Countdown to XY: A Nostalgia Thread

I'm doing it. I'm doing it ALL

Day 1: What is your first memory of Pokémon?
I distinctly remember my first experience being at daycare with somebody that had red version and they just kept fighting wild pidgeys that kept using gust. I thought that was the entire game.
Day 2: What was your first experience with a shiny Pokémon?
Red gyarados, and then a shiny metapod later that game (which I fainted...)
Day 3: How close have you come to "catching 'em all"?
<50 from filling out the national pokedex in sapphire, under false promises that I'd go to the moon and catch jirachi
Day 4: What was your first level 100 Pokémon?
Swampert!
Day 5: What is your favorite Pokémon and why?
Galvantula comes pretty close with its cuteness/insect mix. Typhlosion and quilava also have a lot of nostalgia for me
Day 6: Which Pokémon rumors did you believe when you were younger?
Go to the moon, get jirachi...
Day 7: Which aspect of XY are you looking forward to the most?
Probably all the awesome fire-types and going into the game mostly blind!
Day 8: What are your Pokémon "quirks"?
I can't let any of my team members go outside of 2-3 levels from each other as penitence for only leveling my starter for three generations
Day 9: What is your favorite region and why?
Probably Sinnoh, the progression of the routes feels super natural to me and I love all the different cities
Day 10: If you could change one thing about the Pokémon games, what would it be?
Multiple save files
Day 11: What is your favorite mini-game?
It's ALL about the contests!
Day 12: Which song/theme is the most nostalgic?
The kanto gym leader theme from GSC is probably one of my favorites, and the RSE gym leader of the more recent ones. I predict that Sunnyshore City is going to keep me longing for simpler days for a long, long while though...but even that can't top Goldenrod. Practically brings a tear to my eye...
Day 13: How do Colosseum/XD compare to other main-series games?
Never really cared for them, I only tried colosseum after I'd gotten used to new mechanics and the gen 3 stuff really frustrated me.
Day 14: If you were given a pill that erases all memory of Pokémon, would you take it?Who the fuck would answer yes to this
Day 15: Which past feature (either from main-series games or side games) do you want to return in XY?
Pokemon following you for sure, but is asking for multiple regions cheating??
 
Day 15

Pokemon following you would be great, but I'd most like to have the Battle Frontier back. Emerald's frontier was HARD and each building had a really unique spin. Gen 4's frontier was a slight downgrade, but still pretty great. The Battle Subway sucked, because it was just the Tower, and you couldn't even do Triple or Rotation battles. BW2 remedied this somewhat with the World Tournament (awesome), and Black Tower/White Forest (challenging, fun, but not really replayable except for the medals). I want a real Frontier back, with 5+ Frontier Brains to take down before I truly become the champion of the region.
 
Day 15: Returninf Feature

Hands down Emerald's Battle Frontier. It had the most creative facilities and I loved that it had essentially and entire ISLAND to itself. Gen IV battle frontier was far smaller and on top of that, the facilities were less fun and gaudily designed.

Barring that, I'd like to see the return of pokemon following you. But I doubt that'll happen.
 
What don't I want back? Secret Bases, Battle Frontier, Pokeathlon and especially being followed by one of my Pokemon all come to mind. Frontier was more interesting than any tower or subway before or since, while Pokeathlon and Secret Bases were both just fun features that added to the adventure and were good for killing some time. Then again, I won't need Pokeathlon back if there's some fun new minigame instead, so I guess I can wait and see what they come up with. As for following Pokemon, I don't know why that hasn't been in every game since its debut. Being able to interact with your Pokemon, and explore the region with them instead of always carrying them through it, just fit together so perfectly with the basic idea of the Pokemon franchise.

This wouldn't really be a returning feature, but I've always wanted to see something like the Bug-Catching Contest in another region. Hopefully it wouldn't have the same Bug-type theme, but I'd like it to be similar otherwise. Fairy-Catching Contest, anyone?
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These last two days have been so controversial...;)

I want the old type chart back. Not red and blue, but NO FAIRIES.

This post is short because I've gotta go soon I will edit it later.. ~~
 
Day 13: How do Colosseum/XD compare to other main-series games?
Well I think we can agree that they all are inferior to the main-series games, but they were okay. I only played Colosseum and it was decent, but it didn't really pull me in. I've never played XD, but it looks better, I just haven't got around to playing it.

