Lurker > CaptainOfCrush

I feel they disagree with the underlying cause of the protests - probably not the idea of protesting. If a player knelt in support of law enforcement/troops/whatever after expressing he felt that law enforcement were being unfairly treated, I'd be shocked if said player was booed (presuming fans knew the backstory). These fans simply don't want to hear about the mistreatment of SOME people, by SOME law enforcement, based on skin color. They have their fingers in their ears and refuse to listen.
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Yoblazer
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Saints players are getting booed by some of their own fans for kneeling BEFORE the anthem? It's crazy how uncomfortable people are with the very idea of these protests.
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Yoblazer
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We're a packaged deal, but The Show.

I think Rock was the buttplug recipient.
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Yoblazer
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Nah, I'll be here until it dies out. If it does get to the point where B8 shrinks to near-nothingness, I'll either give up message board posting or maybe go to Reddit (though I don't really like the format there, so I'd probably just lurk).

I'll never find an online community like this one again - that's for sure. Are they even popping up in 2017?
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Yoblazer
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Eddv posted...

In your opinion Yo, does the increased standard deduction cover anything more than the increased liability the middle and working class now have?

Well, I just did some digging and according to IRS stats, the average itemized deductions in 2016 (by people who actually utilized it) were a little over $26k, which is slightly higher than the $24k of the newly proposed "uber" standard deduction. For families right around the $26k average, I'm guessing the newly lowered tax rates would probably wash out, and they'd save a tiny bit of change. Not a significant savings, but that's just an eyeball test versus actually running some of these figures, which would take some effort.

It should be noted, to be fair, that a majority of tax filers do NOT actually claim the itemized deductions, so the bigger standard deduction would help them a bit more.

Those savings are all peanuts when compared to what high-income tax payers would save, though. The new proposal would levy the top tax bracket (39.6%) on combined married income of $1 million. It's currently at $467,000. A quick and dirty calc says that a married couple who make $1 million would save at least $25k with this new plan.
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Yoblazer
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The American tax code is - I'll just go out on a limb here - probably among the most needlessly convoluted and complex things ever written in human history. I've been working in tax for a while and I'll be damned if I understand even 1% of it (granted I'm not passionate about my job, but STILL).

I don't mind simplifying the tax code and the way taxes are filed (look at a 1040 - it just looks intimidating to most people from a non-accounting background). The BIG deception in this case, however, is the attempt to equate simplicity with fairness toward the working class. The vast majority of these tax savings will be given to those in the upper income strata.

Like... proponents of this tax plan are lauding the fact that it trims the number of tax brackets from seven to four. The top tax bracket would remain 39.6%, but it would be literally just as simple to make the top bracket 60%. But now it's not "simple," it's an "attack on American values."
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Yoblazer
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If you don't itemize your deductions (meaning you just take the standard deduction) and only have a W-2 and a few 1099s, you can do your taxes yourself no problemo. If you're self-employed or have significant investment activity, it's a very good idea to pay a professional.
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Yoblazer
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I'm looking at the NYT summary article - seems like the big goal is to eliminate the reliance on itemized deductions (deductions for state and local taxes, home mortgage interest, medical expenses, charitable contributions, etc) in favor of the larger standard deduction. Just by eyeballing these measures (I am a tax accountant, sorry as I am to admit that sometimes), it looks like middle-class and poor families will benefit very little. The benefits are very top-heavy.

I also don't see the Earned Income Credit - which has been EASILY the biggest tax benefit for poor and working class families for the last few decades - mentioned at all. That's good, because a dissolution of that credit would be disastrous for poor working families.
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Yoblazer
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CelesMyUserName posted...

but again back to the world of reality, Bernie lost by *millions*. He didn't come close to winning the primaries at literally any point in time so the concept of him being robbed are still completely insane.

I think the argument here is whether those results would have remained the same had Hillary's campaign not been controlling the DNC for several months before the first primary/caucus states even voted. Probably not, but I think it's fair to raise the question.

I just wish Hillary would have had the foresight not to run. Literally President Biden right now. =(
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Yoblazer
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And JetJaguar is closed now.
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Yoblazer
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Darkeklipse was a cop years before Tim, shared some of his experiences on the board and in the old AIM chat, and got along great with everybody.
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Yoblazer
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velocycloraptor posted...

