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iviarellereads · 6 months

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Network Effect, Chapter 8

(Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Murderbot Diaries, read this one!)

In which someone returns from the dead, with science.

Murderbot doesn't have a lot of time to plan, as TCS collapses under its hack, and Art's systems start coming online. This is the time to breach the bridge, even if the targets are still there. The targetDrones, at least, are acting erratically as TCS's failure is flooding them with junk commands.

Through one of its own drones, MB sees Amena and the others going to Medical, having taken out the final targetDrone.

In the control room entry, MB's Scout Two has lost track of Target Four, and MB rewinds the video just before it gets hit in the back with an energy-heat blast. Performance drops to 80% immediately, and it falls to the deck.(1)

Amena yells that MB's been hit, and runs out of Medical, telling the rest to stay.

MB is used to being hit with weapons, making the giant smear of blood from its fall a surprise. It takes T4 out, and uses the energy weapon to blast the hatch. This convinces the ship there's an emergency, so it enables manual controls, and MB hits the manual release to open it. MB enters, and seals it again.

Amena, Arada, and Thiago are still running toward the control area, so MB sends Scout Two's feed to Amena, so she can see the targets and, hopefully, the danger.

MB climbs over the dead Targets One and Three, and into the bridge proper to look for an interface to the ship's data storage. It wants to find some data storage that wasn't likely to be corrupted by TCS or other intruders. Somewhere Art might have saved a backup of its kernel. As it searches, a chunk slides off its back and into the station chair, and MB finds it harder to sit upright.

Amena is outside, just around the corner from the remaining Targets. MB tells her to get back to Medical, but she ignores it and asks if it's alright. It says it just has to do one thing.

Another search points MB to food production storage, which seems odd. TCS goes fully down, but MB keeps up its hack, in case it's a trick. It plunges into the food production data, and reaches a request for a passcode.

In the corridor, Amena says to Arada that she thinks MB is dying.(2)

After trying all the names from World Hoppers, it thinks how Art never called it by its personal name, but it might be worth a shot, since there's not much time for guessing left. MB enters one of its own, private names for a passcode, and it's accepted.(3)

The instructions in the newly unzipped data storage amount to "In case of emergency, run." So, it does. The lights go out, then come back on, and the screens show reboot graphics. Art's feed comes back online, and an auto-message plays that reload is in progress.

The hatch to the control room opens. A short action sequence ensues, ending with MB on the floor, T6 apparently dead from MB's shot, and T5 swaying as it points its weapon at Arada.

Then ART’s voice, ART’s real voice, filled the feed. It said, Drop the weapon.(4) Arada dropped her energy weapon and Thiago dropped the fire suppressant. Both held up empty hands. I told it, Don’t hurt my humans.

T5 shouts something, drops his weapon, and lurches sideways, leading MB to believe Art is accessing their helmet. Shortly, they fall over and go limp. Thiago says they mean no harm, and were attacked by the ones who just fell. Arada asks who's speaking. Art responds with a formal declaration of its name and title, Perihelion, etc etc. It adds, publicly, that it's not going to hurt MB's humans, and calls it a "little idiot."(5)

Arada's eyebrows rise, and Thiago looks boggled. MB says Art's using the public feed, Art counters that so is MB, as well as leaking on its deck.

Amena finally runs in, sees MB, and falls to her knees next to it, calling for help. Art says it can hear her, she doesn't need to yell, and it's getting an emergency gurney. MB can't help remarking internally how everything Art says sounds sarcastic, but it would probably sound pretty menacing to a human.

Thiago asks if Art is a crew member, or something else. Nobody answers him.

