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sevilodorf
Tol Eressea
Mar 29 2017, 4:33am
Post #1 of 29
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What are you watching?-- March 27 edition.... "I love movies...All kinds of movies" Christopher Nolan. What movies have you loved lately?
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Wow... took a long time for the last movie/viewing thread to drop off the board.
Saw Fences .... hmmm.... to be honest... a bit draggy... there were powerful performances and a definite message but still draggy. Maybe too much of "let's be true to the stage play"
Anyway.... TV wise.. trudging on with The Walking Dead -- get on with it...
Madam Secretary -- if only Washington worked like that.
Feud - Bette and Joan -- amusing
Grimm - coming to an end this Friday.
Sleepy Hollow - hmm almost feel it needs to come to an end
obviously I spend too much time watching TV.....
Fourth Age Adventures at the Inn of the Burping Troll http://burpingtroll.com
Home of TheOneRing.net Best FanFic stories of 2005 and 2006 "The Last Grey Ship" and "Ashes, East Wind, Hope That Rises" by Erin Rua
(Found in Mathoms, LOTR Tales Untold)
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N.E. Brigand
Half-elven
Mar 29 2017, 4:40am
Post #2 of 29
(1196 views)
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Though not very much like The Arrival (1996), a decent alien thriller that starred Charlie Sheen. Sort of like a remake of Sphere crossed with a touch of Gravity. Actually based on a prize-winning Ted Chiang tale I haven't read from 1998 called "Story of Your Life".
There are four lights.
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Kimi
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Mar 29 2017, 8:47am
Post #3 of 29
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Tutankhamun, the good: Sam Neill, who lit up the screen whenever he appeared; nice visuals (although the landscape wasn't nearly dry enough to be a convincing Valley of the Kings [yes, I've been there]); interesting history when it actually *was* the history.
The disappointing: an invented romance added, doing a disservice to real people who died well within living memory, when the real story is quite exciting enough.
Overall: enjoyable enough, but one viewing is sufficient.
Tanna, the good: everything! This was an absolute delight. Filmed on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu, with a cast of locals, most of whom hadn't *seem* a movie, let alone acted in one. Stunning scenery, excellent performances, and a classic story based on real events.
We're lucky enough to have been to Tanna, including to the volcano that's very much one of the main characters, so it was lovely to see this amazing place again.
The Passing of Mistress Rose
My historical novels
Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there?
- A Room With a View
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Kelly of Water's Edge
Rohan
Mar 29 2017, 10:36am
Post #4 of 29
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Penultimate Grimm, Samurai Jack and season finale of Star Wars Rebels
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Grimm: Wait...did that just...happen? No,no no. I reject the last three minutes!
Samurai Jack: Nice to have it back for a wrap-up. Wow, did they decide to go dark for a usually light story.
Star Wars Rebels: As is usually the case, the most emotional moments were between Ezra and Kanan. I loved the little exchange where Ezra insisted to Kanan that the most important thing he's taught him is not the ways of the Jedi, but how to be a good man. It's a really lovely relationship. The highlight to me though were the developments involving our not always completely good man who's now sometimes doing the right thing. Kallus isn't always nice and is still sometimes morally ambiguous, but darned if I haven't come to like him and had an "oh bleep!" moment when Thrawn revealed his cover was blown. Glad to see him make it out, but I have a sneaking suspicion he worked better as a recurring character and wonder how he's going to fit in as a member of Team Ghost - working on the assumption that's the only place for him to be now that he's de-activated as Fulcrum. We'll have to see how that goes. I understand why they wanted to bring Sabine back, but I think that lost impact because it was too soon.
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sevilodorf
Tol Eressea
Mar 29 2017, 11:26am
Post #5 of 29
(1170 views)
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Fourth Age Adventures at the Inn of the Burping Troll http://burpingtroll.com
Home of TheOneRing.net Best FanFic stories of 2005 and 2006 "The Last Grey Ship" and "Ashes, East Wind, Hope That Rises" by Erin Rua
(Found in Mathoms, LOTR Tales Untold)
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Kelly of Water's Edge
Rohan
Mar 29 2017, 1:28pm
Post #6 of 29
(1171 views)
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There are still several obvious Deux ex Machinas possibilities I see, but on the other hand, I think death scenes lose their significance if they're undone too often. We'll have to see what goes down Friday.
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Lily Fairbairn
Half-elven
Mar 29 2017, 2:15pm
Post #7 of 29
(1166 views)
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Finally caught up with two movies I've been wanting to see
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Nothing like being stuck on an airplane to give you a chance to watch a couple of movies.
