OldeTymer

"May teh Brath guide 'is path and 'is soul be ever at rest," Octavium of the Deepstone mutters a prayer.

“A bun! A bun! My kingdom for a cinnamon bun!”

Herobrine...my old foe. So we meet again.

Whether a rule can reasonably be enforced or not by moderation should not dictate the implementation of the rule if it's the right thing to do. Sure, it's nearly impossible to monitor all interactions between players on other platforms outside of LotC, but it is still right and proper to place safeguards on the server where we can to the best of our ability. If it's right, then do it. These anecdotal arguments against banning FTBs are meaningless to the point of this post.

Hello! And welcome to LotC! I am an old player, but recently returned, myself. I kind of enjoy the wanderer vibe, but I definitely understand the want for a casual group to be part of! I can say I have found that to be the case in Du Loc, and I'm continuing to look out for more locations. I recently moved to the west-coast USA, so I'm also a Pacific-timer! Hit me up on discord if you'd like to RP or to share resources for casual groups we find! HistoryChap#0934

LotC has changed a lot in the years, especially in terms of RP quality and style. I think the suggested additions to the form are welcomed as it hearkens back to the application process of 2011, 2012, and 2013 which effectively produced much of the community today. But some things do make it appear a bit lengthy, which could go well or push people away who really just want to get in and get a taste of the RP. I think it should be kept in mind that players coming onto LotC do not need to be seasoned roleplayers. I also don’t think anyone is ever “qualified” to roleplay – we all had to learn sometime and somewhere, so given a lengthy application, players should be cut some slack unless clearly stepping out of reasonable bounds.

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Hello, folks, I was requested by a former member of our community, Salamandra, to do him a favor. This guy is a truly old RPer and character here on LotC with an outstanding persona and character about him. Not so long ago, though, he found it was his time to take a necessary leave from the server. He recently concluded a complete autobiography of his character's entire history from Aegis to Vailor, and has asked me to post it to LotC as an official piece of writing to be viewed by the player-base. This extensive reading can be found through the following link to a Google doc:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c0PiMCq6_2AB36QdY9l5nEmvaBJhXRPATMZhY0fxb6M/edit

-snip-

Please keep the comments relevant and disregard past RP issues. This is a lore proposal.

As for making the magic more accessible - I agree very much with Booklight and with Cmack. And as I mentioned in the first few sentences of this lore proposal, the magic is underway to reaching more people. By no means will it become something that can spread like wildfire across the Druids. It is meant to sort of be a "rite of passage" like thing for Druids who have devoted their time to the Aspects, Druidism, etc. That's an entirely in-character traditional aspect of this lore, however, and also not essential to this thread. Although, I do believe that in order for a magic to be able to expand with changes, it should also be able to be used sufficiently and by more than just a couple associated people - and I can't iterate enough that this is happening to the fullest extent capable in RP right now, but it will also remain in RP.

Thank you, Booklight, especially and so far, for your feedback.

Druidic Shapeshifting is a secretive magic that, for a long time since its creation, was exclusive to the point that it almost went inactive as a magic. Lately, through in-game efforts, the magic has begun efforts at expanding to reach more Druids of experience and dedication to the RP. There has always been a feeling about the current Shapeshifting lore that some of its restrictions are unreasonable and doesn't allow the magic room to expand. Since efforts have begun to revive the magic in-game, I thought this would be a good time to propose a few minor additions and tweaks to the magic.

When the lore was written for Shapeshifting, the server had many mechanic restrictions. Due to this, and due to the fear that Shapeshifting might become an overpowered or metagaming magic, restrictions were written in the lore barring Druids from choosing certain types of animals to Shapeshift into (namely, aquatic animals and flying birds were restricted). The reasoning was purely OOC, due to the restrictions that no players should have the mechanic advantage of flight or water-breathing over other players. Currently, constructs and spectral races have the water-breathing mechanic. Now, I am not proposing that Shapeshifters should be given waterbreathing and/or fly by any means, as Shapeshifters don't need these mechanics to RP the magic, and they also don't receive access to mob-disguise (unless being on a staff team with the appropriate PEX). I am simply making a point that the mechanic restriction which once barred Shapeshifters from choosing birds or aquatic animals is no longer a factor. From an IC, RP, and lore perspective, there is no reasonable sense why the Aspects bar Druids from choosing birds or aquatic animals, either. Therefore, my first proposed alteration of the magic is to remove the restriction of choosing birds/aquatic animals, thus allowing Druids who are introduced to Shapeshifting to be able to choose any animal, whether it be mammal (land or sea), reptile, bird, etc.

