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Another vote for customs
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Sep 21, 2018 15:41
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Yeah, Customs will help us learn some positive tells.
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Sep 21, 2018 17:49
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nthing customs
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Sep 22, 2018 19:47
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You decide to ask if Speaker Ens'fel would explain more about the customs of the Auram people, suggesting that such information would be very useful in helping to spread understanding between both sides. Ens'fel's tentacles coil around themselves tightly before Ens'fel agrees to your proposal. Ens'fel explains how to recognize what job or title an Auram has by what they wear, and how to properly greet them. With how they're described, it seems like every type of job is treated as a sort of political faction, with Speakers such as Ens'fel (recognized by their bright clothing) acting as mediators. Hopefully what you've learned will help prevent you from embarrassing yourself or committing a social faux pas, but just as importantly you now have a vague idea of how the Auram's government works. As the sun starts to set, you make one more request, asking if perhaps there might be a show or play of some sort happening soon. Ens'fel's feathers stand on end, saying only "A show will be arranged. You will see it tomorrow evening. You will get rest now." It appears the conversation is over, and after escorting you to your room, Ens'fel quickly departs, leaving you with the rest of your team. Well that's fine, as you did need to start planning your schedule for tomorrow morning. It also wouldn't hurt to go over your notes you took from your examinations during the war. The Auram look like lumpy, flightless avians for the most part, but a few physical features stood out. The most obvious was the insect-like mandible they had in place of a beak or mouth, with the addition of two small "fangs" that looked vaguely similar to a spider's. This unfortunately made it very easy for the average person (or the Stellar Council armed forces) to view the Auram as inhuman monsters, but they did calm down slightly after you discovered the Auram were most likely herbivores. They simply didn't have a way to digest meat, and you theorized (but so far have been unable to prove) that the "fangs" were only used to drain fruits, or perhaps to drink liquids. You're also not sure if the Auram have a concept of cooking or using spices, or if they consume their food raw. At least you don't have to worry about Auram food being toxic to Humans. The tentacles were another unique feature of the Auram. They're comprised of mostly muscles and nerves, but there's also a hollow, bony structure just beneath the skin which surrounded the muscles and nerves. You're not really certain what the hell it is. There are similar bony plates embedded across the skin of the Auram, in unique patterns for each individual, but you have no idea what purpose they serve, or even if they were actually bone or something else, as the Auram don't have a skeleton. It was all incredibly frustrating, but at least you know that the Auram move their tentacles around deliberately and with conscious effort. Which also means that if an Auram uses its tentacles in a conversation, it must be explicitly trying to express something. The Auram's talons fit their overall avian-ish image, although their lack of legs does make them look a little strange. They aren't very sharp, but they do have a very strong grip, with one talon able to support more than the Auram's weight when it clings onto a branch or railing. They could do quite a bit of damage if they grabbed onto a Human's limb, but even SC soldiers never reported the Auram using their talons aggressively. Now you just need to come up with a plan for the time you have left. You have two days before the negotiations start in earnest, and there is still much to learn about the Auram. However, your earlier questions to Ens'fel means you now have an idea about where to start, instead of just wandering around the colony aimlessly. The Auram people are split into factions based on their career, so visiting some of the more important sounding factions would be a good way to learn more about the Auram and find out what they might want from the negotiations. You'll probably want to try visiting each of these factions if you have time, but for now you just need to figure out which to visit first tomorrow morning. ___________________ Makers. From the brief description Ens'fel gave you, they seem to be composed of both craftsmen (craftsauram?) and engineers. You're uncertain if they would also be in charge of creating Auram war machines. Traders. Merchants, bankers, and those who help transport goods. If they control the flow of money among the Auram, then surely that would give them a lot of power, right? Fighters. The warriors of the Auram, both in space and on the ground. They might be difficult to deal with, especially if they hold any grudges from Stellar Council victories. Gardeners. Any Auram that dedicates their time to nurturing plants, including farmers. You're not sure how influential they might be, but they probably have a lot of members. Seekers. You assume the faction is for Auram scientists, but Ens'fel's description was a bit vague. After explaining what a xenobiologist is, Ens'fel likened you to a Seeker, so you might have something in common with them? Astus fucked around with this message at 21:36 on Oct 5, 2018 |
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Sep 30, 2018 11:45
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Let's start with the Seekers. Even if they aren't scientists, I would like to find out more about what they are, so we can get a better picture of how our counterpart sees us.
