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whump-card · 4 months

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Forged Divinity Chapter 2: Phineas Kills Some Bandits

1292 words

CW: institutionalized slavery, religious themes, gun violence, knife violence, murder, noncon kiss

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~~~

Exodus 21:24

Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

~~~

“If you were going to steal me anyway, why not do it outright?”

The sun was rising, filtering through the dense trees and a smattering of clouds, and with it came the Iowan’s confidence. Phineas and Leannan had been walking for about half an hour before Leannan started asking questions.

“You could have shot the merchant as soon as you saw me, couldn’t you?”

Finally losing patience, Phineas stopped and turned to look at Leannan.

“I don’t have to explain shit to you.”

Leannan shook his head, looking suitably cowed.

“Of course not, Phineas. I’m sorry, Phineas.”

Phineas narrowed their eyes, considering.

“Iowans are sworn to secrecy, right?”

Leannan nodded eagerly.

“It’s a sacred vow. We cannot share any secrets that anyone tells us.”

“What happens if you do?”

“God happens,” Leannan said simply, “He brings down divine retribution.”

Phineas turned their head away to roll their eyes. Unlike most people, they didn’t believe in God, and they were skeptical of the reasons behind the Great Fall, the executions, the burnings. But if it made the Iowan more obedient, they weren’t about to disparage his faith. They’d play along.

“Aright,” Phineas rolled their shoulders, “I didn’t shoot her with my gun because I carry a bigass gun everywhere. Too obvious. I left someone else’s calling card. Someone who deserves some trouble.”

“Why carry a gun if you can never use it?”

“Did I say that? I don’t think I fuckin’ said that.”

“Yes, Phineas, sorry, Phineas.”

“Shut up and walk.” Phineas picked up the pace again, and Leannan was left with no choice but to follow.

~~~

Phineas halted when they reached the edge of an ancient superhighway. It stretched out, wide and cracked, scattered with weeds and small, struggling trees. To their right it extended southward, and but to the left it was interrupted by a hulking mass spanning its width.

“What’s that?” Leannan breathed, with genuine curiosity.

“The Dead Blockade,” Phineas explained, “It was a border, a long time ago.”

Once just a building accompanied by covered lanes, the checkpoint had been added on to over the years – reinforcements of sheet metal, tanks, spiked barriers and cinderblock walls. It was all being eaten away by the elements now, and looked grainy and ragged, overgrown with kudzu.

“It’s no man’s land now,” Phineas continued, “It doesn’t guard anything – but sometimes bandits camp it out and try to extract a toll.”

Phineas took off their rifle and backpack, crouching down and unfolding the gun’s bipod legs. They set it down aimed towards the blockade, getting down on their stomach and putting their eye to the little telescope that rode atop the weapon.

Silence stretched, and Leannan shifted nervously from foot to foot. Then Phineas finally spoke.

“Jes, I see the fuckers,” they said, “Get down and cover your ears.” They retrieved a pair of protective headphones from their backpack and put them on.

Leannan hunkered down, pressing his hands over his ears. He had never seen a gun in action before, much less one being prepared to shoot. He watched as Phineas performed near-ritualistic actions, sliding levers and attaching pieces from the side pockets of their backpack before finally settling again onto their stomach, their eye to the sights.

For much longer than Leannan was comfortable with, nothing happened. Phineas barely moved a muscle.

When the gun did go off, even with his ears covered, it was one of the loudest things Leannan had ever heard. It sent a shock down to his core, and he couldn’t help but tremble. Phineas, on the other hand, remained as cool as a cucumber; they moved a lever up, back, then forward and down; a moment later, they fired again.

Phineas fired four shots total, each one making Leannan nearly jump out of his skin. After the fourth shot Phineas sat still for a long time, each second that ticked by making Leannan’s anticipation of the next shot worse. But a fifth shot never came, and eventually Phineas sat up from the ground and began performing their weapon’s ritual in reverse.

“You got them all?” Leannan asked as soon as Phineas took their headphones off.

“As far as I can tell,” Phineas replied, hoisting their backpack and rifle onto their shoulders, “Still need to be careful.”

The two of them approached the Dead Blockade, eyes darting to every shadow, every vine that rustled in the wind.

“Stay close to me,” Phineas ordered, drawing a large knife from their belt as they moved into a narrow passage through the barrier. Phineas emerged from the other side and walked a few steps, detecting nothing.

“I think…”

“Drop your weapons!” someone screeched. Leannan cried out.

Phineas spun to see a scruffy bandit standing behind Leannan, one hand gripping the Iowan’s curls and the other holding a knifepoint to the side of his throat. Leannan was a picture of terror, his raised hands trembling and his throat bobbing.

Phineas sighed. If it were them, if they’d been alone, they would have twisted out of the bandit’s grasp and dispatched them already. But now they had this… thing tagging along, making everything complicated. It had better be worth the payout.

“What do you want, bandito?”

“You killed my friends!” the bandit shouted, swinging the knife out briefly to point at Phineas, scraping Leannan’s neck in the process, “Monster!”

“Jes, jes, what do you want?” Phineas asked impatiently.

“I want – I want…” The bandit’s eyes darted around wildly before settling on the bead of blood building on Leannan’s neck. “The fuck?”

It was not the expected bright crimson, but instead a dark maroon. The bandit pulled Leannan’s head down to the side to expose the injury better.

“Phineas…” Leannan whimpered.

“Holy shit,” the bandit breathed, “You’re one of those magic whores. Holy shit!” His eyes snapped back up to Phineas. “You just start walking! Start walking, and keep walking! Holy shit…” Unable to resist, he turned his attention back to Leannan, licking a long line up the side of the Iowan’s bloody neck.

Phineas threw their knife.

Leannan let out a short scream as the knife thunked into the eye socket of the bandit. The bandit’s own knife dropped to the ground as he released it and Leannan’s hair, his hands groping his face as he stumbled backwards one, two steps before collapsing onto the cracked pavement.

Leannan spun to watch, pressing one hand to his mouth and crossing himself with the other. Once the bandit was still, he turned on Phineas.

“You could have hit me, asshole!”

Phineas smirked.

“But I didn’t, did I.”

Leannan sputtered as Phineas walked over and pulled their knife out of the bandit’s head, wiping the blade on the corpse’s shirt.

“I bet these guys have sleeping bags you can take,” they said, “Let’s find their camp.”

“I don’t want someone else’s dirty old sleeping bag!” Leannan raised his voice, finally snapping, “I’m not made to live like this! I’m not made to rough it in the wilderness! You need to sell me to someone with an actual goddamn house!”

“Oh, believe me, that’s the plan.” Phineas moved in close to Leannan, catching his jaw before he could move away. They lifted his chin, inspecting the scrape.

“You should clean that. Who knows where that guy’s been.”

“I’m immune to most diseases and infections, remember?” Leannan grumbled.

“Handy, that.” Phineas’ grip became bruisingly tight, and they leaned in and kissed Leannan on the mouth. Leannan made a small noise, but didn’t push them away. When Phineas released him and stepped back, he stared at them questioningly.

