#i read the encyclopedia for fun but guess what also has a bias!

[gooddogbestfriend]

I'm glad you had an upbringing and schooling that didn't constantly push portrayals of Mexico (and African and Asian countries) as people living in mud huts but it doesn't make you morally superior.

im american and i knew that like in kindergarten so i think some of you are just stupid sorry

[tuneful-ramblings]

The Kick Inside - Kate Bush: Album Review

Release Date: 17th Feb 1978

Hello

And so it has begun. Welcome to Tuneful Ramblings, where I plan to review/discuss a wide variety of music, whether it’s music I’ve loved for years, something I’ve just discovered or something someone has requested me to review. Oh, and one last thing: There will be rambling. You have been warned. :)

What is it to me?

I’ve chosen to begin with one of my all time favourite albums by one of my all time favourite artists. There will probably be a fair amount of bias in this review, and I’m not sorry about it.

The Context

Picture the scene. It’s 1978, Britain. Things are okay, but something is missing and no one is quite sure why. Until… hark! A distant warbling can be heard over the rolling English countryside. It gets closer and closer until it lands amongst the mortals and suddenly, everything falls into place. For the first time, Kate Bush graces the speakers and screens of anyone brave enough to listen. And all across the land, everything is well.

The Tracks

1) Moving ‘Don’t think it over, it always takes you over’ The Kick Inside’s first track, Moving begins with 20 seconds of whale noises (because why the hell not?), establishing the somewhat meditative atmosphere of the album. I can’t name any other songs that start in this way. (Actually, I can, and I will in a minute.) Anyway, after those 20 seconds, the whale is upstaged by Bush’s famously high songbird-like call. Shockingly, she sings about movement in this song, apparently as a tribute to her mime instructor. It does have a kind of rhythm that makes me want to sway, so I guess she succeeded there. I’m no drummer, but I must say that the soft drumstick tapping and occasional quiet cymbal are pleasantly relaxing. Moving is not my top pick from the album, but I like it more each time I hear it. Ramble Rating: 8/10

2) The Saxophone Song ‘Of all the stars I’ve seen that shine so brightly, / I’ve never known or felt in myself so rightly’ The second song on the album begins with, you guessed it, more whale noises! It always strikes me how young and sprightly Bush’s voice sounds in this song. I can’t believe she was around my age when some of these songs were recorded (and I’m still fresh out of the womb). Honestly, I’m not entirely sure of the song’s meaning (and why should I be? I didn’t write the blinkin’ thing), but it’s the kind of tune that very easily gets stuck in my head. Long story short though, if you like the sounds of whales and saxophones, you’ll probably enjoy this one. Ramble Rating: 8/10

3) Strange Phenomena ‘You pick up a paper. You read a name. / You go out. It turns up again and again.’ Strange Phenomena explores the link between female energy and the universe, and the psychic powers women are said to gain around that time of the month. Previously to hearing this song, I wasn’t aware of this myth, and I’m not sure if I can testify in favour of it because I like to think I’m quite psychic all the time, regardless of the ‘phase of the moon’. Only quite psychic though, not enough to make a living out of it. But yes, as someone who experiences a lot of coincidences *cough* accurate premonitions *cough* in my every day life, the lyrics of this song speak to me. Ramble Rating: 8/10

4) Kite ‘I got no limbs, I’m like a feather on the wind / I’m not sure if I want to be up here at all’ I always assumed this song was simply about escapism but, upon revision, I’ve discovered it’s true that if you assume, you really do make an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me’. With mention of Beelzebub and not knowing ‘how to get down’, I now theorize that Kite may revolve around being coerced to leave your life behind based on someone else’s promises and then regretting it. Or maybe not. I don’t know. Ramble Rating: 7/10

5) The Man with the Child in His Eyes ‘Maybe he doesn’t love me / I just took a trip on my love for him’ This beautiful song is almost a lullaby, rocking our inner children to sleep. Maybe our inner children can learn from our outer elders. Or maybe we can learn from others with inner children. Okay, I’m done. Ramble Rating: 9/10

6) Wuthering Heights ‘Too long I roam in the night / I’m coming back to his side, to put it right’  Wuthering Heights was Kate’s first big hit and is probably her most iconic track. Now, I don’t want to sound dramatic here, but this song changed my life. After rediscovering this video a couple of years ago, I fell in love with three things: Kate Bush, Noel Fielding and Emily Bronte’s novel, Wuthering Heights. I’m not going to bore you with the details, but, long story short, I can see many aspects of my life and creativity which have been influenced in some way by this holy trinity. For that, I am eternally grateful. Oh yes, and at some point, I taught myself the entire dance routine from Bush’s ‘red dress’ Wuthering Heights music video. No regrets. I’m sure it’ll come in handy one day… Ramble Rating: 10/10

