Topic: >>> BRAND NEW SKIN: Dream in Blue <<< (Read 15270 times)

zybex · « **Reply #50 on:** February 16, 2021, 04:34:07 pm »

There's no renaming. It just doesn't re-download because it sees there's already a file with that name (so it skips downloading).
If the ZIP file doesn't exist, there's a popup asking "MC is about to install a Component. Continue?". Then it downloads the ZIP and installs (without overwriting - bug #2)
If the ZIP file already exists, there's no popup. It just extracts the existing one without asking (bug #1)

This is easy to test.

Quote

You are letting MC run the mjp from the download directly with packageinstaller, right?

I'm double-clicking on the downloaded .MJP, which installs the skin and starts MC.

bob · « **Reply #51 on:** February 16, 2021, 04:51:33 pm »

Quote from: zybex on February 16, 2021, 04:34:07 pm

There's no renaming. It just doesn't re-download because it sees there's already a file with that name (so it skips downloading).
If the ZIP file doesn't exist, there's a popup asking "MC is about to install a Component. Continue?". Then it downloads the ZIP and installs (without overwriting - bug #2)
If the ZIP file already exists, there's no popup. It just extracts the existing one without asking (bug #1)

This is easy to test.
I'm double-clicking on the downloaded .MJP, which installs the skin and starts MC.

The downloaded .mjp with the updated version number?
It's up to packageinstaller to upload a new one if the version changes or just overwrite the existing one, kind of looks like it's not doing that.

zybex · « **Reply #52 on:** February 16, 2021, 04:52:59 pm »

OK, some more findings:
- this only happens because I had the old 877.zip file in the downloads folder. On normal process this file will not be left there.
- the unzipping DOES overwrite older files, if the new version has a newer Modified Date. This is OK. It didn't work for me because during my tests I was copying the Skin folder, so the files all got today's date (so were not overwritten when unzipping)

So this changes things:
- it still merges new files with old files on the skin folder; the folder should be cleared before installing. this also avoids any potential problem due to file dates.
- if user downloads the ZIP manually then the .MJP process fails. Maybe MC should ignore/overwrite an existing ZIP

zybex · « **Reply #53 on:** February 16, 2021, 04:54:39 pm »

Quote from: bob on February 16, 2021, 04:51:33 pm

The downloaded .mjp with the updated version number?
It's up to packageinstaller to upload a new one if the version changes or just overwrite the existing one, kind of looks like it's not doing that.

Yes, the MJP is updated, I have both of them for testing. One says "<Version>1.0</Version>" and the other "<Version>1.1</Version>". Both point to the same url of file 877.zip.
It doesn't matter which one you execute - it downloads the ZIP and extracts it, the URL is the same. Except, I already had the old 877.zip on my downloads folder, and in that case it seems the download is skipped.

bob · « **Reply #54 on:** February 16, 2021, 05:06:18 pm »

Quote from: zybex on February 16, 2021, 04:54:39 pm

Yes, the MJP is updated, I have both of them for testing. One says "<Version>1.0</Version>" and the other "<Version>1.1</Version>". Both point to the same url of file 877.zip.
It doesn't matter which one you execute - it downloads the ZIP and extracts it, the URL is the same. Except, I already had the old 877.zip on my downloads folder, and in that case it seems the download is skipped.

Weird, I had no idea that packageinstaller cared at all about the download folder. I agree on the overwrite of the existing folder.

zybex · « **Reply #55 on:** February 16, 2021, 05:11:51 pm »

It's possible that it's whatever folder the .mjp is in, I didn't test on a different folder. For instance, if you download the mjp to the desktop and also have the zip file there, probably behaves the same way.

On mobile, can't test now.

EnglishTiger · « **Reply #56 on:** February 17, 2021, 03:07:55 am »

I just updated my copy of the skin with no problems but I was not using that skin during either the download or the install operations.

Since there was already a 877.mjp file in my downloads folder the new one was named 877 (1).mjp, clicking on that file invoked the install and MC immediately started using the new version of the skin.

I can't see why having a zip file for that skin anywhere on the PC could cause a problem the because the 877.mjp file is the only thing that gets downloaded, the installer uses a zip file that's on the MC servers.

zybex · « **Reply #57 on:** February 17, 2021, 03:15:26 am »

To use a ZIP from the server... MC needs to download it first. If you already have a ZIP with the same name (877.zip) then it won't download.
The problem is not related to the 877.mjp file; this file is a simple text file that just points to the ZIP which needs to be downloaded by MC.

