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ph_memes2024-05-10 08:27 pm
TDM #6 - The Wheel Turns [First Edition]
Reminder that this is our first full TDM after the age minimum removal! Currently, we are asking that all toplevels include the age of the character (or at least a rough estimate) for TDM posts, to ensure that players both old and new can quickly make informed decisions about how to interact with a given character. We also ask that if someone lists a prompt as having an age preference, that it be respected. We understand that this strategy may not work, so pardon our dust while we try out something new!
Also, as of June 7th, Pumpkin Hollow will have been around for one whole year! Thanks for an awesome trip around the sun, everybody! Here’s to another! This particular TDM is going to be a celebration of making it through our first year and all the adventures we had along the way, so please enjoy this highlight reel of our year in review and take a crack at some fun you may have missed. Have fun!
[Find our plain text version here!]
Pumpkin Hollow Gazette
5/10/24 | TDM #6 - The Wheel Turns [First Edition]
Weather Forecast: Fog in early mornings, occasional rain, otherwise clear.
WELCOMING NEW RESIDENTS FOR ONE YEAR AND COUNTING!
By Mayor Hellen Poe
The crop for which the town is named.
ISLAND-WIDE - Last June, Jack’s Marina saw its first overseas vessel in five years come into port as the very first ferry arrived. Ever since that fateful day, that same ferry has ushered in newcomers from all over this wide, wild universe, bringing to this island a multitude of individuals. Each new resident has been unique --- most have been the only person from their world of origin, and each has their own skills and knowledge. However, all of them are unified by one characteristic: they have served as a symbol of hope.
Our island is deeply cursed, of that, there is no question. And in the past year, we have faced many challenges together, from cursed pirate treasure to nightmare carnivals, from food shortage to turnip overflow, from train rides to alternate dimensions to a parasite-infested ship. But in overcoming those challenges we have grown stronger as a community.
As the Wheel of the Year turns once more, we move forward with the hope built for us by our newest residents, and we are pleased to continue welcoming ferries into our docks. If you’ve just arrived, please feel free to stop by Town Hall or reach out to any of your new neighbors for assistance. Welcome, offworlders, and may your lanterns always be lit.
LAKE SAL-CO-PENN FOG ADVISORY
By Yorick Aberdeen
An eerie view of the notorious lake.
LOCKWOOD FOREST (Northern Marrow Isle) -The Pumpkin Hollow Board of Safety has released an important new weather advisory for everyone traveling through Lockwood Forest toward Paradesium on foot. As most of us are aware, the intense rain last month resulted in some very high humidity for this time of year, especially given that this time of year is still quite cool. This has resulted in some heavy fog around the notorious Lake Sal-Co-Penn at the base of Crane’s Ridge, particularly in the very early mornings and late afternoons as the sun begins to set.
For those not yet aware, Lake Sal-Co-Penn’s fog draws those exposed closer to the lake, where it will then subject the victim to dangerous illusory experiences. The side effects of these illusions include but are not limited to foul smells, supernatural compulsion, panic attacks, drowning, and death. If you come into contact with the fog from proximity to the lake, don’t panic! Once you see where the lake itself is, turn around so that your back is to the water and begin walking straight ahead as quickly as possible while reassuring yourself that you do not recognize the bodies in the water. Safe travels!
PAST FRIGHTS MAKE ROTATING ENCORES
By Chief Constable Janine Kilbride
ISLAND-WIDE - Reconnaissance officers set out by the constabulary, in conjunction with the Pumpkin Hollow Board of Safety, have reported multiple sightings of various hostile monsters and spirits that have plagued our town over the past year. These beings include recurring island staples such as Brutoks and the River Walker, as well as newer aggressive entities such as the Tristitia and some carnivorous creatures from Paradesium. They appear to be on some sort of rotation as to which will appear on a given day.
While the Board of Safety continues to monitor the situation and test theories about an observable pattern, please travel safely regardless of time of day or location. Report any monster sightings directly to the nearest Enforcer and keep an eye on the community bulletin board for information as this situation develops.
PUMPKIN HOLLOW JOB FAIR
By Yorick Aberdeen
FESTIVAL GREEN - Due to the success of our planting season recruitment efforts over the previous months, Pumpkin Hollow’s Town Council will be expanding upon its initiative to help people seek out career opportunities in a local Job Fair! Come down to the festival green if you’re interested in a new job, and one of our seasoned artisans and skilled laborers will show you the ropes!
MAGICAL CRITTERS GRACE ISLAND ONCE MORE
By Yorick Aberdeen
A little friend in the Festival Green tulips.
