Two lunatics talking about Power Rangers

== Main story ==
When Daniel walked into the dining area, he found that Renegade was seated at a table. The slender alien had a box of colored pencils and was working on a coloring book. A black mug and a blue mug, as well as a small, unopened jug of fruit punch & an open, partially drunken bottle of soda, also sat on the table. Without looking up, Renegade told Daniel, “I was hoping you’d stop by.”
“Is that right?”
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Renegade casually moved the colored pencil from his right hand to his left as he looked up. “I was just thinking about a great rivalry from a TV show.” He nonchalantly picked up the closest chair with one hand and flung it directly at Daniel. However, Daniel, equally nonchalant, caught the chair with one hand. He smirked in triumph. Renegade chuckled gleefully. “I’d expect nothing less from a rival of mine. Now that you have a chair, come here and have a seat.”
Daniel brought the chair over to Renegade’s table. As he sat down, he noticed that the brand of fruit punch Renegade had was one he enjoyed too. He mused that the lunatic had good taste. He also saw that the coloring book had a Power Rangers theme. He thought back to when Renegade had told him that he had seen every episode of the Power Rangers franchise. When Daniel had asked, “So what did you think?” the alien had replied, “Should I have any kind of thought about it?” Daniel’s eye twitched in irritation, causing Renegade to laugh and remark he had reminded him of an interview he did with a certain reporter. Sometime afterward, the subject of Power Rangers came up again. Daniel had noted, “You’re obviously a fan of the series,” to which Renegade replied, “I never said I wasn’t a fan; I just asked if there were any kind of thought I should have about it.”
Daniel was brought out of his remembrance when Renegade stated, “I trust you’re not going to have an issue with me coloring.”
“You’d think I’d have an issue with that more than you flinging a chair at my freaking face?”
“You’d be surprised at what minor things some people go on rants about.”
“I know what you mean. My good buddy, Kent, is a fan of a cartoon that’s… meant for a different audience.”
“Hey, that just means he’s expanding his horizons by sampling different media.”
“There you go! I’ll tell him that next time I talk with him. I’ve thought before that him watching cartoons isn’t hurting anyone, so what’s the big deal?”
“Exactly! Anyway, like I said, I was just thinking about a great rivalry from a TV show: Jason and Tommy from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.”
“I agree, that was a good one.”
“Jason had two great rivalries- one with Tommy and one with Goldar. They’re both great, though I was reflecting on the first one recently.”
“I know it made for some good episodes.”
“Some of the best, I’d say. Another great rivalry, storyline, whatever you want to call it, was Eric and Wes in Power Rangers Time Force.”
“From what I know, I’d have to agree.”
There was a pause as Renegade took a drink from the blue mug, and afterward he told Daniel, “I’m glad you didn’t ask me that irritating question.”
“What irritating question?”
“Way too often when you talk about characters like that, someone will ask, ‘Which one is better?’ or some variant.”
“Oh, yeah, that gets annoying.”
“You want me to pick a favorite? Okay- my favorite is whichever one hurts you for asking that!” He curled his fingers, tipped with claws strong & sharp enough to tear the hide off a baseball as easily as peeling an orange, around the soda bottle. Then he held his thumb over the neck and made a swift motion to pantomime something being slit. “Where I’m from there’s an expression- ‘Don’t make me choose between my ears.’”
“You notice how often the people who ask that have an agenda?”
“Thank you!  Like, dude, if you think a character is great, just say so and don’t worry if anyone else agrees! Don’t go fishing for compliments! The Paul Brothers had a video one time-”
“I’m sure they did,” Daniel interrupted, wanting to put the kibosh on that conversation point.
“Hmph. Well, okay then!”
“The same people fishing for compliments are the same ones who get angry if your favorite isn’t their favorite.”
“Exactly! You’re exactly right! By the way, have you ever thought about having conversations like this in public? I mean, when you become a big hero, you’re going to be talking with fans young & old, right?”
“Right.” He happily drank in the fact that his rival had said “when” he became a big hero and not “if” before continuing. “I have given it a lot of thought, I’m not going to lie. I know I’m not going to fish for compliments or anything.”
