songerein | { GAME OPENING LOG }

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{ GAME OPENING LOG }

✵ GAME OPENING LOG ✵
Normally our TDMs serve as intro logs, but we have prepared a special character intro log for game opening! It is a massive, chaotic feast that can only be found in a dreamworld like Songerein. You can also use this to continue ongoing TDM threads, especially as it nears captcha. Reminder that any thread from the TDM can be carried over. Players are also welcome to make their own logs for things if they would rather skip this part. Be sure to read the Mod Announcement for other information and you can ask any questions regarding the log here.

I. THE FEAST

As the sleepy looking sun begins to set, the small little tapir fairies will buzz around to find all the new inhabitants and usher them to the plaza. There everyone will find several tables of various lengths, sizes, and shapes. Yes, that is a star shaped table along with a moon one. A special feast has been made just for them to welcome and celebrate their arrival. Some may even recognize decorations: leaves mottled and changing to an assortment of colors, festive streamers, popcorn strings, glittering garlands and bows, string lanterns, and maybe a few small gravestones here and there. Some areas might look a bit brown and withered while some of the trees take on a more cherry blossom look. It's a bit of a strange mashup, and yet the chaos seems to have a sense of harmony as well—especially when considering everything else that the feast has to offer. This is one divine feast that is going to be completely topsy turvy.

A. What's Your Sign? Everyone will find themselves mysteriously "tagged" with a special sticker and will suddenly gain special characteristics based off the animal: ears, tails, behavioral traits. They're mostly mild and to add flavor, but they may also feel different compatibility towards another, such as more attracted or opposed. The sticker will be hard to remove, but it is possible to swap with someone if they want to try a different experience.

B. Special Bowls. There are many tables and anyone can sit wherever they want. Just don't forget to pick up the special dinner bowl already personalized with their name on it. Of course there are some extra paints and decorations that can be added to it if one desires.

C. Wild Food. Every table has the same kind of food, and there is plenty to go around. Of course, that's only if the food can be caught and if one can keep an appetite for some of them. The boar's head is a bit talkative and might settle down if someone stuffs an apple in its mouth or tells it a joke. However, it might just get several laughs by the barrel of monkeys funnel cake nearby, monkey shaped pastries hiding within it to chuck out various candies and fruits. Not even the candy is safe, at least not the stringed ones. Licorice, chocolate coated taffy, and others will start slithering around and even hiss, sometimes wrapping around the arm of those who try to eat them. Playing some music might calm these sweet serpents so they can be eaten properly. How about that special carousel cake stand with the horse cookies prancing about?

D. Spice Up Your Li—Meal. However fear not. There is normal food around so it is possible to have a proper meal. However, some helpful little dragons may fly by to add a few herbs and spices to the dishes. They are quite friendly and will listen to requests, however if one is rude or too demanding, they may just dump a bunch of a hot pepper and other unsavory seasoning instead. Make a good enough impression and they might make house calls, even follow someone home. They live to spice up food, after all.

E. Drink Tea. Although there is an assortment of beverages, the prevalent one will be tea. They are similar to the ones found in the cafe and all will help bring out festive dreams and restful sleep later for everyone. However, someone is clearly making mischief as they have slipped in some rodentia tea. Drinking it will cause the drinker to shrink to the size of a rat. The only way to return to normal is to find the elusive cat cookies, which can be strangely hard to find; they seem to vanish and reappear at random, but only the ones with wide grins and “Eat Me” written on them can be eaten.

II. FUN & GAMES

Perhaps the food isn't up to one's tastes, or they just would rather have some fun. There are a few games around the plaza that everyone is welcome to participate in and they are encouraged to play to their heart's content. Just beware of the geese as they are being a menace not only at the tables but disrupting games as well.

A. Playing Chicken. A simple game, really, one that will test one's creativity and taste buds. There is a goat cheese fondue fountain surrounded with various platters of cooked chicken: grilled, steamed, boiled, baked, fried. This fondue fountain, however, is special. The flavor of the fondue can be altered depending on the kinds of emotions near it. Joy and love make it sugary sweet, anger and jealousy spicy hot, despair and distrust salty sour. And of course everything in-between including a chaotic mix. The challenge is one person will try and alter the flavor of the fondue, lather it on a piece of chicken, and then hand it to their opponent. The chicken must then be consumed. If not, the one who "cooked" it wins. If it is consumed, then the second person can now do the same to the other. This continues until one forfeits. It should be noted that the emotions of the one eating can also affect the fondue. (It is of course possible to take either the fondue or chicken without playing this stomach churning game.)

