Lyanna Mormont’s Game of Thrones Return Confirmed

Lyanna
Photo: Twitter/PAP4U

No new character made as big a splash last season on Game of Thrones as Lyanna Mormont. The fiery young Lady of Bear Island sassed Stannis Baratheon before she ever appeared onscreen, and put Jon Snow and Sansa Stark in their place in her debut. It goes without saying that a season 7 return for Bella Ramsey would be welcomed by fans. People have wondered if she’d be coming back especially since Kristofer Hivju shared an Instagram photo of himself with the actress. Well, wonder no more!

PAP4U, who has posted several new images taken at the Corbet, Northern Ireland studio base over the last couple weeks, has done it again. So now it’s official: based on these new photographs, Ramsey will be back as Lyanna Mormont in season 7.

You can see the actress exiting the hair and makeup trailer, in full costume. PAP4U has confirmed that these photos were taken the same day as the photos that included Kit Harington, Gwendoline Christie, Liam Cunningham and others.

It’s not a massive surprise Ramsey is returning, since she is a fan favorite, but it’s great to have it confirmed. Welcome back, Bella!

Sue the Fury
Susan Miller, Editor in Chief of WatchersOnTheWall.com

95 Comments

  1. Yei! We were pretty sure she’d be back, but it’s nice to have a total confirmation. I like the new clothes, too. More comfortable wear than what she was sporting last season.

  2. Yay!!
    I read ‘Ramsey will be back as Lyanna Mormont in season 7’ and imagined Iwan Rheon in a little black dress hahah

  3. Sansa now literally seems to be the only northern character missing in the scene.
    Glad to get the confirmation that sassy lil’ bear is coming back!

  4. I really hope they don’t overplay their hand on this one simply because she was popular last season. Let’s hope that D&D have some remaining sense of subtlety. Use this character in small doses. The last time we had a really popular one season character it spawned the worst plot thread on the show the following season, simply because the character was popular.

  5. House Applebee:
    The last time we had a really popular one season character it spawned the worst plot thread on the show the following season, simply because the character was popular.

    Trying to figure out who you’re referring to here?

    So glad Bella is back! Such a wonderful little actress. Hoping and praying to R’hllor that she and Arya get to meet and size each other up. That would be quite a fun scene!

  6. House Applebee,

    With the way people have fawned over her they probably can’t overdo her appearances. I thought Bella did great, but my word have things gone overboard for a character with a few lines.

    I imagine Dorne would have been more fun with Pascal’s Oberyn still alive and part of it. HE was the popular ‘part’ of Dorne.

  7. I did a double take when the article said, “Ramsey would be back.” I forgot the name of the actress for a moment.

    Laura: Trying to figure out who you’re referring to here?

    I believe he/she is referring to Oberyn.

  8. ghost of winterfell,

    And Bran and Meera, if you assume they’re going to be Northern characters now. But if this is from episode 1 or 2, one can guess that they haven’t made it to Winterfell (or wherever this is) yet.

  9. ghost of winterfell:
    Sansa now literally seems to be the only northern character missing in the scene.
    Glad to get the confirmation that sassy lil’ bear is coming back!

    Yeah, what’s up with that? Sophie didn’t even with the casts the last few days since she was in Paris (maybe still is). She either has very small role this season, sit in her own room plotting something or already died in those scenes. What weird to me is that Littlefinger, Brienne, Pod are there with Jon but Sansa is nowhere to be found, I thought they are a package deal.

    Arya doesn’t seem to be in the North storyline as well maybe only one scene in the North at end of season 7.

  10. ghost of winterfell:
    Sansa now literally seems to be the only northern character missing in the scene.
    Glad to get the confirmation that sassy lil’ bear is coming back!

    Really weird that everyone except Sophie has filmed.

  11. So, does leave me to wonder if all these Northern characters are either traveling together or in a specific scene together, where Sansa is. Let’s say for example, if it’s traveling together and Sansa is left alone in Winterfell, why would Littlefinger, Brienne, Pod seemingly be alright with her being left alone in Winerfell and why would all 3 of them be traveling with Jon Snow? And if it’s a specific scene, that too begs questions. What possible scene would involve all the principle Northern characters but not Sansa? We’ll learn more soon I suppose.