“I like you better when you’re feisty,” Phineas explained, “And what can I say?” they sheathed their knife and spread their hands wide with a crooked smile, “Killing people turns me on.”

~~~

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Taglist: @angst-after-dark, @sunshiline-writes, @flowersarefreetherapy, @thecyrulik

Let me know if you want on or off the taglist!

#whump #whump fic #whump writing #forged divinity #cw slavery #cw religion #cw gun violence #cw knife violence #cw murder #cw noncon kiss

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iam93percentstardust · 9 months

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🎄 A sneak peek at the annual Christmas fic! 🎄

“All flights are grounded,” the young woman at the ticket counter says around her gum. She looks bored, like this was the only job she could get out of college and she’s regretting not moving as far away from Christmastreefarmville as she could when she had the chance. “Storm’s supposed to hit in the next hour. It should blow over by tomorrow morning, so we might have flights once the runway’s clear.”

“Great,” Tony sighs. “Is there a hotel I could stay at anywhere nearby so I don’t have to sleep in the departures lounge?”

She blows an obnoxious bubble. Tony tries not to tap his fingers on the counter. It’s Christmas Eve, and she’s being decent enough to work. She doesn’t deserve to get yelled at.

“No,” she says once it’s popped. “All the rooms in town are taken up by people who knew there was a storm.” Tony doesn’t appreciate her pointed comments. In his defense, he didn’t think he’d get here and immediately have to turn back around. He thought he’d be spending the snowstorm with his fiancée and her family. “There’s a hotel in Navidad down the road with a few more rooms, but you won’t get there before the storm rolls in, and—” She takes a long look at his fifty thousand dollar suit. “You’d die.”

He tries not to be offended by that.

“Great,” he says again. “Then I guess I’ll buy a flight for whenever will get me out of here the fastest.”

“Not until—”

“I know!” he nearly shouts before pulling a strangled smile to his face and lowering his voice. “I know. Not until tomorrow. Just—ticket. Please.”

She hands him the boarding pass and jerks her thumb at the area past the security checkpoint. “There’s a McDonalds and a Starbucks. If the power goes out, we give out sleeping bags. Otherwise, you’re stuck on the chairs.”

“Great,” he says for the third time. “Fantastic service, really.”

She shrugs, looking supremely unconcerned with his irritation. “Your fault for flying out of here.”

He scowls at her, snatches up his bag, and stalks off to security, who, for whatever reason, decide that he needs to be randomly searched. He keeps a snide remark about feeling the oh so desperate need to bomb this particular airport in Montana just barely behind his teeth by thinking about what Pepper will do to him if she has to bail him out of federal prison (the answer is something that would also get her thrown into federal prison or would if she wasn’t so terrifying and capable of cowing everyone into submission).

Thirty minutes later, Tony is finally released from random search hell, just in time to hear the wind picking up bad enough that he finally fully believes that there is, in fact, a snowstorm on the way and that this isn’t a machination to torture him by the denizens of Charming Ski Lodge Town. There’s only one other person in the lounge, only one other unlucky soul who got here too late to make it to the hotel. Tony sits on the opposite side of the lounge from them, back firmly facing away from them so he can look out at the window and despair.

#alle writes #stevetony #tony stark #fic: last flight home

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justanotherpersonsuniverse · 2 years

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Mental checkpoint! Please rotate a cow in your mind. Then discover the cow has a zipper on the back. Unzip it and you will find Hiromu Arakawa

HAH

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gertlushgaming · 3 months

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AdventureQuest 8-Bit: Dungeons & DoomKnights Review (Nintendo Switch OLED)

For this AdventureQuest 8-Bit Dungeons & DoomKnights Review, we must try and defeat DoomKnight and his army of the evil undead. Explore a huge world and battle vampires, ghosts, death knights, liches, ancient evils, giant flying eyeballs, chicken cows... and other unspeakable horrors!

AdventureQuest 8-Bit Dungeons & DoomKnights Review Pros:

- Beautiful 8 Bit graphics. - 195MB download size. - Chiptune soundtrack. - The music player is in the extras menu. - Screen settings - CRT filter, frame/border, aspect (pixel perfect/4:3/widescreen), and color palette (vanilla/game child/game child contrast/virtual child/greyscale). - A beautifully created game manual that acts as a tutorial, shows off the map, and is housed with many images and tips. - Chaos mods - play the main game in black and white mode, play the game as the dog, or play a spin on the Pac-Man genre. - Necronancy is a different game where you play as Nancy the necromancer. - 2D adventure RPG gameplay. - Solid tight controls. - Hack and slash combat. - Enemies can drop coins and items randomly. - Save points are found in the world. - The game plays out on a screen-by-screen basis. - Respawn enemies by leaving and red entering a screen. - Many secrets to find. - The game has excellent Easter eggs and nods to classic games and tropes. - Main and mini-boss fights. - Get a bloodthirsty Pomeranian sidekick! - Meet new memorable characters. - All character interactions are done via in-game art sequences. - Instant reloading upon death, you go to your last save point. Enemies can stay dead upon respawning. - The health system at play is 3 dots and you can pick up health. - Modern retro adventure game. - Gets very addictive. - Over time collect upgrades for more health or skulls. - Skulls are used to send your dog out through dog doors and get killed. - Excellent level design. - With some deaths staying permanent with enemies and doors staying open it does make replaying parts a bit easier or less stressful. - Does have the cool thing of having a respawn point right next to big boss fights. - Progression is very satisfying. AdventureQuest 8-Bit Dungeons & DoomKnights Review Cons: - Takes some getting used to not pressing the start button to pause. - Jumping is fine but it's not how modern games are it's a case of pressing jump and then moving rather than both at the same time. - The manual doesn't mention the controls. - Is difficult a lot of the time but always fair. - Movement is not always as smooth as you would like. - Doorways are very sensitive meaning you can constantly walk in and out of a door by accident. - A game like this has the get hit by enemies the moment you enter a screen niggle. - Checkpoints are far apart. Related Post: Jett Rider Review (PlayStation 5) AdventureQuest 8-Bit Dungeons & DoomKnights: Official website. Developer: Artix Entertainment, LLC Publisher: Nami Tentou Store Links - Nintendo Read the full article

#Indie #Nindies #NintendoSwitch

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64bitgamer · 1 year

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cottaegecore · 2 years

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they r in love

#this is your cow checkpoint #cottagecore #country cottage #cottagecharm #cottage core #picnic #flowers #garden #floral #fairycore #november #love #romance #cute #aesthetic #dark acadamia aesthetic

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chasingfictions · 2 years

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@sunnyhellcalifornia & @foolforbuffy were doing this yesterday and it wasnt a tag game but im making it one hello here are my favorite buffy summers outfits <33

becoming part i blue shiny coat makes my brain go brrrrrrrr :)))))

no place like home fluffy faux fur coat with her cute half up half down hair she looks so babey i wanna take her out on a nice date:)))))

spikecore from checkpoint she said i WILL dress just like him BUT i will also put on a big cross just so no one gets any funny ideas

fuzzy coat + beanie combo also from checkpoint, i LOVE her commitment to giant coats in southern california, SO fuzzy, she looks like a hot teddy bear who could kill me, also every time she wears a beanie it is a DIRECT spfuffy reference because of becoming part ii and also that time with faith she wore a black beanie that said 'bomb' in rhinestones ... also starting 2 think i just love when buffy wears coats but to be fair im gay and she's hot

