Another year's end, another summary.
This year marks the 13th summary on this blog. As always, the Rayque3 Staff wishes you a great 2024!
To me, 2023's been a rough year. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to prevent several major setbacks that makes me unable to leave this godawful place. For the past 25 years I've been working myself to the bone trying to become a LEGO Product Designer and live a better life. But in every step of the way I keep receiving the short end of the stick.
Due to being born with abstruse health issues our government can't provide the necessary aid I need. I'm physically too disabled for a job, let alone self-sufficient. But as they can't identify what I have, they can't classify me as such, despite observations acknowledging that there is "at least something". On top of that, our government has been cost-cutting for decades on health care, which further makes it difficult to receive any aid at all. I've become stuck in a rather impossible situation to get out of, caused by an implausible scenario to begin with.
The worst part about it, is that this status quo will not change unless either they adjust the law or my health recovers. The latter is completely out of my control as the only person that is able to make any meaningful changes to my health and get me out of this mess is also the one that knowingly condemned me to this fate and chose to feign ignorance.
Despite all of it, I'll do whatever I can do. Earlier this year, I did receive some financial aid from the government. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. I'm not allowed to sit on it, but it's good enough to invest in my future. But aside from that... this year I've exhausted the last options I had left. It's going to take several miracles to get out of here, and it's clear that I still have a long journey ahead. Dangit, I really can't catch a break now can I?
Anyway, let's get to those statistics of 2023.
The Youtube Department (Rayque3 Staff)
General
- Our 15th anniversary!
- Reached 13.830.000 total upload views!
- Reached 12.100 subscribers!
- Uploaded only one video?
Wait what, only one video? Technically speaking we have another (unlisted) video that was planned to be released in December, but because we quality-check everything before publishing, scheduling sessions for long videos can sometimes be challenging considering Lux lives abroad and has a full-time job. Youtube is just a hobby.
Additionally, with me having spent way too much time on some of my blogposts, it has definitely cannibalized some Youtube videos.
But as I'm trying to find a healthier balance and scale down on how much I write, I'll find more time to work on some video that have been on my backlog. There's still a lot of videos I'd like to make.
Analytics for this year (+% compared to gain in 2021)*
- Obtained 170.000 views (-26%). Previous year: 230.000 views (-23%)
- Obtained 900 likes (-55%). Previous year: 2000 likes (-17%)
- Obtained 20 dislikes (-60%). Previous year: 50 dislikes (-50%)
- Obtained 180 shares (-50%). Previous year: 330 shares (-30%)
- Obtained 90 subscribers (+0%). Previous year: 90 subscribers (-40%)
Top 10 Most Viewed Videos for this year
1. [+2] WarioWare: Smooth Moves - All Microgames (38.000 views)
3. [-2] Super Smash Bros. Brawl - 100% Subspace Emissary (22.000 views)
4. [+0] Kirby's Return to Dreamland - All Mini/Main/EX Bosses (14.000 views)
6. [+0] Donkey Kong 64 - All main bosses (5.200 views)
7. [+0] Endless Ocean - The Abyss & Finding the Giant Squid (3.000 views)
8. [+1] Borderlands 2 - Sound effects: Constructor's Digistruct (1.900 views)
9. [+1] [WALKTHROUGH] - HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE (PC) - PART #1 - FIRST LESSONS (1.500 views)
10. [+2] [WALKTHROUGH] - HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (PC) - PART #1 - THE WHOMPING WILLOW (1.200 views)
Top 10 viewed countries for this year
1. [+0] United States - 58.000 views (34,1%)
2. [+0] Japan - 13.600 views (8,1%)
3. [+0] United Kingdom - 8.100 views (4,8%)
4. [+0] Canada - 6.800 views (4,1%)
5. [+0] Brazil - 3.300 views (2,0%)
6. [+0] Mexico - 2.400 views (1,4%)
7. [+0] France - 2.300 views (1,4%)
8. [+0] Italy - 2.200 views (1,3%)
9. [+2] Australia - 1.800 views (1,0%)
10. [+4] Russia - 1.300 views (0,8%)
Traffic Sources for this year
1. [+1] Homepage - 47.300 views (28,0%)
2. [-1] Youtube Search - 44.600 views (26,4%)
3. [+0] Suggested videos - 32.200 views (19,0%)
4. [+0] Playlist - 28.100 views (16,6%)
5. [+0] External - 6.200 views (3,7%)
Did you know...
