Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,748 
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Jun 1, 2016 10:17:37 GMT
This started as a digression in zebaroth's thread about the Rassilon tattoo but I decided it deserved it's own thread.
Just how transferable is the Inheritance of Rassilon? Can it be spread by moving tissue or fluids from a Scion of Gallifrey (or a Time Lord, but I'll stick with a Scion) to a standard human?
Certainly Joinson Dastari thought he could isolate the Rassilon Imprimatur and transfer it. But could less sophisticated methods work?
What if a Scion of Gallifrey unknowingly donated blood or organs to normal humans? Would this 'infect' the recipients with some of the abilities of a Scion, perhaps to a lesser degree?
There's a campaign idea in there; the PCs are recipients of organ donations from a person who died. Initially they don't know each other but soon after their recovery (which happens unnaturally quickly, to the surprise of doctors) they start having odd experiences, shared dreams, telepathic connections and even experiencing events from each others perspectives. Naturally they investigate and are dragged into the plot. Reasonably there could be six recipients (heart, lungs, two kidneys, liver and pancreas) proving for a reasonable group of PCs plus a spare/gruesome corpse or two.
- OK there's a major plot problem here to do with the detailed genetic/serological matching between donor and recipients (which some players will jump on immediately) which should show the Scion isn't a normal human, but that can be glossed over or actually become another layer of the plot. Someone involved knew about the Scion and their true lineage (did they cause his/her death?) and deliberately altered records to enable the transplants? Who? What is their Sinister Plan for the recipients?
- Maybe they're testing the technique on the PCs before using it on themselves. Maybe they kept the Scion's blood and are planning to infuse themselves.
So what happens next? Does someone come after the PCs? Do they notice someone watching them? Both of these are good hooks if the whole process was a Sinister Plan. Gradually the PCs should experience more oddities, prophetic dreams or insights perhaps, or odd insights. They may now be immune to perception filters [Psychic Training] and find themselves gawping at a alien walking down a public street, unnoticed by the majority. How does the alien react? Can they detect cracks in reality.
By now they should have a connection to each other, a developing telepathic or empathic connection and will probably try and meet up, contacting each other either via hospital records or sending messages to each other (relax and try and initiate a mental link while staring at a piece of paper giving a time and place to meet for example).
- The old TV series The Champions, which featured three spies augmented by strange powers and with a telepathic link, has a few ideas that could be used.
In the end they should defeat (or at least encounter) the Big Bad. It might be the person behind the transplants, or someone else entirely. Is there another Scion who wants to destroy them? Or a corporation/sinister acronymic agency/billionaire/mad scientist who wants to steal their abilities?
What will be the reaction of of any Time Lords encountered? Curiousity? Helpfulness? Disgust?
A couple of final points.
1. What about a 'mere' blood or bone marrow donation? Does the recipient gain a link to the donor Scion? What happens? Do they recover quickly? Can the Scion's blood be used to make a "healing potion" or life extension formula? Lots of unpleasant possibilities there for the ruthless/wealthy and old.
- Shades of the effect of vampire blood in some works or the life extension elixir created by Vandal Savage from Hawkman's blood.
2. What happened to the Seven Doctor's body in the San Francisco morgue? Did an unscrupulous morgue attendant allow someone to harvest tissue from the dead man in the drawer, before he regenerated? This has happened on a number of occasions in the USA, leading to several deaths due to problematic hygiene and transmissible disease.
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Post by starkllr on Jun 1, 2016 13:19:26 GMT
Many, many ideas here!
I agree that the organ transplant idea makes for a neat campaign hook. You could include the corneas, maybe, which gives you eight recipients (allows for a couple of NPC donees who can be killed off by the Big Bad to up the danger level, if that's needed).
Thinking of vampirism, if the Scion's blood creates a link to the recipient, it could enable the Scion to influence or outright control the recipient. Basically turning them into ghouls ala Vampire: the Masquerade. Possibly the Scion doesn't realize this at first (maybe he doesn't even consciously know he IS a Scion of Gallifrey) but when seemingly random people become drawn to him and are strangely compliant to his wishes, he'll figure out something's up. This could be a way to reveal that a player is actually a Scion (in a game where each player has some hidden background or ability), or the Scion could be part of a puzzle the players need to solve.
