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countryclub2021-10-25 04:09 pm
reddosmod) wrote in countryclub2021-10-25 04:09 pm
Entry tags:
October 2021 Test Drive Meme
OCTOBER 2021 TEST DRIVE MEME
STANDARD ARRIVAL
WHEN THEY WALK
WHAT THEY BROUGHT
CODING
Another month, another test drive meme! Our test drive memes are open to anyone interested - regardless of whether or not you join our game!
All Test Drive Memes are game canon. Players can choose to keep their TDM threads canon or not. TDM threads can be used for AC and can be used as your writing sample for your application.
Our TDMs serve as a way to build into the actual lore and worldbuilding of Deer Country and we strongly encourage everyone to enjoy and participate! Current players are always welcome to pull prompts from the TDM to reference on the Network or bring into logs as well as tag out to new characters top-leveling on the TDM itself.
Characters will always be able to actively die during TDMs as this is an extremely dangerous world. You can still have this be game canon! Check out how character death in Deer Country works here.
If you have any questions about the TDM, please ask down below!
IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: Goths hissing at the camera on the beach surrounded by spooky decor.]
[Image Two: Kneading dough with flour.]
Prompt Two
[Image One: Gray tower along beach shores.]
[Image Two: Gray tower along beach shores standing up out of the water with spindly legs.]
Prompt Three
[Image One: Shark with centipede-like legs attached to stomach crashing into a wall.]
[Image Two: Various fish with centipede-like legs attached to their stomachs running in a frenzied herd among streets while people observe.]
All Test Drive Memes are game canon. Players can choose to keep their TDM threads canon or not. TDM threads can be used for AC and can be used as your writing sample for your application.
Our TDMs serve as a way to build into the actual lore and worldbuilding of Deer Country and we strongly encourage everyone to enjoy and participate! Current players are always welcome to pull prompts from the TDM to reference on the Network or bring into logs as well as tag out to new characters top-leveling on the TDM itself.
Characters will always be able to actively die during TDMs as this is an extremely dangerous world. You can still have this be game canon! Check out how character death in Deer Country works here.
If you have any questions about the TDM, please ask down below!
Prompt One
[Image One: Goths hissing at the camera on the beach surrounded by spooky decor.]
[Image Two: Kneading dough with flour.]
Prompt Two
[Image One: Gray tower along beach shores.]
[Image Two: Gray tower along beach shores standing up out of the water with spindly legs.]
Prompt Three
[Image One: Shark with centipede-like legs attached to stomach crashing into a wall.]
[Image Two: Various fish with centipede-like legs attached to their stomachs running in a frenzied herd among streets while people observe.]
WHEN: End of October to mid November
WHERE: The Farther Shores/The Boardwalk
CONTENT WARNINGS: Vague implication of food shortages.
WHERE: The Farther Shores/The Boardwalk
CONTENT WARNINGS: Vague implication of food shortages.
You're one of the lucky ones. Your journey is smooth sailing and you wind up exactly where you're supposed to: on the Farther Shores. You grow out of your squid body without a hitch, either with the help of another Sleeper or one of the Wakers, and you get to discover this new world. All new Sleepers might take some time to find their bearings. It might be tricky to remember how to use your body parts the way you're supposed to. You might stumble around the beach or forget how to talk - but don't worry! It'll come back to you sooner or later.
Hopefully, you've found something to wear, either in your Welcoming Bag or otherwise, and can start familiarizing yourself with your surroundings. Maybe you help some other squids out on the beach. Waking up sucks! You feel for the little guys. And hey, maybe you're hoping one of those squids is a good friend...Stranger things have happened.
SEASONAL DETAILS ON THE BOARDWALK
This is not the greatest month to wash up on the Farther Shores. It's November and you'll pretty much immediately hate it! The waters are frigid but not quite frozen yet, but that won't make your arrival any less uncomfortable. Thankfully the Boardwalk seems well-stocked with heavy blankets and furs to give to newly awakened Sleepers. Barrels of hot chocolate and hot alcoholic cider are readily available to warm people up. There are several stalls selling hearty soups willed with mushrooms, potatoes, beans, and other filling components.
