#i love gloria she is my special lady

[rad-roche]

truckin along on page 5. i think it'd be nice to share a panel from each page as they happen. gives you a little taste, but doesn't give the game away

i think it's pretty funny both most recent comics involve nick apologising to gloria. (nick valentine voice) i'm sorry women

[elizabeth-mitchells]

going to war to watch the Barbie movie was SO WORTH IT ACTUALLY 🩷🩷🩷🩷

[matcha-flavored-cake]

୧ ‧₊˚ 🥐 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐄!𝟒𝟐 𝐇𝐂𝐒.

. warnings: mentions of death (Jefferson) and grief, grammar erros (english is not my first language).

. featuring: Miles Morales (e!42)

. wc: 1.4k

.a/n: if you see grammatical errors, or me saying something in Spanish wrong, please feel free to correct me. My Spanish is rusty as fuck

hcs for miles 1610 here

He listens to a lot of reggaeton, afrobeat, and R&B. C'mon guys, look at my face and say to me he doesn't, also he prob like old school rap too, thanks to uncle Aaron and his dad, Jefferson probably showed his some jazz

I feel like Mama Rio and Abuelita Gloria showed him some old Puerto Rican singers and he listens old songs from time to time, specially when his nana is visiting

This man knows mechanics. Period. Help his mom to fix things around the house, shower, the lights etc. Bet his 'son and dad' time involved something with fixing things around the house and Jefferson 'passing the knowledge ' to Miles

"Listen Miles, you're the man in the house when I'm not around got it?"

"'kay dad"

"When I'm not around you're responsible for your mom deal? Gotta make sure she's in good hands when I'm not around"

"I gotchu dad, don't worry"

Ok listen, I'm kicking my feet thinking about Miles tuning his uncle's Ducati (and prob Aaron has a Ducati Scrambler. I do not take criticism), while listening music I'm just *giggling like a schoolgirl*

Btw I feel like if Miles ever had a motorcycle for his personal use and not for Prowler activities, it would be a Kawasaki Ninja or a Yamaha XSR 900. For Prowler activity honestly, he would have a Hayabusa bc it's fast as fuck, with purple neon lights like his Prowler suit. you cannot argue with me. I feel like it was a way of him and his uncle spend time together before his dad died

Miles prob is always tinkering with the titanium claws and his paraphernalia. (I love this word btw)

So yeah prob hes always with his uncle doing shit on the motorcycle or his suit while listening music or sum, or practicing boxing together.

And I bet his mom slapped them two when she once arrived and saw Aaron teaching Miles how to pilot a bike

"What you're doing with my son Aaron!" *that one meme of a man slapping the player on the shoulder*

"Ouch ouch! I'm just teachin' the kid how to pilot Rio, I surrender I surrender!"

"¿Y tú? ¿Qué diablos está en tu mente, Miles? ¡Montando una motocicleta! What am I going to do with you Miles Gonzalo Morales?!"

"¡Cálmate mamá! Uncle Aaron was just teachin' me, no es gran cos- ouch! Mom that hurts!"

Speaking of which, Mama Rio has insane strength on her arms (being a nurse demand a lot of strength to carry patients, changing their clothes, helping them bathe and all), that being said, when Mama Rio get ✨la chancla✨ oh boy, run, no kidding, run

(Everytime my mom grabbed her havaianas I runned more than Usain Bolt. I still do honestly)

I have a feeling that Miles knows how to cook, like he always knew. Arroz con pollo? Bet, does it with eyes closed. Fancy meals? Oh boy he's probably the only guy that the women of the family let inside the kitchen to help with Christmas banquet.

He eat his veggies, hates wasting food, it's not a picky eater but don't put pickles on his burger for the love of God.

Bet his nana tried to give him a bit of coquito without his mom seeing. (I hc his nana is one of those old lady that are a menace to society)

"Take a sip don't worry, No one is watching"

"No nana I'm all good"

"¡Mamá! Take this away from Miles."

Since his dad passed away he understood quite early that now he is the man in the house, that now he's the one to take care of his mom. So he started paying more attention to the chores. His mom is on duty? He's putting some music and cleaning the house, changing the blankets of his mom's bed, and probably making something for her to eat when she come back.

Prob has his mom schedule on his phone to make sure he knows where she is so it wouldn't risk her seeing his as the Prowler and he can watch out from the buildings while Rio walks to her work

Sunday family lunch was usual at Miles' house, his dad 'helping' his mom with the food (he just looked and passed her the ingredients), while Miles set the table. Music on the radio, enjoying the day before Miles need to go back to Brooklyn Visions.

Prefer more salty foods than sweets. Likes eating steak, it doesn't matter if it's BBQ or carne assada, he likes meat. For sweets, he's obsessed with the way his mom does Tembleque (sorry Abuelita Gloria)

We know his room is quite similar to 1610 Miles, but I feel like he doesn't have as many toys as 1610 Miles does. He sold some and used the money to help his mom somehow, he just doesn't want to be a burden for her.

I feel like he doesn't give his mom the money, he straight up pays the bill, or does groceries, so there's no way his mom can deny it. That or he gives the money to his uncle and they pretend that it is Aaron helping them.

It's confirmed by the artbook that Miles Prowler is a vigilante. That being said I think he decided to be the Prowler to help his place somehow, maybe even to make his dad proud, and to make his mom's life easier (just imagine the amount of people that get in the hospital because of how dangerous is the city now my god).

His mom is the priority in his life, he loves his family, his neighborhood and his friends. He's a kind soul with a shattered heart.

Miles is a quite good student. Not the '🤓☝️ actually that's happened at 09:12 in 1786…' type of smart, but the fast thinking kind of smart student. If he doesn't remember the formula he uses logical thinking. Prob takes classes ahead of his years and since he's always tinkering with his uncle his grades in calculus related stuff are pretty high.

Very good with Spanish by the way. Since his dad passed away he started learning more and more to speak with his mom in her native language to make her feel more 'at home' somehow.

I feel like in the first week after his dad passed away he slept in his house for some time and not in Brooklyn Visions dorms, he wished to be with his mom. He did not want her to be alone on her bed, mourning hi dad's death. Abuelita Gloria stayed some months with them too to help her daughter and to help Miles

Miles do his best to be organized, make his bed everyday after waking up, his cabinet is always organized, his Jordans are clean and probably have a collection of them on a shelf in his room. The only messy place on his room is his desk

Has a vinyl collection, don't argue with me. There's literally a bunch of vinyls in his room, guys.

Has some old Puerto Rican singers vinyls on his room thanks to Abuelita Gloria

Miles sings a bit, and have quite a melodic baritone voice. For my synesthetic friends, his voice sounds like honey, Miles is most of times humming when he's making upgrades on his claws

He's more athletic than 1610 Miles. Parkour, boxing and playing basketball with his neighbors and uncle

Started parkour because of his prowler activities to keep up with his uncle, same with boxing, after all he needed to defend himself and his mom. I don't doubt he knows krav maga too and I also don't doubt he taught his mom self defense.

Bought his mom a self defense kit

Uncle Aaron teached him forbidden movements in jiu jitsu, I take zero criticism on that one

Miles has a hard time sleeping sometimes, doesn't shift much when sleeping and has a knife under his pillow or something both in his house room and in Brooklyn Visions.

Loves, love, loves kids, as i said he's a kind soul with a shattered heart, and I think he's quite good with kids, and scares the shit of some at the same time.

I feel 'angry painter' vibes from him. He sketches and all but I feel like he's more of a painter and graffiti kind of guy. I do think he knows how to play bass or piano btw

Would get piercings on his ear and tongue, yes. But since he's the Prowler it would be troublesome because of the time that takes to heal

The old ladies of the neighborhood love him, he's kind to them, and always scare away weird looking guys

Is the crush nextdoor of almost every girl on the neighborhood

One time he scared the shit out of a creep on his neighborhood. Punched the guy so bad that dislocate the man's jaw. Since then he need to hide himself on valentine day, the good part about it is that he got a lot of chocolate to eat.

Seems like a bad boy all the time but he's an introvert. Miles do his best to don't get attached to people bc he doesn't want to drag them into his world or risk people he loves

He just don't want see people dying anymore, that's why he does what he does, to make the world a little bit safe, even if it's just a bit

@matcha-flavored-cake © • do not copy, translate or use as your own

[eeblouissant]

Thoughts on our favourite Italian, Sophia?

How I feel about this character

I think it goes without saying that I absolutely adore Sophia - it’s very hard for me to find characters that I don’t feel the need to place an essays worth of headcanons on for whatever reason, but Sophia is an exception!!!!! I adore adore adore everything about her character - flaws & all. Nothing feels out of place with her, if that makes sense? She’s just the perfect little old lady haha, she’s a huge comfort also. (She reminds me a lot of my mother 😂 like a looottttt. We joke about turning out like Dorothy & Sophia one day, & have since I was small)

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Would it be too out there to say Alvin? I actually really want to draw something for them sometime, they mean a lot to me. Otherwise obviously Sal - they seemed so sweet & silly!! I love the way she talks about him (and how they interact in the flashbacks 😂😂 oh lord)

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Alvin once again, I also adore them as friends! They’re just two peas in a pod imo. Can I also mention here that I think Jean and Sophia would have had some golden interactions if they had had more screen time (or well, if Jean had had more screen time. Although her episode is very special to me.) I also want to add Rose here - one thing I do headcanon about Sophia is that she actually has more of a soft spot for Rose than she chooses to express. Not to say she has a favourite in the house but like, she also definitely does and it’s definitely Rose in my head!!!! Any time they share in stories I just want to hug the screen because I know Rose (with and without my headcanon that she’s autistic honestly) is just soooo so excited to have someone else around that knows her love for storytelling about the past/their hometown/etc!!! Even if Sophia complains about her stories the way the others do, Rose is equally excited to sit and listen :)

My unpopular opinion about this character

I don’t think I have one … I’ll come back & edit if I think of one. Maybe that I think she’s especially fond of Rose? But I don’t think that counts.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

(cw for the most brief mention of parent loss, sorry for the angst)

Okay, this might be stepping into unpopular opinions territory now that I think about it … but I wish so badly that she had left the show with Dorothy. I know it wouldn’t have worked out well for the golden palace but just hear me - I think Dorothy and Sophia need each other. Dorothy leaving crushed her regardless of if it was ever outright stated. I mean think about it, she’s pushing 90 (90!!!!) at the end of the show; her son & husband are dead, contact with Gloria is iffy, and then there’s Dorothy. Who unknowingly put her into a home yes (Stan 🙃), but immediately came to her rescue and was worried sick when Sophia showed up at her doorstep. We see Dorothy become especially defensive (like, sort of violent with her words and mannerisms actually? and I mean that in the best way) of Sophia lots but that episode where Sophia becomes close with a lady that they hired to care for her sticks out especially - when Sophia (HAS THE NERVE TO!!!!!) call(s) her pussycat, she calls her Ma, etc - I’m rambling examples now but my point here is that they should never have been separated because I think it would have just been much too hard on Sophia. I don’t want to get too sad here, so I apologize for the angst, but you hear lots about older couples kind of passing one after another yeah? Within a year or two of one passing the other seems to grow especially weak & follow shortly after? I think that Sophia and Dorothy had a bond this strong. And that if Dorothy truly left permanently, and so far away like that, regardless of having Blanche and Rose with her - it just would’ve been too hard on her heart.

[kwebtv]

TV Guide  -  July 13 - 19, 1963

Vic Damone (born Vito Rocco Farinola; June 12, 1928 – February 11, 2018)  Traditional pop and big band singer and actor. He was best known for his performances of songs such as the number one hit "You're Breaking My Heart", and other hits like "On the Street Where You Live" (from My Fair Lady) and "I Have But One Heart"

In April 1949 he made his television debut on The Morey Amsterdam Show performing Cole Porter's "So in Love". In January 1950 he made his first of several guest appearances on Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town, including a duet, the first of many, with the vocalist and future TV hostess Dinah Shore. Over the next 30 years he became a regular featured guest performer on every major variety series on network television. Among the programs on which he appeared are All Star Revue, Texaco Star Theatre with Milton Berle, The Arthur Murray Party, What's My Line?, The Jackie Gleason Show, The Steve Allen Show, The Perry Como Show, The Bell Telephone Hour, The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, The Garry Moore Show, I've Got a Secret, The Jack Paar Program, The Red Skelton Show, The Andy Williams Show, The Hollywood Palace, The Dean Martin Show, Hullabaloo, Mickie Finn's, The Danny Thomas Hour, The Jonathan Winters Show, The Carol Burnett Show, Della, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and several Bob Hope television specials.

Damone did limited acting on television in the early 1960s. He played Stan Skylar in the 1960 episode "Piano Man" of CBS's The DuPont Show with June Allyson. He was cast as Jess Wilkerson in the 1961 episode "The Proxy" of the ABC Western series The Rebel, starring Nick Adams. In 1962, he played the crooner Ric Vallone in the episode "Like a Sister" on the CBS sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, during which he sang "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World". In the summers of 1962 and 1963, Damone hosted a television variety series on NBC called The Lively Ones, which showcased current jazz, pop, and folk performers, as well as comedians. (Wikipedia)

Quinn O'Hara (January 3, 1941 – May 5, 2017), born Alice Jones.  Film and television actress.

O'Hara was crowned Miss Scotland in a beauty contest held in Long Beach in 1960. In April 1963, photographer Gene Lester introduced O'Hara to singer-actor Fabian; they became a couple for a time in the 1960s. In 1969, she was chosen on The Dating Game and went on a chaperoned trip to Nepal.

