voidtreckernet

Hey, my train trekkers, my main men, my wonderful women, my koo-koo kids, and everyone and everything else in-between! This is Della Duck, reporting to you live from her cabin with a chance to feel super good about yourself! First, a bit of background info. In my world, there's an organization called - drumroll, please - theeeee...

[ She holds up a slightly tattered and worn-out book with several post-it notes on almost every page. ]

Junior Woodchucks! The BEST group ever for kids to learn all the skills under the sun and prepare them for all of life's challenges and beyond! When you accomplished something major, you earned a badge! And, no big surprise, I earned a lot of them when I was that age. And I feel like you all have accomplished SO MUCH! Whether here on the train, back home, or in other worlds we've been to, you've all got a lot to be proud of!

With that in mind, I decided to make you guys the Junior Woodchuck Badges you all deserved! I'll be going all around the train and handing them out! Even if you're a total stranger, I want to hear the things you're proud of! Because there are things we should all feel great about ourselves!

For example!

[ She fishes out some of the badges she's already made, and shows them one by one. ]

The first time you made a campfire! Or, making a new dish that's actually edible! Or putting out someone else's campfire that went wildly out of control! Master of treating injuries, making twenty friends, craftsman extraordinaire... And if what you're proud of doesn't exist in the guidebook, then phooey, I'll make it up myself! BECAUSE YOU ALL NEED TO LOVE YOURSELVES A LOT MORE!

... A-hem. See you around, guys!

[ if you'd like, feel free to go right to Action to meet her all over the train! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Persephone twists a lock of hair. It's nice, being recognized, praised, appreciated, even if it's just on a train, just for the small things she can do for it. It also feels weird, like she's faking being a functioning member of train society, and everyone will realize that their faith in her is all misplaced and she's not actually of any importance. That this place, too, would do just fine without her.

She does not say any of this. But her smile is a little forced, uneasy at the edge]

What about you, what are you proud of?

[ ... yeah, no. Mom sense are on alert. She raises an eyebrow at Perse's sudden change in behavior. ]

... Hopefully not earning the "Screwed Up Senseless" badge again, because it kinda looks like I bummed you out. Everything okay over there?'

No no, it's fine. [She waves her hands awkwardly. It always feels a little weird to be mommed at by Della but she probably can't help it.] I guess I'm just not great at taking compliments sometimes. Regardless, you know it's kind of stressful to put people on the spot. Just ask what they're proud of? You haven't answered either.

Well, for me, that's easy. I'm totally proud of my piloting skills! No one's better than me when it comes to traveling through the skies!

... And, yeah, I guess I am putting people on the spot... but it's kinda the point, you know? We should ALL be able to quickly think of something we like about ourselves. I really feel a lot of people on here could use more self-love.

It's just a little like being interviewed for a magazine without warning. Not everyone has the skill to just come up with something to say right off the bat. It's not just being proud of yourself, it's having to open up to someone else about it.

[Small pause as her brain goes back through that whole thing to the first part. Searching searching, got it]

Oh! You're a pilot! Like those ships in space? [Does not compute, help, what's an airplane. She'd seen space ships once!! Is it is like those!!]

[ Why does everyone either not know what pilots are or just assume it's space??? Ya'll are weird. ]

Uh... a little lower. In my world, pilots just take to the skies above. We're still not exactly mastering space-travel.

As for me, I'm the one who helps my family travel all over the world!

Like birds? [Is that weird? Is that rude? She's like a duck but only flies in some vehicle? Let's go right on past that]

We don't have things like that! Mostly it's just by train or car--carts in the mortal realm. But you know, it'd probably be nice for those who can't fly. I never realized how much more you can see from up in the air until I got there myself. It's a whole different world almost.

YES! Exactly! It IS like a whole different world! Soaring among the clouds, taking in the wind, it's the perfect place to be!

And it's my job to navigate through it, transport people and packages, and help avoid our enemies!

Then I award you best at seeing things from a different persepective badge. Or. How do these badges work. Do you have to be the best or...[Persephone taps her chin]

Wait, you have enemies?

Well, technically, the majority of them are Uncle Scrooge's enemies - but yeah, they go after the rest of us in revenge. Other billionaires, family thieves, evil sorceresses...

Just what kind of life have you lived? Or I guess the better question is, what sort of life has your uncle lived?

[ She BEAMS with pride, her uncle is the best!!! ]

He's the world's richest duck, and greatest adventurer and explorer! He loves to travel the world to discover hidden treasure!

And I'm going to guess every part of that sentence is what gets him a bunch of enemies.

Bingo. But we always beat them back every time!

And recently my own kids starting getting arch enemies! I'm so proud.

Is this a rite of passage for your family, the slow accumulation of enemies? [There's a teasing lilt to her voice] Where are yours? You have to keep up.

Well, everyone in my world thought I was dead for ten years, so mine are probably long gone. Closest I've come so far since then is general Lunaris, and that punk is trapped rotating the earth forever, so it looks like I've got a clean slate for now.

...Sometimes what you say makes sense and sometimes it does not. [She squints at Della]

Ha ha ha, yup~! I've been told that plenty of times!

Well I'm sure I'm the same way sometimes so I shouldn't really say anything.

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