Tell us about your novel

Beacon80
Tell us about your novel

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Posted on:
Okt 13, 2009 - 14 11

No one's started this thread yet, so I'll do it.
My novel is called "Diana of the Hunt." It's a story I've been building in my head for over a decade now. It was initially intended to be a webcomic, but after three failed attempts, I'm turning prose.
Diana of the Hunt takes place in a stereotypical fantasy world, but the story is dedicated to breaking stereotypes. Diana has the heart of a warrior. She knows she'll be a great adventurer. The problem is that she's' a woman, and most of the world sees a woman with a sword as a big joke.

So what's your story about?
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2005 The Life and Times of an Evil Henchman - 35,615 words
2006 Daybreak - 50,068 words - WINNER!

Della BucklandGlowing Halo

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Posted on:
Okt 13, 2009 - 16 02

A hunter in an attempt to save lover is drawn into a race against time to save mankind from the Age of Aeon only to discover that she is not who she thinks she is.

That is the broad scope of the novel, but I only have a few ideas and some things that I want in the novel, but I don't know much more.

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Della
"Writer by passion - insane by choice"
"May the Dragons watch over and protect you until we meet again"

mandreas

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Posted on:
Okt 13, 2009 - 18 48

HEH- well first off, I am a serious seat-of-the pants writer, so I usually jump in with few if any guide maps. Also, as any of you know who have had to try and sum up a book in one or two lines-loglines (aka pitch lines) are a pain.

Keeping that in mind- this year- I'm doing it backwards- Logline with an extra line. Then I build the book around it-more or less ;). Just came up with my character's name- so things are looking up!

"In an alternative Victorian London, a vampiric medical examiner must find a way to fight off an invasion from Mars. And deal with a lost tribe of African Pygmys."

I figure at the very least that logline should get me some VERY creative scenes! Either it's going to be the most outlandish book I've done yet, or it will make my head implode....really hoping for the first option. ;)

Marie

Kadevi

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Posted on:
Okt 15, 2009 - 06 29

I haven't decided on which storyline I'm going to follow, at the moment. I'm going to be WAY too busy volunteering at the San Diego Asian Film Festival [[url=http://www.sdaff.org/festival/2009/index.php]shout-out![/url]] to even think about planning or writing at the moment...

I'm pretty sure I know which idea I want to go with, though...

This story Involves a very Robin Hood-like organization that has formed in the slums of the Lower City, so called because there exists a wide divide between the rich and the poor in the capital city of a recently prosperous kingdom called Desteria. The leader is the Lord of Thieves - and this thirteen Rogues are his hands, legs, and eyes in his domain, keeping the peace and maintaining a semblance of life despite the terrible conditions that plague the poverty-stricken denizens of the Lower City.

Their only job isn't to govern their small little kingdoms (districts) in the Lower City, though. The current Lord of Thieves has plans - great plans - to push laws into the forums of the rich and wealthy, to improve living conditions, and to take away the undeserved privilege of the wealthy class, many of whom have long abandoned the time-honored ideals of noblesse oblige. However, his agenda has caught more than the eye of sympathetic supporters - it as caught the eye of some very dangerous and wealthy noblemen, who would do anything to keep the status quo standing as it has been.

Even kill.

In this crisis caused by an urbanization that has come too fast and too crowded, comes the rise of the first female ever to ascend the ranks of the Rogues, who have been traditionally all-male (or, at the very minimum, too dismissive of a woman's ability to rule as a Rogue to ever pick one).

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Elliquiy Role Playing Forums :: A different dream exists here . . .

SuperBecca

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Posted on:
Okt 15, 2009 - 10 03

Few people have heard my idea, and for good reason. It's based in all times and places, in the supernatural. My main character is a vampire from South America. She and her sister have several average (feel free to stretch the meaning of this word) vampiric adventures until they meet Michael, a human who they have met before - centuries earlier. What is Michael's secret? How does his soul live forever, while their vampire souls are dying? Well, we shall see, won't we. :)

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ScriptFrenzy winner 2009: Jenny: The Doctor's Daughter (cowritten with RodwenofRohan)

wingedcreatureGlowing Halo

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Okt 15, 2009 - 19 19

Well, this year I'm doing 2 novels, and it worked pretty well last year, so I figured it would work again this year.

