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Post by Brian Melanson on Jan 1, 2018 22:05:22 GMT -6
 discuss all things nightfall season one here. |
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Post by The Doctor on Jan 5, 2018 18:47:46 GMT -6
Congrats on the pick-up Brian.  Honestly, I'm excited for this. I honestly can't wait to see how this series progresses. |
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Post by Brian Melanson on Jan 5, 2018 22:23:06 GMT -6
Congrats on the pick-up Brian. Honestly, I'm excited for this. I honestly can't wait to see how this series progresses. THANK YOU! I'm really excited! All the episodes are written so it will be airing VERY soon. I can't wait to share it with you guys. |
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Post by Matthew James on Feb 8, 2018 22:45:39 GMT -6
Review "Into The Dark"
This will be my review for "Into The Dark". An episode I overall enjoyed! My biggest issue came from the idea that it seemed to be pretty inspired by The Vampire Diaries. It seems almost like a gender-reversed version of the pilot. Minus the fight between the two brothers at the end which I kept expecting, but was pleasantly surprised when it didn't come. Despite the inspiration for the pilot, I felt as if you had a different story planned for the rest of the season, which definitely drew me in. I was worried at first that the characters would feel too similar to their Vampire Diaries counterparts, but from reading 101, I could feel your dialogue shine through all the characters, which was a good thing.
Now onto the characters. I enjoyed both Pheobe and Clark. I thought they made for good leads. Separately I enjoyed both, Pheobe was hopeful and optimistic, and Clark was tragic and lost. Though when thrown together they're dynamic almost felt "flat". Two characters who were only written to fall for each other - Though I remember thinking exactly the same thing about Stefan and Elana, that grew on me. I hope this will as well. Judging by the end I'm sure you'll take it in a very different direction as well which I'm excited for.
I think my favorite supporting character was Kate Swan. I enjoyed the way you'd written her. I love the way you made her a history buff, it made her seem like she could become important to the story later.. and than that ending crushed me. I hadn't read any spoilers and didn't see it coming, at least for her.
Courteney and Bennett were two other characters I enjoyed. Though I think you may have changed the name Kara for Courteney at some point and forgot to update for it, or perhaps there's a Kara coming to Blackridge.. who knows!
My only real qualm with the dialogue was the way you kept coming back to the Romeo/Juliette stuff. I feel like several characters compare Phoebe and Clark to Romeo and Juliette. It felt kind of heavy-handed by the end. Though this is just the first episode, and you are just trying to set the stage.
A few of the things I'm excited for:
- The Whispers. I wanna know more about them/it. Is it connected to the Evelyn story/is it a seperate one?
- The new Adam's Family. What that was a great twist! I'm really excited to see how/if Clark becomes embroiled in that, and how it will effect his relationship with Pheobe.
- Vanessa.. I cant wait to see what happens with that?
Pretty much all the twists at the end ensured I'll be back next week/tomorrow! Congratulations on the pick up, excited to see what crazyness you have in the works for us!