“That’s good. I’m going to give some advice about talking with people.”
Daniel joked, “Great, and then Genghis Khan can give Ivan the Terrible advice on pacifism, Mr. ‘I’d love to fill your lungs with laughing gas’ Boy.”
Renegade laughed. “Okay, that’s good! My advice is if a show or something comes up and someone says, ‘So-and-so is my favorite character,’ or, ‘I want to be such-and-such a character,’ ask them more about it. If they don’t want to, don’t press it. If they do, they can share why they like the character. I mean, when they say they like a character, there could be a number of things they mean. Let’s say they like the Black Ranger. Do they mean the first Black Power Ranger? Do they mean the second Black Power Ranger? Do they mean the Black Ninja Ranger? Do they-”
“Wait, are you talking about Mighty Morphin Power Rangers still?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“I thought the Black Ninja Ranger was the second Black Power Ranger?”
“Same character, same actor, but maybe the person doesn’t know that. Maybe they just saw the costume and decided he was their favorite based on costume alone.”
He nodded in understanding. “Gotcha!”
“Let’s say they tell you the Black Power Ranger is their favorite. Do they mean Zack, do they mean Adam, or do they like the costume, arsenal, Zords, etc. and not care who’s in the costume? I’m not trying to be obsessive, just saying that you can’t always assume what someone means.”
“I understand. Thanks.”
“Not a problem.”
“Let me practice. Is there any Power Ranger you’d like to be? I won’t make fun if you say someone unpopular, and I won’t call you basic if you say someone popular.”
“That’s very good of you. However, I don’t compare myself to any of the Power Rangers.”
“Why’s that?”
“I don’t see the need to when I’m objectively better than all of them.”
Daniel blinked, not only because of the sentiment, but also because of the casual sincerity behind it. He had said it as casually as someone reporting the current time or temperature. He mused, “This guy’s ego is bigger than the friggin’ Megazord!”
Renegade said, “‘This friggin’ guy’s-’ no, wait. ‘This guy’s ego is bigger than the friggin’ Megazord!’ That’s it, right?”
“Yeah, it is.” He reflected on how Renegade was the only one so far to be able to predict him, then joked, “So, when are we getting the dozens of Power Rangers vs. Renegade fan-fiction?”
“‘I made sure the Rangers never made it to the battlefield and I walked away in triumph while they slept it off!’ Boom! That’s the whole story!” He took another drink and then stated, “I do like Trini, though.”
He was a little surprised, but nodded in agreement. “That’s understandable.”
“Other characters get more attention, but the time comes when you realize that you need a Trini in your life if you don’t have one already. Recently I was re-watching a Jason Geiger video-”
“Wait, who?” Daniel asked in confusion.
“The guy who played the first Red Power Ranger.”
“I don’t… wait, you mean Austin St. John?”
“Well, that’s his stage name.”
“I forgot that you like to refer to people by their real names. You can’t blame me for being confused. I mean, how was I supposed to get Austin St. John from Jason Geiger?”
Renegade dryly cracked, “Well somebody did, obviously.”
Daniel gave him a look and then had a thought. “Could you make a list of Power Rangers actors with stage names so I’ll know who you’re talking about in the future?”
“Sure. I’ll have it for you tomorrow, or sometime later this week.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it.”
“You’re certainly welcome.” After a little thought he asked, “If I say Jason Frank, you’ll know I mean Jason David Frank, right?”
Daniel gave Renegade the longest “Really, playa?” look of his life, then rubbed his face in aggravation. It wasn’t so much the actual question that irked him as the sincerity behind it. Finally he replied, “I’ll try to use, like, 5% of my brainpower to remember that.”
He realized immediately that he had erred. All he could do was brace for impact. Sure enough, Renegade pounced on this unexpected opportunity & retorted, “Hey, that’s, like, twice the amount you normally use!”
As Renegade finished laughing at his wisecrack, Daniel stated, “I handed you that set-up on a silver platter, didn’t I?”