One novel is about this girl who witnesses a murder, testifies, and has to go into witness protection because of it. I don't really have any plot details (but plenty of character info), other than that she has to testify against one of her uncles.

My other novel is going to be based off of dares. A merry band of travelers go searching for the strangest pants the world has ever seen.

I think my head may explode after a couple days.

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---
San Diego NaNoWriMo ML: 2007-2009

alchemi
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Posted on:
Okt 15, 2009 - 19 46

Quote:
One novel is about this girl who witnesses a murder, testifies, and has to go into witness protection because of it. I don't really have any plot details (but plenty of character info), other than that she has to testify against one of her uncles.

Sounds like someone really *needs* to go to the plot-in!

MrZiggles

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Posted on:
Okt 17, 2009 - 17 14

Yeah. This isn't going so well. I had my basic plot outline, my map of the city where the novel takes place, my brief character bios. Then a couple days ago I decided I wanted to write a totally different novel.

(sigh)

wingedcreatureGlowing Halo

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Okt 17, 2009 - 18 19

alchemi wrote:
Quote:
One novel is about this girl who witnesses a murder, testifies, and has to go into witness protection because of it. I don't really have any plot details (but plenty of character info), other than that she has to testify against one of her uncles.

Sounds like someone really *needs* to go to the plot-in!

Yeah, it would definitely help if I could go, but I figure it'll be more fun to plot it out at work, and answer a million questions on how I'm not doing homework, and then explaining NaNo to people that I've worked with for a couple years. You'd think by now they'd kinda get it but apparently not.
---
San Diego NaNoWriMo ML: 2007-2009

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San Diego NaNoWriMo ML: 2007-2009

firehawkk

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Posted on:
Okt 19, 2009 - 13 09

I have an idea that I've been working on in one form or another for pretty much 8 years or so. I've got the main over-arching plot line, but no real idea of how best to start this thing, or really get it going to jibe from one place to another. But here's the line I just had to cement it.

A role play gamer deep into Vampire: the Masquerade finds out just how accurate her game is.

It'll be based in Escondido and San Diego county, during October 2003... just in time for the Firestorm. ^_^

My other novel will require way more research before I can really get going on it... so that's for another time.

Firehawkk

alexegz30

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Posted on:
Okt 19, 2009 - 15 07

Last year I made it a point to start with a blank slate, so I came up with a single paragraph which gave me imagery enough that I could create a story around it.

This year I'm debating the prospect of taking an old "novel" idea and running with it or following the same process that worked last time. (yay!)

I like scifi, and read just about every kind of genre out there in one form or another, so the next one is open to just about anything.

jstersd

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Posted on:
Okt 19, 2009 - 18 26

I was side-lined last year by life, unfortunately completing only about 12,000 words. This year I'm full of gusto, madness and a full tin of hyper-caffeinated bliss.

I'm working on a story in my head and will probably put a few of the plot and characters sketches on paper this weekend. I'm working on a horror idea that has been percolating since I was a kid. I had recurring dreams of a dark, trenchcoat guy who followed me in my dreams. When he came close, my dream turned into a nightmare. I found out many years later that my sister and brother had the exact same dreams. My brother died two weeks after telling us this.

If that doesn't scream out for a story I don't know what does!

I look forward to seeing everyone again this year at the midnight soire.

TheEvilAuthores...

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Okt 22, 2009 - 20 39

i have three ideas that have going on, and they all have paragraphs that i came up with on random days that I'm basing the story around... What do you all think:

The Log of Emmerson Harris: Nobleman-

When High class Emmerson Harris gets framed for a crime against the crown he must go on the run.

Day __-

It seems those in the country aren't as savage as originally thought: they are rather organized. The local militia got wind of me, and decided that the reward for my head was enough for them to come looking for me. As I ran once again (I was starting to like this quaint life; what a pity) I stumbled upon a girl: a plain little thing, not yet 13, as I learned later. Fright must have been in my eyes, as she pointed off into a barn. I heard her speak to the militia and for a frightening moment I though she had trapped me in here, but I was wrong. She had led them away, sparing me my life...

Cicy-

Cicile is fresh out of high school with no car and a job a good ways away. She takes the bus and makes new friends both at work and in transit.

