Post by Sabien Redwood on Mar 10, 2009 21:05:01 GMT -5
[/i]. He fell in love with the book right away, and made his mother read it over and over that first night. Such was Sabien’s fascination with the story that, when he awoke in the next morning, his parents still asleep in their room across the hall, he wanted to read the book again. The only problem was that it was sat atop a shelf and well out of his reach. After spending a few minutes stretching for the book, he became frustrated—so frustrated that the book leapt from the shelf and onto the floor. Though this is something that he only vaguely remembers, his mother has recounted the story many times over the years, having witnessed this display from his bedroom door.
SABIENNATHANIELREDWOOD ,-------------------------------------------------------------
APEEKBEHINDTHEMAGIC
• the player . the player . the player •
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NAME ! luce
AGE ! 25
PREFERED CONTACT METHOD ! pm/cbox/im
OTHER CHARACTERS PLAYED ! you can find them here-------------------------------------------------------------
WANNAGETTOKNOWME
• the basics . the basics . the basics •
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FULL NAME ! Sabien Nathaniel Redwood
NICKNAME(S) ! Sabien doesn't really have nicknames, though he's sure that both his brothers and students call him all manner of things behind his back
AGE ! Twenty-three
DATE OF BIRTH ! September 30, 1968
DATE OF DEATH ! n/a
RACE ! Witch
AFFILIATION ! Neutral; leans towards good-------------------------------------------------------------
ATASTEOFYOURWITCHCRAFT
• the powers . the powers . the powers •
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POWERS !FIRST MANIFESTATION !
The next of his abilities to manifest was astral projection, and it’s one that took him entirely by surprise. It was in the summer of ’76, when he was eight and Talian was about to turn five, and had been a day much like any other. The boys had been to school and upon returning home, Sabien headed to his room to begin his homework. Tal being who he was and always embracing his mischievous streak decided to forgo his ‘quiet time’ in favour of winding his older brother up. Having discovered his conjuring ability a year earlier, and a love of practical jokes along with it, Sabien had become the brunt of many pranks. Back then, all Talian was really able to do was conjure small items and hurl them at Sabien. Ping-pong balls seemed to be a favourite, and the youngster would spend hours lurking in his brother’s doorway, creating the objects from thin air before flinging them at Sabien’s head. This particular day, it irked Sabien more than others. Perhaps it had been because he’d been working on an important science project, or maybe it was because Talian still ran away giggling after pulling the same stunt twelve times in an hour.
Whatever it was, after running away having bounced the thirteenth ball off his head, Sabien had decided that enough was enough. All he can really remember is a sense of weightlessness and escaping the confines of his body, as if his insides were spreading everywhere at once. Afraid of the unfamiliar feeling, he squeezed his eyes shut, and when he opened them, he found himself standing in the hallway with his brother running directly toward him. Sabien can remember holding his hands out to stop him, just as he can remember being entirely freaked out when Tal ran right through him. Panicked, for he hadn’t a clue what was going on, the next thing that he can remember is waking up in his desk chair in his room. Still agitated, he ran to the kitchen and gave a very jumbled account of what had just happened, and listened wide-eyed as his mother who explained what astral projection was.
His third and final power didn’t manifest until around the time that he hit puberty. He was in junior high, a year before he joined Magic School, when he got his first taste of telepathy. Sat in class, he had been enjoying his favourite part of the day—personal reading. He’d been immersed in his story, so much so that when he started to hear whispers, he became quite annoyed. Everyone knew that personal reading was silent time. Frowning in disapproval, he’d cast his eyes around the room in order to try and find the source of the disturbance, but couldn’t pinpoint who was yapping away. With his concentration on the task of finding the source, the voices subsided and so he turned back to his book, only to have them start up again a few minutes later. Again, he cast his eyes around the room, this time capturing the attention of the teacher, who asked what the matter was. When Sabien replied that someone was talking, the look that both his teacher and classmates gave him told him he should’ve kept his mouth shut. Clearly, they hadn’t heard anything. Convinced that he was going nuts, he left school that day feeling a little frustrated and a little scared. He didn’t want to be crazy, but only crazy people heard voices. It took a few days, but he confessed this fear to his mother who assured him that he wasn’t going crazy. She explained that there was a chance that he was telepathic, a point that she later emphasised by asking him a question with her mind that he answered by asking why she was whispering. Though a little taken aback by finding he possessed another power, he was simply overjoyed that he wasn’t a fruitloop.