Moana, the latest Disney. Stunning graphics and some very clever bits, and how nice to see a story about the non-European Pacific, but I thought Moana herself was simply another version of Rapunzel, Anna, Elsa, and so forth, with her giggly American high-school body language and facial expressions. Still, it was an enjoyable way to pass an hour and a half or so.
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, which I've been hearing about for ages and finally watched---twice, once going and once coming back again! I didn't expect to dislike it, mind you, but was surprised how much I did like it, even with a moment's dislocation seeing Elrond/Hugo Weaving in a series of fancy frocks 
It's the story of a transgender person and two drag queens taking off across the Australian Outback. It's beautifully paced, with poignant moments, many laughs, fun music, and great visuals all blended seamlessly. Yes, it's rather odd, but delightfully so. Yes, there's a message, but it's allowed to develop naturally and subtly. The three main actors, Weaving, Terence Stamp, and Guy Pearce do a fantastic job.
Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow....
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Elberbeth
Tol Eressea
Mar 29 2017, 2:42pm
Post #8 of 29
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Yes, I know it got horrible reviews but good box-office. It's spring break here and it was the only movie on that the g'son wanted to see. It really wasn't all that bad, for a monsters-and-mayhem movie. Samuel L. Jackson had his menacing attitude on, Tom Hiddleston was eye candy, but John C. Reilly stole the show, IMHO. This week I am going to see Beauty and the Beast with my daughter, 'cause the g'son wouldn't want any of his friends to see him there. Ah, adolescence!
"There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark."
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Mar 29 2017, 5:30pm
Post #9 of 29
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The film had two big flaws for me:
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a standard monsters v people storyline ("Help! Help! We're stuck in a place and must get to another place to be saved while dodging mosters that pick us off one by one!"), and the very shallow characters.
Also, Kong moved more like a person in a suit than as an ape.
The one original and frightening moment was with the spiders (and it was entertaining when, in one 'revelation' scene, my movie-buddy jumped so hard that he left his seat  ) but, overall, I was bored.
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."
"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.
Ataahua's stories
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Annael
Immortal
Mar 29 2017, 6:26pm
Post #10 of 29
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third viewing of "Beauty and the Beast" later today
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I'm a bit obsessed.
On the small screen I finished off "The Night Manager" at long last - excellent, I would have to say I prefer the TV adaptation to the book, even. At one point one character asks Jonathan Pine, Tom Hiddleston's character, "why is everyone so attracted to you?" Well . . . because he's Tom Hiddleston? Hugh Laurie is chilling as the bad guy.
Otherwise I'm keeping up with my usual: Big Bang Theory, NCIS, Face Off, Jane the Virgin, the Magicians, and Elementary, all of which do an excellent job of avoiding formulaic plots (although yes, you always meet the killer early on in NCIS and Elementary, but don't know who they are until the last 10 minutes). I'm pleased to see that BBT did not jump the shark when people got married/had babies, but continues to surprise and delight.
Tried watching "To Walk Invisible," the BBC production about the Bronte sisters, but got bored - the first hour at least was all about Branwell Bronte's alcoholism, with scene after scene of him falling down drunk and being picked up & carried places, and far too little about the sisters' writing. At least we got a scene explaining where Emily got the idea for Wuthering Heights.
I am a dreamer of words, of written words. I think I am reading; a word stops me. I leave the page. The syllables of the words begin to move around … The words take on other meanings as if they had the right to be young.
-- Gaston Bachelard
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NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Mar 29 2017, 9:20pm
Post #11 of 29
(1115 views)
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The latest Walking Dead episode
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I notice it doesn't come up for discussion much anymore, and with good reason. In previous seasons, *I could not wait* for each new episode. This season is ho-hum, with some enjoyable moments here and there, but overall, ho-hum. I can wait several days before seeing a new episode because there's no suspense for me, but curiosity and residual loyalty keep me going. And it's not terrible either, but if you're new to the series, this isn't the season to take the plunge into.
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sevilodorf
Tol Eressea
Mar 30 2017, 12:20am
Post #12 of 29
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(I generally get up at 5 so 9 is bedtime). Now I watch on Monday afternoon. Given that Chandler Riggs is off to college how will that affect the future of the show? And really if they just tossed the comics out and said what would really be interesting let's do it the whole thing would improve.