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Post by Brian Melanson on Feb 9, 2018 0:32:04 GMT -6
Review "Into The Dark"This will be my review for "Into The Dark". An episode I overall enjoyed! My biggest issue came from the idea that it seemed to be pretty inspired by The Vampire Diaries. It seems almost like a gender-reversed version of the pilot. Minus the fight between the two brothers at the end which I kept expecting, but was pleasantly surprised when it didn't come. Despite the inspiration for the pilot, I felt as if you had a different story planned for the rest of the season, which definitely drew me in. I was worried at first that the characters would feel too similar to their Vampire Diaries counterparts, but from reading 101, I could feel your dialogue shine through all the characters, which was a good thing. Thanks Matt! I'm happy you enjoyed it. Yes, TVD really was my inspiration for this. I wanted this pilot to feel like it was familiar. I wanted it to draw people into the show and then twist the show on it's head and begin the storyline that will carry us through the rest of the show. The story line for the season is going to kick off something big and I'm excited to tell the story. The only real TVD character inspiration I had for the characters was Stefan and Elena and even then, it's a broad canvas. The dialogue for this show is my favorite, it's something I love writing. Phoebe and Clark is the love story that starts the show. While it will be a driving factor through the rest of the show, it will be mainly the town and it's history. Phoebe and Clark will grow over the season and a certain storyline for Clark will cause problems for them both. Kate was created to die. Doesn't mean she won't be a driving force for some characters. Mal especially. And just because death means the end for now, doesn't mean we won't see her again. But you didn't hear it from me! Courtney was at one point Kara. The title page was something I forgot to double check. But it's Courtney from here on out. No other Kara is coming to town anytime soon. The real reason for this is that Nightfall is a small adaption of Romeo and Juliet. I can assure that this is really the only episode it's really in the forefront. But the line "all love stories are tragedies if you wait long enough" will be the thing that really is the take away from the Romeo and Juliet stuff. And plus its one of my favorite plays, cheesy as that is, it's something I've always wanted to adapt or do something with. Star crossed lovers are my fave. - The Whispers aren't what you expect. They are something the Hood hears in his head. But the voices behind the Whispers, you don't want to mess with them. - The Hunter storyline is going to bring forward something exciting for Clark. He's going to be thrust into this world, much like many other characters. This is something personal for Clark so it's going to hurt when he finds out. - Vanessa is going to be shook. Thanks for reading! It's going to be so exciting to reveal this story and I can't wait to share it. |
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Post by Jack Malone on Feb 11, 2018 11:59:58 GMT -6
REVIEW: "Into The Dark"
I just wanted to leave some quick thoughts on the series premiere. Obviously, we've lived with the pilot for a while now, going through the stages for pick-up, so you already know a lot of my thoughts on "Into The Dark." Similarly to what Matt said, there are a lot of familiar tropes and parallel story beats and character archetypes from The Vampire Diaries, but part of what made me want to pick this show up was that it did seem to tell a different story — one about "forbidden love" in the realm of a vampire and a hunter. And the series premiere does a really great job of establishing that connection between the main protagonists, Phoebe and Clark, while setting up the thing that could inevitably break them.
One detail I really loved about the Phoebe/Clark story in the premiere was the through-line of touch and how their hands barely grazed each other throughout, and there was almost this longing that they couldn't quite explain, and then the episode ended with them finally holding hands. I just thought that was a really creative way of establishing that there's something more here.
I do often have problems with Phoebe's characterisation because she's 200 years old but it sometimes feels lost or forgotten and she's written as though she really is seventeen years old — but not in a "trying to fool people" kind of way. I hate to be the person that sides with the male lead over the female lead, but Clark just hooked me in quicker and I think I do have quite a vampire fatigue from all the Buffy's and the Angel's, and the True Blood's and, of course, The Vampire Diaries. So him being from a bloodline of hunters just excites me more, and I think it's that potential conflict that could drive a stake (badum tss) through the heart of this love story that has me most hyped up for this show. The repeated themes of Romeo and Juliet and tragedies — while a little too on the nose — just foreshadowed a lot of really great things to come, and I hope the show follows through with these ideas in hopefully new and creative ways.
There isn't really anything else that I can elaborate too much on. I felt like we met a lot of characters, and I need to settle in to all of them over the next few episodes to really address anything. In terms of impressions --
- I mean, I immediately didn't like Vanessa and kind of wished her whole subplot of "you cheated on me" was just cut from the premiere, haha.
- Courtney seems pretty interesting, more-so because there are hints of her being more than meets the eye, but she had a nice dynamic with Phoebe that sold me on her too.
- Bennett had some awkward moments that were endearing.
- I appreciated the attempt to make Kate a character that we liked before killing her off, but it all kind of went down the drain for me when the bulk of her role in this episode was being super high at a party — not that I'm judging, it just wasn't doing anything for me.
- Bradley seems like he'll be the typical "I'm an a**hole" character that redeems his image as the show goes on. I wish it was more subtle, though, if that is in fact the case because having him actually justify his behaviour as "I'm a dick" is a level of self awareness that just didn't seem realistic to me. If we're suggesting he's a dick just to be a dick and there's nothing underneath that at all, then it's pretty limiting where he can go as a character, and his interactions with Mal made it seem like there was more to him, so I hope the latter is true.
