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MUST READ!! Guidelines for all players
Posted: 12 Aug 2004 03:49 PM |
Vives: A living, breathing world.
This is to give new, and existing players to Vives an idea of some of what makes this world unique. First off, a quick mission statement. It is the intention of everyone involved with Vives to make this world as 'real' as possible. A place of great danger, intrigue, high fantasy stories and total immersion. Anything that adds to that is fantastic, anything that detracts from that is to be avoided. That said it is also our intent that this world be fun, be enjoyable and be welcoming. We have a great community, and want all to get everything they can from playing here. So to help that below are a few guidelines, traditions and unfortunately some necessary rules...that even the most chaotically aligned of us must try to adhere to. *grins*
1) OOC knowledge. Please leave all your knowledge from other D&D campaigns behind you. Vives is its own unique world, with masses of history, only the surface of which has been touched upon to date by the player base. There are no other planes, no other worlds in Vives. All manner of differences exist between more standard D&D realms and Vives. Don't take any ooc knowledge for granted, be sure of your facts from knowledge you find IG rather than presuming something is the case with regards to demons, angels, dragons, how magic works, how gods function, etc, etc. [Edit : This means no characters can be created from other planes or other worlds or any variant thereof].
2) Death in Vives. The respawn penalties are quite tough as you get higher in levels. But they are designed to be so. Please do not use -any- ooc means to be restored to life. This is one of the most disruptive things IG, and one of the few rules that will be consistently enforced harshly as a result. Both for the person doing the raise dead and the person who has died. Likewise if you died alone and in some out of the way place, be very cautious about just logging in for hours on end waiting for someone to 'come find you'. By all means if you see someone near where you died log in...but don't stay logged in for hours on the off chance.
3) Repetitive looting and camping. The vast majority of players enjoy finding nice equipment, getting levels, etc. You are not going to be penalised for doing so here. BUT in return we ask that this remains secondary to your love of roleplay, and that when you are involved in searching for such things, you do it in an IC, roleplayed way. Finding areas of high loot or high xp and returning there time after time, even logging off there, waiting for a reset and logging back in? That is when it has become too much, and there will be IG consequences for such actions. Very rarely if ever will such things be dealt with in an OOC manner, but the results may still end up terminal for your character. No a thief will not be penalised for doing what they do. But be willing to accept IG consequences if caught. And -expect- to be caught if you return time and again to the same place...unless you continually rp it well and use your skills sensibly.
4) Party, party, party. It cannot be emphasised enough that Vives is designed for people to interact with each other. And as such even when out in the wilds, try to be in a group. The xp system in Vives is a lot more tolerant of multi-level parties than normal NWN. If within 5 levels of each other, the xp against what you would get solo is not that much lower. And you will hopefully enjoy the land a whole lot more. However it has been reported that huge parties cause lag...so if more than 4 of you are going somewhere, by all means have two parties. Towards this end, use the player stone. It looks like a red gem and is in everyones starting inventory. It is a wonderful tool in a world the size of Vives for meeting people, as it tells you where every character currently is. It is not viewed as metagaming to use this to bump into people that are nearby. If someone does not wish to be found easily they have the option to exclude themselves from the list.
5) Show respect for the world. At no time will your PC be so powerful that there is no danger that needs worry him/her. There are places in this world that it is -very- dangerous to invoke the anger of those who rule there. Awake Count Valinor in Maldovia, raid the temple of a god and invoke the wrath of its high priest, attract the hostility of one of the ancient dragons...all these things are extremely inadvisable and you should never have the attitude that you can do such and expect to survive the experience because you are so powerful. Likewise do not take advantage of the fact you believe there is no DM present to do something you would not do if there was. Always treat this world the same. None of this is to say any area in Vives is out of bounds...just be aware some hold much greater danger than others, especially for repeated visits.
6) Respect the DMs.Do not continually barrage DM's with tells, messages in the DM channel or PM's on the website asking for things for your characters. The DM's and admins all put an incredible amount of time and effort to this world. They all try to be available as much as they can. And we all will welcome the occassional request from players for an idea they may have. Be it a bard planning a performance, an evil character planning retribution on someone, a mage seeking an audience at Naillamne or Kaazim, or other such ideas we will do all we can to help. But not too often per person...there is an ever growing player base and we want to be as fair with our time as possible. And if it is an IG reward, then continually asking for such does no good. If it has been seen that something has been earnt IG then we try to respond as best we can. But it takes time. And if what is being asked for is of a much greater scale than that held by other players, then it is unlikely to be granted.