As I mentioned, there was an initial fear with this magic that it would become overpowered or bring up issues with metagaming (in cases where a Shapeshifted Druid could eavesdrop on a conversation as a mouse in a window). However, I think it's been proven at this point over the past few years that Shapeshifting has not met this expectation, and the magic has been treated responsibly. Therefore, there are a couple more alterations I wish to achieve with Shapeshifting. Previously and currently, a Shapeshifting Druid is not allowed to use any other of his Druid magic while in his bestial form. This even included the Druidism subtype Nature's Communion, which is the basic and essential form of Druid magic. Without access or progress with Nature's Communion, a Druid is pretty much incapable of performing his magics. Therefore, I propose that while Druids are Shapeshifted, they can still use Nature's Communion to remain connected with Nature and understand other animals - along with this, other non-Shapeshifting Druids would be able to use Nature's Communion with a currently Shapeshifted Druid due to the Druid being in the embodiment of a beast, therefore fitting the criteria of being able to be 'communed' with by other Druids (previously, Druids were incapable of 'communing' with a Shapeshifter in his bestial form, thus raising a red flag that the animal might be unnatural or unfairly and without-reason exploiting the Shapeshifter). Shapeshifters in their bestial form would be able to 'commune' with Nature/other animals, yes, but not with other people. The reverse is true that an attuned Druid is able to use Nature's Communion to commune with the Shapeshifted individual akin to doing so with any other animal. Druidism doesn't allow Druids to use Nature's Communion on other people of the Races, however when a Shapeshifter is in his bestial form, he is thus an animal and no longer a man or woman of a Race.

A tl;dr proposal changelog:

        - Remove restriction that bars Druids from choosing certain animals due to mechanic reasons

        - Continue to restrict Shapeshifters from having access to fly, water-breathing, or mob-disguise

        - Remove restriction that bars Shapeshifted Druids from using their abilities of the Nature's Communion subtype, but allow attuned Druids to use their abilities of the Nature's Communion subtype to 'commune' with a Druid in shapeshifted form

Here is my proposed, altered Shapeshifting lore:

I support this alteration on the grounds that it gets rid of direct healing - a thing which should have never been added in Athera and which I have constantly opposed.

HOWEVER, I think an edit should be in charge regarding the wooden limbs. Druids with the Control of Nature subtype can make the limbs, BUT only other Druids with that subtype would be able to make use of these limbs with the magic. I think Druids with the Nature's Healing subtype should be able to make the limbs useable for even non-Druids, as the way I have always RP'd it as Callax involves a specific remedy and blessing on the wood that allows it to morph to an extent with the physical body of the person receiving the limb. Therefore, it becomes useable for that non-Druid as an alternative to Runesmithing or Alchemical limbs.

No. Artimec never came to me for any teaching, and received no lessons from me.

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• Minecraft name(s): Werbles

• Skype ID: dylan.judy

• Time zone: EST

• Have you ever been banned or received a strike? If so, link the report: No, I have not.

• Do you hold / have you held any other staff positions? I have been on the MAT in the past and am currently an LM as well as a member on the Wiki Team.

• What MMORPG/video games have you / do you play? (Past and Present): The games with the most impact on my experience are Runescape, Minecraft, and Sid Meier's Civilization.

• What are your characters? Are you willing to sacrifice any to become a Event member? My main character is Callax, and I do not believe sacrificing him would be necessary or plausible in many situations, but if the prime opportunity rose for it to happen, I would consider it. My other, rarely-played or developed characters... I'd definitely give up.

• What race / group do you think your events would best cater to? If none in particular, give an example of the type of group that your events would entertain. Wherever there are people RPing, I can supply RP. As a Druid, I have constantly tried to put myself out there to RP my character with other nations, groups, and individuals. Of course, I could provide tremendous Druid events, but I could also offer entertaining engagements with other groups, such as the Wood Elves, Humans, or stray void-slingers.