- Chloe had a nice dynamic with Clark. I feel like she has the potential to be a really great character so I'm interested in seeing where things go for her. Hopefully it's not her death that triggers the "Hunter" calling in Clark.
- I liked how you referred back to the episode opener with Brock now being turned at episode's end. It just impressed me to see that structured out so well and to see that there was more significance behind that opening.
As for the antagonist, I'm excited to see where things progress with Evelyn and what her goals are in all of this. She referred to Phoebe as her "little sister" so that's obviously something — and I love that this is a threat that will clearly have a lot of history behind it, and will most likely be personal. I think that's the perfect type of threat for a first season.
The epilogue felt a little tacked on at the end and I'm not sure if it was completely necessary. I'm not really sure what to make of it. But I love a good mystery, so I guess we'll see where that goes in the coming episodes!
All in all, it's a pretty solid start to a series. I feel like there's a lot of pieces on the board you established in this episode, and the fun is going to be seeing how those stitch together throughout the season. The through-line of it all was Clark and Phoebe, their stories as individual characters with their own history/past, but also their burgeoning love story that is bound to happen. And I can't wait to see how it all unfolds. Personally, I'm more excited about the Adams, and the Hunter side of things, so I hope we see more of that sooner rather than later. Good luck with the series, Brian. It's nice to see you back airing on theVPN!
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Post by Brian Melanson on Feb 11, 2018 13:56:09 GMT -6
REVIEW: "Into The Dark" I just wanted to leave some quick thoughts on the series premiere. Obviously, we've lived with the pilot for a while now, going through the stages for pick-up, so you already know a lot of my thoughts on "Into The Dark." Similarly to what Matt said, there are a lot of familiar tropes and parallel story beats and character archetypes from The Vampire Diaries, but part of what made me want to pick this show up was that it did seem to tell a different story — one about "forbidden love" in the realm of a vampire and a hunter. And the series premiere does a really great job of establishing that connection between the main protagonists, Phoebe and Clark, while setting up the thing that could inevitably break them. Hi Jack! I'm so excited you read it! I know you've been busy. But yes, TVD was HUGE for this show. Considering my tragic love for it. I knew from the start of planning this, Phoebe and Clark, by destiny had to be mortal enemies. Phoebe might not know it yet. Clark might not know it yet. But that's what makes it so exciting. Clark and Phoebe really kick this show into high gear and this, in the end, is their story. I'm really happy you enjoyed that. That was something I loved to write. That "electric" feeling between them. I know when I was writing it, it was going to be a bigger plot. It would be Phoebe's vampire senses saying HEY THIS GUY IS NOT GOOD. And Clark's inner hunter being "HEY THIS IS A VAMPIRE" But they just didn't notice it because they were so enthralled with each other. But I think when you meet someone and you just have that spark, it just is a spark. I'm happy I didn't change it because it's a nice way to start their relationship. And in 1x02, Phoebe and Clark open up to each other more so it's fun. They found each other when they needed each other the most. Phoebe was hard to write. Because originally in the planning process, Phoebe was a human girl who over the summer turned into a vampire. Clark would already be a vampire hunter and stuff like that. But as I got to writing it, it felt weird. And I was looking at the history of the town, I ultimately decided that Phoebe should be 200 years old and have this long drawn out history. I think I should've spent more time focusing on Phoebe trying to cover her story. But I think, she has done this before. It's probably easy for her at this point. Maybe I should've gone back and been like, HMM how can I fix this. But in the long run, she has done this before and I just didn't get the execution quite right. As for Clark, I'm really happy you like him! He's a character I was worried about writing because I went through so many iterations of him. This is the one I am the most proud of. As the season grows, Clark will learn more about himself and his legacy in his town. While grieving his parents, he's found that maybe he could fall in love with this new girl who just sits there, listens and doesn't judge him for being sad. The Romeo and Juliet stuff, let me tell you, this was going to be an adaption of Romeo and Juliet. And in the long run, it kind of will be. While going forward, it won't be so in your face, there will be elements