  12. It was expected that Lyanna Mormont would be back. I just hope she’s not dead by the end of the season, with the WWs coming and all that.

  13. The Northern arcs (both north and south of the Wall) were my favorite part of season six, and I have to say that this is what I am most looking forward to about season seven. Since Ned Stark rocked up to the Red Keep in episode 103, it really felt as if – in spite of the number of characters elsewhere – that King’s Landing was at the epicenter of the plot; with season six, I really felt that, as should be the case given the coming war, the focus shifted northward.

    With that in mind, I am delighted that Lyanna Mormont will be in season seven. She was the first to declare Jon her king in 610, and it makes sense that she remains at Winterfell in season seven as he adapts to that role. Her relationship with Sansa will, I think, prove to be interesting – she didn’t seem to think much of her in 607 when they met at Bear Island (though, to be fair, I am not sure how warmly she took to Jon at that meeting), and it was Jon not Sansa that she declared her true ruler in 610. As Lyanna said, her mother was a warrior – Sansa is far more of a politician.

    I do agree that they need to develop Lyanna’s character more, and to add some variety to her scenes. She may be the ruler of Bear Island and able to push the Northern lords in line, but she is still a child. And I hope that she is given at least some scenes that reflect that. Also, with Jorah being such a prominent Daenerys supporter, I think it is great that Lyanna is seen throughout Westeros as being so supportive of Jon; I would love to see Varys updating Daenerys on the political situation following her arrival, and telling her that Jorah’s young cousin is one of Jon’s most prominent supporters.

  14. Sean C.,

    I only considered the people known to be in Winterfell.
    All these photos seem to have been taken on the same day, maybe Sophie just did not have anything to film that day? Still, she hasn’t been in Belfast in the past 2 weeks whereas filming in Corbet seems to have continued till last week at least. I wonder if this is just one high stake scene they are filming or if it’s a series of scenes.

  15. Sassy Lady Mormont. Hopefully her role requires a good amount of screen time. She was amazing last season.

  16. She looks really cool.

    I’m amazed the fashion world hasn’t come up with some medieval chic, what with all the historical and fantasy shows in the media recently.

  17. ghost of winterfell:
    Sansa now literally seems to be the only northern character missing in the scene.
    Glad to get the confirmation that sassy lil’ bear is coming back!

    Just because we haven’t seen her in any of these pics so far, doesn’t mean that Sophie wasn’t there. I said as much in the previous thread last week.. the pap is trying to sell these pics to the press, and is then releasing them if he doesn’t manage to. Hence why we’re getting these gradually- and more may yet surface.

    Alternatively, Sophie simply didn’t have a scene with these guys… Maybe she filmed other scenes at the paint hall; for example she could be taking care of her newly returned brother in another scene.

    Also, wasn’t she in Saintfield recently for an apparent Godswood scene, or have I got my wires crossed?

  18. I’m happy she’s back. I’m loving her new outfit. It reminds me of the one Bran wears in his visions. I’d say it symbolizes her support of Jon/the Starks. 😛

    I hope they show some restraint when using the character though. I’d like some complexity and not just quips.

  19. Awesome! Figured she’d be back but good to see it confirmed. Hopefully she can put that whiney, entitled little brat Sansa in her place again

  20. Apollo,

    On the day/s these photos were taken Sophie was in London.

    I for one was not content with how almost every Jon scene heavily involved Sansa last season. And that his character/arc suffered by intertwining with hers so I’ll be glad for any Sansa-less Jon scene we get in s7. The more, the better.

  21. Apollo:
    I said as much in the previous thread last week.. the pap is trying to sell these pics to the press, and is then releasing them if he doesn’t manage to. Hence why we’re getting these gradually- and more may yet surface.

    Sophie would have been the most prominent castmember at the shooting other than Kit, were she there. If he had any photos of her, the Daily Mail would have bought them. Not to mention, the whole confusion about the “body double” would make a lot less sense if the actress was actually present.

  22. Apollo,

    Sue didn’t specify which Stark was in the godswood scene.

    I’d say he would have sold pics of Sophie by now if he had them. It’s not like she’s an unknown. The first pics that came out were of Kit and Gwendoline and I’d say she’s as prominent as they are on the show. And it’s suspicious that characters she should be having scenes with like LF, Brienne, and Pod are not spotted with her but with Jon and his gang. Especially Brienne, who is her sworn sword.