- This is the first time that WarioWare: Smooth Moves - All Microgames is our most viewed video of the year? With this, we've gone full circle. My contribution to our channel really started with my original walkthrough for WarioWare: Smooth Moves, 14 years ago. It was the first big Wii-related project on the channel. It was also my most successful video (series) until the introduction of the many Single-Part-Videos (SPV) that defined modern Youtube. I initially had the desire to cover all the microgames within the walkthrough series, but that never happened. Thankfully, I did get to do the whole thing properly as a SPV, and that's become my most successful video on the game. Symbolically, it was also the last video I recorded on my Wii before it died. No, I haven't been able to continue the repairs, but I obviously have been meaning to. I just haven't been able to dedicate time for it.Blame Gio for that, I need his help on this one.
- This is the first time that WarioWare: Smooth Moves - All Microgames is our most viewed video of the year? With this, we've gone full circle. My contribution to our channel really started with my original walkthrough for WarioWare: Smooth Moves, 14 years ago. It was the first big Wii-related project on the channel. It was also my most successful video (series) until the introduction of the many Single-Part-Videos (SPV) that defined modern Youtube. I initially had the desire to cover all the microgames within the walkthrough series, but that never happened. Thankfully, I did get to do the whole thing properly as a SPV, and that's become my most successful video on the game. Symbolically, it was also the last video I recorded on my Wii before it died. No, I haven't been able to continue the repairs, but I obviously have been meaning to. I just haven't been able to dedicate time for it.
- This year saw several major video milestones? Both the WarioWare: Smooth Moves - All Microgames and LEGO® CITY Undercover - Main Story videos have reached 100.000 views. The Pokémon Battle Revolution - All Masters Battles [HeartGold] video has reached 200.000 views! The big milestone is the Super Smash Bros. Brawl - 100% Subspace Emissary video reaching one million views! That makes our third video to have reached one million. We also now have ten videos that has reached 100.000 views, but no other video will reach that in a very long time...
- Next year, our Mario Party 7 - All Mini-Games has a chance of reaching its seven million views milestone?
The MapleStory Europe Department
General
- 6th Job Advancement!
- 11 years of Ribgol!
- 16th anniversary of playing EMS!
Obtained
- Unlocked the three-floor Halloween and Maplemas housing options!
- Obtained the Super Yeti x Pink Bean Medal!
- Obtained the Source of Suffering Pendant!
- Obtained the Guild Castle's Hero Statue!
- Completed Neo Tokyo 2 and obtained all of the exclusive loot.
Upgrading
- Upgraded my Princess No's Medal to Legendary Additional Potential!
- Upgraded my Source of Suffering to Legendary Additional Potential!
5th Job - V-Matrix
- Maxed out Self Combat Orders!
- Maxed out Self Advanced Blessing!
- Crafted and maxed out a pair of Enhancement Cores for Rage Uprising / Incising / Aura Blade.
- Crafted a pair of Enhancement Cores for Rush and Flash Slash.
6th Job - Hexa Matrix
- Unlocked Spirit Caliber!
- Unlocked Raging Blow VI!
- Raised Raging Blow VI to Level 12!6th Job - Grandis Force
- Maxed out Cernium's Symbol!
- Unlocked the Hotel Arcs Symbol!
- Unlocked the Odium Symbol!
- Unlocked the Shangri-La Symbol!
- Raised my Hotel Arcs Symbol to Level 9!- Raised my Odium Symbol to Level 7!
- Raised my Shangri-La Symbol to Level 5!
Union
- Upgraded my Union to a Total Level of 8924!- Got my third I/L to Level 249 during the Hyper Burning event! It should reach Level 260 before the end of the event.- Got my Paladin, Dark Knight, Marksman, Captain, Viper, Cannon Shooter, Soul Master, Wild Hunter, Kaiser,
Phantom, Zero, Adele, Kain and Kanna to Level 210!
Miscellaneous
- I've completed my 10.000th Lith Harbor Commerci run!
- Started the Guild Castle for FallenAngel! We've unlocked Guild Castle Stage 1: Final expansion last week!