7) Stay IC. If you have to, absolutely have to talk ooc...use tells. Normal and party talk should always be IC except for ((afk phone)) or ((got to go, dinner)) type messages. There is a nice community here, the IRC channels are well used and people do get to know each other and want to chat about RL stuff. If you know someone well enough for this, just please use tells if IG or better still chat in IRC. And do not send ooc tells to people you don't know well without good reason as some players -do- find them disruptive to their enjoyment of the game. And nothing in any way important that is specific to IG events should be discussed in the main IRC channel. This most definitely includes if your character has just died. Also try not to stay IG if you have to go afk for any length of time. Sometimes cant be helped, but preferable to go to the OOC lounge or just log off.
8) Characters. As much as possible your characters should never meet. Certain storylines have existed to great effect where this rule has been broken. But it should never, ever be done in such a way as to transfer items from one of your characters to another...even by means of a third party. All item transfers are recorded by the database, including dropping items as one character and logging in as another to pick those items up. Or selling to a merchant and then buying straight away as another character. Thankfully fairly rare in vives, but this -is- metagaming, please do not do it. And it should be obvious from the above, but your characters should never impart vital information about each other...ie one of your characters telling people that another of your characters is dead or the like.
9) There is a community chest in the four winds inn where you start. Please feel free to take anything your character can use, it is filled with donations from existing characters to help starting adventurers. And please feel free, if it is in your characters nature, to donate to the chest also. There is a limit how much any one character can take from the chest at a time, please try to only take what you need.
10) Forced RP. Do not do something that in any way forces RP or impacts on other people's characters without discussing it with them first and getting their clear agreement. Anything from charm person to cutting off a character's ear should never be done without definite agreement beforehand. Same obviously goes for PvP but that is covered in greater depth elsewhere.
That's the end of the "ten commandments" *chuckles* but one last thing...
11) Feedback. Please feel free to let us DMs and admins know what we are doing wrong, -and- what we are doing right. As long as feedback is constructive and pleasantly put across it will always be welcome. Not necessarily agreed with every time, but definitely welcome.
12) More Character, More Fun. Make as many characters as you like. The server can handle it and we don't mind (subject to #8, of course). One thing though before you rush off and make those hundreds of characters - we never delete them, ever, nor will we. So please don't ask.
[edit]
13) Character Names Character names should be appropriate and no longer than 50 characters.
Try to use original names and not those names from cartoons or "well known" fantasy. Joke names such as "he man", "skeletor" will not be entertained. Such characters will be marked for permadeath and be killed immediately. |
'The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.' - Richard Bach, Illusions. |
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Re: Guidelines for all players
Posted: 13 Aug 2004 05:13 PM |
A few other Vives rules that need to be clearly available:
1) If you multiclass you must take at least 3 levels in every class. This must be done by level 7 if two classes held, or by level 12 if three held. If you begin a multiclass after these thresholds, all 3 levels must be taken consecutively.
2) Do not put gold or containers (magic bags and the like) in rental chests or mailboxes, anything lost as a result of doing so will not be replaced.
3) The following classes and PrCs require prior DM permission to play: Red Dragon Disciple, Champion of Torm, Paladin. Please PM all DM's with a character background and get permission before taking any levels in these classes or creating a character with these classes.
4) Vives has a PG13 guideline. As in no DM or player should introduce content into the world in any way that would be beyond a PG13 rating. And we would ask players that are below 13 to ensure they have told their parents/guardians that they are playing in this world, and interacting with an adult community. Some of our best players have been surprisingly young, but please everyone remember you cannot be sure of the age of people you are roleplaying with, so act accordingly.
5) Vives has it's own crafting system. So be aware the standard NWN craft armour/weapon/trap skills are not supported and there is little value to using skill points in those skills. In addition, the Brew Potion feat is likely to be of little use to a PC on Vives. |
'The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.' - Richard Bach, Illusions. |
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Guidelines for all players
Posted: 04 Dec 2004 06:04 AM |
Just a quick bump to remind people of these guidelines. They really are essential information for all players. Can I also remind people of point 5 as above. This applies to -all- players at all times, it doesnt matter if you are somewhere private, keep it PG13. We do not have an age requirement for DM's, and they can see everything you are saying.
So if something of an adult nature that you must indulge in, please take to irc or PM.
Other additions to this thread:
1) Sub-races. It is said elsewhere, but no PC may play subraces without DM permission. Drowe do not exist in Vives. And sub races will be a rarity, DM permission is unlikely to be given in the vast majority of instances.
2) Midoran characters require DM permission to play. This is includes any and all characters originating from Midor or following Midoran, and is due to the complexity of the recent history of Midor.
