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Crosspeice posted:Shame that Onix being designed as a first boss mon meant it got screwed stat wise, but at least Steelix fixed it pretty well. Still, Pokemon games are designed well enough that you'll always find great options to take them down nearby. Like with Misty even if you're not running with best choice Bulbasaur, Route 24 has Oddish or Bellsprout and Misty's Starmie is pretty neutered by having its strongest attack be Bubblebeam. It still smarts but she can also waste time with Tackle or X Defense. With Lt. Surge, you've got Diglett's Cave right next door, as well as Sandshrew in Blue and a trainer will trade you a Nidorino that you can use a Moon Stone on. Erika has Flareon in the same city, I guess, along with Doduo right next door, as well as the ICE BEAM TM, so yeah you're always good. Eirika also has Growlithe/Vulpix literally right next door and oh hey look fire stones are on sale. And Doduo who, as we all know, is a good flying type because it gets Drill Peck
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May 8, 2020 22:33
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| # ? Jun 2, 2024 19:49 |
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Upon further consideration, I have decided that I would probably upgrade Wigglytuff and Parasect to 1.5, but that would require changing my 'available by viability' at the end of every single update, so... 
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May 8, 2020 22:43
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PMush Perfect posted:Upon further consideration, I have decided that I would probably upgrade Wigglytuff and Parasect to 1.5, but that would require changing my 'available by viability' at the end of every single update, so... if you really wanted you could just append a little note to the end of the next update and tack on another note on the ranking master post you know, throw the wigglytuff & parasect stans a bone
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May 8, 2020 23:02
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I might do that, yeah.
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May 8, 2020 23:39
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rannum posted:wigglytuff & parasect stans These are a thing?
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May 9, 2020 00:02
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Heck ye I love my weird rear end shroom boy even through his crippling x4 fire weakness.
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May 9, 2020 00:20
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Kikas posted:Heck ye I love my weird rear end shroom boy even through his crippling x4 fire weakness. x8 Fire-type weakness sometimes now! Thank you, Dry Skin, even though it doesn't apply to these games.
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May 9, 2020 00:23
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Kikas posted:Heck ye I love my weird rear end shroom boy even through his crippling x4 fire weakness. Epicmissingno posted:x8 Fire-type weakness sometimes now! Thank you, Dry Skin, even though it doesn't apply to these games. Don't forget it's also x4 to flying.
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May 9, 2020 03:17
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The last game I played was Alpha Sapphire. Have they made Grass types viable at all? I feel like when I try to use one it's getting hit by Super Effective's left, right, and center
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May 9, 2020 03:24
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Rabbi Raccoon posted:The last game I played was Alpha Sapphire. Have they made Grass types viable at all? I feel like when I try to use one it's getting hit by Super Effective's left, right, and center Grass hasn't had any changes to its type chart, though over the years its obviously gotten better general-purpose moves and grass types themselves have gotten more coverage moves (...depending on the Pokemon, of course). It did get a pretty interesting universal buff starting in XY, though: all grass types are immune to "Powder" moves. So Sleep Powder, Poison Powder, Spore and relevant for VGC, Rage Powder.
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May 9, 2020 03:34
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Rabbi Raccoon posted:The last game I played was Alpha Sapphire. Have they made Grass types viable at all? I feel like when I try to use one it's getting hit by Super Effective's left, right, and center I mean, Grass has always been a decent-good types. It has weaknesses yeah, but it also has some really good resistances especially to Ground and Water. Like a good chunk of competitively great pokemon are Grass Type. Its nowhere near the same realm as being an ice type or a rock type where you just mostly don't get to exist.
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May 9, 2020 03:39
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Rabbi Raccoon posted:The last game I played was Alpha Sapphire. Have they made Grass types viable at all? I feel like when I try to use one it's getting hit by Super Effective's left, right, and center Grass resists 3 top tier offensive types in Water, Ground and Electric and while it has a lot of weaknesses, several of them are relatively rare types like Poison and Bug. Grass types are good and have always been good.
