#meta station

[meteortrails]

law and luffy are just like. what if I saw you at the peak of your miracle working competence, and then the literal next time I saw you it was at your most isolated and broken. and what if that moment of seeing you alone and grieving and terrified was the moment where I decided you were someone worth keeping, someone who I personally cared about and wanted around. how does that not make you wanna lose your fucking mind.

and then the other thing on top of that which always gets me is the way that you can just so clearly see that neither of them has any idea how to fit this relationship into any preexisting context - Luffy calls him part of his crew, but law is the captain of his own crew and would clearly die before giving that up; law calls them allies but it is glaringly obvious that they care about each other in a way that goes beyond that. of course Luffy is generally a lot less bothered about this than law, who routinely wants to put his own head through a wall about it, but it’s just such a fun layer to their dynamic I think.

[megaderping]

Something I think goes underappreciated about Persona 4 is the way that it gives you all the tools you need to solve its greatest mysteries if you put the time in to explore. There are special NPC interactions throughout the year with plot relevant characters like the Moel Gas Station attendant, Mitsuo Kubo, and Namatame that give insights to their roles in the story.

Take the attendant, for example:

This character ONLY appears on rainy days. Persona 4 teaches you that rainy days are important. The Midnight Channel, your rescue deadlines, all of it links back to rain, so if you go to the gas station on those days, you get dialogue. This NPC is never available on any other day. So, if you catch onto this pattern, the gas station attendant becomes more significant than if you never explore the town on rainy days and just focus on your story objectives, Social Links, etc.

But it's not just the gas station attendant. This applies to other plot significant characters, too.

Taro Namatame is a special NPC who only appears around set dates in the game's calendar, but one who appears throughout the entire story. The game teaches you he's important by giving him a portrait. Portrait characters are always going to be more meaningful, which actually makes the gas station attendant a fascinating subversion by having a distinct design and even a voice actor in his introduction, but not a portrait until the game's final day.

But if you interact with Namatame, you will get insight to his feelings and get early evidence that he did not kill Saki or Mayumi Yamano. If you explore, if you investigate, you will have the tools you need months in advance to confront the game's red herrings and see through the fog.

But you have to put in the effort. You have to commit yourself to the investigation and leave no stone unturned. Persona 4 embraces the mystery genre even in its game design by encouraging exploration and interaction with Inaba itself.

Mitsuo is another example. He's introduced earlier with a portrait and appears on the overworld for a few months before he becomes plot relevant. During this time, you do get glimmers of... possible concern intermixed with his less pleasant personality.

But he genuinely is furious at the police for their inability to catch the killer. He may not be nice, he may look creepy, and he may be a copycat killer who wants the attention, but with his dungeon painting this action as a result of social ostracization, expulsion, and possibly even neglect, he becomes a much more layered, if ultimately still antagonistic character. For more on that, I recommend this tumblr post. So, once again, you are given a hint that he's a red herring, if you pay attention, remember those interactions, and ruminate on them.

There are other really cool NPC interactions that update throughout the game, like the shopkeepers, but I bring these examples up specifically because they demonstrate how Persona 4's game design sets you up with all the tools you need to solve the case that I think go underdiscussed.

[walkingstackofbooks]

Oh my goodness I've just found this Star Trek presentation I made for a "3 Minute PowerPoint Party" I went to aaages ago and I can't believe I never shared it here! (Okay it is over 5 minutes long I had to do some forfeits 😅)

It's been done before, but nonetheless, may I present: DS9 - Connecting the Polycule

[mothstiel]

(in the funko pop section of a store) “i wonder if they have cas” carry on wayward son starts playing

[cicerfics]

Tuesday ramblings

Quantum of Solace is not a very well-loved film in this fandom (though it's good, actually! fight me!!) and I can only assume that's why I see so little meta or other mentions of Craig Mitchell.

But God almighty, I'm eternally obsessed with this minor character. Or rather, I'm obsessed with Mitchell's relationship with Bond (and M) and the implications of his betrayal.