[/ul]PROFICIENCY !
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MIRRORMIRRORONTHEWALL
• the appearance . the appearace . the appearace •
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MIRRORMIRRORONTHEWALL
• the appearance . the appearace . the appearace •
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OVERALL APPEARANCE !
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ONTHEOUTSIDELOOKINGIN
• the personality . the personality . the personality •
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ONTHEOUTSIDELOOKINGIN
• the personality . the personality . the personality •
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LIKES !
( HONESTY ) Sabien has never taken kindly to those who seek to deceive. While there are very few people who could say that they enjoy being lied to, he cannot stand it. He can tolerate a lot—and being a teacher, that’s definitely a good thing—but if he uncovers that someone has actively lied to him, he does not react kindly. Since trust is the basis on which he forms all of his relationships, both personal and professional, once that trust is lost, it is nigh on impossible to win back. While he understands that to be truthful all of the time may not be a wise idea, and he can turn a blind eye to little white lies that are meant to soften blows or stop a person’s feelings from being hurt, the big, malicious lies are a no-no. Because of the stock he puts in trust, if he uncovers that he has been lied to maliciously, he will simply cut ties with that person. He will not associate himself with liars. Even though it is often the case that the truth hurts, Sabien would much prefer blunt honesty over being lied to any day, and always endeavours to be as truthful as possible without purposely hurting the feelings of others.
( ORGANISATION ) One of the first things that people tend to notice about Sabien is that he’s incredibly organised. Everything, from the layout of his classroom to the clothing in his closet, is done so in a tried and tested way that ensures he knows where everything is at all times. For Sabien, it’s a case of a place for everything and everything in its place. And it isn’t something that is reserved solely for his surroundings—it’s something that he adopts in all aspects of his life. He has always been thorough and meticulous, especially in his schoolwork, and has a rather clinical approach to many things. Because of his organisational skills, he is often the planner of any particular group. He is the one who is likely to have some sort of contingency plan for when things go awry, simply because he would’ve spent time thinking about all eventualities beforehand. Sabien doesn’t much like surprises.
( HELPING ) Probably because he’s so responsible, a trait that has seemingly been with him since birth, it stands to reason that he would be the sort of person who likes to help. It doesn’t really matter what it is, from aiding his brothers—or, in the past, his classmates—with assignments or just helping his mother around the house, because he believes that it’s the little things that make the biggest difference, he is unlikely to ever turn down a request for help should someone he knows ask for it. It also goes a long way towards explaining his career choices. Before joining Magic School as a teacher, he had trained for almost four years to become a doctor. Though he was undoubtedly following in his father’s footsteps, Sabien couldn’t deny that knowing he would be helping people on a daily basis wasn’t a deciding factor when deciding upon his future. Though he quit college to take the position at Magic School, he likes to think that he is still fulfilling this desire. The only difference is that now he is guiding the next generation of magical children instead of healing the sick. He is simply happy that he’s doing his bit to give back to the magical community.
[/ul]DISLIKES !
( IRRESPONSIBILITY ) Perhaps it’s because he has always been willing to take responsibility for himself and his actions, but Sabien cannot stand those who fail to meet this basic, human trait. Those who are reckless and negligent in their speech and actions are the kinds of people who can test Sabien’s patience—and the guy has a lot of patience. Though a perpetually level-headed individual, at least in his opinion, the few occasions that he has lost his cool with someone other than his younger brother, it’s been because he has disagreed with the careless actions of others. While he can hold his tongue about a lot of things, those who purposely endanger the well-being of others with their thoughtless actions are sure to find themselves on the wrong end of his foot.