Fresh baked bread and pastries are sold on wax paper. Enjoy a steaming cinnamon roll or croissant or just your standard bread and butter. Many bakers have set up temporary stoves and seem to invite teaching Sleepers how to cook and prepare bread and pastries. Maybe knead some dough, learn some tricks of the trade. If you help out ab baker, they might even thank you with a sack of flour or other ingredients for bread!
The beach is filled with long tables with benches to seat large groups of people. Food has been gathered on the tables and it doesn't take much to be welcome to one of these groups. You will begin to hear some of the locals talk about The Tower:
"They say all of Trench is his body."
"That's absurd. We'd know if we're living in a Pthumerian."
"I'm just telling you what I've heard. Don't you think it's suspicious that sometimes we open one door and wind up on the other side of town? It's like he's playing with us all of the time..."
"Shh. He might hear you."
The locals don't seem to want to expand too much on the subject, instead looking uncomfortable to have been caught talking about it at all.
Locals will focus instead on warning you to keep your food well-stocked for the upcoming months. "Don't worry...You'll have plenty of time. The Forager's Festival is coming up, after all!"
Hopefully, you've found something to wear, either in your Welcoming Bag or otherwise, and can start familiarizing yourself with your surroundings. Maybe you help some other squids out on the beach. Waking up sucks! You feel for the little guys. And hey, maybe you're hoping one of those squids is a good friend...Stranger things have happened.
This is not the greatest month to wash up on the Farther Shores. It's November and you'll pretty much immediately hate it! The waters are frigid but not quite frozen yet, but that won't make your arrival any less uncomfortable. Thankfully the Boardwalk seems well-stocked with heavy blankets and furs to give to newly awakened Sleepers. Barrels of hot chocolate and hot alcoholic cider are readily available to warm people up. There are several stalls selling hearty soups willed with mushrooms, potatoes, beans, and other filling components.
Fresh baked bread and pastries are sold on wax paper. Enjoy a steaming cinnamon roll or croissant or just your standard bread and butter. Many bakers have set up temporary stoves and seem to invite teaching Sleepers how to cook and prepare bread and pastries. Maybe knead some dough, learn some tricks of the trade. If you help out ab baker, they might even thank you with a sack of flour or other ingredients for bread!
The beach is filled with long tables with benches to seat large groups of people. Food has been gathered on the tables and it doesn't take much to be welcome to one of these groups. You will begin to hear some of the locals talk about The Tower:
"They say all of Trench is his body."
"That's absurd. We'd know if we're living in a Pthumerian."
"I'm just telling you what I've heard. Don't you think it's suspicious that sometimes we open one door and wind up on the other side of town? It's like he's playing with us all of the time..."
"Shh. He might hear you."
The locals don't seem to want to expand too much on the subject, instead looking uncomfortable to have been caught talking about it at all.
Locals will focus instead on warning you to keep your food well-stocked for the upcoming months. "Don't worry...You'll have plenty of time. The Forager's Festival is coming up, after all!"
WHEN: These Towers will randomly appear on the beach sporadically year round. Sometimes they are easy to find, but there will be weeks or even months where they might not appear at all.
WHERE: UNKNOWN
CONTENT WARNINGS: Forced dimensional warping, Lovecraftian horror, existential dread
WHERE: UNKNOWN
CONTENT WARNINGS: Forced dimensional warping, Lovecraftian horror, existential dread
You hear and feel them before you really see them. There are tremors on the beach, making the sand quiver. You hear some low, deep moaning that makes you wonder if something is about to fall. When you start to investigate, you will find massive stone structures towards the further ends of the beach, away from the Boardwalk. Had these always been here? Surely you couldn't have missed seeing them before. They're huge and looked more ancient than most of Trench.