Like?? We only see Mitchell in a couple scenes, but it is clear that Bond and M trust him near-implicitly. He is M's personal bodyguard. She trusts him with her life. BOND trusts him with her life! He and Bond appear to have a rapport! They appear familiar with each other, comfortable with each other, like two operatives who have experience working in tandem on a job.

Bond doesn't bat an eye when Mitchell says he's going to do a perimeter check (and subsequently murders the other guards while Bond and M are occupied). He trusts Mitchell to do his job.

And why shouldn't he? Mitchell has been M's personal bodyguard for YEARS and apparently served her faithfully. She buys him CHRISTMAS PRESENTS.

Sometimes I just have to sit down and stare off into space while I think about how much it must have fucked both Bond and M ALL THE WAY UP to have Mitchell, of all people, turn his coat.

I think about how much it must've fucked Bond up to have this happen RIGHT after the situation with Vesper and her betrayal. I think about how Bond and M cleaved even closer together in the wake of this, because really, who CAN they trust but each other? Isn't it now painfully obvious that ANYONE AND EVERYONE ELSE is untrustworthy?

And I think about how quickly Bond shifted (how quickly he HAD to shift) between seeing Mitchell as a deeply trusted ally to seeing Mitchell as an enemy to be terminated. He had to make that switch in SECONDS.

He had to go from 'I trust this man with my life and M's life' to 'I am chasing this man down so I can personally kill him because he is a threat to everything I hold dear'. And he had to do that virtually instantaneously, with no time to process any of it. He had to be psychologically prepared to shoot Mitchell without hesitation.

And he did. When it became clear that Mitchell had betrayed them, Bond killed him immediately and unhesitatingly.

And it fucks me UP to think about Bond having to exist in that kind of headspace for even a month, let alone a decade or so of his life.

[ruthlesslistener]

Wanderer's Journal (pt. 3)

Now, as is inevitable with me, I am compiling the info on the Higher Beings, starting with the Pale King.

Here's the bit that states outright that PK was an accomplished civil engineer! I love that the Queen's Station apparently barely disturbed the environment too, likely out of deference to the White Lady. Additionally, the Queen's Station links the areas of Hallownest that allied with the King (Fog Canyon/Greenpath, the Fungal Wastes, Dirtmouth), which is a cool tidbit that I didn't notice until now.

Wyrm moment. It's fun to note that the White Palace as we find it in-game is not in this book, as a mortal would not have been able to enter. Very fun to learn that PK was once an 'unfathomably large' wyrm though (at least according to mortal bug standards!), and that it seems the dev notes on him gaining a gender after he transformed into his kingsbug form did stick around into canon, though of course that could just be because the narrator did not know that he hatched out of the wyrm (Bardoon does, and still uses it/its for the wyrm in-game, but that's not super important, I just think it's interesting worldbuilding).

We also see some of the Pale King's cowardice and willingness to omit the truth to get what he wants here, with him running from his sins and lying about what strips mind from bugs in the Wastelands. We know from Quirrel's comic that it's not him who does it, but if it keeps worshipers in without him having to resort to conflict? Jackpot.

Here's WL, and a mention of Dryya + Radi's puppet. Kinda amusing how WL apparently has no problem with visitors, but then again if I were a very powerful root goddess then I likely wouldn't really care about passive intruders either.

Aaand here's Radi! I find it curious that the glyphs seem to be made by the Moth Tribe, yet are clearly soul totems when we see them in game- maybe they changed from Radiance's power to the Pale King's when they made their conversion? Because they're certainly from the Moths, given the winged nature and the fact that their language seemingly has been stricken from record- though I should note that Ellina cannot read the Pale King's writings, either. I also can't help but feel sorry for the Radiance here, longing to be remembered, even if she did go ham with the genocide in canon.

