| “ | Queen Bitch, huh? Sounds about right. Someone's got to wear the crown. | ” |
Rachel King is one of the five main protagonists, a playable character, and a potential antagonist in The Dark Pictures Anthology's third installment, House of Ashes. She is a CIA Field Officer, the commanding officer of Camp Slayer, the wife of Eric, and the lover of Nick. She was voiced and motion captured by Ashley Tisdale, who also provided her likeness.
Appearance[]
Rachel is a woman with light complexion. She has brown eyes with dark eye liners and medium straight caramel hair with curtain bangs and a small bun at the back of her head.
Rachel wears a long-sleeve gray top, dark-green combat pants tied with a black leather belt and boots. On her left hand, she wears a black watch and possibly a wedding ring. For the operation, Rachel wears gear identical to Eric's, including a black plate carrier, aviator sunglasses, a gray backpack with climbing gear, and an earpiece with a radio and flashlight; her weapons include a Glock pistol and a combat knife. As shown in one of the flashbacks, Rachel was wearing a long-sleeve red top, jeans tied with a black belt, and black boots during the car crash.
Underground, Rachel loses her sunglasses and wears a rappelling harness. Having survived the fall into chasm, she is completely covered in blood and loses nearly all of her basic gear. Both sleeves are torn, the right one during the fall and the left one by Rachel herself to make a torch from ferum bone. She also cuts her right forearm during the fall, but the wound is eventually patched by Clarice.
Personality[]
Rachel's profile at the start of the game
Nicknamed 'The Queen Bitch', Rachel is emotionally distant and cold, sometimes even with loved ones like Eric and Nick. As Clarice describes it, she built around herself not just a wall, but an entire mountain.
That said, this character helped Rachel rise to CIA Field Officer status (not without great sacrifices) and, according to Brooks, she has the potential to achieve even further. As the original head of mission before Eric, Rachel has excellent leadership skills. She keeps her subordinates in tight rein and can find an approach to anyone to make them obey. She's also a natural survivor and can stand up for herself.
Despite her stern personality, Rachel sometimes shows a softer side. She cares for her loved ones and subordinates, which is evident when Rachel tries to help the infected Clarice and kills Salim out of revenge for Eric, despite their strained relationship. During the operation, it is shown that she prefers handling matters with dialogue rather than violence and will scold Jason if he killed a shepherd.
Biography[]
Rachel was born on August 23, 1967. She was a cadet at the United States Military Academy, where she met Eric during climbing classes. They began a romantic relationship and got married in 2000.
However, the good marriage didn't last long – on their honeymoon, the couple went to Hobb's Deep (near Little Hope) for ice climbing, but due to Rachel's carelessness, they crashed into a truck and Eric lost his right leg. Rachel and Eric lived together for another two years, but during that time their relationship deteriorated, causing the couple to separate for one year. During that time, Rachel concentrated on her career and became a CIA agent.
Three weeks prior to the raid, Rachel became close with Nick, who was traumatized after the checkpoint incident. They found solace in each other and began a romantic relationship, secret from Eric.
On May 30, 2003, Rachel was involved in a mission in search of weapons of mass destruction. When the American units arrived at the landing point in the Zagros Mountains, they were ambushed by an Iraqi patrol. Due to the warfare, Rachel was plunged into the depths of the Zagros Mountains alongside her comrades and enemies. To survive what lurked below, Rachel had to forge an alliance with the enemies from above. Her fate would then be decided by the player, in which she would escape alive or die buried beneath the sands.
House of Ashes[]
| Chapter Appearances | |||
| Cursed | Absent | ||
| The Briefing | Debut | The Assault | Appears (Possible Death) |
| The Raid | Appears | The Horror | Determinant (Possible Death) |
| Underworld | Absent | Enemy of My Enemy | Absent |
| Pazuzu | Appears | The Well | Absent |
| The Temple | Appears | The Ancient One | Appears (Possible Death) |
| Breaking Up | Appears | Brothers | Absent |
| After the Fall | Mentioned | The City | Determinant |
| Slayer | Determinant Mention | Strange Aeons | Determinant (Possible Death) |
| The Truce | Absent | The Vault | Determinant |
| Bloodbath | Appears | Semper Fi | Determinant |
| The Signal | Absent | Daylight | Determinant (Possible Death) |
| The End | Determinant (Possibly Dead) | ||
Main Story[]
Act 1[]
Rachel shares a kiss with Nick in her office until they learn of Eric's arrival at Camp Slayer. As they get dressed, Nick tells Rachel that she should talk to Eric while there is still time. Arriving at the briefing room, Rachel briefly confronts Eric, who has become the new commander of the operation. Immediately after this, Rachel is present with the others at a briefing where she will comment on Eric's decision about air support. After the briefing, Rachel and Eric briefly discuss the sorry state of their relationship, after which the squad leaves for the operation.
