Cultures and customs vary around the World. However, there are some things that cross borders and even Continents. Fads are one such thing. Some fads have come and gone. Others have arisen once again to the delight of some. Or to the annoyance of others.
Fads are not just a Human thing. Fads have appeared in other Worldly cultures. Even robotic ones. From Cylons to Ursans fads have made their impact. Eons ago the Humanoid Baltar defected from Planet Caprica. He helped the robotic Cylons defeat the Capricans after what had been a long running series of minor wars. Baltar had passed on technical data to the Cylons. Which was used to develop a sophisticated Computer Virus which shut down affected Starships, via an electronic pulse type coded signal.
When the Cylons attacked during what was supposed to be a Formal Peace Signing Ceremony the computer virus reeked havoc among the Caprican Fleet. Defensive Missile and Laser weapons shut down. Great starships and their defensive Viper attack Fighters were defeated in a great rout. For his role in the whole Caprican debacle Baltar was given command of a Cylon warship. Such Cylon ships were often referred to as Basestars.
While commanding the Cylon Basestar, Baltar began to really regret what he had done. Thanks to the L Series robot Lucifer. The L series were designed for leadership roles. Lucifer liked making snide off hand remarks to Baltar. Another L Series robot who liked to get on Baltar's nerves was Flight Leader Serpentine.
It was Lucifer and Serpentine who introduced The Robot Hustle to the Centurion robot workers. Discipline among the crew began to break down a bit. They really irritated Baltar. Dancing and singing robots were not the best of companions for someone like Baltar.
Baltar discretely tried to make contact with any of the Caprican Space Outposts which may have survived the initial Cylon onslaught. He detected one such lonely outpost in deep space. Eventually Baltar made contact. Leading to his eventual contacting of The Battlestar Galatica. One of several Caprican Battlestars which had avoided destruction. That contact led to Baltar's capture.
Baltar accepted being marooned on a sparsely populated planet as punishment. It was far better than a Death Sentence which most Traitors would have gotten. Baltar was left stranded with only a basic shelter and supplies. There were plants and animals which could be used as primitive sources of food and clothing. Baltar had a seemingly grim future. Even though there were also some primitive Humanoids on the planet.
Baltar settled in, along with Lucifer and Serpentine. The local Humanoids were indeed primitive. They thought of Baltar and the robots as Godlike beings. Baltar ended up living a long life. Living much like a Shaman among the Tribes of Humanoids.
There is now a legend that the citizens of that planet still do a planet wide ceremonial dance. Based on what Baltar and his robots taught the locals. "The Robot Hustle" had a lasting affect on the planet s evolution. Knowing all of this it should be no surprise that Care Bears and Care Cousins have dealt with fads.
Care a Lot is a unique world. It is basically a Dwarf Planet. Which lies in The Fifth Dimension. It is so close to Earth yet so far away for most Humans. Those of us who have been there find it hard to describe the experience of moving between Dimensions. It is scary yet exhilarating at the same time.
Like wise it is hard to describe the experience of meeting a Care Bear or Cousin. Care Bears are short and stocky compared to most Earthly ursines. Most Care Bears prefer to wear sparse clothing. They often have a body odor similar to the smell of honey and Lilacs. Yes, Surprise Bear smells surprisingly nice! Which is a good thing. Care Bears like to hug and rub noses with those they like. The ultimate Bear Hug. Giggling as they do so.
One would expect such loving Creatures to have many offspring. However, due to their slow aging process, it takes many of our years for Care Bears to reach Cub bearing age. It is the same for Care Cousins. Thus, youngsters are a rare and much beloved commodity in Care a Lot.
Those Cubs, Kits, Lambs and so forth are much like our young ones. Just much furrier or woollier. They play games similar to what Human children play. One unfortunately similar aspect is making and taking dares. Dares can lead to some unfortunate outcomes.
