#blindstrike

[neopuff]

easier

ship: jake/riya word count: 2075 ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54460879

x

Riya found herself staring at his face.

He was all scratched up - his suit was torn in several places, his hair looked like a mess, there was a long scratch along his goggles - and it was all because he decided to push her out of the way and take a bad hit from the newest mutated nuisance in the city.

It wasn't necessary, obviously. Blindstrike’s armor was top quality and could withstand most attacks. The gesture was nice, though. Riya found herself teetering on the edge of flattered and annoyed.

“You recovered the disc, at least?” Dr. C asked, a judgmental undercurrent to her voice.

“Yeah, here.” Riya handed it to her mentor, but her eyes stayed trained on Stretch while he chatted with his teammates.

Dr. C took the disc and rolled her eyes so dramatically that Riya could practically hear it. “Good.”

“So we're all done, right?” Omni-Mass asked quickly, pulling away from his conversation with the other two boys. “Cause Wingspan and I have a big family dinner to get to and I don't wanna be late!”

“Until the next attack, you're all free to go.” Dr. C didn't look at them while she spoke, typing away at her computer and trying to access the information they'd gotten for her. “I doubt we'll hear from any more of Rook’s other experiments today.”

“Excellent!” He pumped a fist in the air and then brought it down on Wingspan’s back. “I'm starving! What're we having?”

“Ow…” Wingspan rubbed his shoulder uncomfortably. “It's just another meatloaf night, nothing to get excited about.”

“Are you kidding me? Your mom’s meatloaf is the best!”

The two of them waved goodbye to Stretch and continued their conversation about meatloaf as they exited the secret lab. Riya removed her helmet and shook out her hair, absentmindedly wondering why Stretch stayed behind.

Her question was answered quickly as he took a noticeably deep breath, then stepped over to her and stood his ground.

She put her helmet down on a nearby table and stared up at him.

“Blindstrike! Um…er, Riya. I, uh…” he stammered, as he often did when talking to her outside of her stealth armor. “I want to apologize.”

Riya responded by raising one curious eyebrow. That was unexpected.

“I know you can handle yourself just fine in the field, so please don't think I was trying to belittle you or anything by pushing you out of the way. I just…” He paused and gulped again, clearly very nervous. “I could do something to stop you from getting hurt, so I did. And I'm sorry, but I'm also kind of not.”

She stared at him, unsure if he was going to say anything else. It wasn't quite an apology as he'd prefaced it, but it was nice of him to say.

Sometimes Riya got frustrated at him because he was always trying to do and say the right things. Even when he messed up, the intention was there, and it was so different from every other person she knew. He was a genuinely good person and sometimes she didn’t know what to do with that.

“I…I am glad you're not hurt,” he added nervously. “So I hope we’re okay.”

Riya felt a strange urge come over her and glanced to the left to make sure there wasn't an audience. Dr. C wasstill  typing at her computer, not a single thought on the teenagers behind her. Then Riya looked back at Stretch and frowned. She wouldn't be able to do this if he was in his stupid costume.

Without saying anything, she reached up and pressed the side of his headpiece, fully deactivating his suit. Before he could even speak his confusion, she also grabbed the goggles and tugged them off his head.

Jake practically had question marks floating above him as she held his goggles in her hands and stared up at his face.

Then Riya did something she'd never done before.

She leaned up and pressed her lips against his.

It was very brief, less than a second of contact, but she couldn't deny the rush of excitement that shot through her when they touched. She liked Jake - to an extent, since she'd never really had the time to give it much thought - and knew that kissing him could be nice. She didn't anticipate anything more than that.

She pulled away and shoved the goggles into his hands, refusing to look at his face because she just knew he'd have some goofy, lovestruck expression that would make her feel something she didn't feel like feeling. He was stiff as a board already and she was surprised he managed to hold onto his goggles.

Riya turned around and walked away from him. There was no need to stay and discuss things further, honestly, especially if he was going to clam up and not say anything. It wasn't as if she expected some sort of romantic gesture, but a little something would've been nice.

“I-I…d-do you wanna come over for dinner?” he finally squeaked out, almost too quiet to hear.