B. Gravity of Luck. There is a special wheel lottery set on a table decorated with rabbits. In fact there are a lot of rabbits congregating here and would love a few carrots. Anyone is free to spin the wheel one time per round to determine what kind of special "gravity" effect they receive. Each time the wheel is spun, a ball will drop and the color will indicate the type. A gold ball will cause them to lose all sense of gravity, their bodies starting to float away and although they can fly and float around, they'll need help being tethered down. White balls allow them to jump higher, small mushrooms appearing at their feet so others can follow. A black ball will cause them to be stuck in place, even fall flat all the way to the ground and need help standing up. Those imbued with the power of the different balls can help balance each other out until the effect wears off in half an hour.

C. Ox Go-Kart. For those who really want some speed and action, there are ox driven carts stationed by various streets. Two people can partner up with one driving and the other serving to help try to slow the other cart down. In this race, all non-lethal, non-destructive abilities are allowed to try and disrupt the other racer. Perhaps utilizing dreamotion based abilities may fare better. Just beware of other obstacles, especially any random crying dodos that create giant pools of tears as water hazards.

D. Tiger Fishing. There are special colorful ponds filled with sparkly gummy koi fish. At each one there is a little round tiger(?) with a pair of tiger mittens. In the same vein of fish scooping games, players must wear the tiger mittens and catch the gummy fish with them. It won't be easy as the gummy fish are even more slippery than normal. Perhaps some other skills could be used...but the little tiger will be watching and will latch onto anyone's heads who try to cheat. But if caught, they will make for a delectable treat—or interesting pet.

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I -

[ that's his voice, certainly, but where is it coming from? he nearly drops both beetle and tapir on the floor when it cuts through the dream.

what should he do? he doesn't like the crowding men in the room but he doesn't want to go against the voice. if it's mcgillis, he has good reason to trust him. regardless of his curiousity, when has mcgillis ever lead him to his ruin?

when, indeed.

trapped in between choices, gaelio clicks his tongue. he notes that the tapir is still feeling agitated in his hands; he decides to follow where the voice came from. ]

Mcgillis, keep talking to me. [ he tries to keep his voice calm. when they were younger, mcgillis liked having him as a pillar to hold onto after his dreams; perhaps that will work here. though he doesn't know how. ]

[ Gaelio shouldn't be in here. They had been warned that this place is quite the trip when it comes to dreams, but McGillis still can't help feeling unprepared. What a stupid idea this tapir project had been - now Gaelio is seeing things he shouldn't and McGillis has to deal with saving both the tapir baby and navigating him away from anything incriminating.

He never thought he'd be grateful that he's dreaming of the brothel instead of something more recent. It should be indistinct enough, they should be fine... ]

I'm over here.

[ He sounds strained but not particularly frightened, at least. Being stressed about the various real world implications of his nightmare makes it hard to sink into it. ]

In the kitchen.

[ Not that Gaelio knows where that would be, but he can follow the voice. When he gets there, he'll find McGillis looking as adult as always, though he is wearing a rather plain ensemble with a white dress shirt only.

He's standing in front of what appears to be a giant pile of dark wood chairs. From inside it, there is a tapir squeaking in distress. ]

Alright.

[ he follows, and is relieved to see mcgillis safe - or about as safe as one can be in this dreams. he stares at the chairs encaging the tapir and he looks in confusion. ]

... I take it you've been here before.

[ this is what mcgillis dreams of, in his nightmares. a place he doesn't recognize, a hallway full of strange men, a mountain of chairs. and mcgillis in such plain clothes that gaelio wouldn't have been able to distinguish him from anyone else in the crowd unless he was specifically looking for him. it's strange. it is a mcgillis that takes great pains not wanting to be perceived.

he stares at the tapir with worry, but looks to mcgillis. first of all - ]

Are we safe here? Are you hurt?