Have you considered that maybe he brought the perspective of most cops and that they specifically choose people who lack insight to be cops? And that in that sense he has been incredibly illuminating?

I have, and it's a sad and scary thought. I'm not sure if there's any evidence to back that theory up (and I personally don't want it to be true, obv), but if I was gonna entertain it, maybe that type of mentality is more common in huge departments like the NYPD or LAPD, ones that basically have their own identities. I'd imagine it's less common to find cops like that working in EveryTown, USA.
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Yoblazer
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XIII_rocks posted...

Drak has said before that he finds Tim's perspective valuableI'd honestly agree if the guy had even the slightest common courtesy. He is instantly 0-100 needlessly aggressive on everything.

Agreed. Here's a TimJab scenario, as played out in my mind:

*someone posts a video on B8 of a police officer shooting an unarmed man and then putting his lifeless body in handcuffs. B8 expresses anger and disgust at the image of a clearly dead person being cuffed*

How I always hoped TimJab would respond:

"I know this looks horrible, but police officers are trained to handcuff any suspect, even if he has been struck down by officer gunfire. Only a doctor or medical examiner can declare the suspect dead, and until that moment, we need to restrain him for our own safety and the safety of civilians nearby."

The way TimJab would actually respond:

"If you dumbasses would know anything, you'd know we have to do this because....... but yeah, thanks to the B8 justice league for telling me how to do my job lmao"

The dude is a big-city cop in a community full of desk jockeys. He could have brought so much value to this board. A ton of perspective and insight. Too bad it never panned out that way.
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Espeon posted...

Fast forward to Board 8. I was, much to my eternal shame, attracted to Vlado. This was back in his Nintendo-hating days, and I hated the GameCube at the time myself, so he stood out as someone not afraid to speak his mind in the face of the majority disagreeing. We became friends first and started e-dating after that.

I can't believe shit like this happened right here, on this board, only like 12 years ago. It feels like parallel-universe shit at this point. also lol
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Tom Bombadil posted...

I feel like Tim used to be a lot more chill

like we co-existed decently in FWA

Kinda, but he was arguing with people even years ago. I can't be the only one who remembers all the posts where he and ExTha would tear into each other for being a redhead/being short. It seemed way too personal at times to be good natured ribbing, like they actually hated each other. It really surprised me that guys who met IRL could have what seemed to be such an unfriendly relationship.

Maybe it's a Yankee fan thing? Seriously, name the Board 8 Yankee fans.
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The Mana Sword posted...

A lot of Obama's fundraising was done through a separate organization, OFA, rather than the DNC, which caused a lot of issues because the DNC never saw that money. Then after he won the presidencies, the DNC got saddled with the debt anyway. Someone else may know details better than I do though. At the very least he should have yanked DWS from her position far, far earlier.

That's... interesting. It seems very "peculiar" that a candidate can raise funds through one organization and then dump the debt into another. It's basically an admission that the national committee is owned and operated by the President, which I had no idea was even implicitly the case. What Hillary was doing sounds even worse, though.

But an entertaining read nonetheless! Donna "the savior who didn't trust the polls and told Bernie she thought Trump could win while Gospel music soothed her soul" Brazile threw everyone under the bus.
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Yoblazer
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The Mana Sword posted...

I mean, Brazile has a book coming out in 5 days, it's no coincidence this article is being run now.

That being said, my main takeaway is that it's very frustrating how much Obama let the DNC under DWS corrode while he was president.

Is that really an expected responsibility for a sitting President - to tend to the welfare of his party's committee? I don't know anything about that, but my initial reaction is to give him a pass for actually having President things to do. It certainly seemed like Howard Dean left the organization in a solid state; why not blame his predecessors for fucking things up?
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Yoblazer
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5tarscream posted...

Shame. TimJab at least brought something different to the board. A different perspective and point of view wether you liked it or not. It's not his fault alone that most topics he's involved in turn into playground arguments. He can't argue with himself.