- I've managed to solo Monster Park Extreme, Normal Lucid, Normal Dusk and Normal Dunkel for the first time!
- Accumulated a whopping total of 13.035.000 Contribution for the FallenAngel guild, with a perfect Contribution score of 1.825.000 this year! Once again another successful year... can I pull it off again in 2024?
The post-Ignition daily EXP is remarkable. This year alone I've managed to do almost 14 levels on Rayque, the likes of which I haven't seen in years. It's the most amount of EXP I've ever obtained in a year, and it's only going to get better. As I'm also now able to solo Monster Park Extreme, I'm no longer dependent on other players for that.
Speaking of better dailies, 6th Job makes all the difference. The daily Sol Erda/Fragment is huge; do not let anyone fool you otherwise. It single-handedly keeps 6th Job accessible for everyone. Because remember: when the KMS community complains about starving for Sol Erda/Fragments, that says something. Imagine having to grind for them.
As for the upcoming Dreamer update, yes I have seen the 2nd skill wave*. It's too early to give proper judgement for skills that are still in the oven. But from a quick glance, Rage Uprising VI is... alright? The damage reinforcement on both RU and RB is good, but aside from that, the skill doesn't seem to really address any of the post-Destiny issues except for the base damage. What I mean by this will make more sense once you get to read the Destiny blogpost.
It should be out early next year. Sol Janus does look great, however. It's a shame you can't use it for bossing though.
*Reminder that more 6th Job skills also means better ways to obtain (more) Sol Erda/Fragments. See High Dungeon.
Monster Life has been confirmed to be removed by Dreamer. It's a shame that it's going, I'll miss it. However, like how Union replaced character cards, Union Artifacts will replace Monster Life in a similar way where they'll make sure as many of Monster Life's stats are transferred to the new system. In a way, Union Artifact is a huge step forward. Most notably: the much higher maximum quantity of stats compared to Monster Life, and the effortless duration extension.
However, my only gripes with Union Artifacts are the loss of Maximum Movement Speed (MMS) and Fairy Tears. You see, these two are one of the few that did not survive the transition from Monster Life to Union Artifact. MMS is an exceptionally difficult stat to obtain, and a very useful one at that. Fairy Tears are potions that provide a % HP/MP regenerate buff. I hope they'll both return them at some point. Maybe add them to Hyper Stats and Union (coin shop).
For now, I'll drop the Monster Life dailies and focus on exchanging as many Warus for Fairy Tears as possible.
Anyway, some other noteworthy stuff to talk about: Guild Castle, Neo Tokyo 2 and the current Abyssal Expedition.
- Guild Castle is pretty cool. Unfortunately it came out way too late. The Arcane Symbol support provided by Guild Castle (both symbols and the Cache of Greed) doesn't do much. It takes forever to unlock additional Arcane Symbol perks, and by the time you do, you're already knee-deep in Grandis Force stuff. There is no incentive to level up the Arcane Cache because the Grandis Cache is unlocked much earlier and gives far more EXP than a decked out Arcane Cache. Unlocking the Arcane perks only serves as a prerequisite for better Guild Castle skills. Because the Cache of Greed was released when Odium was the highest content, it's currently becoming outdated because they don't factor in the post-Carcion rates. Also, locking blueprint drops behind Hard Lucid and above sucks because a lot of (solo) guilds won't ever get far enough to even do something worthwhile with it. It takes away the "Guild" in "Guild Castle" when smuggling or joining boss parties with outsiders is encouraged over self-sufficiency. There are so many cool/fun blueprint unlocks and it's all just incredibly cumbersome. It's a shame that blueprint smuggling is, for many guilds, the only proper way to get anything started. It shouldn't have to be this way. I hope Guild Castle gets a few updates soon, including the ability to change the castle's interior/appearance. It should be as extensive as Housing.