Or, of course, the Scion might be the Big Bad himself. He could understand precisely what's happening, and be doing it on purpose, creating an army of mind-controlled servants. The real beauty of a scheme like that is how random it is. Because they're mind-controlled, and they don't have the slightest idea who is controlling them or why, the recipients make perfect expendable patsies to carry out dangerous tasks for the Scion. It doesn't really matter if they're caught, they won't be able to tell the authorities anything. All they'll know is that they suddenly felt compelled to rob that warehouse or sabotage that computer (or run over that guy who lives across the street). They won't know why, and there's no realistic way the authorities could link the recipients together, or trace their activities back to the Scion.
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,748
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Jun 1, 2016 13:46:51 GMT
Indeed!I agree that the organ transplant idea makes for a neat campaign hook. You could include the corneas, maybe, which gives you eight recipients (allows for a couple of NPC donees who can be killed off by the Big Bad to up the danger level, if that's needed). Thinking of vampirism, if the Scion's blood creates a link to the recipient, it could enable the Scion to influence or outright control the recipient. Basically turning them into ghouls ala Vampire: the Masquerade. Possibly the Scion doesn't realize this at first (maybe he doesn't even consciously know he IS a Scion of Gallifrey) but when seemingly random people become drawn to him and are strangely compliant to his wishes, he'll figure out something's up. This could be a way to reveal that a player is actually a Scion (in a game where each player has some hidden background or ability), or the Scion could be part of a puzzle the players need to solve.
- And possibly see the removed kidney regrow...
Perhaps a Scion created from a Time Lord like the Master could use this deliberately to create minions. Or, of course, the Scion might be the Big Bad himself. He could understand precisely what's happening, and be doing it on purpose, creating an army of mind-controlled servants. The real beauty of a scheme like that is how random it is. Because they're mind-controlled, and they don't have the slightest idea who is controlling them or why, the recipients make perfect expendable patsies to carry out dangerous tasks for the Scion. It doesn't really matter if they're caught, they won't be able to tell the authorities anything. All they'll know is that they suddenly felt compelled to rob that warehouse or sabotage that computer (or run over that guy who lives across the street). They won't know why, and there's no realistic way the authorities could link the recipients together, or trace their activities back to the Scion.
Of course the Big Bad might be a human who seeks the immortality offered by regular infusion and keep the Scion prisoner for harvesting. Now mix in the PCs and the escaped Scion (who might not know what's actually going on) and an enraged antagonist who needs to get his prisoner back asap...
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Post by Marnal on Jun 2, 2016 21:48:31 GMT
Catsmate said: Just how transferable is the Inheritance of Rassilon? Can it be spread by moving tissue or fluids from a Scion of Gallifrey (or a Time Lord, but I'll stick with a Scion) to a standard human?
Gallifreyans have got multiple organs of virtually everything. They have 2 of most of the organs that humans have only one of, and 4 of the organs that humans have only two of. Some sources say the have only one liver, others say two (this could vary from House to House?) The also have several organs that have no analogue with humans. Just about every one of their organs are much more efficient and effective then a human’s equivalent.
Some notes on Gallifreyan Blood...
Gallifreyan blood is darker than human blood and redish-orange. It doesn't conform with any form of human blood because it has a different pathological state and lots of unusual acids. The respiratory pigment doesn't use hemoglobin but does share some of structural characteristics of human hemoglobin. Their blood carries a uniquie artron energy signaturs and the temporal platelets cluster around any wound, accelerating time in that area to speed the healing. These advanced platelets detect even tiny amounts of toxins. Their immune system resists disease more effectively so they are rarely suffer severe illness. If a Gallifreyan is injected with a sample of genetically contaminated blood their immune systems can create anti-bodies of such sophistication that when injected back into the original donor they ‘teach’ the victim’s white corpuscles how to break down the hostile DNA. In human terms, their blood doesn't have a type. Due to its regenerative properties, Gallifreyan blood is in a constant state of genetic flux. Not surprisingly, it doesn't smell like human blood. Time Lord Phagocytes can resist Grell space-time biodata altering viral particles that would easily influence humans.
Because of its unique nature it can be transfused into any human without complications. Due to their transcendental circulartory system, a Time Lord can donate much more blood then could be contained in a human body of the same size. A human recipient will feel rather energized, probably because it carries oxygen (and other gases) vastly better than human blood.