Fourth Age Adventures at the Inn of the Burping Troll http://burpingtroll.com
Home of TheOneRing.net Best FanFic stories of 2005 and 2006 "The Last Grey Ship" and "Ashes, East Wind, Hope That Rises" by Erin Rua
(Found in Mathoms, LOTR Tales Untold)
(This post was edited by sevilodorf on Mar 30 2017, 12:21am)
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DainPig
Gondor
Mar 30 2017, 1:11am
Post #13 of 29
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Manchester by the Sea almost made me cry
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Casey Affleck's performance is terrific.
Silence got snubbed at the Academy Awards, but it is a great film too.
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Legomir
Rivendell
Mar 30 2017, 8:09pm
Post #14 of 29
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I've been catching up on movies
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Logan might be one of the best, most haunting movies I've seen in a long time.
Kong: Skull Island was good, and I was trying to make no comparisons to the original and especially the Jackson version, which I love. It just seemed like we didn't get to know Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson's characters at all. You got to know the one-liner soldiers more. It'd be like getting to know Gimli and Legolas more than Frodo, Sam, and Aragorn.
Nocturnal Animals - I can see this not being for everyone, but I thought it was completely absorbing and amazing.
Moonlight - An interesting deconstruction of African-American masculinity. It felt very different from this kind of movie, and was really well shot. Plus Mahershala Ali is awesome in everything.
And I reluctantly saw Power Rangers (my friend basically said if he had to see A Cure for Wellness for me, I had to see Power Rangers). It was alright, not the best, not the worst. And Elizabeth Banks was clearly having a blast. But I've never seen anything Power Rangers related ever, so that probably affected by enjoyment.
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Mar 30 2017, 8:55pm
Post #15 of 29
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I'd be okay without Carl on the show.
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He's okay, but not a favorite character for me. I'm sure comic fans feel differently.
I'm about the same with Judith, who's basically a prop that shows up occasionally to remind us Rick has a baby daughter.
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glor
Rohan
Mar 31 2017, 5:37pm
Post #16 of 29
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I think the problem is the TV show has deviated from the comic book up to season 6. In season 7 they are trying to make some characters that don't exist in the comic book or, shouldn't be alive fit into the comic book story arc. I have enjoyed Season 7, it is still one of the best TV shows on broadcast TV at the moment but you are correct, some of the tension has gone. I do think that's to do with the change of emphasis where now the walkers aren't the threat they used to be. It is a logical change, our survivors are now mostly expert zombie slayers and, the walkers themselves are decaying, making them slower etc.
Having walkers as dangerous, allows for random, didn't see that coming moments in a way that having humans as the main threat doesn't. Humans tend to have motives etc which require some sort of build up, or narrative that suggests this is coming to the audience.
I think that such a high rating show, could have easily dumped the comic books and carried on with a, surviving on the road find shelter, meet an enemy, kill enemy, shelter ruined, survive on the road ( rinse and repeat) formula, to keep the advertisers happy but it hasn't. It is moving forward and there have been some excellent episodes this season, The Cell and Hostiles and Calamities for instance.
I will usually rewatch a season once it comes out on demand via my cable TV provider ( TWD is shown on FOX in the UK, so you have to subscribe to a package), it's then I find I see the rhythm of a series, if that makes sense. For instance the second half of season 4 binge watched had a flow that weekly watching didn't have, I thought it was disjointed watching weekly but, binge watching, I noticed each episode showed little details that illustrated our group were following each other unintentionally; Daryl picking up Carl's dropped sweet wrapper, Tyreese and Carol noticing the burning shack without realizing it was Daryl and Beths etc.
Comic book fans have told me they thought this season could be difficult for TV, there's a lot of build up, new characters and places that need exploring, that would slow the show down. What I have enjoyed is Kirkman playing with the cliches and tropes of the post-apocalyptic genre with the Saviours, An exaggeration of the hard men survivors, protecting weak women, with a token hard woman or two thrown in to emphasis the lack of fighting females.
No mascara can survive BOTFA
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Annael
Immortal
Mar 31 2017, 10:15pm
Post #17 of 29
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friends invited us to their home theater to see this; I'd missed it in the theaters so was glad. At the end one person said "well that was a master class in acting!" Colin Firth and Jude Law were wonderful as editor Max Perkins of Scribner and his most challenging author, Thomas Wolfe (clearly bipolar). As a book editor myself I did a lot of nodding, yup, that's how it works.
I think there was only one American, Laura Linney, in a cast of Brits and Australians playing Americans.
I am a dreamer of words, of written words. I think I am reading; a word stops me. I leave the page. The syllables of the words begin to move around … The words take on other meanings as if they had the right to be young.
-- Gaston Bachelard
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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sevilodorf
Tol Eressea
Apr 1 2017, 10:14pm
Post #19 of 29
(960 views)
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I think death scenes lose their significance if they're undone too often. .