- No word on the permanent release of Neo Tokyo 2 but earlier this year we had the temporary version, akin to Tenebris during the Black update and Cernium during Glory. I've shared my disappointment enough, no need to reiterate that. Except for: who's stupid idea was it to retcon Ashray and Auf Haven to be(come) the same character!? It undoes everything the original Neo Tokyo stands for. It undermines its message, the multiple endings and the character arcs of Ashray, Dunas and Dida. If this was Masteria none of y'all would be OK with this (*cough* Modryn *cough*). It would be like revamping Masteria and then leave out Naricain entirely, to then write Lukan for him to morph into Naricain and steal his looks and name. Additionally, NT2 has no proper resolution to the story, none of the villains that previously had a redemption gets one and none of the sacrifices or efforts of the good guys contribute towards anything. That's how dumb the NT2 "retcon" is and how much was changed. The worst part is that chapter 1 and 2 were done by people who genuinely understood the original. Chapter 3 is when all that good will is thrown out. What on earth happened? But hey, if they can
retconupdate Cernium thrice in four years, they can certainly do the same for Neo Tokyo 2. But how many times are they going to end up rewriting the Borderless chapter!? - Abyssal Expedition just started, and it plays canonically after the events of Misty Island. Apparently a lot of players hate this event before they even spent time on it but I'm okay with the event itself. Having a new mini-game with some depth to sink my teeth in is always a fun distraction. Progress is surprisingly swift and straightforward? I've been playing this event as optimally as possible, and I'm already at Expedition Level 98 with only one character left to reach Level 10 (AKA tomorrow, 3 hours). I can't proceed any further than that, as all of the next wave of stuff is unlocked after the 3rd of January. So the best thing I can do is just grind out the daily reputation points as I'm going to need all of it for the eventual recruits and rank ups. It's great (and refreshing) to have such an event where you can leave your game open and get progress done without much effort. Better than having to grind out 10 Wild Beast's Resentments several times a week...
Next year, I'm expecting to be able to solo Hard Lotus and Damien. Daily rewards have only gotten better by the year, and 6th Job is no exception. I'll probably hit Level 285 and unlock Carcion towards the end of 2024. I'm also probably going to be able to unlock most of Guild Castle's skill trees. Aside from that, the usual stuff: more Union, Additional Potential, maxed out Raging Blow VI and probably some maxed Grandis Symbols as well. Good prospects for 2024.
The LEGO Department
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General
- Still working on the Hailfire Droid (MK. 2) project!- Still working on the Constructor (MK. 3) project!
Let's talk about my progress on the MK. Series.
MK. 2 - Hailfire Droid
Last year I shared my excitement for the (then upcoming) adjacent panel piece that's designed to pair with the straight version released in 2021. Unfortunately, after trying out the piece I had to learn the hard way that the adjacent panel has a longer edge. This means that the space between two adjacent panels are smaller than the straight panels. Parts that would've fit between straight panels do not fit between the adjacent ones. Including the threads I'm using. Dangit.
Fun fact: that was the first time I sent a complaint to LEGO's customer service about a part design. I just don't get why the Element Designer chose to pick a longer edge than usual. I need to know why. Every other part in this family has consistently used the same edge length for a decade, making the newer part the sole exception. It couldn't have been because of injection molding, cost-cutting or structural integrity. Anyway, I hope that they'll consider redesigning the part when they'll inevitably have to redo the injection mold in a few years.
Aside from that, I haven't had much time to work on the Hailfire Droid. I'm still trying to improve the "strut" design but the results leave a lot to be desired. I'm considering to try out a staple from model kit designs where strings are used to avoid certain parts of a model from bending. I also came across a particular issue where one of the driving axles stopped operating smoothly. Troubleshooting that would require at least two weeks, which is why I have yet to do that.
MK. 3 - Constructor
I think I'm going to spend some time on the Constructor during the second half of next year. I've decided to do another complete overhaul of the Constructor. The most recent build from 2021 is not accurate enough. Mechanism's good, but it deviates too much from the source material. The proportions are off too; the legs should splay out more.
To fix those issues, I have to redesign the entire thing from scratch. That can easily take up several months.
I just really want the build to be as close to the in-game model as possible. At least with the direction I have in mind, there should be enough space available for the mechanisms to fit inside. The current rack and pinion takes up way too much space, and the front leg shouldn't be the same as the two in the back. So, it's time to remedy that.
Obtained
With the financial aid from our government, I can finally afford more LEGO parts for projects and familiarize myself with what the building system has to offer, but also occasionally treat myself with a set from my wishlist.
