5.00 star(s) 15 Votes

Jiffie

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Nov 8, 2017
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I'm honestly just excited to see how the game unfolds since both of the love interest are extremely interesting characters I also enjoy that their can be a bit of an edge to the relationships with the jealously mechanic that will be introduced later since I'm all for more angsty natural feeling relationships.
This. This is what I'm most excited about, I really need some drama, especially since I typically only play dark/complicated/toxic like romances, OurLife is sugary sweet, and I like it, but I really only love/play the game because it's so innovative and creative in its customization. If every game was like this, I probably would never play it, for the wholesomeness alone (I do like wholesome/fluff, but I haven't played a sane dating game in a long time, I get bored if I don't have enough tension/plot twist/drama).

One other thing, I've been wanting to try out holding off on the romance in the early stages, because I was no where near sexual (understatement of the century) as a child, and didn't care or even think about boys until I was 19 (whoo-boy, let me tell you); however, when I tried going the friends-to-lovers with Cove, it just felt... off to me? It didn't feel organic at all, it felt like one day you were best friends, then the next you've both just always crushed on each other. I did only do childhood friends to teenage crush, so I don't know about any other dynamic/holding out, but it didn't feel significant to wait until later for the relationship, it just felt like you either is or you ain't, and it being a game, and me loving romance, I didn't want to miss a drop of the romantic content. I also think its hilarious to have a yandere tot saying she's going to marry some random kid she literally just met, nothing I did as a kid, (though I did have a preschool "husband"... wait, is this my subconscious speaking?), so I can't help but lean into kiddie crushes. I do feel like OL2 is an improvement, so maybe the friends to lovers will feel better, but as of right now, if I can't have yandere LIs, then I'll be the yandere.
 
Jul 30, 2018
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This. This is what I'm most excited about, I really need some drama, especially since I typically only play dark/complicated/toxic like romances, OurLife is sugary sweet, and I like it, but I really only love/play the game because it's so innovative and creative in its customization. If every game was like this, I probably would never play it, for the wholesomeness alone (I do like wholesome/fluff, but I haven't played a sane dating game in a long time, I get bored if I don't have enough tension/plot twist/drama).

One other thing, I've been wanting to try out holding off on the romance in the early stages, because I was no where near sexual (understatement of the century) as a child, and didn't care or even think about boys until I was 19 (whoo-boy, let me tell you); however, when I tried going the friends-to-lovers with Cove, it just felt... off to me? It didn't feel organic at all, it felt like one day you were best friends, then the next you've both just always crushed on each other. I did only do childhood friends to teenage crush, so I don't know about any other dynamic/holding out, but it didn't feel significant to wait until later for the relationship, it just felt like you either is or you ain't, and it being a game, and me loving romance, I didn't want to miss a drop of the romantic content. I also think its hilarious to have a yandere tot saying she's going to marry some random kid she literally just met, nothing I did as a kid, (though I did have a preschool "husband"... wait, is this my subconscious speaking?), so I can't help but lean into kiddie crushes. I do feel like OL2 is an improvement, so maybe the friends to lovers will feel better, but as of right now, if I can't have yandere LIs, then I'll be the yandere.
The thing is the only way to have friends to lovers feel more natural for Cove is if you wait until your at Step 3 to choose Crush and that just feels waaaaay too late for me, Especially since I also really fucking like romance so hopefully friends to lovers is a lot better implemented for Our Life 2 but Ill probably just enjoy it anyways since it seems like their character writing has been upped by a lot.
 

