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thewhizzyhead · 7 months

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before I sleep, here is my definitive ranking on all the NPMD songs and some rambles on why I placed them there - also the ranking is based on how much I vibe with them (music production and lyricism have different rankings)

1. Hatchet Town (aka the hatchetfield trilogy theme song like this tune perfectly encapsulates the chaos Hatchetfield has to go through with every Starkid project pos-2018 and I love it - kinda wish it was a number that is more integrated with the plot with the kids tho BUT I REALLY DID LIKE that this melody was quite prominent in the other songs too)

2. High School is Killing Me (I've watched many teen centered musicals and believe me when I say that this song is one of, if not, the best introduction numbers out there for this genre - also it's a really great opening hook for a show)

3. Nerdy Prudes Must Die (FUCKING AMAZING HONESTLY - amazing way to REALLY re-establish a villain back from the dead and to establish the main theme for the nerds here: "I'm Not A Loser" (tho i fucking wish that motif was used a bit more))

4. Just For Once (everyone cheer for Lauren Lopez flexing not just her high tier soprano skills, but also how amazing of a fucking actor she can be like the concept of this song is quite layered and to pull it off both comedically and emphatically takes great lyrical and acting prowess)

5. The Summoning (a well-anticipated onstage introduction to all 5 of the LiB that balances out befuddling neon-entertainment with genuine fucking menace)

7. Cool As I Think I Am Reprise (A FUCKING GENIUS REPRISE I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH HOW COOL I FIND THEM RECONTEXTUALIZING THE OG SONG AND IF I LOVED YOU TO FIT THE SITUATION AND BOTH OF THE CHARACTERS GROWTH. LIKE IN TERMS OF THEMATIC IMPLICATIONS WITH CHARQCTER DEVELOPMENT, THIS SONG AND ITS SCENE WOULD BE THE TOP)

6. If I Loved You (I think this song could be a bit more honestly like I know how much Starkid has explored Steph and Pete's relationship in their other projects and I was really hoping that they would have it more portrayed here - however the song is a bop nonetheless and it matches neatly with their themes and the harmonies are top tier. I placed this higher than the next just due to my personal bias like I really do like the song)

8. Dirty Dudes Must Die (A GREAT TWIST THAT MAKES ME WANT ANOTHER MUSICAL ABOUT GRACE CHASITY'S DERANGED SELF - also the new context of the song Grace is reprising here makes her a villain even scarier than MAX of all people but that's just me)

9. Literal Monster (A very catchy beat and well structured song that provides a good introduction to a jock-bully with the god complex. also kinda foreshadowing to nerdy prudes must die)

10. Cool As I Think I Am (the instrumentation reminded me of Dear Evan Hansen ngl fjsjd but it really does sound like an I-Want song from a teen-musical which is of course what they are going for - it sounds very nice and earnest though and I loved how it was utilised in the reprise. However I still fucking wish that the I'm Not A Loser motif was used more)

11. Dirty Girl (look I'm sorry for ranking this quite low on the list but like there is no fucking way I'm using this as bait to lure other people in like they'd be scared away I'm sorry fjdjs BUT I love how Will and Angela perform this though like top tier starkid performances ever - its not just what I would listen to on repeat personally jgjdjs)

12. Go Go Nighthawks! (This one gets plus points because of FUCK YOU CLIVESDALE GO GET FUCKED. otherwise its nice and cheery and perfectly shows how happy everyone is without Max but um I kinda wish it could be a bit more especially in terms of showing how happy the other nerds are now that Max is gone but that's just me)

13. Bully The Bully + Bury The Bully (Look I couldn't decide which was better like they both are the same melodies so like gjxjs these two are cute though and I liked seeing the 5 kids bonding in Bully The Bully since we don't get that many scenes with them)

14. The Best Of You (the pop-punk happy number is a staple of teen-centered musicals and it does really sound nice - just isn't that much of a standout compared to the others.)