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Sep 30, 2018 14:30
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Kristopher posted:Let's start with the Seekers. Sounds good to me
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Sep 30, 2018 17:33
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Agreed, Seekers, we've probably got the most in common with either them or maybe the Gardeners so let's kick off with those two. Seekers first because I think there's gonna be the most commonality there, seeing as Ens'Fel classed us as one.
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Sep 30, 2018 17:41
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I wish to Consult our Knowledge: Xenobiology to see what we know of the tells we have already encountered, the biological mechanism behind them. Are their tentacles distributed nerve-cluster muscle bags like Squids, or are they blood-hydraulic or function by some other method entirely? Most importantly i think is if they are conscious or unconscious tells, or to what degree we know they can control them. Basically, do their tentacles always wave about or are they still except for when talking or something like that? Also the claws they are bringing together, are these for delicate manipulation or the ripping into of prey? Do we even know what they eat? That they eat at all is a plus, for there if nowhere else can we find some common ground. I say we visit the Gardeners first on the basis of this alone. As a bonus, how they treat those who toil the hardest will tell us a lot about their general attitudes.
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Sep 30, 2018 18:33
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Traders Please. We may be a scientist like the Seekers are but we should be shrewd enough to know that Human scientists don't pull the strings of government quite nearly as much as the wealthy elite. Let's Visit the Traders and see what kinds of resources the Auram value.
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Oct 1, 2018 00:48
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Maybe the Aurum are communists and the Traders aren't nearly as influential/even comparable to the human version. Certainly worth investigating, but I don't know if it's top priority. Science is pretty universal in a way that economics aren't and we're guaranteed to have some common ground there, seems like a good place to start.
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Oct 1, 2018 01:57
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Gonna vote for farmers. What's their attitude to food? Is it sustenance only? Do they seek variety? Do they alter flavours with spice or similar (Xeno know- physiology - can they taste in this way?) How do they view the act of growing, traditional tools to bleeding edge equipment? Do they hold farmers and growers in high or low regard, can we understand why? Any clear attitudes to work and labouring? Any religious or ritual components? Any festivals? Celebrations of plenty, or hoarding for lean times? How do the farmers live, can we discern anything to compare to the other groups when we visit (living quarters are fancy or simple?) Also, for whatever option wins, can we ask are we communicating anything in our choice here? Do they consider first choice to be most important, or last? Or a set order they consider important (primes, something to do with tentacle numbers -xenobiology into, any important numbers to consider in their physiology? e.g. our ten fingers, two eyes) WereGoat fucked around with this message at 22:42 on Oct 2, 2018 |
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Oct 2, 2018 22:31
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Swedish Thaumocracy posted:I wish to Consult our Knowledge: Xenobiology to see what we know of the tells we have already encountered, the biological mechanism behind them. Are their tentacles distributed nerve-cluster muscle bags like Squids, or are they blood-hydraulic or function by some other method entirely? Most importantly i think is if they are conscious or unconscious tells, or to what degree we know they can control them. Basically, do their tentacles always wave about or are they still except for when talking or something like that? WereGoat posted:What's their attitude to food? Is it sustenance only? Do they seek variety? Do they alter flavours with spice or similar (Xeno know- physiology - can they taste in this way?) I edited in a section about reviewing the notes taken from the studies and autopsies during the war in the previous post, since its all knowledge Yavin has right now, so no need to wait until the next update. Speaking of, the next update will be delayed slightly, as I'm celebrating my birthday this weekend.