O'Hara was a regular on The Lively Ones, a musical program that was broadcast on NBC television in the summers of 1962 and 1963. Her many television credits included appearances on Dragnet, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Saint, The Real McCoys, The Beverly Hillbillies, My Three Sons, CHiPs, T.J. Hooker, Trapper John M.D., Fantasy Island, Quincy M. E., and Dallas.  (Wikipedia)

Gloria Neil (born January 13, 1941) is an American television and film actress. She is best known for her roles on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Beverly Hillbillies.  

She was first cast in the role of the effervescent "Melvin" in The Lively Ones, a summer replacement comedy/variety show starring Vic Damone. The Lively Ones aired on NBC from July 26, 1962 to September 12, 1963, before giving up its slot to the comedy Hazel. The show received Emmy nominations as Outstanding Musical Program and for Outstanding Electronic Camerawork both seasons it aired. This was followed by a 1964 episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show in which she was cast as "Laura #2" alongside Mary Tyler Moore's Laura Petrie character and Rob Petrie, played by Dick Van Dyke.  (Wikipedia)

[organchordsandlightning]

LFW: Speckled Band Liveblog Pt 1

during the last month by the untimely death of the lady to whom the pledge was given

D: i always forget that this starts off with ‘btw lady’s dead now’. eight more years is better than none I suppose!

I blinked up at him in some surprise, and perhaps just a little resentment, for I was myself regular in my habits.

i do love that we get another case of ‘hrgle brgle my domestic routine has been thrown into shambles .... a case you say?’

man I really do love the implication the holmes saw this woman, sitting and terrified, and immediately launched into an investigation to reassure her that she’s in the right hands. like i’ve never totally warmed up to the idea that holmes says his deductions without meaning to (see the fiasco with his friend’s dad in Gloria Scott) so the thought of him being like ‘ok. ok, i’ll show off just this once, just so she knows who she’s dealing with’

also very soft of holmes being like ‘yeah, ok, you can pay for expenses. whenever’

i don’t know if the UK had a Who’s Who, but it always tickles me that Holmes is like ‘oh, yeah, rich old family. i know of them, sure’

HE BEAT HIS BUTLER TO DEATH???????

Violence of temper approaching to mania has been hereditary in the men of the family, and in my stepfather's case it had, I believe, been intensified by his long residence in the tropics.

i think we all could have seen this coming from the time he beat his butler to death

"Last week he hurled the local blacksmith over a parapet into a stream, and it was only by paying over all the money which I could gather together that I was able to avert another public exposure

someone arrest this man??? local rich tool refuses to stop attacking people in town? local rich tool lets wild cheetah and baboon wander over his grounds? 

the sister died two years ago! good god I didn’t catch that in the granada adaptation

"I think that I mentioned to you that the doctor kept a cheetah and a baboon. We had no feeling of security unless our doors were locked."

such a gentle touch of there was a cheetah running around mr holmes

"He investigated the case with great care, for Dr. Roylott's conduct had long been notorious in the county, but he was unable to find any satisfactory cause of death

look, medical pathology has come a long long way since the 1880s, but it is wild that the attendant didn’t notice snakebite wounds on her

"You have been cruelly used," said Holmes.

hhhh. look the short stories and the granada shows i’ve been watching recently with friends has given me a lot of feelings about holmes and his special care for abused/mistreated women (and a lot of feelings about holmes’ potential family life growing up)

YES HOLMES STARE INTO THE FIRE

[freelystrangenight]

Rating every Eurovision final performance until I get bored (tw: opinions):

1) Austria : 9/10 not the greatest thing since sliced bread but a solid vibe, my kinda weird and pleasant musically, like the "ghostly" harmonies, scrarch my brain pleasantly, and as English lit student I appreciate poe.

2) Portugal: 5/10 not bad but legit don't remember anything and it just finished; piano riff sounded like I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor

3) Switzerland: 4,5/10 feels very general-pop; good lyrics but the arrangement/melody makes me kinda too bored to really listen; formal line sounded like "Sk8ter boy" by Avril Lavigne

4) Poland (motherland, I'm so not proud, WHY): 4/10 song is generic summer radio pop, nothing original but honestly not the worst I've heard, tho I'm pretty sure I have heard a Latino/Spanish pop song at least very similar; also unfortunately heard fragments of this before and this performance is not too bad for her, at least she worked on it; why the dance solo (pun intended hehe) exists tho

5) Serbia: 6/10 man, the boi is pretty, but can he sing? Apparently not really 😬 visually interesting performance, auditorily not so much 😭 (dunno if it's a word). Points for originality tho, but will not stream.

6) France: 8/10 Strong vocals. Song is definitely not what I initially expected, which makes it more interesting. Really vibing. Honestly didn't find anything I didn't like aside from the length of her nails but their hers not my business. Maybe not "Eurovision crazy" enough to win but still love it

7) Cyprus: 3,5/10 pleasant voice but nothing special yet; song feels ESC-generic, don't like the falsetto high notes. Lyrics feel like AI generated broken heart song

8) Spain: 8/10 kinda arabic vibes? Great vibes, song very original, not my personal fave, but still amazing quality-wise imo.

9) Sweden 7/10 Loreen my girl this isn't Euphoria -level :( not bad, but nothing special, tho the singing is mostly amazing. Her nails are a safety hazard, sorry to the French lady.

10) Albania: 5,5/10 very Eastern vibe. Original enough, the main lady sings great, but the song doesn't really resonate with me so far. Don't like the dude.

11) Italy: 9.5/10 sounds like a generic pop but in Italian, and I like his bedazzled top. Ok, nvm, song is not groundbreaking but his voice makes up for it. Not sure if win material but "add to playlist material" for sure. Im pretty sure I've just heard "calzone" in there, prolly incorrect but don't care, extra point

12) Estonia: 9/10 not the most innovative but has 'something', like it so far. Would fit a fantasy soundtrack, maybe that's what has me hooked. The auto-playing piano cracks me up tho, same with the wrist-belts, but those take nothing from the performance.

13) Finland: 6/10 heard it all over Tiktok through last week and am fed up with it😬 is a vibe, but after too many times imo plain annoying. Points for the outfit, personally hate it but is already iconic. Unfortunately song is even more irritating live :/ but also frustratingly catchy, gonna be stuck in my head

14) Czechia: 7/10 was loving the slavicness, wish it didn't switch to English, ruins the vibe, also Female Power points. The performance doesn't give much to watch, but nice to listen to.

15) Australia: 8/10 yeah, never saw a dude in a car on stage before. I like the song very much, but not the most original in the genre. But, might be on of the best ones tonight.

16) Belgium 4/10 generic EDM pop, gives the same vibe as Be My Lover by La Bouche but worse and with Positive Message™️

17) Armenia: 6,5/10 pretty but? Im gonna forget about it in 5 mins or make it my personality for the next 10 days, but option 1 is more probable.

18) Moldova: 9/10 don't know what's going on but in a good way. I think this song may be doing to me what Chachacha was supposed to, tho it's not the greatest thing. (Got a bit bored in the edm interlude)

19) Ukraine: 3/10 feels like they knew what they wanted to say but unfortunately needed to make it into a song. Don't like it at all tbh, but organs in the background are cool.

20) Norway: 10/10 my fave!!!!! Haven't heard the beginning yet! Sounds like she has stage fright:( love tho pls win? Love how she looks like she's enjoying herself

21) Germany: 6/10 why is their leader cosplaying Vecna from ST???? Song stands out but, feels generic at the same time?

22) Lithuania: 6,5/10 life story but make it Disney soundtrack. Nothing we haven't heard on ESC before, but not bad. Pretty visual display .

23) Israel: 3/10 ummm no. Shame it isn't in a language I don't know, would like it much better. Like the voice, and the instrumentals at the beginning, but that's it. No, I didn't wanna see you dance. Choreo is nice tho.

24) Slovenia: 9,5/10 sounds like something I usually would like (i think(on second thought no, not really)) but I do. Guy has a good voice, love their energy, somehow they look friendly.

25) Croatia: 10/10 gay sailors who's mother bought a tractor? Eurovision at it's finest 😂 this one stands out like nothing else

26) UK: 2/10 don't be boring pls!!! Ok, you are ;( the intro was promising, then she started to sing... Nothing criminally bad, would bear it on the radio, but boring af

Disclaimer: I now nothing or next to nothing about the artists, their backgrounds etc. Also my ratings don't reflect any predictions as to who may win.

[papermoonloveslucy]

DESILU DOG POUND

Canine Companions on Lucycoms!

Woof!  Open the kennels and take a look at all the dogs, pups, and canine pets in the Lucyverse!

In Annabel Takes a Tour (1938), Annabel (Lucille Ball) has a Terrier named Elmer. 

In The Big Street (1942), Gloria Lyons (Lucille Ball) has a lap dog she calls Baby. Pinks (Henry Fonda) rescues Baby from being run over by a car. 

Probably one of the most famous dogs on television was Fred the dog. Little Ricky's friend Billy Palmer gave him a puppy to take home in January 1957 and he became part of the Ricardo family. Landlord Fred Mertz tells Lucy and Ricky their lease prohibits pets, but he bends the rules when Little Ricky names his puppy Fred. 

LITTLE RICKY: “I always name my pets after people I like.”

Fred the dog was played by a Cairn Terrier named was Danny. He was trained by Bob Blair and was owned by Frank Inn. Danny also played Fremont, Mr. Wilson's dog on "Dennis the Menace" (1959-63). In films, he was Snuffy in Pal Joey (1957), Muffy in Anatomy of Murder (1959), and Pepe in the final Three Stooges short Sappy Bullfighters (1959). Fred the dog would make the move to Connecticut with the Ricardos, but is not seen or mentioned during “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” episodes.  While he was the most popular, Fred was not the only dog seen on “I Love Lucy”...

At the end of “Lucy Thinks Ricky is Trying to Murder Her” (1951), the very first episode of “I Love Lucy” filmed, a dog act makes an appearance.  An established vaudeville act, Hector and His Pals was also seen in the film Easter Parade in 1948. The dog trainer Hector, calls one of the dogs by its real name ‘Yorkie’. In the episode, the dogs are named Ann, Mary, Helen, Cynthia, Alice, and Theodore. Lucy hears the dogs’ names and thinks they are women Ricky is having an affair with - until she hears Theodore! 

In the third episode aired, Butch, Fred’s mutt (as far as we can guess) stays under the table hoping for scraps in “The Diet” (1951) and then never heard of again. Unbeknownst to the others, a starving Lucy crawls under the table with Butch to intercept any tasty morsels meant for the dog. 

Butch looks quite alarmed by the crazy lady under the table!

Sneaking into Richard Widmark’s mansion in “The Tour” (1955), Lucy hides under a bear rug - which just happens to be the favorite spot of Widmark’s St. Bernard Cap. 

In “Second Honeymoon” (1956), a lonely Lucy asks Rocky the Bloodhound if he wants to play ping pong. Randy Rocky is tempted away by a French Poodle on a stroll. 

Lassie, the most famous canine in Hollywood history, turned up on “The Desilu Revue” in 1959. The series was filmed at Desilu Studios. Lucy and Desi enlisted the participation of all the Desilu stars in their Christmas special. Lassie was first mentioned by Lucy Ricardo in “The Young Fans” (1952).

In the very first episode of “The Lucy Show” in 1962, Tiger the dog belongs to Lucy's neighbor and boyfriend Harry Connors (Dick Martin), who we will meet in episode two. A dog named Tiger was also featured on TV's “The Brady Bunch” (1969-1974). Here Tiger serves more as a plot device than pet. This is his one and only appeareance on the series. 

When “Lucy and Viv Learn Judo” (1963), the Carmichaels dogsit with Alvin, played by Hey!  The dog belong’s to Jerry’s friend Amy Schaffer. 

The final scene of the episode features a dozen dogs of various breeds, who come running at the silent sound of a dog whistle! 

In the first frame of the June 1963 “The Lucy Show” Gold Key comic book, Jerry brings home a shaggy dog which Viv mistakes for a monster!   

“Kiddie Parties Inc.” (1963) features Thunderbolt, a basset hound with more folds than an oragami swan. 

In “Lucy is Her Own Lawyer” (1964) ~ Lucy complains when Mr. Mooney’s barking sheepdog Nelson (played by Lord Nelson) keeps her up all night. He tells her to sue him, and she does. After making a mockery of the court proceedings by acting as her own attorney, she finally wins her case by cross-examining Nelson. The neighborhood canines include: 

Howard McAdams’ Pomeranian

Audrey Simmons’ Beagle 

Grandma Sutton’s Airedale

The Hamilton’s Police Dog

Nelson is the only dog to appear on screen, with voice actor Pinto Colvig providing the off-screen barks for the other dogs.

Lord Nelson (Nelson) makes his first appearance as Mr. Mooney’s dog. He will also appear in “Lucy’s Contact Lenses” and would go on to appear on “Here’s Lucy” as Bogie in “Lucy and the Bogie Affair”. From 1965 to 1967, he played Ladadog (aka Lad) on “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies” and reprised the role of Nelson on “The Doris Day Show” from 1968 to 1971.  

To keep Nelson in check, dog trainer Bob Blair plays the Bailiff. 

In “Lucy and Clint Walker” (1965) Lightning, a lethargic Basset Hound, has a propensity to fall asleep, much like his master did Frank Winslow (Clint Walker) in “Lucy and the Sleeping Beauty”.  

“Lucy Meets Mickey Rooney” (1966) has Lucy playing Charlie Chaplin in an acting school recital. The sketch features a mutt befriending the Tramp for his sandwich. 

“Lucy at the Drive-In Movie” (1969) has Lucy searching through the passion pit cars for Kim and her new boyfriend. She mistakes an Afghan Hound for a long-haired woman. 