Arada reassures MB that they'll get it to Medical, though MB thinks Arada's very upset about something as simple as losing twenty percent of its flesh mass off its back.(6)

I was losing all my inputs but there was one thing I had to say before the gurney got here. “ART,” I said aloud, because ART could silence my feed if it wanted to. “You did this. You sent those assholes to kidnap my humans.” Of course not, ART said. I sent them to kidnap you. Then my performance reliability bottomed out and— Shutdown. Delayed restart.(7)

MB makes a halfhearted joke about catastrophic failures as it starts to wake up. It overhears Art reassuring Amena that MB will be alright. MB tells Art to stop talking to its human. Art suggests MB make it.(8) MB loses input again, and the next thing we know, it's at 34% reliability and rising.(9) It's sticky, naked to the waist, and despite its status, doesn't feel nearly as bad as when Art altered its limb length last time.

That doesn't stop it feeling furious, though.

It checks inputs, when a few minutes of Sanctuary Moon doesn't help. The drones are still following Amena, so it runs back the video to catch up on events.

Amena tried to follow it to Medical on the gurney, but Arada held her back and asked if the ship's name is Art.(10) Art ignored the question, and identified all the humans aboard to confirm who's on Team MB and who's not. As Amena pulled away to follow MB anyway, Arada followed her, and asked who Art was. Amena said it's the ship, MB's friend. Thiago was startled, but Art confirmed it. Thiago said it's too complex to be a bot. Arada ignored him and asked why Art attacked the survey facility. Art deferred, saying it's just reinitializing after deletion. Arada and Thiago exchanged a look indicating they knew that wasn't a good sign.

MB skips through a lot of the boring bits, since Amena's drone swarm mostly just caught what she was doing, which was sitting watching the surgical suite repair MB. It does catch that the safepod latched onto Art because of automated systems after taking damage in the exodus. It also caught another comm conversation, between Amena and Thiago with Ratthi adjacent to the former in Medical, about MB's defence of Amena. This turns to the alien remnant on the drive, but when the humans start to ask about it, Art says interference is not advisable, and the thing deactivated after it exited the wormhole.

On a private channel in the present, MB accuses Art of setting it up. Art, knowing that MB is still behind on its review of the situation, ignores it. MB goes into a slightly unhinged explanation for the reader of why it feels entirely justified in the accusation.

Back in the review, Art's voice made the humans tense, and this startled Eletra into consciousness. A video link is established from Medical to the control room, from a perspective that feeds MB's conspiracy theories about Art holding out on it with regard to security coverage, as well as its jealousy of the fancy high res images.

MB has recovered to 60%, enough to say aloud, "Fuck you, ART." Amena hears it and asks how MB is doing. It says it's fine, except for being held prisoner by an asshole research transport. Ratthi asks if MB needs anything.(11) MB sits up and says it needs its jacket. Art offers that it's being repaired in the recycler. MB says it's not speaking to Art.

Ratthi asks how well MB and Art know each other,(12) but Arada suggests they hold on to that question for later and asks Art if it will answer their questions now.(13) Art says that depends on the questions.

I said, “The humans think I’m an asshole, wait till they get to know you.” I thought you weren’t speaking to me.

Ratthi mutters that he's a little worried, and Amena says MB told her bot pilots can kill people. Art says that's an exaggeration.

Arada, trying to keep things on subject, asks where they are, as there's no indication of a local hub station. Art says it's an abandoned colony, with more detail, then waits 8.3 seconds to make the humans think it's done, before continuing that it has evidence it is inhabited. Arada puts together that it's inhabited by the hostiles, and asks Art's operational status.

Art says it's still reinitializing, its space maneuvering functions aren't up yet, and there may have been damage from the alien device installation on its wormhole drive. It can self-repair when it's done reinitialization, but it's not leaving the system until it gets what it wants.

All the humans try to cover their shock. Arada finally asks what it wants, to which it says, its crew back. The hostiles abducted them, and overtook Art. MB, for its part, is still angry, but it can't help a little (a lot) involuntary response at Art losing its crew so.

