Okay! Here's the theory part of that short fan fiction. Now there's a very high chance I'm off base and none of this is plausible but I'm wanting to get it out there anyways. Also I will try to have these points for my theory as orderly as humanly possible. Thank you so very much and enjoy what might, hope not though, come off as a crazy person giving out her thoughts after over thinking details that didn't need over thinking in the first place.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxCa6mKui3f
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~ Theory behind the short fan fiction ~564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzX3H6kuC0K
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~ 1 ~ Assistant's Memory Loss564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcxsHoywUP
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Gonna start here. Alrighty! Now I know before I've thought always was the Black Dragon behind it in order to hurt Conductor but recently (being since last night of 8-20-16) my mind began to think over the past chapters as I was doing chores that I had put off doing all day. As my mind was thinking it came to a conclusion to what if it was not the Black Dragon that blocked/scrambled Assistant's memories but Conductor himself who screwed with Assistant's memories in the past when they were younger? Here are the facts, or what I'm calling facts, to back me up on this thought:564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdsBz9TZRB
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~ If the Black Dragon had messed with Assistant's memories then why aside from hurting Conductor? And if he/she had done that to Assistant then Conductor would have needed to be there to witness it. Not too far fetched but that means they would have already had to been traveling together before Chapter 1 began. We don't know how many years have passed between their first meeting and their reunion, but we do know that what happened in the past does still creep back up to haunt Assistant when he dreams as we saw in Chapter 7.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8RJykheqW
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We also see that Conductor uses a spell to help push away the nightmares that may possibly be subconscious memories resurfacing. Now, if the Black Dragon had done this to Assistant and Conductor was there to witness it then why wouldn't he had kept Assistant on the train, and tried to use his magic to gradually fix what the Black Dragon did? We don't know if different spells have different aura colors to them to indicate the type or class they are in or at least I don't.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTofKndXC9L
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We have seen that in ways of magic circles that depending on the type of spell, at least between defense and transformation, does have a difference in its appearance such as defense type spells have the star pattern like and the transformation had the star pattern but also the image of the animal the caster was turning into, being in this case a wolf. But that still brings me to ask why he didn't just keep Assistant on the train if say the magic used by the Black Dragon for mind tampering has a different aura from offensive and defensive spells or has a different circle that comes with it.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8u6I0BObtP
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Even then after escaping the Black Dragon with Assistant then why wouldn't he keep Assistant on the train so to work on his memory problem instead of dropping him off say at home or somewhere? If there was an indication to the spell of what it would do then that would play into how Conductor greeted Assistant in Chapter 1 but I'm not sure it plays into explaining how he knew what spell to use to help Assistant with his nightmare in Chapter 7.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqcdqPxjbA
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If there was no indication with the spell as to what it would do then that does not explain to why Assistant wouldn't have asked Conductor after the greeting in Chapter 1 if they had met before, since if there would have been no indication to the naked eye the purpose of said spell the only way Conductor would have known Assistant didn't remember him would be to wake him up and find out, in doing this would have made him wonder who the random kid was he saw before going home. Or at least in my mind that's how it seems plausible for it to work out.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIF8vtIutZ0
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~ Now let's try a different spin on it ~564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBOcVDJKBH
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~ If Conductor had cast the memory spell on Assistant himself when they were younger, intentional or not, then it would play into how he knew Assistant would not remember him and thus know to acknowledge Assistant like he would a stranger so to not risk triggering anything from the past right from the get go. This would also, I think, add into him knowing for the most part what words to pick when speaking or explaining things to Assistant, with him knowing what words would likely trigger a memory to try coming forwards which is something he doesn't want happening to fast. It would also explain how he knew what spell to use to help push back the nightmares Assistant was having in Chapter 7.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwJInOiguH
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This may piece into Conductor saying "Because I don't want to hurt you okay!" then after some exchanges he says "I'm so sorry..." in Chapter 3 if he feels guilt for messing with Assistant's memories, that is if he did. This also would play into Assistant, in Chapter 1 remarking "strange kid" after Conductor introduces himself and leaves to finish up his work before departure, because if Conductor did the memory spell while Assistant was asleep or unconscious then left before he woke then Assistant wouldn't see him thus have no memory of him prior to their meeting.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLoLyCS5wu
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But if it was Conductor who did the spell then why would be the question. Well what would happen if they happened to be both at wherever training happens for Engine Masters? Yes we don't really know what goes into deciding who can and cannot be an Engine Master but we do know that, at least for the Central District spot, there was a fight in which Conductor whooped the other Engine Master's butts to be over them. If the training happens around Benten city which is where the citadel is then if Chapter 5 if I'm recalling right points out the citadel is just a ways from the mother station where Assistant started. And if the station is near Benten then I am assuming Assistant's house resides in the general vicinity of the train station. If this is so then if Conductor was in the area then it could be plausible that they were friends when they were young children.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLD8ZYPM60e