Yeah, it's disappointing. From what I know, he was one of only two Board 8ers who were ever in law enforcement (and the other, DarkEclipse, left like ten years ago). Tim has a completely different perspective from the rest of us, and I personally would have loved to read it (or at least as much as he's allowed to share publicly). Unfortunately, he was just an extremely confrontational, reactionary guy who was not able to communicate that insight without fighting with and insulting the entire board. Kind of telling that his last post is literally a "fuck you" aimed at everyone here.
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Yoblazer
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Who the heck is Azizi
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Yoblazer
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Best of luck dude.
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Yoblazer
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I should note that I'm cool with questions about my ethnic and national background. It used to make me feel uncomfortable when I was growing up and was less confident, but now that I've "found my voice" as lame as that sounds, I usually welcome the conversation.
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Yoblazer
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Lopen, I don't think anyone is claiming that the people initiating these conversations are actual bigots or explicit racists. We (or at least I) are poking fun at the fact that White is still the accepted norm in the US, and that anything else is subject to (generally friendly) probing by white people.

Black people, on average, probably have just as lengthy an American history as white people, so you'd think they would ask the same questions... but I don't think a black person has ever cared to ask about my ethnicity.
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Yoblazer
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MysticBrohan posted...

also reminds me of when someone is like "oh do you know sarah" or something. yeah i just got done taling shit about you with her on our private arabic chat

An ex-coworker of mine is from the tiny island of Saipan. As a douchey joke, I asked her if she knew the only other Saipanese person I had ever met, who was an old college classmate from a different decade and a different state.

She totally did. She knew the whole family. I couldn't fucking believe it.
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Yoblazer
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I wish I could play that card. "Born in Baghdad" opens up Pandora's Box, though to be fair, I do enjoy watching how excited people get when they hear that. I can see them wrestling with their desire to ask a dozen questions while trying to make sure they don't also offend me.
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Yoblazer
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Sometimes, I just tell people I'm Caucasian (Middle Easterners fall under Caucasian in the US census), and other more "traditional" Caucasians - say those with Western European roots - just refuse to accept it.
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Yoblazer
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Good luck man, hope things work out.
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Yoblazer
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The fact that this is even a conversation has me excited. Odyssey must be GOOD.
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Yoblazer
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MariaTaylor posted...

interesting to see other people not feeling the same way about the ending as I did

I really liked the ending.

It gave me the warm and fuzzies. I just worry that since it resolved things so well for the entire cast, the rest of the series could feel forced no matter what.
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Yoblazer
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I figure they'll bring her back because they can't do much else at this point. Season 1 ended with two big cliffhangers (alive El and infected Will). Season 2 ended with a cast full of happy, resolved characters.
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Yoblazer
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And two final thoughts:

- The inexplicable sexual tension scene between Mike's mom and douchebag teen is among my favorites in the series. Where did THAT come from?

- Does anyone else feel the large shadow monster could have been inspired by the Amygdalas from Bloodborne? They just seem too similar.
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Yoblazer
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JetJaguar posted...

I thought the first season was way better

Pretty much same.

With Mike/El taking up less of the spotlight this year, more room was given for Dustin and Lucas to grow, but I was disappointed that the same didn't hold true for Will. Instead of being missing for 90% of the season, he was now psychologically scarred/possessed for 90% of the season, and his characterization was again stunted because of it. This was most evident in the final dance scene, where the other three boys had dance partners who wrapped up 1-2 whole season's worth of character arcs, while Will had some no-name random ask him to dance just so he could be dragged off the screen. I really like the young actor portraying Will and feel he has some talent, so I hope he can utilize that in different ways next season... but I'm not holding my breath.

It also feels like they ran out of interesting stuff for Eleven to do. Her backstory, abilities, and struggles to adapt to a new world were the focal point of Season 1, and there... really wasn't much else to touch on here. Seemed like they needed arbitrary ways to keep her away from the main cast, as it's now clear that angry El = limitless power. I felt the subplot about her mom and sister went nowhere. Specifically, that full fucking episode about the sister and her ragtag group of dumb friends was the worst of the series. It's the only episode I had a tough time getting through.