Rather than respond verbally, Riya just turned her head slightly and smiled at him, then continued to walk away.

In the distance behind her, she could hear him start to find his voice again.

“I think my heart just melted…”

“Well, don't get it all over my floor.”

X

Jake had a strange day.

It’d only been a few hours since his…encounter with Riya and he hadn’t told anyone. If not for the memory of Dr. C’s very intense eye roll, he’d almost swear it didn’t actually happen.

He couldn’t bring himself to tell his friends. Jake didn’t want to be the kind of guy who kissed and told. But he didn’t know what was going on. Did that mean Riya liked him? Or was she just grateful? Or was there some mysterious third option that he didn’t know? He was completely clueless about relationships and having a crush on such an especially closed-off girl didn’t make it easier.

Maybe he could talk to his dad. His dad had at least one successful romantic relationship, so he had to know something.

They were getting ready for dinner when Mark finally commented on how quiet his son had been.

“Are you feeling alright, son?”

Jake stared down at the plate he’d just set on their dining room table. He didn’t know how he felt. “I had an…interesting day. Just stuck in my head about it.”

Mark moved around the table and put a hand on Jake’s shoulder. “What’s going on?”

He knew he was biting his tongue, but Jake didn’t know how to have this type of conversation. Especially not with his dad of all people. “It’s…I, um…”

Jake’s awkwardness was interrupted by a loud knock at the door.

Mark looked over, then down at his son, then up at the door again. “We can continue this after you get the door.”

Jake smiled, a bit uncomfortable, then rushed to the door and opened it wide without checking through the peephole. He definitely didn’t expect to see the woman of the hour standing there in casual-but-nicer-than-usual clothes.

“Hey.”

“Riya! Wh…what are you doing here?”

She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “You invited me over for dinner, remember?”

Jake knew his heart was beating ridiculously fast and hoped his face wasn’t bright red to match. “I-I didn’t think-”

“Miss Dashti!” Mark came up behind his son, sticking out a hand to greet her professionally. “Jake didn’t tell me you were coming over! I’ll go set another place.”

Riya shook his hand and smiled as the older man walked away. Then she stood there with Jake, who proceeded to stare at her without saying anything at all. She frowned. “Are you gonna invite me in?”

“Uh-! Right, of course!” Jake moved to the side and closed the door behind her, feeling more confused than ever. “I, um…it’s good to see you.”

“You, too,” she said quietly, giving him a small smile.

Jake continued to stare at her. He didn’t know what to say. He had so many questions about what happened earlier in the day and he knew it’d be really uncool to straight up ask her about it, but he also knew that that was the only way he would get the answers he was looking for.

With a deep, deep breath, he finally spoke. “Look, I…I don’t want to be presumptuous or assume anything or read too much into this, but, I, um…does this mean, uh. Do you…” He felt beads of sweat building on the back of his neck. “...do you like me?”

Riya raised an eyebrow at him again.

He frowned. Sometimes he wondered how he ever questioned that she was Blindstrike. “Come on, Riya. You know what I mean.”

She stayed silent for another few seconds, then turned away and ran a hand through her hair. “Yeah, okay. Sorry. This is new for me, too, you know.”

Her confession took a lot of the pressure off of his shoulders and Jake felt himself calm down a tiny bit. “I get that. Completely. But…well. You - I think you know how much I like you. And I really don’t wanna screw this up more than I already have. More than I already do. All the time.” His neck started to feel sweaty again.

Riya didn’t look at him, taking a few steps into the living room and staring out the window.

Jake followed her, and took a moment to appreciate that his dad was giving them a moment to talk. Usually his dad didn’t have that level of tact, but he probably figured this was why his son had been so quiet all day.

“The last eight years of my life have been so…secretive. Dangerous. Difficult.” Riya crossed her arms over her chest and glanced down at her feet. “Everything was hard. Sometimes I could barely get up in the morning, you know?”

Jake knew. Sort of. He knew the facts of what she’d gone through and it made him feel grateful that he still had his dad, no matter how much he struggled with the man sometimes.

“For a long time I didn’t have any friends and the closest thing I had to family was Dr. C…who isn’t exactly nurturing. But she was what I needed.” Riya sighed and uncrossed her arms, holding her wrist gently in front of herself. “It’s…tiring. Really tiring. Not having anyone to talk to.”