( DISRESPECT ) While he understands that there will always be people who will never see eye to eye, one thing that he can’t stand is when that lack of rapport leads to disrespect. Can’t people just agree to disagree? Do they really have to resort to being impolite to one another? Though he is no angel and has certainly been accused of being impolite in the past, it’s usually in conjunction with his inability to let a bully get away with their intimidation campaign. He would never purposely be rude to another person without just cause or provocation, and even then he often feels bad about it. Even back in his schooldays, one of his biggest bugbears was those who disrespect authority, especially fellow teachers. They’re there to teach, to mould their student’s minds and prepare them for the outside world, and the way in which some of his classmates addressed the teachers left Sabien appalled. Now that he’s on the other side of the student-teacher divide, he can understand the frustrations even more, and will not stand for disrespect in his classroom—either towards himself, one of his colleagues, or another student.
[/ul]STRENGTHS !
( LEVEL-HEADED ) Sabien can be excessively calm. This isn’t to say that he doesn’t have a temper—he does. It’s just accompanied by a really, really long fuse, something that he suspects being raised alongside Tal has aided. In general, it would take a lot for Sabien to lose his cool, and he can count how many times this has happened on one hand and still have fingers to spare. The times he has lost his cool have almost exclusively been because of his younger brother while in his pre-pubescent years. While he did find himself amid a couple of scuffles during his Magic School days, there has never been anything of any real significance. He’s simply too rational to jump into a fight with his fists flying. In fact, because he is a mediator by nature, he is much more likely to try and talk things out. There are a few things that will always get Sabien’s back up, such as disrespect and arrogance, but even in those situations it would take a lot to push him to react aggressively. For those lucky enough to know how to push his buttons to the point of aggression, they should take cover. Since making him lose his temper is often a slow-burning process, often with several weeks or even month’s worth of build up, it is almost always an explosive experience. Just because he doesn’t like conflict, doesn’t mean he can’t kick your arse if he has to.
[/ul]WEAKNESSES !
( STUBBORN ) It is true that most people have a stubborn streak, but Sabien’s is a mile wide and just as deep. Once he’s made up his mind about something, after considering all possible options and outcomes naturally, he is nigh on unmoveable. It doesn’t matter to him if he’s the only one who has settled on an idea as he has no fear of standing alone, and he holds his need to be true to himself above almost everything else. That isn’t to say that he can’t or won’t change his mind, but it would take a strong, intelligent, and most likely sustained argument for him to sway from the conclusion that he’s come to himself. Driven and, at his worst, obstinate, he thinks that his stubbornness has stemmed from his self-assuredness. He doesn’t need to seek out the approval of others and will happily fight for a cause alone of he has to. As such, he feels that his determination and tenacity are traits to be admired.
( PERFECTIONIST ) Sabien is undoubtedly a perfectionist. Once he sets his mind to something, he will not only strive to achieve it, but also strive to be the best. He is the kind of person who will perform something over and over, whether it’s his innate abilities, a potion or spell, or, well, pretty much anything he does, all in the name of getting it right. Now, right to you and right to Sabien could well be two very different things. For him, it means repeating a task until he is comfortable with it, able to do it without conscious thought. He has been told that he can be a little obsessive, and while this is something that he rejects, a part of him knows that it’s true. The problem is that he cannot help it. It’s his unfailing desire to succeed that drives him on, pushing and prodding until he can be at ease with it. Only when he can perform without thinking will he be content.
[/ul]GOAL !
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IT'SALLSPELLSANDPOTIONS
• the education . the education . the education •
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IT'SALLSPELLSANDPOTIONS
• the education . the education . the education •
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FAVOURITE CLASS !
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JUSTMAKINGMYOWNWAY
• the career . the career . the career •
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JUSTMAKINGMYOWNWAY
• the career . the career . the career •
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POSITION HELD !