3) Vives current item guidelines are discussed in this thread: Here
4) Planes in Vives: There are none. None at all. Vives has no contact with any other Prime Material Plane. Travel from outside Vives to Vives (or vica versa) is impossible.
5) Character Origins All characters originate on Vives. A few exceptions may be granted for Characters who come from an island near vives, or even perhaps from another continent. If so, you are to keep such details non-specific so that you do not end up trying to create world affecting lore that conflicts with the official world lore.
On the other hand, your character just might be considered mad when talking about "The Forgotten Realms Where They Are From (tm)". NPC's in Vives know for certain that Vives is the only habitable large landmass in the world
6) Titles and Ranks. PC's in Vives have no official titles, ranks or claims of nobility unless they are somehow earned through IG actions and granted by the DMs. Characters from abroad (see 5.) may claim whatever title they like, but do not expect it to be honoured by anyone within Vives.
On the other hand, your character just might be considered mad when talking about their title of "Lord God on High, Ruler of All That Is And Then Some With Interest". NPC's in Vives know for certain that Vives is the only habitable large landmass in the world and the only titles of relevance are those granted within Vives itself. |
'The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.' - Richard Bach, Illusions. |
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Re: Guidelines for all players
Posted: 08 Dec 2004 05:04 AM |
PvP.
Just to try and keep everything really important in one place, these are the current PvP guidelines, and some reasoning behind them.
First of all, any PvP of whatever nature -must- be consensual. Including the casting of non damaging yet baneful spells such as blindness, curse, domination, etc. Also including those situations where you want to emote punching another character, though some element of discretion obviously applies to that. OOC agreement must have been reached, or at the very least offered, before any PvP.
Vives uses a subdue system that is automatically "on" for all players. The subdue toggler to turn this off and allow you to actually kill another PC should be used very rarely, if at all.
If beaten while subdue mode is on, unless otherwise agreed to by all involved, this should be rp'd as you are beaten senseless, and even with major healing are unable to act or rejoin the fight in any way.
Damaging spells -are- effected by the subdue toggler. But death spells may not be, so be wary with what you cast.
Now this system exists to prevent the ooc grief that often accompanies PvP. This is a rp server. As such PvP should be a last resort, as it rarely enhances the rp environ, and oft instead greatly detracts from it. That however does not mean this system should be abused, and people feel free to insult / provoke those more powerful, especially not those known to be a very bad idea to insult.
So here follow the guidelines all characters of that ilk should follow, based on my IG experiences as Muga, and proven to work, remove any chance of feelings of grief, and keep PvP of lower level characters to a minimum.
stage 1: A PC is provoking or insulting you. You react with your usual level of IC aggression, making it clear you are losing tolerance. Give them a chance to realise and back down / flee IC.
stage 2: If the provocation continues, you send a friendly and pleasant ooc tell to the other player, saying that if they continue and dont back down this will result in PvP. Are they ok with this.
stage 3: If they refuse PvP and still continue to provoke go to stage 4. If they clearly accept PvP then fine, go hostile to them so they have that final warning and then proceed. If they back down, or seek to leave the area then let them.
stage 4: Send a final tell saying "really sorry, no hard feelings ooc, but IC you are leaving me with no choice". Go hostile to them. Give them that one last chance to back down or flee. And if not, then and only then can you beat them into a pulp.
Honestly this does not ruin the IC atmosphere, and actually takes a surprisingly short time to go through the stages. And it really does remove the ooc grief element. Anyone initiating non-consensual PvP without having followed these stages will immediately be deemed to have broken the rules and dealt with accordingly, whatever the circumstances might be. |
'The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.' - Richard Bach, Illusions. |
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Re: Guidelines for all players
Posted: 18 Apr 2005 04:34 AM |
Although this has been mentioned before, worth expanding upon:
Likewise do not take advantage of the fact you believe there is no DM present to do something you would not do if there was. Always treat this world the same.
If you ever want to attack, kill or carry out any detrimental action against a named NPC, please contact a DM first. As obviously without DM involvement, reactions cannot occur that should. And generally we do not like to see a named NPC killed without a means of restoring them, as it necessitates a permanent change to the world. Sometime this is warranted, but rarely and never just on a whim.
Likewise, if you ever want to attack a guard patrolling outside of Midor, or assassinate an elven guard in Ferein or the like, contact a DM first. Otherwise it will simply be deemed to never have happened. |
'The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.' - Richard Bach, Illusions. |
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Re: Guidelines for all players
Posted: 19 Apr 2005 01:51 PM |
CLERICS and restoring the dead to life.