VARIOUS LOCATIONS (Lockwood Forest, Crane’s Ridge, Paradesium) - This past autumn, a host of eerie, magical animals resembling ghosts took over Lockwood Forest, but departed just as mysteriously as they’d arrived by the end of November. These creatures of unknown origin were found to possess incredible power, and while some were hostile, others seemed quite friendly and were content to follow us home. Those that decided upon homes remained even when their brethren vanished with the snowfall.
Now it would appear that another wave of these helpful companions has appeared in the wild! While some are familiar, many of them are entirely new. Most seem to bear plant-like features, but some whimsical pink creatures or pastry-themed animals have been spotted as well. If the pattern follows, they should be around until summer reaches its peak, so go out there and make a friend, and make sure to bring treats!
HELP WANTED: Piano Wrangler
By Dottie Siward, owner of Empty Pockets
DOWNTOWN HOLLOW (Empty Pockets Music Lounge) - Local music lounge seeking assistance taming piano mimic(?) acquired from Calloway’s Curios. Our old piano got bashed to bits in the flood a while back and we bought a fancy new grand piano for a ridiculously low price, especially for Calloway’s. This was a terrible mistake. The piano eats people. Especially people who play badly, which happens a lot on open stage nights. Please help. Half-price drinks for life to anyone who can get this thing to behave, at least until we get a new piano.
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Year in Review
Monsters from our previous TDMs will be making victory laps in a week-long rotation. Which creature you’ll encounter depends upon the day!
Monday's Child is Fair of Face [cw: facial mutilation]
On Mondays, Smiling Jack from TDM#3 - "It Came from Beyond the Veil!” will appear in and around the cemeteries and farmlands, primarily at night. He is a hostile spirit with a Jack-o-Lantern over his head to hide his Glasgow smile. He attempts to make his victims laugh with morbid jokes and pranks and will attack those who do not find his antics funny, exposing his mutilated face and inflicting his same injuries on them. Those who do laugh will be followed until they cross paths with someone new for him to torment. Defeat him by breaking his pumpkin head!Tuesday's Child is Full of Grace
On Tuesday nights, starry-bodied, glittering monsters themed around constellations from TDM #4 -”Aurora Borealis Blitz” can be found roaming the streets and beaches looking for people to aggress. They only appear interested in people, not in buildings. Unlike the previous iteration, they do not require the aurora borealis or a clear sky to manifest, but there are also significantly fewer of them and they do not seem interested in doing any property damage. Defeat them in combat to get a handful of magical stardust! Each monster’s worth of stardust grants one of the following wishes if tossed into the wind:Luck: One unexpected fortunate circumstance occurs organically within the next 24 hours, and any dice rolls made during the OOC week will gain a bonus of +2.
Shimmer: A Shiny Pokemon will appear.
Weather: You can decide the weather for the next day, which can only be interrupted by Cecil Palmer’s Weather with consent from the user.
Fortune: Gain 10 Brass! Wow!
Abundance: Mysteriously acquire one delicious home-cooked meal of your choice with no apparent source.
Safety:: One immediate respawn from death (only works once per character for duration of the game).
Pants: A fabulous new pair of pants, free of charge.
Those who acquired stardust in the prior TDM can now use it for these purposes.
Wednesday's Child is Full of Woe
One of the island’s local cryptids, the Tristitia, can be found wandering the streets of town on Wednesdays. She originated from player action but made her first official appearance on TDM #5 - “Paradesium”. She is a banshee-like evil spirit appearing as a veiled woman with a hollowed-out chest. While normally she is not particularly aggressive if given a wide berth, on her day of the week she has become more hostile. She is ever-grieving and will attempt to embrace her victims and force them to share in her anguish by drawing out their personal trauma and sadness. She is extremely difficult to kill, but will vanish on her own when satisfied with her work.
Thursday's Child Has Far to Go
On Thursday afternoons, Greenstriders from TDM #5 - “Paradesium” can be found coming all the way up from the underground jungles of Paradesium to hunt and forage in Lockwood Forest, even coming as far as Northwest Hollow to try and steal from farmers. They are violent, loud, aggressive, and venomous, and they work in small packs. Good luck if you get caught outside on a Thursday.Monsters from Paradesium, including Greenstriders, were studied and reported on during an expedition led by Dr. Elias Coldwood. More extensive notes on greenstriders can be found in Dr. Coldwood's improved besiary.