7) James and the Cold Gun ‘You’re a coward James / You’re running away from humanity / You’re running out on reality’ I don’t know who James is, but this song is lit. Yep, I really did just say that. I don’t know how else to describe it. You just have to hear it for yourself. I dare you to listen to this song without tapping your foot. Ramble Rating: 9/10

8) Feel It ‘The glorious union, well, it could be love / Or it could be just lust but it will be fun’ Tracks 8, 9 and 10 appear to be a collection of songs about love. Feel It is a rather sensual song, and I’m not sure quite what to say about it. I do really like it though, and it’s certainly another earworm. Ramble Rating: 8/10

9) Oh to Be in Love ‘I could have been anyone / You could have been anyone’s dream’ As a friend of mine once said, Oh to Be in Love is a very theatrical song. I don’t know about you, but it makes me want to parade about doing some kind of improvise musical theatre routine (who am I kidding, that is what I do!). It also makes me want to be in love with someone who isn’t a fictional character portrayed by Colin Firth (or indeed, Colin Firth himself). But I suppose that’s a story for another day. Ramble Rating: 7/10

10) L'Amour Looks Something Like You ‘The thought of you sends me shivery / I’m dressed in lace, sailing down a black reverie’ This is another track which has grown on me over time. It is nice. I like it. Wow, my reviewing skills are second to none right now. (My apologies, it’s gone midnight, but I’m determined to get this post finished today, it’s been far too long in the making.) This song often catches me out because the little twinkle at the very beginning sounds a lot like Wuthering Heights. Ramble Rating: 8/10

11) Them Heavy People ‘I must work on my mind / For now I realize / Everyone of us has a heaven inside’ I think Them Heavy People is all about potential we all hold within us. This is something that I think many people forget, or lack confidence in, as I’ve always believed that half of succeeding at something is believing that you can do it. The song is also a bop. Ramble Rating: 8/10

12) Room for the Life ‘Like it or not, we were built tough / Because we’re woman’ I’m not entirely sure whether this song is a celebration of motherhood or of womanhood in general, but, regardless, it has a lovely, jaunty, reggae-ish beat, and stands out from the rest of the album, sound-wise. I recall a recent episode of BBC’s Pointless where one of the three questions in the final round was to try to guess a song from The Kick Inside that could be pointless (meaning that none of the people in the ‘survey’ had said it), and the lady answering seemed to have merged Room for the Life with Them Heavy People, resulting her answering with ‘Heavy Woman’. Oh how I did chuckle. Besides that, Room for the Life makes me feel that, although I don’t particularly want to have a baby, it’s nice to know that I can. Ramble Rating: 7/10

13) The Kick Inside ‘Your sister I was born. / You must lose me like an arrow, / Shot into the killer storm.’ And last, but certainly not least, we come to the title track, The Kick Inside. The first time I listened to this track, I thought it was all well and good, until I heard ‘Your sister I was born’, and, well, I was rather disturbed and taken aback. I knew there must have been some interesting meaning behind the song’s incestuous tone, so I headed straight to the Kate Bush Encyclopedia, to find that it was inspired by a traditional folk song called Lucy Wan. This is probably the saddest song on the album, as it is essentially a suicide note written by a woman who has become pregnant with her brother’s baby and feels she must kill herself to save his reputation. Ramble Rating: 10/10

And on that light-hearted note, we have reached the end of this journey. Don’t expect my future reviews to be quite this long. It is only because this is one of my favourite albums that I had so much to say about it. Do let me know what you think of The Kick Inside, and please leave any requests for music you would like me to review next. :)

OVERALL RAMBLE RATING FOR ‘THE KICK INSIDE’ ALBUM: 8.2/10

[avalonbayblog]

Availey Encyclopedia  Part 3 - Avalon Relationships

So, here’s part 3 with all the friendship/relationships Avalon has within the Avalon and Bailey series. There are spoilers in this, so you’ve been warned. But it’s a way to get an idea of my thought process when writing all their interactions with each other. Some of these haven’t been seen, hence the spoiler alert, for many reasons. Some of which I haven’t gotten around to writing yet, others being that I had to cut it out later.

I may have missed some people I need to go back and add later so keep checking back. Also, the ‘possibilities of relationships’ part doesn’t mean just romantic, but friendship and familiar relationships as well. So, click on ‘keep reading’ and check it out.

