° shardai ° 🍉
@shardai_smithh
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I desire to make every word I write draw blood • Black spf & horror writer • creative writing grad • @RT_Mentor Mentee '24 • rep: @clairefriedman8
Joined March 2012
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I HAVE A LITERARY AGENT!
I am so happy to announce I am now represented by
@clairefriedman8
and
@Inkwellmgmt
! Her enthusiasm for my novel was immediate and her aspirations surpassed my wildest dreams. I can't wait to work with her and share this book with the world!
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Do not promote AI as a tool for liberating Black people. Black cowboys existed and still exist. Let's support Black archivists in their search for more legitimate photos of Black history instead of promoting the possession of digital Black bodies and revisionist history.
These images, skillfully crafted by Cepéda Brunson using AI, highlight the liberating potential of artificial intelligence in addressing the scarcity of affirming images of black people in historical archives. While African Americans played a pivotal role in shaping the Old West,…
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If this remains true, then I knew it! When Del Ray said "removed from 2024 line up," they meant they were saving it for another year. It's too much to throw everything away after all this time and MONEY . 😕
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Is it just me or does a gender bent Handmaid's Tale...miss the point? It's just trope now?
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I'm sorry, but entitlement like this pisses me off. If you're a writer and fundamentally don't understand how unoriginal ideas are, that's on you. This is embarrassing. Delete and apologize
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BTW I'm officially one semester away from having a MASTER'S IN CREATIVE WRITING!
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Black people have said this before, but yes, it's a white supremacist tactic to exhaust us and recenter themselves.
Whether these white people know they're doing it or not, they've been conditioned and must do the heavy lifting of ending this. Being a "good person" isn't enough
Realizing very quickly another reason to keep white ppl out of organizing spaces is that they’re a constant emotional drag
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Don't forget her failure to secure an AI free deal has lead to job loss for many new and unknown actors that refuse to relinquish their likenesses to studios for perpetual use. Fran Drescher failed her most vulnerable and is a zionist
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No one said they didn't exist...only that asking librarians to take on more work undervalues the work they do now
Because nothing is impossible and libraries are amazing community resources that can be anything we want them to be, here's a thread of playgrounds inside of libraries all around the world.
Spokane, Washington
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Publishing needs to break down why adults desire YA and find places for it in adult. YA has an air about that it's more than age category and once publishing actually takes the time to think about YA critically, we can move these types of readers into adult
Somebody had the nerve to ask “where are the YA books for adults?” ………….. the YOUNG ADULT books? As in the books that center teens??? Ur asking where are the adult YA books? ….For adults????…. I have something to tell you…
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We need more adult books with illustrations. I want full novels with illustrations that fill entire pages! Any adult readers agree?
Last semester at uni I was working on another book project. I illustrated "The Great Gatsby" by F.S. Fitzgerald. Here are book cover and some illustrations 🍸
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We all Fall Down by Rose Szabo is up next! This book is anti-black, anti-gay, and anti-trans. Attached a review by a white woman praising the book. White readers who willfully miss the racism and homophobia in books are apart of the problem!
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MARGOT NO!
Margot Robbie and Sarah J Maas met. Margot is in her film producer era so this could mean talks of working together on SJM's books. Link in reply.
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Cait Corrain is more worried about being perceived as racist instead of acknowledging their internalized racism...womp womp
And to run this shit during Black History Month??
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police in erie will no longer let us peacefully protest. they arrested a minor who was getting in his car to leave.
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AFTER THREE DAYS OF BARELY WRITING, I WROTE 1249 WORDS IN 27 MINUTES! 🙌🏽
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An editor at a big 5 said they saw my book cover, thought it was already published, were gald to see that it wasn't, and requested to read it upon submission. Get your bags, people!
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AGENTS (and editors)! My lovely horror novel will reenter the querying trenches soon. I'm setting aside a list of agents (if you've requested before - I got you!). If you'd like to read my pages, please interact 🖤
#amquerying
#MSWL
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English majors are becoming the most obnoxious people online (and I say this as a creative writing/English degree holder). How y'all beating Business majors at their own game
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Y'all.. I got 7 agent likes and an editor wants to read it once I'm on submission!!
