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~nólemë~
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Post Re: Fanfiction Story
on: May 03, 2013 07:30
Hi Jules, as we already have a topped thread for fic writing advice - 'Fanfiction Help' - I'll move this discussion there and close this thread in a couple of days.

Now, concerning your questions.
- Yes, the plot is doable. If not for the book-movie combination, it could even fit among canon fics actually, unless it causes a change in the book story.
- For me, the main thing to make the fic work would be a believable motivation for the elven villain. You say he is influenced by Saruman. When did he meet him? A plausible answer would be e.g. 'during a meeting of the White Council, when Saruman was still viewed as a friend'. But the last time the council took place was when Saruman tried to put everyone's mind at peace concerning the Ring, saying it was lost. He was already coveting the Ring, but keeping silent about it, and though a traitor to the other Wise, he wasn't an enemy of the free peoples yet. He wasn't ensnared by Sauron until after the last White Council.
- How did Saruman convince the elf to work for him? Inherent evil in the elf's heart doesn't sound very likely. The known weaknesses of Elves through which they can become corrupted are mainly pride, feelings of superiority towards the 'lesser' races, and concern over the wellbeing of their own kindred along with little care for the other peoples. What weakness of this elf's does Saruman play upon? Remember that unlike Morgoth and possibly Sauron, Saruman cannot control the elf against his will by putting a spell on him, or subduing him with his 'terrible gaze' (as Morgoth did); the actions of the elf would have to be voluntary.
- does the elf maintain contact with Saruman? If so, how? It's a long way to Isengard, a month at least if one has a horse, and unless this elf is a member of a southern patrol of Rivendell, it's not likely he'll get a chance to exchange info with Saruman. It's also unlikely they'd communicate mind-to-mind over such a distance: he is no Maia or Ringbearer, and possibly not even an Exile.
- why is he a threat to the Hobbits specifically? If it is because of the Ring, I'd tap into what the elf dreams of doing with it. But why then is he dangerous to the 'hobbits' (plural), not just the Ringbearer? Does he despise all hobbits for some reason? Not unthinkable, given the attitude of some elven canon characters to hobbits (such as Gildor).
- concerning if Elrond would have been suspicious: this would depend on whether you have your elf a long-term resident of Rivendell, and what kind of personality he has: a sly, smiley type of guy who has resided in Rivendell for centuries or even millenia, would be an ideal villain who wouldn't raise any suspicion if he was clever and stealthy.
---------- Image "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit
JULES
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Post Re: Fanfiction Story
on: May 03, 2013 07:31
Okay - I need the threat later to be directed towards Frodo most of all from this Elf - so if a spell from Saruman wouldn't work - I have to think of something different there.

I want this Elf to befriend the hobbits - Merry and Pippin mostly - because they are the main part of the plot I have in mind for them to be fooled later by him.

This Elf is supposed to act like he protects the hobbits - but is slowly working his way into their confidence to gain as much about them as possible - so that he can trick them later - but the main focus is on trying to take Frodo out of Rivendell - I don't want it to be far.

So my thought originally was mainly - that he was influenced to bring the Ring to Saruman - but not sure that is workable.

Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated.

Jules
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Post Re: Fanfiction Story
on: May 03, 2013 07:31
A spell isn't necessary with a person like Saruman - he is a master of words, and his voice has a strong persuasive power. If he pinpoints this elf's weak spot, whatever it is (e.g. dwindling of Elves and their destruction by Sauron's forces, Elves supplanted by mortals...), then there's a chance he'd simply win him over by persuading the elf that he -Saruman- is the only one to help him, or Elves in general. The elf may then assist him willingly.

The threat specifically towards Frodo makes sense. The allure of the Ring is felt by all who are around it, so for a mind desperate or othewise in need of such a device, it would take only a short time for the evil to start working. And if you say the elf is influenced by Saruman's whisperings, and would therefore hardly try to resist the Ring's call... The Ring itself would probably strongly respond to the elf's desire: it would consider an elf, especially one who is powerful in some way, an ideal victim to manifest itself through, and thus 'get into the radar scope' of its true master.

Yes, the plot is workable, whether the elf wants the Ring for himself, or to deliver to Saruman.

