to a Dreamer
rosa-flower-carpet-amber_lg.jpg

Dreaming, the most pure of actions. Is anything more natural?

--SEPARATOR--



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 14 words long.

Real Wizards Don't Wear Pants -1-

Real Wizards don't wear pants 1

REWRITE

By LanzaQ
---===---

Furst struggled against the bonds that the mage before him had woven around his frame. “Chiao! I thought out of all the councilors you would be the least apposed to joining us. We are achieving something you have been screaming about!” He continued to struggle until the magic that had woven itself around him dissipated. “Saving the future. The non-magic people don’t care about their children born with magic, in fact they see them as a curse. You and I know that!”



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 93 words long.

Marooned

Marooned

By

Melanie Brown

Copyright  © 2011

Alex was on a school band trip. But his flight was going to be slightly delayed..



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 21 words long.

Chris and the red feather

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

Other Keywords: 

Permission: 

Chris and the red feather

by Misrah

"Dear lord help me, I beg you!" Chris had felt terrible about not beeing able to resist to his fantasies any longer. He had dreamed about beeing a woman again and in his sleep he had jerked of. He was all ashamed and desperate.
Six months! SIX MONTH he had managed to avoid thinking about sexual things completely! And now that...

He tried eagerly but he seemed unable to get the images of that dream out of his head.



If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:

And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks. 
This story is 86 words long.

Pages

Subscribe to Mature Subjects (pg15)