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Agents have called my novel YA and I fear it's because they chat comprehend a 20 something year old that hasn't had sex or past relationships, and yet, often on tik tok, I've seen older women crying because they haven't fallen in love or had these formative experiences
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All the recs people are offering are by white authors. I can't wait for when we have mainstream gothic stories by authors of color. I want to see women of color loved the way gothic white women are.
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Xiran was apparently dropped by their agent and I didn't hear anything about it? Has anyone else or is this just a rumor?
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Knowing that Donald Sutherland wrote an essay/letter to the director about the very real politics of The Hunger Games and the inhumane damage someone like Snow can commit makes me admire him more. He knew exactly why he needed to play this character
rewatching old hunger games interviews and the cast was asked about the political overtones of the movies
donald sutherland had such an excellent response on the lessons he wanted the audience to learn 🎯
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Never once in my time learning about book publishing from publishers did I ever hear about tossing a book completely away. After years of working on this book, it'll come out with a soft launch. No publicity
but you’re still going to publish their book? just in a different year?
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I want an agent to help edit my book but to get an agent I have to write an "imperfectly perfect" story but to write that I need help editing which is why I want an agent to help edit my book but to get an agent I have to write an "imperfectly perfect" story but to write that I n
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This is your reminder to format your pages into a printable book 🥰
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I understand why I loved The Hunger Games and hated the Red Queen. I listened to them right after each other. Suzanne Collins understands that white women don't start revolutions. They fight for those they care about but extending the fight past isn't common
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I only just found out that the Save the Cat website plans your beats by page when you put in your page count 🥹 I've been doing this manually
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Maybe now that I've got some new followers I can ask authors what they're day job is 👀
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Indie authors, I do not care how inexpensive using AI art is. It's gross, especially when you publish a book using it and continue to profit other of the work of others. The disrespect towards your fellow creatives shouldn't be ignored.
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I've been looking at this tweet just screaming around my house! Taylor has been such a guiding force for me and they are a major reason why I've lasted this long on Twitter. During times I've felt so dejected, their kindness inspired me to persevere. AND NOW THEY'RE MY MENTOR?!😭
I am SO thrilled to announce my
@RT_Mentor
mentee, the AMAZING ✨
@shardai_smithh
✨
From the moment I started 🩸FROM OUR BLOOD🩸 I knew it was something so special. I can't wait to see what this year brings – and to introduce all of you to determined, decisive, enthralling Ari!
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They couldn't have cast a teenager to play...a teenager??
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If you have someone that you can send your first drafts too, who will sit and talk to you, in depth, about the plot of your book, who you can learn with, and trust their knowledge of plot and writing - I envy you
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I'm Shardai, dark academic & whimsigothic writer.
I'm revising my dark academia examining desire, conformity & whiteness; and drafting my MA novel investigating Black academics, their exploitation of Black communities, & the horrors of generational trauma.
#writersoftwitter
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Did y'all hear about that self-published authors that told a woman that she "should be r*ped and dragged through the streets in front of [her] kids" for supporting P*lestine? Her name is Lauren Wise and in the video she says she wants people to post about her so, here ya go
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Form rejections on a full (or requested partial) is wild though. If you request, you should take the time to give feedback, even if it's two lines.
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Cait really ruined her career before it even started
We’re aware of the conversations around the author of our May 2024 book, Cait Corrain.
We can confirm that Crown of Starlight will no longer be featured in the May 2024 Illumicrate Box.
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Agents and editors, I'll be querying my Black horror in 2024! If you want to champion diverse stories, if you want to champion Black horror, you'll want me in your corner.
I hope we get much more horror in 2024. I want more queer horror, more horror from BIPOC writers, more horror mixed with whatever authors love, more cerebral horror, more horror that doesn't give a fuck about being easy to digest, and more place-specific horror. I want it all.
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How do I find beautifully written, paranormal or Gothic romance where the romance is intertwined with the Gothic and paranormal?
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Also delete this because your snippet is desperately average 😬
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You know why I think this? Because it's what they do for every series when the first book doesn't do well. They already bought the series, so they'll shrink it down to one sequel and toss that author away.