EnglishTiger · « **Reply #58 on:** February 17, 2021, 05:41:40 am »

Zybex - I installed the original version exactly the same way as the new version and there is only 1 difference in the 2 mjp files, the one for the original version has this - <Version>1.0</Version> whilst the one for the new version has this - <Version>1.1</Version>

Therefore if the zip file did get downloaded, unless the install process cleans up after itself, the zip file for the 2nd install must have overwritten the zip file from the 1st one.

zybex · « **Reply #59 on:** February 17, 2021, 05:47:24 am »

If you read all my replies above, you'll see I mentioned that exact same difference. The URL to the ZIP file is the same.
The install process does cleanup after itself. EXCEPT when the zip file already exists (because I had downloaded it manually from this thread). In THAT case, and ONLY THAT case, the download is skipped and it uses the already-existing zip file.

I don't have many more different ways of explaining this...

You can do a simple test:
- create a file called 877.zip with anything inside - for instance, an MP3
- put it in the same folder as 877.mjp, and run the mjp file
- you'll note it doesn't ask you to install a component - it just does.
- check the Skins folder - you'll now have that MP3 there (possibly in 2 or 3 subfolders - Mini View, Theater View and Standard View)

MC doesn't care what's in the file, it just extracts it if it already exists.

zybex · « **Reply #60 on:** February 17, 2021, 05:57:48 am »

@bob,
One other thing that I don't know if it's normal: the skin is extracted to "Skins\Standard View\Dream in Blue", and also to "Skins\Theater View" (without a subfolder). It seems it should create a subfolder there as well?

JimH · « **Reply #61 on:** February 17, 2021, 07:05:12 am »

Quote from: zybex on February 17, 2021, 03:15:26 am

To use a ZIP from the server... MC needs to download it first. If you already have a ZIP with the same name (877.zip) then it won't download.
The problem is not related to the 877.mjp file; this file is a simple text file that just points to the ZIP which needs to be downloaded by MC.

Correct. And then MC executes the mjp file (because it owns the mjp file extension).

JimH · « **Reply #62 on:** February 17, 2021, 07:08:07 am »

Quote from: EnglishTiger on February 17, 2021, 03:07:55 am

I can't see why having a zip file for that skin anywhere on the PC could cause a problem the because the 877.mjp file is the only thing that gets downloaded, the installer uses a zip file that's on the MC servers.

You can read the mjp file with a text editor like notepad.

mjp stands for Media Jukebox Package.

blgentry · « **Reply #63 on:** February 17, 2021, 08:36:46 am »

First, thanks to Bob for pointing me to this new skin (in another unrelated thread).

Second, BIG THANKS to the author for making this! Nice looking skin. I've been using Marko's Black and Blue Too (HC SB) for years now. It's a good skin. This is a nice change that's brighter, yet still subdued.

I'm still "stuck" on MC26 so I needed the "X" close button on the tabs. That was very easy to enable. Next the font size in the Player area (up top) was too small. That was very easy to find. Two tweaks later (160 for title font, 120 for status font) and it's nice and legible on my system. <hits big red button> "That was easy!"

I'm using this on a 27" 5k iMac. Strangely, this 5k native screen runs at a scaled "2.5k" by default. I think it's so fonts look normal and stuff. The Mac is doubling what it gets from the OS. It yields a really smooth and sharp looking display. But technically it's not even a 4k resolution. Despite that, this skin (which is designed for 4k monitors) looks very good on my 27" display.

I'll be trying this out for a few days and see how permanent it becomes in my setup.

Brian.

HPBEME · « **Reply #64 on:** February 17, 2021, 08:46:17 am »

Wow... I thought confining the skin download to the accessories page would make life simpler, but apparently I opened up a can-o-worms instead.

I can confirm that using the MJP self-installer directly (i.e. NOT downloading first and then manual launching the zip), it extracts the entire Dream in Blue folder contents into top level of the Theater View folder. Not sure when I would have discovered that without zybex's post. That has never happened when I have grabbed any other skin over the last 15 years. I deleted all those files and ran it again just now, and yep... extracted all the files to the Theater View folder again.