Over the next few days a couple of changes are going to be implemented. If your cleric has not chosen a deity, you will find yourself unable to restore any PC to life. If you did not choose a deity on character creation, please go to the ooc lounge and use the option to choose a deity that is available there.
Also, clerics that follow some deities will find themselves unable to restore to life followers of certain other deities. An obvious example would be a follower of Aros trying to restore a follower of Tarik. DMs may also make clerics unable to restore certain PCs for other IC reasons, so do not view an inability to raise someone as absolute proof they follow an enemy deity. But it is cause to be suspicious of them, certainly. |
'The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.' - Richard Bach, Illusions. |
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Re: Guidelines for all players
Posted: 21 Apr 2005 05:47 AM |
EPIC SPELLS
As people have begun to ask about these, here is the score with them. First of all the good news, they will have virtually no game mechanic requirements. No spellcraft or lore required to learn them. No xp cost to learn them. There will be only two requirements, the ability to cast 9th lvl spells and an outstanding display of RP over a consistent period of time. As usual, we have pdw to thank for modifications to the system to make this possible.
Having a high lore will still provide a benefit. In that the higher lore you possess, the more epic spells you will be able to cast in a day. If your lore is less than 10, you will only be able to cast one per day.
Now, onto how they can be acquired. Simple, as per the above. All that is required is that you have impressed the DM team with a high level of consistent RP for a prolonged period of time. These spells will be a reward for RP, nothing else. It doesnt matter what level you achieve, what stats you may have, RP is the -only- consideration.
How not to get epic spells. Asking for them is certain to put back any chance of your character gaining them. RPing researching them, looking for them, in any way trying to prompt DMs to give them is not going to work. When and if your character is going to get them, it will be a surprise. Simply play your character well and consistently without looking for a reward, then you're in with a chance.
The way the system will work is a DM will nominate, at their own discretion, a player they feel has been rp'ing an epic spellcaster really well, and who has been focussing on the rp first and foremost. The DM team will then vote. If a majority say yes, then a plot will be introduced by a DM at the appropriate time. This plot could be fairly simple, or quite epic, often depending on the spell to be given and the DM running it. It may well involve a cost of some kind, or a chance of failure and not gaining access to that spell at that time. But if you successfully complete the quest, the spell will be awarded.
We do not want this to be seen as a competition. Epic spells will be a rarity. You may never see them. You may get lucky. As in all things in life, there is an element of chance. Just because you do not get one does not make you a bad rp'er. Just because you do, does not make you a better rp'er than someone else. Indeed one of the things that will influence DMs is whether they think you will use these spells appropriately and considerately. Such powerful magic would not be used frivolously, a respect for the "art" of magic would be a definite consideration.
We may decide to add static quests at some indeterminate time in the future for some of the more...generic epic spells. But until such a time, the above is the only way of obtaining epic spells.
The Vives DM team |
'The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.' - Richard Bach, Illusions. |
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Re: Guidelines for all players
Posted: 15 May 2005 06:36 AM |
GUILDS IN VIVES
In the experience of many of our players and DMs that have come from other PWs, guilds tend to cause more disruption then they are worth by the inevitable side-lining of any non-guild PC's. Often causing more OOC squabbles then the RP they generated to begin with. No matter how good intentioned the guild starts out, a recurring theme has always seemed to occur from the standpoint of most of the DMs:
* People in Guilds start RP'ing exclusively with each other, counting newbies out.
* People in Guilds start exchanging gear at a pace that completely outstrips both PC and NPC economy.
* People in Guilds start passing OOC info concerning quests, rez's, and xp "hotspots" back and forth.
* Anyone not in a Guild will always perceive that people in Guilds have an easier time ingame, resulting in player resentment and the ever-present accusations of favoritism.
* People in Guilds start expecting that being in a Guild gives them a bigger "stake" in the world, and will begin to demand the right to make changes to the world to benefit their Guild.
* People in Guilds (as a result of the above) then expect more DM interraction & involvement in their quests, custome built items and areas, when DM resources are already limited.
The end result is a lot of grief and hassle with very little added value.
As such guilds are pretty much prohibited here. But adventuring groups do exist, and can be created, though probably should not be a high priority for a new player joining Vives. But as long as they do not seek to become too large in scope, or expect much in terms of support or attention from the DMs, they are fine. |
'The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.' - Richard Bach, Illusions. |
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Re: MUST READ!! Guidelines for all players
Posted: 24 Dec 2005 02:30 PM |
Alignment Shifts
Your alignment can be shifted by the actions of those you party up with in game. Your alignment is affected even if you are across the other side of Vives when a companion acts in a various ways that you possibly wouldn't, resulting in an alignment shift. This means that you need to be careful who you adventure with!