Thiago asks how Art can be talking if it was deleted, and Art says, it hid a backup where only a particular, trusted friend could find it. MB, staring at the wall and watching the humans through the drones and cameras, tells Art to fuck off again. Art, with no emotive description, says that's still talking to it.(14)

Arada asks if it intended to attack their facility. Art says that wasn't its plan. Overse says, it was its idea though. MB suggests they don't humour Art. Arada says, it wasn't the plan, but Art still sent those hostile people after MB. Art admits, it did. Ratthi asks how Art knew where they were. Art says as soon as it emerged in the Preservation wormhole, it sent messages inquiring after MB's location. One of the science institutions was very helpful and gave a full info packet and itinerary for the team. Ratthi groans, and Arada and Overse exchange a look, before Overse says they need to have a talk about that when they get back.

Rubbing her head like it hurts, Arada asks why Art wanted to kidnap MB. Art says, to kill the hostiles.

Everyone looks at MB, who says Art told the hostiles it was a weapon they could use. Art says it built a trap, they entered it on their own. Amena asks who the hostiles are, where they came from, what happened to them, but Art doesn't have those answers. Thiago starts, and Ratthi finishes, a thought that they could be genetically modified, but the alien remnant suggests contamination instead.

MB points out privately, to the reader, that this is why even the corporations don't generally like to mess around with alien remnants. Thiago complains that if one of them were still alive, they could be questioned. Art doesn't take this well.(15)

Amena asks how the grey people stole the crew. Art says it's still reconstructing its memory archive to find out. MB snarks about the comm as a vector, but Art says it wasn't attacked by a comm virus. Amena gets both their attention and asks if the grey people are from the same lost colony Eletra's ship was looking for. Art says that would be a logical assumption, but it has no proof either way. It got a distress call, its humans agreed to respond, it suffered a systems catastrophe after arrival, and found the intruders aboard, its crew missing. The hostiles demanded weapons, Art offered MB.

Arada says Art offered MB, because it knew MB could handle the hostiles. Art confirms. Thiago is upset that the attack on the facility could have killed everyone. Ratthi seems to want to try to shush him, but Art says that's a chance it was willing to take.(16)

Oh, okay. I was either having a processing error, or something that the shows I watch call a “rage blackout,” or another emotional collapse. So I pushed off the med platform, walked out of the sterile field and into the restroom, and slammed my hand on the hatch close control.(17)

=====

(1) Must be something other than the energy weapons they've been using that just pissed it off, I guess, given the rest of the chapter and all. (2) Not so far off the mark, Amena, very good observational skills. (3) Part of this is conjecture on my part, but I think the name it enters is Murderbot. The passage indicates it might be talking about Eden, but then says that's a name Art never called it. Then MB gets real vague about a name nobody uses for it, its local feed address, which humans can't access, but somehow Art does? Feed address implies IP address to me, something very public. It doesn't track to me. In my opinion and my heart, the password that makes sense can only be "Murderbot". (4) I love how clear this is about being intended ONLY for the remaining Target, but the Pres crew obey, even Thiago with the fire suppressant which is blatantly NOT a weapon at all. Even MB doesn't quite grok what Art really said, or how, or what it means, but that's understandable given it's about to crash anyway. (5) I feel like there's an unspoken (affectionate) tag on the end of this one, even if MB doesn't interpret it that way. (6) Yeah, MB, even if you can technically survive that sort of thing, it's not generally expected of any other being that possesses flesh. (7) Delayed restart sounds extra bad, to me. (8) How do you even begin to unpack this little exchange. Like, Art probably started that emergency gurney the picosecond it detected that MB was injured, and having worked on MB before through its MedSystem, it's well equipped to know how serious any damage is. It's taking Amena's concerns seriously. MB gets defensive of its humans, as it is wont to do, and Art gets snarky with it, because their love language for each other is snark. It's just. So beautiful. REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOOOOOD! (9) I love how this implies it was much lower, and pure spite caused it to try and swing for Art verbally about talking to Amena. (10) I don't think I remember MB using that name for it with any of the humans, but I'll accept it. (11) He's not the best but he tries which makes him the best, okay? Okay. (12) They DO bicker like an old married couple sometimes, don't they? (13) There are a lot of things this implies, but they all boil down to… why would Arada suggest that Art was waiting for MB to awaken? Art cares about MB, it might be the first friend Art's made on its own terms, and Art knows MB wouldn't want the important shit to go down without it fully conscious. So, Art insisted they wait, out of compassion for MB's grumpy protectiveness. I love them so much. (14) I vote that this would be tagged "smug" by most of us. What do you think Art's tone is? (15) Understandably. These alien-humans kidnapped its crew, held them hostage, and deleted Art. Then, as soon as it had any control again, they were threatening its bestie and the bestie's crew. What, was it supposed to hesitate? (16) How very Lord Farquaad of you. (17) And how mature of you.

