This crossed my mind and evaded all attempts to turn it into roadkill. The song is Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time, 1983.
Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick,
And think of you
Caught up in circles confusion--
Is nothing new
Flashback--warm nights--
Almost left behind
Suitcases of memories,
Time after--
Sometimes you picture me--
I'm walking too far ahead
You're calling to me, I can't hear
What you've said--
Then you say--go slow--
I fall behind--
The second hand unwinds
[Chorus:]
If you're lost you can look--and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you--I'll be waiting
Time after time
After my picture fades and darkness has
Turned to gray
Watching through windows--you're wondering
If I'm OK
Secrets stolen from deep inside
The drum beats out of time--
[Chorus:]
You said go slow--
I fall behind
The second hand unwinds--
[Chorus:]
Time after time...
Time after time...
Time after time...
Time after time...
It was the "I'll be there for you" aspect of the chorus that made me think of this concept. It can only be played for someone else. And then it waits, like a (benevolent) land mine, maybe even years, until that someone is in can't-possibly-get-out-of-it-on-her-own danger and Doug is nowhere near to help -- which is when a simulacrum of Doug shows up to rescue or otherwise aid for the 3 minutes, 55 seconds that I timed the song as running. The simulacrum can't do the music-magic, but he otherwise has all of Doug's physical capabilities (including the protective chaos field), knowledge as of the time the song was cast, and personality.
Despite the repetition the title indicates, this simulacrum will only appear once, otherwise it'd be waaaaaay too powerful (it may be too powerful as it is). The mana cost of casting it will be something truly ferocious; for this reason if no other, it's unlikely Doug will use it often. The expressed emotional connection is another reason not to use it; he might think it feels like infidelity to his wife, not to mention leading the other person on. But if he's got a particularly close friend he thinks will be facing a lot of danger in the future, such as after he's left that universe....
-----
Big Brother is watching you. And damn, you are so bloody BORING.
Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick,
And think of you
Caught up in circles confusion--
Is nothing new
Flashback--warm nights--
Almost left behind
Suitcases of memories,
Time after--
Sometimes you picture me--
I'm walking too far ahead
You're calling to me, I can't hear
What you've said--
Then you say--go slow--
I fall behind--
The second hand unwinds
[Chorus:]
If you're lost you can look--and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you--I'll be waiting
Time after time
After my picture fades and darkness has
Turned to gray
Watching through windows--you're wondering
If I'm OK
Secrets stolen from deep inside
The drum beats out of time--
[Chorus:]
You said go slow--
I fall behind
The second hand unwinds--
[Chorus:]
Time after time...
Time after time...
Time after time...
Time after time...
It was the "I'll be there for you" aspect of the chorus that made me think of this concept. It can only be played for someone else. And then it waits, like a (benevolent) land mine, maybe even years, until that someone is in can't-possibly-get-out-of-it-on-her-own danger and Doug is nowhere near to help -- which is when a simulacrum of Doug shows up to rescue or otherwise aid for the 3 minutes, 55 seconds that I timed the song as running. The simulacrum can't do the music-magic, but he otherwise has all of Doug's physical capabilities (including the protective chaos field), knowledge as of the time the song was cast, and personality.
Despite the repetition the title indicates, this simulacrum will only appear once, otherwise it'd be waaaaaay too powerful (it may be too powerful as it is). The mana cost of casting it will be something truly ferocious; for this reason if no other, it's unlikely Doug will use it often. The expressed emotional connection is another reason not to use it; he might think it feels like infidelity to his wife, not to mention leading the other person on. But if he's got a particularly close friend he thinks will be facing a lot of danger in the future, such as after he's left that universe....
-----
Big Brother is watching you. And damn, you are so bloody BORING.