“You slid in headfirst like my main man Pete Rose!”
“So his name actually is Jason Frank, huh? It’s not Jason Radiometer or something like that?”
“No, it’s Jason David Roentgenometer.”
“Boy, if you don’t shut your smart aleck mouth up!”
“Oh, here’s a fun fact.”
“It’s not about yet another mofo named Jason, is it?”
“No, it’s about a Johnny. Johnny Yong Bosch’s real name is John Jay Bosch.”
“Huh. Well, I admit that was an actual fun fact.” As he took a drink from his bottle of sports drink, he briefly mused on how Renegade called other people by their real names, yet refused to reveal his own. Finally he offered, “‘Jason Geiger’ sounds like an ‘80s action hero.”
“You can check out his projects and see if you like them. Not Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, though, because he got screwed in that one.”
“Okay.”
“So he’s on a couple YouTube channels- Fanward and Austin St John.”
“Wait, the channel is also called Austin St. John? You know, if you didn’t want to use the fellow’s stage name, you could have just said ‘the guy from the Austin St John channel’. It would have taken me only 2% of my brainpower to figure out that esoteric puzzle!” He sighed. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”
“His channel is JDFFFN.”
“Oh, so the channel name has two more Fs than I have to give about you at any given moment. Please continue.”
“Fanward had a video with Geiger talking about the late Thuy Trang, RIP.” Daniel nodded sympathetically. “He had some nice things to say. There was also a funny story. They had to have someone unzip the suits for them to use the bathroom. Well, he’d have to use the bathroom, but as a joke she’d refrain from unzipping him.”
Daniel chuckled. “Well, that goes to show that when you go to fight monsters, make sure you have the proper undergarments!”
Quoting an episode of a cartoon, Renegade offered, “‘They’re tinkle togs, just like the astronauts wear!’”
“I’m so glad my costume has pants!” He looked at Renegade’s jacket and something came to mind. “I can make a guess, but why is it is it your clothes & accessories don’t disintegrate when your energy forcefield activates?”
The alien joked, “What, are you disappointed my clothes don’t dissolve?”
Daniel’s face flushed in irritation before paling. After a pause he quipped, “If I wanted to see a weird piece of flesh, I’d look at my face in the mirror!”
Renegade burst out laughing. He eventually managed to get out, “Did you just commit kamikaze by words?!”
“I wasn’t about to hand you another chance to crack wise about me. I’ve already sworn to be a better class of maniac than you, so maybe I’ll swear to be better at making jokes about my nose than you too!”
Renegade mockingly saluted. “Good luck! Ha ha! As for why my energy forcefield doesn’t damage things on my person, as you probably guessed, it’s because of their closeness to me. As long as they’re not attempted to be used for self-harm or someone tries to use them against me, my clothes and whatnot are recognized as valuable items. Also, I’m sure my clothes get a coating of skin cells and sweat.”
Daniel wondered, “Did he just imply that his cells and bodily fluids could protect against his energy forcefield?” He decided to test it out. He declared, “Impressive. I may not have an ability like that, but I do fine with my shield. I’ll be able to hold my own without fancy powers…” He spat into his hand and held it out for a handshake. “…I guarantee it.”
Renegade grinned. “I’m sure you will!” He spat into his palm and accepted Daniel’s handshake. Both used strong grips, and Renegade also activated his energy forcefield as if to show off his strength further. Daniel’s palm felt irritated except for the spot moistened by Renegade’s saliva.
Afterward Renegade cleaned his hand with a tissue and Daniel cleaned his with a sanitizing wipe. He thought, “So that confirms it. He had to have figured out what I was doing, and yet he let me do it. In fact, he activated his forcefield just so I could prove my theory. He let me figure out something that could be used against him. He must want to see what I can do with it. Playing with a handicap is more challenging, and that can make things more fun.”
Since things were going well, he decided to try making conversation again. “So you mentioned people liking Zords and things like that. Are there times you like that stuff better than the characters and storylines?”