In the helicopter, Rachel briefly confronts Merwin due to his dirty jokes. Landing near the target LZ, Rachel is involved in getting the shepherds out of the huts. After completing the raid, Rachel interrogates the shepherds for the entrance to the silo. During the firefight, Rachel takes refuge in one of the huts, while an earthquake happens, plummeting both sides into the caves below, including Rachel.
Rachel finds herself in the caverns next to Eric and together they start looking for the others. Passing through temple ruins, the duo soon find the throne room. As they look around the archaeologists' camp, trying to fix the generator and restore the tape recorder, Rachel and Eric discuss their relationship again. During the conversation, Eric figures out that Rachel is already seeing someone, but further conversation is interrupted by Dar, forcing the couple to flee the temple. Running out into chasm, they try to escape into the caverns, but an unexpected tremor causes Rachel to fall into chasm despite Eric's attempts to hold on to the rope.
Act 2[]
As it turns out, Rachel survived the fall, landing in the pit. After regaining consciousness, she begins to look around the cave in search of a way out, but on the way she is attacked by a creature. While trying to escape, Rachel runs into Clarice, who saves her from the creature. As the girls climb to the top of the chasm, Rachel realizes that Clarice has been infected and can either leave her or take her to the temple.
The girls make it to the temple, where they are reunited with the surviving Americans. There Rachel possibly confronts Eric about the chasm incident and/or Jason who decides to put Clarice out of her misery. During the fight against the vampires and the retreat into the catacombs, Rachel may die. Away from the vampires, the Americans find Salim and Dar and decide to cooperate with them. Upon entering the sacrificial chamber, the group is ambushed by a swarm of vampires. Rachel can escape, become infected while trying to fight or rescue Eric, or be killed and infected by The Ancient One.
Act 3[]
Rachel wakes up and reunites with Nick and Eric. Their meeting is interrupted by the Ancient One, who starts chasing the Americans. The group manages to escape from the vampire, after which they go after Jason and Salim. If Eric is alive, then before that, the guys will require Rachel to finally make a decision and choose one of them.
The group descends into the alien structure and arrives to help Jason and Salim as they are attacked by the vampires, after which Rachel and the others retreat into the Star Chamber. They decide to explore the archaeologists' camp and study the origin of the vampires, finding their reason for falling to earth. If Rachel is infected, she will begin to turn into a vampire, causing her to burn herself, Jason to shoot her, the group to cocoon her, Eric to use a UV lamp to get rid of the parasite, or Rachel to escape and die from the infection, becoming a vampire.
Rachel, if rescued, will be with the group as they bomb the cocoon vault and escape the collapsing structure. In the caves, the group will be attacked by a vampiric Clarice, whom Rachel can die in the process. The party successfully reaches the surface again, but is immediately confronted by vampires when an eclipse rises. Rachel with the others fights the vampires with a flare and a knife, surviving or dying in the process.
If Rachel was not killed in The Assault or in The Horror, then these scenes would not happen. Rachel, after turning into a vampire, will chase Nick and Eric with the Ancient One. The duo manages to escape the vampires, although Rachel is able to kill Eric in time.
Rachel attacks the heroes again as they try to escape the caves. During the battle, she can kill one of the two protagonists, otherwise the duo will throw her into the abyss. If only two protagonists remain, Rachel will be cut loose from the rope with no action scene.The End[]
At dawn, Rachel will be delivered by air support back at Camp Slayer.
- If Rachel wasn't infected or her infection is purged, she will complain to Brooks and Miller that instead of debriefing her, they should deal with the remaining vampires.