Tommy: Tommy and Avalon don’t interact much when the series starts outside of being rangers. Tommy is the leader, Avalon is new, and she goes along with whatever he says because, why not? But he’s the first of the rangers that Avalon trusts as she willingly lets him watch Bailey after school one day. Because of what they experience that day, Tommy and Bailey grow very close and Avalon continues to believe he won’t let anything happen to her. That friendship continues to grow all the while Tommy does become one of Avalon’s good friends. They continued not to interact much outside of being rangers and that’s just fine with Avalon. She makes fun of him and Kimberly with their relationship though is secretly envious of how obviously in love they are, wanting that for herself. Eventually, Tommy’s parents adopt Avalon and Bailey, making them his adoptive sisters. Tommy and Avalon are still fairly distant as it is obvious that Tommy prefers Bailey of the two, but they end up growing closer through their tenure as rangers. She becomes his second in command as a ranger throughout Zeo and Turbo, after Kimberly is this in season 2 (and Jason, Zack, and Trini leave) and Billy is in season 3. As they grow older, Tommy and Avalon grow closer and end up in a very teasing relationship (as seen in my unpublished Forever Red short story) which then carries on into Dino Thunder’s New Beginning where they work together as mentors for the new ranger team and side-by-side when dealing with their parents’ deaths.

Possibility of relationship: 0/10. Absolutely not. Though as I’ve mentioned many times as a fun fact, my original plan was to have them together. But as time went on, I realized it wouldn’t work. Yes, I make Tommy (and all the other rangers/characters) more realistic within my stories as I wanted to age up the content a bit, but he’s still a bit too good for her. His constant need to protect her and to get her to do what’s right will very seriously and quickly get on her nerves. She’d lash back at him, they’d exchange some heated words and it’d all be very toxic.

Kimberly: Kimberly appoints herself as the ‘welcoming committee’ (haven’t seen an OC fanfic without this sort of thing, lol) and is the first to go and greet Avalon, stating she’s new to school and probably needs some friends. Kimberly’s perkiness and choice of bright color to wear immediately gets on Avalon’s nerves. Not because Avalon truthfully feels antagonistic in any way, but because of how obviously different their lives are. Kimberly is a cheerleader, pretty popular, girly, loves to shop, and is rich. Everything that Av was growing to be back when she was in Australia (minus the cheerleading, absolute girliness, and the color pink). Despite her issues with her father, Avalon was very happy and popular amongst her friends. She very quickly appoints Kimberly with the nickname ‘Pinkerbell’ (it’s not revealed until much later that Avalon gives all the people she deems trustworthy or a friend a nickname) to tease her about her personality. The two have a very snarky relationship with each other, mostly with Avalon towards Kimberly, but it’s obvious the two are best friends once Avalon apologizes for the Vipers breaking into and robbing Kimberly’s house with Kimberly unquestionably forgiving her. Avalon takes it hard when Kimberly leaves the team, almost resenting Kat, who then becomes the pink ranger, despite the newcomers’ similar backgrounds. The girls are always there for each other emotionally and can talk about anything, considering each other their safe space.

Possibility of relationship: 5/10. Avalon is bisexual, has dated girls, and finds Kimberly to be interesting despite her need to be so happy and perky at the crack of dawn. Too bad Kimberly is completely straight. Of course, Avalon ends up having feelings for her at some point, hence why she takes it so hard when Kimberly leaves the team, almost as a personal offense. The two are very close friends and have a lot in common; their wealth (or Avalon’s previous wealth), shopping, having fun (though their definitions of fun are different), having a big heart (also show in different ways), wanting nothing more than for their friends to be happy, and are loyal. A relationship between them would actually be very cute with the two supporting each other through everything but continuing to trade sarcastic insults the entire way.

Trini: Trini and Avalon do have a friendly relationship, with Trini being so patient with Avalon and her misgivings since they met. She always gave Avalon the benefit of the doubt despite Avalon’s repeated attempts to get the rangers to leave her alone. Then, when Avalon notices that Billy and Trini like each other, Avalon quickly starts to push the two together. Trini and Avalon don’t hang out one on one as much as Avalon and Kimberly do, but Avalon is very fond of her calm natured friend, who she names ‘Sunny’ for her positive and cheerful disposition.

Possibility of relationship: 3/10. It’s possible, if Trini weren’t straight, though is lower than Kimberly and Avalon, simply because Avalon is wary of dating someone she ‘stole’ the boyfriend of. Avalon liked Billy, truthfully, since she first met him, but could see he had a thing for Trini and Trini for him. (As of now, as I enjoy writing Jason/Trini as well, I’m unsure of how that would fit into the timeline of everything). So much so that she felt a bit of guilt for dating him, even after Trini left. Truthfully, as well, Trini knew as her time with the rangers was ending, that Avalon had feelings for Billy and vice versa. When she comes back for Billy’s mother’s funeral, she and Avalon have a very friendly moment with each other. Their relationship would be similar to Kimberly’s and Avalon’s, however, Trini being calm all the time would then get on Avalon’s nerves while Avalon’s consistent lack of handling her emotions would get to Trini.