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May 9, 2020 03:40
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Zore posted:I mean, Grass has always been a decent-good types. It has weaknesses yeah, but it also has some really good resistances especially to Ground and Water. But rocks are hard! Therefore they should all be defensive and
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May 9, 2020 03:43
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FoolyCharged posted:But rocks are hard! Therefore they should all be defensive and List of good non-Legendary Rock Pokemon; Tyranitar
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May 9, 2020 03:45
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Zore posted:List of good non-Legendary Rock Pokemon; Mega-Diancie Mega-Aerodactyl (kinda) Nihilegao Stakataka Noticing a theme here? girl dick energy fucked around with this message at 04:33 on May 9, 2020 |
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May 9, 2020 04:30
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is that supposed to be continuing the list because Terrakion and M-Diancie are both legendary (well M-Diancie is a Mega Evolved Mythical Pokemon but same difference)
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May 9, 2020 04:36
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PMush Perfect posted:Terrakion Yeah I was excluding the Legendaries and Ultra Beasts. Also the Megas since they don't exist any more Zore fucked around with this message at 04:46 on May 9, 2020 |
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May 9, 2020 04:43
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LiefKatano posted:is that supposed to be continuing the list because Terrakion and M-Diancie are both legendary
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May 9, 2020 04:44
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Isn't Tyranitar Ground?
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May 9, 2020 04:57
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Rabbi Raccoon posted:Isn't Tyranitar Ground? Nah, it's rock dark. It swaps ground out for it's final form
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May 9, 2020 05:00
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Zore posted:List of good non-Legendary Rock Pokemon; Aggron
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May 9, 2020 08:10
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Zore posted:I mean, Grass has always been a decent-good types. It has weaknesses yeah, but it also has some really good resistances especially to Ground and Water. However, play Gen V and pick Snivy. Congratulations you have just locked yourself into hard mode. I was so loving pissed when I got to the Electric gym and thought "finally, a chance for my starter to shine" and it was all Acrobatics Emolgas and Flame Charge Zebrastikas.
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May 9, 2020 12:08
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Snivy’s line has the problem of being a tanky, defensive build on a starter. Even if it WAS the best bulky monograss (it isn’t, Tangrowth already outclassed it in every way that matters), it still wouldn’t be a fun starter Pokémon. And it doesn’t even have the base HP to tank properly. 75/95/95 are good, but not good enough to make up for 75 Attack and Special Attack on a starter with no good coverage moves. It has, what, Strength and Dragon Tail? I don’t think it had anything else. Except Hyper Beam I guess.
girl dick energy fucked around with this message at 12:39 on May 9, 2020 |
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May 9, 2020 12:33
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PMush Perfect posted:Snivy’s line has the problem of being a tanky, defensive build on a starter. Even if it WAS the best bulky monograss (it isn’t, Tangrowth already outclassed it in every way that matters), it still wouldn’t be a fun starter Pokémon. And it doesn’t even have the base HP to tank properly. 75/95/95 are good, but not good enough to make up for 75 Attack and Special Attack on a starter with no good coverage moves. It has, what, Strength and Dragon Tail? I don’t think it had anything else. Except Hyper Beam I guess. It now has the idiotically good combo of Contrary and Leaf Storm, though you need its HA for that. Which also got made a lot worse moving forward because Hidden Power doesn't exist any more and its only non-grass special moves are Round, Twister and Hyper Beam. In game its probably the worst starter they've ever made. Even Meganium gets a bunch of good support moves, Earthquake and has higher attack and Special Attack. Zore fucked around with this message at 14:28 on May 9, 2020 |
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May 9, 2020 14:24
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Serperior having 75 in both offences is just hilarious to me. Like, starters are meant to be above average statwise, with the ability to lead your team offensively. It's ok if they're not offensive powerhouses, but Meganium and Blastoise are really the minimum here, a starter needs at least one offence in the 80s. Meganium and Blastoise are also much bulkier than Serperior in addition to having better offences, it's clear its meant to be a Jumpluff-style speedy pseudo-bulky status setter but, that is the worst idea for a starter. Starters are meant to be, well, starters. Easy to use, not falling into a super specific niche like that, which its fellow Gen 5-er Whimsicott is the absolute king of anyway, making it even worse. Allosauroidea fucked around with this message at 15:31 on May 9, 2020 |
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May 9, 2020 14:39
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Any time I play gen 2 or HGSS with the intention of picking Meganium I will actively go out of my way to reset for a female just so I can breed Leech Seed onto it via Hoppip, usually ending on dual Screens, Leech Seed, and Body Slam for it to use as an anchor to fall back on so I can safely bring in whichever attacker I need to next. I feel like a similar approach could be taken with Serperior, as its defenses are only slightly worse than Meganium and it learns Leech Seed naturally, but its offensive movepool is so dire that I have no idea what you'd fill that last slot with, especially in Gen 5 on an in-game team. At least it's fast...?
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May 9, 2020 17:49
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If it’s speed was 103 and its offenses were 80 each (or one was higher), and it had at least a few coverage options, it’d be a lot more usable in game.