One fine day in Care a Lot the usually peaceful Rainshine Meadows Park erupted in a bit of noise. Proud Heart and Loyal Heart had taken their Kits there to romp around. The proud yet oft overburdened Parents thought the Park a good place for their youngsters to safely play. Especially the overactive and mischievous Fur Elise and Hyper. Loud Heart and Barker were soon noisily playing. Purrly and Scritch chased after some Flutter Flies. Fur Elise and Hyper were kicking a beach ball. Which was hissing as it slowly lost some air.
Then Hyper gave the ball a kick which sent it into a very shallow fountain. For safety's sake the fountain's water was too shallow for any possible drowning of youngsters. Fur Elise laughed as she watched the ball emit air bubbles. Hyper giggled. "I should try to use a leaky ball in the bathtub. It might make getting a bubble bath worth it."
Soon Miracle Joy soon showed up. Her parents were lagging a bit behind her. Lovalot was slowed down as she helped Grizzle. The Runt Bear's once battered body often led to him feeling sore and achy. He also suffered from incontinence. "I am a little Bear in an old Bear's body" he mumbled to Lovalot. Lovalot had put him in swim shorts so no one could see his undersized adult diaper.
Lovalot picked Grizzle up and cradled him in her strong arms. "Don't fret my Dear" she cooed. "You are my forever Little Bear. This Momma Bear will always take care of you. Someday Miracle Joy will be grown up and away from our home. Most likely off searching for robotic Life Forms. You will still be home with me. Giving me the chance to always give a Bear some Motherly Love." Lovalot then tried to see what Miracle Joy was up to.
Miracle Joy had gone over to see Fur Elise. By now the battered beach ball was deflated. Lying partially submerged in the fountain.
The oft devilish duo enticed Fur Elise's Brothers and Sisters into a wild game of Tag. Fur Elise and Hyper seldom got tagged. Miracle Joy also knew how to avoid being "It". Meanwhile their Parents tried to keep an eye on the youngsters.
Soon Miracle Joy spotted a Hornets nest. Care a Lot's Hornets were less apt to sting than most Earthly Hornets. One really had to rile up the local Hornets to get stung, Miracle Joy knew her Bear fur and thick Bear skin made stings nearly painless compared to what most of Care a Lot's animals would feel.
Miracle Joy pointed out the Hornets nest. Then picked up a good stone for throwing. "I bet you would never dare to do this" said Miracle Joy. Fur Elise frowned as she watched Miracle Joy take aim with the stone. Unlike a Bear, fur Elise would certainly feel a sting as a sharp pain. However, the Kit did not want to appear less brave than a Bear. Fur Elise got ready to run after the fact.
Miracle Joy heaved the small stone at the nest. The papery nest rocked on the branch as bits of paper like pieces fell from it. Suddenly Hornets emerged in a buzzing swarm. "What a shot, MJ" yelled Fur Elise as she turned to run.
Miracle Joy loped off a short distance before turning to watch the Hornets swarm around their nest. Miracle Joy barely noticed as she got one sting. Fur Elise managed to avoid getting stung, However, her yelled words had caused Loud Heart and Scritch to turn and step towards the commotion.
"Ouch" yelled Loud Heart as she got a sting. Scritch saw the swarm and made a run for the fountain. He got one sting while in the middle of a prodigious leap. Then with a splash he was in the fountain. He rolled over a few times to thwart the Hornets. Who soon returned to their nest to defend it.
Lovalot had spotted Miracle Joy's rock throwing too late to intervene. Lovalot had only enough time to hold Grizzle in a Bear Hug to try to shield him a bit. Lovalot was afraid the unhealthy Grizzle would feet the effects of a sting. The female succeeded in protecting her Mate. Barely feeling the effect of getting one sting herself. The very healthy Bear's tough hide and thick fur had protected her well.
All the commotion in the Park had been noticed by Young True Heart and Oopsy. Who had wanted to give Cute Heart a chance to horse around outside. The Care Cousin Colt was now toilet trained. A momentous thing for his adoptive Parents.