“Definitely. There have been times when the costumes & weapons were better than anything else. I like the Zords, except for that bratty deer Zord from Wild Force. I also think the story of Guardian Beast Dragon Casear/the Dragonzord was more emotional in the original Zyuranger series. Light a candle for Burai.”
Daniel started to say, “Mofo, do you think Burai ever wants to see a candle again?” but then he decided it was the thought that counted and just nodded.
“Don’t sleep on Power Rangers storylines, though, because there are some great ones. A lot of characters had great storylines. One neat thing about the series is you have all these characters, and they may have their own issues & whatnot, but there’s still a connection.”
“That’s true.”
“You watch episodes like ‘Missing Green’, ‘A Different Shade of Pink’, ‘King for a D-’” He stopped suddenly. His already pale visage turned even lighter before changing to a more intense hue. Daniel stared in confusion as he wondered why the lunatic had an “Oh, shoot, I messed up…” expression. “You know what, forget about watching ‘Where in the World is Zeo Ranger 5?’ and ‘King for a Day’ from Zeo.”
“What? Why?”
“It’s just… you should be training instead of spending your time watching these shows with robots kidnapping people and messing with them.”
Daniel realized his hidden meaning. Kidnapping people and messing with them meant kidnapping people and performing some kind of experiment or procedure on them. Renegade didn’t want him to get triggered from watching something that might make him have flashbacks to when he was imprisoned and experimented on. “Oh. I’m… I’m glad you said something.”
“Don’t worry about… Don’t worry about it, man.” Trying to lighten things back up, he joked, “I could watch these shows for 14 hours a day if I wanted and not lose any of my sharpness, but you need to keep up your training.”
Daniel smirked. “Don’t worry about me falling behind.”
“Good. I could make a list of other episodes you might want to avoid.”
“I’d appreciate that, thank you.” Renegade nodded. “Out of curiosity, would that include episodes that just plain suck?”
He snorted in amusement. “Maybe.”
“Do you have any pet peeves when it comes to episodes?”
“Mmm-hmm!  One, I hate hate spells. There are already plenty of petty reasons to hate someone, but instead of addressing that, let’s have a hate spell!”
“I heard the Hatemaster episode-”
“Oh, up the Hatemaster episode’s nose with a rubber hose! They still had the hate spell instead of choosing to stick with addressing the hate that already existed, so my point stands! You could have someone subtly manipulate the characters to turn them against each other, like what happens in real life, but nope, let’s use a freaking hate spell! Hey, people who make episodes with hate spells! The creature who fires energy blasts and makes people hallucinate they’re being surrounded by flaming orangutans is telling you that you need to learn how to be subtle!” He rattled off something in a foreign language.
“What was that?” 
“That was Latin for, ‘The language I’m speaking is called subtlety, which they know nothing about!’ Oh, and you know what else gets me? These episodes in which a character has to prove himself or herself even though there’s no need to because they already freaking have! They had a bad start, but they’ve proven themselves, and yet suddenly something comes up and it’s, ‘Oh, how do we know they’re good?’ Mofo, they’ve proven they’re good eggs a dozen times over! It’s one thing if you’re addressing guilt, but otherwise…” He punctuated his sentence with a sound of weary disgust.
“I know just what you mean.”
His mouth had started to foam due to his excitement. He wiped it clean and then spent a minute in thought. Finally he asked, “It’s always a spell, isn’t it?”
“What is?”
“The reason anyone does anything amiss in that series. Why can’t-” His voice suddenly cracked and then he coughed.
Daniel looked concerned since he could tell his voice hadn’t cracked from throat issues and the cough was just a cover. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine; I just need a minute.”
“Sure. Go ahead and moisten your throat as much as you need to.”
He drank some more, poured the rest of his soda into the blue mug, and then finished, “Why can’t it ever be due to mental illness?”
“Well, that was that guy… uh, let’s see… Heckyl, right?”
“Oh, yeah, from Dino Charge and Dino Super Charge.”
“He was trying to do something good and he got corrupted by some kind of crystal?”
“The Dark Energem.”