She made eye contact with Jake for a second, then turned away again. “I’ve never really had a social life ‘cause it’s always been too difficult to make time but…I don’t know. With you, it feels a little easier.”

Jake was one-hundred percent sure that his heart was going to burst out of his chest. He’d never anticipated such a level of vulnerability from the girl of his dreams, and to top it all off? She said he made her life feel easier? He wasn’t sure there was a greater compliment to get from a person who’d been through as many hardships as she had.

Riya ran both hands through her hair and held them against the back of her neck. She was clearly not used to talking for so long. “I guess what I’m trying to say is…I think this could be fun. Us, I mean. But you have to be patient with me.” She turned and glared at Jake, making direct eye contact. “And do not try to hold my hand.”

He let out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding, then nodded over and over. “O-okay, yeah. Of course! Whatever you want.” Jake gulped and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’d…so long as you’re comfortable.”

“Jake! Riya! Dinner’s ready!”

The two teens glanced towards the kitchen, then back at each other. Riya smirked at him, though there was a nervousness in her eyes that he’d never seen from her before. “What are we having?”

“Oh, um…” Jake suddenly felt very awkward again. “Chicken kale salad?”

Riya’s smirk disappeared, replaced by a confused frown. “That’s what you’re having for dinner?”

He blushed and scratched the back of his head. “I-I didn’t know you were coming over!”

Unexpectedly, Riya breathed out a short laugh, then smiled again. “I guess that’s what I get for not saying anything.”

[whoissabal]

i totally signed a petition to bring s3 lol 📺: Stretch Armstrong & the Flex Fighters Netflix Promo : : : . : . : : : . : : : : : : #stretch #stretcharmstrong #stretcharmstrongandtheflexfighters #flexfighters #blindstrike #hero #heroes #superheroes #comics #netflix #scottmenville #stevenyeun #omnimass #wingspan #robin #nightwing #fantasy #scifi #superhero #mrfantastic #elastigirl #elongatedman #msmarvel #animation #cartoon #animated #tv #television #tvshow #hasbro https://www.instagram.com/p/CdbFhRhO0Fl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[incorrect-saatff-quotes]

Riya: Am I a boy? Am I a girl? Doesn’t matter because I’m going to burn your house down.

[cartoon-postedandpackaged]

Is it sad that when Dr.C & Blindstrike turned around in the season 2 opening I legit let out a squeal of joy?

Probably.

[omni-span]

“I’m only here to establish an alibi.” w/ Riya and someone else maybe?

 As you wish! It’ll be fun writing Riya. Hopefully, I can do her justice!

—

“I’m only here to establish an alibi.”

Riya wasn’t one to get attached.

The only thing she’d ever gotten attached to (besides her mother) was a cat named Mr. Finkle she’d gotten when she was seven. She’d loved that cat more than anything, and she took great care of him. That was . . . until one day he got hit by a car and she never got to see him again.

That had taught Riya that she couldn’t get attached to people (or cats). If she did, all that came out of it was heartbreak. Loss. Tears. Emotions were a luxury she didn’t have, especially now. Being the daughter of an “outlaw” wasn’t very easy, to say the least, and helping out three other “outlaws” that she’d previously been fighting? Way beyond “not easy”.

So why the heck did she agree to sneak into this gala just to help steal a gem for her mother’s project to help them?

Riya walked into the gala with wide eyes, a bit intimidated by how … big it was, though she wouldn’t be telling anyone that. The gala was being held by Jonathan Rooke (that evil son of a gun) to celebrate 20 years of his company existing, and he’d made a partnership with a jewelry company to show off their most expensive and polished gemstones. One of those gemstones, a quartz of some kind that Riya couldn’t remember the name of, was the target of the mission. She and her mother had set up an elaborate distraction and plan in which Riya would change into her Blindstrike suit and take the gemstone before anyone had a chance to recover. 

But first … she had to pretend to be a guest at the gala. Luckily enough, Jake’s father was invited, and he’d provided an extra invitation for his son to take anyone he wanted.