from it such as a feud, star crossed lovers; etc. Things I have planned for future seasons, will reflect some other elements, but it's stuff that's not quite ready to happen. But going forward, it won't be so "on the nose" but more of a subtext. - Vanessa is the mean girl. She's a character that I just wanted to have. She is important to Mal's plot in the long run, so hopefully this plot won't go too crazy because going forward, Vanessa is Mal's antagonist. - Courtney is my favorite character to write. She's snarky, she's witty, she's fun, she's kind. But she's also a bit broken and lost. She's trying to find her way and that triggers a whole new side of her that she didn't even know she had. - Bradley is a dick. Let's be clear on that. That's why we have Mal. The girl who's heart he broke. She is going to bring out the best in him. And he's going to see in the next episode, that maybe life is too short to be a dick. He needs to make a change and grow up. Otherwise, he's stuck in a cycle of breaking hearts and not having love. And Vanessa is on the war path, she doesn't want him to be happy. In fact, she wants him for herself. That's why she's so pissed at Mal for stealing him. Someone else cared about Bradley and he realized that he cared back. It's going to be a fun little love triangle. But in the next episode, it'll all be clear what's happening next. - Chloe is another fun character. Like Clark, she just lost her parents too and suddenly has to take care of her younger brother. She finds herself struggling with doing what is right or following her families legacy. The Adams Hunters have a very cool story. I can say we will get a little taste of it this season and I have fun stuff planned for the future. And as for Clark finding out he's a hunter... well, something else triggers that. And it's not a death. - Brock was fun to kind of book end the pilot. He will be back in the next episode and he does some fun things. He kind of brings us into Evelyn's plot for Phoebe and the town. So he's really a bridge. Evelyn is the most fun to write! She's just a big ol' B. Evelyn has a goal and she will do everything it takes to get there. Phoebe and Evelyn's history is VERY rocky. There is a reason why Evelyn is doing all of this and there is a reason why Phoebe doesn't talk about Evelyn. It's fun. But Evelyn's plan, brings us into an even bigger plot that's looming in the shadows. And Evelyn isn't the only big bad we are going to be facing. The epilogue, I will admit, was tacked on. It was kind of to show, hey there's this death and it's sorta important for the next episode. But the big part for this epilogue, was the Hood. The Hood is a character you need to look out for. He is someone that you don't want to mess with. But the real big question you should be asking yourself... Who's under the Hood? Thank you SO much for reading, Jack! I appreciate it and love hearing your feedback and things you loved and didn't. I'm excited for you to see what's coming next. It will make you excited to see these characters grow and see where the story takes us. I'm happy to back airing things again on theVPN. I've missed it. Til the next time! |
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Post by Jack Malone on Mar 19, 2018 19:54:32 GMT -6
REVIEW: "With Every Sun Rise"
This episode had me initially quite mixed — it started off rather slow with way too familiar story beats, but eventually progressed into new, game-changing territory for the show that not only tightened up some storylines I wasn't too interested in, but also set the season up into an interesting trajectory. I was actually quite impressed with how the episode turned out.
First up, I wanted to talk about my favourite aspect of the episode and that was the subplot with Courtney and Micah. As I said, this episode was initially plagued with painfully familiar story beats (most notably from The Vampire Diaries) and so when the episode had Micah confront Courtney in class about her being a witch, it shifted gears into a new, more exciting territory. And I really liked their dynamic. One thing I've noticed is that the dialogue of these characters can sound quite immature at times and so it was nice to see Courtney paired up with an older character of authority because it eased a lot of those issues I had. Her practising magic, and the way it culminated with the climax of the other story beats, was done really well. But the big twist came in at the end when we found out Micah was reluctantly working with Evelyn — an instant favourite of mine — and his mission is to teach Courtney to be competent enough in magic so that she can perform some big ol' spell for Evelyn. I just thought that was a really great twist that added even more relevancy to Courtney's journey. And then, of course, for Courtney, that journey takes a quick pivot when she finds Phoebe at episode's end dead (but not dead). It was firing on all cylinders for her story in this episode.