That said, it DID install to the Standard View folder perfectly without file/folder duplication or any other issues. I also see the skin download counter on the accessories page is now working... Thanks Bob!

HPBEME · « **Reply #65 on:** February 17, 2021, 09:08:38 am »

Thanks for the kind words blgentry/Brian - it was an incredibly painful, long, tedious process, so I am happy folks are enjoying it. That is great news it works well on your Mac with a very uncommon resolution... that bodes well for other resolutions/scale settings.

I assume you have read (most of) this thread, but if not, you may not be aware that you can swap out skin configs by overwriting the main.xml with any of the additional included XML's. I won't repeat it all here, but check out replies #1, #40, and #47 for more info.

bob · « **Reply #66 on:** February 17, 2021, 01:13:33 pm »

the install from the plugin page should be fixed now.

HPBEME · « **Reply #67 on:** February 17, 2021, 01:24:21 pm »

I confirm it no longer unzips everything into the top level Theater View. Thank you Bob. I leave it to zybex to verify if it resolves the issues he was seeing.

zybex · « **Reply #68 on:** February 17, 2021, 01:28:01 pm »

No, that would require fixes in MC itself.
This only happened to me because I downloaded the ZIP file directly from this thread, before you published it on the plugins page. I guess there weren't many others doing the same.

marko · « **Reply #69 on:** February 21, 2021, 11:53:49 pm »

Bob,
The mjp file for this skin is still all wrong somehow...

It is correctly adding the directory under Skins\Standard View, but, it is also leaving a copy of all of the skin files in MC's root directory?

I'm not sure what's going on.

The 877.zip file does not contain the folder, only the files. In my experience, the archive should have the folder, with the skin components inside.

The mjr file itself is way more involved than the ones that install my skins. Is all that extra stuff (that I don't fully understand) necessary?

Mine simply contain:

Code: [Select]

[Package]

Name=Arctic Winter HC
Action=INSTALLSKIN
Url=http://URL/Arctic%20Winter%20HC.zip

To be sure, I deleted the folder in Standard View and tried again, with the same result.
I click the Download button, and instruct the browser to open the file with the package installer.

-marko

EnglishTiger · « **Reply #70 on:** February 22, 2021, 09:22:21 am »

Quote from: marko on February 21, 2021, 11:53:49 pm

Bob,
The mjp file for this skin is still all wrong somehow...

It is correctly adding the directory under Skins\Standard View, but, it is also leaving a copy of all of the skin files in MC's root directory?

I'm not sure what's going on.

The 877.zip file does not contain the folder, only the files. In my experience, the archive should have the folder, with the skin components inside.

The mjr file itself is way more involved than the ones that install my skins. Is all that extra stuff (that I don't fully understand) necessary?

Mine simply contain:
Code: [Select]
[Package] Name=Arctic Winter HC Action=INSTALLSKIN Url=http://URL/Arctic%20Winter%20HC.zip
To be sure, I deleted the folder in Standard View and tried again, with the same result.
I click the Download button, and instruct the browser to open the file with the package installer.

-marko

It's doing the same thing if instead of telling the browser to open the mjp file you tell Win Explorer to open it.

bob · « **Reply #71 on:** February 22, 2021, 10:12:20 am »

Try it again.
It should be good now.
It shouldn't have had the action it appears, that's what caused it to write to the MC27 installation dir.

marko · « **Reply #72 on:** February 22, 2021, 11:57:38 am »

That's it sorted now. Cheers bob.

HPBEME · « **Reply #73 on:** February 28, 2021, 06:55:52 pm »

One of the primary features of this skin is the user can choose from multiple image options for various skin elements (i.e., play buttons, close/min/max buttons, volume bar, track bar, among many, many, others) in order to tweak the skin to their personal taste. I had started to put together an "image reference document” to make it easier to find/select these images, including image descriptions, instructions, the specific XML location, etc., all to facilitate editing the XML.

However, that takes much time and effort, and I am not sure if anyone would even use it. Since nobody has volunteered whether they are taking advantage of this feature, I guess I will just ask directly. Is anyone modifying the skin? Is anyone using any of the 6 different configurations? Or is everyone just using the baseline main.xml “as-is”? If it is the latter, I guess I will shelve that project.