#also for the best of you i have like a bone to pick with that one as much as i find it a fun song #but that is once again a rambly critique on how steph was utilized in the show sO WE'LL SAVE THAT BONE FOR ANOTHER DAY #but yea that's my NPMD ranking #the music prod here is on another level honestly #like they stepped up their game here #as for lyricism hmm given the genre it's more or less as I expected - i like it but there are some parts where i expected more #but they did a good job in having nuance in some of their songs like Nerdy Prudes Must Die and Just For Once like those r GOOD DEEP DIVES #hmmm maybe i'll do a full review soon of NPMD to just consolidate all my critiquey rambles #rn it's sittiing at a score of 8.5/10 #and is probably my top 3 fav starkid musical of all time - tgwdlm and twisted are top 2 and 1 #(i cant say much about black friday yet cause i havent watched it but um i have a feeling it could technically be a tie with npmd)#nerdy prudes must die #npmd #npmd spoilers #starkid

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syrena-del-mar · 11 months

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"Foliage, Flowers, and Feelings, Oh My!" in Step By Step Ep. 8.

The flower motifs were rampant throughout all of episode eight, more so than the majority of any of the previous episodes. Maybe I was made aware because Jeng brought attention to them while he was preparing for his date, ahem, market research with Pat this time around, but man, everywhere I looked on screen, I could only focus on the flowers.

Since a lot of the shots that had the flowers were blurred, take my analysis with a heavy amount of skepticism. Not to mention, my discussion of the flowers and their meanings are deriving from a Western point of view; flowers and their significance can differ greatly between cultures. [Specifically my understanding derives from my Latin-American and American upbringing with the meanings behind certain flowers and any research I came upon, so if you have any better cultural understanding that is more applicable, feel free to sound off].

There was so much imagery with flowers in this episode that I'm going to attempt to organize this analysis with specific scenes where I, personally, could not help but immediately notice the flowers and become hyper-aware of them.

Love Blooms Best at a Restaurant

While we see flowers and plants in the first quarter of the episode, they're typically at the very corners of the foreground, heavily blurred, or rather small, where it's presence is easily forgotten (i.e., the tiny plant on Put's living room table.) The plants and flowers really start to become a greater motif after Jeng requests the first restaurant to fill the empty space that he rented out with bouquets.

Now there are so many different flowers that make up the several bouquets that are brought in by the restaurant staff, so I'll briefly mention the most commercially known and their significance, while delving a little deeper into the flowers that were a bit harder to identify but that I strongly believe are in the bouquets.

First, the most obvious of the flowers were the red and pink roses that make a portion of the vase that is put at the table where Jeng and Pat sit. Pink roses typically take on the significance of admiration and gratitude, while red roses are generally used to signify love and passion. Hidden behind those, which we are only able to catch a glimpse at in far-away shots before the vase gets turned, are yellow snapdragons. There is a longstanding belief that when you hide a snapdragon, it's going to make you appear to be enchanting and amiable; this often results with the snapdragon being correlated with good-luck and deception.

Meanwhile behind Jeng, there is a huge bouquet that is made up of pink lilies, and what I believe to be, but not 100% sure, pink orchids. Pink lilies are generally used to depict new love, friendship, and admiration, while pink orchids are generally for thoughtfulness, refinement, and mature charm.

The flowers here seem to be very representative of both Jeng's mentality and the current state of relationship that Pat and Jeng have. Prior to this, Pat had gone from cancelling their meeting (destroying any hope that Jeng had) to asking if he was still up to going out (restoring it slightly, thank you Ae and Beam.) Jeng has made it apparent that he admires Pat for his talent and work ethic, praising Pat when he does a job well done, but this admiration has gone far beyond "you're a great worker", which Pat is completely unaware of. For Pat, this is just another work event that he is doing as a favor to his boss, without knowing that Jeng wishes is more than just work and how much effort he put into making this "not-date" "date-like". While deception has an incredibly negative connotation, in a way this is applicable here, this is Jeng's pretense to spend more time with Pat outside of work.