Jiffie

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Nov 8, 2017
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The thing is the only way to have friends to lovers feel more natural for Cove is if you wait until your at Step 3 to choose Crush and that just feels waaaaay too late for me, Especially since I also really fucking like romance so hopefully friends to lovers is a lot better implemented for Our Life 2 but Ill probably just enjoy it anyways since it seems like their character writing has been upped by a lot.
Yeah, that's way, way too late for me, considering that's over half the game, and I liked each stage's romance, so you'd be missing out on a lot of cute scenes just to play pretend platonic. There was an explanation in OL2's tutorial that said something like "the relationship towards characters are mutual" (not a direct quote), so I'm assuming, just as with Cove, no "unrequited love" or "secret crush" or anything like that for OL2 as well, unless you directly select the romance path, because they want the writing to feel very mutual, and it's hard to tell if a player is going the friends route because they want to keep it platonic, or because they want a special "only just realized" moment; I'm going to assume it's going to be doubly difficult, since there is two romantic options, both of different genders, and it might make people feel bad if they have to choose between their two bffs. (I don't mind, but I'm not like other girls™)

What I did for Cove was select the "love" option, increasing it for each stage, and just played a shy character, so it could seem like it was two "friends" who "didn't" have feelings for each other. Though I caved and confessed at stage 2, because I couldn't wait, and I was honestly expecting Cove to take initiative at some point, but my mans didn't :cry: and my yandere heart don't do rejection. Maybe he would, further in step 3 or something? I also held back, once, on confessing my love, with a relationship where we hadn't said so yet, and though Cove did end up saying it first, at the near end, it felt really anticlimactic against when I said it first. The scene with him holding the little firefly, his confession felt like an afterthought, which I get it, awkward autism and all, but the scene didn't feel "awkward"; the scene felt like an afterthought, while our words felt awkward, and I think it should have been reversed, without MC also speaking like an afterthought. It felt like "did you just say you love me?" "yeah, sure" "oh, okay, yeah, duh. Can you pass the salt?" (I might make it sound more quirky than it actually was, it felt pretty dull imo). It really didn't seem as special without Cove crying and looking utterly clotheslined by the new confession. If you confess instead of him, it feels more like, "I love you" "*Sputters**cry* I never heard you say that?!" "IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou!" *melt into a puddle* which was equal parts charming, funny, yanderewholesome, and dramatic, exactly how I expect the climax of romantic tension to be.

I'm going to go the same route for Qiu (maybe, I don't know how the story is going to play out, so who knows what would be the most fun?); because I sense we won't have "sexual" tension if we don't lock in a romance with one of them first. I'll pick whichever stage pairs us as "romantic", and then just choose the "wilting flower" options to get that "oblivious friends to lovers" effect. (my dom heart doesn't like this, but the drama smells too good)
 

Princess Groundhog

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Nov 5, 2018
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What I did for Cove was select the "love" option, increasing it for each stage, and just played a shy character, so it could seem like it was two "friends" who "didn't" have feelings for each other. Though I caved and confessed at stage 2
I think I did the same, actually! The first time we could define our relationship I set it to something like shy crush? Don't remember the exact name. I think it makes sense to start as childhood crushes but only actually confess you love them later in your teens. Plus it was fun teasing Cove as much as possible in every Step and making him flustered (like with the anklet thing), so I hope there's some of that kind of thing in OL2 too, like a shy domme, is that a thing?
 

YosafireK

Newbie
Dec 15, 2018
60
98
I like the fact that the sequel shows our icon/created character now. I often felt that it was kind of "just" there when playing the first game, sometimes wished there was more interaction towards the appearance :'D. But well, I like this improvement a lot along with the relationship dynamic. Cant wait :)
 

izumirecord

Newbie
May 9, 2018
31
32
Aye, no sexual content in this one - and judging from how the devs gave it a 'teen'-rating on the itch.io page, that's probably not going to change in future versions.

Damn shame, man. Almost all the romance games with good art are sexless PG-13 stories.

Edit: speaking of tags, looks like the protagonist is customizable and can be male or female. So it needs a 'female protagonist'-tag as well.

We never have labels for everything we want, I suffer from that too, but as I gave up on the subject I even forgot which label I wanted to put on it.