[ what strange things to ask. the privilege of one who knows nothing. but gaelio is serious, and worried, and nothing but sincere. ]

[ McGillis won't confirm or deny his familiarity with the place. If he can play this as being a vague representation of a high class building rather than a specific location, he'd love to do it... but unfortunately Gaelio can be perceptive sometimes. ]

It's a dream. Nothing will really hurt us.

[ He thinks, anyway. It's not like anybody else has ever been inside of his dreams - he'll wake up fine in the morning, but will Gaelio? And even more pressingly, will this tapir? And also-- ]

You brought Galahad?

[ Nightmare (with beetle). ]

... I can't really trust that sentiment at all.

[ he lets the two of them settle on the floor. the other tapir calls out weakly to its brother in the wooden cage, and gaelio looks at it in worry as he kneels before it. he was no expecting something like this to happen when he had the idea of taking home tapirs to help mcgillis with his nightmares.

as to his question, gaelio looks at him incredulously. ] I'm not leaving him there alone. He could eat our walls.

[ galahad wouldn't, but this is just gaelio covering up for the real reason he took galahad with him, which is that he didn't want to leave him alone and be worried. mcgillis had taken a liking to the beetle as well. a stupid sentiment. and yet ... ]

[ There is so much wrong with this reasoning, McGillis doesn't even know where to start. Galahad really doesn't deserve being dragged into this mess, that's for sure.

In front of them, the chairs rattle ominously, as if waking up and developing a will of their own once again. The tapir is shrieking miserably. ]

We need to get it out of there. This whole dream seems to be causing it pain.

[ McGillis can't blame it. He has no doubt that it is only his fierce determination to not show Gaelio too much that is keeping the scenario at bay for the time being. ]

... I thought they'd be able to help. I'm sorry.

[ for all of gaelio's bravado and affectations, he never intended to hurt anyone or anything. it seems that his efforts had caused more trouble than he intended, and now he has two creatures who are suffering badly because of him. he feels terrible about it.

he regards the chairs. ] How did it - can they just be removed?

[ and so he tries to take the chairs apart, one at a time. galahad, curious, starts poking around the room while gaelio is busy with the pile, and the other tapir, attracted to the trapped one's cries, tries to find a way to reach its friend. ]

[ The good news is that the chairs move. The bad news is that they move a lot more than Gaelio might anticipate - in fact, they are attacking.

Maybe this explains how the tapir got into its current predicament. They are entirely hostile to any entities that aren't McGillis. ]

--shit!!

[ McGillis lounges forward to hold back a chair from the top of the pile that seemed to aim for Gaelio's head. Of course it would. God.

The the trapped tapir does take its chance to squeak loudly and reunite with its brother, at least. ]

We need to leave the kitchen!!

[ gaelio is none too happy about the chair aiming at his head. he is glaring at it, and glaring at the fact that mcgillis has to defend him from this strange dream. ]

I -- [ galahad. he lunges to pick him up as he makes his way out of the kitchen with mcgillis, not ready to see the beetle accidentally squashed. the chairs seem to be very angry and he pulls mcgillis towards him when a second chair tries to lunge at them, apparently unhappy that it won't let him have its target. ] -- isn't this your dream?

[ why has he lost control of it?

... what kind of dream is this, why is mcgillis dreaming about chairs that attack him. he can't answer that right now, but he can't leave the kitchen without mcgillis either. ] Mcgillis!

Edited 2021-09-23 23:42 (UTC)

It's my nightmare, they're not known for kindness!

[ And that is fine to deal with when he's on his own, really. He's used to it. Most don't even wake him up, he'll just rise normally in the morning and think to himself '...ah' with a vague sense of dread.

McGollis grabs the tapir that initially came to the dream with him as it seems to be writhing in some pain and rushes out of the kitchen back into the hall-- it's a different hall now though, it's the Bauduin's ballroom. A gigantic rendition of it, twice its normal size. The shadowy figures are the same though, but now they are audibly whispering. Or are they the same? Were there always this many? ]

We need to-- I don't know, we need to get the tapirs out of here.

[ Or fix the dream, but he hasn't realized that as an option yet. ]

How?