her what's my line fit is maybe my top buffy outfit of all time :))))) the gray tank, the giant greengray flannel, the slacks, the brown chunky heel boots..... this is a look that says IM GAY /////

also love her first day of school fit, LOVE the look of the little white tank top peeking out under the cropped cardi, love pairing pale blue with brown with white nails and her white hair clip??? i love her

LOVE workout clothes buffy because and i cannot stress this enough- i am gay - also i just love the quality of this sports bra and i think she's hot in this gray sweatshirt i love buffy in a Simple look

also just LOVe her simple white ribbed sweater from the gift,,, love the brightness of the hue, love the way it lays on her, LOve the ribbing, early 2000s were really a time for ribbing, you can Tell it's good quality fabric and i love how it catches the light

i only have eyes for you another BANGER, the slicked-back hair really sells the Severity, love those little bits hanging down from the leather jacket, this is an outfit for looking hot and getting haunted and shooting your ex boyfriend

STRONGLY UNDERRATED BUFFY HALTER MOMENT FT. SHINY ELEMENTS PLUS /COW PURSE/ a real moment for humanities major queers

tagging @marinxttes, @shieldsmaiden, @alittlebitmaybe, @yoursummerfrost <3

#i ran out of images i could upload but.... omwf red shirt under the black coat reveal....#ANYYWAY BUFFY SUMMERS QUEEN OF WEARING CLOTHES

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ardeawritten · 3 years

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So I still headcannon that the Combine is trying to manage people like people manage somewhat free-range livestock, shifting “pasture” between cities to keep them getting too comfortable and organized, but there’s an acceptable margin for error.

Like if you have six hundred cows out on eighty square miles and at roundup time you miss three of them, you know which ones you’re missing, but you don’t exactly comb the pasture, you wait for them to show up in someone else’s field or next year or something, and if they never show up they’re probably dead or so wild they aren’t worth the trouble. So when Combine comes along and shifts population, and shows up six people short for the block tally, it’s like eh, they’ll show up at another checkpoint or maybe they got eaten by headcrabs or something.

And so the rebels have this increasingly elaborate system for how much margin for error they have, how many people they can slip between the cracks, which dead civilian identities can be used as cover for movement and infiltration. They’re running against a ticking clock of Combine patience- sooner or later they’ll be ear-tagged like actual cattle- but until then, Ok folks we have calculated a 4% margin for error; that means five of you can stay back and help the next crew set up. Draw straws or whatever. The rest of you put your civvies on and line up for the train. Keep your heads down, reform in your next block, check in by Thursday or you’ll be off the active roster until I hear otherwise. Those of you staying back, remember you’re dead until the next population shift. Don’t get caught.

#half life #half life headcannons #trying to imagine 'normal life' after two decades of totalitarian alien military rule with a stated end-game of human extinction

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beevean · 2 years

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Y'know it's kind of unfair how Silver is often considered as one of the worst bosses in gaming history while petty much every boss in X7 is worse. Speaking of which care to talk about your trauma regarding a certain hyena? :P

Well, alright, Silver isn't exactly a shining boss either. Funnily enough, the fights against him and some of the fights in X7 have the same problem: the camera refuses to cooperate and losing sight of the target spells doom lol.

(and, to be 100% fair, no boss in X7, or any Megaman game, can get you stuck in an infinite loop)

I do not care to acknowledge that asshole feliform. But if you insist... :P

BURBURNBURNTOTHEGROUND is the least of its problems. Let's talk about everything wrong with that battle:

it's at the end of the most painful level in the game (and boy does it have some competition) - sure, as long as you never go to the stage select the checkpoint will spare you, it's just... the mental fatigue, man;

you have to stop that random... cow thing from circling the arena by shooting/slashing at its legs (who am I kidding, shoot at the thing, Zero is pathetic). Meanwhile, the BURNBURNBURNTOTHE clones will attack you like nobody's business, and god help you if you don't know that neither of them is the real deal;

even if you completely stop the cow thing, it will eventually get up again, and it will start to walk again. This means that, once you're on it, you're going to slowly but surely slide towards the back because physics;

if you're on the neck, Hyenard will spam shit at you including missiles, and if you get hit, the knockback combines with the wonky physics will likely make you fall into the lava. Remember how I-frames don't matter in the lava? Yeah :^)

if you're on the back, Hyenard and his clones will start running circles around you, with no indication of who's the real Hyenard. If you leave the circle (or, more likely, you slide off), they will hit you. Meanwhile, they shoot flames at you nonstop. Oh, and don't forget the missiles!

if you decide to stay safe on the back, good luck hitting a moving Hyenard - the Splash Laser has pitiful range, and the Suiretsusen has a long wind-up animation (the latter still manages to be slightly more reliable than the former). Even just shooting at hit with your pea shooter doesn't work, Hyenard is faster than your bullets!

as it's the case for every foe in this game, he takes an eternity and a half to die, even with his weakness;

now you add BURNBURNBURNTOTHEGROUND to the whole mix so that you can watch your braincells commit suicide one by one!

So yeah, Silver is atrocious, but he's easier to speedrun I guess, and his IT'S NO USE is almost endearing now. (also when you play as him you get to enjoy the sheer power you have over Sonic and Shadow :D)

#megaman #megaman x7 #flame hyenard

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nintendroid · 3 years

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Conker’s Bad Fur Day is a cult classic, a staple of the Nintendo 64 library and I want to throw it out the window.

Ok, maybe that’s going overboard, especially considering how expensive an original copy is. To say that Conker’s BFD was a less-than-stellar experience for me is an understatement. After completing my 14-hour playthrough, I was left bummed out and disappointed - thanks in part to the unbelievably depressing ending.

I understand why it’s a cult classic - it’s got a lot going for it, but after years of hype and top 10 lists and accolades, I just don’t feel that it’s up there with the likes of Super Mario 64 or Donkey Kong 64.

“Blasphemy!” you say, “Heresy!” you say “You’re talking out of your rear-end!” you say, but that’s physically impossible, sir. I have my reasons and I think they’re justified. Does it mean you should hate the game too? Absolutely not. Play what you enjoy - this is simply a recital of my personal experience and at the end of it all, this is one guy’s opinion.

So let’s start with the good stuff. Conker’s BFD is a very good-looking game graphically, and I adore the sound effects in this game - walking through mud/poop is like ASMR to me. The juxtaposition of a foul-mouthed, drunken squirrel with a cutesy, cartoony backdrop is funny at times and when the humor is good, it’s good. While a majority of the humor fell flat with me, there is some clever humor sprinkled throughout. I enjoyed the fourth-wall breaking stuff, the way stacks of cash would insult you in a Brooklyn-esq accent, the references to R-rated movies are pretty fun as well.

Some of the levels have enjoyable gameplay. The Mighty Poo boss-fight and the gladiator-style caveman fight kept me playing, when I felt like tapping out. For better or worse, there’s a fair amount of variety here, ranging from platforming segments to third-person shooter, to puzzle-solving.

That sounds pretty good as I type it out and it gives me fond memories of the short times I enjoyed Conker’s BFD - then I remember the bad stuff. A big turn-off from the get go was the cynical humor. I know comedy is subjective - I watched “Joker” too but as a 30+ year-old man, my days of forcing myself to laugh at gore and mean-spirited humor are long in the past. Watching a cow crap like a fountain before being blown into bloody chunks or having the top of Conker’s head being sniped off with a fountain of blood accompanying it isn’t funny. Being that this dropped in 2001, Rare was definitely gunning for the South Park audience - which was white hot at the time.