Speak of the devil, Riya thought as she saw Jake nervously coming towards her, giving a small smile as he approached.

“Hey, Riya!” he started, standing a foot or two away from her. He seemed nervous . . . had he been informed of the mission? “I’m so glad you could make it. I-I was kind of nervous that you’d say no, but … “ he blushed a bit, reaching into his pocket and producing a rose corsage and offering it to her.

Oh. That’s why he was nervous. He … he thought this was a date.

Riya bit her lip, wondering how she could put this delicately, then she remembered she didn’t have time for this. “Listen, Jake … “ she took the corsage, slipping it onto her wrist before looking into his eyes. “I’m only here to establish an alibi.”

“O-oh … “ Jake’s smile faltered, the small amount of happiness he’d seemed to have inside shattering before her. “A, uh, a mission for Dr. D?”

“Yeah … “ Riya shifted her weight, rubbing her arm. She kinda felt bad … she really should have realized this earlier, though. Of course Jake thought it was a date! He’d asked her to a freaking gala, and she hadn’t told him anything about the mission! “But, uh, you know … “ she coughed, trying to give him a comforting smile, “we can still dance and stuff. For the cover.”

“For the cover … “ Jake repeated quietly, then gave what Riya was sure was a fake smile, “yeah, okay. That’s fine. Sorry for the misunderstanding.”

“No, it’s my fault,” Riya said, unsure why she was suddenly feeling so bad about this. These things happened … and it’s not like Jake hadn’t asked her to a dance before. Although, he hadn’t really shown up last time …

“Well, either way, I’d love to help out by dancing with you,” Jake said, the fake smile a constant on his face. He held out his hand shyly, and after a moment, Riya took it.

Jake pulled her in and let his arm hold her waist, his other hand holding hers up next to them. He led her in a small circle along to the beat of the music, swaying and moving like she’d never seen him do before. At first, they were a bit stiff, and Riya didn’t really know what she was doing, but after they got their rhythm, Jake seemed to relax and let loose, and the dancing became as smooth and beautiful as Riya had seen in the movies. Dancing with Jake was actually … really fun. In fact, she could do this all night, and she might even want to do it again. 

Jake gave Riya a shy smile as they danced, and Riya let herself move a little closer to him, her hand on his shoulder as they spun around freely. She felt her cheeks heat up a bit, though she wasn’t quite sure why. It seemed this dance was either making her hot or … or she had a crush.

Riya wasn’t sure if she’d ever had a crush before. But Jake … was actually really sweet when he wasn’t missing the dance, and he was … kinda cute. (Not that she’d ever tell him that.) Riya almost forgot the cover until she caught sight of the large ornate clock on the wall, realizing that it was almost time for the distraction. She bit her lip, not really wanting this to end. But she had to … the mission was more important than this.

“Jake … I have to go,” she whispered, her voice low because of the secrecy of the mission along with the fact that they were so close.

“Blinkstrike time?” Jake whispered back, and Riya just nodded.

“I’ll be missing the rest of the party after this,” Riya said, though they were still dancing. “I … had a good time. Best cover I’ve ever had, actually,” she admitted, though she was unsure as to why.

“R-really?” Jake blinked, his cheeks dusted a light pink. “You had a good time?”

“Duh, that’s what I just said,” Riya repeated with a bit of sass, though she had a feeling Jake knew she was mostly being playful. “It was fun. Thanks for the invite,” she smiled, before biting her lip once again. Before Jake could respond, she leaned forward, pressing her lips to his cheek for just a second before she broke away, only their hands still clasped together. “For the cover,” she winked, then she let go, disappearing into the crowd to find a good hiding place to change.

Maybe getting attached wasn’t always so bad, after all.

[jonathanrook]

me, making amvs of characters who straight up aren't lesbians in canon but i've decided they are bc projection: you really think a depressed person could do this?

[subway-staff-room]

It's great when you watch comething for like the 20th time and then you notice something you hadnt before and SUDDENLY EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE

[armadil-lo]

AAAAA I JUST FINISHED STRETCH ARMSTRONG AND THE FLEX FIGHTERS, there’d better be a season 2 in the works omg

[teamsharoncarter-archive]

blindstrike has got to be Riya like, her dislike for the flex fighters and the fact it has to be a student

[impala67-aka-baby]

if you're willing to share: what are your knives' names?