For those who have no idea what I am talking about, read post #1. You may also want to check out the 18 hi-resolution slides I made: https://www.docdroid.net/Rlg6sth/dib-configs-pdf. It shows all 6 configs (automatically included when you download the skin from the accessories page), with each config in blue, green, and red (green & red uses MC's Skin Effects). The MC Skin Effect "grayscale" also looks great, but that is not shown in the linked document.

billinrio · « **Reply #74 on:** April 11, 2021, 12:08:56 pm »

Nice looking skin. Unfortunately, I'm not able to use it on the Mac.

HPBEME · « **Reply #75 on:** April 11, 2021, 01:41:52 pm »

Many people here have successfully installed it on a Mac. Try the steps below:

• Save the .MJP file instead of opening via the Package Installer (default)
• Open the .MJP file using MS Notepad or Notepad++. Inside the MJP file, there is a URL: http://accessories.musicex.com/mediacenter/mc_data/plugins/877.zip
• Copy the URL into a browser address bar and navigate to the site (or just click the link in the previous bullet). Save/download the 877.zip
• For reference, see reply #35 in this thread by Bob:

"The automated install method only works on windows at this time. For Mac, you can download the skin from the accessories page then unzip it into:
~/Library/Application\ Support\J\ River\Media\ Center\ 27/Skins/Standard\ View/

It should be in a folder of it's own, if you use the zip file from the accessories page, create the folder:"
Dream\ in\ Blue, under Standard\ View, and unzip into there.

Hope the above works for you.

bob · « **Reply #76 on:** April 12, 2021, 03:45:46 pm »

The most recent Mac releases will install it the same as in windows simply by clicking on the link in the plugin page.
The only difference is after it's installed, if MC was already running you need to restart it before the download takes effect.

gappie · « **Reply #77 on:** April 16, 2021, 09:39:13 am »

Just want to say: "thank you very much. this is a beautiful skin. i love it! "

gab

HPBEME · « **Reply #78 on:** April 16, 2021, 08:26:58 pm »

Praise from one of the JRiver forum legends… I am honored. You voted 10 on the accessories page too… right? Yep, I am that shameless.

Now if only ALL the JRiver legends would download the skin (and voted on it too), I would be soooo happy. I am talkin’ to you… Matt, glynor, jmone, Awesome Donkey, RoderickGI, Hendrik, fitbrit, and too many others to list (legends marko, zybex, and blgentry were early adopters). It would be great if this skin became one of the default skins automatically included with every JRiver install - though I need to do one more/final update before that happens.

In any event, thank you very much for the positive feedback... it is very much appreciated.

Sangie · « **Reply #79 on:** May 29, 2021, 02:51:00 am »

Thanks for making this skin! Is there any way you could make it has the MacOS buttons for close and minimize on the left side instead of the right?

Here's examples of buttons from Black on Black

Sangie · « **Reply #80 on:** May 29, 2021, 02:59:28 am »

I made some edits to make it so the close, maximize, and minimize buttons fit the theming of the OS:

I mainly added the Mac buttons posted above and changed the main.xml MAINFRAME section. I don't know what all the other xml files are, but I didn't edit them.

Here's my changes:

Code: [Select]

  <MAINFRAME>
    <Data MinimumWidth="650" MinimumHeight="400" />
    <Entry Name="LeftBorder" Bitmap="MainFrame_LeftBorder.png" Margins="1,0,0,0" DrawMode="REGION_E_HSTRETCH,REGION_E_VTILE" Scale="2" />
    <Entry Name="RightBorder" Bitmap="MainFrame_RightBorder.png" Margins="0,0,1,0" DrawMode="REGION_E_HSTRETCH,REGION_E_VTILE" Scale="2" />
    <Entry Name="TopBorder" Bitmap="MainFrame_TopBorder.png" Columns="624,?-Flex,24" Row="6,?-Flex,2" Scale="2" />
    <Entry Name="BottomBorder" Bitmap="MainFrame_BottomBorder.png" Margins="18,0,18,16" DrawMode="REGION_E_HSTRETCH,REGION_E_VTILE,REGION_B_STRETCH,REGION_H_STRETCH" Scale="2" />
    <Entry Name="CloseButton" Platform="Windows" Bitmap="Close.png" NumberImages="5" Alignment="2" OffsetX="-3" OffsetY="1" Scale="2" />
    <Entry Name="MaximizeButton" Platform="Windows" Bitmap="Maximize.png" NumberImages="5" Alignment="2" OffsetX="-29" OffsetY="1" Scale="2" />
    <Entry Name="RestoreButton" Platform="Windows" Bitmap="Restore.png" NumberImages="5" Alignment="2" OffsetX="-29" OffsetY="1" Scale="2" />
    <Entry Name="MinimizeButton" Platform="Windows" Bitmap="Minimize.png" NumberImages="5" Alignment="2" OffsetX="-55" OffsetY="1" Scale="2" />
    