[ how. how do they get out.

they end up in the bauduin ballroom, at least something that gaelio recognizes. mcgillis has his tapir, he has the others, somehow the two of them are intact but the figures around them seem to be upset or scandalized, or at least giving the feeling of dread and judgment and he doesn't understand why. he is a bauduin, the heir himself, he is not used to people looking at him in such a manner.

he grabs mcgillis' hand. ]

I have an idea.

[ if this is his house, then he knows where to go. it's strange, being shadowed by so many stares and unpleasant murmurings that never seem to be distinct enough to be overheard, but gaelio pays them no mind. though he does get irritated when someone moves too close to them and snarls, ] Leave us!

[ and grabs his wrist as if they were children again, a very determined bauduin heir puffing up his chest and his big cheeks red with frustration as he makes his way back to his house to make demands. ]

[ How nostalgic. It suits Gaelio far better than the guilty look he'd worn in the kitchen. A brilliant, shining Gaelio who only knows how to direct his sparkling eyes towards a future that is certainly just as bright... that's the kind of person who's life he took. That's the kind of person he would like to preserve, here.

The dream seems to realize it as well. Gaelio's forward stride, his authority... Their surroundings understand that someone here is acting with confidence, that fear is taking a backseat now. They are not hindered in this advance.

It's been twenty years since Gaelio was the one leading the way, instead of running after McGillis. The air around them seems to smell like the fresh spring breeze of the Fareed garden. Surely that's just imagination though?

McGillis can't bring himself to say a word. He follows in an obedience he hardly ever had in life. ]

[ gaelio doesn't notice it to begin with, but he does glare with the kind of arrogance afforded to a man carrying rather unlikely critters in his hand. and he leads mcgillis out of that awful crowd and dark, unfamiliar hallways, which seem reluctant to be let go of mcgillis and give up their secrets.

but gaelio isn't deterred by such things. gaelio only knows two things: this is his house, and if he and mcgillis needed to hide somewhere, there was only one place to be: the library.

and if the sun breaking through the windows is any indication, it does seem like the dream is giving up in pursuit, realizing who was here. who had come back for his friend, who always seemed to be in some strange amount of trouble he can't quite grasp. ]

[ McGillis hesitates to trust the peace. His dreams are vicious things and the safest thing to do is to just let them play their course and resign oneself to their constant torment - so far, anyway. With Gaelio here, the dream does seem to respond to him and become something that is shared between them. An interesting phenomenon.

After a short moment of waiting, McGillis finally allows himself to breathe a small sigh of relief. The tapir in his arm is squirming less now, seemingly he also soothed. He pets its head softly, hoping to calm it further.

"What a nostalgic place" - he almost says it out loud, but Gaelio wouldn't know why McGillis would largely consider it a location of his past. He can't lose his caution. ]

I don't know how you did that, but it appears to be working. I think the dream I was having was too rough for the little one to eat... Poor little thing.

... thank you, Gaelio.

[ gaelio looks at him in surprise, and then says - ]

... I didn't do anything.

[ after all, he brought in galahad in his dream - their dream - and now he has two tapirs to take care of. gaelio frowns, and settles in the reading area of the library. he tries to cushion the sick tapir.

galahad roams the library curiously, poking at furniture and climbing on things. it's a dream, so gaelio won't be as picky as to where he goes or if he accidentally knocks things onto the ground. ]

In any case - I think it's unfortunate that the tapirs suffered, but now we know dreams can be changed to something better. [ gaelio looks determined. ] If this happens again, I will just drag you back to mine. There's nothing going on there, anyway.

[ not yet. gaelio's dreams, simple, uncomplicated, exudes warmth and familiarity. ] And maybe I'll get bigger tapirs, if I can find them. These ones are too young for such dreams, I think.

[ Ah.

As sweet as it is to once again have his childhood friend fussing over him, this enthusiasm for being helpful could easily pose a problem. Some dreams are inane and far removed from memories, some are vague enough to pass off as something else... but the amount of dreams that are flashbacks is too high to risk Gaelio making a habit out of meddling.

McGillis crosses his arms and leans against the side of the couch. ]

I think if they find my dreams appealing, they will likely come to me on their own accord. You're going to make yourself unpopular if you hassle the population too much.

And besides, I'm not a little boy anymore. Dreams hardly faze me.