A lot of games with great art, and I tell you this from my experience in the field, started as R18 games for PC, we are talking about games like Fate/Stay Night, Rewrite, Little Busters, Yume miru kusuri, Mashiro iro Symphony, Katawa shoujou, Clannad, Big Bang Age, even a very new one like Dōnadōna: Issho ni Warui Koto or Shiyō.

And as you will see in the list there are important titles, which had an animated TV series and also after the PC release censored versions on consoles.
 
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CookyDough

Newbie
Jul 3, 2021
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232
however, when I tried going the friends-to-lovers with Cove, it just felt... off to me? It didn't feel organic at all, it felt like one day you were best friends, then the next you've both just always crushed on each other.
It's because you caved and confessed during Stage 2. Unless you replay the game a lot with different answer, it will be difficult to see hints but man Cove in fact is burning for love for MC for a long time, and it's kinda heartbreaking when you pick up the hints. But I don't recommend confessing during stage 4 because there is no build up since you've 0 moments to live, a big disappointment for me who tried to confess as adult MC who were always besties with Cove lol

Anyway, time for me to try this demo!!
 

Jiffie

Member
Nov 8, 2017
215
506
It's because you caved and confessed during Stage 2. Unless you replay the game a lot with different answer, it will be difficult to see hints but man Cove in fact is burning for love for MC for a long time, and it's kinda heartbreaking when you pick up the hints. But I don't recommend confessing during stage 4 because there is no build up since you've 0 moments to live, a big disappointment for me who tried to confess as adult MC who were always besties with Cove lol

Anyway, time for me to try this demo!!
(Edit: Oh, I forgot to mention this, the experience I was talking about was from stage 1 to 2. If I made the setting fond for stage 1, then switched it to crushes on stage 2, there was no difference in how Cove and MC felt attracted to each other, rather I started with crush or not; it's kind of just glossed over like "oh, yeah, you kids kind of started liking each other through the years!", and even this was only slightly rewritten upon meeting Cove first time in stage 2, I think, and this felt sort of pointless to hold out for, to me. I know gaps are in the moments, especially because the game plays only through summer break, but I thought since I can't confess until the later stages, I might as well set up a crush, and choose to flirt or not through my choices.)

Yeah, I understand that, I did see the hints (even holding out at stage 2 Cover clearly wanted to confess, and just didn't because of "nerves"), I just don't think they were significant enough/nor expressed in a desirable manner for me. Because since this is a video game, any later is "too little too late" for me, real life, I have all of my life time to confess to someone I love, especially as a child to young adult hood, that's insignificant to the human lifespan as a whole, but in a video game, where I only get little "snippets" of moments with these characters, and once the snippet of "young adulthood" is over, when the game is over, I'm never going to have any other chances to interact with these characters ever again. The life in a game is a "lifetime", so waiting until somewhere late in stage 3 is like waiting to confess your love at 50—to a childhood sweetheart. Sure, fine, do that, if that's ya thing, but that's a bit silly to me, what took so long?

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Now, maybe in the second play through, I might go this route, (it's a good method for "new life" replayability"), but I don't think waiting that long is appealing to my idea of romance; I was only wanting for Cove, because I thought he would eventually take initiative, I don't think he ever do this, I think any romance must be suggested by you, first, (this upsets me, because I'm tired of being the only one having hots for a character, I wish a character would want my MC like my MC wants them, of their own volition). With Qiu, they have a very direct personality (Tamarack, too, actually), so I have a feeling this game might surprise me with more extroverted characters. But since I'm going on familiarity, I think it's best I (in)direct(ly) all the romances, and pretend it's the LIs doing it of their own initiative.