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Oct 5, 2018 21:45
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Going by human art, going to an alien play will tell us absolutely nothing about the species with whom we are interacting. Especially since their cultures have expanded across multiple planets. We can't even rely on tropes since we have zero understanding of any of their cultures or narrative theory. Unless it is specifically a show designed for the newest of newborns AND their brains developed exactly like ours, this is bound to be a very entertaining and baffling waste of time. However, what we can guesstimate is that they have deemed the play appropriate for showing to a visiting dignitary that at any moment might declare a genocidal war upon them. So that is at least one lens through which we might view the proceedings. Speaking of brains, do they have them? If not, what is their organic data storage equivalent?
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Oct 8, 2018 11:18
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In the end, Speaker Ens'fel's curious comment causes you to visit the Seekers first. You try to get whatever sleep you can now, in order to set out early in the morning. You decide to bring along your lab assistant in case you need to review your notes again, and of course your diligent bodyguard refuses to not follow you wherever you go. Asking around the embassy, you learn that the Seekers have a compound near the outskirts of the city, and arrange for a transport to take you there. As you pass through the sea of trees the Auram city has been built around, you eventually see the Seeker compound and are struck by how...dull it looks. The various brown buildings of the compound are small compared to most of the Auram buildings you passed, and have fewer harsh angles or holes, making them look far more mundane. The inside of the central building is more interesting at least, as dozens of Auram swing across railings in a frenzy of activity. Strangely, despite all the movement, there's not as much noise as you'd think. Actually, both the embassy and the city you passed through felt muted. Your line of thought is immediately cut off as an Auram clad in the brown clothes of a Seeker descends from a railing above you, and starts to waddle in your direction. It would be comical looking if not for the fact that this Auram is significantly larger than what you assumed was average for their species, and are even taller than your bodyguard. The Seeker's feathers are standing on end, and they are currently standing uncomfortably close to you. "Greetings. I am Seeker Rab'mel, and I speak for us. You are Xenobiologist Yavin Interrobang. I was warned of your arrival. You are strange." You hear Rab'mel tap twice with their talons, though you try to keep eye contact. "You are not a Seeker, but still similar. Humanity's xenobiology is strange." Rab'mel's tentacles coil around themselves tightly. "We will talk." You wouldn't be here if you didn't want to talk, but the question is, what should you talk about? ___________________ A: Stick to the current topic. Rab'mel brought up xenobiology, perhaps they're interested in the field? You could help Rab'mel understand Humans more, but you won't learn anything about the Auram if you only talk about yourself. You could also switch to a different topic: B: Ask about the Seeker compound. Why is it situated on the outskirts of the city, and why does it look so different to normal Auram architecture? C: Bring up the relative silence. Even the giant Rab'mel makes very little noise, and doesn't seem to raise their voice. Is there some sort of reason for the silence, or are the Auram just naturally quiet? D: Ask how Seekers are different from scientists. Rab'mel also brought up that there is some difference between you and a Seeker, despite being similar. Is the Auram approach to science different in some way? E: Bring up Rab'mel's size. Seriously, most of the Auram are a bit larger than your torso, but Rab'mel towers over you. Hopefully the Seeker isn't sensitive about their size. F: Ask if the war affected the Seekers. You're not sure if it'd be rude to bring the topic up, but the answer could help you understand how Seeker Rab'mel sees you or Humans in general. G: What do the Seekers want from the Negotiations? It's probably rude to ask this question immediately after meeting Rab'mel, but it's also important. The Seekers are one of the major factions of the Auram, so they'll have at least some influence in the negotiations. H: Does Rab'mel know what happened to the First Delegation? This is a very risky question to ask, perhaps even hostile. If the First Delegation were the cause of the war, it would be nice to know what mistake they made so your own team won't make the same misstep. Something Else. Seeker Rab'mel should know a lot about Auram technology, although you don't expect they'll tell you any sensitive information. You can also bring up any questions about the Seekers themselves. I want to remind everyone again that there is no sudden Game Over, regardless of which option you pick. Also, the vote is just for which topic you should start the conversation with, you'll be able to bring up the other topics later, though you might not be able to ask about everything if you want to be able to meet with all of the Auram's major factions in just two days. Finally, since this update got delayed quite a bit and this is the first time any repeat Tells have come up, each Tell above is also a link to the post where they first showed up. Let me know if you guys would prefer if I keep doing that, or if you're fine with having to remember if you've seen a Tell before.