And now the Grimm Troupe:

I have nothing else to add. I just love how they're hanging out and having fun. Ellina doesn't seem at all afraid of them, so perhaps it's just Elderbug who dislikes them setting up shop in his quiet little town.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

[redvelvetcupcakes21]

I just picture Jason from the firedeptchronicles reading about Bobby's arc for s8 and going "Seriously?!😮‍💨"

[binary-stars-if]

Judging by the art inspo Sol is a kind of utopia or (almost utopia), and Mars kind of cyberpunk dystopia.

That is very apt, especially for Mars -- it's True Capitalism, 100%, which is basically what the cyberpunk genre critiques. That's definitely where I'm drawing inspiration for it. :)

Sol Station is certainly striving to be a utopia. Their goal is direct democracy -- very similar to democratic confederalism, AKA Kurdish communalism or Apoism, as inspired by the political philosophies of Murray Bookchin.

[inhcritance]

I need to find the meta I already have posted on Harry and FEAST, but now that I'm mentioning it on several threads...

While Harry is no longer a usual presence at FEAST, he's one of their constant top donors and also someone who works with them for charity galas and similar events. It's not unusual for him to reach out to FEAST if he thinks one of the initiatives for the Research Stations or from the EMF might benefit them, and it's also a reasonably guarded secret that some people at FEAST have his personal number and he's been known to help out, especially as a biochemist, when asked to.

And while nowadays Harry mostly keeps to Oscorp and, depending on the timeline, the EMF, Harry did volunteer at FEAST for several years at the suggestion of May Parker, after Harry's mother passed, and he's been very attached to FEAST ever since, for giving him a chance to help others when he felt at his most helpless. To this day, he believes he wouldn't be the person he is if he hadn't spent those years so out of his element, learning to get things done himself instead of throwing money at the problem, and while nowadays he does help more by offering funding, a part of him misses being able to make a difference directly.

One point of note is that Harry made arrangements so that his donations wouldn't stop when he went to "Europe", but the moment his father found out about them, they were stopped... and only reactivated once Harry was back in New York.

Some other fun tidbits related to the topic are that Harry learned how to cook in bulk and for many people during his years volunteering at FEAST, and it's a skill he hasn't forgotten. Enough so that when he ends up in another universe, one of his first options to try and support himself while he figures out how to get back home is to reach out to FEAST and see if they need a cook, and if he doesn't need the money, he'll likely volunteer instead.

[ask-indigo-park-swapped]

this is kinda a rambley-ish question but i think it would be helpful to hear it straight from the source!!

ahem! i dont know if this possible but can u tell us a bit about the railways and trains station? perhaps a brief history of em? maybe even where they are located.. again this info is totally not for note-taking ahaha

<on a meta level, if this was a proper game the stations would have been hub levels where you can rest and prepare before adventures and the railways would have been the fast travel systems to locations>

<originally the stations were basically just the guilds from Pokemon Mystery Dungeon but i realised that that didnt make sense so they eventually became more like a mall? the stations are still heavily associated with adventurers but since theyre easy to get to by design, on a lore level theyre essentially just like. gathering areas where anyone can go anywhere. itd reflect that initial inspiration from pmd lorewise too, stations would have started as places where adventurers can do favours for non-adventurers but has since then become general gathering places for all>

[m0e-ru]

itsok guys fakest splatoon fan is here to serve 👍

[metabolizemotions]

... and the association of Vic with Beckett...

There's this thing about associating a woman with a man. Whatever happens, there is like a transference of hate to the woman and love to the man.

Men already get less hate doing something worse than women and more love when doing something minimally decent. The way the narratives are framed on the show don't help.

The choice to - make Maya give Beckett the bottle shifted the blame to her, absolving him. Somehow to some, she became the worst person on the show and whatever she did was her personal unique moral failings. Beckett's long list of poor choices made throughout his captaincy that endangered himself, his team n civilians... The resolution was merely his voluntary stint at rehab. Oh and quietly demoted. No mention of his wrongdoings again. Everyone's just fine with him already. Just like how they accepted his bad behavior right from the start.