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May 9, 2020 21:57
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PMush Perfect posted:If it’s speed was 103 and its offenses were 80 each (or one was higher), and it had at least a few coverage options, it’d be a lot more usable in game. Genuinely that's all it would need. It's trying to be Jumpluff or Whimsicott when its job is to be a starter. Taking 10 from speed and giving it either 80/80 or 75/85 would fix everything, it would give it enough offensive presence to be the kind of all-rounder you need from a starter, rather than a competitive niche that a new player probably hasn't even considered.
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May 10, 2020 00:15
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The other frustrating thing about it is that the Contrary gimmick is a thing that would be genuinely fun to use in a playthrough, but as a hidden ability, it's awkward at best to actually get (and can't be gotten on your actual starter). It's not a thing many other pokemon get, either. I understand why they don't want to put more interesting or situational abilities on starters, because that tends to run against starters serving the role they're intended to, but Blaze/Overgrow/Torrent are incredibly dull and boring, and getting to change that up would be a lot of fun. It's far from the only starter to have a far more interesting (or stupidly good) hidden ability, but I think it might well be the one most dramatically affected by it. I like Serperior's design a lot but it's an utter mess.
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May 10, 2020 02:14
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I think one of the fangames I've seen gives the starters the usual overgrowth/blaze/torrent for the first two stages but then a more interesting ability in their fully evolved stage, which I think could be a pretty good compromise.
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May 10, 2020 07:07
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Explopyro posted:The other frustrating thing about it is that the Contrary gimmick is a thing that would be genuinely fun to use in a playthrough, but as a hidden ability, it's awkward at best to actually get (and can't be gotten on your actual starter). It's not a thing many other pokemon get, either. I understand why they don't want to put more interesting or situational abilities on starters, because that tends to run against starters serving the role they're intended to, but Blaze/Overgrow/Torrent are incredibly dull and boring, and getting to change that up would be a lot of fun. Its a tossup between Serperior and Blaziken for most dramatically improved by HA probably. Maybe add in Greninja too for how broken Protean is. And then you have others that are just flat out useless or worse than Blaze/Overgrow/Torrent like Delphox, Primarina and Decidueye who both have the most abilities imaginable. Or Charizard, Swampert, Torterra, Chesnaught and Samurott who get some really lovely or situationally useful things.
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May 10, 2020 07:18
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The Golux posted:I think one of the fangames I've seen gives the starters the usual overgrowth/blaze/torrent for the first two stages but then a more interesting ability in their fully evolved stage, which I think could be a pretty good compromise. I feel like the usual 33% abilities are a pretty good crutch to sit on for new players and that that shouldn't necessarily be taken away in the final stage. Of course fangames are kinda exempt from that by nature of being fangames, but I'd rather they just made it easier to swap between abilities through ability capsules later on and made the starter abilities not hidden abilities, but rather just locked to their 33% abilities when you get them initially; this way if you breed for a new one they're more easily accessible and you can swap out for the current hidden ability through the capsule whenever you want.
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May 10, 2020 07:19
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Long Reach isn't completely useless, but it's definitely pretty corner-case-y. Saves from contact-status-effect abilities plus damage from rocky helmet and iron thorns and stuff, right?
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May 11, 2020 07:34
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Good news: I found my screenshots for the in-progress/delayed update for this and my other LP so I don't have to play through the entire game again to get back to where I was. Bad news: I haven't found my drafts for the updates, so I will need to reverse engineer the updates from the screenshots, with several months of distance between me and when I took them.
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Sep 1, 2020 23:48
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Do your best, PMush!