There was some development in the Mal/Bradley/Vanessa triangle in this episode which I actually appreciated. When the episode started, it touched on this sort of drama quite immediately and I wasn't really here for it, haha. It just felt so detached and — again — way too familiar. But what saved it for me was the moment when Evelyn visited Vanessa in the hospital and recruited her as part of her plan. I thought it was actually kind of genius to do that because it added relevancy to their drama that, on the surface, looked quite filler and unimportant to the rest of what's going on. Now, it has a sense of significance and urgency about it. I like that in this recruitment, Vanessa is promised Bradley forever, and that they'll kill Mal. I'm eager to see where this goes.
Speaking of Evelyn, I appreciate how much effort you've put in to establishing her as this huge threat. I particularly liked the scene where she's with the public worker and he's done all that was required of him but she STILL kills him. It just shows us how evil she truly is. I liked the back and forth between her and Brock and how she was trying to control him throughout the episode. Brock actually made for a pretty decent conflict for Phoebe to go up against, and I like that he went rogue from Evelyn. And even though everything went to shit, the script made it seem like it was all part of Evelyn's plan anyway. I'm quite excited to see what that big plan is and how it all comes together and what this "darkness underneath" is.
The biggest problem with this episode came from the two leads — Phoebe and Clark — and their romance. I'm pretty disappointed in the handling of their romance, to be honest. It's not only been rushed into romance in the matter of a few scenes, but it's actually felt quite forced at times, too. I know it's going to sound funny to use a "it's just not realistic" justification for the criticism (considering this is a show about vampires and witches), but there were so many times throughout the episode where Phoebe and Clark said something that I feel like two people who just met each other would not say. I also think the dynamics shifted so much from the pilot to here. This episode delved into Phoebe being the one with a "tragic past" (instead of Clark) and suddenly Clark was able to talk lightly about his parents being dead with Phoebe being a little inward about the things she's been through. Clark seemed to carry more of a burden in the pilot which made him feel more like the mysterious one, yet the whole episode had him talk to Phoebe like she had "secrets" which, as the audience, we know she's a vampire but there hadn't really been anything said or done prior to that to make Clark see her as some big mystery. And then to sort of force these lines where they're already talking like they're in a relationship but have known each other for like a hot second -- it was just kind of jarring to read. Considering they're the main leads and I'm sure their romance/connection is one of the most important aspects of the show, I wish it was starting from a stronger foundation and didn't feel so shoehorned in. I almost feel like they'll be dropping L-bombs in the span of two episodes or something, haha. Obviously, what's done can't be undone, so I hope that as the season progresses, and the show as a whole, the relationships and dynamics develop at a better pace even if the plot is moving rapidly. I think it's important for us to be invested in these characters and this relationship, not because the show tells us we should be invested but because its taken the time to create that investment.
Other things to note:
- I liked the flashes we got from Courtney reading that book. Simultaneously, loved the same thing we got with Clark reading his family journals. They're both kind of on the precipice of discovering their destinies and that's exciting to see play out.
- Sarah unmasked Chloe as the hunter, and she knows she's a vampire??? Why do I feel like Chloe is gonna die now?
- The epilogue didn't really work again this week. I feel like they need to either be more than half a page, or something bigger than the cliffhanger that precedes it. I'm sure it'll feel like a more relevant addition to the episodes as the season goes on.
- I actually kind of liked Mal/Bradley reconnecting -- the whole "and THIS is going to be my biggest mistake" that prefaced their kiss was a nice touch.
Anyway, those are my thoughts on "With Every Sun Rise." I know I left on a criticism there, but I did enjoy the episode. I think the second half just took off in a way that was really exciting, and it ended on a series of twists that I absolutely loved and did it's job in tying a lot of these threads together. Looking forward to when I have time to sit down and read/review episode three!