Performance issues are a big problem in crucial moments. BFD looks awesome and for the most part plays ok. If there’s a lot going on onscreen however, expect the framerate to nearly rival that of a slideshow. The worst example I can point to from the top of my head is the “Saving Private Ryan” stage near the end of the game. The rockets and gunfire slow the action down to a crawl, while the enemies spawn out of nowhere to destroy you in one quick blast. Speaking of...

Conker is pretty underpowered for the most part. You can’t upgrade your health so from start-to-finish you have six hits of life. Fall damage is ridiculous too and it’s very easy to take damage from falling even if you use your tail to float down. However, lives are easy to acquire and checkpoints are reasonable so it’s not an impossible game. It can be difficult, especially the dreaded “Saving Private Ryan” stage as mentioned.

I think next to the humor, the biggest flaw in BFD is just the gameplay. I mentioned the variety, but it isn’t variety in the same way as Banjo-Kazooie or Donkey Kong 64 where things feel different but cohesive - Its variety feels like they started with one idea to abandon it for the other. The “context” power-ups support that claim, where you only have power-ups related to whatever is going on in that stage. A clever humor device, but not an empowering video game mechanic. Is it really that hard to let me freely roam the land with a flamethrower and a shotgun? Why wait until I hop on a stupid “B”?

Conker’s Bad Fur Day could’ve been so much more in my eyes. A little more thought put into the gameplay, scale the humor back to PG-13 territory who, knows what kind of heights it would’ve reached? From here on I’ll choose to remember Conker fondly as the little squirrel who was fun to race as in Diddy Kong Racing. I’m interested to check out his Game Boy Color game to see what could’ve been. As far as Bad Fur Day goes, I’ll probably never play it again. I know it’s a classic in the minds of many, but this kind of stuff just isn’t for me.

I’ll leave off with a question: If a sequel was made today, would you want to see them continue in the direction of Bad Fur Day, or take a more traditional platforming mascot route?

Screenshots/images: MobyGames

#conker's bad fur day #conker live and reloaded #rareware #n64 #nintendo 64 #conker #diddy kong racing #nintendroid

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friendship-ended-with-pokespe · 4 years

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Kirby and the Big Race in Dream Land! Chapter 9

Kirby made it back safely to the clifftop. Everyone surrounds him in a clamor. “Great job, Kirby!” “We have to treat them quickly!” “Please step back, everyone. I will take it from here.” Ordered Kurron.

His words and attitude have an undefiable force. Everyone watched him and Kizario with their breath held. Kurron began chanting in a low voice. With it, a strange thing happened. Having laid down with its consciousness lost, Peperon’s enormous body began shrinking little by little. It is getting smaller and smaller. A body that was as large as a huge tree became the size of a cow, then a dog, and finally, a mouse.

Seeing the shrunken Peperon, everyone was wide-eyed in amazement. “A bear......?” “It’s a tiny little bear, just like a plushie. So cute.” “The identity of that ferocious monster was......this tiny bear?” Kizario, who was embraced by it, was thrown down to the ground. Kurron ceased his incantation and murmured. “This will do. Peperon has reverted back to its normal size. Next is to treat Master Kizario.” Seeing such a strange event, everyone was dumbfounded, but came to their senses from Kurron’s words. “Right, we’ve got to treat the young master.” “Have him spit out water. Check his breathing!” “It’s okay, he hardly swallowed any water. It’s because we were quick in rescuing him. With their efforts combined, the staff massaged Kizario’s body and treated him. Kizario regained consciousness before long. Everyone sighed in relief and called out to him. “Are you awake?” “You alright? How do you feel?” Kizario was in a fog for a moment and gazed at everyone's faces. He asked, his consciousness finally cleared. “What about Peperon? Where’s Peperon?” “No need to worry, sir. If you’re talking about that bear, it became tiny and......” Said the staff, and looked around. But Peperon is nowhere to be seen. “......Huh? What happened to that bear?” Hearing that, Kirby and the others also realized for the first time that Peperon was gone. Everyone searches around the shade of the trees and behind the rocks, but cannot find it. “That’s weird. It shrank and got to be lurking around here somewhere.” “It disappeared while young master recovered his senses.” “Don’t tell me......” One of the staff looked beneath the cliff. “Did it fall down again? With how small it became, while no one paid attention to it......” “It wasn’t fully conscious, you know. It might’ve staggered and fell off.” “No way!” Kirby sped up his ending in a panic and flew down the cliff. He searched even to the lower reaches, but couldn’t find Peperon. “No good......it’s not anywhere.” Having returned, Kirby removed Jet and reported. Kizario then started sobbing with his shoulders trembling. “That jerk......why did he try to save me......and I said all those horrible things to him!” “You still don’t realize it, sir? How foolish.” Kurron said in a stern voice. “Hasn’t Peperon always been by your side? Ever since you were a small child.” “......” “To you, Peperon may have only been a pet, but to Peperon, you were the one and only friend of its.” “Friend......” Kizario sidled up to the edge of the cliff. Everyone had to hold him back, where he seemed like he could plunge into the rapids at any moment. “Peperon......! What happened do you. Peperon, come back......I’ll make sure to cherish you dearly this time......” Kizario sank down and wept like a small child. His sobs continued for a long, long time, where Meta Knight said right when it came to an end. “Explain to us the whole story of what you’ve done, Kizario.” “That is the only way to apologize to Peperon, sir.” Added Kurron as well. Kizario raised his face smeared with tears. He looked miserable, completely different from his usual snobby self. “Peperon is......a miniature bear that I bought many years ago for my birthday.” “A miniature bear?” “Yup. It’s a bear small enough to hold on your palm. Its size doesn’t change even as it grows, so it’s very popular in my star as a pet.” Kizario at last wiped his tears. “Me and Peperon were like best friends. We would always play together. But......one day, I felt very ashamed after talking with my friends.” “Ashamed?” “All my friends had cool-looking pets. You know, big and strong ones like Hornhead or Fire Lion. They laughed at me, saying that a miniature bear is for girls. I was so frustrated that I couldn’t stand it. So I thought of making Peperon a big and strong bear.” “How?” “I asked Kurron, of course.” Nodded Kurron, and said. “I am a babysitter for Master Kizario.” “Don’t say babysitting. I’m not a kid anymore!” “Simply put, I have been continuing to look after him.” “Kurron has a certification in using magic.” “Why, I am but a beginner.” Kurron shook his hands in humility. “I only wanted to make it huge with Kurron’s magic, but he refused.” “Of course, sir. As it is against the law to enlarge a living creature.”