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I'MGONNACALLTHISHOME
• the homelife . the homelife . the homelife •
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I'MGONNACALLTHISHOME
• the homelife . the homelife . the homelife •
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HOMETOWN ! Richmond District of San Francisco
MOTHER ! James Redwood, 48, mortal, n/a
FATHER ! Layla Redwood, 46, witch, telekinesis and precognition
SIBLINGS ! Talian Redwood, 18, witch, conjuring and clairvoyance
Meka Redwood, 16, witch, chlorokinesis, limited atmokinesis, and precognition
SPOUSE ! n/a
CHILDREN ! n/a
OTHER SIGNIFICANT FAMILY ! n/a
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I'LLTELLYOUMYSTORY
• the history . the history . the history •
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I'LLTELLYOUMYSTORY
• the history . the history . the history •
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Sabien was born in late summer 1968, the first child of Layla and James Redwood. When he was born, his folks had been living in a rather small apartment, but when Sabien’s telekinetic powers began developing a short while before his third birthday, it became apparent that something was going to have to change. As soon as he figured out that he could move things with his mind, he did so all of the time. Of course, at that age he had no control over his abilities and that resulted in things being thrown at walls at all hours of the night and day. Neighbours complained about the noise almost constantly, but they stuck it out for another eighteen months while they saved enough to move into a bigger, more private place, and in the spring of ’71, they moved into a modest house in the Richmond District of San Francisco. With more room and fewer prying neighbours, both of Sabien’s parents were supportive of him exploring his magical abilities and encouraged him to practice as often and as much as possible, as long as it happened in the privacy of their own home.
A little over a year after they made the move, the first of Sabien’s siblings was born. Unlike lots of eldest children, Sabien didn’t feel pushed out when Talian arrived. Instead, he helped out with taking care of his younger brother and grew fiercely protective of him straight away. This was repeated a couple of years later when Meka was born and the Redwood family was completed. It is fair to say that Sabien took to the role of ‘Big Brother’ with the same gusto and determination he shows everything else in his life. While similar on many levels, there are clear distinctions between all of the Redwood boys. Meka has always been the laidback, quiet one; Tal is the loud and boisterous one; and Sabien was the responsible and controlled one. A rather cautious child, he saw the dangers in activities that most children his age would have disregarded, if they crossed their minds at all. Not to say that he didn’t get into more than a few scrapes—he did—he just knew better and did it anyway and usually regretted it afterwards.
Sabien had a happy home life, and while they weren’t the richest family, the boys never wanted for anything. They went through the usual ups and downs that any family would go through, but one of the things that his parents had always instilled in the boys was a sense of solidarity, of family being of vital importance. As such, the boys were close from childhood, doing everything together. Back then it was rare that you saw one without the others trailing behind. Though he was the oldest, Sabien wasn’t the ringleader. No, that honour fell to Talian. He has always been a natural leader, not to mention the most mischievous, and Sabien was always happy to let him take the spotlight and do his thing. He did, however, make sure he stayed nearby because Tal had a habit of finding trouble in even the most unlikely places, and Sabien saw it as his job to make sure he didn’t get into it too deep. That meant that when Tal was in trouble, he landed himself in hot water too, but there was barely a time that he minded. As the boys grew older and hormones came into play, they developed more of a sense of friendly rivalry. They fought like any normal siblings do, except they tended to use their powers on each other. Though it was sometimes only roughhousing—especially when Sabien and Tal tag-teamed Meka—there have definitely been many occasions in the past where the fighting was serious. This was severely looked down upon by both of their parents but it didn’t stop them from getting in to trouble on more occasions than he can remember. Nowadays, they hardly ever fight, and if they do, it’s usually over something trivial that’s forgotten about in minutes. The bottom line is that any one of the Redwood boys would fight for the other.