One more thing - in the suspicion matter, don't forget Frodo himself. Since he became the Ringbearer he got more suspicious and perceptive than the other hobbits (with the exception of Sam, but Sam's fondness of Elves can be played upon here; it's not unreasonable to suppose Sam would trust Elrond, Gandalf & co. to keep everyone safe, but Frodo is a different matter, and shows a keen eye when someone else fancies his Ring). Frodo would be more difficult to fool than the rest of the hobbits.
---------- Image "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit
Erucenindë
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Post Re: Fanfiction Story
on: May 03, 2013 07:32
I agree with Noleme. Frodo is the one you have to worry about when it comes to deception. The slightest interest in the Ring and Frodo will pick that up.

I think your idea about befriending Merry and Pippin is good. The elf working his way through that angle would be ideal, I think. Plus, Merry and Pippin don't always err on the side of caution.
JULES
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Post Re: Fanfiction Story
on: May 03, 2013 07:33
Thank you for that - Frodo won't really pick up on it I hope - because of the plot that involves Merry and Pippin trying to help Frodo - but not telling Frodo or some of the big folk what is going on - so hopefully it will work.

There needs to be consequences for their part in it all later.

Jules
Erucenindë
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Post Re: Fanfiction Story
on: May 03, 2013 07:34
Well I think your story sounds really interesting... can't wait till it's done so I can read it.
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Post Re: Fanfiction Story
on: May 03, 2013 07:34
The first few chapters are already in the library - Escape the Darkness - but it is only showing up to just before Bree at the moment - should be more posted very soon.

I am almost at the Ford and Rivendell in my writing.

it hasn't been updated for a long time - but that is mainly due to real life.

It is a AU story - as there are deviations from both the book and movie - they are intentional and there are some big twists to come yet later in the story and shotly at the Ford - there will be no Arwen rescue.

Hopefully it can move forward a little quicker now

Jules
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on: December 12, 2013 05:12
I've been a member here for years and have contributed a couple stories but have been away for a long time. Recently I've started revising and fleshing out one of my stories here because my writing has evolved and I want it to match my style as it is now. When I go to my story Jewel of Mirkwood and click edit chapter I get redirected to a new page saying that what I was looking for could not be found. any idea why I'm running into this? I'd really like to be able to start updating that fic, I cringe a little when I go back and read it now, lol.
Soulbound: Book 1 in the Song of Souls trilogy, http://tiny.cc/TheAdventureBegins
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on: December 13, 2013 04:17
I'm copying these known bugs from the 'Fanfiction Updates' thread, as unfortunately Rivka hasn't gotten around to them yet. The second point is what you are looking for, DaugtherofNimrodel, although you may find the others just as informative.
To submit an edited chapter, please send it to me via PM or email, and I'll substitute the text in the admin module. For a reworked story, it's easier - just submit the first chapter as a new story, and I'll delete the old one.

- weird characters showing in some fanfics
- noone can edit or delete fics and reviews at the moment
- update date is not showing and stories that got new chapters are not moved to the forefront automatically (chapter adding itself works fine)
- only one character currently shows up in the Character list, although more can be added via the administration area. If you wish for more than one character to show in your story's character list, drop me a PM and I'll add the missing characters.
---------- Image "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit
Marcotonio
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on: December 14, 2013 08:08
Alright, guys! I really need feedback on this story, many holes still to cover before I can call it finished.

These are the characters:
ImageClick for the full-sized image

This is their story:
http://sta.sh/0ql1yn39jie
Lady Miriel Gelliam
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on: February 13, 2014 05:31
I think this is a really neat idea, Marcotonio! I like how the style is Silmarillion-ish. I think your writing is very good; in a couple places, the style is a little inconsistent (for example, when you say, "the power of a Maia is way bigger", but overall, it's very good indeed.

I have one question. So when you say, "Two of them, Orodur - a male Maia from Aulë - and Tiranglin - a female Maia from Irmo -, after paying a visit to the Avari folk, fell in love for the two fair elves born with the strange gift." - do you mean that the Maiar loved them as in they cared about them and wanted to protect them? That's what it sounds like to me, but I think maybe if this is the case then perhaps you could phrase that a little differently. When I read it, I wondered if Orodur was actually going to have a romance thing with one of the elves, and it confused me a little.