In “Lucy and the Bogie Affair” (1969) Kim and Craig bring home a stray sheepdog (played by Lord Nelson) which they call Bogie because it has the same sad look standing in the rain as Humphrey Bogart does at the end of 1942's Casablanca.  

When Bogie turns out to be a she and gives birth to a litter of puppies, the Carters must find a home for the baby Bogies. 

Lucy tries to give one of the pups to exercise guru Jack LaLanne, but only ends up taking one of Happy’s pups. Happy was LaLanne’s real-life dog appearing with him on many of his television shows.

“The Bow-Wow Boutique” (1973) has Lucy, Kim and Harry opening a dog grooming business.  Their clients include: 

Louie, a French Spaniel

Winston, a Bloodhound

Teddy, an English Bulldog

Tiger, a Yorkshire Terrier

Tinkerbell, a St. Bernard

and an un-named Daschund

LUCY THE PUP

[twistednuns]

April 2024

The fragrant smell of the Mediterranean. Drawing, writing, reading on a mattress outside on the balcony. Listening to the waves, the humming and chirping and a soft snore. C. often sleeps wrapped in his blanket like a little burrito.

Finding another book by Aldous Huxley. Someone abandoned it and left it on top of the fireplace in our apartment. Does the Universe want me to read all his books?

Driving around with scooters on Agistri. Empty roads. Hardly any people. Breathtaking views. Sunshine. A little offroad adventure to find the highest peak of the island. Climbing down to a deserted beach. Swimming in the sea for the first time this year.

Reading in bed, waiting for C. to wake up. Morning cuddles.

The friendly owner of the fish restaurant. Befriending the orange tomcat with a hoarse little meow. Other cats following us on our walk to Skala (during Golden Hour - stopping every few metres to take a photo of the beautiful flowers and citrus trees).

Biting into Greek halva. Much too sweet of course but I love the soft but crispy consistency and the taste of roasted sesame. More culinary highlights: Vegan mushroom pita at CooKoomela Grill. Fried Saganaki cheese. Greek salad. Baked cheese balls covered in linseed and sesame on caramelized onions. Orange marzipan. Pastry with spinach and feta. Iced latte. Breakfast in bed: strawberries / an unexpected breakfast delivery with rich warm pastries from the local bakery.

Exarcheia was our favourite neighbourhood in Athens. Lively, alternative, creative - with lots of street art. We befriended the staff at The Others and ate at the vegan grill every single day. I loved our night out playing pool and going dancing at BeQueer and Asylo. I gave C. my pink shirt and Desigual psychedelic top, applied golden eyeliner and took him to the gay bar where we danced to Lady Gaga etc. Walking home in the early morning hours, hand in hand.

Climbing a few hills in Athens. Enjoying the view from our rooftop. Following all the kittens.

Fields of yellow daisies.

A soft landing. Making dinner, eating outside. Smoking our first legal spliff in the sun (C. in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas attire). Taking a nap. C. walked me up to the bus station when I was finally ready to leave.

Watching 10 Things I Hate About You together. C. even admitted that it was a nice movie. We also watched the first season of 3 Body Problem and the first three episodes were really amazing - until it turned into trashy action TV. I loved the virtual reality game they invented and all the inception the San-Ti are able to do.

Sitting down in the pottery room to work on my own sculpture. It calmed me down so much. I was in the zone. And able to ignore the loud children. I wonder why I don't craft and paint more often despite knowing it gives me so much joy.

I saw a pheasant in a field by the road!

Buying my grandma's wedding ring back.

Settling the last open tasks with my brother.

Using my bathrobe to scratch my back while taking it off.

A large, thin crescent moon lying on its back the day after the eclipse.

Singing Soli Deo Gloria with my choir. Always such a special energy.

Meeting Luna for tea and hot gossip. We finally managed to meet one on one! She's such a cutie.

Getting a whole cart full of flowers and vegetables plants for the balcony. And a tray of strawberries. Making everything really nice. I finally got a parasol, too! It's lovely to read and eat outside now. I even fell asleep on Friday afternoon.

Sleeping propped up on pillows and blankets from both sides. My little bed castle. So cozy.

Taking almost an hour out of my morning to have a chill conversation about Islam with a student. It was super interesting to learn from him and it seems like we have mutual respect for each other's beliefs.

Spending a whole day cleaning, planting, repairing. I love productive work.

Walking along Ostersee with Ralf. Fields of dandelion, apple blossoms, bumblebees. A great view of the mountains. Swimming in the cold, clear lake. The first mild sunburn of the year after reading in the sun for an hour. Wonderin about the angry geese that kept flying around the lake in a pair.

Eating pancake soup, salad and dumplings with creamy mushrooms at Alter Wirt in Höhenrain.

Reading a great book about Highly Sensitive People. I feel seen.

Taking a day off when I needed it. Being nicer to myself, observing my emotions. Trying to figure out what I'm actually feeling and why. Realising how cut off I am from my body.

Going to an Ecstatic Dance event with Ralf. Running into Robert. Cuddling and freaky dancing. Great vibes. Ralf said he calmed me down.

Even though I didn't really feel like company, Ralf was super easy to be with. He gets me and we're really good together. I guess other people would have stressed me out to no end. I loved our deep talks, his help with finances, how empathic and careful he is with me.

Having someone to miss (I haven't seen Christian in over a week and I'm really looking forward to embracing him).

Sitting outside Cafe VorOrt with a huge cup of ice-cream. Fooling around with the curious baby at the next table.

A lovely performance with my Gospel Choir at church. Talking to Julia and Isabel. Finding a golden star in front of Kathrin's feet while warming up. Having a really good time. Listening to the sermon, reflecting on spirituality. Oh, and Tom's orange oldtimer. What a cute car.

Cracking my back really nicely coming out of Plow Pose. I'm also still really grateful for Lucie's yoga classes. I feel better after every single one.

Starting to create a 90s playlist.

Finishing the annoying 1000pc puzzle. Reorganizing Lian's room. I got to put his books in order and I loved it.

Spending my days off around C. It's nice to have company. Doing our little projects together. Cuddle breaks. Finding the special in the ordinary.

Sharpening my knives. Reaching a semi-meditative state in the process.

Charlie hopped on my back when we were standing in line for the bakery mobile. Such a weird cat, I love him.

People cancelling plans last minute when I prefer alone time.

Sniffing my piece of croissant before I eat it.

Noticing that the first orange poppy blossom had opened!

Getting an armful of rhubarb. Cutting it - such a satisfying, crunchy sound. And the smell of it reminded me of Sophie Dahl's cookbook. I made streusel cake with marzipan... delicious!

Realizing that I'm actually quite good at my job and that it's rather enjoyable as long as I'm relaxed and have enough energy.

Finally booking the karaoke box for my birthday and inviting everyone.

A spontaneous phone call from Kati who just bought a house in the Netherlands. Life updates. Realizing that I appreciate a phone call so much more than draining voice messages. It's counterintuitive but direct communication feels more comfortable than indirect messaging by now.

A lovely party at Südstadt with many Burner friends. I couldn't find my purse and jacket anymore when we left but luckily I'd put my keys, wallet and phone into my jeans pockets and - even better - everything showed up again and I was able to pick it up two days later. Someone must have relocated my stuff...

Testing mattresses with C.

Perfect timing: catching the bus without having to wait. Not having to walk to school in the cold.

Going to work with Christian in the morning. Driving to Munich together. And his smart outfit that day! I love him in a suit.

I found another book about Leonora Carrington. For free, on a windowsill, on my way to the cafeteria.

Robert's kitty massage programme. And receiving offers from him and Chili to help me with my business idea. Seems like I'm slowly running out of excuses.

Creating worksheets and tests for my ESL lesson. I kinda enjoy designing the exercises and doing the layout. But I never know when to stop...

Being the main examiner for the final arts exams was kinda cool. And I got to paint something during the practical exam, too. I love how I'm slowly getting back to creative work - at least when I'm at school and there are others in the room with me who're also working. Perhaps I should join a co-working space for artists?

Painting with neon orange and pink textmarkers. And long sticks of charcoal.

Christian's positivity. That I get to experience enthusiasm through him. How harmonious we are even though we're often quite stressed but I love that we're trying to find workarounds together. I feel super comfortable around him.

Starting a little collection of Gina Ruck-Pauquèt's zodiac story books for kids.

Rating my students' crushes and trying to find out the name of cute boys at school for them.

One of my High Energy Productive Thursdays. Tackling my to do list. Organising, getting clarity, and things out of the house. It feels so good to be in this flow state. And to do stuff I'd been procrastinating on for months. Like finally selling a few things online that have been lying around for ages.

In the night of the full moon in Scorpio on 24 April, I received a very clear message: It's enough. It's time. Time to let go. I no longer need all these thick physical layers of protection, manifestations of my desperate subconcious attempts to hide my extreme vulnerability. All the texts on Highly Sensitive People I've been reading inspire me. I'm strong enough now (Cher's Strong Enough playing in the back of my mind) and I know myself very well. // I enjoyed watching these words pouring out of my pen (or brain), writing them down in my journal. What a blissful feeling.

I got a grow kit for edible mushrooms and when I opened it the smell reminded me of forest soil. How pleasant.

The little birds who sometimes land on my balcony.

Attending another Joy of Connection event. C. was the DJ and I enjoyed his sound a lot! I loved connecting with Andreas (his hard pressure massage was fantastic) and checking in with C. during the event. Little flirty gazes here and there. Soft touch, a kind word.

Offering to introduce a slutty life drawing session and help with techniques. I might finally have to put my experience as an art teacher to good use.

Learning about Bokononism (fiction, religion) In Kurt Vonnegut's novel Cat's Cradle, a religion secretly practiced by the people of San Lorenzo, the supreme religious act of which consists of any two worshippers rubbing the bare soles of their feet together to inspire spiritual connection.

Recreating my grandma's garden bean recipes. The garlicky and the buttery one with onions. I'm going through a green bean phase.

Unearthing a Sandra Bullock 90s romcom, While You Were Sleeping.

The bright moon following me for a whole night, hanging low in the clear sky, illuminating my sleep. I even dreamt about it, huge and scary behind a city skyline.

Kitchen flow. Making Drug Eggs, granola and frozen nut butter chocolate dates with sea salt.

Applying sunscreen. The smell of summer on the first warm day after the two frosty weeks. Bringing my plants outside again.

Visiting the salt mine in Berchtesgaden with Lian and Christian. Sliding down the tunnels together. Unlocking an old memory of the mirror lake I'd already visited once when I was young. Instant recognition. A weird feeling. A boat tour around Herrenchiemsee on our way home. Stopping at a tulip field with the Alps as a picturesque background.

The creative vision to customize my new furniture with a wooden sun and some fabric. Looking forward to working on this project!

Iman and Klara made me a bracelet. It says best teacher...

Coming up with a cool skin structure for the ceramics dragon I'm currently working on.

Wearing my Tic Tac Toe shirt to BaLu's birthday party.

Getting a structured carpet for the living room. I love walking over it, it's like a little foot massage every time.

A heart hug from Ben who told me about the wavering shapes and colours he was seeing.

[piouscatholic]

#9DayNovenatoOurLadyofMtCarmel🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

#SecondDay

Every year on July 16th is such a joyous occasion for all Carmelites throughout the world because we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, patroness of the Carmelite Order!

Pray with us as we joyfully prepare for this wonderful feast of our Lady.

And we pray in a special way for our sisters preparing to make their finals vows.

Each day we will meditate on one of the most beautiful prayers ever written, the Flos Carmeli (Latin for “Flower of Carmel”).

Tradition tells of St. Simon Stock praying with a passionate intensity to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel during a time of great distress and hardship for the Order.

With fervor and faith, he prayed the Flos Carmeli prayer which he wrote, and Our Lady answered that prayer.

Thus, for seven centuries the Flos Carmeli continues to be prayed to the Blessed Mother with the firm faith that she will answer its request with her powerful help.

[The Novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

(prayed by the Carmelite Sisters)]

O most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, splendor of heaven,

Blessed Mother of the Son of God and Mother of mine,

support me by your never failing love and help and protect me.

Show me that you are my Mother.

May I, unworthy as I am, come one day to exchange your scapular

that I had the privilege to wear for the wedding garment of heaven,

and dwell with you and all the saints of Carmel

in the kingdom of your Son.

(Here make your petition:

Let us also pray for those preparing to make their vows.)

Sweet Mother, I place this cause in your loving hands.

O Mary, my Mother, I consecrate myself to you forever.

I offer you my body with all its miseries,

my soul with all its imperfections,

and my heart with all its affections and desires.

I offer you all my prayers, works, joys and sufferings, my struggles

and especially my death with all that it will entail.

I unite all of these, Mother, with your own joys and sufferings. Amen.

Queen and Beauty of Carmel, pray for us.

Flos Carmeli, vitis florigera,

splendor caeli, virgo puerpera singularis.

Mater mitis sed viri nescia

Carmelitis esto propitia stella maris.

Radix Jesse germinans flosculum nos ad esse

tecum in saeculum patiaris.

Inter spinas quae crescis lilium

serva puras mentes fragilium tutelaris.

Armatura fortis pugnantium furunt bella

tende praesidium scapularis.

Per incerta prudens consilium

per adversa juge solatium largiaris.

Mater dulcis Carmeli domina,

plebem tuam reple laetitia qua bearis.

Paradisi clavis et janua,

fac nos duci quo, Mater, gloria coronaris.

Amen.