Day 14: If you were given a pill that erases all memory of Pokémon, would you take it?
If you read my last post, than can bet that I'll say no. Also, Pokemon has a lot of information in it and I would most likely just never play it again than to try to learn it all again due to pure laziness. xD

Day 15: Which past feature (either from main-series games or side games) do you want to return in XY?
I want the Safari Zone to return, why they didn't have it in Gen. 5 is beyond me. I've always liked the Safari Zone and I pretty bummed out that it wasn't in Black and White. Maybe they could change it a little and you could get prizes for the Pokemon you catch, sort of like the Bug Catching Contest.
 
Day 15: Pokemon following you. This is no contest. Being able to turn around and talk to my Pokemon made the experience feel more real, as silly as that sounds. You have no idea how badly I want that back.
 
Fuck it, doing it all at once.
Day 1: What is your first memory of Pokémon?
Probably the Nintendo Power previews before the Red and Blue came out. The games were so long ago, it's understandable my memories are foggy on them.
Day 2: What was your first experience with a shiny Pokémon?
A shiny caterpie in Gold on Route 31. I only had a Game Boy Pocket, so I never got to see its shiny coloration until I looked it up. I remember taking it to beat the Elite 4 and pretty far into Kanto before replacing it with Lugia. I also remember trying to show it to that lady at the Lake of Rage that said she heard shiny butterfrees were pink, hoping for new dialog. Oh well.
Day 3: How close have you come to "catching 'em all"?
Did it on Blue several times, and then never again until Diamond version. I've filled the dex in every subsequent game I've had since.
Day 4: What was your first level 100 Pokémon?
Sailor, the seel you get from the trade in Cinnabar Island for a ponyta in Pokemon Red. I kind of want to trade a dewgong again, but I've never actually done it.
Day 5: What is your favorite Pokémon and why?
Larvitar, because finding it was kind of mysterious. I finally made it to Mt Silver in Gold, and I was shocked to see these low level guys wandering around there. I then caught one because I thought it looked cool. I trained it up and was excited to see what it evolved into. Needless to say, I was very impressed with the end result. It also had a great moveset for when I was a kid: Rock Slide, Earthquake, Crunch and Hyper Beam. I still train a new Tyrannitar for every game.
Day 6: Which Pokémon rumors did you believe when you were younger?
Not a whole lot of them. I knew about the missingno glitch, but I performed that a lot and used it to get easy Tauroses and tons of items.
Day 7: Which aspect of XY are you looking forward to the most?
Just the fact of discovery again. No online guides, just me wandering through routes, finding stuff, being surprised by new pokemon, and feeling like an adventurer. I'll probably be blind until postgame.
Day 8: What are your Pokémon "quirks"?
My teams al need to be about the same level, except in gyms and the elite 4, where the sweeper du jor tends to take over. I'll rotate them through as they gain levels and will sit and grind a potential new team member to the party's level if need be.
Day 9: What is your favorite region and why?
Johto. I love the music of the towns, It introduced my favorite, and it taught me how to catch roamers without trapping/Master Balls. It was also the first game I got a team of level 100s without using a bunch of Rare Candies.
Day 10: If you could change one thing about the Pokémon games, what would it be?
The GTS. Get rid of Level 9 and under. Also maybe a search to see what a potential offer can get you. i.e. I have a level 30 Zebstrika, I can search to see what things are available for that.
Day 11: What is your favorite mini-game?
Pokeathlon. Though I never got the high score for Pennant Capture because fuck that game.
Day 12: Which song/theme is the most nostalgic?
I don't really get nostalgic through music, but this is one of my favorites:
Day 13: How do Colosseum/XD compare to other main-series games?
My only experience is through LPs, but of what I've seen, I can say the following:
+It's got an interesting choice of starters
+The story line is decent, if a tad short
+The music is top notch
-I kinda dislike double battles, so a game filled with them would be a chore.
-Limited variety on the pokemon
-Purifying shadow pokemon looks annoying as hell.
If they do make another game in that vein, it would be a great way to distribute DW abilities.
Day 14: If you were given a pill that erases all memory of Pokémon, would you take it?
Absolutely not. A lot of the good things in my life right now are somewhat due to those games. I could never lose that.
Day 15: Which past feature (either from main-series games or side games) do you want to return in XY?
Join Avenue. Dear god, let me be able to buy bulk happiness again. Also, maybe make Seismic Toss an egg move for Chansey or make it a TM or something.
 