- If Rachel was infected, cocooned, and at least one other protagonist survived, the military will find Rachel and extract the parasite from her.
- However, if there are no protagonists who survived or Salim was the sole Survivor but wasn’t captured, Rachel won't appear as she's trapped in the cocoon forever.
- If Rachel is dead, Brooks and Miller will comment on her death and that she could have gone far.
- If Rachel became a vampire, the agents will be disappointed to learn that the parasite inside Rachel is dead.
Possible Deaths[]
| Chapter | Mechanism of Kill | Caused by | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Assault | Stomach ripped out | A vampire | Rachel fails QTEs to fend off the vampire that grabbed her AND Clarice is absent. |
| Incinerated | Eric (Indirect) | Jason and Nick triggered Dar's tripwire in After the Fall OR Eric or Nick failed QTE to hold the door; Rachel fails to turn on the generator; Eric does not know about the vampires' weakness; Eric decides to shoot the generator when Rachel is grabbed by a vampire (Shared Story). | |
| Explosion | Nick (Indirect) | Rachel retreated OR was grabbed by a vampire; Nick directs the survivors to the side where the tripwires are OR says nothing with the mines tripwires in the center. | |
| The Horror | Impaled by spear | The Ancient One | Eric is alive; Salim shoots the vampire attacking Rachel; Eric knows the creature's weakness to UV; Rachel chooses to save Eric and completes QTE; Rachel fails QTE to dodge The Ancient One's spear. |
| The Ancient One | Throat ripped out | Eric is dead; Rachel is not infected; Rachel and Nick successfully shut the door; Rachel fails the Keep Calm; Nick fails QTE to save Rachel. (Shared Story) | |
| Strange Aeons | Burned alive | Herself | Eric allowed Jason and Nick to bring white phosphorus rounds; Jason allows Merwin to use a white phosphorus round or said nothing when asked; Rachel is infected; Rachel decides to stab the white phosphorus round. |
| Shot in the head | Jason | Rachel is infected; Rachel fails to convince Jason. | |
| Same condition; Rachel fails QTE to disarm Jason when Rachel and Jason have a low relationship. | |||
| Same condition; Jason chooses to shoot Rachel. (Curator's Cut) | |||
| Infection | An alien parasite | Rachel is infected; Rachel manages to defuse the situation; Rachel refuses to be cocooned. | |
| Same condition; Rachel volunteers to be cocooned; Jason fails QTEs to avoid the spores. (Curator's Cut or Shared Story) | |||
| Daylight | |||
| Throat ripped out | Clarice | Rachel did not become a vampire; Rachel fails to fight Clarice in the caves. | |
| Impaled with spear and throat ripped out | The Ancient One | Nick chose to retreat OR Eric ignored his radio signal; Rachel fails to fight The Ancient One in the hut. | |
| Throat ripped out | Vampires | Rachel fails to fight the vampire in the hut. | |
| Head crushed | |||
| The End | Trapped in cocoon | Salim (Indirect) | Eric is dead or does not know of the vampires' weakness; Rachel is infected; Rachel volunteers to be cocooned; All other protagonists die OR Salim is alive, but went home.
