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October-November 2024 Test Drive Meme
October-November 2024 Test Drive
Introduction
Welcome to Folkmore's monthly Test Drive Meme! Please feel free to test drive any and all characters regardless of your intent to apply or whether you have an invite or not. All TDMs are game canon and work like "mini-events". For new players and characters, you can choose to have your TDM thread be your introduction thread upon acceptance or start fresh. Current players are also allowed to have in-game characters post to the TDM so long as they mark their top levels βCurrent Character.β
TDM threads can be used for spoon spending at any time by characters accepted into the game.
Playing and interacting with the TDMs will allow characters to immediately obtain canon items from homes especially weapons or other things they may have had on their person when they were pulled from their worlds! There will always be a prompt that provides some sort of "reward" to characters who complete certain tasks.
π¦ New Star Children meet the Fox still in their worlds, and she brings them into the new realm of Folkmore. As you follow her, your body begins to change and new characteristics emerge. These may stay for a while, or perhaps they will hide away after. And during all of this, the Fox explains to you where you will be going: to Folkmore. Then you fall like a shooting star, falling to the land in a burst of starlight.
π¦ Experienced Star Children are already familiar with this time of the month. There are shooting stars all across the sky, and some fall to the land, which means the Fox has brought new arrivals. These newly arrived Star Children will face some tests, but Thirteen wants the more seasoned residents to participate as well.
Content Warnings: Natural Disaster/Natural Disaster Relief
It seems as if the Star Children will be restricted to Amrita Academy forever, when nothing changes at the one month mark. Yet, after another week has stretched endlessly past, a morning dawns to show that the moat of Lorasses has vanished. The way is clear to discover what the chaotic storms have left behind.
Most of Folkmore's resident spirits return. Good thing Catbus is among them because the train is not operating. Debris litters the tracks throughout the land. Someone's going to have to work to clean all of that up before normal schedules can resume... within the first week or so, everyone fervently hopes.
That is far from the only wreckage from those storms. As Star Children have seen, even Amrita Academy hasn't really been spared; between the Lorasses moat and the various structures built to weather the storms, the past weeks have left a mark on the school.
The rest of Willow shows signs of extreme growth and age, as if decades, not weeks, have passed. Epiphany and Tides suffer major flood damage, and Exile is entirely soggy and saturated with a sense of sorrow. Avalanche debris covers Wintermute, and the mountains aren't in the same place. Cruel Summer is even dryer, cracked, and in part of it littered with exploded, partially melted robot parts. Never Fade may be the best off; the ground has leveled off, and only the unsecured outdoor items have crashed around or dropped off the island. In general, all regions show signs of warping.
Talaria has been outright knocked down (once again) and will need to be rebuilt (once again). The contents of Talarian homes have been thriftily saved by Thirteen (yet again). They'll be back as soon as the homes are ready to be redecorated! There's also a new elevator connecting Tides to a platform in the ocean at surface level, making it a little bit easier to get in or out of the neighborhood. Fly, swim, or use a boat from Nereid marina to reach it.
Many of the buildings throughout Folkmore, businesses and residences alike, have been damaged, some past the point of habitability. For better or worse, some residences will wait unclaimed, as their resident spirits have not returned from wherever they went while gone from Folkmore. Newly arriving Star Children (or those interested in relocating) just might find those residences awfully appealing. As with all unoccupied homes in Folkmore, they're free real estate.
Each neighborhood has a new (and structurally-sound) building near its center: a hospitality station of sorts, stocked with basic foods (to suit a variety of dietary needs, relevant to the known local residents), clean water, personal protective equipment, basic tool kits, fresh clothing, and clean linens. For those ill equipped to cook for themselves for whatever reason, there's also a canteen/soup kitchen area. The canteen tends to collect idle spirits and Star Children who might be willing to assist with any cleanup tasks too big or too complex for one person to tackle on their own.