The Legacy of Rassilon
Gallifreyan bodies are filled with self-replicating biogenic molecules (sometimes known as the Immortality Virus, or the Legacy of Rassilon). These permanently carried nanites work ceaselessly to repair and prune damaged and malformed cells. They also clean out arteries if too much fried food is eaten. Because of this it takes hundreds of years for a Gallifreyan to show signs of aging. The biogenic molecules allow the body to dispose of foreign objects and implants fairly quickly. While in the trance they can metabolize many types of poisons and drugs using Detox. The biogenic molecules are aided by temporal platelets which cluster around any wound, accelerating time in that area to speed the healing. A healing trance allows most injuries (such as burns and diseases) to be healed in a day. A broken leg can heal in anywhere from a few hours to 4 days depending of the severity of the break. Most nonlethal bullet wounds heal in a day (the bullet is ejected from the body). Bullet grazes heal in a few hours as does the damage from some energy pistols.
Gallifreyan Bio-field transferance
[which could occur if enough organs or blood was transferred]...
At age 8 every Gallifreyan is exposed to the Untempered Schism which surrounds their bodies with a bio-plasmic fields of cronon energy. These fields have to be very active to adapt to the trauma of Regeneration. So much so that if a member of a lesser species is exposed to a Gallifreyan for several months the bio-fields will 'infect' them providing the same protection from the timestream, rejuvenating their cells and replace their telomeres. As a result the primitive will age very slowly and live for centuries.
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Post by Marnal on Jun 2, 2016 21:54:01 GMT
Some notes on TIME LORD biology as it relates to the above questions...
Gallifreyans who pass the proper exams at the Time Academy have their Biodata modified (especially their DNA). This is done by anointing them with time energies from the Eye of Harmony. This alters the Initiate's DNA, creating the symbiotic nucleotides, a fourth helix of DNA, and the other capabilities that make the Gallifreyan a Time Lord. Time Lord abilities can also be added to a subject's biodata by injecting them with Retro DNA serum in the form of a red liquid. Such neo-Time Lords are known as Scions of Gallifrey.
The Symbiotic Nuclei are probably located in a Time Lord's hearts and cannot be removed from a Time Lord without killing them. A Time Lord's hearts serves as a link (via the TARDIS) to Gallifrey, and the Prime Eye of Harmony in a way that not even the Time Lords totally understand. This link ensures the Time Lords survival and "integrity" while they travel the Universe.
Notes on Hearts...
Their hearts are bivalved and each heart beats at a different rate, producing two distinct beats per cycle. While recognizably a heart the exterior shape and structure of a Gallifreyan heart is very different then a human heart. Gallifreyans have two hearts (a primary and a secondary) each of which usually beat 60 times per minute and normally fibrillate at a rate of 300. A double pulse of 170 (85 per heart?) is considered more or less normal. The electrical activity of the hearts is much greater then a humans and the beats are quite powerful making it difficult for the hearts to be exactly located with a stethoscope.
A Time Lord's hearts are linked, and if someone has a Gallifreyan heart transplanted into their body they will be linked to the doner Gallifreyan and it will be very difficult to kill the doner without killing the receiver as well.
Notes on Cloning a Time Lord...
While it is possible to create a Gallifreyan clone, and even change the gender of that clone, attempt to produce a clone with full Time Lord traits result in a very low survival rate. Such a clone will be born with and extensive amount of knowledge and skills from the donner Time Lords, but most do not even survive birth. And even those that do survive will only live for a few days before their DNA unravels. Attempts to regenerate result in mutations into horrible non-functional creatures.
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Post by zebaroth on Jun 3, 2016 4:32:43 GMT
Some notes on TIME LORD biology as it relates to the above questions... Gallifreyans who pass the proper exams at the Time Academy have their Biodata modified (especially their DNA). This is done by anointing them with time energies from the Eye of Harmony. This alters the Initiate's DNA, creating the symbiotic nucleotides, a fourth helix of DNA, and the other capabilities that make the Gallifreyan a Time Lord. Time Lord abilities can also be added to a subject's biodata by injecting them with Retro DNA serum in the form of a red liquid. Such neo-Time Lords are known as Scions of Gallifrey. The Symbiotic Nuclei are probably located in a Time Lord's hearts and cannot be removed from a Time Lord without killing them. A Time Lord's hearts serves as a link (via the TARDIS) to Gallifrey, and the Prime Eye of Harmony in a way that not even the Time Lords totally understand. This link ensures the Time Lords survival and "integrity" while they travel the Universe. Notes on Hearts... Their hearts are bivalved and each heart beats at a different rate, producing two distinct beats per cycle. While recognizably a heart the exterior shape and structure of a Gallifreyan heart is very different then a human heart. Gallifreyans have two hearts (a primary and a secondary) each of which usually beat 60 times per minute and normally fibrillate at a rate of 