Your choice of companions reflects both positively and negatively on your character so think about that if you choose to remain partied with them.
If your alignment has changed significantly as a result of the above, consistent RP of your desired alignment will earn DM attention to get small shifts back to the alignment you require. It doesn't do any harm to PM the DMs to let them know that you are RPing your alignment and would like a few nudges in the right direction.
Death's caused by sudden loss of endurance magical effects
Endurance gives your character extra hitpoints through the addition of extra points to your constitution score. These hitpoints, when lost because of the spell ending, or someone dispelling the effect, are removed from your character. If your character is low in HP, it will kill your character.
It can also happen under other circumstances, such as under the effects of Barbarian Rage.
This is not a bug. If you die, or die again from it, your XP and gold will not be replaced. |
Purpose in life: finding better ways of allowing players to kill themselves. Repeatedly.
--
"...Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good."
--
<@James42> Lawful good isn't in your vocabulary, it's on your menu.
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Re: MUST READ!! Guidelines for all players
Posted: 11 Feb 2006 02:49 AM |
Gods in Vives
Please note that the Players Handbook, whilst a useful read, does often contain slightly erroneous information. This is due to the age of Vives, and how the world has evolved since the PHB was written, a long time ago.
As such, although it is in the essential information forums, just for those that miss it...please be sure to read the following thread in precedence to the PHB when choosing a deity.
http://vives.dyndns.org/vives/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=31009
Sirac |
'The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.' - Richard Bach, Illusions. |
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Re: MUST READ!! Guidelines for all players
Posted: 13 Feb 2006 08:17 AM |
** Announcement **
Please note that the DM team has recently reviewed the former rule which stated that Paladins always had to be Midoran and Human only. We have decided to change this rule, so that now Paladins can be for (within reason) any race or God, but now all Paladins require DM permission instead. Please note that a detailed and realistic character background will be required to gain permission to play a non-Midoran paladin.
Please also note that all Midoran Paladins and Novus Aristi Paladins must get permission from Fictrix or Mykal specifically.
The guidelines have been updated above to reflect these changes.
If you want to discuss these changes, please post any feedback or questions ON A DIFFERENT THREAD .
Thanks
Sol OBOTDMT .
HMRTC, GpX, ARC & KotAM |
- Solitaire, Wizard
- Ilyana Fiirhaart, High Priestess of Naruth |
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Languages and Learning them
Posted: 27 Jun 2006 11:36 AM |
Learning New Langauges
You can learn new languages as long as you have a teacher and proceed to learn the language IG. After a suitable amount of time, as long as the DMs see you are making an effort, you will be rewarded with knowledge of the new language.
PM a message to "All DMs" via the website if you wish to bring your learning to our attention.
Starting Langauges
"My character was raised by Rabid Elves. Can I start out knowing "Rabid Elvish" as a langauge even though my character is Rabid Elf hating Orc?"
Submit your character background to All DMs and your request will be considered. Please note that we do not often grant additional starting languages so your request may very well be rejected. |
Purpose in life: finding better ways of allowing players to kill themselves. Repeatedly.
--
"...Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good."
--
<@James42> Lawful good isn't in your vocabulary, it's on your menu.
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Re: Guidelines for all players
Posted: 27 Jun 2006 11:49 AM |
*bump*
Updated this post /vives/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=20814#26124 |
Purpose in life: finding better ways of allowing players to kill themselves. Repeatedly.
--
"...Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good."
--
<@James42> Lawful good isn't in your vocabulary, it's on your menu.
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Re: Guidelines for all players
Posted: 06 Sep 2006 10:03 AM |
Permadeath
Permadeath in Vives, like PvP, is envisaged by the DM team as something which is a last resort, consensual and should never be forced upon a player.
However, situations do arise in-game wherein characters act without due thought to consequences and permadeath is the only viable outcome. The DM Team do not want to force it upon anyone, nor at the same time do we want to be forced into a situation where it becomes necessary. In order to preserve the integrity and credibility of the world, though, the option will be exercised if it is deemed necessary.
Attacking and killing guards of places such as Ferein, Midor, or anywhere else that has a code of morality or laws are examples. Execution for a murder or other serious crime is a very real possibility: if you don't want your character to stand a chance of suffering that fate then think very carefully before doing it. |
ELVES! |
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Re: MUST READ!! Guidelines for all players
Posted: 06 Sep 2006 11:39 PM |
*bump* added point 13
/vives/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=20814 |
Purpose in life: finding better ways of allowing players to kill themselves. Repeatedly.
--
"...Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good."
--
<@James42> Lawful good isn't in your vocabulary, it's on your menu.
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