The emotionally damaged hero stared at his own bottle. “You could look at it as something bad happened and it changed him into someone he didn’t want to be. That way it’s a metaphor.”
“Yeah… That’s good of you to say, man.” After a pause he added, “I might recommend some episodes to watch. One I like is ‘The Song of Guitardo’ from MMPR season two.”
“Guitar, huh? It makes sense for you to like a musical episode.”
“Not just the music, but also the way they fought the monster. Oh, since you had asked about costumes, I think the season with the best costumes is Power Rangers in Space. When it comes to Zeo, the costumes are cool from the neck down, but from the neck up you wonder, ‘What are you doing with your life?’ You went from cool helmet designs to Breakfast Table, One Plus One Equals Two, Triangle Lover, Unlabeled Mix Tape, and ‘I Got 5 on It’.”
“No heckling for the Gold Ranger helmet?”
“No, because that one was actually neat.”
“Yeah. If you were a Power Ranger, what theme would you have?”
“Either a raven, some kind of dragon hybrid, or some kind of monster bird, and the color would be blue, black, or some shade of gray. What about you?”
“An eagle, a falcon, a wolf, or a buffalo, and the color would be either blue or red.”
“Maybe we should form our own team and call it ‘Moody Blue’ or ‘True Blue’ or something like that.”
Feeling cheeky, Daniel declared, “Our name shall be Forever Red!”
An irritated Renegade began, “Oh, you dirty mother…” before snickering in amusement over Daniel being a smart aleck. “Well, I suppose it’s a good idea! What shall our theme song be?”
Still feeling cheeky, he offered, “‘Green, Green’ because ‘Deep Purple’ isn’t fitting.”
“I’m tempted to suggest ‘Smoke on the Water’, but I like your suggestion! You know, the Red Rangers play the leadership role, except for the time they didn’t.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“It’s fitting that a team I’m part of would have red in the name. You know how I get sometimes.” He took the jug of fruit punch, arose, stepped over to Daniel, and held the jug up close to his neck. “Sometimes I feel like turning the whole world red.”
He punctured the plastic jug with one of his claws and angled it so the red beverage flowed into the black cup. Daniel felt a sick sense of dread, but he also found himself thinking, “You could have said, ‘It’s fitting because I’m a Cincinnati Reds fan,’ but I guess that’s not as dramatic!”
Renegade set the now partially empty jug back on the table and picked up his bottle, mug, and coloring materials. “In any case, being a Red Ranger isn’t my thing, but I can see you as one, so do what you want.” Daniel realized later that Renegade was paying him a compliment by saying he could picture him in a leadership role. He was also saying he wasn’t interested in taking a leadership role himself, unofficially making Daniel the leader of Forever Red. “Well, it’s been great talking with you!” He started walking away. “I just came to drop that off.”
“What?”
“That mug is for you. Don’t worry- the punch and mug aren’t doped. Have a good one!” 
“Uh… thanks.” After his rival left, Daniel turned back to look at the black mug. Picking it up, it felt sturdy & well-made. He guessed Renegade had purchased it from an online store since he’d done that before. As he drank from it, he noticed a design on the other side. He turned the cup around to see a picture of Jason & Tommy as the Red & Green Power Rangers.
He grinned. “It’s a cool cup, Ren. I get the message you’re trying to send me. You want our rivalry to be as epic as theirs. You won’t catch me slacking off! I told you already, didn’t I? I don’t plan to fall behind.”
He drank the punch from the cup and then poured himself another helping.
Previous- A Meeting of Maniacs
Next- Sudden Emotions
Spiritual successor- Siblings
By Raidra
== Notes ==
*One day I was thinking about the rivalry between Jason the Red Power Ranger and Tommy the Green Power Ranger- how they were rivals, but also came to have a brotherly bond- and realized that I wanted the same thing for Renegade and Devotee/Daniel. Daniel lost his older brother and Renegade lost two of his younger siblings, so the idea of them being rivals, but also having a brotherhood, fits in with their histories as well as their characters.  Renegade saying, “Don’t worry about… Don’t worry about it, man,” was him starting to say, “Don’t worry about it, bro,” but then deciding not to call him that for the time being.