I was thinking about your hair problem, and my only suggestion is that you could make them cut their hair less often. I really can't think of anything else! I was thinking maybe you could base it around the sun and moon, since Gallómenel and Tellómenel love them so much. So, something like Tellómenel could cut a hair every spring, after the earth made one rotation around the sun. And Gallómenel could cut a hair every full moon. That would at least drag the hair-cutting process out a bit.

Also, I think that you can just make up how many years passed from the last documented year of Middle-earth to our time. Nobody will mind, and I would bet that someone else has done the same thing!

Great job! This is a really creative idea and I like it.
"In 900 years of time and space, I've never met anyone who wasn't important." ~ The Eleventh Doctor
MirielOfGisborne
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on: March 05, 2014 06:27
I have a question about the capitalization of race names. I've noticed that Tolkien writes races both ways. From my research I understood that he uses capitalization when talking about the race as a whole, and non-capitalization when referring to individuals members of that race.

Trouble is I seem to have a hard time applying that rule. I have situations where it's clear that I'm referring to the race as whole, for example in the phrase "leading Dwarves, and Elves, and Men into that great battle against a common foe", or even in a phrase like "Dwarf King". But most of the time, I'm not sure. In a sentence like "Bilbo had noticed the dwarves' preference for things non-vegetable" it's not clear to me whether I should use capitalization or not.

Does anyone have a clearer understanding of this?

[Edited on 03/05/2014 by MirielOfGisborne]
Lady Miriel Gelliam
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on: March 06, 2014 11:07
That's a really good question! I've actually been wondering about that myself. I do know that Tolkien capitalized "Man" when he was talking about the race of man, or mankind, and, like you said, the same rules apply to all races. I think the confusing thing is that sometimes it's hard to differentiate between when Tolkien is talking about specific groups of peoples as opposed to races as a whole. So when Bilbo says he noticed the dwarves' preference with a lowercase "d," I am pretty sure it's because our hobbit friend was talking about a group of dwarves, not dwarves as a whole or in general. Again, that's just my understanding, and I could be completely wrong, but I hope that helps! Let me know if you find something different, 'cause I've been struggling, too.
"In 900 years of time and space, I've never met anyone who wasn't important." ~ The Eleventh Doctor
MirielOfGisborne
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on: March 07, 2014 03:01
Thank you for replying! I see we're username sisters.

You're right, the double use is confusing. I have a good mind to write races with an uppercase initial everywhere and be done with it. I think they did that in the movies. I remember the transcription of orcs/Orcs speaking in their own language and the word 'Dwarf' always being spelled with a capital first letter. So, that's an option.

When I wrote that sentence about Bilbo noticing something about Dwarves, I thought he was talking about a certain group of them, but now that I look at it again, I realize that he could also be thinking about the whole race. Hmmm... As I said, confusing.

I'll keep asking around and come back with my findings.
Lady Miriel Gelliam
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on: March 10, 2014 07:55
Hey, Miriel's a pretty name, right? I like your idea about just using uppercase initials! I didn't realize they did that in the movies, but that makes sense now that I think about it. I just might do that, too, but let me know for sure if you find anything else out! And I'll keep looking around, too.
"In 900 years of time and space, I've never met anyone who wasn't important." ~ The Eleventh Doctor
findemaxam48
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on: March 11, 2014 04:18
The "M" in my username stands for Miriel.


I have noticed that all races in general have been capitalized, in any type of fanfiction, singular or plural.
We were one in the same, running like moths to the flame. You'd hang on every word I'd say, but now they only ricochet.
MirielOfGisborne
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on: April 09, 2014 04:08
Hello, again! I come with news.

I have a friend who's pretty well versed in Tolkien and I asked her about the capitalization problem. She said that, from what she's observed, Tolkien uses, to work with a concrete example, "Hobbit" when talking about the race or the language, and "hobbit" for an individual or as an adjective.

I hope this helps.
Lady Miriel Gelliam
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on: May 01, 2014 09:44
Yes! That helps a lot. That is just perfect!