• What do you believe are key factors for a successful event? A successful event is one where the players involved feel that they are actually involved and can respond through RP. A successful event doesn't have to involve conflict or combat, but must always, first and foremost, provide some sort of positive RP experience for the Lord of the Craftians.

• When was the last time you saw a event? Today; I assisted an ET, Charlietheguy, with a small event.

• What strengths could you contribute to the Event Team? Are you knowledgeable in lore or great at organizing? As a long time and devout RPer on LotC, I have come to develop a keen understanding on the central theme and lores of the server. As an LM, albeit a new one, I am honing my knowledge more on new and in-depth server lore, as well. With these attributes coupled with the ideas I have culminated over the years RPing a high-fantasy Druid character, I truly believe I can contribute to providing a more immersive and enhanced RP experience for the community. On top of that, my status as a long-time guild leader shows that I am someone who can provide superb organization and devote my RP to creating an all-around great experience for those involved and directed at.

• Why do you want to be part of the ET? I want to put my RP to good use. For the past 3-4 years, I have devoted my RP to enhancing the elements of Druid RP, and now I realize I want to extend that to a wider constituency. I want to not only express the vast lore of the server by implementing it into interesting events, but I also want to show up and bring to people who aren't finding much to do in-game a sense of enjoyment through some encounter or organized event RP.

• Create three distinct RP scenarios/events based on LOTC lore that you would organize. These are pitches to the Managers and Raelplayer, not to the community. Note: Not all of the group must be handled at once. Eg: 20+ people via 5 person increments in a dungeon.

  • 1) For 1-3 person

    • Grelda, the old hag of a woman, is always pestering and nagging people to see to her sketchy biddings or taste her delightful baked goods. She hobbles and creeps around, approaching individuals and small groups of people. She offers them interesting rewards to help find her pet goose or to test her newest batch of gooey, purple tarts. In turn for helping patch up the roof to her acclaimed hut of a home, she once brewed up a stew in her laundry cauldron for a couple of young lads - whether they truly consumed it, or tossed it aside to the flea-ridden dog, was unbeknownst to her. Should she have found out, however, she would not be too happy... and might even curse them!

  • 2) For a group of 5-10

    • The corpses of a man and his horse, which have been dying, but never truly dead, for centuries, have finally managed to escape their dungeon imprisonment. The skeletal horseman clawed and dug an escape and rode his once-trusty steed to find some questers to help him achieve a rest in peace. His goal is to draw some questers back to the dungeon to fight off magical guardians which guard his supposed tomb. In this tomb, the questers would learn that the skeletal horseman was not such a good guy, and that he was truly trying to steal someone else's body to regain life. They could have the choice to help him achieve his dark deed or submit him to eternal suffering and death (in which could lead to future, haunting/conflict events from the corpse) and, then, seek a way to end his life forever (future events, following some hauntings and spooks, would reveal this to get the horsemen out of their hair).

  • 3) For a group of 20+

    • In the distance of the forest, the Elves of Laueh'lin would hear the creaking and groaning of a large mass of wood. The ground would shake, ripples forming in the pools of water as a great Ent came into sight. As they do, this Ent had awaken to roam his forest and vanquish any conceivable threats to its harmony. He would continue on his path, right over the walls into the Elven city. He isn't brash, and so he doesn't seek to destroy or harm anyone. Thus, he roots himself before the gates of the city, preventing anyone from entering or leaving. Perhaps the citizens will gather to try to physically move the massive creature of Nature, perhaps they will try to light him aflame to chase him away, or perhaps the Druids nearby might attempt to reason with the elder guardian.

  • *Note: 2 and 3 are interchangeable, as either way, the events could pertain to the medium, 5-10 audience, or they could reach the wider 20+ audience either through a series of events or just mass numbers participating.

• How long do you plan to stay in the ET? As of now, foreseeably, I plan to stay through the rest of Spring and Summer. From there, I will stay until/unless my next semester of college and life becomes too great an issue to balance with my ET and other LotC duties.

• Tell me a joke: A joke, really? You have goat to be kidding me. Okay, okay... I goat this. Why is it so hard to hold a conversation with a goat? ... Because they're always butting in! Hahahaha!

