Lectern

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Lectern
Item description‌[BE only] Display books
Renewable Yes
Stackable Yes (64)
Tool
Blast resistance 2.5
Hardness 2.5
Luminous No
Transparent JE: No
BE: Yes
Waterloggable JE: No
BE: Yes
Flammable Yes (30)
Catches fire
from lava
Yes
Map color
 13 WOOD
Note block instrument Bass

A lectern is a block used to display a book and quill or written book for reading. Turning a page triggers a redstone pulse. It also serves as a librarian's job site block.

Obtaining

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Breaking

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Lecterns can be broken with any tool, but an axe is the fastest. Lecterns drop themselves and the book they are holding.

Block Lectern
Hardness 2.5
Tool
Breaking time (sec)[A]
Default 3.75 (JE)
3.75 (BE)
ItemSprite wooden-axe.png: Sprite image for wooden-axe in MinecraftWooden 1.9 (JE)
1.9 (BE)
ItemSprite stone-axe.png: Sprite image for stone-axe in MinecraftStone 0.95 (JE)
0.95 (BE)
ItemSprite copper-axe.png: Sprite image for copper-axe in MinecraftCopper 0.75 (JE)
0.75 (BE)
ItemSprite iron-axe.png: Sprite image for iron-axe in MinecraftIron 0.65 (JE)
0.65 (BE)
ItemSprite diamond-axe.png: Sprite image for diamond-axe in MinecraftDiamond 0.5 (JE)
0.5 (BE)
ItemSprite netherite-axe.png: Sprite image for netherite-axe in MinecraftNetherite 0.45 (JE)
0.45 (BE)
ItemSprite golden-axe.png: Sprite image for golden-axe in MinecraftGolden 0.35 (JE)
0.35 (BE)
Legend
  • incorrect tool, drops nothing
  • correct tool, drops nothing or something other than the block itself
  • correct tool, drops the block itself
  • italicized can be instant mined
  1. ↑ These durations ignore any other influential factors (e.g., Mining Fatigue) and are measured in seconds. For more information, see Breaking § Mining efficiency.

Natural generation

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Empty lecterns can generate naturally in village libraries, up to two for some library variants.

One lectern generates as part of each ancient city, in the secret room at the city center.

Crafting

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Ingredients Crafting recipe
Any Wooden Slab +
Bookshelf
Invicon Oak Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Oak Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Oak Slab with description: Oak SlabInvicon Spruce Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Spruce Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Spruce Slab with description: Spruce SlabInvicon Birch Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Birch Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Birch Slab with description: Birch SlabInvicon Jungle Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Jungle Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Jungle Slab with description: Jungle SlabInvicon Acacia Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Acacia Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Acacia Slab with description: Acacia SlabInvicon Dark Oak Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Dark Oak Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Dark Oak Slab with description: Dark Oak SlabInvicon Mangrove Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Mangrove Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Mangrove Slab with description: Mangrove SlabInvicon Cherry Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Cherry Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Cherry Slab with description: Cherry SlabInvicon Pale Oak Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Pale Oak Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Pale Oak Slab with description: Pale Oak SlabInvicon Poplar Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Poplar Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Poplar Slab with description: Poplar SlabInvicon Bamboo Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Bamboo Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Bamboo Slab with description: Bamboo SlabInvicon Crimson Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Crimson Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Crimson Slab with description: Crimson SlabInvicon Warped Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Warped Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Warped Slab with description: Warped SlabInvicon Oak Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Oak Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Oak Slab with description: Oak SlabInvicon Spruce Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Spruce Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Spruce Slab with description: Spruce SlabInvicon Birch Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Birch Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Birch Slab with description: Birch SlabInvicon Jungle Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Jungle Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Jungle Slab with description: Jungle SlabInvicon Acacia Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Acacia Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Acacia Slab with description: Acacia SlabInvicon Dark Oak Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Dark Oak Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Dark Oak Slab with description: Dark Oak SlabInvicon Mangrove Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Mangrove Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Mangrove Slab with description: Mangrove SlabInvicon Cherry Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Cherry Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Cherry Slab with description: Cherry SlabInvicon Pale Oak Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Pale Oak Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Pale Oak Slab with description: Pale Oak SlabInvicon Poplar Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Poplar Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Poplar Slab with description: Poplar SlabInvicon Bamboo Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Bamboo Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Bamboo Slab with description: Bamboo SlabInvicon Crimson Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Crimson Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Crimson Slab with description: Crimson SlabInvicon Warped Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Warped Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Warped Slab with description: Warped SlabInvicon Oak Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Oak Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Oak Slab with description: Oak SlabInvicon Spruce Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Spruce Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Spruce Slab with description: Spruce SlabInvicon Birch Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Birch Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Birch Slab with description: Birch SlabInvicon Jungle Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Jungle Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Jungle Slab with description: Jungle SlabInvicon Acacia Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Acacia Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Acacia Slab with description: Acacia SlabInvicon Dark Oak Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Dark Oak Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Dark Oak Slab with description: Dark Oak SlabInvicon Mangrove Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Mangrove Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Mangrove Slab with description: Mangrove SlabInvicon Cherry Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Cherry Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Cherry Slab with description: Cherry SlabInvicon Pale Oak Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Pale Oak Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Pale Oak Slab with description: Pale Oak SlabInvicon Poplar Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Poplar Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Poplar Slab with description: Poplar SlabInvicon Bamboo Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Bamboo Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Bamboo Slab with description: Bamboo SlabInvicon Crimson Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Crimson Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Crimson Slab with description: Crimson SlabInvicon Warped Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Warped Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Warped Slab with description: Warped SlabInvicon Bookshelf.png: Inventory sprite for Bookshelf in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Bookshelf with description: BookshelfInvicon Oak Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Oak Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Oak Slab with description: Oak SlabInvicon Spruce Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Spruce Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Spruce Slab with description: Spruce SlabInvicon Birch Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Birch Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Birch Slab with description: Birch SlabInvicon Jungle Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Jungle Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Jungle Slab with description: Jungle SlabInvicon Acacia Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Acacia Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Acacia Slab with description: Acacia SlabInvicon Dark Oak Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Dark Oak Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Dark Oak Slab with description: Dark Oak SlabInvicon Mangrove Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Mangrove Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Mangrove Slab with description: Mangrove SlabInvicon Cherry Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Cherry Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Cherry Slab with description: Cherry SlabInvicon Pale Oak Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Pale Oak Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Pale Oak Slab with description: Pale Oak SlabInvicon Poplar Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Poplar Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Poplar Slab with description: Poplar SlabInvicon Bamboo Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Bamboo Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Bamboo Slab with description: Bamboo SlabInvicon Crimson Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Crimson Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Crimson Slab with description: Crimson SlabInvicon Warped Slab.png: Inventory sprite for Warped Slab in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Warped Slab with description: Warped Slab
Invicon Lectern.png: Inventory sprite for Lectern in Minecraft as shown in-game with description: Lectern