“So I secretly read his magic book and tried using the magic myself. It went smoothly......too smoothly. Peperon grew even bigger than I expected.” “Peperon ran away, where its whereabouts were unknown. As a result of a great search, we came to learn that it took refuge in Dream Land. “Why to Dream Land......?” The residents were perplexed, where Kurron then answered calmly. “By nature, Peperon has an optimistic peace-loving heart. I dare say that it was drawn to the most carefree atmosphere in the universe that Dream Land was filled with.” “I was planning to find Peperon before Kurron does and undo the magic. Thinking that I would be bawled out by Kurron if I was beaten to the punch. But it’s no use with my strength alone. So I......” “Cooked up a plan to get the people of Dream Land involved.” Said Meta Knight, and Kizario lost heart. “......Uh-huh. I thought I could get the people involved and have them run around Dream Land to lure Peperon out if I were to produce a program......” Kurron was the one to continue off. “Even so, it became a huge topic before he knew it and couldn’t pass it off as a lie. Master Kizario therefore sent for the staff and had to produce an actual program. I am late in saying this, but Master Kizario is the son of the CEO of Comet TV. To put it another way, he is the son of a prominent family.” “My mom is the CEO. Since I love TV, I have some experience from asking my mom to let me make shows several times.” “Although they were nothing but terrible shows.” Whispered one of the staff. Kizario became irritated and talked back. “I can’t help it! I’m the heir to the CEO! I’m more fit for managing a company than producing a show, you know!” “And, well, we staff were called because of that and were to make the program. Although Young Master Kizario was the one to come up with the contents of the race.” “It was all a plan to track Peperon down. The super spicy gourmet has the special seasoning blended from me reading the magic book in secret. By eating that, you were sure to have gained strength several times more than usual. It was a strategy to power you guys up.” “It seemed to have an opposite effect as there was way too much.” Said the staff. Kizario was let down once again. “......Well, you know. The next singing challenge was for what I remembered from reading the magic book, “Spell of Awakening.” Once hearing the spell, the magical creature would get aroused and start running wild. I thought it would be able to lure out Peperon in hiding......” “That was very foolish of you, sir. Thanks to that, the meek Peperon began rampaging like such......” Told harshly by Kurron, Kizario became more and more crestfallen. “The next chocolate challenge was as I explained. Peperon loves chocolate, so it would get sleepy after eating lots of chocolate. That’s why I had you all smeared in chocolate.” “What an awful plan!” Chef Kawasaki was the one to lose his temper. “I was nearly eaten by that thing!” “Peperon only eats sweets, so I thought that there wouldn't be any danger......” Right when Kizario made an excuse: With ding, ding, ding, ding......a low sound was heard. Taking out the communication device in his pocket, the staff talked about something in a low voice. Cutting the communication right away, the staff informed Kizario. “It’s a message from the HQ, sir. The front-runner will reach the goal shortly, so please make haste......they said. Since the award ceremony can’t start without young master......” “......Eh?” Everyone was stupefied. “The top runner? Who do they mean?” “But all the athletes are gathered here.” Kirby shouts abruptly. “Ah......! It’s Waddle Dee! Waddle Dee isn’t here!” “Whaaaaaaaaaat!?” Yelled King Dedede.

”That prick disregarded me and is in the lead!? He’s got nerves for a subordinate!” “Don’t tell me that Waddle Dee will win!?” “No, that’s not possible.” Said Kizario. “That athlete didn’t meet the condition of the final checkpoint. That is to say, he didn’t encounter Peperon.” “I see. So Waddle Dee is disqualified then.” The athletes were in relief. “Can’t sit here like this. The race will resume.” “Alright, I ain’t losing!” “I’m gonna win~!” The athletes got onto each of their machines and started running. The TV staff also boards the wheeled vehicles for staff use. Kurron called out to Kizario standing still on the edge of the cliff. “Let us go as well, Master.” “......Sure.” Unwilling to give up, while looking over his shoulders several times, Kizario finally left that area.

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#kirby novels #kirby of the stars #light novel #translation #kirby #waddle dee #king dedede #meta knight #walky #meta knights

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parentingcircle · 3 years

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Weaning Off The Milk: Can My Baby Eat Solid Food Now?

Congratulations, you have finally arrived to a new checkpoint of caring for your baby. Now that you are probably an expert at breastfeeding, it is time for you to learn how to stop it. Weaning is the first step of introducing your baby to solid foods.

For some, the process may come naturally as their child grow, while to others, they may need to wean their child of breastmilk because of certain health conditions of the mother or child.

What Is Weaning?

Weaning is the process of stopping breastmilk supply to your child while slowly changing their source of nutrition by introducing them to other foods.

Note: Even if you are not breastfeeding your child, you may also need to wean them off of formula milk.

Formula and Cows' Milk Comparison

Formula milk is made specially for infants where it is tailored to suit all the necessary nutrients needed by an infant. The ingredients inside a formula milk are carefully regulated to make it is safe for an infant to consume.

Cow’s milk is not recommended to babies under 1 years old because they are still unable to digest cow’s milk thoroughly which may lead them to get ill. Regular cow milk sold in the market also lacks a lot of the nutrients required by an infant.

In the other hand, toddlers between 1 to 2 years old are recommended to drink more whole milk to help with their growth and development.

Why Must You Wean?

You must be wondering why do you have to go through the process of weaning. Why can’t you just stop breastfeeding and start giving your child solid food immediately, right?

Well, for one, stopping breastfeeding abruptly can effect you. Especially if you stop it when your baby is about 6 months or younger.

During this time, your milk ducts are still active producing breastmilk. Stopping immediately does not give your body time to adjust their production and may cause your breast to become engorged.

Putting up with engorgement is one way to tell the body that to produce less milk and eventually stop but doing it gradually can help lessen the pain that you have to endure.

Two, study shows that baby who feeds on breastmilk longer, has better immune system and has lesser chance in contracting diseases.

When should you start?

There is no exact time for you to start weaning. It is all up for you to decide. Some may choose to stop breastfeeding early while others later.

According to experts, breastmilk should be your baby’s nourishment for the first 6 months. You can start introducing solid food when your child is older than 6 months but don't stop with the breastmilk just yet!

In between 6 months to 2 years (depending on how long you want to feed your child breastmilk) you can call this process complementary feeding where you feed your child both solids and breastmilk.

Note: Children who are given breastmilk up to 2 years old are said to have better immunity.

Can I start weaning at 3 months?

If you are playing to wean off breastmilk and switch to formula milk then yes, you can! Introducing your child to solid food however should start at 6 months old.

6 months old are the recommended age for weaning instead of anything earlier because by this time, your baby should be able to handle and swallow food better.

Moreover, your child do not need any solid food in their diet yet. Breastmilk alone is sufficient and gives your child more nutritional benefits for their development.

Signs Your Baby Shows

Your baby will show the signs when they are ready. Look out for these signs to determine that your child would probably need more than just milk.

Your baby can hold their head up steadily

Your baby can properly coordinate their eyes, hands, and mouth

Your baby can sit upright

Starting Tips!

Take it slow. Be patient. Your baby may need time to adjust to weaning. Eating solid foods is a new thing for them and it is also a new skill for them to learn.

For instance, they would need to learn to control and coordinate their hands to pick up the food. They also need to learn to chew and swallow their food.

So, give your child ample of time to adjust to this new task and do not force or rush them when they are unable to get it right at the get go.

Also check out this checklist for all the things you would need to make the weaning process smoother and easier for you!

What if my child refuse to eat?

Similarly to breastfeeding, your child may have their own appetite and timing. It is not uncommon for your child to eat little-they may just have a small appetite.

Your child may also develop their own tastes and preferences which led them to eat less on certain food and more for others.

Introducing Allergy Food

Weaning is a good time to introduce your child to allergic triggers. Best to only serve them one of the triggers in every feeding session. This makes it easier for you to recognize which food your baby is allergic to.