The choice to - make Vic to not notice maya's distress and say those words about her, a longtime friend and teammate while being hyper aware of Beckett's state and being especially empathetic towards him.

I hope the speculation isn't true. It'll be a disservice to Vic as a character. It's the use of a well-liked female character to redeem a disliked male character.

On a show where already

... the men don't really need to work on themselves - the characters around them simply lower their standards to accommodate.

... toxic masculinity is conflated with addiction/ mental health issues,

... the men's addiction and wrongdoings - related or not to the addiction, are systemic issues - of the healthcare system failing Sullivan or an inter-generational alcohol problem trapping Beckett

I'm all for the empathy for the struggle with addiction n underlying issues but against using them as excuses to not hold people accountable for bad behavior.

[somewherefornow]

GREEN LANTERN 2021 ANNUAL + MENTIONS OF SIMON

[thefirstknife]

I saw some confusion among people thinking that Eramis' appearance was random and that she had no business being on the station with access to the Warsats. I'd like to try and clarify some stuff about that.

Eramis was a constant presence this season; more so than Xivu Arath. It has been explained that Xivu Arath cannot invade with her army until the specifics of a ritual are fulfilled and that moving her army through the ascendant plane takes an extraordinary amount of energy and resources.

Some of Xivu's forces were here and acting on her behalf, yes, but largely the main enemy this season was Eramis. Eramis is already in the system and was very explicitly used by the Witness as the one who would act often and faster. The Witness spent a lot of time turning Eramis' friends and soldiers into Scorn for this purpose.

These Scorn are the ones that had the Seraph Station under constant siege. Every time we attack Seraph Station, it's canon because Scorn come back to life so every time we clear it, we have to do it anew. They've been digging in the Station for months, trying to gain access to the Warsat network and preparing for the final assault.

Eramis was not randomly on the Seraph Station; she was there because she's been trying to get there for months. We were fighting their attempts by uploading a virus into the network each time we're there, but that's never been a certain way of stopping Eramis and the Scorn army from wrestling control over the network away. Which is the point of us having to do it multiple times.

I know the Seraph's Shield mission only played dialogue once so if anyone needs a refresher:

Elsie Bray: I've gained remote access to the launch facility's subsystems, but someone is already in here. House Salvation Splicers are hacking the launch mainframe.

Eramis had splicers working on hacking into the station. As a matter of fact, they gained access to the station first.

Ana Bray: She's here? Of course. That must be how Xivu Arath plans of co-opting the Warsat network. The Hive can't do it on their own, so the Witness sends Eramis and her Splicers in to assist.

Ana explaining how Eramis being there makes sense because Xivu cannot gain access to the Warsats on her own, she needs Eramis to assist.

The whole seasonal story hinges on Eramis hacking the station to get to the Warsats and the Seraph's Shield mission was explicitly about us trying to stop her week by week. It just so happens that she succeeded hacking it at the end, before Rasputin was fully operational and ready to be uploaded without negative consequences.

Is the setup a little bit clunky? I think so, yeah, because the whole season is doomed from the start. We have to stop our enemies but it's the nature of the end-of-the-year story for enemies to win in some capacity. I also think that we didn't really have to kill Rasputin for the same effect and for the enemies to somehow get the upper hand; I think it would've been fine if Rasputin simply had to destroy the Warmind stuff but that he could've remained with us as an Exo.

But Eramis having access to Seraph Station and the Warsat network is not random or out of nowhere nor is it nonsensical. That was her entire plan the whole season. Actually her first big win, possibly also saved her life. Not sure how many failures from Eramis the Witness would've tolerated.

I guess the issue is that with the current seasonal structure, we expect the seasonal goal to be fulfilled and for us to walk happily into the sunset until the next season because that's how it worked so far. It can feel like we've been fighting our enemies for 3 months for nothing given that we've essentially failed and it almost caused a catastrophe. But I'm not sure how else to create a story (seasonal or otherwise) where things don't go as planned or where we fail.