Stellar said:
Day 15: Which past feature (either from main-series games or side games) do you want to return in XY?
(Explain why.)

We are halfway there folks!
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omg half way :o This is getting crazier and crazier... Considering I've been waiting since Feb...

I fucking loved the walking Pokemon mechanic. I thought that was great. Being able to scold them and get items off of them was cool. I loved the fact that "Big" pokemon would go back inside your pokeball when you went into a building. Added a really nice sense of reality to it all. I'd like to see contests return but only if they are much better/more skill based. I love the anime contests, they are a million times better than the crap we have to put up with in the games.

Weirdly, seasons is another feature which I know is returning and it should be there. I loved travelling through Unova with different looks to each place depending on the season (And how short Twist Mountain is in Winter).
 
Day 14: If you were given a pill that erases all memory of Pokémon, would you take it?
That would be really interesting! (Apart from, you know practical reasons like that I'll lose half of my english vocabulary, some of the memories of my wedding and basically my ability to draw). I really think that X&Y could hook me even without the nostalgia factor, and I don't have a TON of friends that are dependent on my pokémon memories. So, aside from the said practical aspect, I would have answered Yes. Think about it! I could play the story mode without having my competitive mind worrying about getting the wrong EVs. I would drop my jaw when I see what Magikarp evolves into. I could say "hey, isn't it cool that the three starters counter each other like rock paper scissors?" I would be less biased towards older generation pokémon and... Man, that would have been cool.

Day 15: Which past feature (either from main-series games or side games) do you want to return in XY?
A maximum of five legendaries. Mew, Mewtwo and the three birds are enough.
 
Day 13: How do Colosseum/XD compare to other main-series games?
I have very little contact with Col/XD, but the games focused on the new battle mode of the time, and introduced other new gimmicks in, which sounds really nifty. Yes, this is an incredibly bland and non-descript answer, hence why I waited to combine with other stuff.
Day 14: If you were given a pill that erases all memory of Pokémon, would you take it?
Free stuff. Of course I would take it, but whether I would use it or not is a different thing. I'd think some people would be willing to pay a fair share for something like that.
But more seriously, I really dunno. On the other hand, I'm sure I would enjoy Pokemon, but I'm also not sure if I could get into it the same way I do now. It would feel fresh though.
Day 15: Which past feature (either from main-series games or side games) do you want to return in XY?
I'd like a Battle Frontier-esque thing again. The Subway and PWT were nice and all, but those are just one or two things. A full blown area with a variety of different battles is going to take time to handle.
 
Particular1 said:
Day 14: If you were given a pill that erases all memory of Pokémon, would you take it?
That would be really interesting! (Apart from, you know practical reasons like that I'll lose half of my english vocabulary, some of the memories of my wedding and basically my ability to draw). I really think that X&Y could hook me even without the nostalgia factor, and I don't have a TON of friends that are dependent on my pokémon memories. So, aside from the said practical aspect, I would have answered Yes. Think about it! I could play the story mode without having my competitive mind worrying about getting the wrong EVs. I would drop my jaw when I see what Magikarp evolves into. I could say "hey, isn't it cool that the three starters counter each other like rock paper scissors?" I would be less biased towards older generation pokémon and... Man, that would have been cool.

Day 15: Which past feature (either from main-series games or side games) do you want to return in XY?
A maximum of five legendaries. Mew, Mewtwo and the three birds are enough.
Click to expand...
I actually think it's a good thing that there are so many legendaries these days, especially in the third game where we generally have access to older legendaries from the previous gens. This way we can easily get legendaries with different natures and hidden powers, and shininess. Like for example since RNG is a lot harder in gen 4 I've given up trying to get a good TID SID in my games but I can get like all of the Platinum legendaries in Black 2 so it doesn't really matter.
 
Day 15: Which past feature (either from main-series games or side games) do you want to return in XY?
Battle tower for sure, I love getting those long streaks. I just want some more 'bosses' during the process.
 
This is a wonderful thread. So this can be my first post here.

Let's spam the lot.

