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[sos_pilot]

 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! ]

Comments

[action]

[blue_ice]

[ Seto's on his daily walk to the kitchen. Time for cooking once more. It hasn't been a bad day, all told, but there's been a particular surge of exuberance in his mind today. No prize for guessing where that came from.

He's passing through the stone pathway when he finds Della. ]

Thrilled about your new project, huh?

In their cabin

[kingcat]

[Grimmjow is lounging in Ichigo's bed, because he is always in Ichigo's bed when he's in their cabin.] What the hell kind of name is woodchuck? D'you got a badge for chuckin' wood? [He snorts at his own incredibly lame joke.]

video

[deadwenwalking]

You're... a talking duck. A-a sentient duck. I mean.

[Wen Ning can't keep himself from staring. Then his eyes widen slightly.]

Are you... a duck god? An animal deity?

[He bows his head apologetically.]

I'm sorry if my guess is wrong. Most of them have been.

Action

[fivemilesdeep]

[Ryo is in the greenhouse, checking on his patch of herbs. Some aren't growing as well as he would like - he'll likely need to ask for Persephone's help with those - but overall, they're coming along nicely.]

[He'd heard Della's announcement, and it had made him smile - it sounds like a kind thing to do, and she's always so enthusiastic about everything she does. He can sense her approach, but doesn't look up from his work - obviously she's on her way to deliver a badge to someone else, right?]

[He's not really expecting the Della Inquisition to stop for him, but...well. That's likely about to change.]

[sos_pilot]

[ Della grins, making a beeline for him. ]

Of course I am - especially since I found one of the guys who will be part of it!

[sos_pilot]

[ After finishing her broadcast, Della was beginning to pack up her sewing kit. ]

I know you're making fun of me, but, yes, we do have a badge for throwing stuff - mostly hatchets.

video

[sos_pilot]

[ ... why is this the second unknowingly third time someone thought she was a god?

She decides to mess with him, just a little, with a deadpan voice and wiggling her fingers. ]

Yeah, I'm a goddess. Boogedy-boogedy-boo. Leave me an offering of cake and I'll give you the gift of a fist bump.

[sos_pilot]

[ That notion will be dashed, good sir, especially when she shouts - ]

Ryo! Just the dude I wanted to see! Did you see the announcement I made?

[blue_ice]

Did you need help with the badges? I haven't put in for a 3D printer yet, but that should be next on my list.

[sos_pilot]

Not that way!

[ She laughs, and then whips out a badge! ]

Best Big Bro Badge, for one Seto Kaiba!

[blue_ice]

[ Big bro...

Seto reaches up to touch his locket instinctively, as he does whenever he's reminded of Mokuba. His feelings of devotion had burned brightly, and still did now...

But although Mokuba would always be closest to his heart, he wasn't the only one Seto loved as family anymore. He'd loved Daia and Nita, and he still had his Yugi, Xander, Eva, Curufin, Siebren, Yuume, Jou...

And of course, the proud mama in front of him. He crouched in front of her, a tiny smile gracing his face. ]

The best?

[fivemilesdeep]

[Okay, evidently she's making a detour for him first. He looks up and greets her with a smile.]

I did! It sounds like quite the project.

[So why is she looking for him?]

[sos_pilot]

Wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it - and I don't just mean towards Mokuba. You've been a great big brother to a lot of people on the train. You look out for them, help them, and are a pretty great dude all around.

[ She moves to put the small badge in his hand - the picture in is pretty simple, a light blue upper half of a male silhouette inside of a bigger, darker blue silhouette. ]

action;

[happyends]

[ Della may just have accomplished her goal already, because a little while after making the post, she'll have Madoka seeking her out already - but with very wide, near star-filled eyes. She looks so excited. ]

Did you make them already?

[ Sure, she saw them on the screen, but it's as if she needs to see them in person for it to feel real. ]

Thank you so much for remembering your promise..! [ Della is clearly now the Coolest Person On The Train. ]

[sos_pilot]

It is! Now, tell me something you're proud of!