Zack: Twinkle-Toes! 3 guesses as to why Avalon named him that.

Possibility of relationship: 1/10. They’d have a lot of fun together, but Zack is a bit too goofy for her and she’s a bit too serious for him. The two do have a good friendship that evolves since working on a project together with Billy. Zack starts to call her ‘Kid’ due to her stature and of looking at her like a sister. The two share the joy of wanting to have fun in life and are usually the first to suggest having a party or a gathering of some kind. Their friendship comes to a hear when Zack willingly gives up the use of his powers to defend her from the Vipers, which will, ultimately, down the line, land him in jail, which she blames herself for but he doesn’t blame her at all. Within Dino Thunder’s New Beginning it’s obvious they’ve grown much closer since they were teens.

Billy: Billy’s and Avalon’s friendship starts off nicely. As in, she is nice to him from the beginning, though he is a bit wary of her. They don’t interact much at the beginning other than their ranger duties, but she finds him interesting. Their shared lone wolf personalities and mindsets bring them together to enjoy each other’s company very much. He breaks through her cynicism while he continues to use her as a test subject over her increased ranger powers. (This will probably be retconned later as it made her a bit of a mary-sue and didn’t make much sense to the overall plot other than to tie into Lightspeed Rescue). To the point that he’s the first one she lets call her ‘Av’ while at the beginning she staunchly disliked anyone doing so. They have a very close friendship/relationship throughout their tenure as rangers, often coming to each other’s aide in battle.

Possibility of relationship: 10/10. Bias aside, of course. Not revealed until much later, Avalon likes Billy since she first laid eyes on him. What he doesn’t know if she she’s seen him any times around the park and the Youth Center before she meets him in school and was always intrigued by him. Nevertheless, he’s the first person she’s nice to, not teasing him or being sarcastic to him when they first meet though the other rangers end up receiving her wrath on more than one occasion since first meeting her. The two are very similar in their ‘lone wolf’ statuses and their knowledge about different parts of the world, he’s more intellectual and book smart while she’s more street smart. Her experiences with the Vipers ultimately ends up with her and Bailey moving into the Cranston house, which allows them to grow even closer. They become best friends fast, simultaneously knocking down the walls they each put up to protect themselves. She understands his intelligence and need to get the most out of knowledge, but also works to get him to have more fun in life. Billy, on the other hand, works to help her realize she’s not alone and that her constant dealings with the Vipers is only putting them all in danger. They’re safe spaces for each other, their attraction for each other starting off subtle throughout the series until the movie (which sits in between seasons 2 and 3 in my continuity) where they kiss and start to date. They date all the way until the end of Zeo (with big moments of them saying they love each other, fighting due to lack of communication, and Billy losing his virginity to her along the way) where they break up with Billy leaving to go to a Peace Conference and MIT afterwards. Avalon, though understanding, is heartbroken by this and continues to try to contact him, getting no response. She eventually moves her sights to Jason and dates him for a while. She does love Jason, but isn’t in love with him, and uses him as an emotional crutch and a rebound. For the next ten years, Billy and Avalon don’t talk, with Avalon’s hatred towards the blue ranger growing as each day passes until they meet up in Dino Thunder’s New Beginning as the MMPR team teams up with the DT team to stop Mesogog and the recently revived Rita, Zedd, Goldar, Rito, and Scorpina. When they meet up again, Avalon is furious, and they argue with Billy explaining why he couldn’t bring himself to call her and why Avalon is angry. At the end of her Dino Thunder tenure, where it’s obvious they still have feelings for each other, Avalon and Billy get back together, taking their relationship very slow.

Jason: Jason still acts as a leader despite Tommy’s being in that role. And something about that rubs Avalon the wrong way when she first meets him, quickly calling him ‘Rudolph’ for his affinity of wearing the color red. Nevertheless, Jason respects her, noticing what brings to the team, and it’s that respect he still holds for her, despite her issues with the Vipers. So much so that Jason works to get her out of the gang and to safety with the rest of the rangers, issuing his parents for help, going as far as to getting beaten up by the High-Flyers (The Viper’s rival gang) in retaliation for something the Vipers did to protect her. They eventually go to Prom together, where Avalon ditches the dance to get away from the Vipers, winds up being shot, and still apologizes to Jason for being a bad date. They’re very good friends despite Avalon’s constant teasing of him.