Jeng has been treading the line of boss and loverboy lightly, because he is more than aware of the consequences that could occur due to his attraction and feeling towards Pat. So he does what he does best, delve into work and find a way to incorporate it so he can spend some quality time with Pat, even if Pat isn't fully aware of his intentions, which is why it catches Jeng off-guard when Pat points out how much this outing resembles a date. This is a new chapter that Jeng is trying to navigate and breach, even without fully knowing the way to get there. He's learning how Pat ticks, when Pat is silent and what it likely means, and how much pain and burden Pat carries, even when its unnecessary. He's seen Pat at some of his worst moments, at his tactless moments, and he's falling for all sides of him, even if Pat is fully oblivious at this point. And Jeng is so proud of himself, when he gets the restaurant to look just right for when Pat arrives.

Running Leads the Heart to the Silver Trumpet Tree

The second full shot of flowers in this episode was after Pat and Jeng narrowly made it out from running into Chot, specifically after they finally came to a stop after sneakily running away from him, in order to not be caught fraternizing outside of the workplace. When they finally come to a stop, Silver [Yellow] Trumpet Tree [Tabebuia Aurea], also known as Lueang India (Yellow India) in Thai, cover the background when Pat and Jeng have finally come to a halt. While it can be easily mistaken with the Golden Shower Trees, which I believe is the national flower of Thailand, the Yellow Trumpet trees are as common but are distinct in the clusters that they form.

While the there is no distinct meaning or symbolism behind Silver Trumpet Tree, the Trumpet flowers, generally, have a more positive interpretation on its symbolism. Yellow Trumpet flowers tend to be referred to the Angel's Trumpet, which really leads to the auspicious significance that is attached. Depending on the culture that is interpreting the flower, the significance of the trumpet flower can range from prosperity and good luck to new beginnings.

Here, we find ourselves with Pat and Jeng running off in an attempt to avoid being seen by Chot. Jeng had just gone through the effort of making renting out the prior restaurant and decorating with as many bouquets as possible in attempt to make the non-date, date-adjacent. Yet, while this plan seems to be partially ruined, I think Jeng should be thanking Chot. For the first time, they held hands and weren't letting go. While Put and Pat may have been balanced physically, Pat was always being left behind by Put, even if it was unintentional. Put was the one leading their relationship, taking the first steps to enter and exit out of Pat's life, yet in comparison with Jeng, while Jeng may tower over Pat, he has always been the one to push Pat rather than pull, this was the first time that he was pulling Pat with him. And let me just say, Jeng was not the first one to let go. Their relationship is evolving.

Pat had cancelled meeting with Jeng, after not feeling well about breaking up with Put. Put was his first love, he was the one that had been abandoned, but it's still difficult to come to terms that the love and man you had idealized prior was no longer the man that you were in love with, no matter how hard you attempt to fix together the pieces that had remained. Yet, instead of wallowing in the pain, Pat reached out again to Jeng and asked him if they could still go out, even though he was the one the previously opted out. If Pat being proactive, even when clueless, isn't a step into a new beginning, I don't what is—

Barriers made visible with Peonies and Peperomia

After running away from Chot, they found themselves in a new restaurant, one that partakes in the tradition of plate smashing. Throughout this who sequence, we have the the ornate bouquet in the background that is creating a visual barrier, dividing the restaurant in two sides. In doing so, we're also seeing a rather physical divide between Jeng and Pat. Now I'm sure there are color theories that play into this, with the hues of purple at play, but we don't get a closer, albeit still blurred, look of the flowers until Pat gets up to smash his own plate.

There are two plants that I'm almost certain that are making up the parts of the bouquet. First, what I believe to be red peonies, specifically closed darker red peonies, not yet fully bloomed. Second, it seems that the foliage that is being used to fill the bouquet is watermelon peperomia.

Now Peonies are one of the flowers that have a huge variety of origin stories, so I'm going to stick with the Greek origin story of the Red Peonies since they were in a Greek-themed restaurant (where they're smashing plates to throw away their bad luck). In a water-downed version of the origin story, the red peony is tied to a nymph named Paeonia. Paeonia was incredibly beautiful and attracted the attention of Apollo, resulting in a lot of flirtatious exchanges between the two of them. As they were flirting, Paeonia becomes aware of Aphrodite's presence and turns deep red. Out of spite, Aphrodite turns Paeonia into a red peony. As a result, red peonies are typically understood as a sign of bashfulness, passion, and love.