I am more than happy to share their names...

Starting from left we have Jwala(hindi for fire), Blindstrike, Phantom, Faithkeeper, Mournblade, Solani(latin for nightshade) & Nightkiss

[flowervolcano]

It’s finally time I sat down and just wrote this whole thing so I can get it off my chest and maybe help flesh things out for the majority of the fanbase.

Black Widow Spoilers are upcoming, scroll past if ya don’t wanna be spoiled.

Let’s start with “Hello, I am a Tony Masters fan, I adore him and his personality and generally everything about him, of course I am going to be upset that his character suffered such poor writing and adaptation, because it was insulting and gut punching to see a character you love be poorly executed.“

continue reading please because I’m trying to be reasonable here and share what a majority felt when viewing Black Widow (it may differ from yours but I hope it enlightens a few who may be confused or whatnot about this topic, generally it’s how I feel the fanbase as a whole had been handling it poorly)

quick side note, no one wants to feel their opinion doesn‘t matter, so be mindful the next time you fight someone just because you disagree, I love debating and talking so you can come at me if you disagree, I like educating myself on these things too in case someone can bring up actual arguments that prove their side and reasoning, on the other hand if I hear one more “it’s because she’s a girl huh?” I might very well scream.

Is it bad because he turned out to be a woman? Why is this the first thing that gets debated??

Let me explain just how annoying it is that this is the debate whenever it cuts down to it.

The answer is yes and no, I will explain why, because I don’t believe the gender should always matter to a character.

Although everything great about Tony was stripped from him, all of it, only the title “Taskmaster“ and I guess the color scheme if you will, stayed the same, it would’ve been the same trash written character even if he wasn’t a girl, because they had no personality no resemblance of the beloved character in the first place, which is why it is a bad idea to have changed him into a woman, why you may ask?

it’s the image, it creates an idea that women cannot be as great as men, that a female version of Taskmaster would just suck, be terrible and useless, it paints Antonia to be bland plot device character to show Black Widow‘s pain and suffering. The character herself has no substantial personality or drive, nothing, she’s just a victim. And yeah it is a tragic story I won’t say it isn‘t but it didn‘t work for me, and for a lot of fans as I’ve witnessed.

It would’ve been more effective to had foreshadowed the possibility of her being alive only to find that she had died and Natasha would then have to live with the fact that she murdered her for ”nothing” but no instead we decided that she would survive, only she was brainwashed, so there’s no real vendetta or motive as to why she tried to kill Natasha, it would’ve been more impactful if Antonia was angry with her attempt to kill her, wanting to show she could best her in every well possible. Like trying to tarnish her Avenger status.

There were variables on how to make Taskmaster a better written character, there is potential but I personally would like the Mandarin effect (which I love the comic Mandarin I was so mad in IM3 so I can’t believe they did it x2)

On top of it the fact that the plot twist you could see coming a mile away also felt like the biggest after thought in the whole movie, it felt like they had a different direction they were originally going to go, but they took the easy bait of “we need a big twist” which Marvel has suffered for years on, always with some twist and it’s getting sickening to see it happen every movie.

Besides the point, it doesn’t go over well a lot of the fanbase is conflicted, angry and there are actual debates, which it happens we have differing opinions, its hard to find a thing we all agree on… and yet the only defense I’m seeing is “it’s because she’s a girl now?“ “you just hate women.” I’m tired of being told it’s sexism when it’s not, this version of Taskmaster was already doomed, they didn’t wanna go a comic accurate to begin with, you can tell by how ugly the suit was. (no cape?? not even the mask was cool)

I had already suspected from the beginning of the first trailer that was NOT Tony Masters, something about it just felt like Blindstrike from Stretch Armstrong to me (they kept making it seem like a dude only to reveal it was a woman, although they executed that perfectly please give it a watch)

I had already called it, we barely even met Taskmaster yet I knew it from the trailer, I didn’t enjoy the movie it played out exactly how I expected (which my expectations were low)

I found it insulting for a few reasons, it made it seem like Black Widow is either too good or not good enough to fight a man, it felt like they wanted to push how powerful women are, which I’m all for, women are very powerful I would know because I am one.