Working with the neighbors has an additional benefit, of course: sooner or later, whether while helping clear the train tracks or fixing up someone's home or business (including a Star Child's own), shifting the debris will reveal a weathered container of some sort, locked up tight, that will only fall open at a touch if and when the right Star Child finds it. There is only one chest per Star Child. Inside, is an item from home, either that of the resident whose house/business it's found in or the one keyed to the lock. It may even be a magical item or weapon.
There's some good news as well, in the midst of all the chaos: most Star Children will find that their homes are wholly unharmed; their pets, companions, PokΓ©mon, etc. are all hale and hearty, having spent the entire time cozily asleep in their boxfoxes β which can be reused if kept, and just as easily abandoned now that they've released their occupants.
It seems as if the Star Children will be restricted to Amrita Academy forever, when nothing changes at the one month mark. Yet, after another week has stretched endlessly past, a morning dawns to show that the moat of Lorasses has vanished. The way is clear to discover what the chaotic storms have left behind.
Most of Folkmore's resident spirits return. Good thing Catbus is among them because the train is not operating. Debris litters the tracks throughout the land. Someone's going to have to work to clean all of that up before normal schedules can resume... within the first week or so, everyone fervently hopes.
That is far from the only wreckage from those storms. As Star Children have seen, even Amrita Academy hasn't really been spared; between the Lorasses moat and the various structures built to weather the storms, the past weeks have left a mark on the school.
Other regions show clear signs of the warping they have endured similarly.
- Wintermute alternated between blinding light and pitch blackness, with mountains growing and crumbling away alike. Cabins were transformed into igloos.
- Willow experienced all the seasons in a matter of days multiple times, growing crops and new trees, losing old ones, and its buildings weathered as though through decades.
- In Epiphany, the streets ran with water so high it was difficult to walk, and the buildings shifted to reflect related settings.
- Cruel Summer grew hotter and more oppressive, so that survival away from the Selkie River was impossible. On the 13th, there was an explosion, and it rained robot parts.
- Exile was swallowed entirely by the Swamp of Sorrows, leaving no dry land.
- Tides filled with water, dark deep water that could not readily be seen through.
- Never Fade became even more purple, with a thick haze that erased visibilty of borders. It also became steeper, so there was no flat ground.
The rest of Willow shows signs of extreme growth and age, as if decades, not weeks, have passed. Epiphany and Tides suffer major flood damage, and Exile is entirely soggy and saturated with a sense of sorrow. Avalanche debris covers Wintermute, and the mountains aren't in the same place. Cruel Summer is even dryer, cracked, and in part of it littered with exploded, partially melted robot parts. Never Fade may be the best off; the ground has leveled off, and only the unsecured outdoor items have crashed around or dropped off the island. In general, all regions show signs of warping.
Talaria has been outright knocked down (once again) and will need to be rebuilt (once again). The contents of Talarian homes have been thriftily saved by Thirteen (yet again). They'll be back as soon as the homes are ready to be redecorated! There's also a new elevator connecting Tides to a platform in the ocean at surface level, making it a little bit easier to get in or out of the neighborhood. Fly, swim, or use a boat from Nereid marina to reach it.
Many of the buildings throughout Folkmore, businesses and residences alike, have been damaged, some past the point of habitability. For better or worse, some residences will wait unclaimed, as their resident spirits have not returned from wherever they went while gone from Folkmore. Newly arriving Star Children (or those interested in relocating) just might find those residences awfully appealing. As with all unoccupied homes in Folkmore, they're free real estate.
Each neighborhood has a new (and structurally-sound) building near its center: a hospitality station of sorts, stocked with basic foods (to suit a variety of dietary needs, relevant to the known local residents), clean water, personal protective equipment, basic tool kits, fresh clothing, and clean linens. For those ill equipped to cook for themselves for whatever reason, there's also a canteen/soup kitchen area. The canteen tends to collect idle spirits and Star Children who might be willing to assist with any cleanup tasks too big or too complex for one person to tackle on their own.