  23. maeve,

    I agree. The further she’s from his scenes the better. Too bad she didn’t take Littlefinger with her.

    maeve,

    I like Sansa’s dresses, but I love it more when I see female characters wearing what is perceived as typical male clothing.

  24. Apollo,

    The Wotw report only mentioned that godswood scenes were filmed in Saintfield. There was no mention of the actors involved. IIRC, Sophie, Isaac and Kit were all present in Belfast when the Saintfield filming happened, so it could have featured any of them, though Kit seems less likely if he was filming at Corbet at that time.

  25. Flayed Potatoes,

    yeah if Sophie had been there, her photos would have been all over the media outlets on the day Kit’s came out. She’s the second most popular actor/character in that bunch.

  26. Sean C.,

    Actually the opposite is the case- confusion whether the girl was Sophies double would be more likely if Sophie was actually present, as a connection could be drawn between them.

    I’m not saying she was or wasn’t there, none of us know for sure. But here we are still being provided with pics from the guy from the same day, so he has more to come (which he mentioned last week).

  27. Flayed Potatoes,

    Quite possibly- but there are so many reasons why Sophie may or may but have been there, not necesarilly any reason for us to be concerned. She’s clearly got a busy schedule right now ?

    They could well have more than one hair and makeup trailer- especialLynne for scenees with multiple characters, it’s equally possible that he just didn’t get the shots- those trucks are usually parked fairly close together to limit prying eyes (for good reason as we’ve seen).

  28. All those pictures are from the same day. Just because there’s not a picture of Sansa doesn’t mean she’s not in the scene. Maybe she filmed her part and then left. After all she was in Belfast that week (and the week before) and flew to London on Wednesday/Thursday.

    Don’t forget the BoB last season, it took a month to filmed and she wasn’t there the whole month.

    Also kit was apparently in London this past weekend or even before according to some pictures in Instagram

    Any idea of what this could be?

    https://twitter.com/irishthrones/status/785054076002238464

    https://twitter.com/irishthrones/status/785056115662946304

  29. SerNoName: Hahahahaha!!

    Wait. You are being serious!?

    I just meant that Lyanna Mormont seems to value her mother’s martial skills; Sansa is not like that and is a more courtly and therefore political figure. I didn’t say that Sansa was skilled in politics – she certainly doesn’t have as much knowledge as she thinks she does in that area – but the courtly/political route is far more Sansa than the martial one. I really don’t see Sansa and Lyanna having much in common.

  30. I am a passionate supporter of House Mormont as a whole, my favourite House. Nonconformist, passionate, badass (read the books! *fighting pit opens*).
    However, I am worried that they are going to screw up her character the way it happened with S6 Tyrion, as many have already written
    I would say they could make something interesting, for example with Jorah being probably on Westeros as well (if I interpret the sightings in the correct way).
    Let’s see. Anyway, welcome back, Bella!

  31. Apollo,

    Again, there’s a fan photo of Sophie at a grocery store in London. It’s from the day or day after these pap photos were taken.
    Daily Mail or any other media outlet would have bought Sophie’s set photos already. They would have come out with the first batch. Neither the pap nor the media would sit on those photos. Would be unnecessary and nonsensical. She simply wasn’t there. And so what? Obviously not every single Northern scene will or should involve her.

  32. Edith,

    This has had me completely stumped- the reports have been contradictory for days and now they’ve allegedly been filming in Bangors public pool with the fire brigade present.. intriguing to say the least!

  33. Edith,

    BtoB took a month to film because there’s was a lot of fighting on the battlefield. Last time I checked, Sansa didn’t have any sword fighting ability. All she had to do there was smirk on a hill. Of course she wasn’t there for the whole duration of that shoot.

    Old Nan’s Pie,

    Ramsay is yesterday’s news. Nobody cares anymore.

    H.Stark,

    If you ask me, it’s either someone getting married or someone dying.

    Or both. A wedding without at least three deaths is considered a dull affair 😛

    just kidding

  34. maeve,

    Exactly my point- she doesn’t need to be in this particular scene at all- especially if he have 11 or so other characters there (in one or serval scenes). Hell, she coulda been embroidering a wedding dress for her wedding to Jon ?