    <Entry Name="CloseButton" Platform="Mac" Bitmap="Close-mac.png" NumberImages="5" Alignment="0" OffsetX="8" OffsetY="5" Scale="4" />
    <Entry Name="MaximizeButton" Platform="Mac" Bitmap="Maximize-mac.png" NumberImages="5" Alignment="0" OffsetX="48" OffsetY="5" Scale="4" />
    <Entry Name="RestoreButton" Platform="Mac" Bitmap="Restore-mac.png" NumberImages="5" Alignment="0" OffsetX="48" OffsetY="5" Scale="4" />
    <Entry Name="MinimizeButton" Platform="Mac" Bitmap="Minimize-mac.png" NumberImages="5" Alignment="0" OffsetX="28" OffsetY="5" Scale="4" />
	
    <Entry Name="CloseButton" Platform="Linux" Bitmap="Close.png" NumberImages="5" Alignment="2" OffsetX="-3" OffsetY="1" Scale="2" />
    <Entry Name="MaximizeButton" Platform="Linux" Bitmap="Maximize.png" NumberImages="5" Alignment="2" OffsetX="-29" OffsetY="1" Scale="2" />
    <Entry Name="RestoreButton" Platform="Linux" Bitmap="Restore.png" NumberImages="5" Alignment="2" OffsetX="-29" OffsetY="1" Scale="2" />
    <Entry Name="MinimizeButton" Platform="Linux" Bitmap="Minimize.png" NumberImages="5" Alignment="2" OffsetX="-55" OffsetY="1" Scale="2" />
      
    <Entry Name="Splitter" Face3DColor="f0f4fd" Shadow3DColor="566069" Hilight3DColor="000000" Scale="2" />
    <Entry Name="SlimPlayer" Bitmap="SlimPlayer.png" Columns="10,?-Flex,10" Scale="2" />
    <Entry Name="FullscreenPlayer" Bitmap="FullscreenPlayer.png" Columns="10,?-Flex,10" Scale="2" />
  </MAINFRAME>

zybex · « **Reply #81 on:** May 29, 2021, 04:15:54 am »

Nice going Sangie, you took 8 minutes from requesting a fix to making and posting it yourself!

EnglishTiger · « **Reply #82 on:** June 09, 2021, 02:14:19 am »

Belated congratulations to HPBME for creating a skin that is proving to be very popular.

There are 2 New V3.0 ET TrackInfo Plugins, ET Dream in Blue Ultimate I and ET Dream in Blue Ultimate II availabe
You can read about them here - https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,134776.0.html
or View and Download them here - https://englishtiger.uk/index.html

The 3 Original TrackInfo Plugins I created for the Dream in Blue Skin: - ET BlueDream - Classical TrackInfo, ET BlueDream - TrackInfo and ET BlueDream - Lyrics also appear to popular, despite me not telling anybody of their existence.

Those 3 plugins have now been updated to correct some minor errors/mistakes, implement some new features and have been joined by a 4th one ET BlueDream - Ultimate TrackInfo.

You can read about them here - https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,129621.0.html

terrym@tassie · « **Reply #83 on:** June 12, 2021, 02:44:10 am »

Just wanted to add my belated congratulations on this skin with all it's variations, very good work indeed!

I am even more pleased with the fantastically detailed comments for main.xml, they are an absolute goldmine of information regarding MC skins.
Your naming approach for images is also very good and I shall certainly be basing my own personal skins on this template in future.

Thank you very much for doing this, it is going to be enormously helpful.