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When poorly written books get published, it's going to upset people who are being rejected continuously. I know my book is better than books I've seen published, but these realizations prove that publishing looks for what they can sell first, then if that book has other qualities
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17....17 agent likes and 2 editors, both from big 5s...
Y'all.. I got 7 agent likes and an editor wants to read it once I'm on submission!!
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Bethany and Black authors deserve better in this industry. Authors are the heart and soul of publishing and should be respected as such. No one should fear speaking against the treatment they suffered in a supposedly professional manner. Order Bethany's book below!
after receiving more horrible news from my publisher today, i've reached my breaking point. i don't give a fuck anymore. i'm going to be 100% honest like i've always been:
from 2021 to now, this has been the worst publishing experience of my life.
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Some people don't understand that unpopular doesn't mean homophobic, racist, or misogynistic and it shows LOUD and CLEAR
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AHHHHH I GOT 16 REQUESTS ON MY
#PitBLK
PITCHES!!!
This feels like a dream and I'm floating through it 🥰
#horrorbooks
is trending so please behold the greatest thing I've ever created! I hope to start querying my horror novel so that many others can read it soon!
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White women's "messy thoughts" are often things people of color have already thought of, researched, written down, published, and presented on decades ago.
🚨BREAKING NEWS‼️
woman is surprised to learn that not only do BIPOC exist, but they also write books!!
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I wish more authors would post which books inspired them or were their favorites so that I, too, can be inspired
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My heart dropped the other day because I saw yet another book with a similar premise to mine that's about to publish soon. Hopefully agents and editors will still want a Dark academia book from a Black, female perspective.
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@kaylierian
Or like many who have read it, don't see the importance of it. So many read it as what could happen instead of what has actually happened to Black and indigenous women so it would surprise me if they actually had read it and missed the point
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Horror writer follow party!
If anyone is still on this app looking for active mutuals, I'm your gal! I'm actually on here too much!
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@andiemillares
My grad school only requires 40-60 pages and instead Ive pledged to write, edit, and query an upmarket novel 🙃
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Does anyone else feel like their first book has to get published? Like, I know the odds are low, but is anyone else's first book everything they've could have dreamed of?
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I think if more publishers condemned and refused to reward racism we'd all be saved a lot of crap books by even crappier people
@way_warren
Agreed, it was disgusting behaviour. But if we start allowing publishers a loophole to break contracts, no contract will be secure. Does your publisher disapprove of your sexuality? Your lifestyle? Your divorce? Your drinking habit? Your past? Your kink? Boom. You're toast.
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Would anyone be interested in hearing about my querying journey? The good and the bad? I just want to be honest because it's been eating away at me all week.
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*in tiny voice*
three of the top agents on publishers marketplace have my full manuscript. I'm actively fighting off my pessimism but I'm so close
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Updated wrap cover 😭 adding the bright pink snake to the back was exactly what it needed
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My mother and brother got me these to better edit my novel but all I want to do is write something new with all the ideas!
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I have officially sent out my first full! I'm so nervous!
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@M4dPo3t
Yeah or "teach me, I want to learn," "I want to help," I I I. And the rest of us are too tired to take up their load too.
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14 agent/editor interactions. When I say I make my own luck, this is what I mean. I'm so grateful for this writing community and their endless support ❣️
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Still so wild that people thought I was talking about a rough draft? I have two creative writing degrees, a publishing certificate from NYU, and I've edited for a journal. I've been editing this book for a year. Wouldn't you want to know if it was worth it?
I want an agent to help edit my book but to get an agent I have to write an "imperfectly perfect" story but to write that I need help editing which is why I want an agent to help edit my book but to get an agent I have to write an "imperfectly perfect" story but to write that I n
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I just edited a chapter using this and the tension? It's so much better! And better paced. I'm actually excited to edit again!
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JAWS x THE FOG x YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSE TO DIE TONIGHT
🌒When the dark smiles back, run!🔦
⚓️Coastal tourist town
🔪80s summer slasher vibes
🎡Frenemies team up
😱Faceless cosmic horror creatures
❤️"I've always liked you."