Note: Make sure the food are thoroughly cooked and is cooled before serving to your child.

Here's a list of food that are common allergy triggers.

Cows’ milk

Eggs

Gluten food (wheat, barley, rye)

Soya

Shellfish

Peanuts or any type of nuts

Fish

Weaning Foods

Introducing food to your child has its stages and these stages depends on your child's growth and development. You cannot start immediately giving them hard food when they had not any teeth now can you?

First Stage: 6 months old

You may want to start weaning with soft food: blended, mashed, or pureed. Your baby's teeth are only beginning to sprout out of their gums so they would be using their gums most of the time to mash on their food.

You can change it up from time to time with food that is cooked until soft like sweet potato, carrots, rather than all blend, mash, and puree. You can also try giving them fruits like bananas, mango, papayas as finger foods.

Note: Did you know that giving your child different texture food help stimulate your child's brain?

Serve the food with water in a sippy cup. Avoid giving them juices or cows' milk for drinking. Juices contains sugar that can cause tooth decay and they are still to young to digest cows' milk.

Second Stage: 7 - 9 months old

Your baby are more familiar with eating their food now. If you have been letting them eat on their own, you can observe that their coordination are better now. You can reduce the amount of blend, mash, and puree food and offer them more different textures.

Food that requires them to chew and bite are also good to be introduced in this stage. Try to give them a variety of food flavours. Allowing them to taste different flavours help broaden their taste so they less likely to become fussy eaters in the near future!

Note: Your child can learn a lot more if they eat together with the whole family.

Third Stage: 10 - 12 months old

In this stage, you can introduce them to chunkier foods. Even better, food that they can easily pick up using utensils or their hand. You would find that they are adjusting to eat more now. You can even add in some soft desserts as a treat from time to time.

Note: Do not add any sugar, salt or any seasoning to your child's food.

Fourth Stage: 1 years old and above

By this time, your child can already eat food similar to what you and the rest of the family is eating. So you don't have to prepare baby food as frequent as before. Your little one may also enjoy snacks in between food for extra energy for their daily activities.

Try giving them healthy snacks instead like fruit, yogurt or cheese sticks.

Your baby can now digest cows' milk safely so you can give it to them as drink. In fact, pediatrics recommends it as they need more energy now and cows' milk also contains good fat that is good for their brain development.

Reference: National Health Service UK

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justanotherpersonsuniverse · 2 years

Note

Mental checkpoint: please rotate a cow in your mind. Furthermore, due to your abundance of stress points you now have the option to buy the highland cattle upgrade. Would you like to upgrade to highland cattle? Y/N

thanke,, yes pls

i am playing stardew,,

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mishinsisa · 4 years

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A traveler's learning - A princess' wish

(AlMei fic)

Summary.- Alphonse Elric decides to start his own life and materialize his projects: traveling east and study alkahestry. He takes two friends in order to help them recover their original forms and, along the way, gets to know the seventeenth princess of Xing better. During Alphonse's learning process and while Mei takes on projects in support of her clan, they get to understand each other and their bond strengthens.

*This is the first thing I write about FMA since I got into the fandom recently. English is not my first language and I hadn't written any fiction in English, so please, if you see any mistakes, do not hesitate to let me know so I can correct them.*

First chapter length: 3,825 words

Total length: 13,780 words

Genre: Friendship / Family / Romance (at the very end)

Links to AO3 and Fanfiction

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

Determination

He had to reconsider his plans of departing soon to the East on the advice of his family and acquaintances: his brother and surrogate grandmother were worried about him exposing to such a strenuous journey through the desert. The chances of survival and successful completion for healthy people were already low, let alone for a boy whose body had suffered years of starvation and consequently severe health issues. The princess, his friend, despite showing excitement for his intended visit to her country and a willingness to work with him, stated that he would have to study the language beforehand, at least to a basic level. A vast majority of Xingese did not speak Amestrian at all, and traditional teachers were not patient nor gentle with foreigners.

There was no chance to see friends off. Due to the critical condition their bodies were in, all the brothers got was a brief and restricted visit by the far eastern group. An interchange of addresses—attempting to ignore the fact that they might not see nor contact each other again—, words of gratitude and encouragement, and that was it. The Elrics and the people who fought that day would spend a while under close medical care.

Alphonse’s process was, by far, the longest and most difficult of all. He learned when the Armstrongs, the Colonel, the Lieutenant, the chimeras, and everybody involved was discharged. Even his father, who, once healthy, showed intentions to stay with his sons. However, Hohenheim understood, from Edward’s attitude, that his continuous presence with them would not be wise nor comfortable.

It was Edward the one who never left Alphonse’s side. Even when he himself was severely injured, he insisted on being with his younger brother to make sure of his progress. It was not only his guilt of the failed transmutation and bringing his young body to that pitiful state, but also the uncertainty of his survival given that severe emaciation.

Bedridden, stuck to a liquid diet, barely able to turn over and subject to multiple injections a day, not only the youngest Elric was restrained in a body he and his brother had been searching for years. He was also prey to baffling nightmares, hallucinations, abrupt losses of consciousness, and difficulty in remembering things that happened during the journeys with his brother. During these lapses, Edward would sit on the edge of the bed and hold his hand in an attempt to make Alphonse feel safe and supported. Even being such a reckless youngster, the older brother knew when to cheer the younger one, and when it was best to stay quiet and hold him.

It was the memory of those endless months of convalescence that made Edward worry about his brother’s decision to go to the east as soon as possible. He understood his urge to travel and live as many experiences as he could, since the former state alchemist had already decided to study in the West. However, communications between Amestris and the East were still limited, and the connection projects were still drafts. Führer Grumman and the Crown Prince, on behalf of the Emperor of Xing due to his frail state, had just opened a trade route through Aerugo and the south sea. It was the beginning of a promise to a profitable exchange between Amestris and the eastern country.

Determined to prepare himself for his journey, Alphonse took into account Mei’s words and chose to start learning Xingese. In East City, the closest urban area to his hometown, he found little linguistic and instructional material that could help him. He didn’t feel like going all the way to Central, so he had some books delivered to the Rockbell house by some renowned bookstores.

Once the brothers felt ready, Alphonse would be the first one to depart. Deep down, he trusted his absence would give his older brother the space and courage to acknowledge his feelings and talk about them with the girl they grew up with.

―You sure you don’t wanna wait for an eastern railway line to be ready? I’ve heard it’s in the Führer’s agenda.―Pinako told him with a concerned tone.

Alphonse smiled reassuringly.

―We don’t know if that will start tomorrow, next month or next year. What if they start building it in ten years? I’m not going to wait that long.

―You just make sure to call home whenever you get the chance, okay?―his brother said, smiling―There’s got to be a phone in each station. So let us know about all of your layovers, huh?