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Post by Brian Melanson on Mar 19, 2018 21:10:00 GMT -6
REVIEW: "With Every Sun Rise" This episode had me initially quite mixed — it started off rather slow with way too familiar story beats, but eventually progressed into new, game-changing territory for the show that not only tightened up some storylines I wasn't too interested in, but also set the season up into an interesting trajectory. I was actually quite impressed with how the episode turned out. First up, I wanted to talk about my favourite aspect of the episode and that was the subplot with Courtney and Micah. As I said, this episode was initially plagued with painfully familiar story beats (most notably from The Vampire Diaries) and so when the episode had Micah confront Courtney in class about her being a witch, it shifted gears into a new, more exciting territory. And I really liked their dynamic. One thing I've noticed is that the dialogue of these characters can sound quite immature at times and so it was nice to see Courtney paired up with an older character of authority because it eased a lot of those issues I had. Her practising magic, and the way it culminated with the climax of the other story beats, was done really well. But the big twist came in at the end when we found out Micah was reluctantly working with Evelyn — an instant favourite of mine — and his mission is to teach Courtney to be competent enough in magic so that she can perform some big ol' spell for Evelyn. I just thought that was a really great twist that added even more relevancy to Courtney's journey. And then, of course, for Courtney, that journey takes a quick pivot when she finds Phoebe at episode's end dead (but not dead). It was firing on all cylinders for her story in this episode. I'm happy you finally got the chance to read! But yeah, Ep2 was hard because I do remember when I first started writing it, I was struggling with the tone of the show. And I think with the Micah/Courtney stuff, that really helped set some of it. And with that segway, I'm really happy you enjoyed it. I knew Micah was going to be a mentor to Courtney from the beginning. But I wanted to see how I could incorporate him further into the story, branch him out and see where he could go. Why not have him align with the bad guys? He is going to have a fun journey going forward. He will have to see what side is he really on. Courtney is also another thing that really has saved me when writing this show. I had Phoebe and Clark and their stories. But Courtney is what is really helping me branch out and do things I didn't think I could do. Here we have a girl who is constantly failing and thinking lowly of herself and suddenly she finds she's something extraordinary. She is the third player in this story of Nightfall. Phoebe/Clark/Courtney are my trio and I'm very happy about that. And going forward, Courtney will be having some fun. She just saw her friend come back from the dead and she's a witch. This is going to end well, right? But Courtney's story really helps propel the season forward so I'm excited. Vanessa will get Bradley, whatever it takes. Originally, this episode was just that Mal and Bradley rekindled their flame and Vanessa just sat on the sidelines being a blood bag. That wasn't fun. So I tried to think because later on in the season, this storyline will come to a boiling point and it's going to be a twist. Evelyn is my favorite character to write! She is just fun. I love just how evil she is right now. She's involved in something that she probably can't come back from. So it's going to be fun to see how the story goes forward, I think you will like it. I agree with you on this, big time. When I first started writing, I think I panicked because I have only 10 episodes. And in the back of my mind, I was like "Holy crap I gotta get them together". I will admit, it happened fast. But at the same time, it kind of doesn't go without some attention. I think with this, Phoebe and Clark don't know each other well enough, so why are they rushing into this? But I don't think I did it the way I intended for it to be. But this is really helpful because maybe I can try and fix this somehow going forward and changing some scenes around. We'll see but I do appreciate it. - Courtney finding that book is no accident. Clark finding that Journal kind of was. But this is going to cause Clark to figure things out. - Chloe and Sarah will come face to face again. I can say that much. - I was trying to force them in lol. Now I regret it, but note taken and I think this will help me going forward as well. - That was one of my favorite scenes to write and to finally get it done right, I'm happy. THANKS FOR READING JACK! I can't wait for you to read episode three! |
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Post by Alex Matthews on Feb 22, 2019 5:16:28 GMT -6
Just downloaded all the 'new' versions of S1 episodes, gonna do a "Nightfall" binge over the next couple of days, methinks, to prep for S2! Hopefully, this time, I'll actually get around to leaving a review of some kind!  |
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Post by Brian Melanson on Feb 22, 2019 14:43:29 GMT -6
Just downloaded all the 'new' versions of S1 episodes, gonna do a "Nightfall" binge over the next couple of days, methinks, to prep for S2! Hopefully, this time, I'll actually get around to leaving a review of some kind! Wow. We stan a Nightfall Stan. But yay! Thanks! I appreciate it. I've always been worried what people think but my new mantra for the rest of Nightfall is going to be IMMA DO WHAT I WANT. And that's really why I went back and polished up Season One. I hope you enjoy it! |
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