#carmelitesistersocdcom

[rad-roche]

i don't make a lot of characterization or lore posts about glori because i've already made them in book form and don't want to overexplain or take any of the fun away of finding things out for readers, but if you're new and just want a primer this entire exchange from chapter 3 is a pretty good summation of Who She Is. nick just wrapped up recounting his horrifying backstory

[bebepac]

Pop’s 🌎 World

This is a very special Mia’s 🌎 World. It’s kind of a stand alone, as you could have not read the previous series and know what’s going on here.  It’s about a father’s love for his daughter.  But if you are curious to go on a binge read:

Book One:  Pop’s Place

Book Two: Mia’s World

I’m also participating in @wackydrabbles​ prompt # 91 picked by  @ofpixelsandscribbles​ “I’m worried about you.” which will appear in bold. 

Original Post Date: 04/20/21 at 7:03PM EST.

The Book:  TRR (this is typically a crossover, but none of the crossover characters appear in this chapter) 

Pairing:  Mia x Jaiden  (TRR MC x M!OC)

Word Count: 1976

Warnings: Pops laying on all kinds of Daddy Fluff.  Brief mention of pregnancy complications, with no specific or graphic detail. 

Summary:  A glimpse into the past, present and future of Pops. We will be getting to know, the softer side of Pops Jones.

A/N: Writing is truly one of the ways that I have dealt with a lot of unsettling feelings I’ve had over the years, and this one is very cathartic for me.  I never had the best home life growing up.  Pops is the personification of the father figure I wish that I had growing up in those more formative years.  He does remind me a bit of my Grandfather, but he passed away when I was young.  So I write my Mia having the strong base that I wish I had.  And maybe some things would have turned out differently.  

A/N2:  I don’t own the rights to the poem “I Trust You’ll Treat Her Well”  by Dan Valentine which the words will be bold and italic throughout this episode.  I did modify a few words to make it representative to Mia and her family, as Mia does not have blue eyes and light brown hair.   

Song Inspiration for this Episode:  I Loved Her First by Heartland

I don’t own the rights to the music.  

Jaiden and Mia were staring at each other in awe as if they were in their own little private universe.

Tears welled in Pop's eyes as he watched Mia.

Pops never thought he was super sensitive until that moment. But seeing Mia, his baby girl, slow dance with Jaiden in her wedding dress, tore his heart to pieces, in a good way. Together Gloria and Pops had raised a beautiful, intelligent, strong young woman, who had found the love of her life.

Their very first dance together as husband and wife was breathtaking, and the newly married couple had nothing but smiles and a few tears for each other, and whispered sweet nothings in each other's ears.

Maybe not so sweet.... as whatever Mia had whispered caused Jaiden's cheeks and ears to flush a rosy pink, as he gently tugged at his collar a bit. 🍋🍋

"She picked a good one, Pops. He'll take care of her. He always has." Gloria whispered in Pops ear.

"I know. It doesn't make it easier. I loved her first."

Pops stood before them with a smile. Since they were done with the formal pictures, Pop's tie was completely gone, and the first few buttons of his dress shirt were unbuttoned. Pops was a simple man. But his feelings about that day were anything but simplistic. Pop's soul was a storm of emotions inside his heart: happy, melancholic, and bittersweet, because not only had he given his daughter away to be married, but he was also gaining a son, whom he loved dearly.

His eyes met with Mia's from across the room. She smiled at him, but as he refocused on her, he saw the little girl that loved to play dress up in Mommy's clothes and makeup.

Clearing his throat, Pops began to recite the poem that he picked for today. His confident voice was already shaking as he gazed across the room at his little MJ, his eyes already beginning to tear up.

"Dear World,

I bequeath to you today one little girl… in a crispy dress...with two brown eyes… and a happy  laugh that ripples all day long...and a flash of black hair that bounces in the sun  when she runs. I trust you'll treat her well."

He never knew the person who would completely change his whole entire world, his heart  was a little bouncing baby girl that weighed seven pounds and twelve ounces when she was born.

When he found out Gloria was pregnant, Kelvin wanted a boy. That's all he thought about. Someone to play ball with, and fish with. He got the shock of his life when he heard those three words. It's a girl.

Mia was born a week before Christmas.  Gloria went into labor while they were at a Christmas party neither one wanted to attend. Labor was a fitting excuse for the pair to leave early. The one time in Mia’s life she showed up early to benefit her parents. 

Gloria’s due date was Christmas Day.

When he first saw Mia's big brown inquisitive eyes, he knew she would be special. And Mia was, and she was the light of his world.

Mia’s first word was Pop.  The reason everyone called Kelvin “Pops”  was because of Mia.  When Mia started talking she said it repeatedly.  And it stuck with EVERYONE!

Mia was definitely a Daddy’s girl. 

Mia took her very first steps following behind Pops. He had walked into the kitchen to make Mia a snack, when he glanced up from the counter seeing her toddling towards him.

"Pops!" Mia exclaimed enthusiastically as she took her slow and deliberate steps towards him.

Pops immediately knelt, opening his arms smiling brightly at her.

"Come to Pop Pops."

Mia made it to his arms. He picked her up and spun her around planting kisses, and raspberries on her cheeks and tummy.

He wanted his little MJ to stop growing.  

Even though he loved Mia dearly, Pops thought about the possibility of them having another child.  He thought then having one of each would be perfect.

But sadly the lightning never struck again for them.  

Gloria sat on the side of the bed in tears.  

“We weren’t even trying when we got Mia, and now that we are…. Why isn’t it happening?”

“I don’t know.  Maybe we just got it perfect on the first try, my beautiful Morning Glory.”

“I know you want a boy Pops.”  

“I wanted our child Gloria.  Mia is our baby.   I wouldn’t trade a thousand little boys for our Mia.”

He wiped Gloria’s tears.

“I’m worried about you.”  

“I feel like I'm failing you.”

“You’re not, you gave me Mia.  She’s more than we could have ever asked for.”  

Mia had asked several times for a baby brother or sister.  Until a sweet family with a little dark haired boy moved next door.  

Daniel and Mia were inseparable.  

“Prim and proud she’ll wave her young and independent hand this morning and say “Good bye” and walk with little lady steps into the school house.”

It was  Pops that cried the first day of school when he waited with her at the bus stop.  They had always had a very special close relationship.

“For five full years now I’ve been her sage and Santa Claus and pal and playmate and father and friend...”

Mia had her “Mommy time” with Gloria but as Mia aged, she liked to fish with Pops.  She enjoyed being in the kitchen with him.   At age ten Mia called out her first order to Pops that day taking the first step of creating ‘their special language' they talked to each other to this very day in the kitchen. Mia sat at the table with her book watching the waitress in front of her, listening closely to the order.

She called out the order to Pops loud and proud.

Pops glanced down at the order that Ginny handed him, as Mia recited in her own language what the customers wanted.  He smiled at her, it made sense to her, and to him.  

“I’m on it, MJ!” His voice boisterous.  Little Mia learned the menu and started calling out all the orders to Pops. 

His mind drifted to Kyle.  Mia’s first serious boyfriend.  The one he had basically thought he was so proud of Mia for finding.  Kyle appeared to have it all.  He came from a good family, and he appeared like he loved Mia.  

Pops mentally took off his rose colored glasses and looked at his daughter’s relationship with him.  

Pops saw all the warning signs he had been oblivious to the first time around.  The sadness in his daughter’s eyes, she was trying to hide.  The crash dieting.  Mia wasn’t insecure before, but he now saw all the hints of it.  And he had been afraid to ask. Why did he not ask her what was wrong? When he had such a good relationship with his MJ.

“Today she’ll learn for the first time not all who smile at her are her friends….”

Mia found the courage in herself to end that relationship.

And with the ending of that relationship ended another one.  Daniel’s father was transferred to North Carolina.   Mia was devastated with her friend moving away.  But, it was very short lived, as Daniel’s father Jonathan let Pops know of a restaurant that was for sale in their area, that would give Pops the chance to branch out completely on his own and have his very own place.  

Pops took a chance and packed up his family and moved to North Carolina and bought that little restaurant that the community now fondly known as Pop’s Place. 

He remembered the first time he saw Mia interact with Jaiden.  The two were very friendly with each other talking and laughing.   Jason Brooks elbowed him.  

“There is something special blooming between those two.”

Pops laughed looking at the two of them again.

“I doubt it seriously.”  

Mia’s dance card was full, between Drake Walker, but Pops had his money on Liam Rys walking away with Mia’s heart.

“Twenty bucks says they’ll be dating before the end of summer.”  

“You’re on Brooks.”  

Pops lost that bet.  

Watching the love blossom between his daughter and Jaiden made him feel young again.  The love and the heartache.  

The sweet little gestures of love and understanding.

*^*^*^*^*^*^* Fast Forward a year after the wedding *^*^*^*^*^*

"I think I finally got it right now. Hi MJ, hey Jaiden. Can you all hear me now?”

"We can hear you now fine Hey Pops, where's Mom?"

"I'm here, I had to take dinner out of the oven."

They talked for a few minutes.

"MJ you look like the cat that ate the canary. What's going on?"

"So we didn't agree on how to do this.  We both wanted to tell you face to face but we didn't want to wait until Thanksgiving."

She looked at Jaiden.  He smiled nodding.

"Mom, Pops…..”

Pops saw the tears in Mia's eyes.

"What's wrong?"

She held up a single picture.

Both her parents screamed in joy.  

“It’s a boy!!!”  

“We wanted to tell you sooner.”  

Jaiden’s eyes filled with tears, as Mia leaned into him.  His grip tightened around her.

“We had to wait a little bit, because we had some complications. I had to take some time off work. But we’re okay now.  All three of us.”  

“This is the best news I’ve ever heard!!!!” Pops was laughing and crying at the same time. 

“You can't tell anyone yet. We’re telling Jaiden’s parents a little later on this evening.”

"We understand."

“So that means Pops, when we have the baby you’re getting on a plane and flying out here.  Mom’s not going to let you drive cross country.”

“It will be fun, we could rent an RV like we did that summer.”

“NO Pops. NO!!!”  Gloria and Mia exclaimed in unison.

“That summer was a nightmare, Jaiden.”

For MJ, when it was time, he got on that plane.  The simple man who lived between North and South Carolina his whole life, had raised a girl that loved adventure, and was living her life now in California as a fashion designer  with her successful architect husband, and about to give birth to their first child.  

Jaiden walked out of the delivery room with a proud smile on his face.  

“He’s here.  Six pounds and two ounces and twenty one inches long.  He’s perfect in every way.”

Jason went to hug his son.    

Later that evening, Pops and Gloria went in to see the baby.  

Mia had been in labor for over twelve hours, but you couldn’t tell it from the serene smile that was on her face, as she held their first child in her arms.  

Jaiden took the baby from her arms.

“Pops, meet your grandson.  His name is Kaiden…. Kaiden Riley Brooks.”

(Author’s Note: yeah…. I know, I said Riley Brooks would never exist in a place where my MC is not named Riley…. But you know…. I had to mix things up. Technically this is NOT your Riley Brooks.)

Pops held Kaiden in his arms.  The little baby opened his eyes to look at him. And in that moment Pop’s life was changed again by another little baby, this time, weighing six pounds  and two ounces.  

He kissed the top of his head gently rubbing Kaiden’s head full of dark brown curls.

“We finally got our boy Pops.”  Gloria whispered as Pops rocked Kaiden in his arms.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* Fast Forward  *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Time flies as time always does.  Pops and Gloria were visiting during the first week of school.

Pops grip on Mia’s hand tightened as she held her youngest child Luna on her hip, watching little Kaiden walk down the driveway to the bus.

Mia softly gasped as Kaiden stopped, turning around to her, and  waved goodbye to her, and his little sister, and his Poppy; Mia was holding back tears.

“I know how you feel.”  

“Does it get easier Pops?”

“You’ll always see him….them the way you do now.  They will always be your babies. It’s how I see you. I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become Mia.”

“Thank you Pops.”

“So, world, I bequeath to you today, one little boy… in a little blue and gold uniform…. With two hazel eyes and a flash of curly brown hair that bounces in the sunlight when he runs.

I trust you’ll treat him well.”

Tags in the comments!!!!

[ultimate-007]

Black Bond Girls unite for Ebony magazine in 2015:

(L to R) Trina Parks (Thumper in Diamonds Are Forever (1971)), Naomie Harris (Moneypenny in Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015) and No Time To Die (2021)); Halle Berry (Jinx in Die Another Day (2002); Gloria Hendry (Rosie Carver in Live And Let Die (1973).

Thumper, Rosie, May Day, Jinx, Moneypenny. No, those aren’t the names of the latest lipstick colors from MAC. They’re the names of the only Black “Bond girls” in the history of the legendary James Bond franchise. Actresses Trina Parks, Gloria Hendry, Grace Jones, Halle Berry and Naomi Harris are in a special sisterhood. They’ve either conspired with, slept with, or kicked 007’s British butt. And last night, during the African American Film Critics Association’s Black Women of Bond Tribute (which took place at the California African American Museum), for the first time four out of five of them stood together on the heels of the release of the 24th Bond film, Spectre, hitting theatres this Friday (November 6).

“I am so proud to stand up here with these gorgeous, talented women, ones that walked before me, that paved the way,” Halle Berry gushed as she stood side-by-side with the other Black Bond women. “I have so much respect. I’m humbled to be here and be reminded of what you ladies did, and the path you paved so Naomi and I could be here with you.”

Berry, who’s been keeping a low profile since news broke of her impending divorce, wasn’t missing a once in a lifetime opportunity to stand next to this special fraternity of women. “To be a part of the Bond franchise is to be a part of history, because who thought the Bond franchise 50 years later would still be what it is today?” she asked. “So to be a part of this legacy is a huge, huge honour. It’s a highlight of my career, and I will never forget my experience. It’s one of the best experiences of my entire life.”