Same as I had with Cove, I really thought with him saying I was cute in hangman, and initiating asking what I was attracted to on the vacation—wearing the ding-dang ankletshim fishing for all of this assurance, and even me picking obvious flirt responses that practically said I considered him my boyfriend already, I really thought Cove would have racked up the courage to ask me out. By that point, for me, at least, it felt more annoying, than fun, laying in suspense for the two idiots (Cove and MC) to get together (this was my first play through, and experience with the game, I acted with the boldness of child me, if she was ever attracted to anybody, so I think my expectations of Cove having the ability to be assertive was what made my patience for the romance non-existent, and ultimately picking a more "shy" route). I think this is mainly me, though, because I'm not attracted to people who lack initiative, and if I ever force myself to reserve my assertion (purely through games, not IRL), it's because I'm waiting on it from my partner (to ride that Dom kink), and if my partner doesn't step up, then I'll go "Fine—I'll do it, ya biscuit!".

I'm really hoping with the new character dynamics, I can push Qui to be a lot more expressive than Cove.
 
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CookyDough

Newbie
Jul 3, 2021
65
232
Finished playing the demo, I don't know how the dev is able to make the game cuter aesthetic wise without being cringe but I love it! Anyway, story wise, it was a bit short for me to warm up to any of the LI, but seeing the options to customize your relationship with them make me excited! I can't hide that I would love a final edition of Our life 1 with that upgraded relationship system when all routes will be done one day .

I look forward to playing this new game in the future with you all, here ;)
(Of course, I will throw my money again at the dlcs lol)

Yeah, I understand that, I did see the hints
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!
 

Jiffie

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Ah, okay, yeah, if that's the credentials to make it happen, I definitely did not do that! Once again, I'm not sexual at all, so I would have never been that bold, and if he needed me to spell it out like that, that wasn't going to happen! To be completely honest, both MC me and RL me wasn't even thinking nothing like that when I invited him up there, I truly did have innocent intentions (but then the scene kind of hammered in that the situation was suggestive, so even a sexual dunce like me understood the cues—"child" me would not have). Man, now I want to play it again, and try to trigger this, but it's sort of out of my character, because I don't play promiscuously. Thank you for letting me know, though, it's really interesting!

Oh, and, yeah, I agree 100%, the characters are very cute, but we do need a little more before I can really get a feel of their personality, I'm also looking forward to playing this game. I don't know why, but I feel the hints of some drama/cheekiness I've been asking for from OL1, something about Qiu and Tamarack feels wild, and I'm living for it, I don't know.

Have a happy new year, too!
 
Jul 30, 2018
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Ah, okay, yeah, if that's the credentials to make it happen, I definitely did not do that! Once again, I'm not sexual at all, so I would have never been that bold, and if he needed me to spell it out like that, that wasn't going to happen! To be completely honest, both MC me and RL me wasn't even thinking nothing like that when I invited him up there, I truly did have innocent intentions (but then the scene kind of hammered in that the situation was suggestive, so even a sexual dunce like me understood the cues—"child" me would not have). Man, now I want to play it again, and try to trigger this, but it's sort of out of my character, because I don't play promiscuously. Thank you for letting me know, though, it's really interesting!

Oh, and, yeah, I agree 100%, the characters are very cute, but we do need a little more before I can really get a feel of their personality, I'm also looking forward to playing this game. I don't know why, but I feel the hints of some drama/cheekiness I've been asking for from OL1, something about Qiu and Tamarack feels wild, and I'm living for it, I don't know.

Have a happy new year, too!
Honestly the fact that Qiu and Tamarack actually have initiative from what it seems is a real game changer especially Tamarack since she starts off as Contesting, That's not to say that I didn't enjoy Coves entire deal (because I really do) but having characters that feel so different from him is basically everything I wanted from a new Our Life game.
 

Princess Groundhog

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Nov 5, 2018
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Honestly the fact that Qiu and Tamarack actually have initiative from what it seems is a real game changer especially Tamarack since she starts off as Contesting, That's not to say that I didn't enjoy Coves entire deal (because I really do) but having characters that feel so different from him is basically everything I wanted from a new Our Life game.
Yeah I feel like I will be following her around like a puppy and as adults she can dom me softly but firmly :love:
 

Princess Groundhog

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Nov 5, 2018
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Man, now I want to play it again, and try to trigger this, but it's sort of out of my character, because I don't play promiscuously.
I wouldn't call it that, honestly. It's just very innocent flirting. It has been a while since I played that but I remember that scene pretty vividly and it was very cute and wholesome and emotional. I don't recall how old MC and Cove were then, and I probably wouldn't have been that bold myself at their age, but it's just a game, a fantasy.
 