But it rubbed me the wrong way that she can’t have an enemy go toe to toe with her unless it’s a woman?? It didn’t sit right with me, is this meaning she can’t have a rival that’s a man because men or stronger or weaker… that’s where my head went, the gender shouldn’t matter to her ever, we know Natasha can take out anyone, so why the sudden change of a character whose always been a male?

I understand the MCU wants to be diverse, but there are more female characters than a lot of the fanbase realize, the MCU has barely scratched the surface, instead of changing other characters drastically in the name of “diversity” they should just pull actual diverse characters, or create some, this version of Taskmaster doesn’t feel anything like Tony Masters, they lacked all flair, the fact that it’s just Winter Soldier and Ghost from AMATW 2.0 is just lacking.

it’s something we have seen before, and this wasn’t needed to “full circle” Natasha‘s story.

It’s not because Taskmaster is a girl that is the problem it’s the general writing that felt like they didn’t really care about the character and changing it to be a girl was like leading a lamb to the slaughter, so many fans were going to be enraged because they ruined everything about the character, so you should be mad they put the actress in this position, they chose to do that to the character and it feels like it was done on purpose, just for the reaction.

The character was already bad making it a girl just made it worse because it just felt bad. It gave me the impression that a female version of Anthony Masters is just boring, that is not what we should think but so many are, and yes a lot of people are mad just because it’s a woman because they might get the idea that the character would’ve been better if he was written to be a male, but what we all really want is just a good adaption of the character, that’s all, he very well could’ve been a woman and everyone might’ve been alright (some might be iffy or mad you cannot avoid this) but I know with good writing I would’ve been fine if it was Toni Masters, not this Antonia Dreykov.

And that is what I really could not tolerate and handle with what they did to Taskmaster.

It didn’t feel like they had plans to flesh the character out they were just marking boxes on “what comic character can we use for Black Widow” checklist.

I freaking love Tony Masters and he (and she) deserved better writing all around than what the MCU gave them (and us)

There was more I was going to add on but in my frustration I began to forget where I was going with this and didn’t get to properly express my feelings.

Now next time you see someone complaining over Taskmaster don’t just assume they are sexist, there’s so much more depth to the character which is why we’re so angry over this iteration, and the fact that people defend the character just because it’s a girl doesn’t go well for me, that’s a poor excuse for people who had more pressing reasons why the character was a failure, not because they’re a woman but because it feels like we can’t dislike them because they’re a woman.

Imagine if your favorite suffered the poor writing just for a different characters development, it is a terrible feeling and having people tell you not to be upset or say you’re sexist for being upset is so invalidating.

Not to mention that the MCU continues to erase many traits and personalities of characters and on top of that, their sexualities (where is that diversity??) is already frustrating but it’s starting to feel like the writers don’t even value the characters they have.

[ssugarkane]

What was your favorite episode??julie

Probably Crisis at the Cleo! I remember it was an exciting episode bc of the Stretch Monster fight, trapped scenario, revealing Blindstrike as a classmate... so much fun! What was your favorite Julie?

[inquisitivewordsmith]

SAatFF Rewatch Foreshadowing and Details

So, I’ve been rewatching the series and, remembering how Victor Cook mentioned they hid easter eggs and foreshadowing a la The Spectacular Spider-Man in this series, I’m going to write down any bits of foreshadowing I notice Well, some of them are legit foreshadowing. Some are probably just me reading into things too much. Either way, spoilers after the cut. Here we go:

* In the pilot, when Rook’s security notices the break-in, Kane asks if the intruder is Blindstrike. Also, the Cleo Museum featured in the commercial. 

* Around this same scene I think is where Officer Santos shows up. She gets a line here and has a couple of voiceless cameos here and there, but she doesn’t have a significant role until season two, where she becomes Mechanica. 

* Also in the pilot, when the trio runs into an alley to dodge Rook’s security forces, you can see Circuit-Stream’s insignia as graffiti above the dumpster. I think this also shows up in season two, where it’s a bit more obvious. 