When Sabien was invited to attend the infamous Magic School, James was apprehensive. Even though he was a mortal who had accepted magic—it was kind of hard not to when demons sporadically attacked—he knew nothing of the school and so was reluctant to let his son attend. Layla had not attended the school herself, having been taught at home by her mother and grandmother, but after some long and often heated discussions, many of which Sabien overheard, the couple paid several visits to the school. Neither of them really knew what to expect, the idea of a Magic School both intriguing and worrying, but they were pleasantly surprised by what they found. It was a place that was both secure and welcoming, staffed by approachable and knowledgeable teachers, and soon both James and Layla decided that it was the best option for their boys. Even though Layla had done her part to teach her boys control of their individual gifts, she knew that there was only so much she could do. It was her hope that those at the school could instil in her children not only the ability to properly harness and command their powers, but also encourage in them the responsibility and wisdom to use their gifts wisely.
They needn’t have worried. Sabien took to the school like the proverbial duck to water, excelling in many of his classes and always clamouring for extra credit. He had always been one to enjoy the learning process, often seen with his nose buried firmly in a book as a child, eager to learn more about any and all subjects that fascinated him. He found at Magic School teachers who recognised the potential in him and guided him towards his goals, but also, for the first time, other kids his age who were struggling to find control for their powers. It was a much needed experience for Sabien, the only contact he’d had with the magical community beforehand was his family. Just to know that there were others like him out there, people with whom he could be friends, offer support and learn together, was enough for him. It was as he made his way through his freshman year that Sabien started to emerge from behind his cautious shell. Being around other magically gifted children opened him up and he soon found that he could get good grades without the need to study all the time, though, admittedly, he would still prefer to read instead of party.
Sabien made many acquaintances during his time at Magic School, but only a few people he’d really classify as friends. He has never been the sort of person who felt the need to be surrounded by scores of people and so was happy with the few close friends that he had. Once people got to know him, looking past the bookworm that he was often perceived to be, they found that he could be funny as well as smart, and had a slightly warped sense of humour. Though his idea of fun was usually pulling an all-night study session with likeminded people, he was occasionally talked into sampling what everyone else decided was a fun pastime—partying. Though he’s never been much of a party animal, on the occasions that his friend dragged him away from his studies, he found that he did have a good time. Socialising in such an informal environment has never been one of Sabien’s strong suits, finding that he’s too cautious to just jump right in and talk to strangers the way that his friends would. This often led to people finding him a little standoffish or anti-social, an assessment further impacted by the fact he’d usually stick close to the people he knew and felt comfortable around. It goes a long way to explaining why he tended to politely decline the parties as often as he could get away with it.
Sabien isn’t stupid, he knows that he isn’t unfortunate-looking, and had roused the interest of several girls over the course of his four years at Magic School. It was often the case that he was approached by a girl as opposed to the other way around, but largely tended to shy away from their advances. An old-fashioned kind of guy, he has never seen the appeal of casual flings and would always prefer to be friends with a girl first which only added to his anti-social and uptight reputation. Still, there were a couple of girls who captivated his attention, the most prominent of which was Damia Nichols. Having met her in his freshman year, the two became firm friends. They shared many traits and had a lot of common ground which made being around her incredibly easy. It was inevitable that, as soon as his hormones kicked into overdrive, he would begin to see her in a whole new light. Speaking of his time at Magic School, Sabien would say that he only ever had one girlfriend of significance, and that would be Damia. The two dated for much of his junior year, and he couldn’t have been happier. In her he found someone who not only mirrored himself, but also encouraged him to be exactly who he was. An ambitious young man with high hopes for his future, Sabien had been driven towards achieving all he set his mind to. He’d thought that in taking a girlfriend and embarking upon a serious relationship, it would mean he’d have to compromise his education. He hadn’t banked on finding someone who was so very much like him that it wouldn’t be a problem at all.