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Let's say they were friends early on in childhood and were both at where one goes to try and get accepted as an Engine Master. We know Assistant has no magic so he could have been there for support or to try getting in with Conductor who, may or may not have been, born with magic. Thus this would have set their roles as boss and assistant. We don't know when the Engine Master's Order was formed or how long it has been around but if it has been around for say more than 8 years, then it could be plausible there was a head Engine Master before Mari who we meet in Chapter 5. If there happened to be someone before her then, given her nature/attitude, one could assume it's about a 50/50 chance the one before her also had that same or similar attitude.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMXK87dxcR
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For now for this theory let's go with the plausible idea that there was at least one head before Mari and that head was who Mari learned from down the road when she was eligible. The person before her could have been male, which if so might have been the "him" Assistant referred to in his nightmare in Chapter 7. If this is true or could be then that would tie in with Mari ordering both Conductor and Assistant's termination from the company for their, mainly Conductor's, defiance to follow orders or more exactly it was first just to be Assistant to be terminated after Cerberus didn't find him worthy. Then when Conductor defied orders by protecting Assistant that brought about the order from Mari for him as well to be terminated for defiance, other words obviously executed.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSuMa1MFQSo
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This thought would tie into Assistant saying "he's going to kill you if you keep defying him!" since as we know from Chapter 5 defiance in the Order of Engine Masters means you are killed, thus terminated from the company. It may also explain Assistant not knowing about Benten city even though he lives near it. If it was Conductor who messed with Assistants memories then if whatever it was happened at the citadel or around Benten then it might be plausible that is why he didn't remember it, because why leave the knowledge that your friend resides around a place where something bad happened?564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVo229BUTti
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~ Next up ~564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5q81tRnS8
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~ 2 ~ Conductor's "Bestowed Upon Me" Comment564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqgos6QX9N
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~ Now that's an odd thing to comment on or an odd way to phrase it to explain how your magic works, especially when there's a moments pause. In Chapter 2 Conductor tells Assistant "in order to use magic ordinarily you would be born with that power. Mine was, um bestowed upon me. However instead of burning mana to wield it, I draw from my own life energy." Now this would normally imply he was born without magic but if that is the case then how would he had learned about the Order of the Engine Masters to apply, take any test or tests, and get to where he is to date in their ranks? I have a feeling, given the fact they can use magic and have Cerberus around that they don't let any and all non-magic users just apply whenever they feel like it. This makes me think perhaps he could use a bit of magic, not a lot to be outstanding but enough he wasn't turned away at just the application process.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡavthhu4oBf
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If we assume he had at least a little magic for use then that plays into his studying of magic, because what better way to get stronger than to study and practice? If he could use some magic but not a lot to the extent he would like, then that would add into if he was bestowed magic by the White Dragon to why he would accept it to be stronger to protect his friend. If this is so then to make the deal to use this type of powerful magic a bond or contract of sorts was probably required, thus changing his magic from drawing on mana to work to drawing off his life energy to work.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrpf5Z2z5M
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In Chapter 7 when we learn how dimension leaping works this theory could add into how he has enough magic to protect his soul from being destroyed when he does a dimension jump. This is compared to the Black Dragon needing to sacrifice souls of children to make jumps, Conductor in using magic from the White Dragon or through the White Dragon is able to use this magic to make the jump while protecting his soul from being sacrificed. This would allow him to follow and try to reverse, fix, or counter whatever the Black Dragon has done in a particular dimension he happens to be in due to work or a distress call.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAb32gzO7xU
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Then in Chapter 2 this could have some link to Peridot's answer to Assistant after he asks her what happens if Conductor isn't back inside before they make the jump, which she says "As a human he would be torn apart on entry. Biological beings can't survive in the vortex without protection." Now this is before Conductor uses his magic on a giant phoenix so it's safe to say Assistant just saw Conductor as a normal human, or normal so to speak on a term of not using magic since he thought the venom in Chapter 1 was playing with his vision, so in Chapter 1 he dismissed the seeing of magic being used as a hallucination caused by the winged snakes venom.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVVaB20EVaG
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If Conductor does have the magic granted by the White Dragon itself then that would, to maybe some degree, lead into maybe in some at least magic aspect of not being human and may have lead into her explaining this with the reminder that Conductor was human. Assistant does not question her answer, may have added it to the fact she isn't human and so would speak about a person who was human using the term in the answer. Unless she figured Assistant may have thought Conductor was more than human in which case she points out that Conductor being human would get torn apart upon entry.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXZevSNv3y
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~ Next up ~564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgjcJTKQ5yQ