*“You’d be surprised at what minor things some people go on rants about.” Renegade ended up having a meltdown over a seemingly minor comment in the very next story, “Sudden Emotions”, though that was a result of psychological trauma and not being petty and/or entitled.
*In case anyone's curious, at this point Daniel had some knowledge of Power Rangers characters, plot developments, and seasons, but had only watched somewhere between twelve and twenty episodes. I imagine him not having watched anything beyond season 2 of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers except maybe one or two episodes of Zeo.
*Jason was played by Austin St. John and Tommy was played by Jason David Frank (who was listed as Jason Frank in the earlier episodes). I’m actually a subscriber to the three channels Renegade mentioned (Well, I was subbed to all three; I recently unsubbed from the first two) because I like both actors.
:* Fanward- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC58t18hXG88Zcxe2GaQNq0g
:*Austin St John- https://www.youtube.com/user/AustinStJohnVideo
:*JDFFFN- https://www.youtube.com/user/JDFOfficialVideoPage
*While there are some good ones, a lot of these online debates asking which character is better, who would win, etc. are irritating. What’s even worse is when people debate which actors are better. It just seems gauche to talk about actual, flesh and blood human beings like they’re characters, and elevating one in front of another is likely to create jealousy and ill-will. I once saw an actor get asked about a supposed rivalry he had with another actor and he looked like he was ready to cut the interviewer for asking.
*While Renegade likes Jason and Tommy, I can see him liking Zack, the first Black Power Ranger (played by Walter Jones), and Adam, the second Black Power Ranger (played by Johnny Yong Bosch), even more. Notice that when he started talking about different Power Rangers, he mentioned Black Rangers instead of Red Rangers.
*The line, “I made sure the Rangers never made it to the battlefield and I walked away in triumph while they slept it off!” was originally just going to be, “I made sure the Rangers never made it to the battlefield and I walked away in triumph!” I added the “while they slept it off” part because I was worried readers might mistakenly think Renegade was saying he would kill them when he meant he would knock them out.
*Trini, the original Yellow Power Ranger, was played by Thuy Trang, who sadly passed away in 2001. What I meant by having a Trini in one’s life was having a dependable and understanding friend you can laugh with.
*“It’s not about yet another mofo named Jason, is it?” Renegade did have several more Jasons he could have talked about if he'd wanted.
*The scene in which Renegade said Jason got screwed in the Turbo movie was originally going to be longer. Daniel was going to ask, “What?” and Renegade would explain what he meant (since he doesn’t use the term in a sexual sense). However, I then decided having Daniel simply reply, “Okay,” and just move on like nothing odd had been said would be the funniest way that scene could end.
:*In September 2021, the Fanward channel uploaded a video with Austin St. John talking about the movie. He stated that the movie was kinda near and dear to his heart because he got the chance to play a different kind of role, and that he offered a suggestion on what kind of role he would play. Renegade's response to that is he's very glad Geiger enjoyed making the movie, and because of that he won't argue with anyone who enjoyed the film, but he's still going to say Geiger got screwed.
:**Renegade will also say that Steve Cardenas, who played Rocky, also got screwed due to the movie writing out his character in such a bad way.
*The cartoon Renegade quoted when joking about “tinkle togs” is the “Hold It Lazlo” episode of Camp Lazlo.
*I have an issue planned in which The Flying Fox, having also figured out that Renegade’s cells can resist his energy forcefield, obtains one of his discarded claws, grinds it into powder, and coats a tranquilizer dart with it. His plan fails, however, as Renegade realizes something is up and dodges the dart. Afterwards he inspects the dart and congratulates Flying Fox on creating a dart that would have knocked him out if it had actually hit him.
*Burai was the original version of the Green Power Ranger (on the original Japanese show). His life ended because of a magic candle (due to a curse that his life would end when the magic candle finished burning). His Guardian Beast/Zord, Dragon Caesar, was the original version of the Dragonzord. While the Zords were machines that the Power Rangers cared about, the Zyurangers’ Guardian Beasts were sentient beings. After Burai’s death, Dragon Caesar is seen mourning and feeling lost.