  35. I’m relieved to see that Lyanna Mormont appears to be appearing in a scene with a number of major characters, which will hopefully mean her dialogue is limited or at the very least the older actors will help carry the scene.

    It may be considered blasphemy around here, but I thought the Bear Island scene was one of the weakest in the history of the show specifically because they placed far too much responsibility on Bella Ramsey to carry the scene.

    If you compare it to the scene at Deepwood Motte, which was near identical in structure but which had a far more experienced actor carrying the scene I think the difference in quality is quite stark. No pun intended.

    If they limit her role to a few stern looks and a few lines of support or condemnation then I think that’s the best way to go with her character. As others have pointed out, if they try to make too much of her character then it has the potential to backfire.

  36. Unrelated to this article, I have heard from friends of friends that there will be some filming at the Giant Stairs/Giants Causeway later this month. Can anyone confirm this? The source has proved reliable in the past, but I have no other details.

  37. Flayed Potatoes:

    BtoB took a month to film because there’s was a lot of fighting on the battlefield. Last time I checked, Sansa didn’t have any sword fighting ability. All she had to do there was smirk on a hill. Of course she wasn’t there for the whole duration of that shoot.

    I mention the BOB as an EXAMPLE that there’s not need for an actor to be every day of the set to be on the scene. Not I was implying they were filming a battle or Sansa’s ability to fight 😉

  38. This confirms it! She doesn’t die by a random arrow off-screen between seasons 6 and 7!

    CALLED IT!

  39. Edith,

    Kit was snapped in London last friday onwards, I think. He could have been filming before that. There was at least one person who mentioned him being in Belfast last week, on Twitter. And they were still filming in Corbet last week. It’s not confirmed though.

    Regarding the diving pool, maybe they are filming a part of the scene where a major character falls in the water, which was reported last week (which Sue guessed could be a fall off a dragon). I know that part is supposed to be filmed in Malpatrida, maybe they are filming some parts of that scene here?

  40. Yay!! I’m glad to finally have it confirmed Baby Bear Mormont will return. Bella looks to have grown a few inches from the last time we saw her.

    I love Lyanna’s new outfit. It looks very similar to what Bran and Jon wear, which makes sense since she’s a Northern girl from a line of warrior women. I would’ve loved to have seen a sword at her hip but maybe that’ll come later. Of the Northern ladies, so far we’ve got Sansa wearing proper ladies dresses, the red-haired 16 year old wearing a plain dress, and now Lyanna wearing a young lord’s outfit. I rather like that, in the North, the girls don’t wear the same matchy-matchy style of clothing like they do in King’s Landing. If Arya ever makes to Winterfell, I hope she ends up wearing something very similar to Lyanna’s outfit, but in the Stark colors of course.

  41. I love Bella! I’m so excited for next season. I’ve been going through GOT withdrawal. Being a huge fan and ASOIAf nerd reread the books and started watching some YouTube videos. I found an interesting channel with some ideas I’ve never heard before. http://https://youtu.be/kXw1vOhQ5Rk

  42. Ramsay’s 20th Good Man,

    The show had had so many strong child actors and she was so genuinely terrible I will never understand the love. This is why we get stuck with trite shit. Because people think Cousin Oliver is so cute.

  43. Jack Bauer 24: Really weird that everyone except Sophie has filmed.

    Yep, you’re right. It really doesn’t seem that Sophie has done any filming at all as of yet, which is quite strange.

    Unless there’s something going on with her plot that they are trying to keep secret and they are trying to keep her filming under wraps? (As they tried to do with Kit last year?)

  44. George: Yep, you’re right. It really doesn’t seem that Sophie has done any filming at all as of yet, which is quite strange.

    Sophie was in Belfast the week before the Emmys and the partial week after. She has been filming; she just wasn’t filming for this scene.

  45. I can’t wait for the scene when Lyanna Mormont executes the returning traitor-to-their-house Jorah Mormont!

  46. Alba Stark: I just meant that Lyanna Mormont seems to value her mother’s martial skills; Sansa is not like that and is a more courtly and therefore political figure.I didn’t say that Sansa was skilled in politics – she certainly doesn’t have as much knowledge as she thinks she does in that area – but the courtly/political route is far more Sansa than the martial one.I really don’t see Sansa and Lyanna having much in common.