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~ 3 ~ White Dragon and Assistant Using Magic564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvnqSVY2xdp
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~ We know well that Assistant does not have magic but what if in a slight way he did just not in the sense that it can be used for almost anything like Conductor's and others magic abilities? Try and follow this thought with me even if it sounds out there.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsZe0lgi69
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If the White Dragon when around had split its power or essence into 2 orbs to have 2 vessels then perhaps the dragon would have had 1 orb contain the essence of its magic, its strength, and its knowledge about the Black Dragon and how the beast operated. The 2nd orb would maybe had contained the essence of its will, its heart, and its spirit. Why split these things? Separated they can falter or be ruined but if you have all in one package and that package gets destroyed then a new vessel that's strong enough to handle the task must be found, and that's not easy. If you have the essence in 2 vessels then when they are together that essence can fuel the other to be stronger, giving a greater force of power in a battle.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5VO46MtBRh
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In Chapter 4 Conductor says he needs Assistant to believe in him. During the fight and Assistant attempting to rally people together, he loses that belief in Conductor after seeing his friend and boss threaten to knock a guy out if he dared to touch or harm Assistant again. This sight of Conductor's behavior shocked him and caused him to doubt his friend whereas before he was trying to believe and trust in him. It is not until after he feels heat returning to his body does Assistant start to realize what happened with Conductor. When he finds Conductor he tries to wake Conductor up not wanting to believe his friend is dead. Then after he confesses his feelings and that someone who would selflessly give up their life for someone couldn't be as bad as a few people say.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXHZFNkYji
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It's after he hugs Conductor and says he cannot imagine his life without him and begs him not to leave him does he start to use life energy transfer type magic. How? Because the White Dragon can heal itself before by using, let's say energy from those who believe in it strongly enough. So when Assistant, assuming this theory of him having an essence of the White Dragon in him, confesses and starts to put his trust back into Conductor and not wanting to lose him, this strong emotion triggers the healing magic aspect of the White Dragon essence inside Conductor. How this work when normally you die and your soul leaves? The magic of the White Dragon kept hold of it so it wouldn't pass over when its other essence was still alive.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtK7xIwQjd
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This let Assistant have the time to get to, find, and help Conductor even though he did not know he could do it in restoring his life. When together the two vessels work to protect the other by almost instinct since without the other then the vessel with magic could, in theory, get overwhelmed by the magic due to emotions if say the 2nd vessel is killed or badly injured, then the 1st vessel might snap due to wanting to protect its other side by the instinct of the White Dragon. Or maybe in simpler terms the 2 vessels work like consistent energy. One fuels the other and the same works when one is critically injured.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQYAGGNhIV
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~ Next up ~564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCE5drUnOLc
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~ 4 ~ Order of the Engine Masters Not Questioning Assistant Much564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dNs9kiMv1
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~ This I think may tie into the part that they were together in the past before he really became known to the others. For 3 of them not knowing Assistant could be due to them being older and busy on their own work. In regards with Sho he could have arrived after the incident that lead to Assistant having his memories altered. Since we don't know when it began or how many Engine Masters there were before the ones we met in Chapter 5, it's hard to tell. Since Sho gives off the rivalry vibe, or to me he does, he could be skilled but after the events prior he got out matched by Conductor.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRgGo9nBwR
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So that would plausibly explain the other Engine Masters not knowing Assistant and as for them not asking more questions before hand, I think that could be summed up by Sho's statement about Conductor not being able to get an assistant to stick. Such as stating that Conductor has lost assistants as quick as within a day of their joining willingly or told to. So they could have thought that Assistant was another one that probably wasn't going to stick but wanted to be encouraging to try and help their friend find his perfect assistant as they had found theirs.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGiRpDVv5VK
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As for Mari not noticing him or asking about the new face with Conductor, depending on how often these meetings are held would determine how often she has actually seen him with an assistant, and how many different ones she has seen with him. If say there have been at least 3 or 4 meetings that Conductor has taken part in and if he had a different assistant each time then it could stand to reason when/if she saw a new face she just ignored it as someone that wasn't going to be around long. This changed however when Cerberus got involved and decided he didn't like Assistant being there. Cerberus may have not liked Assistant there due to him having no prior time serving as Conductor's assistant on Engine 999 because at the time they first met, there would have been no Engine 999 yet since Conductor would not had been an Engine Master yet, becoming one after Assistant's memory loss and before their reunion.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlS1Wzu4Fqo
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The Emperor referring to Assistant as "boy" can also be done up to the same reason. If Conductor was going through assistants quicker than your average Engine Master then they probably weren't keeping track as well as they should may have been due to the, apparent, quick turnover time between Conductor and assistants. Also could be due to him possibly not making frequent visits to the citadel.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcWnxIl4r5P