The Towers are covered in ancient and indecipherable runes. As you approach, you get the distinct feeling of being watched, observed. But you see no windows on these stone Towers. It's impossible to look away from them once you've started. You find yourself rooted to the spot, and more appear, slowly, but you don't remember seeing them before either. Look back towards the Boardwalk, and it's no longer there. Trench is no longer there. You're on an infinite beach. Black sands for endless miles, and the Towers sitting among the waves, watching, waiting.
Then there is another. Another Sleeper washed up on the shores just like you, or perhaps a Sleeper who happened to wander into the Tower's gaze around the same time. It's not until you start actually interacting with the other Sleeper that the Towers begin to react. You can see some of the further Towers begin to move through the water, though you can't imagine how that's possible, but the Towers respond directly to Sleepers interacting with one another. The more you communicate (with words or otherwise), the more they may move.
It isn't until the stakes are raised in your conversation that they really begin to react. Meaning, you wind up on a more serious subject, a more honest conversation, or something close to vulnerability even if you lie about it. As soon as the conversation hits an emotional stride, the Towers begin to migrate out of the water. Massive spindly legs swing slowly through the air, bringing the Towers up above waves and show that maybe they aren't just Towers at all. They may look like stone towers, but their legs are flesh and blood, glistening with scales. As they walk onto the beach, the earth quakes beneath you. You see bizarre creatures scuttling along their bellies before dropping off in to the ocean - was that a shark with legs? No, no, what's happening?
If you try fighting these behemoths, you will find that they are completely impenetrable, no matter what blood type you have or the abilities you possess. These are true immortals, but they do not seem interested in hurting you. They don't even seem to be aware of you beyond whatever energy your emotions are giving off. Eventually, you will realize that controlling your emotions, your conversation is as good as controlling the Towers. More positive conversations will push them back into the ocean and slowly bring you back to Trench's regular beach. But a negative conversation will draw the Towers to the beach, and if you're really unlucky, they might just accidentally trample you to death or you may be lost to this bizarre beach void indefinitely.
The Towers are covered in ancient and indecipherable runes. As you approach, you get the distinct feeling of being watched, observed. But you see no windows on these stone Towers. It's impossible to look away from them once you've started. You find yourself rooted to the spot, and more appear, slowly, but you don't remember seeing them before either. Look back towards the Boardwalk, and it's no longer there. Trench is no longer there. You're on an infinite beach. Black sands for endless miles, and the Towers sitting among the waves, watching, waiting.
Then there is another. Another Sleeper washed up on the shores just like you, or perhaps a Sleeper who happened to wander into the Tower's gaze around the same time. It's not until you start actually interacting with the other Sleeper that the Towers begin to react. You can see some of the further Towers begin to move through the water, though you can't imagine how that's possible, but the Towers respond directly to Sleepers interacting with one another. The more you communicate (with words or otherwise), the more they may move.
It isn't until the stakes are raised in your conversation that they really begin to react. Meaning, you wind up on a more serious subject, a more honest conversation, or something close to vulnerability even if you lie about it. As soon as the conversation hits an emotional stride, the Towers begin to migrate out of the water. Massive spindly legs swing slowly through the air, bringing the Towers up above waves and show that maybe they aren't just Towers at all. They may look like stone towers, but their legs are flesh and blood, glistening with scales. As they walk onto the beach, the earth quakes beneath you. You see bizarre creatures scuttling along their bellies before dropping off in to the ocean - was that a shark with legs? No, no, what's happening?
If you try fighting these behemoths, you will find that they are completely impenetrable, no matter what blood type you have or the abilities you possess. These are true immortals, but they do not seem interested in hurting you. They don't even seem to be aware of you beyond whatever energy your emotions are giving off. Eventually, you will realize that controlling your emotions, your conversation is as good as controlling the Towers. More positive conversations will push them back into the ocean and slowly bring you back to Trench's regular beach. But a negative conversation will draw the Towers to the beach, and if you're really unlucky, they might just accidentally trample you to death or you may be lost to this bizarre beach void indefinitely.