|
Killed Victims[]
| Chapter | Character | Mechanism of Kill | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Raid | A shepherd | Shot | Jason didn't choose to assault the building; Jason acts enraged about the effigies. |
| The Horror | A vampire | Burned by UV wand | Eric is alive; Salim chooses to shoot the vampire attacking Rachel; Rachel chooses to save Eric; Rachel completes QTE to grab the UV wand. |
| Strange Aeons | Herself | Burned alive | Eric allows the usage of White Phosphorus; Rachel is infected; Rachel chooses to stab the WP round. |
| An alien parasite | Stomped | Eric is alive and aware of the vampires' weakness; Rachel is infected; Rachel volunteers to be cocooned; Rachel finds the parasite and completes a QTE to stomp it. | |
| Semper Fi | Salim | Shot in the head | Salim killed Eric in The Truce; Nick told Rachel about it in The Assault; Rachel didn't get infected in The Horror; Nick chose to retreat and survived; Jason chose to save Salim; Jason and Salim successfully fought the vampires; Jason failed the QTE to dodge The Ancient One's spear; Salim acts defensive when confronted. |
| Daylight | The Ancient One | Burned by flare | Nick chose to retreat OR Eric ignored his radio signal; Rachel succeeds in fighting The Ancient One in the hut. |
| Impaled by spear |
| Chapter | Character | Mechanism of Kill | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Ancient One | Eric | Throat ripped out | Nick didn't shut the door OR the duo is spotted; Eric fails to fight Rachel. |
| Fall from high place | Same condition; Eric succeeds to fight Rachel; Eric chooses to save Nick. | ||
| Daylight | Eric | Throat ripped out | Rachel became a vampire; the protagonist fails to fight Rachel. |
| Jason |
Relationships[]
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Eric[]
Rachel holding Eric's wedding ring
Main article: Eric and Rachel
Eric is Rachel's husband. They have been married for 3 years but spent the last year apart. They both met during their cadet years in the U.S. Military Academy on a climbing class and began romantically involved afterwards. Shortly after their marriage, Rachel got into a car accident with Eric that resulted in the loss of his leg. Eric is still in love with her despite their estrangement and comes to the base to rekindle their relationship. Unbeknownst to him, Rachel started an extra-marital affair with Nick 3 weeks before the current events.
Throughout the game, they act romantic around each other and have the possibility of reconciling or being spiteful and cold towards each other depending on the player's decisions.
Salim[]
Rachel and Salim share a frosty relationship and don’t interact much. If Salim killed Eric, she will become outright hostile to him for the rest of the game.
Salim can shoot a vampire attacking Rachel during the assault – this may improve their relationship. Their next major interaction is at the Star Chamber – if Jason offers him a pistol, Rachel will express reluctance at this. She can agree to help Salim use the console, and Salim will be the one to broach the idea of cocooning her if she is infected, potentially saving her life.
If Eric was killed by Salim earlier in the game, Rachel will confront Salim about it and may either punch Salim or shoot him in the head during the elevator ride if Salim is defensive about it.
Jason[]
Jason and Rachel are shown to have a professional relationship. He "affectionately" refers to her as the Queen Bitch, but does not antagonize her. They don’t interact much during the game, but the rare scenes they do can affect the survival of Rachel and Eric. Their relationship will be put to the test if Rachel took an infected Clarice with her, in which Jason wants to put the latter out of her misery. If Clarice is shot, Rachel will be furious; if not, he will give a sidearm to Rachel, telling her to "save a bullet for her friend".
He can sympathize with her in the Star Chamber over the loss of Eric, if he died; alternatively, they can speak about how both of them are ill, if Rachel was infected and Jason inhaled the fossilized vampire.
After Salim activates the console, she can begin to turn - Jason will insist on shooting her, to which she can agree or disagree. If Rachel agrees, Jason will shoot and kill her. Alternatively, if Rachel disagrees, he will lower the gun if they have a high relationship, but will try to shoot vice versa. Should Rachel successfully disarm Jason, they will argue about the situation.
If Rachel cocoons herself and dumped both Eric and Nick, she will share her lasts moments with Jason, either making him promise to kill all of the vampires or to make it back safe and let the world know.
- Jason doesn't listen to Rachel's plea to spare her and attempts to shoot her.
- Jason listens to Rachel's plea to spare her and lowers his gun.
Nick[]
Main article: Nick and Rachel
After Rachel was estranged from her husband, Eric, the two started dating in secret, three weeks prior to the game. Nick admits that their new relationship has lifted him out of the grief caused by the checkpoint incident. Nick is not comfortable keeping Eric in the dark about the situation and presses her to tell him. Rachel can ask him to put their relationship "on ice" or promise to tell Eric soon.
The trio will be together for a large amount of the game, and decisions made during this segment will affect whether Rachel chooses to get back with Eric, stay with Nick or dump them both.
If the three are still alive in the medical bay, Nick can insist that Rachel tell Eric right there and then. If it is just Nick and Rachel, he will insist on knowing where they stand. Rachel will make her decision at this point.
If Rachel dumps Nick, she will maintain her distance from him from that point onward – Nick can ask to talk, and Rachel will refuse.