* Rook’s mysterious test subject (the cat owner who turned into a monster in “Endgame”) is also seen in the pilot and I think one more episode, both times as a background character riding the train. This isn’t a case of just reusing a background model either, since the beginning of “Endgame”, where we formally meet him, also features him riding the train, with Jake as the background character this time. 

* Mr. Savic’s use of combined AI tech and plants is established pretty early. It makes him seem as a Blindstrike suspect later in the season, but this type of science becomes an important story point way later in season two’s “Biomass”. 

* In “The Ninja and the Ghost”, when the Flex Fighters and Dr. C first meet at one of her lairs in Old Town, Dr. C tells them that she’s doing them a mercy by removing the Flexarium from their bodies. It comes off as villainous banter on the first watch, but considering everything that happened with Rook as seen in “Rook’s Story”, she was probably sincere. 

* In “The Gangs of Old Town”, Kane talks about how moving on from his past as a gang member was “scary” and that “the frightening path” is the one that’s best to take. Is he talking about his time at Rook Unlimited or his immediate move to the Epsilon Society/Tech Men?  

* In “Fast Times”, when we see Grandpa’s basement, we see some newspaper headlines displayed on the wall. One of them is about Smokestack’s domain as the top crime lord, no new info. The second one has a headline about Rook creating his company out of his garage, which we later find out in season two is literally true. There’s also a story about the (ex?) mayor of Charter City getting shot and in critical condition. It doesn’t seem relevant to anything else in the series but it struck me as strangely specific. Maybe some season three and beyond set up? EDIT: I wrote this before I found out the show not getting picked up for a third season.  

* “Crisis at the Cleo”, has Kane taking too long to break into the forcefield to get the Delta Squad into the museum. Anyone else think it was on purpose to give the Tech Men some time to steal what they were looking for?  

* Also, this episode is where we see Mr. Savic rip off some wires from a robot’s leg to save a student. I know that also puts him under the suspicion list when the trio tries to figure out who Blindstrike is. What I also didn’t realize is that this display of strength, and one more in season two, were foreshadowing “Biomass” as well. 

* In “Secret Ninja Party”, when Stretch Monster feeds the Flex Fighters his fake sob story in the abandoned lab, Jake notices a picture of a woman holding her baby, which Jake assumes is Stretch Monster’s wife and baby. That’s clearly likely baby Riya and her mom. Stretch Monster even holds it and looks at it sadly to sell his act, which is honestly pretty twisted. EDIT: Now that I’ve rewatched that AGAIN, is there a possibility that it’s Rook as a baby and his mom instead? I mean, the nose’s not the same, but they have the same thin lips. 

* Not really huge foreshadowing, but in “The New Normal” has Kane giving Rook a big glare after Rook lectures him, followed by a “Yes, sir” under his teeth. 

* “Split Personalities” has Jake saying, “We’re not the only ones hiding our true selves, are we?”, immediately followed by the Delta Squad coming on to the scene. Hmmm. 

*I wonder if they were going to do anything with Gabe temporarily finding out about Nathan. It seems like such a random bit to throw in there just to undo it a few minutes later. Maybe he faked it? Maybe that memories doesn’t come back until later? Who knows. EDIT: Again, wrote this before I found out the show didn’t get picked up for more seasons. So, no one knows. 

*BONUS: In the tie-in comic, Ricardo’s former friend from a previous school/town and his sister have the last name “Reynolds”. Was this going to relate to Officer Reynolds from the show? Or just some incidental characters that happened to have the last name. EDIT: Ditto

*BONUS: The tie-in comic was supposed to have another three-issue story arc and it was going to introduce a villain before the show did properly. I think that arc was cancelled and I guess it didn’t make it to the show. Who was the supposed villain? The Hazard Unit and their boss, Agent Rathjani? The Reynolds siblings? Someone from the cancelled arc? EDIT: Ditto

Anyways, it was fun to revisit this show and catching on to some hints here and there. I might’ve missed more, so feel free to point them out if I did. 

[bowlersandtophats]

Just finished Stretch Armstrong and I gotta say I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Blindstrike is probably my favorite.

[jonathanrook]

no cops at pride just blindstrike and her swords