Wait, Finde, so you are Finde Miriel Axam? Cool! Looks like we have a little Miriel trio!
"In 900 years of time and space, I've never met anyone who wasn't important." ~ The Eleventh Doctor
johnson4466
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on: May 16, 2014 11:51
How do I put FanFiction up on this site?? Do I just type it out in the box that says "Story Text??"
The elves began it, waking up the trees, teaching them to speak...
Finnr
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on: May 16, 2014 12:43
johnson4466 said:How do I put FanFiction up on this site?? Do I just type it out in the box that says "Story Text??"


on the side menu there is an option for Fan Creations and under that there is Fanfiction. On the main fanfiction page there are links for various things such as recent fanfic's as well as adding your own story

or if you dont want to explore the site: Add Story

-EDIT-
re-reading your post I assume you've already that page, sorry.

[Edited on 05/16/2014 by Finnr]
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on: May 16, 2014 02:14
johnson4466 said:How do I put FanFiction up on this site?? Do I just type it out in the box that says "Story Text??"


That's right. Once you've made sure your submission meets our submission rules and once you've filled in the required fields (genre, summary etc.), you put the text into the story text box.
---------- Image "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit
johnson4466
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on: May 16, 2014 04:49
Thank you, that helped alot
The elves began it, waking up the trees, teaching them to speak...
Cenor
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Post Fan Fiction Help
on: May 18, 2014 02:59
I am writing a fan fiction of my own and I have a few questions. How do I send my fan fiction to the editor or the person who reads it before it joins the other fan fiction? How should I rate my fan fiction, which has the deaths of two characters and orcs but no swearing and other content that would rate it PG-13. Plus I'm not sure if the deaths of these characters would be considered PG-13 or R. I do not want my first fan fiction to be rated R if you know what I mean. Does my fan fiction need to be complete or can I submit it in pieces like part one, two, and three? What do Fan Fiction readers like to read?
Image "Every good pirate has an alias" Felix glanced down, looking at contraption around the stump of his wrist. "Hook," he answered. "My name will be Hook."
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on: May 18, 2014 03:25
Hello Cenor, welcome to the fanfic forum.

- I presume you mean beta reader, i.e. the person who reads your fic before you submit it to the archive? In my experience, you do so via email. I'm not sure if any fanfic sites have a separate section with unpublished fics that are being beta'ed, but CoE certainly doesn't. You send the file (usually a MS Word document) to your beta via regular email.

- ratings vary depending on which fanfic archive you are submitting to. CoE uses PG for mention of character deaths, PG-13 for delicately handled character deaths (no gore, violent deatils etc), and R for the rest (as long as it's not excessively graphic and disturbing; we don't publish that sort of material).

- I know of no archive that accepts only completed fics. So no, your fic most certainly doesn't need to be complete if you're submitting it to CoE or one of the large fanfic sites. If you have a longer fic, submit it in chapters (ideally up to 2000 words in length per chapter, for our archive).

- In my experience, all genres and categories have devoted fans: canon-compliant fics, humorous fics, slash fics, angst fics, Mary Sue fic, etc. There are no universal guidelines as to what to write to be popular: a thousand people, a thousand tastes. But to give you a general idea what the CoE readers consider a good fanfic, you can read the posts in this thread.
---------- Image "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit
Cenor
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on: May 19, 2014 09:51
Okay thanks. Who is the beta reader?
Image "Every good pirate has an alias" Felix glanced down, looking at contraption around the stump of his wrist. "Hook," he answered. "My name will be Hook."
~nólemë~
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on: May 20, 2014 01:27
Beta reader (or just 'beta') = a person who proofreads your fic at your request before you publish it. I thought you were speaking of a beta here:
How do I send my fan fiction to the editor or the person who reads it before it joins the other fan fiction?