WHEN: Usually happens between seasonal shifts in Trench
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: Parasitic horror, rotting bodies, animated corpses (mostly sea creatures), holes in skin.
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: Parasitic horror, rotting bodies, animated corpses (mostly sea creatures), holes in skin.
You smell them long before you see them. A foul stench falls across Trench as the seasons begin to change from Blood to Bone. The putrid odor of corpses fills the streets, the odor stronger in some areas than others. You eventually see the source: fish.
Or what used to be fish, anyway. An unusual parasite native to Trench will bury itself into fish in the ocean and grow across their stomaches, eventually sprouting legs and taking the life energy of its host to generate movement. These parasitic corpses will then flee the ocean and rush inland so that the parasite can find bigger, juicier hosts. The parasites cling to small fish at first but don't be shocked if you see massive sharks crawling through the streets. Although the fish are already dead, the parasite generates movement to replicate how the fish might have behaved when it was alive. For a tuna, that's pretty harmless. But for a shark? Yeah, watch out.
The trick to killing these parasites is completely ripping them off their current host and destroying them. It's foul work since most of the corpses the parasites cling to are ready to burst with rot. This only attracts more parasites to the area. If you're extremely unlucky, these parasites might cling to you. You don't die immediately. They burrow into your skin and slowly begin to take over the motions of your own body. You can be saved from this, but you'll be left with some pretty gruesome holes in your body from their entry point.
The parasite exists as all parasites exist - it simply wants to feed off the energy of others. They seem to hunt down Sleepers above all else and the reason's obvious: the blood is far richer in nutrients than the blood of a common sea sponge. No wonder they rush out of the ocean. These sea parasites become weakest during the shift of seasons which is exactly why you're more likely to see them in the streets during those times of the year. Thankfully, once they have found enough hosts, they usually go back to the ocean and leave Trench alone for a few months. Many of them never find new hosts and will die in the streets of Trench. Which creates some really foul blood pollution that's best cleaned up by burning the bodies.
The sea parasites will only attempt to attach to any living host. While they do aim for Sleepers, they will also attach themselves to other animals and humans. Some might even attach themselves to beasts - and that's when you're really screwed. Let's just pray it doesn't come to that.
Or what used to be fish, anyway. An unusual parasite native to Trench will bury itself into fish in the ocean and grow across their stomaches, eventually sprouting legs and taking the life energy of its host to generate movement. These parasitic corpses will then flee the ocean and rush inland so that the parasite can find bigger, juicier hosts. The parasites cling to small fish at first but don't be shocked if you see massive sharks crawling through the streets. Although the fish are already dead, the parasite generates movement to replicate how the fish might have behaved when it was alive. For a tuna, that's pretty harmless. But for a shark? Yeah, watch out.
The trick to killing these parasites is completely ripping them off their current host and destroying them. It's foul work since most of the corpses the parasites cling to are ready to burst with rot. This only attracts more parasites to the area. If you're extremely unlucky, these parasites might cling to you. You don't die immediately. They burrow into your skin and slowly begin to take over the motions of your own body. You can be saved from this, but you'll be left with some pretty gruesome holes in your body from their entry point.
The parasite exists as all parasites exist - it simply wants to feed off the energy of others. They seem to hunt down Sleepers above all else and the reason's obvious: the blood is far richer in nutrients than the blood of a common sea sponge. No wonder they rush out of the ocean. These sea parasites become weakest during the shift of seasons which is exactly why you're more likely to see them in the streets during those times of the year. Thankfully, once they have found enough hosts, they usually go back to the ocean and leave Trench alone for a few months. Many of them never find new hosts and will die in the streets of Trench. Which creates some really foul blood pollution that's best cleaned up by burning the bodies.