Usage

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Lecterns are the job site block of librarian villagers.

Librarian villagers do not place books into lecterns. They only stare at the lectern from less than a block away as "working".

Holding books

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The UI when reading a book on a lectern.

Lecterns can also hold a single book and quill or written book that other players can read at the same time. Right-clicking an empty lectern with a book and quill or written book places it. Right-clicking a lectern that already has a book opens an interface to read the book. Books occupying a lectern can be retrieved through the interface,‌[Java Edition only] by punching the lectern,‌[Bedrock Edition only] or by destroying the lectern, even when the block_drops‌[JE only] or dotiledrops‌[BE only] game rule is false.

Lecterns cannot hold enchanted books or normal books. Instead, right-clicking the lectern with an enchanted book or a normal book does nothing and the book won't be placed.

Profession

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Main article: Job site block

If a lectern has not been claimed by a villager, any nearby unemployed villager (excluding nitwits) has a chance to change its profession to librarian and claim the lectern as its job site block.

Redstone signal

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Lecterns holding a book emit a full-strength redstone pulse that is 2 game ticks long when a page is turned. A redstone comparator also records book reading and sends a signal, depending on what page the player is currently on. Since Bedrock Edition displays two pages of the book at once, the same signal strength increments require double the number of pages.

Java Edition

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Lectern signal strength by currently open page (P) & total book pages (M) (In Java Edition)
P
M
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
15 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
14 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 15
13 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 12 13 15
12 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 15
11 1 2 3 5 6 8 9 10 12 13 15
10 1 2 4 5 7 8 10 11 13 15
9 1 2 4 6 8 9 11 13 15
8 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15
7 1 3 5 8 10 12 15
6 1 3 6 9 12 15
5 1 4 8 11 15
4 1 5 10 15
3 1 8 15
2 1 15
1 15

A book with only 1 page gives maximum signal strength, however page 1 always gives 1 signal strength if the book contains at least 2 pages.

To calculate the signal strength S of a book with more than 1 page, use the following formula:

S=⌊1+14(P−1)M−1⌋

Where ⌊⌋ is the "floor" operation (round down), M is the maximum number of pages the book on the lectern has, and P is the current page number the lectern is turned to.

This is most noticeable when a book has 2 pages where the signal strength is either 1 on page 1 or 15 on page 2.

A book that would step signal strength up or down in increments of 1 per page would be 15 pages long.