On the other hand, watermelon peperomia, or more generally, peperomia tends to take on the significance of hope and in certain areas of Latin America, are given as gifts to say that 'Everything will be alright.'

First off, this whole sequence of scenes took me incredibly long to get through just because it felt so intimate both due to Jeng's dilemma in confessing and Pat's own internal fight against his misery.

This whole portion was filled with different points where Pat unintentionally gave Jeng openings. From ordering the Lovers' Special to Pat telling Jeng directly, "I prefer the time that we were nothing like a boss and subordinate." The frankness that Pat was giving Jeng, even if he was a bit tipsy, renewed Jeng's hope that just maybe Pat shares some of the same feelings that he does. As @respectthepetty mentioned here Jeng keeps having an internal battle with his love for Pat this whole episode, so the frankness that Pat is gifting Jeng is like a crumb trail that Jeng is more than happy to swallow up. Giving him a semblance of hope, that just maybe, they could go back to who they were before they met as boss and employee.

Which is what leads into the scene of Jeng's imaginary confession to Pat. This whole series of scenes we're given a glimpse into Jeng's internal monologue, and as @shouldiusemyname stated here, so much of Jeng's internal conflict deals with the uncertainty of where he stands with Pat, because even though he's doing everything to subtly show his interest, Pat is rather oblivious. Throughout this whole dinner, Jeng was sending smoke signals that Pat kept putting out. It's palpable that this is out of Jeng's comfort zone, but he is still trying. Yet, he sees the glimpses of pain that Pat has on his shoulder, and instead of wishing for his own happiness or for Pat's love, instead he wishes that everything will get better for Pat. He, very literally, smashes away Pat's sadness.

Moss my heart and hope to die

If I thought Pat and Jeng were surround by plants and flowers before, when they made their way to the speakeasy, they were not only in a presumed queer bar that Jeng frequents [@chicademartinica reaction really mirrored mine here], but they were surrounded by foliage in every room of this bar. The main distinction between the plants here and in other scenes is that the vast majority of the plants in the bar seemed to be non-flowering. Yet, the greenery was always present, either in an actual planter or even as a mural on the walls and beams of this bar.

Now there were so many leafy greens here, that it would be rather difficult to even attempt to pinpoint what plants are where during what time, but I will say the Spanish Moss, that was adorning the exterior of the speakeasy entrance and framing the right side of the shot, was very apparent.

There's a couple legends that come with the significance of Spanish Moss, but the most popular one derives from Spanish legend. According to Spanish lore, a Spanish explorer [some times told to be a pirate] had attempted to 'buy' a beautiful native woman. Obviously, she feared him and ended up running away, attempting to flee his grasp. He pursued her and in a final attempt to escape, she climbed high up into a tree. In his attempt to capture her he follows her up the tree, but becomes entangled in the tree and dies there, the only thing that remained was his 'grey beard' that continued to grow and spread throughout the tree.

Spanish moss, when used spiritually, is typically used to promote protection for the home, as a sign of security, and a general promise of protection. While some may have a preconceived notion of the plant being parasitic, they are also known for the healing qualities that they are able to provide.

Jeng had a specific purpose when he took Pat along to the bar that he frequents with Jaab and Pat goes along because, as @wen-kexing-apologist stated, he's being self-destructive and wants to forget all the pain from his second break-up with Put. Jeng was more than aware that Pat, even though he was shooting him smiles and having a generally good time for the most part, was struggling, hence why he insisted on one more outing before sending him home alone where he knew that Pat would be suffering alone.