Apparently, appearing as a Bond girl truly is a one-of-a-kind experience. Gloria Hendry, who appeared as Rosie Carver (the CIA agent who teamed up with Bond in Live and Let Die), recalled, “I had a penthouse hotel room in London at the Pinewood Studios. I was treated like I thought I starred in the movie, as if I played Bond! They made all my clothes. It was awesome!”

For Trina Parks, a.k.a. Thumper—the very first Black Bond girl who played opposite Sean Connery in Diamonds Are Forever—the experience was a blast. “It was so much fun. I loved it! And Sean was great to work with. It was like we had worked together before. And I’d worked with big names before, so it wasn’t like, ‘oh Sean Connery!’ I had breakfast with him before we did the scene. He wanted to meet the person that was going to beat him up.”

The Black Bond girl is definitely something to be celebrated. It was and is an opportunity to see ourselves reflected on the big screen in a high profile film with beauty, brains and power. Think about it. All the way back in 1971, 44 years ago, a sister with a short-cropped Afro was shown on the big screen kicking some Bond butt in a yellow, sexy bathing suit.

Fast-forward to present day 2015, 53 years after the first James Bond film hit theatres, Miss  Moneypenny (originally cast as a white actress) is now played by Naomi Harris. She’s Bond’s right-hand woman and pretty much the only person he trusts with his secrets. While clearly there’s some chemistry there (the two slept together in 2012’s Skyfall), Moneypenny is smart enough not to become one of Bond’s many conquests.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you to each and every one of you,” Harris said to the Black Bond women who came before her. “You inspire me with your incredible performances and with your representation of Black female beauty.

“Growing up in London, coming up in a little town, Finsbury Park—you probably never even heard of it—there were not many representations of Black female beauty,” Harris continued. “I really have to thank Bond and the franchise for being forward thinking, and for being one of very few franchises at that time that actually presented Black women… And to have the baton passed on to me and to be running with it now, I am so grateful and so proud to represent this franchise, to continue the legacy you’ve all started.”

Grace Jones (May Day in A View To A Kill (1985).

Keeping up this fine tradition, later in 2021 we’ll (hopefully) see Double-0 agent Nomi, played by the delicious Lashana Lynch, kicking ass in No Time To Die.

[wittyrosebush]

🎉 100 Follower Special!!!!!!!! 🎉

Yes, I know that 100 isn't a lot, but I'm happy about it. I have made a playlist of 100 songs, give me a number, pronouns, and a character on the list and I'll write a prompt for them! My only conditions are that it's not smut.

I also do poly and platonic relationships!

Characters:

Star Wars:

Kylo Ren

Rey Palpatine

Poe Dameron

Obi Wan

Padme Amadala

Mando/Dyn Djarin

Marvel:

Steve Rogers

Bucky Barnes

Loki

Stephen Strange

Natasha Romanova

Wanda Maximoff

Pietro Maximoff

Criminal Minds:

Emily Prentiss

Aaron Hotchner

David Rossi

Spencer Reid

Derek Morgan

Elle Greenaway

Penelope Garcia

Luke Alvez

NCIS

Tony DiNozzo

Ziva Davidd

Stranger Things:

Nancy Wheeler

Jim Hopper

Steve Harrington

Game of Thrones:

Sansa Stark

Jon Snow

Podrick Payne

Miscellaneous Musicals:

Heather McNamara from Heathers

Eliza Schuyler from Hamilton

Maria Reynolds from Hamilton

Michael from Be More Chill

Jeremy from Be More Chill

Miscellaneous Movies/TV Shows

Zuko from ATLA

Ransom Drysdale from Knives Out

Songs:

I'm So Sorry - Imagine Dragons

Piano Man - Billie Joel

I'm an Albatraoz - AronChupa

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - AC/DC

Help! - The Beatles

Come Together - The Beatles

Human - Rag'n'Bone Man

Counting Stars - OneRepublic

Castle - Halsey

Don't Stop Me Now - Queen

Take On Me - aha

Should I Stay or Should I Go - The Clash

Girls like Girls - Hayley Kiyoko

Welcome to the Jungle - Guns N' Roses

Dream On - Aerosmith

Live and Let Die - Paul McCartney

You Give Love a Bad Name - Bon Jovi

What it's Like - Everlast

Crazy Train - Ozzy Osborne

Survivor - cover by 2WEI

My Life - Billie Joel

Control - Halsey

Monster - Imagine Dragons

No Scrubs - cover by Unlike Pluto

Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden

Like a Prayer - Madonna

Material Girl - Madonna

Mr. Brightside - The Killers

Feeling Good - Michael Buble

Americano - Lady Gaga

You should see me in a Crown - Billie Eilish

River - Bishop Briggs

Love Like You - Rebecca Sugar

Bad Romance - Lady Gaga

Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men

Pound the Alarm - Nicki Minaj

Viva La Vida - Coldplay

Who We Are - Imagine Dragons

Birthday Suit - Cosmo Sheldrake

Good as Hell - Lizzo

Truth Hurts - Lizzo

Juice - Lizzo

Come Along - Cosmo Sheldrake

Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance

You Don't Own Me - SAYGRACE

Bury a Friend - Billie Eilish

Bad Guy - Billie Eilish

Tiny Dancer - Elton John

Crocodile Rock - Elton John

I'm Still Standing - Elton John

Come Along - Cosmo Sheldrake

We Didn't Start the Fire - Billie Joel

Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye

Mr. Glassman - Scotty Sire

Gasoline - Halsey

Don't Go Breaking My Heart - Elton John

These Boots Are Made For Walkin' - Nancy Sinatra

Edge of Seventeen - Stevie Nocks

Juke Box Hero - Foreigner

Uma Thurman - Fall Out Boy

Sweet Dreams - Eurythmics

Oops!... I Did It Again - Britney Spears

Some Nights - Fun

I Will Wait - Mumford & Sons

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers

Sweater Weather - The Neighborhood

Ophelia - The Lumineers

Hayloft - Mother Mother

Line Without a Hook - Ricky Montgomery

Arms Tonite - Mother Mother

Look What You Made Me Do - Taylor Swift

Shatter Me - Lindsey Stirling

She Wolf - David Guetta

(Don't Fear) The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult

Renegades - X Ambassadors

Crazy - Gnarls Barkley

Roxanne - The Police

Dude Looks Like A Lady - Aerosmith

99 Luftballoons - NENA

Funkytown - Lipps Inc.

Blood in the Water - Grandson

Verbatim -Mother Mother

Baby One More Time - Britney Spears

Hooked On A Feeling - Blue Swede

Mad World - Gary Jules

Feel It Still - Portugal. The Man

Handclap - Fitz and the Tantrums

Friction - Imagine Dragons

Yesterday - Imagine Dragons

Bleeding Out - Imagine Dragons

Natural - Imagine Dragons

All of Me - John Legend

Ho Hey - The Lumineers

Private Eyes - Daryl Hall & John Oates

Ain't No Mountain High - Marvin Gaye

I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor

Art is Dead - Bo Burnham

Cake by the Ocean - DNCE

Under Pressure - Queen

Tell Him - The Exciters

[love-bokumono-fics]

Fresh Crops - Week of July 12 - July 18, 2021

All fics found under the General 'Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons' tag on AO3

Grandfather - by EmeraldHaze15; Completed, 1/1, 1.4k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: Gen

Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town

Relationships: Barley | Mugi & May | Mei, Barley | Mugi & Joanna, Joanna & May | Mei; Characters: Barley | Mugi, May | Mei, Joanna, Hana the Dog

Additional Tags: Abandoned Child, bad parent, Good Grandparent, Yodel Ranch, Mineral Town, Extramarital Affairs, broken relationship, Strained Relationships, Father-Daughter Relationship

Summary: It's been years since Barley last set eyes on his daughter, but this is far from what he expected to find on a windy night...

(100) words to make you mine - by indoorsy; Complete, 1/1, 1.1k

Rating: Mature; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M

Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town

Relationship: Claire the Farmer/Doctor Trent; Characters: Claire the Farmer, Doctor Trent | Torre

Additional Tags: Drabble Collection, Fluff, Light Angst, Slice of Life

Summary: Doctor and Claire go on a picnic and other slice-of-life drabbles inspired by unusual English words.

Aurora Borealis - by durotos; Complete, 1/1, <1k

Rating: Not Rated; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Category: F/M

Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town

Additional Tags: characters will be revealed as plot advances, Angst, Family, Drama, Broken Love, Married Couple

Summary: Neither the cold nor the late hour could stop them from making their solemn journey.

Winter's End - by ModernTsunami; WIP 42/70, 210k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M

Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town

Relationships: Claire the Farmer/Cliff, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran/Cliff, Claire the Farmer/Doctor Trent | Torre; Characters: Claire, Cliff, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Carter the Pastor, Duke, Manna, Doctor Trent | Torre

Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Grief/Mourning, Slice of Life, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Pining, Found Family, Eventual Romance, Love Triangles, Cliche, especially in the beginning, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags

Summary: Cliff's life in Mineral Town changes with the arrival of a new farmer in need of guidance. As his relationships grow more complicated throughout the year, he finds himself grappling with the doubts of his past and present.

Sakura Sisters - by LuluRuru; WIP, 1/?, 2.6k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Category: F/M

Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town

Relationship: Ships will be revealed soon!; Characters: Claire, Female Farmer | Naomi, Brandon, Cliff, Doctor | Trent, Gray, Kai, Rick, Elli | Elly, Jennifer, Karen, Mary the Librarian | Marie, Popuri, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran

Additional Tags: Slow Burn

Summary: Mineral Town is the destination for these two sisters. Claire appears dainty and sweet but really is childish and a loudmouth. Naomi appears shy and uncaring but is perceptive and a go-getter. The two of them are here for different reasons, but both of them have to manage Sakura Farm together. Will Claire be able to find her childhood friend and the boy who saved her? And will Naomi be able to find her true calling in life? The road ahead will be tough, but these two can do anything if they put their minds together. After all, that's what sisters are for, right?

Lady Of Grasstrail Farms - by FromADenOfBeasts; WIP, 35/?, 45k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M

Fandoms: Pioneers of Olive Town

Relationship: Female Farmer/Lars; Characters: Original Female Character(s), Female Farmer , Lars, Laura, Angela, Clemens, Damon, Jack, Emilio, Reina, Victor, Gloria, Simon, Jesse

Additional Tags: My First AO3 Post, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, spoilers obviously, Slow Burn, Fluff and Angst, Supportive Big Brother, honestly the best big brother ever

Summary: Pioneers Of Olive Town AU where Lars is single. That's not all that happens but it is the reason I wrote this. A young woman named Vallon quits her job and follows her heart to Olive Town, where her family has roots deeper than she ever thought. Now she has to contend with new neighbors, ancient magic, and getting the hang of farming a wild land. Can she cope on her own, or can she at least find someone to share it with?

Here You Come Again - by SeasonSuite; WIP, 15/?, 62k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M

Fandoms: Trio of Towns

Relationships: Female Farmer/Wayne, Minor or Background Relationship(s); Characters: Farmer, Wayne, Frank, Lisette, Ford, Ludus, Trio of Towns ensemble

Additional Tags: Crushes, Falling In Love, Love, farming, Fluff, dolly parton references, Friends to Lovers, cowboy aesthetic, idiots to lovers, Day At The Beach, Flowers, Romance, My First Fanfic, Bonding, Feelings, Humor, Slow Build, Did I Mention Fluff

Summary: On the first day of her new life, June meets a handsome, smooth-talking postman. Caught between his seemingly earnest words and his philandering reputation, she writes him off as bad news. Over the year, as June struggles to build her new farm, Wayne proves her wrong—then right—then wrong again. or, Westown's charming postman is known for being perfect, and he's usually happy to play the part. But when a new farmer tries to get to know the real him, Wayne learns that to be loved, he has to submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known.

Forest Stroll - by konbini_kitty; Complete, 1/1, <1k

Rating: Mature; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: M/M

Fandom: Pioneers of Olive Town

Relationships: Iori/Male Farmer

Character: Iori

Additional Tags: Making Out, First Time, Neck Kissing, Biting, Grinding, Dirty Talk

Summary: A stroll can turn into anything when you're with the one you love.

Seedlings and Sprouts - by TheBeckster; WIP, 10/?, 8k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: Gen, Multi

Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town, Story of Seasons (2014), Trio of Towns, The Tale of Two Towns

Relationships: Carter/Doctor | Trent, Claire the Farmer/Cliff, Fritz/Raeger, Gotz/Vesta; Characters: Cliff, Claire, Doctor | Trent, Carter the Pastor, Fritz, Raeger, Gotz | Gotts, Georgia, Iluka

Additional Tags: Tumblr Prompt, prompt collection, I'll figure out tags later

Summary: A collection of tumblr prompts I've filled over the last couple years based on Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons games. Every chapter is a different prompt. Should be posted in chronological order from oldest to newest. Prompt themes and ships will be included in the chapter titles.

Sugar and Spice - by Chibimiie; WIP, 16/?, 20k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Category: F/M

Fandoms: Animal Parade

Relationships: Chase/Molly, Angela/Luke; Characters: Molly | Hikari, Angela the Farmer, Chase, Luke

Additional Tags: first fic, Slow Burn, at least molly and chase are, oh god how do you tag fics, beginning is kinda rough, angela chapters tend to be shorter, mentions of eating disorders, ya girl was making it up as she went along, alternating povs, Friends to Lovers

Summary: Wanting to get away from past hurts of the city, sisters Molly and Angela decide to respond to a flyer advertising an abandoned farm on the faraway island of Castanet. Leaving behind their closest friends and brother Kasey, the two take a chance and move to the tiny island hoping for a new chance at life.