The following Python program prints all possible pairs of two values to achieve a certain signal strength, with the first being the page number to be on and the second being the total number of pages.

import math

S = int(input('Enter the target signal strength: '))  # Desired signal strength (1-15)
P = 1  # Actual page number
M = 2  # Max page number

while M < 25:
    while S != math.floor(1 + ((14 * (P - 1)) / (M - 1))):  # Strength formula
        if P == M:
            M += 1
            P = 0
        P += 1

    print('Possible combination (P / M):', P, "/", M)
    P += 1

Bedrock Edition

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Odd pages are not taken into account by the game when calculating the comparator output of a book; for example, a book with 9 pages has a signal strength of 15 when looking at either pages 7-8 or page 9. Books with 3 pages are treated the same as those with 1 or 2 pages (the same as how Java Edition would treat a book with just 1 page).

For books that are longer than 1 page, use the following formula to calculate the signal strength:

S=⌊1+14(P′)M′⌋

In this case M′ is the total amount of pages, if it's even—otherwise the total amount of pages minus one should be used instead. P′ is the number of the right page currently displayed on the book interface, if available—otherwise the number of the left page minus one should be used instead.

A book that steps signal strength up or down in increments of 1 per page turned must be exactly 30 pages long.

Lecterns can be used as fuel in furnaces to smelt 1.5 items.

Sounds

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Generic

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Java Edition:

BlockSprite oak-planks.png: Sprite image for oak-planks in Minecraft wood sound type
SoundClosed captionsSourceDescriptionIdentifierTranslation keyVolumePitchAttenuation
distance
​Block brokenBlocksOnce the block has brokenblock.wood.breaksubtitles.block.generic.break​1.00.816
​Block placed​[until: JE 26.4]BlocksWhen the block is placedblock.wood.placesubtitles.block.generic.place​1.00.816
​Block breakingBlocksWhile the block is in the process of being brokenblock.wood.hitsubtitles.block.generic.hit​0.250.516
​Something falls on a blockEntity-DependentFalling on the block with fall damageblock.wood.fallsubtitles.block.generic.fall​0.50.7516
​FootstepsEntity-DependentWalking on the blockblock.wood.stepsubtitles.block.generic.footsteps​0.151.016

Bedrock Edition:

BlockSprite oak-planks.png: Sprite image for oak-planks in Minecraft wood sound type
SoundClosed captionsSourceDescriptionIdentifierTranslation keyVolumePitch
​Block brokenBlocksOnce the block has brokendig.woodsubtitles.block.generic.break​1.00.8–1.0
​Block placedBlocksWhen the block is placedplace.woodsubtitles.block.generic.place​1.00.8
​Axe stripsBlocksWhen an axe strips a log or wood block [sound 1]use.woodsubtitles.block.generic.hit​1.00.8
​Block breakingBlocksWhile the block is in the process of being brokenhit.woodsubtitles.block.generic.hit​0.230.5
​FootstepsPlayersFalling on the block with fall damagefall.woodsubtitles.block.generic.footsteps​0.41.0
​FootstepsPlayersWalking on the blockstep.woodsubtitles.block.generic.footsteps​0.31.0
​FootstepsBlocksJumping from the blockjump.woodsubtitles.block.generic.footsteps​0.121.0
​FootstepsBlocksFalling on the block without fall damageland.woodsubtitles.block.generic.footsteps​0.181.0

Unique

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Java Edition

Sounds
SoundClosed captionsSourceDescriptionIdentifierTranslation keyVolumePitchAttenuation
distance
​Page rustlesBlocksWhen the page of a book is turneditem.book.page_turnsubtitles.item.book.page_turn​2.00.9–1.016
​Book thumpsBlocksWhen a book is placed on a lecternitem.book.putsubtitles.item.book.put​1.01.016
​Librarian worksFriendly MobsRandomly while a librarian is workingentity.villager.work_librariansubtitles.entity.villager.work_librarian​2.00.8–1.216

Bedrock Edition:

Sounds
SoundClosed captionsSourceDescriptionIdentifierTranslation keyVolumePitch
​ ?SoundWhen the page of a book is turneditem.book.page_turn​ ?2.01.0
​ ?BlocksWhen a book is placed on a lecternitem.book.put​ ?4.81.0
​ ?BlocksRandomly while a librarian is workingitem.book.put​ ?4.81.0

Data values

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Java Edition:

NameIdentifierForm Translation key
BlockSprite lectern.png: Sprite image for lectern in Minecraft LecternlecternBlock & Item block.minecraft.lectern
NameIdentifier
BlockSprite lectern.png: Sprite image for lectern in Minecraft Block entitylectern

Bedrock Edition:

NameIdentifierNumeric ID FormItem ID[i 1] Translation key
BlockSprite lectern.png: Sprite image for lectern in Minecraft Lecternlectern449Block & Giveable Item[i 2]Identical[i 3]
(Numeric: -194)
tile.lectern.name
  1. ↑ ID of block's direct item form, which is used in savegame files and addons.
  2. ↑ Available with /give command.
  3. ↑ The block's direct item form has the same ID as the block.
NameSavegame ID
BlockSprite lectern.png: Sprite image for lectern in Minecraft Block entityLectern

Block states

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See also: Block states

Java Edition:

Name Default value Allowed values Description
facingnortheast
north
south
west
The direction the lectern is facing.
The opposite from the direction the player faces while placing the lectern.
has_bookfalsefalse
true
If the lectern currently has a book.
poweredfalsefalse
true
If the lectern is currently outputting a redstone signal.