Jiffie

Member
Nov 8, 2017
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I wouldn't call it that, honestly. It's just very innocent flirting. It has been a while since I played that but I remember that scene pretty vividly and it was very cute and wholesome and emotional. I don't recall how old MC and Cove were then, and I probably wouldn't have been that bold myself at their age, but it's just a game, a fantasy.
Yeah, i don't really take the word "promiscuous" very strongly, I use it as a go to "someone who's seeking casual sexual activity" and I include physical contact to garner pleasure as "sexual", but I don't really mean it as in PIV or anything. If I remember correctly, first you call Cove over towards your bed, then you ask him to sleep with you (not the innuendo), but then you start staring, and have the option to touch (on the arm) and stuff; I remember pushing it this far, just to see how hilarious it would be (normally I stop at inviting him to hang out, then we fall asleep), but Cove's parents always wake up, so I sort of don't really know how to get to a "kiss"/"Almost kiss", is it how my character's personality is set? I tried this on a shy run. This feels sexual to me, because both are expressing a desire to touch, and I consider it promiscuous, because they're exploring this without a consideration or committed relationship (no certainty, if it keeps going, uninterrupted, kissing or more does happen, what if one party goes "Ha, yeah, that was just casual fun", and don't pursue anything, I know they're kids, and probably aren't thinking that far, but that's kind of the foundation of promiscuity), they don't really understand what's going on, and I'm going to assume this is the blossoming of preteen lust, that they just... act on, without really considering the consequences. Flirting of this nature is pretty promiscuous, mainly because it involves physical contact. It was still wholesome though, sometimes even the wildest, sexual action can feel very wholesome, and even the most innocent of physical contacts can be expressing a promiscuity.

By the by, I'm using this definition of the word "demonstrating or implying an undiscriminating or unselective approach; indiscriminate or casual.", and not so much the "multiple sexual conquests" definition. I consider this scene "undiscriminating" because they're too young to properly handle and understand exactly what sort of situation that was, but to attempt to go through with it anyways, mean they were willing to take that risk, even if it would never happen again, just to get satisfaction.
 
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Princess Groundhog

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I see and understand where you’re coming from on this, but I’m not sure I agree about it being indiscriminating or them just looking to satiate their lust and get satisfaction. That sounds like very adult behavior to me. In my play through it felt much more innocent. Cove and MC had genuine affection for each other, but both were shy idiots, so it was very sweet and awkward and not at all sexual in nature. I suppose there is always an undercurrent of sexual arousal when you want to kiss or touch someone you have a crush on, but I dunno, I didn’t get sexy vibes here. Maybe that’s just me.
 

RNDM

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Mar 10, 2018
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I'll just point out that using the term "promiscuous" like that - very much *not* its normal colloquial usage in this sort of interpersonal context - strikes me as a recipe for rather unnecessary misunderstandings and coming across as bizarrely prudish (and neurotic about casual physical contact for that matter). And if you then need to write a mini-essay to clarify the matter, well, might just be better to rethink your choice of words in the first place.
Just sayin'.
 