#the murderbot diaries #murderbot diaries #network effect #murderbot #secunit #amena #eletra (murderbot)#ratthi #arada #overse #thiago #art (murderbot)

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purrmoon · 1 year

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Any headcanons about alphas submitting to omegas out of need not want. Like omegas who are so fear induced it causes anger and they become dangerous. How would that go? In what way do you think an alpha would submit, how could they make themselves small enough for an omega to calm down to allowing them near?

sorry it took me so long to get to this nonny! it's been kinda hectic xD

anyway!

hmm 🤔

first, speaking quietly, keeping their voice even and calm. slow movements. making sure the hands are visible, palms turned up so there's no worry about hidden weapons or claws. shoulders down; they don't necessarily have to bare their throat, especially if they're worried the omega might lunge, but trying to keep it covered could set the omega off as well.

some omegas would probably appreciate the alpha making themselves smaller, but that might make others more skittish (believing that the alpha is concealing something, or protecting something from someone else, or covering an injury). i think crouching / putting the omega on higher ground is probably universally appreciated, though?

removing any visible weapons, if that's a concern, lol.

advice on specifically making themselves smaller--crouching, hunching, curling in. maybe lying down? especially on their side, but going belly up, even if you can't curl up quite as much that way, is a very vulnerable position.

outside of that... offering up a jacket or blanket, something they can wrap up in, might be welcomed. (especially if there are a lot of scents nearby; having something to focus on might help a lot!) also: making whatever area they're in feel safer, giving them defenses or some nesting material---if they don't need to leave immediately, anyway.

some omegas may respond well to scents being uncovered, but others might actually appreciate them being blocked/muffled. (i read one fic where the omega didn't respond well to scents because their prior pack had used scent to manipulate them. and then in a lot of other fics u have omegas/other dynamics freaking out because without scent its harder to determine intention!)

a pack member could try Command---though that could also make things much, much worse

regardless of what methods are used, though, i imagine the process takes a bit. (except in rare exceptions, where maybe an omega might latch immediately onto a scent or voice?) it can go quicker if the alpha, or whoever is working with them, has been professionally trained, or if there's been trust built up between them/they're pack (though i assume it would have to be new pack? or pack had only just arrived on scene, for them not to latch on immediately). but! definitely a slow process that requires a lot of patience and calm and gentleness~

#i hope this answers your question!#aob #a/b/o #a/o/b #alpha/beta/omega dynamics #alpha/beta/omega #behaviors #ferals #omgas #alphas #omegaverse #omegaverse headcanons #overse #overse headcanons #a/b/o headcanons #answered #lovely anons

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rosewind2007 · 1 year

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Some people ship their Murderbot Diaries blorbos, so I think it’s fair to ask the question:

Does Murderbot ship its Sanctuary Moon blorbos?

We don’t have directly textural evidence, BUT:

Overse and Arada were a couple.. and they were best friends with Ratthi. Ratthi had an unrequited thing for Pin-Lee… Volescu admired Mensah to the point where he might have a crush on her. Pin-Lee did too…she and Bharadwaj flirted

I’m saying yes, yes it does

NB Gurathin was the only loner, but he seemed to like being with the others. He had a small, quiet smile, and they all seemed to like him.