Red Velvet Valentine - by Juliko; Completed, 1/1, 5k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M

Fandoms: Story of Seasons (2014)

Relationship: Lillie/Raeger; Characters: Raeger, Lillie, Maurice, Melanie | Meruti, Angela

Additional Tags: First Dates, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Valentine's Day, Domestic Fluff, Cute, Awkward Romance, Romance, Short & Sweet, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net

Summary: Raeger wants to give Lillie, Oak Tree Town's local weather girl and celebrity, something nice for Valentine's Day to show how much he likes her. But nothing he can make or buy can come even close to showing how much he loves and appreciates her. What to do?

Winning the Hammer competition Manuela’s special reward - by Thefallen1986; Completed, 1/1, <1k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M

Fandoms: Pioneers of Olive Town

Relationship: Eiji/Manuela; Characters: Manuela, Eiji

Additional Tags: [See Fic For Full Tag List], Cheating, Older Woman/Younger Man, Kissing, Braids

Summary: Manuela gives Eiji her own reward for winning the Hammer Competition

[pokeexehasstoppedworking]

Love Doesn’t Do Encores Ch11 Back To Motostoke

(Warning: Contains another fight between younger reader's mom and herself in a flashback. It was pointed out that I accidentally posted the wrong chapter by mistake. My apologies to my tumblr readers, Ill see to it this won’t happen again. Here’s the missing chapter for the events between Chapters 10-12. Enjoy.)

To say you two had a long night when you got back to your hotel room was an understatement. The boys jumped at the first chance they got asking Gloria how the dinner went to which she just let out a long drawn out 'Uuuuuhhhhh' and you had to cut in saying that he had just asked her about the gym battle and her day. Which she seemed thankful about you doing to save her the trouble. Luckily neither seemed too miffed about Glory getting to dine with THE Chairman Rose apparently, you certainly didn't enjoy the experience other than the free meal. You changed the subject by asking Hop when his battle was to which he proudly stated tomorrow. Alright! Seemed cleaned cut enough......Surprise, surprise it wasn't. The four of you ended up having to stay another two days instead for the one you all planned because Hop had lost the first battle with Nessa, visibly upset about the entire thing. Quite understandable. But to your surprise once meeting him outside the stadium he seemed...rather happy. Quickly finding out the reason not only because Nessa have him her ultra rare league card as compensation but that she offered to battle him again a second time first thing tomorrow morning to which he quickly agreed to. So the four of you agreed to spend another night in Hulbury. The next morning the four of you left bright and early for the stadium and after waiting for Hop to redo the gym challenge again, watched him battle Nessa for a second time. It was intense. It was stressful. And it was certainly rough on both parties. But you were SO glad Hop was able to win! Not only because you wanted him to win, but because you didn't want to spend another day in Hulbury. It was a close one too. With Hop winning two out of the three rounds but it was a good enough score to earn the badge! And he was proud to show it off as well when the three of you managed to meet up with him again outside the stadium by the Hulbury lighthouse.

He had smiled instantly shoving the bronze-golden badge out to you three with the same patterns that was on Gloria's water badge. "LOOK!! I FINALLY GOT IT! And on my second try too! Pretty good huh?"

"You were so cool out there!," Gloria excitedly complimented him smiling widely. "Now we're all caught up!"

"Doesn't make us less rivals y'know!"

"...Hey. Speaking of gym badges," you cut in gaining their attention as you gestured towards the badge in Hop's hand. "Do you guys know which gym you wanted to go to next?" You were really itching to get out of Hulbury by this point and just wanted to GO.

Gloria opened her mouth to speak but Hop beat her too it making all of you look back at him. "Actually, I have one on my mind."

"What is it?"

He turned to Gloria. " All right, Mate. You've got both the grass badge and water badge by now right?" She nodded confused. "In that case, we're both headed for Motostoke and the fire gym leader Kabu!"

All three of you stared shocked at him. The twins seeming at something else, and you because MOTOSTOKE. As in the city you all started in?! Hop wanted all of you to walk back ALL the way there to challenge a gym leader!? WHAT-

"What!? We have to go all the way back to Motostoke for that?!"

"KABU!?", both the twins yelled at him and you rose a brow at their reaction.

"....Ok. I feel like this is the part where someone tells me more about this gym leader."

With a slightly worried look Victor turned to you. "Kabu is the Galar Region's Fire Type Gym Leader and his gym's in Motostoke. He's also the only gym leader who's not from Galar himself."

"He's also the SECOND most powerful gym leader behind Raihan," Gloria jumped in frowning, "If Raihan and Leon weren't in the picture he could've easily gotten the title of 'Galar's Strongest Gym Leader' or the Champion itself. He's been known to make a whole bunch of trainers quit the entire gym challenge as a whole because they couldn't win against him." She turned back to Hop raising a brow. "Which begs the question on why do you want to go there next of all places?"

"Nessa suggested I go there actually." She did? That sure surprised you. "She said if I wanted more of a challenge for myself then he'd be a good canidate to battle before we reach Raihan. I thought it would be a great idea to challenge myself even more!"

.....Gloria hummed. "Actually you might be onto something. We can't get stronger unless we push ourselves..." She smiled. "Ok! Count me in too!"

"I think the both of you are in over your heads." Victor sighed. "But if that's where you wanna go then fine. We can take the train."

You felt internal relief you wouldn't have to walk again, but that begged the question. "Exactly how long would it take to get back there?"

"About another month by walking. Two weeks by corvinight taxi. And five days by train over nights too."

"Yeah..We're taking the train this time."

There was one tiny problem with that notion tho. The morning train had already passed so the four of you had to wait in the shade of the train station for at least another two hours until the afternoon train came rumbling up to the station at last! As nice as this place was, you wanted to leave as soon after you and Gloria attended the dinner with the Chairman and his assistant. After hearing he had come there often enough to have 'a usual' dish you didn't want to accidentally bump into them again especially after what you did and getting the off feeling about them. It was too weird, so you were glad to get on the train. You were slightly afraid you wouldn't be able to get on without paying but luckily you slipped through the bars quickly behind Gloria after she scanned her train pass in the slot and piled on inside with the rest of the kids and a few other people who either got on too or were leaving.

"Good Afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. We will be leaving Hulbury Station in five minutes. Please gather all your belongings and exit or enter accordingly. Next stop shall be Nester Town. Thank you for using Galar Transportation for your traveling needs," a man's voice came through the speaker over head and you gave it a raised brow. You had to remember there was more than one town in Galar since now it wasn't just a game. ...In fact with how big this region was, it must've been home to millions of people like a region back in your world.

The four of you all settled into the train cars and gotten yourself situated into one of the seats with the table between them. The twins on one side and you with Hop facing them as you sighed into the soft seat cushions. It would be nice not having to walk somewhere for once at least. You also assumed Sonia must've had the same idea about taking the train outta here because you hadn't seem her since she excused herself and ran out from the dinner about two days ago now. Oh well. Where ever she was, you were sure she was fine. After all you slightly remembered her reappearing later in the game too, so if events were going as they were in the original game then you would most definately see her again soon. But for now you sighed content to just tug off your backpack and leave it on the floor at your feet, your sobble taken residence on the table between you all, and you just leaning back into your seat and looking out the window waiting for the train to start moving again. Not really paying too much attention to what the others were talking about-

"How about I share with you a little tip about that leader, Kabu?" Your eyes blinked back over to Hop who was glancing at his phone you assume reading something. "From what I heard, he's holed up now in Galar Mine No. 2 undergoing special training."

"What?!," Gloria gave him a look. "He's underground while the gym challenge is goin' on? What kind of gym leader does that?"

"If he's in there then we can't take him on in Motostoke even if we zip right over there, putting the breaks on our gym challenge!"

"That's what I literally just implied....Wait. How long has he been in there?"

"Uh.." Hop quickly flipped through his phone's screen. "According to this...since about three days ago."

"WHAT? Who trains in a cave for three days straight? ...What if he's not out by the time we get there? We'd be waitin' for days by that point!"

"....So I say we head to galar mine no. two ourselves!," Hop decided lowering the phone from his face. "Let's go see what all the fuss is about!"

"Uh-...NO!!" All three teens looked at you as you frowned and crossed your arms in a stern pose. "No. No. HECK NO!! I went through one mine thank you very much and was almost caught by miners chasing us because someone wanted to take a short cut. We can go and wait for him like every other person."

"...You did what!?"

"Actually Galar Mine Number two is open to the public since it's naturally a part of the Wild Area," Hop explained ignoring Victor's earlier question. "It's full of a lot of water pokemon since it's connected to an underground spring. You can also find a couple Wishing Stars if you're lucky. ..Huh. Maybe that's why he went there?"

Unconvinced you rose a brow but sighed and leaned back into your seat just as the train gave a small little lurch before slowly beginning to pull away. The kids going back to talk among themselves about mines and gym leaders. Despite not walking, you had a feeling this was going to be a long trip back to Motostoke. ...And you weren't wrong either. The world went past as the train moved along as a rapid pace, the town of Hulbury quickly disappearing from view as it did. Replaced by nature and forests, and the distant view of the ocean side within a matter of minutes. As the talking of the kids and other passengers chatting in the distance continued you pressed your forehead to the window and closed your eyes. Peace allowing you to drift off for the moment as for once you had no worries and nothing weighed on your shoulders, so you got a well deserved break for once. The next five days for the four of you were a bit uncomfortable but managable. A lot more managable than camping at least. When night fell you four decided that you'd take the two empty seats across the small walk way from the four of you so each of you could have one place to sleep comfortably(or as comfortable as you could sleep on a train) and would take turns staying up to make sure none of you missed the stop at Motostoke. Or in case something else happened. Victor volunteered to stay the first night up that rolled around which you were thankful for and the other three of you slept. The next morning you woke and you were greeted with the sight of Victor barely awake leaning his head against the table. Guess he kept true to his word. He only had time to east a couple things Gloria shoved into his hands from your food rations into his hands before he ended up falling asleep leaning against the wall. You felt a little guilty for letting him stay up for so long but it was for a good reason. The second day went as well as the first. The train rode on, Victor slept most of the day away only waking up around sunset before going back to sleeping again that second night, Gloria excitedly showed you the battle between herself and Nessa from the League's official website as well. You watched and had to agree with Gloria that it was a very close call. Managing to defeat Nessa in the first round, losing the second, and then just BARELY winning the third. Good thing it was a good enough score to pass. She was certainly stronger than Milo from what you'd seen. When it came the second night Gloria ended up volunteering to stay up that time stating that she'd use her favorite videos of the League's past battles to keep her up as she always stayed up and never missed a detail when she did watch them. This being confirmed by Victor who looked a little worried over that but was too tired from last night to argue and it was agreed. Day three rolled around and it was the same as the first two. Only this time Gloria spent most of the day leaning against a slightly annoyed Victor snoring. Did she always snore? You must've been too deep in sleep to notice before now, at least Hop found his friends' situation amusing. And then guess who got volunteered by Victor to stay up that night as revenge for laughing at him. Hop wasn't very amused after that. And thus the fourth day came and everyone was awake minus poor Hop who laid upon one of the empty seats during most of the time there. But it was a matter of fact your turn to keep watch as they all slept and agreed without hesitation. After all it was only fair. During the entirety of the trip so fair you all rationed out the food you bought from Hulbury whenever hungry, and walked up and down the walk way between all the train seats if you needed to stretch your legs. Many people coming and going and sometimes giving the one taking up a whole seat to sleep a strange look before moving on. The conductor announcing each stop and as you all came to it. So far none were Motostoke but it was only a matter of time. That night you stayed up as slowly one by one the kids and your sobble fell asleep leaving you the only one awake as the sun set and was replaced with the moon and stars in the silent night. The dark nature of forests and meadows flew by quickly only with the occasional town or house in the countryside lighting up the landscape. It was actually rather peaceful and beautiful. You could almost fall asleep. And you almost did quite a few times but you managed to jerk yourself awake each time. Gloria had offered to let you stream some shows on her phone just as she had done before but you had declined the offer.....Maybe you should've accepted because your eyes slipped closed once. And once again like in your dreams you were back home. A much younger you. Around Gloria's age of fifthteen or so. You were playing a game. The whole surroundings were fuzzy..as if you were seeing everything through a foggy telescope, being able to see things but being too blurry to see much of the finer details. Younger blurry you looked up just as angry footsteps stomped their way towards you and whatever game you were playing. BAM!! With a loud bang your door was flung open hitting the wall and younger you jumped to your feet as the blurry form of your mother standing in the doorway. Even if her face was blurry you could tell she was very angry.

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU!?" She shouted angrily as you dumbly stood there. Even as she stomped over and swiped the controller from your younger self's hands. "I told you to study for your year's finals and what do I find!? You playing these stupid games after I slave away at a minimal wage job that barely covers the bills as it is!! Do you want the electricity bill getting higher!? Do you not want to get into a good college!? No daughter of mine is going to be stuck with her mind in the gutter from these dumb timewasters!!"

"HA!"

Your head snapped up colliding with the cool window of the train which in turn made you curse out as your hands instinctively shot up to clutch at where you hit your head. Groaning and looking around, it took a moment for your eyes to adjust to the dark again....And you sighed in relief seeing the sleeping figures of the kids and your sobble sleeping facedown on the table. Your hand went from rubbing your head to rubbing your face as you let relief wash over you....A dream...It was just another dream thank goodness. But one you weren't keen on revisiting. Safe to say you didn't fall asleep again that night, nor did you the fifth day despite the kids insisting you at least take a powernap before you arrived but again you refused dodging the questions and eventually they dropped it but kept giving your very tired form worried looks every so often. The day was a blur as you kept drifting in and out of small sleeping spells until nodding off that fifth night, barely remembering Victor volunteering to stay up a second time for that night before completely nodding off into a thankfully dreamless slumber.