Friday's Child is Loving and Giving
Featured in our December Mini TDM - “The Dead of Winter,” the Whispering Trees of Lockwood Forest are found to be active throughout the day on Friday. Gentle voices from the trees lure unsuspecting, emotionally vulnerable victims out into the woods by telling them that they are loved--- moreso by the trees than any other time in their lives. Following their dulcet tones resulted in hypothermia back in December, but without the aid of snow, the trees will now attempt to manipulate their victims into other deadly behaviors. Lovebombing has never been so toxic.Saturday's Child Works Hard for a Living
On Saturdays, the River Walker from TDM #2 - “Down in the Underground” will be skulking around the Paring River which separates the town from the forest. A spider-like monstrosity with chitinous legs resembling rough hewn wood that bears the face of a drowned woman, the River Walker enjoys catching people unawares and knocking them unconscious. It then drags its victims down to labyrinthine tunnels where it will chase them through the claustrophobia-inducing burrows for hours and hours at a time, catching and killing them only when all hope is lost. However, the River Walker is quite weak and can only fight off one assailant at a time. Occasionally one can stop the Walker from kidnapping someone, but this is challenging as the creature is quite sneaky. The best way to defeat it is for two victims to find each other by sound in the tunnels and work together to escape, at which point the River Walker will avoid the pair and let them go for fear of retaliation. Escapees are let out near the mines in Crane’s Ridge!And the Child Born on the Sabbath Day is Bonny and Blithe, Good and Gay
Last but not least, on Sundays during daylight hours, one has a chance of being targeted by one or more Brutoks. Having been the very first monster to ever appear in a Pumpkin Hollow event, they were featured in TDM #1 - “The Vengeful Forest”. Brutoks are tricksters who hide in trees and then attach themselves to victims who make accidental eye contact. If attached, they will pull mean spirited pranks, steal personal belongings, vandalize property, and eventually try to kidnap the victim. Taken victims will be planted in the ground and slowly turn into trees that must be destroyed in order for the person to die and resurrect. To dispel Brutoks, one can look for their simple but well-camouflaged puzzles, which will be outside near the space they’ve attached to. Or, you can set them on fire. Dealer’s choice.
Additional Prompts
Lake Sal-Co-Penn
Lake Sal-Co-Penn is an infamous SCP which creates dangerous hallucinations. It presents the viewer with a vision of one or more floating corpses, which appear vaguely featureless until closer inspection. At this point the corpse(s) will take on the form of someone who the victim knows personally in an attempt to get them to enter the water, where they will be drowned and consumed. Feel free to roll dice to determine how well you can resist the illusion, and don’t forget to fill out a Death Certificate if you die!
Magical Creatures
The aforementioned mystical critters are Pokemon! Some Pokemon already exist on the island--- Ghost types were available during October and November. This time, both Fairy and Grass types can be found around the island for the duration of this TDM! (May & June). Here’s everything you need to know:
- Dual-types and pre-evolved forms of Pokemon that will gain Fairy or Grass types later are available. (Except for Eevee, due to its many evolutions. But Sylveon and Leafeon are available!)
- Evolution is possible--- stone deposits will be found in the mines later!
- Each character may have up to three Pokemon companions
- Neither Pokeballs nor the knowledge to create them currently exists in Pumpkin Hollow. Unless a PC with this knowledge shows up, you will just have to befriend them rather than capturing them properly.
- No Legendaries or Mythicals are available for adoption (for the sake of fairness), though Ogerpon can be found near Elsie’s Tree of Trinkets in Lockwood Forest. However, she is extremely shy and will flee from most people. She seems to respond to certain individuals, though…
- Shinies can be obtained through stardust or by purchasing a Sparkling Talisman from Calloway’s Curios for 50 Brass. Each character may only have one shiny. (Note that new arrivals begin with 100 Brass.)
Job Fair
The Pumpkin Hollow Job Fair is a great meet-and-greet for older residents and new arrivals! Farmers, artisans, fisherman, and more can set up booths, Q&As, or sign-ups for job shadowing on the Festival Green. New folks are given the opportunity to drop by and learn more about potential career options! Not only is this a recipe for new CR, but anyone who participates in a Job Fair thread (both presenters and newcomers) will gain an extra 100 Brass on their next (or first!) activity check! This bonus can only be claimed once per character.
Help Wanted
The man-eating piano in question is Yamaha, a staple of a previous game that much of our current player-base has migrated over from. While it has a particular taste for bad players, mistake-makers, and your sheet music, it seems to have an affinity for specific individuals. This is mostly a treat for our CRAU folks, but feel free to get eaten! We’ll see you tomorrow.
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It's a bit more difficult to gauge his height when her own altered state is skewing her perspective. But he seems roughly the same height as her husband, and therefore the top might fall just long enough on her to not be indecent...
"What do you mean by that?"
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The dice have spoken and they come across the clothing store before the library. He huffs as they walk past a window of more basic linen garb in various shades of natural dye.