Instead, he brings him to the one spot that, very likely, only his inner-circle would know about. This isn't just about the market research they're conducting, it wasn't even on the list that Pat had drawn up so that they could examine and consider applying to Jeng's own restaurant. A line was being crossed, a literal physical barrier in the shape of hidden bookshelf door, because this is Jeng bringing Pat into his personal life. Jeng has some degree of notoriety, which we haven't explicitly been show to what degree except for very select few moments, but everyone keeps mentioning [@respectthepetty has a great post collecting all these moments.] This speakeasy is likely a safe-haven for Jeng, a reprieve from the insane work-life balance that he lacks. This is Jeng inviting Pat into his "home"; this is where Jeng brings Pat to distract him from the pain that he is carrying.

The Spanish Moss adorning the entrance to Jeng's hidden reprieve, while can seem ominous at first glance, is actually an invitation of where Jeng can offer more to Pat. Yet, while Jeng is so love-stricken by Pat that his brain keeps short-circuiting, he knows that his love isn't what Pat needs at the moment. No matter how much he wants to confess, he instead offers to be Pat's safe-haven, much like this bar has been to him. A place, a person, where Pat can be candid of his emotions, where he can drop the false smiles, really simmer in his feelings and really have someone to depend on rather than running away to another country, because of the pain that he is carrying. A restorative and therapeutic location that Pat can run to, which he didn't have before.

Final Thoughts

Now do I think that the producers and set directors put this much deep thought into every, single, specific flowers that were present in all the scenes in Episode 8? I would be honestly shocked if they did. But, plants and flowers are inserted in the arts to symbolize something. Whether it be new beginnings or blooming love or anything in between, so even if they weren't being so intentional with the specific symbolisms, I do think they were utilizing the botanical references to develop subtle understandings of where Pat and Jeng are in their relationship at the moment.

Anyways, if you made your way through all my senseless rambling, first off, thank you, and secondly, I'll leave you with this:

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mistwraiths · 11 months

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5 stars

As if I could write something entirely coherent about the absolute chokehold this book had me in.

Look, if you're interested in big plot or action or fast paced things, this isn't the book for you. If you want a book where queerness is normalized, where there's a competent female Sultan and a female Commander who are great characters and do their jobs well, where there's a slowburn romance between a bodyguard and his prince that absolutely talks about the power dynamic and isn't instalove and is such a slow, sweeping thing, this is for you!!!!!

There's only minimal fantasy elements in here which is sad and I'd love to know more. Touch-tasting, people who can find lies through looking at people's eyes, two moons just casually being announced. I would have loved more of it. But this is ultimately a romance story. The plot is there but only in bits and pieces and, it's rather obvious who is involved. But that's a point of interesting conflict because there's already beef between the characters but it doesn't completely go there too much.

What makes this book so good though is the CHARACTERS themselves.

Kadou. God I just want to PROTECT him. He's a good man and he suffers from near debilitating anxiety that he calls the fear-monster because there's really no word for it there. He calls it cowardice but it ISN'T. And while he might be afraid all the time, he isn't a coward in the LEAST. I loved that he was able to hold his own during a alley brawl and had to save his bodyguard. I loved that he's entirely conscious of everyone's worth and power and such. Reading those scenes where he's having a panic attack and no one knows what to DO literally brought me to tears.

Evemer. God I just LOVE him; he's so disciplined and dutiful and he just wants to be useful and serve people who he seems as worthy and such. I love that he had taken what he heard and made his mind up and didn't like Kadou in the beginning. I love that slowly he began to edit his opinion of Kadou and when he's finally called out (not unkindly) for not liking him, he's honest with him. I love that he's not PERFECT at being the bodyguard.

The side characters?! Chef's kiss. Eozena??? Tadek?? I LOVE that there are people who just love Kadou very much because he just simply deserves it. It's not hammered in to be cheesey in your face. It's just like how could they not? They've known him for years. One loves him as almost his aunt. Another loves him as a friend and past-lover. They know he struggles so they put the words into actions too so he can hopefully believe it.

It was just so beautifully written. THIS IS WHAT A SLOWBURN SHOULD BE. There's angst and wanting and hurt/comfort and more.

I absolutely want more but I'm also so happy with what I have gotten.