Working with the neighbors has an additional benefit, of course: sooner or later, whether while helping clear the train tracks or fixing up someone's home or business (including a Star Child's own), shifting the debris will reveal a weathered container of some sort, locked up tight, that will only fall open at a touch if and when the right Star Child finds it. There is only one chest per Star Child. Inside, is an item from home, either that of the resident whose house/business it's found in or the one keyed to the lock. It may even be a magical item or weapon.
There's some good news as well, in the midst of all the chaos: most Star Children will find that their homes are wholly unharmed; their pets, companions, PokΓ©mon, etc. are all hale and hearty, having spent the entire time cozily asleep in their boxfoxes β which can be reused if kept, and just as easily abandoned now that they've released their occupants.
- The moat is gone! Freeeeeedom!
- The train is not operating for one week until October 27th due to debris over the tracks.
- Every region of Folkmore shows scars from the past month's extreme disturbances. Things have not reverted to before.
- Most spirits have returned; some remain absent. Claim the free real estate, if quick or bold enough.
- Hospitality stations have appeared in each neighborhood stocked with food, water, clothing, and linens.
- The canteens serve as a social hub and place to ask for/volunteer assistance.
- One time only, cleaning up or moving debris will reveal a container holding an item from home: yours or the person's you're helping.
- Most Star Children's homes will be unharmed; any damage should match the region's damage flavor. The level of destruction is up to you.
- Creatures in boxfoxes are out, fine and dandy! Boxfoxes can be kept/used again.
Offshore near Agrona Academy, there's something new. Something bewildering, maybe. Something growing. There's also something swimming up to any Star Children near the coast: a very large sea turtle, not willing to come far ashore. She's singing and chirping to get attention, in case being big enough to have a six-foot-long shell isn't quite good enough for some reason. (Or the way she has a blue-green bioluminescent glow when underwater, as becomes quite visible around dusk.)
She's happy to explain that she needs a place to lay her eggs. She doesn't have eggs to lay, just yet, but she wants to have her place all ready anyway. To that end she's busily building a brand-new island not very far from shore. It's just over there, visible once she indicates it with a flipper, barely any higher than the waves cresting around it. Here's the sad part: while she's used a great deal of cleverness in building it, from rocks and sand and bits of broken reef, she's all out of construction materials that she can reach! So she needs help: more construction material for the island.
It seems she's got a very loose definition, though, so pretty much anything that can later be covered in sand or dirt is fair game. Lucky that she wants it now. There's a perfect place todump all that debris in the ocean recycle all the debris, anything not structurally sound enough for a repair-in-place job. Bigger is probably better, too. Work together with other Star Children to haul up the big stuff. It brings more and more joy to her songs as she finds the exact place for each and every item, making her island grow bigger and bigger.
Anyone who actively participates will be rewarded five (5) spoons by the turtle directly, as a thank you for helping her to keep her eggs safe. (If anyone asks, she'll explain that it's the number of limbs she has, so she thought it was perfect!) In addition, she gives each person a smooth and shiny sea rock that fits in their palm perfectly! If the island gets big enough to be more than a sandbar, anyone who helped with the construction will find it far more welcoming than those who didn't. She isn't expecting to use anything but the beach.
She's happy to explain that she needs a place to lay her eggs. She doesn't have eggs to lay, just yet, but she wants to have her place all ready anyway. To that end she's busily building a brand-new island not very far from shore. It's just over there, visible once she indicates it with a flipper, barely any higher than the waves cresting around it. Here's the sad part: while she's used a great deal of cleverness in building it, from rocks and sand and bits of broken reef, she's all out of construction materials that she can reach! So she needs help: more construction material for the island.