The sea parasites will only attempt to attach to any living host. While they do aim for Sleepers, they will also attach themselves to other animals and humans. Some might even attach themselves to beasts - and that's when you're really screwed. Let's just pray it doesn't come to that.
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"They've been acting weird since I got here. I dunno what's up with them," he answers with a little shrug. Well. They've been acting weird since they found out he was here, anyway. Same thing. "Vyng said they were okay, just happy to see me. They need no sympathy."
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"It even rhymes this time. Nice! I need to write this down." His hands check the waistline of his loincloth, but there's nothing on him that'll do the trick. "Shiro, where the fuck do you keep your paper?"
He doesn't wait for Shiro to show him. He's off looking around the home that the other man has made for himself.
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"He's fine."
And then his gaze shifts to the boy being held out to him like a cat. Vyng's chest swells with a profound relief and happiness he hasn't felt in years. Suddenly, he scoops Billie's warm, fuzzy form into his arms and holds the boy close.
"Buddy...!" His exclamation is punctuated by a tight squeeze. "I'm sorry we took you out into the cold like that. It's just...it's been so long. We couldn't believe our own eyes. We needed a second opinion from somebody who's actually smart."
The full implications of Billie's arrival hasn't sunk in. More than anything, though, Vyng is elated to hold him again.
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Just in case someone huge and loincloth-wearing barges into rooms best left alone. Or catches the bad side of a housecat. Or an actual lion.
Shiro's usually much sharper on the uptake than this. His brain didn't know what to do with his door suddenly being kicked in, with his friends suddenly there and holding...
Oh.
"You... that's him!"
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Today has been confusing, but it looks like the weirdness from his dads will stop now that they've been reassured that he's here and he's real and he wraps his arms back around Vyng's neck.
"It's okay," but he's starting to put together that he must have been gone longer than it seems. If it had only been one day, they would have been worried, sure, but not dragging him off to confirm with someone else that he's real.
He glances over his shoulder at Shiro as he puts the pieces together - so Shiro's heard about him, but he sure hasn't heard about Shiro. Is this some weird got trapped in the spirit world for months, but it only felt like a couple days sort of thing?
"I dreamed I was a squid." No, no, that's not right. It makes more sense than being a squid - he's not a shapeshifter, but it sure feels like more than a dream. He looks back to Vyng. "Was I a squid?"
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"Yeah, you were, Billie! We all were," he mentions to his son before he wraps his big arms around Vyng and the little munchkin clinging to his neck. They'll be like this for awhile, Shiro. "Augh, you still smell like squid, Billie. Fuck."
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As Tuck moves in for a hug, Vyng turns to look at the man they forced into hosting this surprise family reunion. But instead of speaking for Billie, he looks back down at the copper-haired, rosy-cheeked bundle in his arms.
"This is Shiro," he explains. "He's a good man. You can trust him. He's got a cat."
(Which sums up the most important details, clearly.)
"Would you like to introduce yourself, Billo?" Vyng gently adds.
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Because what else is he going to do when his friends have kicked in his door, wandered all over the house and brought their kid in? Just to confirm whether or not said kid is a hallucination.
He'd feel more self-conscious about not having a shirt on in front of company if, you know, one of them weren't wandering around in nothing but his
buttflaploincloth.So, waving it is.
"Did you guys really just... come to make sure he was real?"
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He squirms in Vyng's arms so he can hug Tuck as well and looks over his shoulder at Shiro. He suddenly feels a little shy, being asked to introduce himself, but he gives a little wave. "I'm Fat Billie. Can I meet your cat?"
Priorities.
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It shouldn't need spelling out. They're dumb. They need someone outside their idiocy to vet the situation.
"Yeah, I wanna meet your cat, too!" Billie isn't the only child in this room.