For the time that they were together, Sabien and Damia grew closer than ever. It was one of the reasons that he felt the sting of loss so sorely when she announced that she was leaving at the end of her senior year. Being a year older than him, that would leave him to face his final year of Magic School without his girlfriend and best friend, because leaving hadn’t only meant graduating—she had been preparing to leave the country. Sabien can still remember the teary goodbye as she left to head back to Greece, just as he can recall all of the conversations he had with her, begging her to stay. But he knew that she couldn’t, that she had her own life to lead, and so in the summer between his junior and senior years, Sabien said goodbye to the girl who had meant the world to him. The two promised to stay in touch, and for several months he wrote to her on a regular basis. He would pen letters to her and would always remind her of how much he was missing her. But over the course of the year, the letters slowed until the one a week was replaced by the once every few months. Sabien had been knuckling down to take his finals, and because of his long-standing goal to become a doctor like his father, had also been preparing to sit the examinations needed to get into college.
In the summer of ’86, Sabien graduated with almost straight A’s—he never had been good at potions. His parents had been incredibly proud, as he was of himself, and he immediately started working as an orderly at the same hospital his father worked at to earn himself a wage. Throughout his senior year, he’d been studying regular subjects taught in mortal high schools so that he had a shot at getting into a good college. For as long as he could remember, he’d wanted to be a doctor and so had his heart set on med school. After sitting the qualifying exams, having claimed to have been home schooled, Sabien was forced to wait for a couple of months for his results. The waiting had been torturous; his entire future pinned on the letters printed on a piece of paper that was sent through the mail. When it finally arrived, it took Sabien two days to work up the nerve to open it, and the nervousness had been replaced by excitement when he found he’d gotten the grades needed to apply to a good school. Having missed the cut off date, it wouldn’t be until the following year that Sabien would join Stanford and its prestigious medical school program. At college, much like in high school, he worked hard to be in the top tier of his class, still the same bookish guy he’d always been. Though he hadn’t been interested in what his friends assured him was the typical college experience, he enjoyed his time there, making plenty of friends and even dating a couple of girls. Through it all, he wrote to Damia when his mind returned to her, and had enjoyed catching up with his old friend through infrequent letters.
It was when he was in his final year of med school that Sabien learned that Magic School was seeking an Astral Projection professor. Though he had always been intent on being a doctor, Sabien couldn’t deny that the thought of returning to the school had captured his interest. After lots of thinking—for he never does anything without first assessing all of his options—and many late night talks with his mother, Sabien decided to contact the Headmistress and enquire about taking the position himself. Part of him had thought that he wouldn’t be considered for a job because he’d had no formal teaching training, or that his relatively young age would go against him. However, soon after his enquiry he received word from Headmistress Mahala that she’d like to meet with him. That first meeting was the most nerve-wracking experience of his life. Not one to usually feel nerves, it was a testament to how seriously he’d thought about his role within the school should his application be successful. After all, he would literally be shaping the lives of the future generations of magic. Still, that didn’t stop him from proving to the Headmistress, over the course of several meetings and tests, that he was suitable for the job. Sabien was overjoyed when he discovered he’d been successful and awaited his first day with excited anticipation.
After spending weeks preparing for the role with the help of a couple of the other teachers who were kind enough to show him the ropes, Sabien took his first steps into Magic School with confidence. Perhaps not unsurprisingly, he initially found it strange to be on the other side of the student-teacher divide and so struggled to find his feet for the first few months. His first year has been varied thus far, with him having complete control over a class one minute and chaos erupting the next. It has taken a while—months, in fact—but he has managed to find some balance between being friendly and open and authoritative and in control. He hasn’t mastered it yet, but being the perfectionist that he is, he keeps soldiering away. He has found that he is a compassionate teacher, encouraging even when he feels exasperated, and always strives to make classes as interesting as he can, and for the most part loves his work. That isn’t to say that he hasn’t had bad days—he most certainly has. Days in which he would rather quit than spend another minute there, or days when he was sure he’d be arrested for murder, but nothing disguises the fact that when he’s teaching something and his students grasp it and he sees that light go on, he feels like he can conquer the world.
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ANDALLTHINGSMUSTEND
• the sample . the sample . the sample •
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ANDALLTHINGSMUSTEND
• the sample . the sample . the sample •
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i think not ;]
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