#Pitlight
#WeFeedWip
#AmDrafting
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Agents and editors have to do more than request from writers of color. They actually have to represent them.
But the issue is that they don't feel qualified if race and culture are explicit in the story. The problem is that becoming an agent/editor means those days are over.
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I want to be a career author. I'm tired of being made to feel that this is a bad want.
Years researching, writing, and editing. I want to be compensated, but that's not going to happen. So I'll settle for a career that helps me keep a roof over my head. That's not asking much.
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I've been desperate to find ideas for a whimsigothic romance novel, but I literally have 20k drafted of this.
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#WritingCommunity
and Agents, block this man. He's just tweeting vile opinions in the writing community hashtag. It's gross and he doesn't deserve any other attention other than to block him
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One of their accounts hated me and the other was my mutual...okay
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When an agent says they loved your beginning pages but rejects you and says they'd like to see other projects, only to post a thread for their wishlist featuring TWO books you comped your book to.... It can't be the writing since you "loved" that and it can't be the concept so???
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My professor, whose been traditionally published like 6 times, agreed to read my 1st chapter yesterday 🥹
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Just got a rejection that hurt real bad, so agented or published authors, if your manuscript improved significantly once you got an agent or sold to an editor, can you let me know 🥹👉🏽👈🏽
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I applied for the first of many full time publishing positions, wish me good luck!
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I hate when people in workshop edit my lines not for clarity, but to better align with what they've been taught a sentence should be in academia. Editing a story is not the same an editing an essay.
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This man killed Breonna Taylor and is profiting off of it, and publishing, unsurprisingly, is fully supporting him
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I am 70 followers away from 2,000. Who wants to be friends chat about fun things and stories?
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Okay I think I'll write a blog boat and record a video of how I format and print my books? Would peo6liwk to see that?
This is your reminder to format your pages into a printable book 🥰
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#horrorbooks
is trending so please behold the greatest thing I've ever created! I hope to start querying my horror novel so that many others can read it soon!
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@mynameismarines
All of the books I've read from her are all the same anyway. Also, what happened to we don't demand white authors to tell OUR stories? That'a forgotten because it's Bridgerton?
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The elementary school my mom works at got a book vending machine 🥺 I'm so jealous
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Say what you will about Twilight but those soundtracks are foundational to my very BEING
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Hearing some editors at the London Book Fair reveal that they're tired of Romantasy despite readers being eager to read them is... interesting
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Oh this, this is my natural hair color
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She's wearing converse which are known to be the best shoes for lifting and she's in a deep squat to stretch her legs. Just say you don't lift bro and go
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writing tip: Whenever you learn a new writing skill, try and write a new story to test it.
I wanted to focus on showing emotion and the ways we hold our feelings in our bodies. Then, I wrote my strongest short story yet.
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It's really distressing to see your life experiences & the pains of your community be compared to a fictional world. Obviously that's how most (usually white/privileged) children learn about discrimination but we are not children anymore. Time to learn that some fiction is real.
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Someday my books will have special editions, with painted edges and prints that glimmer in the sun. There'll be anniversary editions, paintings of characters memorialized in their pages. They'll be bought for the look of them, purchased for their prose, and above all else, loved
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Whenever I'm reminded that white cis, het men dominate the fantasy genre, it's a bit of a shock. Like what do you mean it's not all writers of color and women and sapphics and gays? Like outside of my bubble, white, cis, het men still rule the world - including those in fantasies
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BETA READERS WANTED:
🩸THE KIND OF GRIEF THAT STAINS🩸
5000 word, southern speculative fiction following a teen "cleaner" who cleans blood from violent deaths long after people are gone and learns that some grief sinks deeper than skin
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An agent worked with their client to rewrite/rework their debut because they have faith that the book and client deserves it. This is what I will look for in my first agent
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Also AAVE phrases can be regional so this book is about to have some non-Black people saying some shit to the wrong people
Ok I went to the google book preview to see what some of the historically Black phrases were…
I want this removed from the shelves
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@JustMarveWrites
This is the most attention she'll ever get for her book, while you're absolutely killing the game 😌
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