"So," he said, sliding into the seat next to me, "I'm guessing you take this bus often?" The boy paused as a blush began to creep over his face to match his red hair. Even I (as someone who had practically had no social life in high school) could tell he was embarrassed. "I'm not trying to hit on you, I swear. Wow," he added, "That sounded horribly corny. I'm Johnathan, btw."

This one doesn't have a title...

It's a scifi idea with aliens... They copy the bodies of humans and try to live amongst the humans, but they aren't being accepted...

It all made sense now: why all these kids seems less trusting than those that roamed my old school; why the wispers were more harsh, the avoidance more complete.
I stared into eyes that were mine, as if in a mirror. They were framed by brown hair that was the same color but worn down, sliding past shoulders exactly like mine. Those eyes narrowed and I watched the mouth that was a perfect copy of mine hiss what had, in the last few years, had become the harshest insult to hit anyone's ears: "Alien."

I have ideas for each, but I have no idea which to choose...

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"If I think I can figure things out, is that curiosity or arrogance?"

jstersd

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Posted on:
Okt 23, 2009 - 05 56

Why not mix them together?

Rosemary.Striech

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Okt 23, 2009 - 16 45

My story is tentatively titled "Sandy Bottom: A Tale of Woe and Woot". Silly, most definitely. I felt that I had to name it something. So, there you go. In no way does the title express what I hope to accomplish; however, it puts me in a good, writerly mood whenever I read it, as if I need to make up in the story what the title lacks. hehe.

At its core, it is about two best friends coming into their own, making choices that will bring them together or apart. Oh yeah, and there are supernatural elements. (Naturally. =P) The friends are the only characters I have spent much time developing. Other characters will depend on where the story lines go... and my mood. Their life expectancy may be short. Oh no, I am already planning deaths. haha.

I've got a good feel for the environment. (Huzzah for minor victories!)

Essentially, I am hoping to work on my ability to foil. (Oo, shininess.) Hopefully, I myself will not be foiled by lack of planning, competence, or energy. Three cheers for Coke!

See you at the write-ins (hopefully) and the finish line (definitely)!

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-- n_n Rose --

2009 Outcome unknown.
2008 Epic fail. =(

"The world is a mess, and I just need to rule it."-- Dr. Horrible

"Must you write complete sentences each time, every time? Perish the thought.” -- Stephen King

selenehekateGlowing Halo

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Posted on:
Okt 23, 2009 - 18 32

I'm having the hardest time choosing between not two, but three ideas!

The first is a slight downer titled The Price of Love. It's about a girl who commits suicide... 'nough said. Of course, there's a twist... but I'm kind of drawn to this one because a kid at my school recently died, and the memories are so fresh.

Then there's the complete-and-total-fantasy-it'll-never-in-life-actually-happen-haha one. It's called Devil May Care and it's about a reaper (someone who collects souls). I really like the main character that I've developed, but I don't actually have a definitive plot...

And the last one, entitled Sole Survivor, is based on the TV show Survivor (with my own characters, of course). I absolutely love the plot I have for this one, and I've been wanting to write it for so long... but unless I want to go to jail, then once this one's written, well to be blunt, it's worthless.

Arg! I have do idea!

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If DANCE were any easier, it'd be FOOTBALL!

2008-Ashes (50k)
2009-The Price of Love (working title)

Rosemary.Striech

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Okt 23, 2009 - 18 42

Personally, I am most attracted to Devil May Care. I wouldn't worry about not having a definitive plot. If you like the characters, then you will enjoy the ride more, methinks. Not to mention, if you like them, your readers are probably going to like them. =)

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-- n_n Rose --

2009 Outcome unknown.
2008 Epic fail. =(

"The world is a mess, and I just need to rule it."-- Dr. Horrible

"Must you write complete sentences each time, every time? Perish the thought.” -- Stephen King

emeraldbeacon

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Okt 23, 2009 - 23 35

Well... this is the first time I've ever tried something like this, myself. So we're going to see how it goes... maybe it'll be a valuable and rewarding experience, or maybe I'll just go insane. Heck, maybe I already AM insane...

My novel has no title to speak of yet... it didn't even start out as a novel concept, in fact. I'm trying to build a world for a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, and was fleshing out one of the kingdoms in this world... and all of a sudden, the characters within that kingdom began to come to life, and a story popped up around them. So, I figured, why not try to run with that?