―Ed, he’s going to spend too much money on phone calls.―Winry talked back and then immediately addressed to Alphonse―You just call us once a day so we get to know you’re okay. Don’t forget to write as soon as you get to Xing, understand?

The first announcement of the train to Aerugo echoed in the station.

Pinako wished him the best of luck and reminded him that he could get back home whenever he wanted to.

Winry took a package wrapped in cloth out of a basket and gave it to him.

―When you get hungry during the trip…

The boy gasped out of joy when he noticed the smell of apple pie.

―You didn’t have to! Thanks a bunch!

―I can’t believe you will cross the sea! I want you to tell me what is it like!

He smiled at her and nodded.

Then, his brother came closer to him.

―You just take care, okay? Don’t get in trouble.

―You’re not coming with me, so most likely I won’t get into bigger trouble than the ones you got me in.

Edward scoffed.

They bumped fists. Then, they bumped elbows and patted each other’s shoulder as Alphonse turned around to walk towards the platform.

The Rockbells and the older brother waved him goodbye when they spotted him in his seat. He waved back at them, smiling. Soon after the train started moving, Winry and Pinako got tired and lowered their arms. Edward, however, not only waved even harder, but ran along the platform so as not to lose sight of Alphonse, until the train outran him and went away.

He met with Jerso and Zampano at the South City station. From there, they headed together to the southernmost city of Amestris connected by train and took a tram to the checkpoint. The Amestrian police and soldiers checked their passports and jackets, acting somehow lenient after noticing the Elric surname in the documents. In the Aerugonian side, however, they got thoroughly searched and questioned. Their ID photos were constantly checked to confirm if they were the persons they claimed to be; they even had to take their shoes off and open their luggage. The process, which seemed endless for the young alchemist and former militaries, ended up with the confiscation of personal items such as straight razors, nail clippers, a lighter and a hip flask. Alphonse’s medication was almost confiscated, too, but he showed his prescription and bargained speaking a mixture of Amestrian and very broken Aerugonian.

The first train they took, in a noisy and narrow station, was full of people with work attires and uniforms; people carrying heavy packaged goods, cases full of documents, lunch boxes. Some of them avoided interaction by reading the newspaper; some others simply slept with the newspaper on their face to block the light. The boy, however tired, kept looking out the window, curious to find out if the countryside in Aerugo would look different from the countryside in which he grew up.

Hours later in the train, the former militaries couldn’t help but chuckle about Alphonse’s look. He fell asleep with his face leaning next to the window. His jaw was wide open, part of his hair was upright and entangled, and his left leg was extended to the front, almost in the personal space of his companions. Zampano tapped the tip of the boy’s foot with his own foot in a subtle attempt to wake him up when he noticed a middle-aged woman selling snacks, approaching. Not that the food or service were that good at the train, but he and his friend were hungry, and they supposed the young one would need something to eat.

―Hey… hey, Al…

A sharp move of the train made his head bump into the wall and woke him up.

―You okay, buddy? You want something?―Zampano asked him in an amused tone.

Alphonse yawned covering his mouth, unable to talk immediately, while Jerso took some money out of his pocket and bought snacks for the three of them.

―I can’t believe it’s already afternoon. Did we pass by any landmarks?―The boy asked.

―I woke up an hour ago.―Jerso answered, shrugging and chewing.

―I’ve been sleeping and waking up every now and then. Only sheep, cows and plantations out that window. You didn’t miss anything.

Alphonse smiled. Deep down, he disagreed with Zampano’s answer: he was in a whole new place for him and was willing to see the slightest detail of it, specially since he was just passing through that country and didn’t know if he would be there again.

At night, the train stopped in what seemed to be a textile town. Given the hour and their tiredness, all they did was look for an inn to have dinner and rest.

Alphonse went to an old phone, one of the only three that were near the front desk area. He took some coins and dialed long distance.

―Rockbell Automail.

―Granny, it’s me.

―Al, thank goodness. Where are you now?

The young Elric attempted to ask the name of the town with his limited language skills, but he didn’t understand the answer he got, no matter how many times the clerk repeated.

―I… I’m still north of Aerugo. I just had dinner. How’s my brother and Winry?

―He’s upstairs, reading.

―Hey!―A distant voice and quick steps were heard through the phone.

―Here he comes. Hold on.

―Yo! How’s everything going?

―It’s all right. I’ve been sitting all day long.

―You in Aerugo? Is it hot? You’re gonna get all tanned and all. Careful with the ladies.―Edward teased his brother, trying to conceal the fact that he already missed him.

―It’s humid, yeah.―The young one smiled―So, when are you going to talk to Winry?

―Uh…

Edward seemed to be about to give an explanation, but he remained silent. Alphonse was not surprised.

―Listen, I gotta go now. I need to sleep. We’re taking the next train first thing in the morning. Take care.

The next morning they woke up a little later than agreed and barely had time to get prepared. They ran to the station and, panting, abruptly stopped behind the platform line. Less than a minute later, the train doors opened. It was still dark, but the next train would depart three hours later, and Alphonse was not willing to delay his itinerary.

Luckily, there were very few people in that train given the hour and route. The train car they were in was practically empty; it was just the three of them, so the Amestrians were free to be at ease. After a light breakfast and a nap to recover the lost sleep, they played cards. The game finished gradually with the hours of the morning and they ended up chatting and laughing, telling stories and their plans on the East.

They spent the whole day crossing Aerugo and, as they headed south, Alphonse wrote in a travelogue details of what he saw. Not only did he enjoy rural and natural landscapes, but as the train went through big cities and the capital, he was delighted by the architecture, urban transportation, and the people’s disposition. Aerugonians seemed to be much more open and talkative than Amestrians: most houses decorated with flowering plants and painted in bright colors, unlike in his country.

After spending the night in a city 400 miles away from the coast and boarding a last train the next morning, the three Amestrians arrived in an important port where they had some time to spare before their ship’s departure. They had a taste of Aerugonian seafood and bought medicine and personal care items, since their razors were taken in the north border and they didn’t want to look unkempt on arrival in Xing.

Once on board the ship and upon leaving his stuff in the cabin, Alphonse rushed to the top deck and, amazed, walked to the railing and stood there. The wind in his hair and clothes, eyes narrowed by the daylight and mouth wide open, he stared delighted the vastness before him, sky and sea, which he thought of as two realms only separated by the line where the shades of blue diverged.

During the early afternoon, once in open sea, Zampano and Jerso chatted and enjoyed the sunlight while the boy, feet away from them, looked down the hull and noticed a large school of flying fish, fluttering. Alphonse leaned over the railing to take a better look of them and the deep waters he was navigating. Later on, in the distance, he spotted dolphins. Pelicans and seagulls flew above the ship and, following their path with his eyes, he turned around and looked back at the point from which it sailed, now vanished in the horizon. A tear crossed his cheekbone. That innocence and sense of wonder reminded his travel companions of their own children, moving them.

The Xingese harbor where they set foot in land for the first time in days was a bustle of vessels, rickshaws and loud talk that, in addition to their seasickness, left the three Amestrians dazed and indisposed to walk long distances. The midday light worsened their discomfort, and Alphonse had to call to mind his self-taught language lessons and look for a way to get to the train station. Needless to say that three considerably tall, unusual-looking, tired foreigners would be easy prey to cunning drivers.