- After the encounter with the Ancient One, Nick acts annoyed towards Rachel for the relationship situation they are in and demands a clear answer.
- Rachel dumps Nick.
- Rachel chooses Nick as her lover (the relationship stat between them needs to be higher than Eric and Rachel).
- Rachel shares a last kiss with Nick before being cocooned (Eric must not know how to use the UV wand for this to happen).
Clarice[]
Rachel and Clarice are the only women deployed on the mission. While the pair have different backgrounds, Rachel recognises that they're the same in that they're willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. Apart from that, they have quite incompatible personalities bound to create conflict: Rachel is distant and cold while Clarice is straightforward and provocative. Their encounters and the actions that follow can impact the lives of Rachel and her comrades. Depending on the player's actions, their relationship can be friendly and supportive or distant and cold.
Trivia[]
Playability[]
- Rachel is the second least playable protagonist, having 9 playable chapters in total.
- Rachel has 6 official playable chapters in Theatrical Cut, that being one in The Temple, Bloodbath, The Assault, The Horror, Strange Aeons, and Daylight.
- Rachel has 7 official playable chapters in Curator's Cut, that being one in The Briefing, Breaking Up, Bloodbath, The Assault, The Horror, The Ancient One, and Daylight.
- Rachel appears in 15 chapters.
- Rachel can replace Nick in The Ancient One if Eric is dead.
Pictures[]
See also: Category:Pictures found by Rachel
- Rachel is tied with Eric for finding the least pictures, with 2.
- Rachel can find 1 white picture and 1 gold picture.
- Rachel appears in 4 pictures: Rope, Disarmed, Fallen, and Tripwire.
- Rachel and Brad are the only protagonists in the anthology who cannot find a black picture.
Secrets[]
See also: Category:Secrets found by Rachel
- Rachel can find the second most secrets, with 17.
- Only Rachel can find Plastic ID Card, Ancient Helmet, Randolph's Journal - Part 5, and Science Notes.
Facts[]
- Rachel, along with Fliss and Salim, are the only protagonists in the anthology who can speak languages other than English. In Rachel's case, she can speak Arabic, as shown when speaking to Salim, Dar, and the shepherds.
Deaths[]
- Rachel is the second protagonist who can die, starting with The Assault.
- Rachel is tied with Eric for having the most deaths (with 10) and has the second most chapters to die in (with 6).
Other[]
- Rachel is the face of House of Ashes' cover.
- As such, her model is never reused in the anthology.
- This also makes Rachel the first female character to appear as the main logo on a cover for one of The Dark Pictures Anthology's installments.
- Rachel is the only female protagonist in the game.
- Rachel is the only protagonist who can't sustain an injury.
Trophies[]
- Rachel has 10 trophies associated with her:
- She shares with other protagonists the trophies "Golden Path" and "Six Minutes of Night".
- She shares with Eric and Nick the trophies "Let Me Have a Go!" and "Climbing out of Hell".
- She shares with Eric the trophies "Double Tap", "The Thing", and "Until Death Do Us Part".
- Her personal trophies are "Chekhov's Gun", "Lost in Time'", and "Vision of the Past".
Quotes[]
| “ | Eric: I recalled a certain somebody saying that she wanted to go ice climbing. Rachel: Ice climbing is... relaxing. |
” |
| “ | Again?! Jesus, Eric... How many times? This is me! This is my way of dealing with it and I'm done trying to explain it to you. Yes! Yes, this is my life and I'll live it on my terms! Wait, wha- what did you just said?!
|
” |
| “ | What's up, Marine? Can't you keep up?
|
” |
| “ | Rachel: We met back at the academy. You know the type. Joined at the hip. Eyes only for each other. Hand-in-hand ready to take on the world. Joey: Yeah that does sound pretty pathetic. Rachel: After his accident, Eric spent every second working on Caelus. For me, Langley came calling. And life, as it does, had different paths for us. Joey: Until now, huh? |
” |
| “ | If these are civilians, Lieutenant Kolchek, then you just killed an innocent man.
|
” |
| “ | He may be right. If these are civilians, Lieutenant Kolchek made the right call not to go in guns blazing.