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Oct 17, 2018 23:51
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D Finding out how seekers are different from scientists will probably lead to us being told what exactly seekers are, followed by us clearing up any confusion about what scientists are, a good mix of give-and-take, making sure everyone walks away from this exchange with a better understanding of the other species.
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Oct 18, 2018 01:23
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My votes are for DEFG, in that order D - An icebreaker topic, in which we find common ground, which easily transitions into E - Our Xenobiologist background means we are curious about Seeker Rab'mel's size F - We briefly touch upon the terribleness of war, so we can ultimately broach the topic for why we're really here: G - We smart folk have got to stick together!
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Oct 18, 2018 01:31
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Going to take two wild guesses here that tapping your talons twice is a measure of annoyance, bewilderment or uncomfortableness. Things should behave logically, it is Strange that they do not. Tentacles coiling up could be anxiousness; is this the right choice? Standing too close to us could be a power display but i doubt it; they don't appear to value that in the same way we do seeing as everyone we met has been a one on one. Perhaps he is doing it because he is so large? Need more data to process, though we could just ask I suppose. E: Why are you so big and why are you standing so close? Is standing close a good thing or a bad thing? Humans also come in many shapes, but the mature average height is still around (170cm+-10 depending on scifi medication and diet I guess)
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Oct 19, 2018 19:57
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D
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Oct 19, 2018 20:08
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You decide to ask the question that's been bothering you for a while: just how are Auram Seekers different from Human scientists? Rab'mel's feathers are no longer standing on end, instead the feathers make a small twitching motion before settling down. The Seeker continues to stand uncomfortably close to you while they answer, as one of their tentacles makes a small zig-zag motion. "You are a xenobiologist. You study outside life, and only outside life. I am a Seeker. I seek answers to many questions. You and other Humans are limited. You dedicate your life to one question. I do not understand." Rab'mel taps their talons twice. "It should be constraining and frustrating to be limited. Do Humans enjoy being limited." ____________ Take offense. You're pretty sure Rab'mel just insulted the scientists of Humanity by insinuating they can't handle more than one field of study at a time. Explain that Rab'mel is being very rude, regardless if they intended to be. Try to explain. Rab'mel may be genuinely curious, and while you aren't really qualified to answer for all scientists as to why they specialize, you can at least explain the benefits of focusing on one field. Laugh it off. While Rab'mel is probably confused by how different Humans are, their last line is clearly just a joke. They're probably just trying to break the ice. Seekers are generalists? Rab'mel's question is just rhetorical, no need to be bothered by it. More importantly, are all of the Seekers generalists? Does that extend to the rest of the Auram too? Something Else. Perhaps you wish to respond in a different way, or maybe combine parts of the above responses?
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Nov 11, 2018 01:41
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Try to explain Also, try and introduce the concept of philosophy to Rab'mel. I'm wondering if perhaps we got our wires crossed here, and seekers study bigger picture questions, rather then actual sciences. Edit: Also, try and phrase it in a way that is less insulting than I just did.
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Nov 11, 2018 01:54
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Would it be cheating to announce we are having trouble with body langauge interpretation and ask for a local to follow us around for the explicit purpose of answering body language questions 'It's feathers just went up, what does that mean? Also explain the zig zag thing'etc.
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Nov 11, 2018 01:58
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Agree that it can be frustrating. Try to explain that specialization is adaptive for our culture and way of living, though generalists do exist.