[ gaelio bauduin, raising his eyebrow. ] I'm not hassling anyone. Besides, it's their job - I'm saving them the trouble of hunting down nightmares.

[ he huffs afterwards. then gaelio is quiet for a while, patting a tapir as he carefully ruminates over his words. it's true, mcgillis is no longer the boy that he was. he's more or less his age now, and he believes him when he says he has control of his dreams. except when he doesn't, and he ends up in a maze with things that bother him. the hallways. the secret rooms. the people standing and staring. nothing sinister - at first glance.

it bothers him. he doesn't know why, and mcgillis isn't about to talk. he's known him long enough to know when he's being squirrely about certain topics.

so he has to push him, he thinks. gently.

he glances up at him. ]

... Hey. It doesn't matter if you're no longer a kid.

You know you can talk to me, right? [ another pause, as he takes galahad, skittering over his feet, onto his lap. he looks at his shiny shell for a while as he says his words. ] I'll listen.

Whatever's plaguing you in these nightmares ... clearly they haven't stopped, they just became more sophisticated since you were a child. I can't really claim to understand it, but I do worry about you. We're friends, aren't we?

I don't ... really have much to say in lieu of nightmares, and I mean it when I say I don't bear anything heavy for myself. But you clearly are. And whatever it is ... if you want to talk about it, if you need anything, I'm here for you. All you have to do is to say the word.

[ and a knight isn't one to go back on his word. ] I mean it. You have me, Mcgillis. And I care about you.

[ that's about. as honest as he can get, and gaelio fears anything else he may add to that, so he lets the words hang heavy in the air. ]

[ McGillis has half a mind to cut Gaelio off halfway because listening to this little speech is unbearable. Gaelio may be looking at him, but McGillis is staring firmly at the bookshelves across from him, tracing the titles with his eyes.

It had been a lot easier to evade Gaelio's concerns when the two of them slept in sound isolated different bedrooms and when there was no physical, visible, tangible proof of his experiences. Now McGillis is strapped to the autopsy table and Gaelio's hesitantly holding the knife, ready to drag out every bit of truth from his deceased spirit.

McGillis is not willing to give it. It is easier now, by a bit, to understand that Gaelio means something to him. He remembers how he felt in that moment of weakness, of passing. But he's still a solitary creature at his core and relying on others had been the worst mistake of all his plans. Gaelio should remain like a bird to be watched from his window, he is not allowed to meaningfully interfere with McGillis's inner life.

And yet. This is where they are. ]

I know this. You've never been very subtle about your support - and you know that makes you quite different from me, who is more reserved by nature. Still, I know you care. And I believe you that you're willing to try help me carry any burdens.

[ Try.

And then fail. ]

But some things don't bring any catharsis to talk about. You know my early childhood was not as privileged as the rest of our lives and you know it's been an immense pressure to integrate into the culture of the Seven Stars. Even now, there are certainly voices who would like to see me removed for being a bastard son or similar.

It does weigh on me. Dwelling on it, however, does me no good. I operate best when I do not allow myself the room for hesitation and march onwards at my own pace. That is the conclusion I've come to long ago.

[ And finally he glances at Gaelio, to gauge his reaction. Is this believable? Is it enough sprinkles of truth in the falsification? ]

[ he doesn't really look satisfied about it. yes he knew about - his early childhood. the rumours, the whisperings. but none of them made sense at all to him. did they persist in his adulthood to the intensity mcgillis seems to speak of? he wishes he knew the answer to that.

mcgillis is so stubborn. but he can hardly fault him if he thinks that this is the best way to go about dealing with things. gaelio has a frown on his face, not really happy about his explanation. he doesn't know if it's true, and if mcgillis is lying, then certainly he has his reasons for keeping the truth from him - he's not going to blame him for that. if nothing else, he said he's come up with a way to operate alongside frustrations and worries that he has.

so, a tidy explanation to a complicated situation. just as expected of mcgillis.

it feels, rather strangely, like watching him don a mask in their academy years. what a deja vu. ]

... well, those people have always been wrong about your character. I would know.

[ don't correct him. ] You have always been the brightest in Gjallarhorn. And I am proud to stand beside you.