There were multiple fronts to fight on this season and there's one where we dodged a massive bullet; Xivu Arath. We lost to Eramis because we had to think about the bigger picture and that is Xivu's invasion. Our loss to Eramis also took the Warsats out of the equation now so that's also a loss to Xivu. It's what we needed; a stalemate. It's not flashy or happy, but it's better than the alternative which is Xivu Arath's portal over Earth. So in that regard we succeeded. We lost the Warsats and Rasputin and almost the Traveler, but all of that was to prevent Xivu Arath from invading which we managed. For now.

[gardenofhope]

as someone who did marching band for 8 years i LOVE the kirby pupupu marching merch line so much. you don’t understand

[kachikirby]

Kirby: Mysterious Incident on the Pupupu Train! - Chapter 2: Pupupu Train, Ready to Depart!

Previous Chapter

Finally, the day of departure arrived. Kirby arrived at the Dream Land station that was built next to Castle Dedede with the hopes of being the first to ride it. There was still a lot of time left before departure, but Kirby was so excited that he couldn’t wait. At the gate stood a station attendant wearing a cool hat.

“Good morning, sir. Thank you for riding the Pupupu Train today. May I see your ticket?” The attendant said to Kirby.

“Ok!”

He showed the attendant the ticket he was given in advance. The attendant took a scissors-like tool and clipped it with a “snip”.

“Ahhh! Why’d you cut my ticket!? That’s important!” Kirby exclaimed in surprise.

“It’s a way to show that the station attendant saw the guest’s ticket. It’s old-fashioned, but it’s a tradition that the York Railroad Company keeps.” The attendant replied.

“Huuuuuh! That’s interesting!”

Kirby stared at the station attendant. Between the hat on his head and the tool in his hand, he looked cool.

“Hey, Mr. Attendant. I wanna try doing that job.”

“Huh? You?”

“Uh-huh! Please?”

Kirby pleaded, to which the station attendant nodded and smiled.

“Very well. But don’t let your mind wander because it’s a very important job.”