Day 1: What is your first memory of Pokémon?

Pictures of Pikachu creeping into gaming mags notwithstanding, my first memory of substance is of getting a special Pokémon mini-mag free with a Nintendo magazine. I can't remember much about the magazine, except that it included a beautiful poster of the first 150 Pokémon. Oh, that thing was gorgeous, and I still adore posters with all the Pokémon on them. I was absolutely transfixed, looking at all these lovely and weird creatures - this was before the UK release of the first games, so although it was a checklist, the idea was that you'd tick them if you saw them on the telly show.

Extraordinary. It told me where and when I could find the show - 7am on the Evil Rupert Murdoch Channel - and I dutifully got up early the next day, as did my mother, and we watched The Battling Eevee brothers.

Well, what an episode to start with. Fell in love with it. My brother got Pokémon Red for his birthday, and when he realised he'd need a Blue version for trading to Catch 'Em All, encouraged me to get that one.

Day 2: What was your first experience with a shiny Pokémon?

Boring. Red Gyarados. You know the drill. Instead, let me tell you about my wife's first experience with a shiny Pokémon.

Although an alumnus of Monkey Island and PC strategy games, Elanor had little experience of console gaming. Having started on Zelda, she moved on to Pokémon, and got hooked quickly. By now, she has a vast knowledge of the games, having finally cracked IV breeding and EV training in generation 4.

This story is set before that knowledge was accumulated. She played her way through FireRed first (I told her off for using a Master Ball on Articuno, and she hasn't used any Master Balls since), Ruby (most of her favourites come from that game - Blaziken, Aggron, Tropius ...), and then moved on to Colosseum.

I walked in on her playing it at one point. She was facing Shadow Heracross.

"Wh!" I said.

"Some of the colours in this game are really weird," she said.

I agreed. But ooh, how I panicked as I explained to her just how important it was she catch that particular Heracross.

Day 3: How close have you come to "catching 'em all"?

Got to 150 in Blue. Got to 385 in Sapphire - still no word on a UK release of third gen Celebi, I notice. I'm up to 647 in Black 2, waiting to get a Meloetta from a friend. So the answer is, "one away, three times".

Missing Shaymin in Black 2, since they made the bizarre decision to distribute from Borders in the UK. I mean, who keeps tabs on giveaways in Borders? Still. I had the last laugh.

Day 4: What was your first level 100 Pokémon?

Fearow. My Blue team was pretty much Fearow, Blastoise and some hangers on.

Day 5: What is your favorite Pokémon and why?

Very difficult question. I loved Gligar, and although I really like Gliscor, I never bond massively with OU Pokémon - it feels like if everyone has a reason to use one, it can't be my special favourite. So I suppose Carnivine at the moment. Because (a) look at it!; (b) Levitating Grass-type that isn't OU; and (c) LOOK AT IT!

Day 6: Which Pokémon rumors did you believe when you were younger?

Briefly believed there might be Pokémon in Ocarina of Time. I was so gullible when it came to Zelda rumours that I learned my lesson and never really believed rumours in Pokémon.

Day 7: Which aspect of XY are you looking forward to the most?

Can't wait to play with the Fairy type - especially old Pokémon like Mawile. I have a real soft spot for Mawile.


Day 8: What are your Pokémon "quirks"?

Can't wait to go back and see what others have said for this ...

I store my Pokémon in descending order of level in my boxes. Actually, I've relaxed this now, and only the Pokémon I use get stored this way. But for years, the further down my boxes you'd go, the lower the level of the Pokémon.


Day 9: What is your favorite region and why?

Tough question! Johto, probably. It was Gold that made me a hardcore fan for life, and I think it's because Johto feels so mundane. Hoenn is beautiful, with its tropical climate, but I loved the everyday normality of Goldenrod - full of skyscrapers and houses everywhere.

Day 10: If you could change one thing about the Pokémon games, what would it be?

More reliable method for getting good IVs for legendaries (and, to a lesser extent, genderless Pokémon). Also, not keen on the Dream World's limitation on the number of catchable Pokémon. Let me transfer everything I find, please. Even if I have to pay in berries.

Day 11: What is your favorite mini-game?

Very, very fond of Pokéathlon. Good fun.

Day 12: Which song/theme is the most nostalgic?