    I would say that Lyanna is actually far more skilled in Northern politics than Sansa considering that she was able to rally the North around Jon as KITN which both Jon and Sansa failed to do.

  47. I can’t believe this is coming from me, but don’t worry about Sansa (I mean, as much as for anyone). There is a crap ton of filming time left for the season, and it is possible that she isn’t in that particular scene. Very possible. Stop the panic. Lol.

    Hooray Little Bear!

  48. Pigeon,

    I don’t think anyone here was panicking. We’re just speculating about what storylines would gather so many characters but not her (particularly since it seems like Podeswa was on-set for this).

  49. maeve,

    I´m lousy at guessing and every time I tried to guess an actor,an arc,a character I ´ve missed by miles but it does smell like Sansa´s arc is closing sooner than expected…her physical absence from the premises,her goodbye tatoo, her saying that she cried when reading the script…it´s pointing that way

  50. I don’t understand the negativity towards Sansa.. Sansa’s story is heartbreaking & Sophie Turner is an AMAZING actress. I don’t think Jon/Sansa scenes last year took away from Jons character arc at all!! Kit & Sophies chemistry is off the charts & I hope we see more of it this year! I’m praying to see her filming soon!
    Bella Ramsay is amazing too!

  51. AlexG,

    You may be right, but there are other alternatives too. Sansa may be needed in the endgame. We all expect the Wall going down in the finale, so let’s try to guess where the main characters are going to be at that moment. Dany and her team – most probably in KL finishing up Cersei; I expect Arya, the Hound, and even Sam to be there too. Edd and probably the Brotherhood without Banners should be at the Wall to go out heroically and buy some time for the rest of the North. Jon? His post would be at the Wall too but I think the gods (namely GRRM and D&D) will do something lure him to prevent him dying in the first ranks. In other words, I expect Jon to be driven to the Riverlands/Vale or even Dragonstone by some circumstances, which means that Winterfell will be left to Bran and Sansa. And if Sansa is besieged in Winterfell by the WW, that would be a nice callback to Blackwater. I can perfectly see her gathering women and children for the last prayer and even planning to set Winterfell on fire with everyone inside (being killed and resurrected as a wight sounds far more unbearable that the prospect of rape women presumably faced during the KL siege).
    Moreover, Sansa might have a task to kill Bran, if he risks to be caught by the Night’s King in his greendream, to prevent the annulment of the spells safeguarding the Wall.
    So, the gods are hardly done with Sansa yet.
    Meanwhile, her absence in the hight stake scene in Winterfell may be easily explained by her not feeling well. It’s quite typical for people to go out through hell and then collapse from both physical and mental exhaustion when they find themselves in safety. I can see Littlefinger’s hand in that as well: he has to keep Sansa isolated both from Jon and all these young and handsome lords who are in Winterfell at present. So, persuading Maester Wolkand to give her extra dose of the milk of the poppy for her own good sounds like a right solution for the beginning of the season. Later it might evolve into something else.

  52. Exactly…What we need to remember is that the filming has now been stretched over a much longer timeframe, with less overall episodes. Although core characters may end up on screen as much as before, it’ll be filmed over a longer period hence the actors won’t necessarily be around all the time.

    The filming in NI will really ramp up as the weather gets colder (mostly theyll be doing interior scenes just now that we rarely get scoops on).

    Also- Belfast is a 1h flight from London… so Sophie ain’t too far off.

    Pigeon:
    I can’t believe this is coming from me, but don’t worry about Sansa (I mean, as much as for anyone). There is a crap ton of filming time left for the season, and it is possible that she isn’t in that particular scene. Very possible. Stop the panic. Lol.

    Hooray Little Bear!

  53. In my humble opinion it’s looking increasingly likely that Sansa is the big death for next season. Let’s face it she’s not an end game player, it’s widely expected there will be some stand off between Jon and Sansa/Littlefinger, while the wall is likely coming down there probably needs to be some more drama next season in the North so the death of Sansa makes sense.