#murderbot #the murderbot diaries #murderbot diaries #secunit #shipping #shipping is fun #gurathinista #gurathin #pin lee #mensah #Bharadwaj #ratthi #Volescu #arada #overse

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alex-van-gore · 1 year

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Post-Mission Nap

[ID: a digital drawing of Arada, Overse and Ratthi, asleep. The drawing is in orange and pink hues. Arada is asleep curled up in a chair in the back of the drawing, legs tucked in and an arm wrapped around her middle. In front of the chair is a couch, with Ratthi sleeping sideways galf-sitting up, and overse lying on his lap, using his left leg as a pillow. /end ID]

#murderbot diaries #the murderbot diaries spoilers #preservationaux #team presaux #dr ratthi #arada #overse

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rjalker · 2 years

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[ID: A black and white digital drawing, showing a scene from The Murderbot Diaries book series. Murderbot, an androgynoid with very dark skin, wearing a white shirt and light pants, is leaping sideways over the chairs the other characters are sitting on, using one arm on the armrest to swing itself over, with its face hidden, and only the back of its head visible. The other characters are staring up at it in shock, confusion, and amazement: Ratthi, who has dark skin that is slightly lighter than Murderbot's, is below it, throwing one hand out in shock, sending his mug of a dark liquid flying. He is wearing a light, long sleeved shirt and skinny jeans. Pin-Lee, who has light brown skin, is standing at a short table in the background, wearing a long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a short skirt. Bharadwaj, who has brown skin, leaning forward over the table to stare, with only her long sleeved shirt visible above the table. Overse, who is white, is sitting in a chair next to Ratthi on the left side of the screen, looking up, with Arada's light brown, bare legs and feet in her lap, with a beaded ankle bracelet. Overse is wearing a long sleeved shirt and leggings, and her own shoes are kicked off on the floor in front of her.

End ID.]

That's the official art of Murderbot from the one scene in "Book 4.5" as I call it, or as it's officially known, by it's annoyingly long name: "Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory". Which you can read for free here. Though do keep in mind--it's set between book 4 and 5, so only read it if you've already read book 4!

And I (in the laziest way possible [with the color brush set to 50% in GIMP]) added colors for fun :)

If it's not clear enough, I did not draw the original art above, I just added colors for fun.

[ID: The same digital drawing as above, now with colors added. Murderbot's skin is now very dark brown, wearing a light blue shirt with darker blue pants.

Ratthi's shirt is pale yellow, and his pants light purple.

Pin Lee's shirt is light green, and her skirt dark grey.

Bharadwaj's shirt is dark red.

Overse's shirt is red, and her leggings are bubblegum pink.

Arada's ankle bracelet is blue.

The chairs the characters are sitting on have light red frames and darker red cushions.

End ID.]

here's a link to how the actual artist made the art because it's cool and I would never have thought of doing that.

Here's a slightly better video of me adding the colors.

Below the cut is a very pixely gif of how I added the colors. Warning for slight flashing colors below, with the colors being added and the pixels sort of flickering.

[ID: A gif version of the images above, with the resolution decreased so most of the details are obscured, reduced to large pixels. It starts off black and white, then becomes sepia, then warmer brown. Color first appears on Murderbot's pants, then its shirt, then Pin-Lee's shirt, and continues from right to left, adding the colors above, ending with Arada's blue ankle-bracelet, the pixels that make up the image seeming to flicker in place. End ID.]

#long post #described images #described art #Murderbot #SecUnit #Rjalker reads The Murderbot Diaries #The Murderbot Diaries #Ratthi #Overse #Arada #Pin-Lee #Bharadwaj #none of these people have last names. or. well. no. I guess those are their last names aren't they #we just don't know their first names

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tenowls · 2 years

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another thing I’ve been wanting to draw for ages - a full lineup of my hc designs for the presaux survey team :D

#murderbot #murderbot diaries #secunit #mensah #ayda mensah #ratthi #pin lee #gurathin #arada #overse #bharadwaj #volescu #presaux #fanart #man..... i used to love drawing book characters as a teenager but could never get them to look how they did in my head #being able to do that now is Extremely Satisfying HAHAHH

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auntymatter · 2 years

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All Systems Ken: A Murderdoll Diary

PreservationAux

Group photo, embarkation area, Port FreeCommerce, about to board the company ship to go to the survey planet.