Mesprit music! Okay, and Uxie/Azelf, but there's nothing as amazing as moving through long grass, only for a wild Pokémon to attack ... and that music slowly ... fading ... in. So good.

Day 13: How do Colosseum/XD compare to other main-series games?

Love 'em. They're a different beast, and that's a good thing. I love double-battling as standard. It's an interesting change to have such limited choice of Pokémon to use. They're the only games where I use legendaries in-game, because the games are tough, and the choices so limited.

Day 14: If you were given a pill that erases all memory of Pokémon, would you take it?

I understand the question - it'd be great to erase all memory of Friends, say, so I could watch it all again without knowing what's coming. But Pokémon's not like that. The whole point is to add to the knowledge you've got. If I replay RSE, it's for nostalgia, not because they're amazing games - after all, XY will be much the same, but far more advanced. So, no. I want all my info.

Including trivia, like Sand-Attack being a Normal move at first etc.

Day 15: Which past feature (either from main-series games or side games) do you want to return in XY?

Oh, this is a rubbish one, I know, but - the EXP status bar from Platinum or HS. Those were beautiful. A real pleasure getting experience. Mm, lovely blue bars.
 
Day 15:

Probably everyone will hate me, but I HATE IT THE POKEMON FOLLOWING YOU "Look and item... Feraligatr can you move please?", "Wow this item finder is unnecesary complicated... wow an item, Feraligatr ...please move away", -Important plot point- "So the destiny of the world..." -Feraligatr doing his shit- "I going to sneek in radio tower with my 2,04 M tall BLUE alligator behind me, nobody will notice me! I'm a ninja!".

Not mention that is very freaking odd when your trainer does the pokeball throw animation with no pokeball, is just odd.

What I want back:

Important:
-CALL option from Pokemon XD, was awesome shout to your pokemon to remove some stats.
-Farm Berries, Appricorns
-Secret Base
-Trainer House
-Pokeblocks, muffins

-Trainer Café

Non important things:

-Vs Seeker
-Trick House
-Movies from BW2
-Contest
-Fun festas.
 
Day 15: Which past feature (either from main-series games or side games) do you want to return in XY?
I want several actually, so here are the two most important things for me that went missing:
Pokemon following you - this feature was single handedly the best feature in HGSS imo. It lets you to connect with your Pokemon more and better visualize them. Although from vids it would seem unlikely that this would happen, unless they somehow kept it hidden or there is an on/off feature lol.
Vs Seeker - I have no idea why they removed this?! it's not an aesthetic feature like the first one I mentioned; it's a mechanical one that lets you easier level up/money and even for EV training (battling 6 magikarps in Diamond was awesome for speed EVs as an example).
 
SMZ said:
Vs Seeker - I have no idea why they removed this?! it's not an aesthetic feature like the first one I mentioned; it's a mechanical one that lets you easier level up/money and even for EV training (battling 6 magikarps in Diamond was awesome for speed EVs as an example).
Click to expand...

It's pretty much redundant in BW2, since the Black Tower's far better for experience and money than the VS seeker. I reckon the seeker was overrated for EV training, anyway. I don't see it as much of an advantage over wild battling.

With you on Pokémon following you, though. It's funny how much it's either a love or hate thing. But I loved it. Adorable.
 
Day 15: Which past feature (either from main-series games or side games) do you want to return in XY?
(Explain why.)

6v6 Wi-Fi battles with auto-levelling. The best implementation of this was PBR, where you could set your own arbitrary ruleset (sleep, item, species, etc. clauses on/off, Lv. 50 all or specified levels...). Made friend battling without hacking MUCH easier.
 
Stalungrad said:
It's pretty much redundant in BW2, since the Black Tower's far better for experience and money than the VS seeker. I reckon the seeker was overrated for EV training, anyway. I don't see it as much of an advantage over wild battling.

With you on Pokémon following you, though. It's funny how much it's either a love or hate thing. But I loved it. Adorable.
Click to expand...
Black Tower is a bit annoying if you ask me, I want to re-challenge any trainer not just for experience but also for fun. As for EV training it's easier for SOME parts (not all), like the 6 Magikarp fisherman I mentioned.
 
Ohh... features I want to return?