300. A double pulse of 170 (85 per heart?) is considered more or less normal. The electrical activity of the hearts is much greater then a humans and the beats are quite powerful making it difficult for the hearts to be exactly located with a stethoscope. A Time Lord's hearts are linked, and if someone has a Gallifreyan heart transplanted into their body they will be linked to the doner Gallifreyan and it will be very difficult to kill the doner without killing the receiver as well. Notes on Cloning a Time Lord... While it is possible to create a Gallifreyan clone, and even change the gender of that clone, attempt to produce a clone with full Time Lord traits result in a very low survival rate. Such a clone will be born with and extensive amount of knowledge and skills from the donner Time Lords, but most do not even survive birth. And even those that do survive will only live for a few days before their DNA unravels. Attempts to regenerate result in mutations into horrible non-functional creatures. i think scions only had one heart |
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,748
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
|
Post by Catsmate on Jun 3, 2016 9:22:59 GMT
Some notes on TIME LORD biology as it relates to the above questions... Gallifreyans who pass the proper exams at the Time Academy have their Biodata modified (especially their DNA). This is done by anointing them with time energies from the Eye of Harmony. This alters the Initiate's DNA, creating the symbiotic nucleotides, a fourth helix of DNA, and the other capabilities that make the Gallifreyan a Time Lord. Time Lord abilities can also be added to a subject's biodata by injecting them with Retro DNA serum in the form of a red liquid. Such neo-Time Lords are known as Scions of Gallifrey. The Symbiotic Nuclei are probably located in a Time Lord's hearts and cannot be removed from a Time Lord without killing them. A Time Lord's hearts serves as a link (via the TARDIS) to Gallifrey, and the Prime Eye of Harmony in a way that not even the Time Lords totally understand. This link ensures the Time Lords survival and "integrity" while they travel the Universe. Notes on Hearts... Their hearts are bivalved and each heart beats at a different rate, producing two distinct beats per cycle. While recognizably a heart the exterior shape and structure of a Gallifreyan heart is very different then a human heart. Gallifreyans have two hearts (a primary and a secondary) each of which usually beat 60 times per minute and normally fibrillate at a rate of 300. A double pulse of 170 (85 per heart?) is considered more or less normal. The electrical activity of the hearts is much greater then a humans and the beats are quite powerful making it difficult for the hearts to be exactly located with a stethoscope. A Time Lord's hearts are linked, and if someone has a Gallifreyan heart transplanted into their body they will be linked to the doner Gallifreyan and it will be very difficult to kill the doner without killing the receiver as well. Notes on Cloning a Time Lord... While it is possible to create a Gallifreyan clone, and even change the gender of that clone, attempt to produce a clone with full Time Lord traits result in a very low survival rate. Such a clone will be born with and extensive amount of knowledge and skills from the donner Time Lords, but most do not even survive birth. And even those that do survive will only live for a few days before their DNA unravels. Attempts to regenerate result in mutations into horrible non-functional creatures. i think scions only had one heart
I'd assume (and it's pretty much GM fiat) that a Scion doesn't have Gallifreyan physiology though this might occur if they regenerate and their body 'reshuffles' itself.
Slightly OT but the book also says:What if she's not unique (and I'm ignoring Jenny, the Doctor's daughter ftm). Maybe another companion was pregnant during their time in the TARDIS and their child picked up sone effects. My first choice for this would be Barbara. |
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,748
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Jun 3, 2016 9:27:34 GMT
Catsmate said: Just how transferable is the Inheritance of Rassilon? Can it be spread by moving tissue or fluids from a Scion of Gallifrey (or a Time Lord, but I'll stick with a Scion) to a standard human?Gallifreyans have got multiple organs of virtually everything. They have 2 of most of the organs that humans have only one of, and 4 of the organs that humans have only two of. Some sources say the have only one liver, others say two (this could vary from House to House?) The also have several organs that have no analogue with humans. Just about every one of their organs are much more efficient and effective then a human’s equivalent. Some notes on Gallifreyan Blood... Gallifreyan blood is darker than human blood and redish-orange. It doesn't conform with any form of human blood because it has a different pathological state and lots of unusual acids. The respiratory pigment doesn't use hemoglobin but does share some of structural characteristics of human hemoglobin. Their blood carries a uniquie artron energy signaturs and the temporal platelets cluster around any wound, accelerating time in that area to speed the healing. These advanced platelets detect even tiny amounts of toxins. Their immune system resists disease more effectively so they are rarely suffer severe illness. If a Gallifreyan is injected with a sample of genetically contaminated blood their immune systems can create anti-bodies of such sophistication