Bedrock Edition:

NameMetadata Bits Default value Allowed valuesValues for
Metadata Bits
Description
minecraft:cardinal_directionNot Supportedsoutheast
north
south
west
UnsupportedThe direction the lectern is facing.
The opposite from the direction the player faces while placing the lectern.
powered_bit0x4falsefalse
true
0
1
If the lectern is currently outputting a redstone signal.

Block data

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A lectern has a block entity associated with it that holds additional data about the block.

Java Edition:

  • [NBT Compound / JSON Object] Block entity data
    • Tags common to all block entities see Template:Nbt inherit/blockentity/template
    • [NBT Compound / JSON Object] Book: The book item, without the slot tag, currently on the lectern, may not exist.
    • [Int] Page: The page the book is currently on, starting from 0, does not exist if there's no book. Value is clamped between 0 and the last page - 1.

Bedrock Edition:

See Bedrock Edition level format/Block entity format.

History

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Development and announcement

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August 18, 2012 The lectern was an old project of Dinnerbone's. It was meant to be a stand for written books, so they could be easily read. He was well on his way to creating it when he encountered problems and scrapped the idea, but mentioned that he might pick up work on the lectern in the near future.
December 18, 2013 Dinnerbone states in his Reddit AMA that he has revisited lecterns, but scrapped them again as "something about them just didn't feel right".
October 18, 2018 Dinnerbone reveals that the lectern is once again in development.

Java Edition

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Java Edition
1.1418w44a Added lecterns.
Lecterns are currently obtainable only from the Creative inventory and have no functionality.
Lecterns currently have a BookItem field, which holds the book item to be displayed. However, this field cannot be set and is not written to the block entity.
There is a file lectern.png which has each texture of the lectern on a large sheet. However, this is unused, as separate files are also present.
18w45a The inventory icon of lecterns has been slightly changed from Invicon Lectern Revision 1.png: Sprite image for Lectern Revision 1 in Minecraft to Invicon Lectern.png: Sprite image for Lectern in Minecraft.
Removed the unused lectern.png file.
The texture of lecterns has now been changed.
The bottom texture of lecterns has been changed from to .
18w47a The bottom texture of lecterns has been changed, once again.
18w48a Lecterns now generate in the updated plains villages.
18w49a Lecterns now generate in the updated savanna villages and the new snowy tundra villages.
18w50a Lecterns now generate in the updated desert and taiga villages.
19w02a Lecterns now have a crafting recipe.
Lecterns can now be used to hold books.
Lecterns now emit a redstone pulse when a page is changed.
Lecterns now use the correct cullface argument for its bottom face.
? Lecterns now use some corrected side cullface arguments for the front and back of their base plate.
19w03a Certain blocks can no longer be supported by the top of a lectern.[1]
19w03c Lecterns now use correct cullface arguments on the left and right hand side of their base plate.
19w11a Lecterns now serve as librarian villagers' job site block.
1.1721w08a Lectern position within the Redstone tab has been moved out of the "essential" group in the Creative inventory.
21w11a Tweaked the lectern model.
1.18pre5 The base texture of lectern has now been changed.
1.1922w13a Lecterns now generate as part of ancient cities.

Bedrock Edition

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Bedrock Edition
1.10.0beta 1.10.0.3 Added lecterns.
1.11.0beta 1.11.0.1 Lecterns now emit a redstone pulse when a page is turned.
1.18.10beta 1.18.10.22 The base texture for lecterns has been changed.
1.20.30Preview 1.20.20.21 Increased the hardness and blast resistance of lecterns from 2 to 2.5.

PlayStation 4 Edition

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PlayStation 4 Edition
1.90 Added lecterns.
1.91 Lecterns now emit a redstone pulse when a page is turned.
Lecterns can now be moved by a piston.[is this the correct version?]

Data history

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Bedrock Edition
1.20.30Preview 1.20.30.20 Lecterns now use the minecraft:cardinal_direction block state instead of direction.

Issues

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Issues relating to "Lectern" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

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Renders

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Screenshots

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In other media

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References

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  1. ↑ MC-141991
  2. ↑ "sup" – @Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X (formerly Twitter), October 18, 2018
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