- Betas are usually asked to proofread a fic for grammar mistakes (if the author isn't a native speaker of English), for spelling mistakes, to tell the author if their characters are behaving in-character, etc.
- betas can be found in the Beta Reading Requests thread here in the fanfic forum, or on a large fanfic site such as fanfiction.net where the betas even have their beta profiles, saying what they specialize in.
---------- Image "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit
johnson4466
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on: May 28, 2014 03:39
How do I add a new chapter to an already exisiting FanFiction?
The elves began it, waking up the trees, teaching them to speak...
~nólemë~
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on: May 29, 2014 02:37
Go to Fanfiction main page, and click Your Stories. You'll be directed to a list of all fics you posted, and the 'Add Chapter' button will be located next to each fic's name and your username.
---------- Image "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit
johnson4466
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on: May 29, 2014 09:33
Thank you
The elves began it, waking up the trees, teaching them to speak...
BlueberryMuffins76
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on: December 29, 2014 02:29
Hi everyone! I've been writing fanfics for about 2 years now & really enjoy it. Perhaps you all can help me with a story ending? I usually just say something about the couple getting married & living happily ever after to the end of their days (as Bilbo likes!), but with this story there's more to come. So I'm not sure whether to do that & then just skip ahead a number of years (I think it's around 70 or so; I can't remember right offhand). I have some already written where the wives share about their pregnancies, but it seems more cheesy the more I read it.
To give some background, this is an AU story where Fili & Kili survive (Thorin still dies), & Kili marries Tauriel. Fili actually marries Sigrid, Bard's oldest daughter. (& you can find the first 2 chapters on here; it's called Two Dwarves & Three Ladies Fair) It's based off Snow White; Esmerelda, the antagonist, wants to kill Sigrid in order to marry Fili so she can get inside Erebor & become queen of the treasure hoard, Empress Esmerelda of Erebor. I won't go into details, but everything works out in the end & Esmerelda is defeated. It's after this that I'm having the problems. Kili & Tauriel will have 5 total children, & Fili & Sigrid have 3 (I think). I found out that some Easterlings attacked the area of Erebor during the War of the Ring and figured that was a good way for Fili & Kili to die: defending their families bravely, as they died in the book defending Thorin. I've got the epilogue where Tauriel grieves over Kili, then finally marries Legolas & I think it's fine there.
So any ideas? If you want me to post what I have on the ending I'd be more than happy. Thanks!
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13, NIV I'm a fanfiction writer and appreciate reviews! Check me out at https://www.fanfiction.net/u/6434280/BlueberryMuffins76
BlueberryMuffins76
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on: December 30, 2014 09:41
Just to give an update, I got an idea last night where Esmerelda escapes her prison & disappears; I think she might stay on the run for about 5 years while she comes up with another plan. So I'm thinking maybe add some family fluff kind of stuff in there. Any further ideas? I'm not sure what Esmerelda will end up doing in the end!
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13, NIV I'm a fanfiction writer and appreciate reviews! Check me out at https://www.fanfiction.net/u/6434280/BlueberryMuffins76
Avaloyuru
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Post RE: Fan Fiction Help
on: October 18, 2017 04:23
LeggysGurl4Eva said:Can anyone help me?

I've written a number of fan fictions, but I've only competed about three. Every time I start a new on, I'm totally set on finishing it, and within a few days the idea and the...umpf I had for it goes away. I've got a new idea for a fan fic, but I don't really want to start it and in a few days forget about it and start a new one. It's an endless cycle. :cry: Does anyone have any advice on how I can keep my scatterbrain together?


It's just a suggestion, but I think what helps me most is to sit down and write out the outline of the plot first. Pretty much the same way we had to do with book reviews when I was in grammar school. Then I take a day or two to kind of flesh it out so to speak.

But the best trick is then to walk away from it for a few days. Then come back and start reading it from start to finish, highlighting any areas that may need more beefing up or explaining, maybe a little more history as to why but not so much that the history takes over the story.

Hope that helps!
Avaloyuru (aka Ava)
Avaloyuru
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Post RE: Fan Fiction Help
on: October 18, 2017 05:09
Elioclya said:Hi there

You have to make sure that you remember to put </i > with that slash after the word too, otherwise the coding automatically assumes you want everything to be in italics. If you've been doing that already, then I'm afraid I don't know what's wrong! Hoope this helps,

Elioclya


Excuse me for sort of intruding on this conversation. I'm trying to learn as much as possible about how this site operates as far as the writing and all the technical issues.

Historically I have always used italics to indicate the thoughts of a specific character and regular font with quotation marks to for spoken words.

So, if I submit a story and want something to appear in italics I need to put </i> before and/or after what I want to appear in italics?

Thanks!
Avaloyuru (aka Ava)
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on: October 19, 2017 03:09
Hi Avaloyuru, you're welcome to ask about anything that's unclear to you on our fanfic section. For a text in italics, put < i > before the text and < / i > after it, without the spaces.
---------- Image "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit
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