*I have a scene planned for a future issue in which Daniel happens to enter an area in which Renegade is watching an episode of Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, and the gaunt alien is silently yet unabashedly crying his eyes out at a scene with a reunion between a father and son. Daniel, respecting Renegade’s privacy and right to get emotional at an emotional scene, says nothing and does nothing to indicate he saw his show of emotion.
*Sometime after I thought of the scene in which Renegade turns pale and then blushes, I decided to go back and have a scene with Daniel blushing and then turning pale to emphasize that they may be different, but they’re still similar.
*The Zeo episodes Renegade told Daniel not to watch have unsettling scenes in which one of the characters is kidnapped and then brainwashed with a device that allowed the villain to manipulate his memories and also transfer his fighting skills to a monster (You know, for kids!). There seems to be mixed reaction to this because I’ve discovered some people find it disturbing and others find it sexual. I just know the scene has stayed stuck in my head since November 1996. In case anyone is interested- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COMq9_RhPS4
*Renegade references a catchphrase from the 1970s show Welcome Back, Kotter- “Up your nose with a rubber nose!” The comment about subtlety being the language spoken is based on a joke from a Family Guy segment with characters arguing about The Godfather.
*I commented on most of the Zeo Rangers having helmets based on geometric shapes in one of my YouTube videos. I was going to make wisecracks about them individually like Renegade did, but I decided not to, instead simply remarking on how the designs seemed to be a downgrade from the previous helmet designs (My apologies to those who like the Zeo designs). The Triangle Lover joke is a reference to the Triangle Lovers’ Club from Sesame Street. The comment was originally going to be “a member of the Triangle Lovers’ Club” and then I realized, “Wait, wouldn’t that just be a Triangle Lover?”  “I Got 5 on It” is a song by Luniz. Incidentally, “What am I doing with my life?” is the same thing I thought when I was typing the scenes with Renegade talking about actor names.
*“Moody Blue” is the name of an Elvis Presley song and there’s a band called Moody Blues. “Forever Red” is the title of an infamous crossover episode from Power Rangers Wild Force. “Green, Green” is a song by The New Christy Minstrels. I happened to be listening to it a lot when I was thinking about Renegade & Devotee and thought it would be funny to have Daniel suggest having it as their theme song. “Deep Purple” is a sentimental ballad (best performed by Nino Tempo & April Stevens in my opinion).  The song is beautiful, but Daniel is right to say it’s not really an appropriate song for a superhero team.  The song title also inspired the name of the British rock band Deep Purple. “Smoke on the Water” is one of their biggest hits, which is why Renegade jokingly brought it up.
*I’ve thought about making the Forever Red insignia a bright blue and dark blue yin-yang symbol and showing other characters react to it with confusion.
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*I have an issue planned in which Renegade is talking with The Flying Fox and reveals why he doesn’t feel he’s leadership material. Basically his reason is he feels his emotional instability would make him unfit for a leadership position as he tends to lose control.
*The cup described at the end of the story is real and was made by Designsbytopher on TeePublic https://www.teepublic.com/mug/95781-tommy-and-jason I loved the design so much I bought both a mug and a mask featuring it.
==Narration==
thumb|left|275 px|Narration done by me and posted to my channel
== Post-tragedy edit ==
Sadly, Jason David Frank passed away months after this story was posted. I'm keeping the main story and the narration the same as a reminder of better times, but to acknowledge his passing, I plan to make this edit to the comic whenever I get around to doing it.
“Oh, so the channel name has two more Fs than I have to give about you at any given moment. Please continue.”
Renegade smirked at Daniel’s joke before saying, “Fanward had a video with Geiger talking about the late Thuy Trang, RIP.”
Daniel nodded sympathetically. He waited for Renegade to continue, but instead the creature looked sad and thoughtful. He crossed his arms and stared down at the table instead of speaking. “You okay?” Daniel asked.