“Got it! Thank you!” Kirby enthusiastically took the hat and ticket gate scissors from the station attendant.

~~~~~~~~

As it became closer to the departure time, the citizens who were passengers arrived at the station one after the other.

“Please show me your ticket. If you do not have a ticket to the planet Baspa, you cannot board the train.” Kirby said while in front of the ticket gate.

“Huh? Kirby?” The passengers were surprised.

“Why is Kirby doing the station attendant’s job?” Chilly asked.

“I asked the station attendant if I could because I thought it was cool!”

“Sounds good. That hat really fits you, Kirby.”

The next one to show up was King Dedede. He was no longer wearing his usual gown, but a yellow vest and a navy-blue jacket. On the jacket’s chest was the emblem of the Pupupu Train. On his head was no longer a crown, but a red station master’s hat.

“King Dedede... what’s up with your outfit?” Kirby asked, to which Dedede replied in excitement.

“Call me “station master”! I’ve become the station master of Dream Land station!”

“...huh? Then does that mean it’s fine if we call you Station Master Dedede since you’re not a king anymore?”

“Nah, I didn’t stop being a king. Call me King Station Master Dedede!”

Someone tapped Dedede’s back, who then became flustered.

“Can you let me through? It’s almost time to depart.”

“Hmm? Who dares to speak so brazenly to the station master...”

Dedede looked back and let out a startled scream.

“Meta Knight!? What do you want?!”

There stood Meta Knight and his subordinates. His subordinates were dragging a large suitcase.

“What I want is a strange thing to ask. This is a station, correct? For what reason would I come here other than to ride a train?” Meta Knight calmly answered.

“No way, are you also riding the Pupupu Train?!”

“I am. As you can see, I have a ticket.” He showed Kirby his ticket.

“You don’t even need to ride a train, don’t you? You can go anywhere with that battleship Halberd!” Dedede said with a grimace.

Meta Knight chuckled softly. “Sometimes it's not so bad to get away from the Halberd. That’s why I wanted to take the train.”

“Right! Right! The experience of riding a train is important to us warriors!”

“And even the Halberd needs to rest once in a while.”

“And the beaches and hot springs seem fun!”

His subordinates, the Meta Knights, shouted enthusiastically as they headed to the platform in excitement. The last to join them was Captain Vul. He was the only one that was not ecstatic like the other subordinates. Rather, he had an even more stern face than usual.

“What’s wrong, Captain Vul? You don’t look so well.” Kirby asked while clipping his ticket.

“...no, it’s nothing.” Vul answered, but there was definitely something wrong. Even his complexion didn’t look that good.

It made Kirby worried.

“Does your stomach hurt? Like you ate too much...?”

Suddenly, Vul raised his voice in anger. “I-i-it’s nothing like that! Absolutely, positively, nothing related to overeating!”

It was a fierce response. While Kirby rolled his eyes, Vul made a thumping footstep before he was gone.

The last to appear was Railroad King York and his three subordinates. Today, he wore an even more elegant suit and had a radiant expression.

“Good morning, King Dedede and Kirby. It’s a fine morning befitting the departure of the Pupupu Train.”

“Uh-huh...” Dedede then asked in surprise. “You’re also gonna ride the train?!”

“Of course.”

“Why don't you just wait on Baspa?”

“I don’t do it like that. Whenever a new line is opened, I always make it a point to board it as a passenger. I cannot tell if a customer is satisfied unless I ride it myself.”

“I see. That’s a really noble gesture.”

“Thank you, King Dedede. Now allow me to introduce to you the crew of the Pupupu Train.”

York looked back at his subordinates, who were waiting behind him.

“The driver, the conductor, and the maid who cleans the guest rooms and takes care of the customers. Every one of them is enthusiastic about their work and a skilled veteran in their field.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you!” The three people said cheerfully as they bowed. Each of them was wearing a neat uniform and had a serious expression.

Then York spoke. “Then we will finally be departing. King Dedede, Kirby, you both should board the...”

“Alright! Let’s go!”

Dedede threw off his station master jacket. Underneath, he had a floral printed shirt and pants, completely like that of a resort. It was a sight to behold for York.

“Oh, what good preparation! As expected of the Great King Dedede!”

“Ha ha ha! I’ve got it covered! Now, Pupupu Train, let’s depart to the resort planet!”

“Departing!”

Kirby shouted together with Dedede before they both ran to the platform. York then spoke to the crew in a calm, gentlemanly tone.

“It’s great to see that everyone in Dream Land seem to be enjoying themselves. Well, shall we be going?”

“Yes, sir!”

The crew headed to the train.

~~~~~~~~

The bell announcing the train’s departure rang loud, and finally the Pupupu Train began to move. It rumbled along the track that stretched into the sky. The scenery of Dream Land from the train became smaller and smaller.

The inside of the train was in a festive mood. Everyone was frolicking in their respective rooms, cheering in the aisles, and unable to contain their excitement.

“Wow! Amazing! This is even comfier than my home!”

“The bed and sofa are so soft! It’s like a lavish hotel!”

While everyone’s voices echoed, Chef Kawasaki was the one who seriously got down to work. His station was the dining car and the kitchen. The kitchen car was equipped with a large oven and sink that would have been at home in a first-class restaurant.

“Hyaah! What wonderful equipment! It may be better than my own restaurant!”

Chef Kawasaki was excited. Behind the kitchen car is the food car, which had a giant refrigerator and freezer that could hold a large amount of meat and vegetables.

“This train is like a dream! I’m itching to put my skills to use!”

He brought the ingredients from the food car and began to cook immediately. Today is the first day of the memorable trip, so a big party will be held with all the passengers gathered there. It was a time for Chef Kawasaki to show off his skills.

“I have to make the best feast I can so everyone can enjoy it! Roast beef, shark fin soup, salmon carpaccio, in-bone steak...”