The tale itself focuses on the tensions found along the border of a human kingdom and orc tribal lands, with a handful of elves and dwarfs thrown in for good measure. The orcs want to live in peace, the humans want the valuable land they occupy. The Queen wants vengeance for a perceived wrong, while some figures in the shadows want something far more important. And the hero just wants to make his way through life, without realizing that he's connected to everything far more than he could ever realize...

selenehekateGlowing Halo

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Posted on:
Okt 24, 2009 - 07 28

Rosemary.Striech wrote:
Personally, I am most attracted to Devil May Care. I wouldn't worry about not having a definitive plot. If you like the characters, then you will enjoy the ride more, methinks. Not to mention, if you like them, your readers are probably going to like them. =)

Thanks, I'll take that into consideration! Today, I'm leaning towards The Price of Love... then again, yesterday I was thinking Devil May Care!

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If DANCE were any easier, it'd be FOOTBALL!

2008-Ashes (50k)
2009-The Price of Love (working title)

havishanta

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Okt 26, 2009 - 21 17

I personally have no clue what I'm writing about yet. My friend keeps reminding me I only have about 4 days. ^^; I'll probably end up with a first person cliche about high school since that's where I am now and we're supposed to write what we know, right?

Beacon80

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Posted on:
Okt 27, 2009 - 08 54

havishanta wrote:
I personally have no clue what I'm writing about yet. My friend keeps reminding me I only have about 4 days. ^^; I'll probably end up with a first person cliche about high school since that's where I am now and we're supposed to write what we know, right?

Throw in ninjas. Ninjas make everything better!

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2005 The Life and Times of an Evil Henchman - 35,615 words
2006 Daybreak - 50,068 words - WINNER!

Ooklah

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Okt 29, 2009 - 22 48

I haven't had much time to think about it. But I did pull up an old idea that I never used. Which gave me a start for plot this year.

There are these books, they are books of bookmarks. They have the ability to travel to other places. A person who can use one of the books, can put in their own places and remove others. Since they have a limited number of pages, there are only so many bookmarks a book can hold.

Now the guy who created these books had gotten them stolen from him. He was working on a different project involving the books. They work completely fine, but its not what they were designed for. What they were for, he's not telling just yet.
Unfortunately, while you can travel to a place with the book, other things can travel to the books and "come out of the book". The thieves who had taken this had found this out the hard way. The books quickly disappeared into the world and were lost or hidden or in some people's private collections. Rumors began to spread about the books as they passed hands about the amazing worlds in the books and what terrible things can happen to people.

In a short amount of time they became their own Myth. The books now are referred to Pandora's Books.

The setting is steam punk, which should ground me from space like my last two novels. (I'll figure out how to get in space anyway)

The annoying thing is I figured this backstory out and what to call it on Sunday. On monday I got Borderlands unlocked and could play it. I discovered in the game, the world there is called Pandora... grrrr
Today (Thursday) I watched the trailer for Avatar AND their world is called Pandora! BLAGH!
This annoys me. Cause now I'll feel like I just copied from other people. When I didn't!

Beacon80

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Posted on:
Okt 30, 2009 - 07 48

I wouldn't worry about it Ookiah. Pandora's a very common name used, and from what it sounds like:
A) Your Pandora is just referring to the books, not a world.
B) Your use of Pandora is much more appropriate (don't open or bad stuff comes out)
Admittedly, I'm not familiar with Boderlands or Avatar, so maybe their use of the word "Pandora" is more fitting than I realize.
Regardless, my advice remains the same: Don't worry about it.

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2005 The Life and Times of an Evil Henchman - 35,615 words
2006 Daybreak - 50,068 words - WINNER!

PringGlowing Halo

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Nov 4, 2009 - 14 29

First year I've done it, but have been aware of Nano for quite some time.

Joined 10/31 with a blank page and one word "Blue" as the title, from a poem I had just written for someone.
Novel has nothing to do with the poem, I started with the basic Hero's Journey outline (highly recommend this if you've never done this before, it has helped A LOT) and have been plotting and writing for three evenings. I had intended to just do a simple outline (I'm using Freehand, which is awesome btw), but the outline has turned into basic scenes with quite a lot of dialog to go with the plot.