Renegade shook his head to indicate he wasn’t. “I’ll be fine. I was just… I started thinking about some things.”
“I know the show had more than one actor who passed away.”
“In addition to however many crew members, there’s Niiyama Shiho, Robert L. Manahan alias Bob Manahan, Erik Frank alias Erik Ray Frank, Bert Kramer, Thuy Trang, Hal England, George Flower alias Buck Flower alias Buck Flowers, Jack Banning, Robert DeWayne Papenbrook alias Bob Papenbrook, Machiko Soga, Edward Laurence Albert, Harry Frazier, Richard Grant, Richard Genelle, Frank Fernando ‘Gray Wolf’ Salsedo alias Frank Salsedo, Peta Rutter Elizabeth Gurney alias Peta Rutter, Gardner Baldwin, Ricard Rabago, Takeshita Tsuyoshi, Mauricio Damian Mendoza alias Maurice Mendoza, Alissa Ann Smego, Jon Simanton, Brad Orchard, Kerry Casey, Betty Hankins, William Johnson alias Bill Johnson, Tsujitani Kōji, Suzuki Takanobi alias Takanobu Hozumi, Grant McFarland, Pua Magasiva, Alistair Browning, Cody Slaton, Robert Axelrod alias Axel Roberts and Myron Mensah, Jack Donner, Bruce Robert Allpress alias Bruce Allpress, Peter Greenwood, Eddie Mekka, Scott Page-Pagter, Rebecca Ann Staples De Nicola alias Rebecca Staples, Mike Reynolds, William Frederick Knight…” He paused and then, trying to cover pain with humor, he continued, “…Erik Frank’s brother, what’s-his-name…”
Daniel was surprised at the number of names, but he managed to joke back, “Maybe I can remember the name if I use enough of my brainpower.”
Renegade let out a snicker despite himself. “Thanks, man.” He finished, “…Harold Cannon alias Henry Cannon, and Cal Wilson.”
“I’m surprised it’s so many.”
“Yeah. Keep in mind this wasn’t some series that started five years ago with a cast of ten. When a series is that big and goes on for so long, odds are good there will be… some tragedies. Some of those I listed were only involved with one episode, or did dubs, but I think they should be included too. Whether they had one scene or were there for multiple seasons, they were all people.”
“That’s good of you.”
“It just felt like a good thing to do, but thanks.”
“I can tell you’re a big fan of some of those. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks, man; that means a lot. You know what really bothers me? When you express sadness about a celebrity’s death and someone says, ‘You didn’t even know them.’ Why in blazes would you say something like that!?”
“Yeah, that’s terrible.”
“It really is. Why do you have to know someone personally to mourn them? I don’t have to personally know a mop-topped rascal from Liverpool, or an insouciant punk from Seattle, or a beautiful young lady from Vietnam, or a martial artist and his brother from Covina, California, or anyone else to be broken up about their passing.”
“When people make stupid comments like, ‘You didn’t even know them,’ instead of something that would be kind or helpful, it says more about how lowdown they are than anything else.”
“Facts! You know those same people expect others to care about every difficulty they face, major or minor.” He mockingly offered, “‘Oh, you misplaced your wallet? I never even knew your wallet, so why should I care?’” He snorted. After a pause he noted, “Communicating can be awkward, but it shouldn’t be hard to say, ‘I’m sorry for your loss,’ or, ‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ or, ‘May they rest in peace.’ It’s just decency. Even bloodthirsty, psychopathic misfits like us understand that.”
Daniel started to nod, but then, partly in confused irritation and partly in amusement, he asked, “Wait, why’d you call me bloodthirsty?!”
Renegade chuckled. “Sorry, I guess I forgot you swore to be a better class of maniac than I was.” After a few seconds he continued, “So Geiger was talking about Thuy.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“He had some nice things to say. There was also a funny story. They had to have someone unzip the suits for them to use the bathroom. Well, he’d have to use the bathroom, but as a joke she’d refrain from unzipping him.”
Category:Stories
Category:Raidra