  54. Well, I see we have a very healthy convo going in regards to Sansa and even the Little Bear…lol. I’m glad Bella will be back. It was refreshing to see her variation speech of the North Remembers. Nice to see a half pint female put everyone else in their places. Sad, that not one man in the room made that speech, but that’s tv. Anyway, glad she’s back and I don’t think she will detract from the show at all. I don’t think she’s done yet, but I also don’t think she’s going to become a MAJOR character just because the fans like her immensely (most, not all fans). If fans really had the ability to sway the storyline, then I think LF would be dead; Lady, Summer, Grey Wind, Shaggy Dog, Rob and Rickon would all be alive; Bran could walk; Joffrey would have died after his first cruel act; Jaime would have left Cersei for Brienne; Sean Bean would still be starring and Jon would never have been stabbed, or at least not left kind of dead as a cliffhanger.

    As to Sansa, well she’s Sansa and everyone I think can agree that there’s alot to not like about her, but still we do like her because although she’s made some HUGE mistakes, she has paid the ultimate price and let’s not forget she’s just a young girl still and now one with PTSD. My hope is for Sansa to be the one to bring down LF. I, myself, liken it to Jon bringing down his killers…justice. LF betrayed and killed her father and then went on to manipulate and betray her. So here’s to Sansa making it through until LF drops!!

  55. Grace,

    It’s because people get so worked up about fictional characters. It’s why I don’t visit the comments on this site anymore – no debates about the story, just the same bitching and moaning about Dany, Jon, Sansa, Tyrion etc.

  56. Apollo,

    They were tweeting up a storm earlier today, so I thought they might be together again — particularly since Maisie tweeted a photo of their arms side-by-side, but that could easily have been taken earlier, or for that matter, they could have been hanging in London.

    Also, Sophie’s #1 fan (or at least, her #1 fan that Sophie lets hang out with her on occasion) posted photos with Sophie and Aidan today. If IrishThrones is right that she’s in Belfast, that would indicate Aidan is too:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BLbT_6kjXUJ/?taken-by=andiniria
    https://www.instagram.com/p/BLblq86jVPy/?taken-by=andiniria

  57. Glad little Lady Mormont is returning. Bella is adorable. She has excellent advisers both in the story and in real life. That child nailed those lines, in cadence, in expression, in every way. I can only imagine the patient teaching that went into getting the lines and their meaning and timing so right. I get the feeling the whole cast loves her – if you look at Sophie’s face while Bella is doing her lines, Sophie’s face is one of complete affection and indulgence. I took it to be as much Sophie’s delight in the way Bella was handling herself as Sansa’s admiration for the Baby Bear.

    To those of you who think Sansa is going to die, I repeat Tyrion’s prophecy that Lady Stark is going to outlive them all. I believe it.

  58. Deanjerk: OMG OMG Dean charles Chapman aka tommen OMG OMG

    What’s this all about? did you see a story or tweet about him somewhere? What did I miss?

  59. Thronetender,

    To those of you who think Sansa is going to die, I repeat Tyrion’s prophecy that Lady Stark is going to outlive them all. I believe it.

    As a Sansa fan, I hope so, but the line was Lady Stark you MAY out last us yet or something close.

    It was a maybe not an actual fact.

  60. Thronetender:

    To those of you who think Sansa is going to die, I repeat Tyrion’s prophecy that Lady Stark is going to outlive them all. I believe it.

    Tricky thing about prophecies is that they’re often misquoted. Tyrion’s actual words are, “Lady Stark, you may survive us yet.” Consider the prophecy that she will survive her captivity with the Lannisters fulfilled, but I’m afraid she’s totally fair game now as far as the death pool is concerned.

  61. Grail King:
    Thronetender,

    To those of you who think Sansa is going to die, I repeat Tyrion’s prophecy that Lady Stark is going to outlive them all. I believe it.

    As a Sansa fan, I hope so, but the line was Lady Stark you MAY Survive us yet or something close.

    It was a maybe not an actual fact.

    ETA: survive

  62. The lovable, sassy Lady of Bear Island is officially back, damn straight.
    Remember they don’t film in order, and official shooting goes all the way into February of next year. Sansa is the diplomat, she’ll probably go south to cement and build alliances. I’d say a marriage to Jaime would freak everyone, but be in line with the unifying union of Houses Lancaster and York in War of the Roses. Perfect way for Jaime to get at Cersei for blowing up part of K.L.

  63. I’m mourning over last season’s costume for her. That all black look with the gold across the chest was intimidating and sharp as hell. This looks much more in the style of Stark, which is fine, but the black was just so classy and badass.

    I hope she at least wears it a few times again this next season.

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