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Also if Mari wasn't around when when whoever, if someone, was in charge as head of the Engine Masters as she is then she would not have known Conductor or Assistant likely if she hadn't begun to reach the level she would need to be to become head of the Engine Masters. Also when she refers to Assistant as "mortal" that makes me wonder if she is somehow Immortal by some means, good or not. If she is to some degree Immortal (and I personally think anyone Immortal has a way to be killed it's just finding that key item or thing that is sustaining them to be in this world past when they are supposed to be) then it would be harder to know if she may have been around before or after the events Assistant had the nightmare about.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5uwm9LV636
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If she would have been around then she could have forgotten or passed that off as the start of Conductor, after becoming an Engine Master, string of not able to keep an assistant at his side along with at least 1 known miscalculation that resulted in possibly some form of damage somewhere.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyazXu5eAp
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~ Next up ~564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHYXdYKtZS
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~ 5 ~ The White and Black Dragons564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhHbwzkvqM
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~ Now this is more possible head canon compared to the fan fiction and this theory so far so here goes nothing. In my thought when the two dragons were real they could have been inner-dimensional beasts, thus when they do something in their dimension and all other dimensions at the same time. So if they began to fight the other then it could been possible that people and beasts from the other fields of dimensions. In their fight to try and restore order after thinking the battle was done the White Dragon tried to mend the tears. When this failed and made people and beasts alike fall asleep as the repairs for most part finished up, leaving them to think it was a dream. There was two that had stayed awake when others collapsed asleep. It was these two originally the White Dragon picked as its two vessels with a plan to prevent further damage to all dimensions at one time.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sYKf3urJ4
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This is done by separating itself physically from the battle against its opponent the Black Dragon. If it lends out just its essence to ones able to handle the task then it can still battle the Black Dragon while keeping the fight narrowed in on one dimension at a time instead of harming those not yet involved. The Black Dragon did a similar task but picked one who had strong greed. Both sides formed their own groups or orders to combat the other to help maintain some sense of peace while also helping get things from place to place, even across dimensions in some cases.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEU3rxqSyuM
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When the vessels would get to where they weren't able to handle the responsibility of the White Dragon then the beast would, from its hiding spot, wield the orbs gently from the vessels and pick two new ones that held hearts and abilities strong enough to handle the task. The Black Dragon would also do something similar although for the Black Dragon it may remove its orb once the vessel could be near or is dying before it finds another with the right attributes. At some point the White Dragon picked Conductor and Assistant when they were younger, for now I'm going to estimate around 10 give or take a year or two or three.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOLKkAiGrV
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When a person is picked then I am assuming after they accept the essence into them that once the deal is done they begin to age slower or at least their bodies do to some degree. If this is plausible then it would allow for a longer time span between the two first meeting and their reunion. It would also have given Conductor time to have a chance at encountering the Black Dragon at some point as an Engine Master in answering distress calls.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIb06gWXD7t
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If they did accept the power from the White Dragon and their age would have slowed down that might play along with Mieko, in Chapter 5, making the comment "Well, well Koinu, it's been so long since I last saw you. You haven't grown at all." His looking the same, unless this was said in casual terms like one does when seeing family after a long period of time for flattery, could be a result of slower aging due to the White Dragon's magic. If that possibly could be so then that might add into Conductor referring to Assistant as "man" in Chapter 4 when we know them to be the same age of 14.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgFStMHr80
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This slower aging would also allow Conductor more time to study and practice on top of the knowledge he already has (possibly) from the White Dragon with what he learned on his own/in school may have helped accelerate his being a child prodigy. Even if he may be older on the inside to some extent his outer appearance is that of 14 due to the slowed rate of age. How slow though I'm not sure in the slightest. I'm thinking Assistant may also be the same way but is not aware of it due to memory deal. I don't recall us learning when Conductor became known as a child prodigy so it's hard to say when he was recognized as such.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzrmDmU9sC
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The thought of slower aging could also explain the comment "I haven't done this in a long time. So it should be interesting." by Conductor in Chapter 6 before he transforms into a wolf. If he has been alive longer than he looks due to the magic of the White Dragon, then that would have allowed him more time to train and practice spells to master a good amount of his magical abilities, if not possibly all but I kind of hold my doubts it is all.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zVJbHT0jA
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~ I think that's all ~564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxZ9It1sAu
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I think that about covers it. If I think of something else that strikes me that adds to this or improves something then I'll add it with an * with the date it was added if any is added or if info is updated I will do a strikeout on what's removed and put in ( ) what the change is after the strikeout.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlz04FzdZE
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