It makes no sense to me to treat this problem the way you do. But if you think this is the correct way to go about things, then I'll defer to your experience. [ gaelio pauses, and then adds, rather gently - ] And if you feel these methods need to change, I would be glad to help you find more meaningful ways to deal with your problems.

We're no longer at home, having to deal with the Seven Stars. There's a bit of freedom in that, I think.

[ McGillis forces a little smile onto his face at that. Gaelio has no idea how far removed McGillis is from all this, truly. That even if he found a way to return from the dead, it would be to a world in which being a Seven Stars would be the least of his concerns.

He wonders how long it will take Gaelio until he's sick of his little vacation here. Until he's yearning for a home McGillis can't follow him to. ]

Well, it's the first night. If we give my brain a bit of time, I'm sure it will catch up to the news.

[ He unfolds his hands and reaches for Gaelio's shoulder, a firm reassuring touch. Even as he's the one who is meant to be reassured here. ]

Thank you. For trying to help and for being understanding, both. You really are the best friend I could wish for.

[ And that's true. Always has been. ]

I wish I can do more.

[ and he means that. devotion is something that comes naturally to gaelio, fervent, intense. all-consuming, though he doesn't know that yet.

but gaelio does want to be the best he could wish for. and to continue to hold that title, with all the demands that it comes with. ]

Once the tapirs are feeling a bit better, let's try venturing out again.

[ the library is warm and bright. a cool breeze seems to blow in from nowhere and everywhere; nostalgic, painfully colourful in ways that it isn't normally. it is a safe haven, and one out of place in mcgillis' dream. a memory superimposed upon the picture like clear film. ]

[ Gaelio can't do more. He will never be able to. McGillis could tell him that with perfect clarity by shattering the illusion of a shared time and an intact friendship, but he's not ready to rip off that bandaid. If he can help it, he never will. Gaelio just needs to learn to be content with it once again, with that friendship that always keeps him barely at arm's length. ]

Your pleasant energies seem to soothe them, so it should be soon enough. If we can wake up and get all the animals out of my dream for good, that would likely be the least risk to all.

Any other time I'd laugh at you saying a phrase such as 'your pleasant energies'.

[ it sounds so ridiculous!!! so corny!!!!

gaelio holds galahad firmly in his arms, unaware of the turmoil mcgillis has in mind. ]

Though I have to say ... this is your dream. Nightmares aside, do you really dream of my house that often? [ gaelio leans back, thoughtful. ] I mean, I guess my house is rather pretty, but you're a Seven Stars as well. And it's not like we keep anything ridiculous here, it's just another rich mansion with many rooms.

You can dream of anything else more fantastical. [ it's just strange to gaelio, and he wonders again how much of this means to mcgillis, really. ]

Mhm, I think the dream reacted to your presence. It moved to your house because I was thinking of you as soon as you entered that kitchen.

[ And he does have to admit that it was a welcome change in scenery. McGillis likes the Bauduin mansion, even more now than he did when he was a child and it all felt a little too overbearing. It's a place he grew into, over time. ]

I'd be lying to say the location never features normally, but I wouldn't call it an excessive amount. I've visited your house as often as my own if not more, during out academy years. It's a very familiar backdrop.

[ He runs a finger over the sickly tapir's snout, softly. It's breathing deep relaxed breaths now, thank goodness. ]

Of course.

[ the tapirs seem to be recovering well, and he's happy for that. gaelio lays himself down beside them, patting the one of them gently as they rested side by side. ]

But the strange hallway and the ... room with the chairs, that's not ... the Fareed house, no? [ gaelio frowns, trying to remember. he is so rarely in their house considering how awkward it is with lord fareed; he's never given him any reason to fear him, but he gets the sense that lord fareed never wanted him close. that being said, he doesn't think he's seen that hallway, ever ... ] I guess it doesn't matter. It's a nightmare, and it could may as well be just any other house to start with.

[ that explains it, doesn't it? that ... sounds the most plausible to gaelio. ] Sorry for rambling, I just thought I'd find something recognizable in these dreams beyond my house.

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vogelfrei - 2021-10-02 23:01 (UTC) - Expand

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66th - 2021-10-05 12:56 (UTC) - Expand

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{ GAME OPENING LOG }

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cw allusion to child prostitution from here on out

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