It seems she's got a very loose definition, though, so pretty much anything that can later be covered in sand or dirt is fair game. Lucky that she wants it now. There's a perfect place to
Anyone who actively participates will be rewarded five (5) spoons by the turtle directly, as a thank you for helping her to keep her eggs safe. (If anyone asks, she'll explain that it's the number of limbs she has, so she thought it was perfect!) In addition, she gives each person a smooth and shiny sea rock that fits in their palm perfectly! If the island gets big enough to be more than a sandbar, anyone who helped with the construction will find it far more welcoming than those who didn't. She isn't expecting to use anything but the beach.
- A large sea turtleβwith a 6 foot in diameter shell and about 3 feet tall at the shoulderβstarts building an island off Cruel Summer.
- She needs help getting more building supplies. Bring your debris, bigger the better, here!
- All Star Children who help will be rewarded five (5) spoons and a shiny and smooth rock from underwater that fits in their recipients' palms just so.
- Star Children who help find the island more welcoming than those who didn't.
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Pretending to roll up his sleeves β because they're already rolled up β as he stands there in front of the crumbled part of the building, he gets to work in moving debris here and there. )
Can't say I really mind. After everything back home, bit of a break from slicing up demons might be nice, don't you think?
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[Except for the disaster relief part. But really... what else would Nero be doing with himself? Especially since there's nothing to fight. Maybe they have some kind of music library or a movie theater somewhere...]
How long were you in the underworld for? According to your perception, I mean. [As he said, everything in Red Grave happened approximately three days ago, by his measure.]
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( The answer is a genuine one, kicking over a bit of rubble as he clears some more away with lifting instead. )
Don't exactly make it a habit of traveling there and I'm sure time works differently there than it does in the human realm.
( A guess, really. Vergil would likely have a better idea there. Days just seemed to stretch β even bleed together after awhile to him. He can't exactly say he misses being there now that he's here, but. Can't exactly say he favors being here either. As always, though, he'll make do of whatever situation he's put in.
He's clearing a bit more of the debris and chucking it into a pile off to the side when he notices something buried beneath the spot he's working on. From the looks of it, a container that's seen better days but doesn't seem to be damaged. Funny, since it's buried under all this. )
Now what do we have here?
( Moving some of the rubble aside, he begins to dig the thing out. Something about it. )
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He perks up when something seems to catch Dante's interest.] What is it? [He looks around Dante's shoulders curiously. Some kind of big box or something.] Want help?
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( Said as he squeezes through the rubble a bit β too impatient to clear it all completely β stretches his arm out and grabs the top of the container. Pulling it out, he gives it a look over and brushes some of the dust and dirt off it before he sets the thing down atop the pile. He eyes it. Hums. Traces fingers along it in an attempt to feel for any latches or buttons. )
Well, guess thereβs only one way to go about this.
( Pausing, he holds the container at its sides, stares intently at it, and says: )
Open Sesame!
( To maybe no oneβs surprise, nothing happens and heβs left frowning some. Disappointed. A glance to Nero, he shrugs. )
Works in the movies.
( Perhaps delayed, but the container, when he looks away, pops open then and heβs staring back to the thing, lifting the top off and is leftβ¦ speechless. Completely and utterly. For within the container that had been buried beneath the rubble, is something so unmistakable to him that he can barely believe what heβs staring at. Inside, two handguns laid next to each other. One named Ebony, the other, Ivory.
A breath leaves him that he's unaware of and he takes hold of each gun in a hand. Looks them over⦠and then gives them each a kiss amidst his chuckling. )
Oh, baby. Have I missed you ladies something awful.
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What the hell?
[He is not used to this magical realm thing yet.]
Did somebody steal them from you? How did they get into a box under 400 pounds of crap?
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( That is to say, no. They werenβt stolen off him here. As if he would ever let that happen.
But he checks them over again β makes sure his eyes arenβt deceiving him and they arenβt about to crumble into pieces of rubble there in his hands. Seeing the handiwork and the signs there on them from Nell, may she rest in peace, he lets out a breath of relief before he grins over to his nephew there. )
Daddyβs got his girls back.