[ While she does have badges in mind for him, she does want to see if there are nice things he can say about himself first. ]

[blue_ice]

[ Geez, Mom, way to make him well up...

Seto traces the edge of the badge reverently, and then carefully pins it to the strap of his laptop bag. Closest thing he has to a sash at the moment. Another moment later, he opens his arms for a hug. ]

And I have the people who've guided me to thank for that, at least partially. Where's your best mom badge?

[sos_pilot]

[ Dawww. Della feels all warm and cuddly inside. ]

I've been working on them for the past couple of days in secret, and now they're finally ready to be handed out!

[ now it's time for DYNAMIC POINTING ]

Now! Tell me something you're proud of!

[fivemilesdeep]

[wait what]

[Somehow, despite Della's insistence that everyone should love themselves more, he somehow hadn't considered that 'everyone' included him, and he looks at her, wide-eyed. He definitely does not have an answer ready.]

Um- I- Uh-

[What is he proud of?]

[Well, nobody here has died on his watch, and only one person had gotten badly injured, and he'd been healed, and that's a record for any healer to be proud of, and...well, he doubts 'no one died' is what Della wants to hear here.]

[But what else is there? What else does he even have to be proud of?]

[It seems the only answer he has at the moment is a perfect deer-in-headlights expression and a pause that goes on for far too long.]

[Video]

[miseris_socios]

[One kid does not look amused.]

That sounds stupid as hell.

[Video]

[springforth]

I guess we do have quite a lot of children on the train. Didn't quite realize we had enough to start your own little club for them.

[She's standing in the library, having gotten up from a beanbag chair halfway through this pronouncement. Guess who really heard about only half of this] It's super cute!

[deadwenwalking]

[There was a point in his life were Wen Ning would have possibly kowtowed to that response and begged forgiveness for ever eating duck in his lifetime. To be fair, it wasn't a common meal in Qishan, given its landlocked position and general lack of lakes and rivers. Unfortunately he can't say for certain that he hasn't eaten it, since he had many varieties of meat during feasts when he was younger that he hadn't thought to ask the origins of.

But he realizes the female duck being is making fun of him, even if half the meaning of her response is lost on him through the time period and vocabulary disconnect. He bows again, looking serious but less concerned.]

I'm... not sure what that is. If you really want cake, though, I'll have to see what's available. The desserts here are... overly sweet. The cake I've seen seems filled with air to make it appear larger.

[happyends]

Oh!

[ Clearly this is the most effective method to fight self-depreciation. Because whereas Madoka usually tends to linger in her insecurities, this time she seems to genuinely be considering what Della is saying for a moment before she answers. She really wants to earn a badge, after all..! ]

Um.. I've been doing my best to help out new people of the blue team since I'm a veteran member now..! Even when they seem really intimidating when they first show up!

action

[blitzcheer]

Momma D! How goes the recruitment drive?

[ Welcome to the training gym, Della, take in the aroma of burning and sweat, probably. Tidus is at least only doing one of those things, doing pull-ups from one of the framings pulled out. Look, he can even hang in place and pull up his legs as he gets mildly distracted. ]

[sos_pilot]

I don't think I've quite earned that yet.

[ After the hell she put her family through, she doesn't think she ever deserves forgiveness for that.

But she will take the hug. She'll tales take the hugs. ]

I think I'll settle for 'pretty good mom' today.

[sos_pilot]

[ Boy, that is worrisome for SEVERAL reasons. But therapy later, badges now. ]

All right, in that case...!

[ She digs into her sewing kit to extract several badges! ]

First off, the Cool Head badge!

[ the badge depicts an ice cube atop the figure of a shadowy head. ]

When you arrived, you handled things way calmer than others around here... and you still do! You've got a good head on your shoulders, and you're someone we can count on!