There was a great and powerful Druid.  He walked the wood with his gnarled staff and ancient wisdom, and with each step his energies encouraged the flora around him to flourish.  He was a true soul of the forest; his great longing not to live in the company of others yet to spend an eternity serving the Aspects of Nature in any way he could.

This Druid was clever-his mind was sharp and he knew that his body was just a vessel for his soul which connected all Nature in some way.  With this in mind he traveled the forests, the plains, the rolling green hills spread with verdure, and he found a Sacred Grove, filled with the natural energies of the world, and he picked a sapling from a most ancient tree.

He took this sapling in hand, and harnessing the power of his Druidic arts, he began to grow it, first binding his hands, binding his arms,legs, wrapping around him as if a spindly, gnarled, oaken rope. As the elder Druid let out a final gasp, a cry to the Aspects, he pierced his very body with the roots of this tree, and with the last of his effort drove the roots into the ground, stained with his blood and sucking out the tasty nutrients of the earth.

There was a great tree in his place, gnarled, beautiful.

For many weeks, even months this tree stood, tall, resilient, silent, until one quiet morn with the rise of the sun-its great trunk began to bow outward, and like wax from a candle, or a great boiling ball of water something began to take shape.  The nearby wildlife did not retreat, rather they came to bear witness to such a momentous event-it was a miracle of Nature.  The boiling blob took shape, and bare before the wildlife stood the ancient Elf, his complexion that of bark yes but still very much alive.  And this, is the ancient and tightly kept secret of the Soul Tree.

~The Druii’ithirn, Arcanum of Ancient Secrets

~*~

Soul Trees

Soul Trees are an ancient, heavily guarded secret of the Druids.  Existing even before the origin of shapeshifting, the Soul Tree was a way for powerful elder Druids to maintain their commitments to the Druidic Order and Nature despite the dangers of their profession.  The Soul Tree effectively maintained the life of the Druid until such time as they willfully forfeited it, or the tree itself was destroyed.  But the creation of such a thing was no easy task, and many Druids who were unprepared have perished in the attempt.

Creation

A Druid who endeavors to perform this technique OOCly accepts the risk of potential permadeath.  The process involves killing the original body and capturing the soul before it escapes inside of the tree.  Theoretically a 100% success rate could be achieved by 2 Druids, but the knowledge of such is so rare that those who know would understand the risk is necessary to weed out the Druids who have not placed their faith in the Aspects.  It would be a low failure rate, but an existing one.  The rate would be determined by an OOC overseer (typically the elder Druid passing on the knowledge of the Soul Tree), something similar to how magic is taught (to ensure fairness and accountability).

A Druid must ICly have gained extensive experience over Control of Nature, and Nature’s Communion in order to perform this technique.  He would have to be experienced and confident not only in his magical abilities, but also in his faith in the Aspects and Nature, as well.  It is advised that he finds a safe place to place the tree, and only informs the most trustworthy of people.  Additionally, sacred groves or natural areas filled with Druidic energy and power knock off modifier points for that permadeath, so it is always a good idea to look for places where you are most likely to succeed.  (IE Growing a tree in a cave with very little dirt will likely not succeed.  Although Druids have been known to sow seed in the most odd of places, it is difficult and this is incredibly unlikely.)

Once the modifier is decided, the Druid begins the process of growing the tree around and through his body, and proceeds with a roll (typically out of 100, with a certain window set for potential permadeath - this window is decided between the person attempting to create the Soul Tree and an overseer).  If he succeeds, he become a Tree Lord and proceed with building the tree.  If they fail, they die midway through, and... well... it is not pretty.  Though with all that good compost the tree will likely grow into a magnificent beauty anyway!

Death and Physical Attributes

Because the Druid's soul now exists separate from their bodies, he is not resurrected by the monks.  Instead of waking up at the cloud temple, the Druid is "regrown" from their Soul Tree.  The time by which this process takes could be anywhere from moments after the death until years later (IC time).  The event of a Tree Lord's death is very unique, modelling after their obtained physical livelihood.  The Tree Lord is foremost identified by his race - although he is concurrently race and tree, as much one as the other. Though, the flesh takes on a bark-like appearance and substance, typically more noticeable at the arms and legs, and the Druid's blood becomes a dark red sap-like substance.  The internal body still functions similar to a normal individual's, but it also adopts a new appearance not unlike that of the flesh.  Death is experienced by the same manner as before, although pain is perceived differently.