One of the most unexpected items I got my hands on this year is an unreleased part that is highly sought-after among part collectors. I just happened to be incredibly lucky with the timing because I can monitor my Bricklink Wanted Item Notifications all day and take immediate action. Unfortunately I don't want to disclose which part it is for the time being. However, I purchased it to be a part of a future project so you are eventually going to know. Hint: it's trans-neon green.
As is tradition, here's a list of stuff that I got my hands on this year that are my personal favorites:
My first 12V train! I've also got my hands on several 12V accessories. As explained earlier this month, I was planning to obtain the remainder of the tracks (i.e. switch and decoupling) but I ended up getting the four Spybotics instead. So far I've had a lot of fun playing around with the 12V track system. I can't wait to get my hands on more track pieces.
With all of the Bricklink orders that I'm doing, I've started to contribute a bit more to its catalog to make things easier. It takes forever for other users to add new parts to the catalog, so for several of these I've taken the initiative. It's a pain having to wait a month until the latest parts appear on Bricklink... It certainly delays progress on my projects.
Donkey Kong is here! Finally, LEGO's branching out on Nintendo licenses. Animal Crossing is going to be released next year but ironically enough, all of the Animal Crossing diehards that I know of (including myself*) don't really like the appearance of the sets. I believe they should've used the shortest legs on all minifigs; medium-sized legs makes the characters look out of proportion. I'll probably end up getting some of the figs if they make some interesting ones down the line (i.e. Octavian and Static). Personally I don't care too much about the rumored The Legend of Zelda OOT/BOTW Deku Tree set, and speaking of other LEGO video game stuff, it's great to see more of the Sonic cast as physical minifigs after seeing them in Dimensions back in 2016 and and we don't talk about this year's two sellouts.
*Early adopter. The only USA GameCube game I own just for the e-Reader DLC. Someday I'll get the N64 game.
Last, but certainly not least: yes, I've heard about the Bionicle 2025 rumors. Hard to miss, but I'll believe it when I see it. However, screw that, we have far more interesting things to talk about. Earlier this year Christian Faber released a huge amount of information about Bionicle. It's a fascinating video series to go through, I would recommend to check it out on his Youtube channel if that's your cup of tea. If what Faber claims is true, then the higher ups at LEGO has done generation 2 absolutely dirty. The original G2 story pitch is far more interesting, and unfortunately only a handful of that can be found in the end product. But seeing as the unexpected success of The LEGO Movie stole the limelight and advertising budget for any other LEGO series, alongside Bionicle 2 having to compete with other CCBS sets, just too many things were against it. Dangit, we were robbed of Bonkle dinosaurs once again*. But what was perhaps the biggest surprise is more credence to a suspicion I have: there's a lot more of the unreleased Galidor parts out there than what the community believes. As confirmed in one of Faber's videos, he owns a (nearly?) complete Boges (not shown were the Mokarr claws in dark orange and the black stinger). My journalism and hunt on Galidor continues...
*Concepts show what is essentially Umarak on a cybernetic enhanced Tyrannosaurus hunting a maskless Tahu. I'm even more upset that none of these reveals (including the huge deal about the Vahi) were included in the artbook.
Other
Model kits! I've been meaning to write something about these months ago, but I'm saving that for 2024. This year I've been able to make it easier to import stuff directly from Japan, which is a considerable quality of life improvement. You see, being raised in Japan got me used to a lot of stuff that isn't commonplace over here in Europe at all. Being able to reclaim some of that helps to combat the two decades of feeling homesick. Obviously, I've always been longing to go back. But with all of the dailies, responsibilities and ongoing (health) issues I have too much on my plate.
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| Help, my family keeps sending me more Kirby plushies! Can you figure out which Kirby is a counterfeit? |
Metroid Prime Remastered. Did you know? A long time ago, I bought the original Metroid Prime for only 13 euro from our local outlet store. At the time, I got my reviews from a gaming magazine and I was (foolishly) convinced by their high praise for the game. When I got to it, I just couldn't get past Frigate Orpheon. The controls are quite frankly, awful for a first-time experience (especially when you are young). I picked it up again a few years ago and while I got used to it, being stuck at Flaahgra was simply not fun. I bought the Metroid Prime Trilogy earlier this year expecting motion controls to fix most of the issues, to then realize it brought other issues. Then, Remastered came with the dual analog stick controls, added even more to the Trilogy changes and holy shit, that solved pretty much everything. I'd say that it trivialized too much, but damn, the overall experience is much better (except for the backtracking and Chozo Ghosts).