|
” |
| “ | Rachel: What happened here? He doesn't look like a hostile. Jason: With all due respect but, you weren't there and I ain't taking no chances. Rachel: Well that's just great. Jason: It is what it is. Rachel: No, Lieutenant. It's not! You killed a man. But maybe we can use this to our advantage. |
” |
| “ | <In Arabic> I represent the government of the United States of America. You're in deep shit, and it's important you tell me the truth. Where is the entrance to the silo?
|
” |
| “ | Rachel: It's Pazuzu. Eric: Pazu-who? Rachel: Pazuzu. Do you not watch horror movies? Eric: You should know the answer to that. |
” |
| “ | Queen Bitch, huh? Sounds about right. Someone's got to wear the crown.
|
” |
| “ | Rachel: It's not easy being Queen Bitch. You think I got where I am with a soft word and a warm smile? Clarice: And here's me thinking you Langley types grew up on Easy Street. Rachel: Easy Street? I had to graft to get here. You think it bothers me what people call me? I wear that shit like a fucking badge of honor. They have no idea the shithill I've climbed to just get where I am right now. |
” |
| “ | You and I... we're not so different. We're both doing what needed to be done to get where we wanted to be. No shame in that.
|
” |
| “ | You answer to my orders.
|
” |
| “ | Nick: It's gotta be this way. We have to leave her behind. Rachel: Bullshit. I'm not carrying that on my conscience. Nick: You're gonna carry a whole lot more if she turns. Think Rachel! |
” |
| “ | I... I thought you were gone. I panicked.
|
” |
| “ | I don't need anyone's help to climb out of this hell.
|
” |
| “ | You better not be thinking about helping the bastard who killed Eric. Let him rot.
|
” |
| “ | Fucker deserved worse.
|
” |
| “ | Rachel: I never stopped loving you. Eric: I never stopped loving you... |
” |
| “ | I am not being fucking cocooned!
|
” |
| “ | Rachel: Nick... I love you, Marine. Nick: You do? I love you too. |
” |
| “ | Do whatever it takes to get to safety. The world needs to know what happened down here.
|
” |
| “ | Miller: It's nothing short of a miracle that you survived down there. Rachel: I learned not to rely on anybody but myself. I was stronger than them all. |
” |
| “ | I'm telling you, when the Queen Bitch finds out about this. She's gonna flip her shit.
|
” |
| “ | Eric: So she's the "Queen Bitch" now? She's gone up in the world. Jason: If it helps, we like to think it as a term of endearment. |
” |
| “ | I wanna apologize. We should've been more alert back there. It won't happen again. But seriously though, some damn good shooting. I owe you one.
|
” |
| “ | Eric: You're quite the expert on history. I didn't realize. Rachel: Maybe you don't know me as well as you think. |
” |
| “ | Poor Rachel has been lost to the darkness. Bonds that were once thought unbreakable has now been cut free. The heart is always the first to fall... And there are always unexpected casualties with any separation.
|
” |
| “ | You're a real hard-ass. I think, in time, I might even start to like you.
|
” |
| “ | Rachel: I think right now, we should focus on survival. Clarice: No wonder they call you the Queen Bitch. Sad thing is, you don't even see it. Rachel: See what exactly? Clarice: You don't let anyone in. It's like there's a wall around you. No, not... not even a wall, a mountain. Tell me Rachel, is there even a real person behind there? |
” |
| “ | Yeah, you really are the Queen Bitch. I should get my head checked for fucking with you.
|
” |
| “ | Rachel, wait... I'm sorry. You were always better at changing this thing than I was.
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” |
| “ | She did everything to keep Clarice alive. Look where it got her.
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” |
| “ | Long live the queen.
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” |
| “ | As for Rachel.. you kept her from falling into the darkness after all. She had to dig deeper than most to survive. 'That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.' Words to live by.
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” |
| “ | Interrogator: After all, you left your wife back there. Eric: It wasn't like that! She was infected. Whatever it was, it consumed her. She was turning into one of those things. |
” |
| “ | She was infected. Her comrades had no choice but to...
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” |
| “ | Miller: You read her profile? Brooks: Yeah. She could've gone far... If this hadn't happened. |
” |
Gallery
References[]
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