If a Tree Lord is stabbed through the chest, and because he does not photosynthesize (no leaves - still hair), he would suffocate.  If his sappy wooden heart was cut out, he would die.  A couple unique situations would involve burning (as he would burn much more successfully than a normal, fleshy body) and dehydration (he requires even more water than before, thus dehydrating quicker than other people).  The feeling of pain still exists, but because the Tree Lord is physically both a tree and his race, pain is magnified by some activites (such as being cut or burnt) and dulled by others (being pinched, hugged, choked).

Death becomes a spectacle of Nature, as well.  Upon death, the Tree Lord's body does not simply remain for scavengers to come along and pick their meal.  Nature quickly assumes dominion over the Druid's body and often it will be overgrown by moss, grass, mushrooms, etc, and become part of Nature.  The body is then regrown anew from the Soul Tree.  This experience is not pleasant or meaningless, however.  Though his soul is not handled by the Monks, it is not fully present in his body, so the Tree Lord is incapable of recalling events or people involved with his demise.  Although, when he regrows, he returns with the physical memory of the feeling of death (burning alive or being stabbed suddenly becomes terrifying!).  This unique attribute gives some depth and meaning to death and the potential for interesting RP and character development.

The Tree Lord cannot take his own life as an easy escape from a situation.  By taking his own life, he willingly severs his connection from his Soul Tree and is incapable of regenerating ever again.  Alas, the Aspects have smitten him and he is doomed to the dreadful PK.

Saplings

Soul Trees do not generally retain saplings.  Instead, if cuttings of the tree are nurtured for long enough, they become a living part of the tree.  In the event of the destruction of the tree, if the cutting is nurtured by Druid magic, then the cutting would still be alive and the soul would rest there.  At that point it could regenerate once more into a body, consuming the cutting and giving a final body to the Druid, or it can be replanted and over the course of a very long time reach its strength to maintain.  Why is this important, OOCly?  We do not want things such as map changes to cause permadeath for characters.  Again misuse of this will not occur, and those attempting to will be dealt with.

Pros/Cons
For a Druid, this is a way of committing to a very long life of work to the Aspects and protecting Nature.  As with 99% of all Druidic techniques, this would be incredibly overpowered if not for the years of training and commitment to the Druidic ways that slowly shapes the mindset of a Druid.  The consequences are very real and the Druid knows that each time they regenerate could be their last if the Aspects are displeased with their service.  If anyone misuses the ability for personal gain or anything that does not follow their character or established culture that they should be doing anyways, that life will be their last (blacklisting still applies).  Cultural lore is a big part of Druidism and the Druidic Order.  Members are not expected to all act the same, but they are an Order of people with principals, and there is an understanding of things trained Druids at this level would not do.

Pros:

1. The player is not resurrected by the monks. While they do not remember the events and people associated with their death, they do regrow from their Tree with the physical remembrance of the feeling of death (i.e. remembering the feeling of being stabbed in the chest or burned alive).
2. Essentially live until their tree is destroyed, or they commit suicide and sever their link with the tree.
3. Body of wood! Resistant to cold, and while pain is felt it is perceived differently, the body does not have "blood", lots of different and fun things can be thought up with this for RP.

Cons:

1. Body of wood!  Flammable!  Breakable!  Lack of flexibility in extreme temperatures! The body has many elemental weaknesses due to its composition.  It is more flammable than most trees, and the body can snap under pressure pretty easily.
2. If somebody RPly destroys the tree, or the character kills himself, the character permanently dies.  This is so unless a sapling of the tree has been kept. The Soul Tree is naturally resistant to weapons and flame, but it is destructible - their destruction must be RPly done and the owner notified, as the attack on the tree will immediately cause them to return to the tree to defend themselves instinctively.
3. It can take from within the day of death to multiple IC years to regenerate from a tree.  The time frame typically depends on the intensity and meaningfulness of the death.
4. More to come involving soul tree saplings - stay tuned!

Note that an overseer is typically the Druid who passed the knowledge onto a particular Tree Lord, but an overseer may also be somebody like Arik, Callax, or a knowledgeable LM that would only make judgements upon request and gauge situations to help with the RP.

These are cute; maybe I'll fill out an app soon :)

Karoke means "empty orchestra" in Japanese.