He prepared delicious food one after the other.

~~~~~~~~

The scheduled time arrived for the party to begin. The smell of the cooking was mesmerizing to the passengers gathered in the dining car.

“Is that hamburgers? I wanna eat them now!”

“I’m starving! Start the party already!”

As if responding to everyone’s hungry voices, York smiled. “We shall begin the party that celebrates the start of a wonderful journey. But first, a toast from King Dedede!”

“Okay!”

King Dedede raised a glass full of orange juice.

“Then, in celebration of the Pupupu Train’s opening, cheers!”

“Cheers!” Everyone raised their glasses in unison.

Chef Kawasaki and the Waddle Dees who helped him laid the dishes on the tables one after the other.

“We made a lot of food! Have as much as you like!”

Kawasaki’s words gave great joy to the passengers.

“I wanna eat the super-hot magma stew! Then the super-hot hot dog and the super-hot mapo dofu!”

“I want the sherbet cold tofu. And the ice oden and the blizzard salad!”

“I want meat! Bring me more and more meat! And bring me the roast beef and bone-in steak, it’s not enough!”

“Me, too! Gimme seconds of corn cream croquettes and nikuman and tempura udon and curry rice and French fries and... and...!”

In addition to the feast that was prepared, everyone’s orders were brought out.

“I have Chef Kawasaki’s cooking all the time, but when I eat it in the dining car, it tastes even better.” Walky said.

“I agree!”

“It’s so romantic with the galaxy spreading outside the window. I’ve never had a meal like this before!” Bouncy said with a hopping bounce.

“It’s so fresh though it’s on a moving restaurant! This trip is getting more and more exciting!” Knuckle Joe said while eating a massive hamburger.

Meta Knight and his subordinates were also enjoying a lovely meal at their table.

“This is delicious! I’ve never had such delicious gratin before!”

Javelin Knight shouted, sounding deeply moved while Trident Knight smiled.

“The food on the Halberd was nutritious and delicious, but it’s nothing compared to the food Chef Kawasaki makes! This piping hot pizza is the best!”

While the Meta Knights were engrossed in their meal, Axe Knight suddenly spoke.

“Hm? You haven’t eaten much, Captain Vul. Is it not palatable to you?”

Captain Vul, who had only eaten a small salad, was already putting down his fork and knife.

“Yes, it’s not my most favorite flavor. I prefer the food on the Halberd.” Vul replied with a grim look.

“Is that so? For a great trip like this, that’s too bad.”

“No, it’s ok. Never mind me.”

Next, dessert was brought out.

“Waah! That pudding looks delicious!”

“Ice cream with blueberry sauce! My favorite!”

“There’s so many bite-size cakes! I don’t know what to eat!”

Everyone cheered and Chef Kawasaki said with a smile. “We’re going to have a tea party the afternoon after tomorrow. I’m thinking of trying a new cake recipe. Look forward to it!”

“A tea party?! Uwaah! Sounds fun!”

The passengers clapped their hands in joy. At that moment, Captain Vul suddenly stood up. He looked horribly unhappy and his beak was quivering.

“What’s wrong, Captain Vul?” Javelin Knight asked in surprise.

“...I don’t feel well! Lord Meta Knight, forgive me, but please excuse me.” He bowed towards Meta Knight and left the dining car.

The Meta Knights looked at each other.

“What’s wrong with him? He was acting really weird.”

“His face was so gloomy and he barely ate anything.”

“It’s weird. I can’t believe that he didn’t even touch dessert. He might be sick.”

“What should we do, Lord Meta Knight?” When Axe Knight asked that, Meta Knight replied.

“Don’t worry about it. He might be anxious because this is his first time riding a train. He should be fine after a good night sleep.”

“That’s right.”

After hearing what Meta Knight said, the Meta Knights relaxed and continued to enjoy their meal.

~~~~~~~~

It was an extremely fun party.

But no one expected the terrible commotion that would ensue that night.

No one could have predicted it.

-

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