Let's see... I agree on pretty much everything said so far, with extra emphasis on Hoenn-style secret bases (where you could make a hideout in the actual world of Pokémon, instead of some featureless mine underneath it), the VS seeker (because rebattling is awesome) and an intertwined region like Kanto and Hoenn, where walking from place to place was totally feasible and didn't take much more time than Flying - however, you had to clear some obstacles first, so the cities were still fairly spaced out in terms of game progress. Late-game, though, navigating the region on foot was just as easy as flying, for the most part.

As it's late in the day already, most of the things I want back have been mentioned, and I don't want to simply repeat the arguments of others. I guess I'll have to be creative, then:

Realistic gyms à la Aspertia Gym/Phenac Pre Gym.
As mentioned in my day 10 "What would you change" post, these gyms are awesome. I want a return in the style of Aspertia Gym: A place where trainers are actually tutored and shown to battle each other, instead of standing around on a platform all day. There is also plenty of eye-candy scenery there, further establishing an atmosphere and adding to the illusion that this place doesn't only exist for challengers. This is a place where trainers learn to be better, under the guidance of a Gym Leader. There are classrooms, a resting area, a proper battle arena. It's not a random obstacle course for you to traverse. If memory serves me correctly, we've seen 45 gyms in Pokémon to date, counting Phenac's. Only two of those have actually looked like places where aspiring trainers have studied under a Gym Leader and learned to battle.

Dynamic music.
Oooh boy, why have nobody mentioned this before? I first noticed it in BW when I visited the house with the pianist and the drummer in Accumula Town. Later, I noticed the snare drums in the Route music only playing while you were walking. There was an accordionist in Nacrene City, a flute playing in Anville town, and of course the Badge Check Gates (which gave me chills as I slowly walked through them). The Battle Subway also added an instrument for each trainer you beat. And let's not forget Village Bridge, which got an entire ensemble up and playing.
I know this is not a wishlisting day, but the mods surely wouldn't notice a few illegal sentences hidden in this large post: I wish for a sidequest in the next games where you find a lone musician in some town, modestly playing his piano in a large, empty hall somewhere. He wishes for friends to play with him, but knows nobody with an instrument in town. As you progress through the games, you meet other musicians in other towns. After speaking to them, they travel to the first city to join the pianist, and gradually, the ensemble grows, adding tracks to the background music in his hall. Eventually, they end up with a full-fledged big band. They could also have concerts playing nostalgic themes for some ten minutes every evening, but that might be wishing for too much.

Themed music in Gyms.
Adding to the previous point. I loved having themed music in the gyms in BW2. From the basic, plain tune in Aspertia Gym, via the rocky style of Roxie, and the miners' chant in Driftveil, to the laid-back xylophone and flute in Humilau. Perhaps they could add dynamic music to Pokémon Centres in different towns too?

Reasons to go revisit places.
Hoenn did this right, at least in R/S. You went to Rustboro for the Flower Shop. Verdanturf, Fallarbor, Slateport and Lilycove had Contests, in addition to other stuff. Mauville had the Day Care and the Game Corner. There was a daily event in Pacifidlog. Fortree had a special shop. The Battle Frontier was worthy of constant revisits after you've went everywhere else.


Oh, and bring back the RSE PokéMart theme too. That would be awesome.
 
Day 15: I agree with most everyone with the frontier. I'd also want a secret base like feature back. Heck, I even liked that resort house in Platinum and something like that would satisfy me. I just like having things to customize and decorate (which is why I think Furfrou is gonna be a shoo in on my team in Y).
 
Well, I've been gone for a while, but I'm back.

Day 12: I'd have to say the Route 24 music from Kanto. Not sure why; it just is for me.
Day 13: They're interesting in that they're definitely more fast paced; there's almost no grinding. I prefer the main series games, because in Colo/XD it doesn't really feel like you're exploring an open world, especially since all of the areas are disconnected from each other.
Day 14: Are you insane? Who the hell would say yes to that? Discovering Pokemon was the best thing that ever happened to me!
Day 15: Following Pokemon. Without a doubt. That was my favorite thing in HGSS and I still don't know why Game Freak removed it in BW.
 
Day 16: Did you enjoy the experience of starting fresh (new region, only new Pokémon, etc.) in BW? Explain why.
Optional question: Would you like to see something similar happen in a later generation?

Two weeks!
 
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