Aw, this is cute stuff

1. Do you like the show Vikings?

2. If yes to #1, do you like to study the Vikings outside of television?

3. If no to #2, are you a phony Viking-lover, then?

13 minutes ago, Song Druid said:

Callax I think you would be a better fit for the MAT if I'm being quite honest.  You don't write much lore (which isn't a big deal!), and the lore you did cite wasn't written by you (in fact one was written by me, ahem!), and despite saying you influenced them directly it just (to me) comes off as taking credit for other's work.  Cmack worked incredibly hard on the shapeshifting lore and while we gave suggestions it is his alone and I don't think it should be referenced to bolster your application.

I appreciate the comment, Jamie, and thanks for the support towards MAT - I would really like to provide to representing Druidism and Nature however I can to LotC. I should point out, for clarity to any reading, I don't intend to take credit for any of that lore. I will edit my app to make sure it's clear that I was only a contributor in ideas, concepts, and writing (to various degrees in the lores). I also messaged the authors of the lores and asked their approval of the citation; otherwise I would have not included the information :)

What is your Minecraft Account Name?: Werbles

How long have you played on LotC?: Over three and a half years.

How many hours per day/week are you available?: I'm available throughout the day and week, except during college course hours. So, a decent five to ten hours each day on the forums and in-game, but I am on Skype most of the day and easily contactable.

What lore do you know best on LotC: I have exceptional knowledge in all aspects of Druidism from the history of Druidism to the rarer, lesser-understoof areas such as Shapeshifting, Soul Trees, corrupt Druids, Ents, the Aspects Stones, etc. Furthermore, I am very keen in the Natural side to LotC including plants and herbalism, beasts and RP-able creatures (such as Ents, Cervitaur, Dryads, Sprites, etc). I am also well versed with many of the Aenguls and Daemons, and I am proficient in most magic and racial lore (specifically Deity magic and the Dwarven and Elven races).

Give a Summary of any Staff/Lead positions you’ve held on any Minecraft Server in the past: I was a developer and GM on the Legend of Aelryth a few years ago. On the Lord of the Craft, I served on the original MAT. I have also been a leader of the Druidic Order guild IC and OOC (influencing lore, magic, and regulation) for about a collective 3 years of time. I was recently accepted to the Wiki Team, as well.

Do you have a Skype account? You may post it here, or choose to keep it private until you are asked for it.  Note; Skype is required to communicate with the team and unless you have an account and the program it you will be incapable of joining the team: Yep, my Skype name is dylan.judy

Have you ever written any lore for LotC? We are looking for LMs who either know a lot, have a lot of ideas— or preferably both. So lets see what you have done. If you want a part of the app to pay most attention to-- pick this one. I have not specifically written my own works of lore, but I indeed know a lot and have plenty of ideas; I have provided my contribution in ideas, concepts, writings, and etc in other lores in various degrees. I have primarily been involved with Druidism for the 3.5+ years I've RPd on LotC, so my contributions have been primarily to that, as well. There are miscellaneous lores from over the years in which I was a consultant and contributor of (such as some of the Druidic Aspects' part in the "AenguDaemonic Descension" stuff that happened in Athera), but some things I have directly influenced or helped shape and create include Druidic Shapeshifting, the current used information on the Druidic Aspects (Aenguls Cerridwen and Cernunnos), the creature lore on the Cervitaur, past Druid magic guides and the current Nature's Guide to Druidism. Although I am not the author of these lores, I, and the authors and other contributors, believe my contributions were key components and speak well for what I effectively have to offer to lore.

Have you ever receive a Magical Blacklist, ban or other blacklist if so, please link it: No, I have not.

Please include a link of  anything you've wrote that you consider to be your best work, this does not have to be LotC related however it must be by your own hand: Most of the writings I get into are short, in-game books for Druidism, many which can be found on the Druidic Library. Though, I wrote this story about a year ago, inspired by a character concept and some RP from LotC, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Dxe68uJJykLfY17ISDqyLdWqiRYFK4Ka6Ho2NxzQAaY/edit?usp=sharing. Here also is a sweet story involving a ceremonial Druidic burial, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Eev6osvdlcsjRBUZfbSuavVVmtU3IYv_t8estFuxTt8/edit?usp=sharing.