Left to right:

Volescu, Bharadwaj, Pin-Lee, Mensah, Arada, Overse, Ratthi, Gurathin, and Murderdoll (in the transport box)

Special thanks to Chimaerakitten for the use of their brilliant design of the PreservationAux logo.

#all systems red #murderbot diaries #custom barbies #the murderbot diaries #action figures #custombarbies #volescu #bharadwaj #pin lee #mensah #arada #overse #ratthi #gurathin #secunit #murderbot #murderdoll

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crowned-ladybug · 1 year

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Additional context stuff for hopeless, for the lil parenthesis dialogues, mainly who's saying what and a lil bit of why

(If you're seeing this when I'm posting it, I'll only be posting a usual link post later but the fic is There i promise)

Arada: You know that that’s not really what an anagram is though, right? Murderbot: You’re overestimating my willingness to care. Overse: Ooh, you walked right into that one-

This is 100% just good natured, friendly bullying. Murderbot is enjoying itself immensely and so are its friends

Amena: Does that mean you can see in the dark? Murderbot: Define dark. Amena: Like, if I shut you in the closet- Murderbot: I’m not going in the fucking closet. Someone laughs, bright, high pitched. I cannot place it. I should be able to place it.

Also just fun teasing, the laughter is also Amena ofc. Also followed up by some joke about "I don't know how second mum would feel if she knew how much you swear around me"

Ratthi: How are you just fine with this? Murderbot: How are you not? It’s not meant to be rude, maybe. (It genuinely isn't, Murderbot is just like this, it's just asking) A pause. Ratthi: Well, the thing with humans- our inner ears- hold on, let me sit down…

Set sometime during the survey that Network Effect opens on. Getting around on a boat for whatever reason and the water is a bit choppy. Ratthi isn't sea sick but it's more than his balance can handle whereas Murderbot's systems for balancing work completely differently and are much more finely tuned so it's doing fine

Ratthi gets to be distracted by giving a mini lecture on the topic that Murderbot pays a bit more attention to than if another human was giving it

Murderbot: That’s not what it is. Gurathin: Mm-hm. Murderbot: I’m not taking pictures. I’m saving individual frames of my camera inputs. It’s different. Gurathin: And the end result is different how exactly?

Some sort of survey or excursion or whatever, peace times and a pretty view, and Murderbot is taking pictures of said view for keeping and also bc it thinks Mensah would like them maybe. The interaction with Gurathin is genuinely not mean spirited at this point, they just usually communicate by being contrary assholes anyway

Mensah: I thought you liked unrealistic stories. Murderbot: I’m- yeah, but this is just dumb! Mensah: What would make it better then? I can’t tell if that’s bait. I don’t think it is. It’s not her style. ...her? The episode rests paused between us for over two hours. We make up a better story.

Not much about this, Mensah and Murderbot are just watching something together that neither of them have huge emotional stakes in so they get distracted just talking to each other bc it's more fun

Murderbot: And you’re calling me immature. ART: My desire to know how this arc ends is not immature. In fact, my emotional investment is the exact opposite- Murderbot: Do you even hear yourself right now? I start the next episode anyway. The weight over me abruptly stops complaining.

Just your regular "Murderbot and ART arguing over media" stuff, only thing of note is that this is ofc happening over the feed, I just had to keep with quotation marks for the sake of consistency

The actual purpose of these was 100% just vibes but the dead author who is very alive says that while the nightmare itself came entirely from organic brain bits, these flashes came from inorganic long term memory trying to contribute/course correct and completely failing to establish a proper, coherent connection due to the Oh God Everything Is Fucked And Nothing Computes nature of a nightmare

#kata's chatter #these were never meant to be an ensamble cast catch-em-all but im still a lil sad i didnt get to include a pin-lee one #the murderbot diaries #murderbot #arada #overse #amena #ratthi #gurathin #mensah #who ik has a first name but i cba to break the tagging pattern #asshole research transport #fic meta #thats not a tag ive used before but probably should so that i dont just entirely lose this

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