"Now I'm positive you are. Only humans have luck like this."
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"I've never met an elf or an orc at all. Or your type, really. Most sentient beings of my world are humans." And whatever the hulk is. "Just some of us are enhanced."
She's about to start tugging at the bottom of his shirt to steal it away when they comes across a shop that advertises simple linen garments in its window front display, and she claps two tentacles together as if she still had hands.
"Ah trust me, luck is rarely on my side. But that dress looks nice." Her style of shopping is usually picking the first thing she sees. Until she remembers a certain consideration. "But I probably need something roomier." She presses suckers to the window for a closer look. "Oh, I think it has ties in the back." How lucky after all!
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"I take it your world has no githyanki either which makes it sound like a paradise," that part mumbled under his breath as he pries her suckers free of the glass so they can actually go into the store. A bell attached to the door gives a cheerful jangle as they enter, they're the only patrons in the shop which is probably for the best as there's no good reaction for a spindly purple illithid carrying a pure white octopus into a clothing store. "I suppose since we're here I should see if they have something passable for shoes."
A little more difficult prospect since his feet are not human shaped but instead have two toes with claws on the end. Maybe some tabi style sandals.
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But faced with the shopkeeper who looks up at the jingle to eye the peculiar pair, Ava remembers it's probably not good manners to make off with the merchandise in a town that she's meant to be a contributing member of the community of.
She glances down at his feet with interest. Neat.
"I need a dress," Ava announces to the shopkeeper, who looks even more confused by the request, as if making mental measurements and not understanding how an octopus is meant to wear one. He begins to wander over to the children's section.
"For a woman," she clarifies, reaching out for some linen on a rack that tips and threatens to fall over as she tugs.
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Definitely human. Only humans are this much trouble.
Finally extracting himself from his rescued octo-companion he takes a few steps away and finds his Common again, "How are you this bad at being an octopus? You're making everything far more difficult than it needs to be."
With a gesture he causes one of the linen outfits to levitate and then dumps it on top of her. There, clothes acquired - he's gonna go look for shoes.
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Ava slowly dries off with the fabric, limbs halving from 8 to her more familiar 4, wrapping herself in the linen that's far too loose on her rather small frame, which is how she typically prefers it. She brushes off.
"Because I'm used to having bones," she finally defends. "Outside of the water everything feels too floppy and difficult to orient, and I start losing my ability to breathe. So the oxygen deprivation doesn't exactly help. Neither does the fact the people step on me or hit me around or treat me like an unwanted gross sack of trash." Ava crosses her arms, trying not to sound too hurt. "But thank you for saving me."
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Finding some sandals that will probably work he pulls them on before turning back to her. "No one was stepping on you or hitting you before you went and knocked everything over."
He grabs a longsleeve linen shirt and pulls it on over the one he's already wearing, the less skin exposed the better. The shopkeep tries to step forward and say something but Imbros ignores him completely.
"And now you're not naked, I've no idea what you're complaining about."
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She goes about trying to get everything picked up off the floor and back onto racks, now that she has extremities better suited to do so. Except humiliated as she is, her control over those is lacking too, hands swiping through linen without grasping, only serving to worsen the problem. Ava pauses, closes her eyes, breathes out to calm herself before trying again.
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He turns to walk out the store before being stopped by the shopkeep's sudden protest and admonition. Imbros makes a gutteral noise of disapproval, "I have to do what? I think you'll find I don't have to do anything of the sort."
And he's about to leave anyway and commit some unknowing petty larceny before he catches sight of Ava pouting. He's definitely used to that look whenever the cleric wants him to do something 'for the good of everyone' and he refuses because he mostly cares about the 'good of Imbros' instead. But he forcibly puts aside the comparison as she... flickers?
"How did you do that?"
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She brushes a curl out of her eyes, which immediately falls right back. "It's called molecular disequilibrium," she states plainly, never certain how familiar the other party asking is with even basic physics. "There's no method to teach. It's just how I am." And once she has the rack finally set back up with all the clothes hanging just as neatly, she walks straight through it.
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While Imbros is distracted, the shopkeep takes the opportunity to plant himself firmly between these two 'customers' and the door, folding his arms and watching them intently with an expression that screams 'please pay me and leave.'
"Molecular disequilibrium. So you are disrupting the very atomic structure of your being?"
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"It's the principle of... superposition. I exist in a multitude of possible physical states, until I... commit to an action and it becomes observable reality. I could go left, and right, or back," she lifts her arm to demonstrate a wave of motion that splits off in several directions. "All at once. But in the end only one of those things can be true," until converging again with her arm down, fingers still fiddling with the loose waist ties of the dress she hasn't bothered to secure behind her. "The disruption happens whether or not I want it to, but with focus I can easier control which of the possibilities I... I..." she swallows hard. "I mean, a biological being isn't meant to behave like a particle."