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Sep 2, 2020 03:20
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It'll always be worth the wait
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Sep 2, 2020 03:25
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Route 21: It Got A Nasty Burn!  There's been another long break between this and the previous update, and the Pokemon Mansion is another dungeon that's more annoying than dangerous, so let's get right into it. The primary gimmick here is secret switches that open doors, several of which are dead ends, or lock other doors.  I push the buttons, walk up some stairs, drop down a ledge that gives no indication that you even can walk down it, get some new Pokemon that don't matter, and complete the dungeon. Great, update done, thanks for coming. ... Oh, alright, fine. I'm not giving the play-by-play, but here's the basics.    He's not wrong. Aside from the switches, there are also a few hidden items, and books scattered around that give the lore behind Mewtwo.    Most of the Pokemon here can do some combination of poisoning, burning, confusing, and flinching. On the bright side, nothing in here, trainer or wild, doesn't get flattened by BIGGER BEN, usually in one hit, so it's a great place to grind.   And there's a decent number of those Pokemon, too! First, two Pokemon who you'd think are version exclusives, but are like Beedrill and Butterfree, in that one is just much rarer than the other depending on your version. Grimer   Viability: 2.5/5 If it was almost any other type, Muk would be pretty alright, maybe even good. 105 HP and Attack, a decent 80 base Defense, and access to Acid Armor would make it an extremely competent physical tank, and it can still serve that role if you really want it to, even with its unimpressive 50 Speed. Muk and Weezing are also the only two Pokemon with access to the move Sludge, the strongest Poison-type attack, which also comes with a 40% chance of poisoning the target... Except Sludge still only has 65 Base Power. It can learn Explosion, which is nice, but without being able to learn either Strength, or even Take Down, that lackluster Sludge is the only thing it can reliably do with that Attack. There's some alright Special options, Fire Blast and Thunder/Thunderbolt, but with 60 Special, and no Water or Ice moves to deal with Ground and Rock-type Pokemon, it just doesn't have the ability to be a consistent threat. And let's not forget that Psychic weakness. Sorry, bud. You kum close to being useful, but you're not quite there. Koffing   Viability: 2.5/5 Of all the pure Poison-type Pokemon, Weezing is arguably the most viable. That's not a high bar, but credit where it's due. 90 Attack, 85 Special, and a Speed slightly higher than Muk's make it more likely to be able to threaten something, though it also suffers from the exact same coverage issues. (They're actually worse, since at least Muk can learn Body Slam via TM.) Its only worthwhile Special options come from high value TMs, and 120 Defense is extremely solid, but that 65 HP really holds it back from being as bulky as it looks like it should be. Still, its defenses are at least enough to probably let it get off one attack, then Explode on something that doesn't have a good way to KO it first. I'd still hesitate to call it good, but if you really want to use a pure Poison-type, Weezing will get the job done. Don't worry, Team Rocket fans, Weezing gets much better in Gen 3.   The other two new Pokemon are both Fire-type, one of them being a Blue-exclusive. Ponyta   Viability: 2/5 There's no easy way to put this. Rapidash is a slightly faster but otherwise worse Arcanine. Lower Attack, lower Defense, and significantly lower HP make it extremely unthreatening on the physical side, and it never learns Flamethrower at all. Instead, it learns Fire Spin, and while it is technically the fastest user of a binding move, Tentacruel is only five points slower, and otherwise better in just about every way. And, if what you want is a fast Fire-type, Ninetales is also only 5 points slower, and also better in just about every way, including a much higher Special. In Yellow, Ponyta can be found on the Cycling Road, which is a better place for it than this close to the end game, but even there, it still wouldn't match up well against Arcanine. Magmar  Viability: 2/5 Congratulations, Rapidash, you aren't the worst Fire-type in Gen 1. That honor goes to Magmar, another high Attack Pokemon who compares unfavorably to Arcanine, except it can't even say it's faster. Being the only viable user of Fire Punch, and having access to Confuse Ray and Submission are nice, but they don't make up for everywhere else that it's lacking. I can't even give it any points for being able to learn Psychic, as there are literally a dozen better Pokemon to use that TM on. Credit where it's due, Magmar is still usable, but purely at the "it's one of my favorites" level.  You can also find wild Muk and Weezing, but they're much rarer.   The real prizes here are two TMs, the mostly-usable Solar Beam and Blizzard.    With the Secret Key and everything worth having, I rope out, and head off to put some stuff away, but run into a problem that I forgot could even happen. I'm going to need to figure something out soon, I suppose. For now, I make room by tossing some consumables and vitamins I'll never use, but sooner or later, I'll have to start making some difficult decisions.  That time isn't now, let's go beat up Blaine!  ...why?   Some last-minute training and a few I'm-feeling-lazy Rare Candies later, and BIGGER BEN is even bigger, becoming the true first Pokemon.   You know the drill from there. Stand in front of the Gym Leader for the screenshot, then walk back to the Center because that's where I actually need to be for Pokemon Stadium to read my save. Next Time on Multi-Track Battling: TM usage! Complete Available Roster 5.0:       4.5:        4.0:        3.5:          3.0:            2.5:   2.0:        1.5:     1.0:       Other: 
girl dick energy fucked around with this message at 23:11 on Sep 15, 2020 |
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Sep 3, 2020 03:31
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Pokemon Mansion sucks so much. I always hated going through it as a kid. Also welcome back PMush.
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Sep 3, 2020 03:33
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Good to be back! Ironic that I updated after getting back into WoW recently, but it's made me more aware of the hobbies and responsibilities I've left by the wayside.
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Sep 3, 2020 04:00
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PMush Perfect posted:
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Sep 3, 2020 04:16
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