( To which he spins them both around in his hands quickly then shoves them down into their holsters strapped to his back. Jackpot. )
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[It's not like there's been a need for them, but man... he feels naked without Red Queen and Blue Rose.
And it's very compelling to think that they might be around here somewhere, buried in a box under a pile of rubble!]
What are the odds mine ended up buried too?
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( Look at his poor old man taking months to get anywhere with getting the Yamato back. That's kids for you, though. Always wanting to speedrun through it all to get what they want. Youths.
He does, however, check where he'd found the container to see if anything else is buried there with it, but. From the looks of it, that's a no and he straightens himself up again before he takes to dusting off his arms and his chest a little with a few pats. )
Probably should though. ( A beat. ) Work your way up to it, I mean. Who knows what might pop up around here.
( Because he hasn't been here long enough to really have any idea about that, save for a couple things he's heard here and there. )
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[REAL HARD WORK THERE, Dante. But he's got a point. Nero's been here all of a couple days. Pretty slim odds he'll luck out on finding his weapons so soon.
And Dante shares his point about wanting to be armed, too.]
Yeah, agreed. It's not like we're totally vulnerable, but... feels really naked without my sword. Better to have it and not need it than need and not have it.
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From a fluffy haired kid prone to temper tantrums to being the devil hunter he is now, he does the Sparda bloodline proud, even if his own old man isn't here to see his grandson. Whatever. Nero has him and Vergil and while the twins have their own issues, at least they're here for him.
...and that's when he slings an arm around the kid's shoulders, pulling him down a bit, his other hand coming to rest atop Nero's head where he gives him an affectionate hair ruffle. )
Look at you, all grown up. Feels just like yesterday you were trying to shoot me in the face and screaming like a bat out of Hell. Now look at you. Proud of you, kid.
( Obnoxiously laying it on thick, but. He wouldn't be Dante if he didn't. Even when his words are honest and true. )
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[Before he's pulled into an aggressively avuncular side-hug and hair ruffle. He grumbles and gives the expected amount of swatting and resistance before letting him have at it.] Hey... The day is young, you know-
[And then Dante says he's proud of him.
Nero looks up at him, openly bewildered, jaw dropped and blue eyes wide with surprise. At least, as long as it takes for another of those emotional storms to rise up from within him. Then his voice breaks mid-sentence, and his eyes suddenly look a lot shinier than they did a moment ago.]
You are?
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He's never been one to be so open and honest about how he feels with others. That only gets you dealing with an insane amount of heartache once you lose them in your life. His mother and brother are proof enough of that for him and he'd always kept others at arms lengthβ possibly a little closer if he really cared about you. But he'd done it with Nero the moment he realized who he was and he still thinks it's better that way. It's not even so much about the thought of drawing demons and trouble to him with their shared bloodline, it's more he doesn't think himself someone good for the kid. That he deserves better than being so closely tangled up in his orbit.
So it takes him a second to huff at the question. Not wanting to outright dismiss Nero's sincerity to what he'd said, but also not really wanting to go any deeper with it either. So, he ruffles the kid's hair up a little more then lets him go from the comfortable headlock he'd pulled him into. )
So far so good. Though that mouth of yours leaves much to be desired.
( A joke accompanied with a shake of his finger. )
You got a potty mouth.
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Nero is still and quiet until Dante lets him go, still looking at him with those big ol' emotive eyes, still obviously welling up. He doesn't rise to the bait about his potty mouth (guilty as charged,) and instead, gently smirks.]
Always wanted to hear you say that. [That you're proud of him, Dante, not the fucking critique on his motherfucking vocabulary and word choice.] I always hoped-
[With a little exhale, he glances aside and quickly swipes at his eyes. No tears here, no sir. But also, looking away makes it a little easier to say what he's thinking.]
However... fucked up the whole thing is, with everything that happened? I'm happy you're my uncle.
cw: gentle mentions of alcoholism
Would he really be so eager to claim happiness in having him for an uncle? He wonders.