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"Oh, Orrrreeooooos! Darling, could you please come here? My friends wish to shower you with pets and adoration!"
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Shiro tries to say. To greet the kid, but, of course, he doesn't really get that much out as soon as the shouting starts. And the meowing. So he just closes his mouth. Sighs. And lets this happen.
As a little tuxedo cat comes trotting into view from down the hall, tail held high, head in the air.
Leading... a lioness.
Granted, it's Shiro's Omen, but he hadn't really realized she was out and about when he'd come sprinting to see who kicked in his door.
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"Whoa! You've got a lion? That's so cool! What're their names?"
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At the same time, he gently peels himself from the hug and crouches down so Billie can get a better look at the animals — or even hop off, if he so chooses. Although he doesn't say anything else, there's a serene expression on his face. His family is together, and Vyng wears the chaos like a comfy sweater.
Sorry, Shiro. This is what your evening has turned into.
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"I didn't choose her. I didn't even know I had her until I needed help."
Why is this happening. Why is he getting invaded by well-meaning friends at this hour?
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"What's an Omen?" He glances between Tuck and Shiro, then at the lion. He absolutely needs to make friends with her too, so he holds his hand out and tries to call her over. "Pspspsps..."
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"You remember that, uh, koi fish that led us around in the spirit world when Vyng died? 'member that?" he asks Billie, glossing over the tragic demise of their best friend. But it was, like, season four, so who even feels sad anymore. "It's like that, but less disturbing. A lot stupider, though."
At least for Tuck it is.
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Yeah, he died once. Vyng still feels sad about it sometimes. But it happened, it's over now, and there's no reason to dwell on it anymore. None whatsoever. Nope.
"I'm sure yours isn't stupid at all," he (un)helpfully adds with a quiet smile.
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Shiro is just going to pull out a stool at the counter.
And sit the %$#@ down for a minute.
Did that mean he was dead back home? Did he stay dead? His friend died?
Give him a second here, guys.
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Okay, so Koi might not have been the most helpful guide through the Spirit World, and yeah, things got a little extra weird when Perell took over, but maybe that meant it could be shapeshifty and not need water?
"So yours is a lion," Shiro takes a seat, and Billie figures it's just because his legs must be tired from standing. He's completely oblivious to the shock over Vyng's death, sorry.
Then he looks to Tuck. "Yours is the koi." He really doesn't mean that to sound like a comparison of which one is cooler. Oops.
Then he turns his attention to Vyng. "What's yours?"
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Honestly? Koi might be cooler than the water hound he's got. That doofy-looking mutt swims through the air like a fuzzy meat torpedo! And its dumb bulging eyes! Don't even get him started! He doesn't even want to talk about it. It's better to dramatically toss his head to the side instead and furrow his brow with a—
"Shiro. Why the fuck aren't you blinking?" he asks with his usual blunt manner, which sounds more like a demand than a question.
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"My omen's uh..." Hm. Vyng squints in thought. "A lot of things. People at the local Sanctuary call it a 'whatever'. But it's closer to a chimera-bird, I guess. It's got horns that change with the seasons."
At Tuck's aggressive question, Vyng finally shifts his attention over to Shiro again. Poor dude looks like he just had the rug ripped out from under him. Did they say something wrong?
"I think we broke him, guys," he quietly says to the other two.
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I think we broke him
Maybe.
Maybe this is the tipping point. Maybe this is the final straw in his sanity. Finding out someone else is potentially dead back home? Great. Perfect. This is fine. He's totally fine with this. He could clarify, but honestly, finding out his assumption is right sounds worse than sitting here in suspense.
"I'm fine," he says, a little too sharply. His voice climbing a little on the last word.
The look on his Omen's face says otherwise, though.
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He waddles over to where Shiro is seated and points back at Vyng. "It's okay. We got him back. See? He's right there! Totally not dead. We just had to go find him again in the spirit world."
No big deal, right?
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