"AH!! Y/N WAKE UP!!"

"AH!" Once again as if fate thought it'd be some funny joke, you ended up hitting your head against the window...again...and once again you cried out and clutched your head. The only difference this time was that someone was dragging your half awake butt out of the seat as your brain barely registered what was going on as you barely managed to stumble to your legs getting dragged out. Another person grabbing your other arm and pulling along with whoever was already making your barely upright body hurriedly stumble down the walk way of the train. Your brain began to finally catch up and you realized the two who were pulling your staggering form was Hop and Gloria with your sobble desperately clinging to her enormous backback. By the time you fully registered what was going on they already had you stumbling into what could only be the inside of a train station. "What the-"

"You couldn't have woken us up?," Gloria barked at someone and you blinked over tiredly where she was looking as Hop ushered your staggering form over to one of the seats. Took you a moment to realize that it was Victor who was sluggishly putting his grey beanie back on his head.

"M' sorry," he tiredly mumbled. Judging by the bags under his eyes and the tired look he gave, he was in need of some sleep. "I guess I must've dozed off when we passed the station in Motostoke."

Your blood ran cold as you stared at him and Hop made you sit down. Passed Motostoke!? Any sleepy feelings were mostly dashed out at the spike of concern. How far were you away from Motostoke then!? Were you going to have to walk a long way back there!? Take another train back!? Were you going to miss the chance to battle Kabu?!

"Actually this is better than stopping in Motostoke."

.....The three of you turned to Hop as he smiled. "....Excuse me?"

"Yeah!" He pointed towards the outside of the station. "Mine Number two is located just out of Motostoke right? We're back in the Wild Area. Which means we can go to the mine sooner and see about the hold up with Kabu!"

...Gloria slowly gained a smile. "Oh yeah! I hadn't realized that! That's why yer a genius Hop!" Hop chuckled shyly at the praise. Tho Victor very much disagreed as he frowned.

"What?! We can't just go to the mines as soon as we step off the train! What about getting a spot at Budew Drop Inn for sleep!?"

"There'll be plenty of time for that!" Gloria waved her brother off as he scowled looking like he was about ready to yell at her.

Guess you'd better step in. "Hey. Calm down you two." Both of them looked towards you as you frowned. "Gloria, Victor has a point. He's tired and probably needs some sleep....Maybe we should go back to Motostoke City and let him get a couple rooms for us-"

"THAT'S A GREAT IDEA!!," Victor yelled out reaching around to grab his backpack from the slew of seats offered too by the station.

"....What?"

Tiredly, Victor looked at the rest of you three. "You all can head to the mines and I can go reserve our rooms and wait for you. I'm tired."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." You interjected pointing a hand at him. "You REALLY expect ME to let you go into Motostoke by yourself when you barely got any sleep last night??"

"I'll be fine," he insisted regaining his composure and sighing as the weight of the very large pack settled back on his back. "If it makes you feel better, I'll wait for you guys here and we can take the noon train back into Motostoke in a couple hours."

You paused for a moment before turning towards the door outside. It looked like the sun was just starting to rise from the night and the train was starting to pull away at this moment. It was pretty early in the morning, so if you left now then the four of you could make the noon train back in time. And Victor could get a bit of rest..but you were a bit unsure about letting Victor just stay here by himself. So you looked back at him. "Are you sure you wanna stay here by yourself?"

"I spent an entire year by myself traveling before Gloria even started this journey," he confired waving his hand. "I'll be fine for a few hours...*yaaawwwnn*"

You still weren't too convinced but agreed that this would probably be a better plan than letting Victor try to go into Motostoke by himself and drop from lack of sleep, or having Hop or Gloria just run off into a mine. (especially since that worked oh so well last time.) "Ok. You win. But I at least want you to seat over here where the station master can see you in case something happens, alright?"

Victor sighed but nodded. "Fine. But make sure you guys get back before the next train otherwise we'll have to wait for the night train or walk there."

The three of you agreed before exiting the station and once again you found yourself standing in the Wild Area like you did a month ago when you were on your way to the Entrance Ceremony. It may have only been a little more than a month ago but it felt like forever ago now. It still looked the same as it did when you first arrived here minus the giant herd of wild wooloo on the tracks. Hop walked up next to you and looked around at the lovely sight. Commenting on how cool it looked. To which you agreed before turning over to Gloria who finally walked out of the station stuffing two pokeballs into her bag as she walked up to you.

"Hey. What are those?," you asked gesturing to them.

"Some people in there didn't want their eevee and pikachu. So I got both of them."

You rose a brow but decided not to comment on that, instead looking around. "Ok. So do either of you two know where this mine is? I don't remember seeing it last time we were here. ..Mostly being chased around by a giant onix and battling super powered pokemon."

"You're never going to let me live that down are you?"

"I do." Hop beamed before pointing off to the fight across the giant spacious open land to where a pretty decent area of trees were huddled together by a hill side. "It's there by those trees according to the map, and every other site where it's listed. C'mon! We can get there and be back in like two hours."

While you were weary of wondering around an area where wild animals-...Er..Pokemon could chase after you at any moment, but seeing no other option the three of you began walking. Despite you still feeling a bit tired from not sleeping the night or day before last night, you felt alert looking around you three in the grass and plants as you walked. Making sure no pokemon jumped out at the three of you as you walked and walked..and walked before the cliff side jutting out of the earth surrounded by trees. As you three approuched and managed to pass through the trees you finally came across it. A giant, dark opening within the rocks being only lit on the inside by a few lanturns strung along the walls leading down into it.

"This is it!," Hop excitedly exclaimed as he picked up his pace gesturing for you two to follow him faster. "C'mon! Kabu's close! I can feel it!"

Increasing your speed you followed him into the cave's opening and blinked as mostly darkness overtook your vision. This cave was BIG, way bigger than the last cave you and Gloria traveled through. The ceilings were high and the same gems as the last one was scattered about the wallas....as well as a few construction workers and equipment.

......You pointed at them. "Hey. I thought you said this was public area!"

"It is," Hop's voice from somewhere ahead of you called back, "But they can collect Wishing Stars here too so they come by and collect them."

Oh that made sense, you glanced at the workers for a little while longer before turning back about to ask Hop something but stopped....They were gone. "....HOP!?" You shouted getting only an echo back, and some of the workers looking at you before you took off in the direction his voice came from. Oh great! First minute in the cave and already you lost these kids!! "GLORIA!? HOP!! C'MON YOU TWO!!" You called out but surprise, surprise only got your echo back. ...Great. Well you better find them before they got in trouble again or any of you got lost. As you traveled farther in with only lanturns plastered on the walls for light, you began to notice how it was connected with the Wild Area. There was pokemon all around here. From bat-like pokemon hanging from the ceiling, a couple scraggies hopping about, and more than once in this GIGANTIC cave and it's caverns, you walked by a small cave like pond and could've sworn you saw some kind of red crustation pop in and out. But with the limited light it made it hard to see and find out for real. More than once you would call out either of the two's names but the only answers were more echoes of your voice, and the sounds of scared pokemon as they fled from your voice. Your sobble(who had regained it's spot on your shoulder after leaving the station) was staring around wide eyed with chirps, occasionally reaching out towards the sparkling stones on the wall. "Yeah. I know they're pretty. But we can't stop and look at them right now. We need to find those two before they get in trouble again." Your sobble chirped curiously grabbing at a sparkling stone from a very close stalagmite as you passed it, the rock easily plucking free as he tugged it. Looking at it curiously...before sticking it in his mouth. !? "HEY!" In an instant you grabbed him by the chin. Your other hand trying to open his mouth as like a child, the sobble squirmed and pushed away. "DROP IT!! BAD POKEMON!! SPIT IT OUT!! IT'S NOT FOOD!!" Instead of listening your pokemon turned his head cheeks puffed out as your fear of him swallowing something that could hurt him rose. "Spit that out or I'm never going to let you have bites of my curry ever again!" This time the sobble paused, looking at you for any signs of deceit, but you absolutely meant it. Holding your hand out expectantly to it.......It opened it's mouth and the sparkling stone fell right into your hand. Quickly you pulled it away from your sobble releasing it with a scowl. "Good boy. Now don't do that again! Rocks aren't edible!" He gave off a chirp in protest but didn't do any more than pout like a toddler on your shoulder. With a sigh you shook your head and looked at the small stone in your hand...Huh. This one didn't look like all the others on the wall. Maybe it was a different one-

"You!" You jumped at the sudden voice. Blinking around at who could've said it when your eyes landed on someone walking towards you in the dim light with pale features. ..Your f/c eyes widening when you realized who it was. Standing before you was Bede! You hadn't seen him a little over a week ago by now, but for some reason he was here and he frowned at you. "It's an inconvience in of itself that I run into that girl and the Champion's chatterbox younger brother, but now I run into the very lady who disrespected the Chairman's assistant as well! Are you all trying to get on my nerves or is this bad luck on my part?"

It took you a moment to respond as he rubbed his head but you frowned right back at him. "Look, Kid. I'm not the one who straight up walked up to someone who's minding their own business and rudely ask about why I was here? For all you knew I could've just been going for a walk or sight seeing the famous Mine Number Two or just exploring the Wild Area. Did I come up to YOU and accuse you of following us from Hulbury? No. No I didn't."

Bede stared at you from under his hand, brain seeming to process what you were saying before a deeper frown is what he chose to go with. "BAH!! Never mind then! I've wasted enough time as it is down here especially after running into those two again. Now if you'll move aside I'll be taking my...." He froze. Purple eyes widening at you, and you rose a brow at his all of a sudden silence. ".......You." He pointed right at the sparkling stone in your hand. "That Wishing Star! Give it to me."

...You held up the stone. "Y'mean the rock this guy tried to eat-" Hold up! Weren't Wishing Stars the magic stone thingies everyone used to gigantamax their pokemon around here!? " You already have one of these." You pointed to the band on his wrist. "Why do you need this one?"

he gave a small growl of frustration. "I don't need to explain myself to the likes of you, Woman! If you won't give it too me then I'll just take it from you!" With that he whipped out a pokeball.

"Oh for the love of- You can't be serious!"

With a toss and bright like a small Gothita pokemon exploded in black in white in front of you. .....WHY was the first reaction for everyone to just whip out a pokemon to intimidate you if you hesitated even just a little bit?? This kid absolutely had NO manners! "Gothita will make quick work of you and your sobble if you don't hand that stone over to me this instant." He was REALLY getting on your nerves. You stepped forward. He smirked. "Another challenge? Really I couldn't be more inconvenienced today as it i-" You stepped OVER Gothita who looked confused as it why you weren't standing farther away sending the sobble on your shoulder to battle. Bede seemed also rather smackgobbed as well. Guess he hadn't ever experienced someone who would physically step over his pokemon instead of battling. His eyes widening as you walked right up to him with a scowl.

You stared a moment at his frozen and confused stance before deciding to talk. "Y'know. Obviously you have no manners. The Chairman should be ashamed of himself if his endorsed challenger is so rude to someone minding their own business and demanding things like a spoiled toddler who's never been told no before."

Bede flinched. Blinking rapidly in your shadow before seeming to regain his voice. "D-Don't talk about Chairman Rose like that-"

"I WAS talking about YOU, Bede!" He flinched back as you leaned forward. "Obviously no one ever taught you manners so I'll teach you a quick lesson in them right now."

His eyes became smaller. "L-Lesson? What l-lesson you m-mad woman-"

"Is THIS what you want?,'' you cut him off holding the wishing star to his face. He paused for a moment, almost going cross eyed as he looked at the thing in front of his face...before reaching a hand towards i- You held it away from him with a scowl. "NO. You don't take things that don't belong to you without asking first. Now I'll ask again. Is this what you want?"......He nodded. "Ok. Do you know what please and thank you are?"....He nodded again. "Good. Now what do you say when you want something?"

He didn't answer at first. Looking at you with some unreadable expression. Confusion? Shell shock?...Maybe fear? ".....May I...please have that Wishing Star, Miss?" Narrowing your eyes for a moment you eventually held it up to him and he reached for it again.

"Yes, you may. But I want an apology first?"

He paused again. "....A-Apology?!"

"Yeah. For acting so rude before. If you really are the better person you will apologize because I don't think the Chairman raised a boy with no manners."

You both stood there for a moment not moving or breaking eye contact before he backed down first and looked away. "Tch! Fine! I'm.....sorry! Now can you please just give me the stone so I can leave!?"

Smiling satisfied you nodded and held it out to him...he...slowly finally took it from you. "What do you say?"

"Mmmm....Thank you," he forced out through gritted teeth as you nodded.

"Good. Now I have to go now but I don't want to be talked to rudely like that again if I ever see you again. ...And don't call me Woman. My name's Y/n. I know you're better than that, Bede." He paused....blinking and looking up at you again seeming to be so, so confused. "You said you saw Gloria and Hop right? Did they go down that way?" You asked pointing behind him. Still staring he slowly nodded. "Ok. Thanks. You be careful getting out of here ok?"

He didn't say anything and just confusedly watch you step around him silently and continue walking away down into the dimly lit cave. At least you were on the right track now. Hopefully you'll be able to catch up with the two of them soon. And by soon it meant it'd take longer than you realized, coming across a fork in the road as hey say and leaving two caverns tunnels to chose from.......You ultimately decided on going left since it was more lit and figured they'd be smart enough to also go down this passage way. As you walked you called out a few times more still getting no answers. This was getting ridiculous!! Where could those two have gone!? Surely they couldn't have gone THAT far away from you in the short time you weren't looking!