Speaking of the Metroid Prime Trilogy, with the Wii U eShop having closed down, I made sure to purchase several digital games before that happened. Most are titles I probably wouldn't have been able to try out otherwise, including the trilogy itself. Other titles include Metroid Fusion, Metroid Zero Mission, Rhythm Heaven Fever, Golden Sun 1+2 and some of the DS games I already have. Some games that I intentionally skipped are those I'd rather get a physical copy of. As the eShop's dead, I had to learn the hard way that you can no longer update LEGO Dimensions, rendering level pack purchases off Bricklink useless until you manually inject files through a modded console. Bah. And then to think the servers of Xenoblade X are closing down this April. Good luck grinding the online-only holofigures, outfits and achievements. It's already impossible to 100% the game because both Miiverse and Global Nemesis are extinct. Let's hope that the inevitable port of Xenoblade X addresses these issues because I sure as hell aint gonna pay for NSO.
Continuing the subject matter of Xenoblade, the DLC story of Xenoblade 3 was released last Spring. To be honest, it wasn't quite what I was expecting. Seeing as the base game only really used parts from 1, 2 and X as set dressing, I expected the DLC to be standalone and confined to the founders of City. I also expected that some of the issues I had with 3's story to be addressed in the DLC as well, like how Torna: The Golden Country added a lot of perspective to the events of 2. However, we got none of that. Instead, it was very heavy-handed on pleasing fans without substance. If anything, the DLC's fun references and plot points should've been more prevalent in the base game. As it is, its story left more unresolved questions than answers. Where the flip did the Zohar go. To make matters worse, the set-up for 3 lends the possibility for anything that was said and happened, specifically during and inside of Aionios, to be rendered non-canonical as the story treats itself as the unreliable narrator. This includes every flashback and recollection, so it's up to Xenoblade 4 to determine how 3 should be treated. It's funny how the ending of Xenoblade 3's DLC perfectly reconceptualizes that Mira is still the inevitable story direction of the series, unless Nintendo can successfully bargain the impossible with Square Enix for Xenogears or with Bandai Namco for Xenosaga. I doubt that they are going to retrofit Xenosaga into this, because the foundation so far is way more in Xenoblade X's favor; seeing as how the returning cast from Xenosaga have been written as alternate universe counterparts. Aside from that, 3's DLC gave us a superboss that, on Hard, gives even Nardacyon a run for its money, and the challenge mode is absolutely fantastic.
I'm still continuing to play Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel. In the almost two years that I've played it I've become more than skilled enough to comfortably reach Master rank on a monthly basis and hit all the DLv 20s. I'm still trying to cook the ultimate BO1 60-card Sacred Beast deck, and I honestly can't wait for the latest cards to hit the game. I've had a lot of fun with silly cards like Time-Rending Morganite, and I hope to see Phantasmal Summoning Beast soon because that card will help to recycle the bosses a lot. The beauty of this archetype is that it's incredibly flexible with every format; it can also run almost any relevant engine to ensure your opponent can't keep up. The deck will only continue to evolve as I find more degenerate card combos. Trust me when I say I've experimented a lot as I've done over 9000 matches.
As for Inti Creates, I've kept up with their releases but I have yet to play any of them. Of course I've parked them until after the Destiny blogpost is out. Unrelated, in two months, I'm expecting three upcoming games in the mail, one of which I'm exceptionally hyped about. If that game turns out to be any good, then I feel writing a blogpost about it...
I've continued to evolve this blog further by adding more useful features to the source code. I can now add and create any custom font, which is something I'll continue to do so in a distant future once I get to talk about additional LEGO projects that expand my portfolio towards that LEGO Product Designer goal. Please let me know if any of the custom fonts in this blogpost doesn't appear; it took several attempts to get them to work. Also, the blog now supports a table of content for those longer in-depth posts. At some point, I'd like to see if it's possible to add a photo slideshow.
But that's it for this summary! Luxatus Patella and I wish you a great 2024! Cheers!
That's it for 2023! I'll see you guys again next year!
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