#a taste of gold and iron #alexandra rowland #steph reads #steph's book review #book review #2023 reads

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gifs-of-puppets · 1 year

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2022 Muppet Year in Review

The Muppets appeared as special guests in every episode of this season of ABC's Holey Moley over the summer

#the muppets #holey moley #holey moley fore-ever #pepe the king prawn #steph curry #ransom note #muppet #muppets #gif #muppet gif #muppets gif #gifs of puppets #2022 in review

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enneagram-reblogs · 5 months

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Five Star Reviews for Enneagram Eights. From NineTypesCo by Steph Barron Hall.

#ninetypesco #steph barron hall #enneagram #enneagram 8 #5 star reviews

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scrawnytreedemon · 1 year

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I posted 1,060 times in 2022

308 posts created (29%)

752 posts reblogged (71%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@mrslittletall

@scrawnytreedemon

@crisiskuraudo

@caustic-apotheosis

I tagged 1,059 of my posts in 2022

#reblog - 661 posts

#scrawny rambles - 356 posts

#artwork - 322 posts

#fromsoft - 186 posts

#shitpost - 180 posts

#tloz - 161 posts

#elden ring - 116 posts

#queue - 92 posts

#scrawny answers - 89 posts

#bloodborne - 86 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#then pfp!seph would go right back to hollow like 'hiiii 🥰🥰 just got more intel~ let's continue w/ our journey' while hollow goes '👁👁'

My Top Posts in 2022:

Praise be to him, the One and Only; Patron Saint of Martial Knowledge.

111 notes - Posted May 30, 2022

On a (marginally) less batshit note, Final Ghirahim? My little icecream boy.

His hair has The Swoop :)

He has little fangs :) God I love him :) He needs more appreciation <3

134 notes - Posted January 7, 2022

Don't even THINK about calling yourself a self-made man if you're not him.

148 notes - Posted April 4, 2022

LOOK, I know this thread ended up concluding that Micolash, is not, infact, secretly a swole menace...

...HOWEVER I also think it would be INCREDIBLY funny if he pulled a Senator Armstrong and went full, “I PLAYED [FOOTBALL] IN COLLEGE!” while still being a rambling lunatic nerd.

Look.

I’m just saying.

212 notes - Posted May 18, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Decided to take my recent musings and do something with them. Turned out far more bombastic than the initial subtle nod I intended... Ahh, standard fare ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[ soppy rambling beneath the cut ]

Been feeling very nostalgic lately for my pre- and early teens; that'd been when I'd first started getting into Zelda content online. Binge-watching theories and top-tens and peoples' thinkpieces on whatever their favourite (or least favourite) game was.

One of my favourite vids to revisit was a Halloween special rabbidluigi did with some other guy, compiling what they thought were the top 25 creepiest things in Zelda. It's from 2012, so it's rough, to say the least, but it also feels like home.

Skyward Sword was the first Zelda game I ever had, but Twilight Princess was the first game I ever played-- Even if it was a bare scrape into the prologue. Fitting that I draw this guy.

243 notes - Posted December 5, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #scrawny rambles #hgfhjhkjkhHJJKFVKJHKJ WOWIEEEEE #HUH ????#i would like to give specials thanks to the following users:#crisiskuraudo(AKA cris); marshiestars; just-another-tokyo-ghoul-fan(AKA cesium); mrslittletall; cherrylavendertea;#katyahina; redsixwing(AKA six); iinsecta(aka bug); fenharael; drmobiusvanch; alphxnaud; thethrillof; importedragonfruit;#iliothermia(AKA hyde); ghirahimbo(AKA steph); theblindhakune(AKA haku); enide-s-dear; lucindria(AKA celine); breath-of-the-twink;#and no doubt many more of you that i've somehow missed #thank you all for the wonderful time i've had this year #especially during all this chaos #it really has been a privilege #glad to see a healthy balance of fromsoft/zelda in my top postshjhfjkdhjkJHJHKJK #ffvii baby i am SO SORRY let's hope that changes with the new releases next year #[I HOPE...]#so yeah!! thank you all so much :}} looking forward to next year~ 🥰

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