Overall, I just felt like the plot wasn't as interesting. There were no cool revelations/twists - EVERYONE turned out to be a hero - from Samwise Boyfriend (he was portrayed as such a saint that I honestly expected a villain twist) to the new head doctor/scientist guy. Even the fat doctor that Eight wanted to kill was painted in a sympathetic light. The only bad guy was Max's stepdad, and he was only shown for two minutes so that her douchebag stepbrother could ALSO be shown sympathetically. The horde of Demo-dogs and shadow monster are much weaker antagonists than the original Demogorgon and the evil scientists who unleashed it.

I don't like to be a debbie downer, but my expectations for Season 3 are low - partly because this one was worse, and partly because the final episode ended with so much positive closure for the main cast that it may as well have been a series finale.
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At their current rates of expansion and decline, how long before esports overtakes the NFL...
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Yoblazer
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Weapons. Killing things faster is just funner.
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Yoblazer
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From what I remember, 2 didn't take as onerous an approach to motion controls as the original did (it largely ignored them, which may have been a smart move after the original's motion control levels were some of its less popular). It also featured more 2D sections and more nostalgia aimed at Mario 64 (the original might have had none).

Again, the game was tighter and more polished, but few of those additions really wowed me, whereas the original Galaxy made me feel like a kid again despite its more glaring faults. I definitely had more fun with the first.
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Yoblazer
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swordz9 posted...

It would be more surprising if a console Mario/Zelda/etc big name Nintendo game was getting bad reviews. They almost all review well. Mario Galaxy 2 even did and it was basically the first game with a couple Yoshi parts slapped in, but because it was so similar it wasn't really as much fun

Yep, that's why I enjoyed the original more. I can admit that 2 is more polished, but Galaxy was bursting with originality that 2 couldn't recapture because... it was a straight sequel released not too long (2.5 years?) after the original.

But anyway, this is exciting news. I think it's the first time since the N64 that a Nintendo console's Mario and Zelda offerings both received universal, best-in-the-industry praise.
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Yoblazer
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Corrik posted...

He meant "not" not "so". Autocorrect

I hope not
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Yoblazer
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Yeah, that's MWC-levels of horrible posting. Maybe worse since he usually just wishes death on random celebrities and not members of the same board.
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Yoblazer
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scarletspeed7 posted...

Wait, really? I've never seen him go that far off the deep end before.

I'm sure it's being heavily paraphrased. I've never seen Tim use language anywhere near that offensive when discussing groups of people... apart from Board 8ers, which is largely why he's so unpopular here.
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Yoblazer
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I'll get it eventually, but I said the same about X and that still hasn't happened, so who knows. I just wish the characters didn't look so out of place against the world's visuals.
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Yoblazer
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Only thing I sometimes visited that site for were the "post your gaming setup" threads. Some of their game rooms were reeeally slick.

Disliked the general discussion that I read otherwise, and also was never a fan of topics that ran for thousands of posts.
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Yoblazer
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Why do they hate Jews so much. You'd think they'd unite over their distate for darker skinned Muslims.
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Yoblazer
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I mean... what other right did those states want to defend as badly as slavery? Even now, when states cry "state rights," it's usually a cry to regulate things like marriage or guns at the state level - so if a war were to somehow be born of issues like that, it wouldn't be because of state rights... it would be because of marriage and gun control.

What other issues were anywhere near as big at the time? Cotton tax or some crap?
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Yoblazer
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I remember those rumors being spread about SHM here. From what I understand, he is a gay man who is HIV-positive. I hope I'm not overstepping here if I ask him whether he's ever felt comfortable enough to mention his sexuality to others who would attend a Richard Spencer rally.
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Yoblazer
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OlDirtyNumbers posted...

but it's just one game i guess

Yeah, let's not forget that first game last season, GS lost by 30 at home.
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Yoblazer
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I wonder if church attendance is up YOY.
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Yoblazer
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I feel so horrible for him. Fucking hate to see this happen.
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Yoblazer
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Feel free to discuss.
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Yoblazer
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Gave it a shot. The newly added games just take me back to the game selection screen when I try to start them, but the original games (tested LttP) still work. I'll have to tinker more later.
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Yoblazer
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Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what the NBA's everyday, no controversies discrepancy would be...
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Yoblazer
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4 hour Breath of the Wild run @_@
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