"Thank you for helping out with my training, Team Yell." You paused as the voice rang out....What was- "But I must say it's unforgivable for you to get in the way of a carkol hard at work." ...OK! THAT WAS DEFINATELY A VOICE!! Granted it sounded older and nothing like the two kids, but if someone was down here then maybe you could ask for directions or if they saw the two. You broke out in a job up the tunnel towards the voices up ahead.

"We weren't gettin' in it's way! We were tryin' to cheer it on!," a different man's voice insisted loudly. What the-

You rounded the corner as the tunnel gave way to a giant cavern and you froze....OH NO NOT THEM!!

"Still, you did a number on us in that pokemon battle so...it's time for Team Yell to scarper and give a morale boost elsewhere!," one rock star wannabe said to an older man and standing next to another rock star wannabe.

You stared dumbfounded. SERIOUSLY!? What was the chances that you'd run into them all the way down here again!?

"Cheering is one thing but one shouldn't get in the way of honest work,'' the older man scolded the two of them.

You rose a brow at them, eyes slowly going to look behind them. And widening as you saw two teens standing in the entrance of another passage way across the cavern room. ...You frowned. "HOP!! GLORIA!!" Everyone either jumped or snapped their heads over to you as you shouted at the kids' direction. "Dang nabit! Why'd you run off from me like that!? Don't you know how to wait up!?" You started walking over towards them.

...One rockstar wannabe grabbed his friend wide eyed as he stared at you walking past. "C-Crikey! Bro, it's that dame that nailed Andrew in the eyes with dirt!"

"Wha- Seriously!? Let's get outta 'ere before that sobble starts singing a sad tune yo!"

You paid no mind to the scattering footsteps as you walked up to the now gulity looking pair of kiddos. "There you are! *sigh* Do you know how worried I was running around here like a headless chicken?"

"......What's a chicken?," Gloria asked.

"We're really sorry, Y/n," Hop apologized frowning, "we thought you were right behind us and then we ran into some trouble."

"Oh yeah. So did I. Bede needed some manners taught to him."

"Wait..Ya saw the Mareep Head??"

You nodded. "I ran into him on his way out. He said you gave him some trouble."

"By trouble if ya mean kickin' his behind-"

"Nevermind that. Y/n we found him!"

"Found who?"

Hop pointed behind you and you turned with a brow raised. The old man was petting a pokemon that looked like a giant living piece of coal. "There! That's Kabu!...Man, he's wicked! No wonder he's the fire-type gym leader!"

...THAT was Kabu!? Well whaddya know. It made sense since by looking at him now, he wore an unmistakable gym suit. The old man, Kabu, looked up at you three from petting his pokemon and gave a polite smile. "Ah, you are the trainers endorsed by Leon! Hop and Gloria, am I right?"

Both pair of young eyes went wide at him. ".....You know our names!?"

"Yes. Leon has spoken about you before. And your concerned friend just literally shouted your names just now."

"......Oh. W-Well we're here to see you actually! A-About having a pokemon battle!"

"Naturally you would. I'm just training right up until the last moment so that I can guarantee the perfect match when I face you gym challengers."

"Oh really?," you asked and he nodded, "This deep in a cave?"

"I specialize in fire-type pokemon, and the water-type pokemon in Galar Mine Number Two are the perfect opponents to train against, Young Lady."....He hummed and you all watched as he looked at a watch around his wrist. "....Regardless it's getting late. I must leave if I'm going to get the gym ready by tomorrow." he looked back to the three of you with a smile. "Just go straight once you get out of this mine and you'll reach Motostoke. Get a good at the hotel, and make sure you're both in your top condition." He turned around calling to the pokemon. "Come on, Carkol. Time for you to head on home, too. I'll make sure you get there safely. We're going to be on fire tomorrow!" He began jogging off and the thing lumbered off after him with a grunt of it's own. The man looked old enough to be your grandfather and could still jog as fast as you had done earlier. Impressive.

"....I remember Lee talking about Kabu." You blinked over to Hop as he looked at where Kabu disappeared. "He said that a lot of gym challengers give up because they just can't beat Kabu. Man, now I'm getting all fired up too!"

"Yeah. Well, I'm tired out!" Both paused looking at you. "C'mon. You heard what he said. Let's get back to Victor and get to the Inn."

The three of you started making your way back out of the mine and back towards The Wild Area Station. You were tired and you could use a rest before catching the evening train back into Motostoke where you began in the first place. Surprisingly you made it out faster than it took going in the caverns.

"That carkol from before," Hop commented off in thought, "I guess it must've been here on a job. You do know about poke job by now right?" You nodded. "Course you do! I bet he hired that carkol to train with him or something!"

"You might be right, but after today I think I just want to get to the hotel and relax."

Hop nodded. ".....Oh hey. I think we found out who those guys in the punk make up were?"

You froze. Nearly stumbling over your feet as you did so before snapping your face over towards the boy. "WHAT!?"

He nodded. "Yeah. They called themselves Team Yell. Which is weird cuz I've never heard of them before and I don't remember Lee mentioning them at all. What about you Glor?" Gloria shook her head no to his question.....Team Yell?? They were team Yell?? What name was that?? Any 'team' you knew from the Pokemon franchise was evil. Team Rocket being the most obvious in your mind, but if that's true then does that mean those Rockstar wannabe's are more dangerous than they seem? Did Team Yell have a world domination scheme from the game!? You tried to wrack your brain for any and all possible villainous plots in the game that could involve a whole bunch of rockstar make up wearing hooligans....But ended up with...absolutely nothing!! DANGIT!! You couldn't remember anything from playing it years ago! ....*sigh* The only thing you could do now was push on and keep your eyes peeled for any possible trouble they'd cause you. "Now, I'm cream-crackered." Hop's voice snapped you back into reality. "I'm for the Budew Drop Inn and some sleep. Come tomorrow that Fire Gym Leader Kabu better be ready because I'm coming for him!!"

Gloria nodded in agreement. "Yeah. We better get back ta Vic before he decides on givin' us another boring lecture on being late."

You couldn't agree more either. Maybe some more sleep will help you think more clearly than normal. The three of you made your way back towards the station with the afternoon sun rising high in the sky, upon entering you discovered Victor exactly where you all left him. Fast asleep leaning back in one of the chairs. He must've been more tired than you realized, maybe it was for the best he stayed behind here. It took only an hour of your four waiting, appreciating the small break your body got, before the afternoon train came rumbling on in as per usual. It was a jumbled process of trying to wake up Victor who acted like a caffiene lacking zombie until you and Hop decided 'Screw this' and both of you picked him up by either side and dragged his half asleep, staggering, groggy butt over and onto the train with Gloria right behind. It wasn't much easier pushing him into a seat next to you and trying to wake him up for the ten minute ride back into Motostoke, before unsuccessfully doing so and resulted in both of you again half dragging Victor off the train in Motostoke station and on your way to Budew Drop Inn with Gloria trailing right behind you three. Sure it was hard, but you couldn't imagine trying to do this walking all the way back to Motostoke through the Wild Area with dangerous pokemon about, so the train was much better. It took a bit of lifting and slight yelling from Hop for Victor to wake up, getting some strange looks from other people as you went, but by some miracle the four of you somehow managed to make it into the inn you stayed at before during the entrance ceremony. The golden statue still gleaming as ever as you and Hop struggled to get the mumbling Victor up the stairs and over to the bewildered looking clerk at the front desk. WHAT THE HECK WAS IN HIS BACKPACK MAKING HIM SO HEAVY!? It was an effort to keep him up standing as Hop smiled awkwardly at the man.

"Uh hi! We need two rooms for the night please. And fast before my friend decides to drop dead on us."

The clerk blinked for a moment before slowly nodded. "Oh. Of course. Are you challengers here to battle against Kabu?"

Hop nodded. "Yeah that's us alright. Or will be once we get some sleep."

The clerk nodded in understanding smiling. "Oh yes! Wait here for a moment and I'll get you your room keys."

You rose a brow. "Don't we need to register?"

"Oh no. Mr. Kabu has graciously told us to put any registered gym challengers' stays on his tab and send him the bills. After all he doesn't know how long they'll stay before quitting and going home. He's a kind man that doesn't want them or their families stuck with any expensive hotel bills if they stay for a long time before getting stomped out," he said so casually like it was no big deal. ....You and Hop gave each other a look..before exchanging one with Gloria who just shrugged at the both of you. The clerk turned around. "Just one moment please while I check and see which rooms would be available."

"Jeez. If Kabu's this tough, Rahain and Lee's gonna be even more tough-"

"Excuse me." The three of you looked over your shoulder towards a soft polite girl's voice with an accent you couldn't place. Standing there was a teen around these guys' age in almost gothic attire and right blue eyes. At her heels was a small pokemon who you'd call hamster like. Except she wasn't looking at you or Hop or Victor. But Gloria. "Uhhh. Challenger Gloria, Right? From Postwick?"

Gloria blinked in surprise seemingly surprised, before raising a suspicious brow at the girl. "Yeah? ....And yer who?"

"Marnie." She answered politely back. "Out givin' it your all even this late, huh? Hey. Help me with somethin' for a sec. Would you?"

Gloria remained silent for a moment. "....Help you with what?"

"I want t' see if I'm ready for the next leg of the Gym Challenge."

"...Why me?"

"You're one of the challengers endorsed by the Champion. I figured the best way to see if I was ready at all was t' see if I'd be able to beat a fellow gym challenger before I leave. Would you like to battle with me?"

"Gloria. We need to get Victor to his room so he can sleep," you countered feeling the weight of Victor start to weigh down more on you.

"I know, I know but...." She looked between the girl and the three of you. "She asked for my help, and it'd be rude to just say no right?" You gave her a look. "Oh c'mon please, Y/n! It'll be quick. N' and out! Easy peasy berry squeezy."

....You groaned. You really didn't have time for this! " Fine! But please for the love of Mike hurry and get back? We've been running around all day and you need rest for the battle tomorrow!"

She beamed. "Ya got it! Get ready ta have your team beat!"

The girl smiled. "Wicked! Got some fight in you, Huh? "

"You bet! Let's do this!"

You sighed and turned shaking your head. Only distracted from them when Hop grabbed the keys from the clerk and jingled them at you to let you know you two could now go and get Victor laying down. As the two of you turned to struggle Victor towards the elevator the girls left-....!? Your head snapped around as a dash of red and black crossed the corner of your eye, but it was gone the moment you turned around.....What the-

"C'mon Y/N! He's gettin' too heavy to lug around for much longer."

...You turned back to the elevator before the doors closed behind you. It was probably nothing anyways. Right now you had a kid who needed to sleep badly. The two of you managed to drag Victor who ended up passing out in your arms to his and Hop's room, and after Hop struggled to open the door, dragged him to the nearest bed and plopped him on top of it with sighs of relief when your poor body was finally freed from heaving him around. After assuring you he'd take care of things from there, you took your own room key from Hop and went to your own room. It didn't take you too long to get settled in after taking a quick shower, and again rummaging through your pack to fish some food out for your chirping, pouting, hungry sobble. Man the little guy ate a whole lot. It was a little while later as you were eating yourself that Gloria finally showed up, knocking on the door before coming in after hearing your voice.

"Hey. How did the battle go?"

She smiled. "I'd hate to brag....But I won."

You nodded. "Hey! That's great. Glad to know it went well."

She nodded again. "Yeah....But I gotta tell ya something." You rose a brow at her curiously. "...Those Team Yell guys from earlier? They were there."

You dropped the small dried piece of fruit you were holding which your sobble was quick to snatch up and eat. "WHAT!?"

"YEAH!! There was a guy and this woman wearin' all this all this punk make up, and they were cheerin' for 'er. I almost lost cuz I they were so loud makin' it hard to focus. I guess that's why they're Team 'Yell'. Should call 'em team Scream if ya ask me."

"Team Yell was with the girl?" She nodded. "Did they try anything?! Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," she assured you, "But nah. One of 'em was wavin' this flag that had Marnie's picture on it. ...Do they do that? Y'know make merch for Gym Challengers with our faces on them? If they do I'm totally buying Mum one!"

They....Team Yell was....Cheering on Marnie?? That didn't make any sense. They had said a while ago that they were trying to stop Gym Challengers. Why would they be cheering a Gym Challenger on if they were trying to stop them let alone have merch of one??? It didn't add up. Except for maybe-......You paused. Back at the bridge. When you and Victor encountered those two thugs trying to steel the poor nurse's bike!! They spoke of a lady! Could it by that the girl and 'Our Lady' they spoke of was one in the same? Or was Marnie somehow connected to the woman they spoke of?? Was she a part of Team Yell secretly? If yes then what interest did they have in the Gym Challenge?? Did Leon have something they want?? Were they just trying to cheat their way to the top??.....Or..Your eyes widened. Was there something that the Challenge league had that they wanted and were after?? Control over the Galar Region? Money? Power? Fame? Some other powerful thing you couldn't remember?? ...If she wasn't a part of them then what WAS their purpose for cheering her on?...Could the mysterious woman they spoke of be related to Marnie? Or maybe someone who endorsed her for the gym challenge? You shook your head. It was all so confusing. Too many questions and absolutely no answers at all. It made your head hurt just swimming with the many possibilities.

"Oh by the way. While I was out the battling got me thinkin' 'bout some strageties I could use to beat Kabu."

"Oh really?," you muttered half listening deep in thought.

"Uh huh. But I gotta ask. Y/n, can I borrow your sobble?"

"Sure you can-.....Wait. ..What?!"