Jiffie

Member
Nov 8, 2017
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I see and understand where you’re coming from on this, but I’m not sure I agree about it being indiscriminating or them just looking to satiate their lust and get satisfaction. That sounds like very adult behavior to me. In my play through it felt much more innocent. Cove and MC had genuine affection for each other, but both were shy idiots, so it was very sweet and awkward and not at all sexual in nature. I suppose there is always an undercurrent of sexual arousal when you want to kiss or touch someone you have a crush on, but I dunno, I didn’t get sexy vibes here. Maybe that’s just me.
I get that, it's fine, everyone interprets sexuality different, it's like the word "molestation", some people put harsh meaning to it, and even use the word to replace "rape", but all it really means is aggressive/persistent harassment. I only got sexy cues because the music went very *bow chicka wow wow* up to that point, they (mainly Cove, if MC stays innocent) sort of read heavily into it (even Cove mentions he wasn't that innocent; I can't remember the direct quote, been a while when my 18 year old MC reminisced about being innocent that time, and confused on why his parents were so upset). Plus, I'm of the belief 13 year olds should not be sneaking into each other's beds to touch and makeout; as you said, they're way too young for any of that responsibility, so for the fact that they were exploring the option to begin with, without the proper intellect to handle it, automatically pushes it into the "indiscriminate"/"reckless" category, because they are not old enough to truly understand what these actions are, so they cannot have proper judgment to discriminate.

Just want to say, I'm not trying to convince you to think otherwise, I do see your side, and I understand it, just wanted to explain why I thought this way.

I'll just point out that using the term "promiscuous" like that - very much *not* its normal colloquial usage in this sort of interpersonal context - strikes me as a recipe for rather unnecessary misunderstandings and coming across as bizarrely prudish (and neurotic about casual physical contact for that matter). And if you then need to write a mini-essay to clarify the matter, well, might just be better to rethink your choice of words in the first place.
Just sayin'.
Oh, honey, you got a big storm coming if you don't think I don't explain everything with a mini-essay. (some people say its the novelist in me) The term "Promiscuous" is used like that, at least, in my community, it's actually "new" to turn that word into a sexual one (see my above mini-essay in this post, on my thoughts of "molestation", if you'd like to know more); even in law, children are described as promiscuous if displaying suggestive attraction under the legal age of sexual consent (16 for my state). This is normal in the USA, we don't really have laws on when adolescents can kiss, though there is a gray area for 11-13 year olds (pre teens), that we sort of just... ignore. Shockingly, it's okay to kiss adolescents between this age, but touching and "making out", spoiler because some people understand this as "kissing" (another word with various meaning in the English language; could be kissing, could be touching, could be dry-humping). And just to tie up loose ends, I'm talking about parties of the same age range.

The English language (all languages, I'd like to think, but I only know English) is an regional language, filled with vernaculars developed in various different areas. You sound like someone who thinks "promiscuous" means "having or involving many sexual partners : not restricted to one sexual partner or few sexual partners", the first definition of Promiscuous on Merriam-Webster (and maybe many other dictionaries)/"disapproving 1 : having or involving many sexual partners", the "essential" definition, that I think means the more commonly used term, that you're referring to? But I was raised with that term also meaning "formal : including or involving too many people or things : not limited in a careful or proper way" (particularly the last sentence), and all the other meanings found in the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

As I've said, I wasn't using the term "very strongly" (I mean this as "jokingly using the formal meaning", as with how I'd call a man, with many sexual partners, "whore" and "Slut", even though in the dictionary, this term is reserved for women, only, who have more than 1 sexual partners; look up my posting history if you want citations of my other mini-essays). In conclusion, I am using the word "promiscuous" correctly, though I do agree the word is prudish (so is the word "Whore", like, come on, let women fuck around without degrading them, yeah?), and I'd be the first to say I am a prude (hence the joke of calling anyone in OL1 promiscuous), but this scene was an act of promiscuous 13 year olds, because even though we know Cove and MC is "always", these teens don't, and yet they took that chance (to "make out", if kissing is possible/and did not get interrupted by Coves parents), way before the legal age of USA's consensual sex law.

Long posts and wordy explanations are not (always) signs of a guilty conciseness, or a negligent fumble of the tonguewords.

The End. Thank you. (I don't really know how to conclude and essay)
 
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5.00 star(s) 15 Votes