They got on the cab that charged them the less among the other options presented to them as a swarm. Still, in front of the station, the driver charged them more than agreed, claiming the routes he had to take in order to get them fast and the weight of three big men and their suitcases. Alphonse’s shortness of vocabulary and Jerso and Zampano’s total ignorance of the language led to an unintelligible quarrel in overlapped Amestrian and Xingese. The altercation drew the attention of bystanders and ended up with the foreigners paying reluctantly the final demanded amount. Jerso was about to spit his chimeric saliva to the driver but was stopped by Alphonse.

The route to the capital of Xing took them through places that not only enthralled the already curious alchemist, but also delighted the grown men with him. The stunning look of lightning in the distance in the southern area near the desert, they had never seen that kind of thunderstorms. Numerous rice terraces extending in sequences that seemed infinite; rivers reflecting surrounding peaks covered in green; a thick emerald forest where the silence seemed sacred; hills that seemed painted with watercolors in various shades of yellow, red and green; plantation fields; busy towns. Bluish, gray mountains imposing as they approached the capital city.

Never in his life had the boy seen so many people concentrated in one place. When Alphonse and his travel companions arrived at the main station they were easily stepped on and bumped into by the passers-by, not without a curious peek. Not every day did they see people with those Amestrians’ physical traits and clothing. Besides, they looked unkempt, since they hadn’t had the chance to shave since their last morning in the Aerugonian ship.

The place was so big they got easily lost amid the swarm of people and the overwhelming amount of hallways, waiting areas and sigs they didn’t understand. They decided it would be better to go first to the restrooms, which were in an upper floor. The young one remembered reading once in his books that performing personal care activities in public, such as combing or shaving, was seen as very bad taste in Xing, so they went very quickly.

Once done, walking down the wide stairs along with many other users, Alphonse felt weak due to a drop in his blood pressure. The changes in altitude and the eating habits he had been leading during such a long trip affected his health, and he fainted. People near him stepped aside, most of them continuing on their way. Zampano and Jerso ran to their friend, turning him over to see if he was awake or injured.

—Al! Hey, Al!—Jerso shouted, gently slapping the boy’s face.

Alphonse’s head had hit the edge of a stair, causing him a laceration on his forehead and a black eye. Zampano held him and softly shook him.

—He’s passed out, go get help.—He told Jerso.

—They won’t understand a word, lemme just…

—Go get help! We don’t know if he still has any condition.

—I don’t know how to! I better go get water to splash his face and wash that blood.

Three security guards came running, alerted by one witness of Alphonse’s fall down the stairs. Their first impression was that of an innocent looking youngster waking up disoriented and bleeding, surrounded by two threatening-looking men with untidy stubble, one of then shaking him on the floor and patting his coat, the other one carrying his suitcase. Yelling, one of the guards asked something none of the Amestrians understood. He and the second guard proceeded to detain Jerso and Zampano, while the third guard helped Alphonse stand up and walk.

—Sir, are you here against your will?—The sheriff asked slowly and clear so that the young Amestrian could understand.—Were you kidnapped? Kidnap?

—Again, I was not abducted. I came here because I want.

His accent was strong, but he talked clear and was confident of his language use in that situation. Alphonse tried to explain time after time that he was in Xing willingly and that those two men were his friends, but none of the officers seemed to believe. The wound on his forehead had been washed and covered and he had been offered an ice pack for his eye. His companions were held in a cell.

The sheriff opened the boy’s passport. He frowned a little, glanced at the Amestrian, and skimmed the document again. That surname may have been distant news once, but he was not sure.

—Do you want to go back home? Call anyone?

—Yes. I want to call the Seventeenth Royal Princess of Xing, Mei.

The sheriff and the officers in the room looked at each other in incredulity. Some of them grinned and sneered. They talked mockingly among them at fast pace and the sheriff tried to impose order.

—Sonny, home? You don’t want to go home? Or do you need a lawyer?

Alphonse felt like the man was treating him like a stupid.

—Sir, I know my rights. I can resort to the help I need. And the help I choose is Her Highness, Princess Mei.

Silence in the room, skeptic faces.

—I met her, the Crown Prince Ling Yao and his bodyguards Lan Fan and the late Fu in Amestris. I’m Alphonse Elric, and I came here to study Alkahestry, science she masters.

One of the officers talked in a condescending tone and the sheriff mumbled, frustrated. He took the phone and dialed. Once he got an answer, he adopted a formal tone and, among the particulars, he mentioned the name Alphonse Elric, mispronouncing it. Minutes of silence. The conversation seemed to resume briefly, and the man hung up. His countenance seemed uncomfortable and wary. He had a secretary bring the Amestrian a cup of tea and offered him a forced smile. The officers in the room were in expectation. Minutes later, the sheriff called again.

—I am sorry for keeping you waiting, Mr. Elric.—The man in charge of the situation addressed the young Amestrian after hanging up—I contacted the relevant palace office and they talked to one of the Princess’ assistants. She will be here in about two hours. In the meantime, the nurse will take care of you.

Alphonse smiled and sighed with relief.

—What about my friends?

—That’s for the Princess to decide.

—They are hungry and tired by now.

The sheriff acted as if he hadn’t heard that and handed Alphonse his passport back, then called the nurse and asked her to take the young man with her.

The distant fuss in the building woke him up from his shallow slumber. The bed was narrow and hard, but he was so tired and unwell that he surrendered to the cherished rest by the nurse’s command. She saw him awake and made a gesture, indicating that he should get out of bed. The door was opened. The nurse bowed down and, with a glance, warned that he ought to do the same.

He saw her: a shining maiden, ravishing, small in build, taller than the last time they talked, her little panda on her shoulder. Dressed in a light blue cheongsam, her hair tied in two buns with braids, she seemed to personify the morning sky. The princess stared at him, first in disbelief; then, after asking him and the nurse to stop bowing and scrutinizing his face, she recognized him and gasped.

—Sir Alphonse!—She took four steps forward in a reflex of greeting him like in the old days, but remembered the presence of her palace assistants and the officers and stopped suddenly, bowing slightly—I mean, Mr. Elric! Are you all right?

—I am! Don’t worry, it was just a fall!

—I have to apologize for being so late. I was addressing issues when we received your call. After that, I had to get everything prepared for you and your friends. Where are they?

—Arrested, I’m afraid.

—Oh! Let’s hurry, then. I’ll explain later, but I wanted to make sure you’re well received and comfortable, specially after this unfortunate misunderstanding.

An officer released Zampano and Jerso. When they were greeted by Mei, the man forced them to a bow, and escorted them out when she headed to the exit.

—It feels weird. Such a tiny girl we met in Amestris, now a fancy princess.

—Yes, man, she’s royal family and all, remember?

The former militaries mumbled astonished once out of the police station, away from the group. Alphonse joined them then.

—Don’t be surprised. She’s in her country, she must follow a protocol. All we can do is adapt ourselves.

—Gentlemen!—The princess called them loudly, waving to draw their attention.

She invited them to get on the limousine with her. Once their luggage was in place and they got on the back seats, Mei asked the chauffeur to drive to the place where the Amestrians would stay.

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