Terry

HPBEME · « **Reply #84 on:** June 26, 2021, 09:22:45 pm »

Quote

Just wanted to add my belated congratulations on this skin with all it's variations, very good work indeed!

Thank you for the recognition regarding the variations... I was wondering if anyone was actually using them - glad to hear that you are.

Quote

I am even more pleased with the fantastically detailed comments for main.xml, they are an absolute goldmine of information regarding MC skins.
Your naming approach for images is also very good and I shall certainly be basing my own personal skins on this template in future.

Hah! Thank you! I did put an enormous amount of effort into commenting the file, albeit with a fair amount of editorializing

. And I am glad you appreciate the naming convention too - I did give that more than just a random thought.

Quote

Thank you very much for doing this, it is going to be enormously helpful.

I look forward to seeing your skins in the future!

GaryG45 · « **Reply #85 on:** July 05, 2021, 06:42:54 am »

Thanks for creating this skin. I'm just beginning to use different skins, and I really like this one.

Dawgincontrol · « **Reply #86 on:** July 08, 2021, 09:05:44 pm »

Just wanted t say I appreciate and like this skin. Made a couple of minor changes easily to show Playlists and musicians for a track. Many thanks. A look at mine with the mods.

HPBEME · « **Reply #87 on:** July 10, 2021, 09:00:03 am »

Glad you are enjoying the skin Dawg.

Just a note though - that beautiful TrackInfo plug-in you are using was created by English Tiger. I have no doubt he will appreciate the tweak you made to suit your needs. He has a thread dedicated to his incredibly large stable (a dozen or so I believe!) of Track Info plug-ins here: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,129621.0.html

He made several in his line-up to be visually compatible with the Dream in Blue skin, and I know he put in tremendous effort to make them powerful and the most flexible TrackInfo you can download.

Dawgincontrol · « **Reply #88 on:** July 10, 2021, 10:15:05 am »

Thanks sent.

bob · « **Reply #89 on:** December 14, 2021, 03:37:23 pm »

I use this skin daily on all 3 platforms. Love it.
Just noticed however that the x button to close tabs is missing.

HPBEME · « **Reply #90 on:** December 14, 2021, 05:19:52 pm »

You can add the "X" back as noted in the original post - see the 4th sentence below:

Quote from: HPBEME on February 02, 2021, 08:09:13 pm

With the release of MC27, you can now close tabs via middle mouse click (just like in every browser)… yay! Consequently, I don’t show the tab close button at all - just middle click to close them. Tab close buttons make the tabs excessively wide, which can be a problem if you use a lot of tabs. That said, if you are using MC26 or earlier, or you just want a tab close button, you can easily “turn it on” by deleting the “X” from the file extension SV_TabClose1.pngX (go to Section: SPLITVIEWTAB in the Main.xml).

I am very glad you are enjoying the skin Bob, just modify the xml file as noted and you will get the close button back. That said, I never use Dream in Blue myself anymore - I created a new skin that simply blows it out of the water... it is exquisite perfection.

bob · « **Reply #91 on:** December 14, 2021, 07:10:33 pm »

Quote from: HPBEME on December 14, 2021, 05:19:52 pm

You can add the "X" back as noted in the original post - see the 4th sentence below:

I am very glad you are enjoying the skin Bob, just modify the xml file as noted and you will get the close button back. That said, I never use Dream in Blue myself anymore - I created a new skin that simply blows it out of the water... it is beautiful perfection.

Oh, I missed that. Thanks.

Also, quite the tease

HPBEME · « **Reply #92 on:** December 14, 2021, 07:32:31 pm »

Not really a tease... just stating that I made a much better skin.
I don't plan on uploading this new skin. I have put well north of 1000 hours into it, and I cannot see just giving it away. I also know JRiver will not pay me for it, so I have shared the skin with a few close friends, and that's it.

bob · « **Reply #93 on:** December 14, 2021, 08:02:33 pm »

Quote from: HPBEME on December 14, 2021, 07:32:31 pm

Not really a tease... just stating that I made a much better skin.
I don't plan on uploading this new skin. I have put well north of 1000 hours into it, and I cannot see just giving it away. I also know JRiver will not pay me for it, so I have shared the skin with a few close friends, and that's it.

Fair enough!

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Author Topic: >>> BRAND NEW SKIN: Dream in Blue <<< (Read 15270 times)