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"In a sense, this is your worlds' version of the Weave. You are manipulating this plane of reality until you achieve the desired outcome. Spellcasters do the same but not with their bodies - you yourself are the object that's both being cast and cast upon." This might be the most interesting thing he's come across since -- well since ever.
"Why not? Biological beings do all sorts of things that they're not meant to."
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She turns her attention to the accessories displayed upon shelves, inspecting a few hats, much to the shopkeeper's vocal yet ignored dismay. "But, it's deteriorating my body. Here, I died within a month of arrival. And came back a day later." She places a straw bonnet with black ribbons upon her head, thinking more of keeping the sun out of her eyes than how well it might coordinate with the dress.
The shopkeeper tries to speak up about pricing again, and Ava sighs out. "Can you pay the man so he stops fussing?"
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"A cycle of entropy. Progressing towards death and then starting over." His tone is soft, talking to himself more than her all the while looking at her less like a person and more like a fascinating concept for study. But then she sighs and he remembers this is a conversation and apparently taking mental notes during conversations is frowned upon for reasons no one could ever adequately explain.
"Do what? Why?" He turns back to the shopkeep in complete confusion not understanding why he's standing there with his hand out.
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She glances in a mirror to try tying a proper bow, at least having plenty of practice with Fio's hair that it's not entirely lopsided beneath her chin.
"He wants money in exchange for the clothes we're taking, didn't they give you pieces of brass upon arrival?" Ava's surprised to meet somebody who is even less inclined to participate in the economy than she is. "Mine's all at home, I make my husband keep track of it all because I don't trust the banks. But I can pay you back."
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"Banks?" He has no idea, he spends his time with a bunch of adventurers who keep everything in their pockets and steal anything that isn't nailed down. "Tell me more about this reanimation that is used here. But library. Now."
They've spent enough time on clothes, more than he has in his entire life. He pushes past the barely appeased shopkeep and back out onto the street, assuming that Ava will follow him.
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"Banks... they're. A place that keeps your money safe for you. Supposedly. But then they also use it to loan out to others. For increased interest rates and fees. And I don't think how much I have or am spending is anyone's business, especially not the government's," Ava huffs as she follows along, floating a few inches above the ground once her bare toes come into contact with the street. She's not going back in for shoes.
She easily catches up alongside him, so she can more properly direct the path towards the library. "This one actually has books with historical and factual information, not just fictional stories like the library I'm used to. Been able to research all sorts of things, because the level of technology isn't all that advanced."
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Ironically now that he has shoes he's not levitating, walking normally and following her directions towards the library. Until he stops dead to look at her "What kind of library wouldn't have factual information?!" He is far more horrified by that concept than the entirety of the actual horrible things he's seen or experienced.
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"A library curated by the jinn looking to escape the harsh truths of reality and live forever inside a make believe pocket universe powered by emotions, mostly. He found the matters of science and history rather boring. Now I can read up all about cultivating plants without him whining about it being for nerds." She'll make better plants than he ever could, that's for sure.
"But I like this one."
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"Why powered by emotions? That seems like a terrible source of energy. Eventually people become worn down and stop even having them, I've seen that happen many times when thralls eventually give up and just become husks. Which does make them easier to control, so maybe this jinn knew what he was doing. Then again we weren't using them to power a pocket reality. He must have needed a constant supply... Hm. Though you seem to still have most of your emotions intact."
Books on plants will be doubly useful since he has no idea in a few short hours he's about to be co-parenting an Oddish.
"And those who think knowledge is boring haven't found the right subject to learn about."
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She turns a corner, gesturing ahead to the building he's so anxious to get to.
"Exactly. You start learning about one subject, and that just leads into another... and next thing you know it's 3 in the morning and your husband is like darling, come sleep..." or at least that's her experience.
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Instead he will drop the subject of the past realm she was subjected to and focus on the building in front of them. It's hard to tell without a visible mouth but he does look happier already, a little less furrowed around where his nose should be.
"Yes, it's something like that." The 3 am part for certain, not the husband part. "I'm going to live forever and there still won't be enough time for all of it."
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"Your... levitating. Is that a manipulation of the air currents? A friend of mine, a sorcerer, tried to teach me that way. Or is it... directly upon the object itself?" She phases through the library entrance, waits patiently for him upon the other side. Ava chose to be ahead of him not necessarily to be first, but so she could see the expression upon his face upon seeing the books.
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