There Bias Two fucked around with this message at 03:03 on Nov 11, 2018 |
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Nov 11, 2018 03:01
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Astus posted:Ens'fel's tentacles coil around themselves tightly before Ens'fel agrees to your proposal. Astus posted:Rab'mel's tentacles coil around themselves tightly[/url]. "We will talk." Coiling tentacles seem to signify they're thinking about something- possibly our equivalent of 
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Nov 11, 2018 03:49
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Outrail posted:Would it be cheating to announce we are having trouble with body langauge interpretation and ask for a local to follow us around for the explicit purpose of answering body language questions 'It's feathers just went up, what does that mean? Also explain the zig zag thing'etc. I've been thinking about this, but I don't know how I could make it work without trivializing the entire tell mechanic. If someone has a good idea I'm willing to try it, but the point is that you guys don't have the full picture, that things the Auram consider obvious and don't think about have a huge impact on how their words are understood. There's going to be a lot of guesswork involving context clues for this game, as the game just doesn't really work if you fully understand how the Auram communicate. There's no game overs in this thread, so it's fine if you guess wrong and make a mistake. You'll have the chance to recover, and each mistake also lets you learn more about the Auram's tells.
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Nov 11, 2018 22:05
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Explain, it's not like scientists are forcibly prohibited from studying other fields, it's just the easiest way we've found to professionally study the universe. I'm sure human society still has polymaths and philosophers and people that read Space Wikipedia for fun, too, so it's not like the concept of a generalist who wants a holistic understanding of the universe is alien to us. We've just found that specializing works better for professionals that are really drilling down into the nitty-gritty secrets of the universe.
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Nov 11, 2018 22:31
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This is a Seeker we're talking to - let us not forget that Rab'Mel is BIGGER than the others. Surely, biologically, he must have a larger brain than the average Auram. Humans, without having such highly-specialized, genetically-assigned professions, must focus on primary fields of study for a good portion of their lives to attain mastery, whereas the Auram Seekers might have the thinking capacity to specialize in all kinds of advanced fields of study for their entire lives! How long do Seekers live, anyway? Ask: "Seekers are generalists?" - We're a Xenobiologist. We naturally want to find out what makes Seekers biologically special and important to their society compared to the rest of the Auram.
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Nov 11, 2018 23:19
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Try to explain. "Limitation allows one to focus and is self imposed. Some questions can only be answered if one dedicates their life to studying. We share our answers, however because we do not like to be limited. We only have so many days, only so much time to live. Humans must work together on many tasks to achieve one goal. We would not be here, speaking with you if we wanted to be limited. Reaching the stars took many, many, many humans focusing on many many many small questions, some focusing on only one small question their entire life, to come together to answer one large question. We have freedom though, to choose how we live and how limited one chooses to live. It is our hope that this meeting leads to answering many questions. Ignorance, acting without knowing, has cost too much. "
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Nov 11, 2018 23:30
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Try to explain. Seek common ground, base concepts.
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Nov 12, 2018 01:16
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Is this game still going? I was enjoying the concept a lot.
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Nov 23, 2018 14:45
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The game is still going, I just have an anxiety disorder that makes it hard to work on anything I consider important. I didn't mention it before because I was somewhat embarrassed, but in addition to this thread being about spreading awareness of Autism, it's also part of my therapy for my anxiety. It does seem to be getting easier to work on this game than when I first started, and I want to thank everyone who has participated or have been reading the thread, but for now the updating schedule for this game will likely remain erratic.
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Nov 24, 2018 00:04
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Astus posted:The game is still going, I just have an anxiety disorder that makes it hard to work on anything I consider important. I didn't mention it before because I was somewhat embarrassed, but in addition to this thread being about spreading awareness of Autism, it's also part of my therapy for my anxiety. It does seem to be getting easier to work on this game than when I first started, and I want to thank everyone who has participated or have been reading the thread, but for now the updating schedule for this game will likely remain erratic. Sorry for any additional pressure my comment may have created. Eagerly awaiting the next update whenever it comes.
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Nov 24, 2018 01:15
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You do you, we'll enjoy it whenever you want.
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Nov 24, 2018 01:42
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| # ? Apr 24, 2024 10:16 |
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We'll continue participation, so consider any bumps both interest and a means of keeping it out of archives due to that interest. Take your time and work on it when you feel inspired!
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Nov 24, 2018 15:22
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