Doesn't mean he's going to get into any of that, but! It's a thought that he'll likely chew on later when he's on his own and trying to sleep but his brain won't let him because, surprise, it's dealing with everything you've been ignoring throughout the day time. Like clockwork.
So he claps a hand on Nero's shoulder. Gives him a couple pats there with a soft hum on his lips then pulls back. )
You find one of your weapons, you let me know, yeah?
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He's not at all surprised when his uncle deflects. It's what he always does with honest sentiments. Nero doesn't know the full extent of why, but it's clear enough that there's some discomfort around confronting emotional declarations head-on. Even when he's the one who starts them off, he flees the minute it goes back his direction.
So NEro won't push, won't gripe about Dante not taking him seriously. He just gives him a knowing look. He'll say it again later, as many times as it takes to get it through Dante's thick fucking skull. For now, he lets it go.]
What, you taking off? Got somewhere else to be? [Afraid he'll say he likes you as a person and is happy you're family again?]
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( Arms spread open, he turns on his heel and starts towards another pile of rubble there near the one he'd been working on. )
I was just saying. I'm Devil May Clean, remember?
( And he'd been out here doing that before coming across potty mouth mc-feelings here. )
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[Just to prove his point, he goes to help out on the same rubble pile! So there!]
You been to Vergil's apartment yet? Think he'd mind if I slept on the couch or something? I don't really know where else to go.
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( Mind, he means. Despite the whole having never been around a day in his kid's life up until recently, he's still his flesh and blood and Vergil is one who is very... protective over that which he deems to be his, family included.
Kicking over a few medium-sized pieces of rubble, he gets back to work on clearing the crumbled mess there against the building, picking through and checking to see if any more of those containers happen to be buried in them. He's not too sure what to think about finding one with his guns in them. Should he feel thankful? Is this going to cost him something in the future? Does the Fox just like him? He is pretty dashing, so. Maybe. Still, despite his happiness in having his at least one of his weapons on him now, he can't help but wonder. )
He's a bit of a neat freak though. Gotta warn you. Also his taste in music is sad.
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[He tells himself he's really interested in helping clean up... not just looking for more boxes that might contain interesting things. And he'll get back on that track in a bit when he still fails to locate his sword or gun... right up until he finds a box under a collapsed shed later on.
For the moment though, he's serving as a member in good standing of Devil May Clean.
Now, is Vergil a neat freak... or is Dante a slob...]
How sad?
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( And that's putting it lightly. )
He also gets real pissy if you touch his things, so. Be careful about that. Unless you want to mess with him, then ( a grin on his lips, nod of his head. ) knock yourself out.
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It's okay, he's learning to laugh about it. With Dante only.]
Though hey, I don't want to have to break up any more swordfights, okay? If it's gonna be nothing but squabbling all day every day, I'll go find a motel.
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Does it look like I have a sword on me?
( Giving him a hard time? You betcha. Huff and shake of his head though, he waves the kid off as he picks up a few bigger and heavier pieces of rubble and tosses them out of the way. He's nearly finished here, just cleaning up the crumbled wall. )
You don't need to worry, kid. He starts to act up, though, I'll take care of it.
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But he purses his lips a little at the remark. Too similar the exchange at the bottom of the Qliphoth. And here Nero thought the whole point of being family was that you all took care of each other, and not in the mafia movie way.]
I trust you. [On that regard, anyway. He really doesn't know Vergil personally.] But let's talk about it first if it comes down to it, okay? I should get to weigh in too.
[Now's the part where Dante blows him off again in 3... 2...]
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Speaking of weighing in on thingsβ
( Reaching inside his coat, he pulls out his relic and shows it off to Nero after he opens it up. )
You've probably got a better idea how to work this thing, right?
( He's got the gist of it, but. Can't hurt to hear what Nero might have to say about it in terms of being used for communication around here. )
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