So let's kill everyone and then reverse it. Though Diana knew what had happened.
Same altered reality theme as was on Legends of Tomorrow.
Fourth Age Adventures at the Inn of the Burping Troll http://burpingtroll.com
Home of TheOneRing.net Best FanFic stories of 2005 and 2006 "The Last Grey Ship" and "Ashes, East Wind, Hope That Rises" by Erin Rua
(Found in Mathoms, LOTR Tales Untold)
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Kelly of Water's Edge
Rohan
Apr 2 2017, 12:49pm
Post #20 of 29
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I knew we were getting an undo once Rosalee went - She was the only one pretty much untouchable since killing her off (permanently) while pregnant with the triplets would have been too awful, and from what I've read most of the fandom was in agreement about that.
So we got just as much of a happy ending as possible considering that there will always be evil Wessen in the world and Adalind and Juliette/Eve couldn't both have Nick.
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sevilodorf
Tol Eressea
Apr 3 2017, 12:29am
Post #21 of 29
(920 views)
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Again ... powerful performances by some of the actors and the fact this was made on a million dollar budget is astounding but.... was there enough here to warrant Best Picture?
Fourth Age Adventures at the Inn of the Burping Troll http://burpingtroll.com
Home of TheOneRing.net Best FanFic stories of 2005 and 2006 "The Last Grey Ship" and "Ashes, East Wind, Hope That Rises" by Erin Rua
(Found in Mathoms, LOTR Tales Untold)
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Kilidoescartwheels
Valinor
Apr 3 2017, 4:36pm
Post #22 of 29
(887 views)
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but then, I wasn't expecting anything as dramatic as "Logan." It was just fun escapism for me, maybe my fav of the three movies I watched in March. Also saw "Beauty & the Beast," thought it was really good as well. Hope you like it! Anyway, I totally agree with both you and Atta below, most of the characters were shallow - the BIG character was Kong, after all - but John C. Reilly was the best! He was pretty funny! Also, somehow the movie was not all about white people, guess they get points for that.
I'd say I've entered my second childhood, but I never left the first!
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Kilidoescartwheels
Valinor
Apr 3 2017, 4:44pm
Post #23 of 29
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An older Aidan Turner movie, "Alarm"
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I came across this when I was on Amazon still trying to decide if I'd buy "And Then There Were None," which he did last year. Anyway, this movie "Alarm" was filmed in 2010 before he did "The Hobbit." Kind of a sleeper thriller set in Ireland, it was about this girl who was a victim of a brutal crime moving from Dublin to a suburb-like village. She bought this house out from under this guy (the last one available), and after she moved in there was someone breaking into her new house all the time. Aidan Turner became her instant boyfriend, yeah, I could totally see that Took a while to get going, and sometimes I wondered if she wasn't the one doing the break-ins, or if Aidan was doing that to keep her dependent on him. Anyway, I felt it was definitely worth watching IF you can find it!
I'd say I've entered my second childhood, but I never left the first!
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sevilodorf
Tol Eressea
Apr 5 2017, 3:45am
Post #24 of 29
(831 views)
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Season Finales -- Sleepy Hollow and Walking Dead
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Walking Dead -- Negan is simply too dumb to be so powerful.... Why would he fall for Sasha's act? And for pity's sake doesn't anyone ever get him in the crosshairs of their rifle?
If Dwight would actually turn out to be a traitor to Negan -- would the rest of the Saviours just give up or are they basically a bunch of thugs enjoying what they're doing?
Sleepy Hollow -- Hmm ... it's a decent team... though sort of a cop out way to get Molly of a decent age to run around fighting bad guys. I understand the show is "on the bubble" so that might be the series finale.
Fourth Age Adventures at the Inn of the Burping Troll http://burpingtroll.com
Home of TheOneRing.net Best FanFic stories of 2005 and 2006 "The Last Grey Ship" and "Ashes, East Wind, Hope That Rises" by Erin Rua
(Found in Mathoms, LOTR Tales Untold)
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Apr 5 2017, 4:59am
Post #25 of 29
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If Dwight would actually turn out to be a traitor to Negan -- would the rest of the Saviours just give up or are they basically a bunch of thugs enjoying what they're doing?
... if their base was destroyed as well, the Saviours' elite would break up into smaller groups and try to dominate each other, picking off the weakest until a small number emerged as the nucleus of a new Saviours-esque community.
I really liked the finale. At last, we got an episode that felt more like TWD of the good old days. :)
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."
"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.
Ataahua's stories
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