True Heart stomped toward the mischief makers. "Alright every Bear and Cousin. Just what is going on here? I want the truth." In Care a Lot both the young and the old knew it was useless to lie or stretch the true when speaking to either True Heart.
"It's my Bad" said Miracle Joy. "I was doing Dares with Fur Elise. I thought it would be a good way to have some fun." True Heart cocked her head as she thought about what to say.
"Fun and play should be safe as possible. Dares can make them unsafe. Since you were truthful I will let your Mother decide your punishment. I need to get Cute Heart and Oopsy safely back home now" said True Heart.
Fur Elise and Miracle Joy let out a sigh of relief as True Heart left. However, True Heart then approached some nearby adults. Having a brief word with them. The guilty youngsters cringed as Proud Heart and Loyal Heart then strode up. A minute later Lovalot and Grizzle joined them.
Both sets of Parents admonished their guilty youngsters. Grizzle always hated to have to punish his daughter. The former bad Bear of Care a Lot had learned to hate punishment as a Cub. Grizzle had empathy for naughty little Boys and Girls.
"Hey, I have an Idea" said Grizzle. "How about daring others to do something that is a nice thing to do. Something helpful. Like daring someone to leave a basket of fruit on another Bear or Cousin's porch. The one who does the most helpful Dare wins."
Fur Elise poked Miracle Joy's hip. I bet I can do more and better good Dares than you! Or any other Cub or Kit. Miracle Joy put her hand paws on her hips. Then practically yelled oh yeah, you're on!" With that Grizzle and two naughty Girls started something good.
Grumpy was mumbling to himself as he tried to get grease off his hand paws. Grumpy's workshop was messy like usual. He didn't notice two figures peeking in an open window. Grumpy heard a thump as a what appeared to be a lumpy rag landed beside him. The Bear heard the sound of running foot paws outside. As Grumpy unwrapped the rag he got a pleasant surprise. Inside was a bottle of hand paw friendly de-greaser.
There was also a barely legible note inside. "My Dare to Care was to make Grumpy smile" it read. Grumpy didn't smile. He did manage a half smile. "I dare say this may have made my day" Grumpy mumbled to himself. Later he shared the good news with Share. That gave Share some gossip to share with others. Soon Bears and Cousins alike were hearing about what had happened.
Surprise Bear sighed as she looked into her cupboard. She saw that her jar of Honey was getting low. "Drats, so much for making some Runny Honey Cookies" she said to herself. Surprise heard a soft tap on her back door. She opened the door to see a jar sitting beside a lit sparkler.
The sparkler hissed as it emitted a colorful shower of sparks. "Oh, what a pretty surprise" Surprise yelled. The colorful and sparkly surprise had already made Surprise happy.
Then she picked up the jar. It was a jar of Honey with a note attached. "My Dare to Care was to surprise Surprise" it read. Surprise loved getting surprised. She had just gotten a double surprise. The delighted Bear grinned happily. "What surprisingly great surprises these are. Time to get cooking!" Soon the sweet aroma of cookies baking wafted through Surprise's kitchen.
Later she shared some with her sister, Share. Share and Grumpy ate theirs as they had Tea with Surprise. Sulky almost managed a grin as she ate hers. After having crumbled the cookie up. Sulky then enjoyed rubbing her sticky hand paws over anything within reach. Both Share and Surprise were soon telling others of the surprises left for Surprise.
Do Your Best Bear should have been enjoying a quiet lazy Summer. School was out for the Summer. With School closed Do Your Best's custodial duties amounted to part time work. The Bear missed the hustle and bustle of a full school day. He liked being around rambunctious and noisy Cubs and Kits.
He had stopped by the school to make sure nothing was amiss. He did have to clean some bird crap off a window. After doing so he stowed the cleaning gear in a locker. Just as he was about to go back outside, he heard the ding-a-ling of a bicycle bell. Also, some youthful laughter.