Setting: Near future, New York
Plot: College age male, Alex Rodriguez, enrolled in a special school for artificial DNA engineering linked getting a job for a bleeding edge genetics company. He is a courier to pay for school and is estranged from dad (mom dead). He gets a call for help from an old girlfriend but finds her comatose related to a blue vial club drug. The cops find her dead and member of an organized crime family (ya, they still have those, its actually worst) and Alex becomes a person of interest. He is almost assassinated in his apartment and ends up in an alley with the King of the Bums beginning an adventure living off the grid and on the run. He hooks up with a friend in the genetics company and realizes that his father (a member of the same Hispanic organized crime family) is working with a rogue element in the genetics company to distribute a designer club drug which is an early version of a mind control drug being engineered for the military. Alex teams up with his courier friends and his dad (the mob are fickle with their non-familial affiliations) to disrupt the shipment of the military grade drug and Alex succeeds in winning the battle and winning the affections of his pretty teammate crush. The gang returns to the city after hiding out to find that the public got a hold of part of the shipment and the news is out about this artificial DNA nano-organism that connects your brain sensorium to a network of everyone else who takes the full version of Blue; thousands of people are ‘online’ and millions are demanding to buy Blue. The military has dropped their contract with the company after an international stink about mind control embarrasses the president. The genetics company quickly begins marketing the ‘brain prosthetic’ to the public; all charges against Alex et al for interrupting the military shipment are dropped and replaced with a guaranteed job when Alex finishes school. Alex returns to his courier job; his future bright and the world changed.

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MrZiggles

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Posted on:
Nov 4, 2009 - 19 02

The lives of several diverse people interconnect and overlap during a revolution in a small island nation.

mlsuthe

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Posted on:
Nov 5, 2009 - 00 13

You guys have all interesting, adventurous novels. So far, mine has been characterized by the most realistic dialogue and descriptions of my characters' mundane day to day lives. At many points, it's depressing. There is though, in the background, the threat of 'terrorism' which is really just an abstract idea to overshadow the mood of the novel.

This is my first shot at any sort of lengthy fiction, and Nano. We'll see how it goes.

kelseroo

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Posted on:
Nov 6, 2009 - 09 51

My novel is called "Let Me Be Honest."
Synopsis:
Imagine if you said the things you've always wanted to say to someone? Kay decides to write a series of brutally honest letters to the people in her life. The complicated web of relationships along with hilarious, heartbreaking, and endearing stories are revealed in these letters to family, friends, enemies and ex-lovers. Will she send them, or will they forever be kept secrets?

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-Kelseroo

Mielikki

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Posted on:
Nov 14, 2009 - 20 08

I'm basically expanding on an old Vietnamese fable, ripping out any historical context it has, and graphing in warlocks. It's nice because I get to learn about my ancestral homeland at the same time, and I'm slinging a lot of architecture vocab in because architecture fascinates me. Thank you Wikipedia!

--8P

avantpop

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Posted on:
Nov 16, 2009 - 17 20

Mine is a noir tale set in the early 60s, out of my noir kick lately, the first two (short novels really, at 40K words each) are forthcoming from Black Mask Books in 2010, called THE TROUBLE WITH TRAMPS and SO LONG, EASY STREET (Black Mask is also doing a novella, SHABBYTOWN, I just got the cover design and it rox) in nifty small paperback editions.

(Email me for the cover if interested: michaelhemmingson@yahoo.com)

TROUBLE is an Orrie Hitt homage.

Don't wanna do this one, A BRA FULL OF BULLETS, with Black Mask; my agent showed Hard Case Crime the first chapter and outline and they wanna see it when done. Would be cool if they like the rest; if not, a home somewhere else...

On my noir kick in 2009, see my blog:

www.vintagesleazepaperbacks.wordpress.com

and

www.orriehitt.wordpress.com

Both are culminating into a critical book, AMERICAN SOFTCORE: Those Sexy Sleaze Paperbacks of the 1960s, contracted with McFarland and Co., 2011 pub. date.

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Michael Hemmingson
============================================
The Watermelon, my first feature film, releases on DVD July, 2009!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0945521/

see the trailer about a trailer --
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxPqFgA__3U

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