that when injected back into the original donor they ‘teach’ the victim’s white corpuscles how to break down the hostile DNA. In human terms, their blood doesn't have a type. Due to its regenerative properties, Gallifreyan blood is in a constant state of genetic flux. Not surprisingly, it doesn't smell like human blood. Time Lord Phagocytes can resist Grell space-time biodata altering viral particles that would easily influence humans. Because of its unique nature it can be transfused into any human without complications. Due to their transcendental circulartory system, a Time Lord can donate much more blood then could be contained in a human body of the same size. A human recipient will feel rather energized, probably because it carries oxygen (and other gases) vastly better than human blood. The Legacy of Rassilon Gallifreyan bodies are filled with self-replicating biogenic molecules (sometimes known as the Immortality Virus, or the Legacy of Rassilon). These permanently carried nanites work ceaselessly to repair and prune damaged and malformed cells. They also clean out arteries if too much fried food is eaten. Because of this it takes hundreds of years for a Gallifreyan to show signs of aging. The biogenic molecules allow the body to dispose of foreign objects and implants fairly quickly. While in the trance they can metabolize many types of poisons and drugs using Detox. The biogenic molecules are aided by temporal platelets which cluster around any wound, accelerating time in that area to speed the healing. A healing trance allows most injuries (such as burns and diseases) to be healed in a day. A broken leg can heal in anywhere from a few hours to 4 days depending of the severity of the break. Most nonlethal bullet wounds heal in a day (the bullet is ejected from the body). Bullet grazes heal in a few hours as does the damage from some energy pistols. Gallifreyan Bio-field transferance [which could occur if enough organs or blood was transferred]... At age 8 every Gallifreyan is exposed to the Untempered Schism which surrounds their bodies with a bio-plasmic fields of cronon energy. These fields have to be very active to adapt to the trauma of Regeneration. So much so that if a member of a lesser species is exposed to a Gallifreyan for several months the bio-fields will 'infect' them providing the same protection from the timestream, rejuvenating their cells and replace their telomeres. As a result the primitive will age very slowly and live for centuries.
TBH I see it as a plot device to introduce special traits in a Time Lord free game. |
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Post by starkllr on Jun 3, 2016 10:21:33 GMT
She's probably far from unique.
Isn't that precisely the sort of experiment you can imagine the Rani conducting? Exposing fetuses from various species at different stages of gestation to artron radiation, to see what would happen? She could be trying to breed minions with selected useful Time Lord traits. Or something far creepier. Or it could just be cold-blooded scientific curiosity.
Maybe THAT'S why she had those dinosaur embryoss in jars in her console room...
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,748
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Jun 3, 2016 11:11:50 GMT
She's probably far from unique. Isn't that precisely the sort of experiment you can imagine the Rani conducting? Exposing fetuses from various species at different stages of gestation to artron radiation, to see what would happen? She could be trying to breed minions with selected useful Time Lord traits. Or something far creepier. Or it could just be cold-blooded scientific curiosity. Maybe THAT'S why she had those dinosaur embryoss in jars in her console room...  An excellent idea.
Yes it's exactly something the Rani would do, regardless of Time Lord rules/beliefs about such experiments.
I could see this sparking a campaign in fact, when her 'test subjects' rebel against her and pursue her across time and space in a jerrybuilt time machine. A motley group, composed of a couple of hybrid humans, a Silurian, a cat person, a Martian, a Zygon and more, all merged with Gallifreyan genetic material and possessed of odd talents, and some distinct quirks of their own. Hell it could even work as a Legends of Tomorrow pastiche.
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Post by starkllr on Jun 3, 2016 12:20:29 GMT
I want to play in that game!
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,748
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Jun 3, 2016 12:45:44 GMT
I want to play in that game! |
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Post by zebaroth on Jun 4, 2016 4:53:19 GMT
i think scions only had one heart
I'd assume (and it's pretty much GM fiat) that a Scion doesn't have Gallifreyan physiology though this might occur if they regenerate and their body 'reshuffles' itself.
Slightly OT but the book also says:What if she's not unique (and I'm ignoring Jenny, the Doctor's daughter ftm). Maybe another companion was pregnant during their time in the TARDIS and their child picked up sone effects. My first choice for this would be Barbara.that is the part i was thinking of have the book it is from just not sitting at my desk. the idea has potential for introducing a timelord in to the game. but have it be a new one. and waht if that old coke machine that sets down at the corner store that know one ever uses is a abandon tardis . and the PC with that new kidney the tardis picks him to be it,s new pilot |
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An excellent idea.