Do Your Best got outside just in time to see two bicycles speeding off. On the ground was a small basket made of colorful construction paper. Inside was candy in yellow wrappers. Also, a crudely drawn card. It read "Our Dare to Care to do was to make Do Your Best Bear enjoy school being closed.
Do Your Best grinned as he unwrapped a piece of candy. It was one of his favorite kinds. A toffee like Honey Bite. "I dare say this looks yummy" he said to himself. The happy Bear plopped his unexpected treat into his mouth. He was soon plopping more of the goodies into his mouth. His stopover at School so much sweeter than expected.
Others were soon treated to his story of the unexpected treat. Hugs and Tugs heard about it from True Heart. Then quietly slipped off to giggle about having pulled off their dare. One they had received from Fur Elise.
Polite and Perfect Panda were about to close up their Arts and Crafts Shop for the day. The automatic door opened but no Customer stepped in. Instead, a toy robot whirred its way inside. It was carrying a small bag within its metallic hands. It dropped the bag then whirred its way back out the door.
Polite picked up the bag which had a crude gift tag attached. It read "My Dare to Care was to do something miraculous for two certain Panda Bears!" Polite showed the bag to Perfect, then gasped as she looked inside. There was a sealed bag of Bamboo Shoots. As usual the two Pandas spoke finishing each others sentences.
"Look at these delicious... looking shoots" they said. "Time to get... some Chopsticks out!" Later that evening the two did use Chopsticks. To feast on boiled Bamboo Shoots over Soba Noodles. Washing it all down with Oolong Tea. They puzzled over who had left them the package. To the Care Cousin Pandas receiving Bamboo was like receiving a miracle. They inquired of their customers about who may have sent the robot. One name did come up.
Miracle Joy had been a participant. Along with Wonder Heart. They were dared by Sassy Bear. Miracle Joy had achieved a miracle in fulfilling her part in the Dare. It was a wonder that Wonder Heart had also been able to fulfill her role in the Dare.
Lovalot and Grizzle learned of it from Tender Heart. Who overheard Wonder Heart and Miracle Joy. Wonder Heart had said to Miracle Joy "I wonder if the adults will figure out who pulled off the Bamboo Dare. We had fun doing it." Tender Heart was proud when he overheard them. He was astounded at what the daring youngsters had pulled off. Lovalot and Grizzle were thrilled when Tender Heart passed word to them.
Later that evening Miracle Joy tried to avoid getting a bath. Lovalot bathed Grizzle first. Then got Miracle Joy to bath after a bit of a struggle. Later Lovalot got Grizzle and Miracle Joy ready for bed. The thin furred Grizzle was soon in some warm pajamas. Miracle Joy wore hers for only ten minutes. Then sent them flying. They landed over a large toy robot. "Direct hit" yelled Miracle Joy. "I've captured a Cylon!"
Grizzle laughed as Lovalot sighed. Then Lovalot gave her daughter a playful paw tap on the Butt. "Well, my little bare Bear" Lovalot said. "Mommy and Daddy know about your Dare to Care. We are proud of what you did."
Grizzle grinned happily. "Nice use of Robotics" he said. "You did inherit my genes for making Robots. You even got some mention at The Hall of Hearts. Young True Heart passed word to us about what has been going on. Then commended me for suggesting doing good dares to you and Fur Elise. Other Cubs and Kits are getting drawn into what is like a Game to them. A Game of Caring."
Two hours later Lovalot checked up on her now sleeping Daughter. Lovalot gently covered Miracle Joy with a blanket. Grizzle had fallen asleep on the couch. Soon he was covered up too. Lovalot had smiled as covered her undersized Mate.
Her once bad little Bear of a Mate and oft mischievous daughter had started a Fad. A good one at that. One that made adults proud of their Cubs and Kits good deeds. Lovalot's family was helping Care a Lot care a lot.
Miracle Joy lay sleeping. The Cub was having a wonderful dream. She was building a robot that did good deeds. The robot could even rub noses with a good little Cub. It was a dream that very well may come true.