Possibility of relationship: 9/10. It’s very obvious they have romantic tension with each other since they first meet (bordering on sexual tension as they get older) and he’s one of the top contenders to be with Avalon. To the point that for a LONG time, I was stuck between her and Jason and her and Billy ultimately. (Remember that poll on my profile? Lol). Avalon is quickly annoyed by him when they first meet, which, actually, is her being annoyed by how much she is attracted to him. He’s so much of a perfect guy; All American, handsome, nice, sweet, caring, a leader, she can’t help but fall for him. But she knows she wouldn’t live up to who he is and what’d be good for him. So, she antagonizes him, which irritates her more when he continues to take it, only giving it back a few times. Jason is intrigued by her, but feels that his ranger duties comes first and he can’t jeopardize that. It’s not until they grow older (Zeo into Turbo) that he starts to reciprocate her feelings, simultaneously jeopardizing his relationship with Emily, until the two start dating after high school graduation and most of the way through Lighstpeed Rescue where they both agree they were rebounds for each other and while they did love each other, they aren’t in love. They never try their relationship again and generally don’t mention it until Forever Red, after which it is never mentions again.

The Vipers: Chase, Summer, Sky, and Lance are Avalon’s main antagonists throughout her time in Angel Grove since she arrived. They tricked her into being part of the Vipers under the lure of money she needed to keep herself and Bailey alive, thus making her fall deeper and deeper into their hijinks before going through the initiation of becoming a viper. She gets jumped in (beaten up) and a tattoo to signify this. She and Chase dated while she was part of the Vipers and while he was abusive to her (which didn’t manifest until later), she, in many ways, cares for him as he cares for her. Despite his need of her to be in the gang for things to work out, Chase knew the gang life was not for her and subtly, in many ways, tried to convince her of it, though still held a tight reign over her. So much so that he shows points of being protective over her, defending her from the other gang members even when dating Summer. He keeps her from getting arrested, turns himself in for her crimes, allows himself to be arrested and in New Beginning tells her that he still cares about her while giving her the information she needs to testify against him at the upcoming trial against their crimes. Summer is jealous of Avalon, knowing she used to date Chase, and Summer flaunts her relationship with him in the orange ranger’s face every time she gets the change. Skye is Chase’s righthand man and the one that initially instigates the beatings Avalon receives. He will do anything to help Chase and the Vipers. Lance is a Viper who is thrown in jail at the beginning of the story and isn’t seen much throughout the rest of the series.

Possibility of relationship: 5/10. They became a family to her despite their dysfunction. It’s hard for her to stay away from them—despite her desperation to leave them—because of their shared experiences and how much she cares for them in a very polarizing way.

Rocky: Rocky’s joking personality once taking Jason’s place as a ranger initially sets Avalon off. Not just because he doesn’t seem to be taking being a ranger seriously, but because he took Jason’s place and doesn’t take it too seriously. He sees it as a sort of game and it makes her angry. But as time goes on, he grows into being a red ranger and blue ranger she’s glad to have on the team. He works hard and improves very quickly, making her laugh and smile through all his antics and jokes. They tend to trade jokes and share their dislike of school despite Rocky’s good grades. Their younger siblings are close friends, bringing them around each other often.

Possibility of relationship: 1/10. They’d have fun, it wouldn’t last long; no more than two weeks. He’s too immature for her and she’s a too serious for him.

Adam: Adam and Avalon don’t interact much at the beginning as she is antagonistic to him. He understands it’s because he took Zack’s place as a ranger but works hard to be a good black ranger. Once coming out of his shell, Adam and Avalon are friendly, but they’re not best friends. They don’t tend to hang out one on one or go to confide in each other. Not to say they’re not friends, but they’re also aware if it weren’t for circumstances as a ranger, they may not be friends at all. Even so, they are friendly to each other and will help out when the time comes.

Possibility of relationship: 0/10. She’d eat him alive. At the beginning he’s much too soft spoken and shy for her. It certainly would not work out.

Aisha: Again, she’s startled by Avalon’s dislike of her at the beginning. She does nothing but try to be friendly to her and Avalon doesn’t give it back. Until Avalon has no choice but to do so. Then they become good friends with a shared love of shopping and fun. Aisha and Avalon don’t spend a lot of one-on-one time with each other as the yellow ranger is typically with the pink ranger and the orange ranger is typically with the blue and pink rangers. Rocky, Adam, and Aisha stick together in their own pod while Tommy, Billy, Kimberly, and Avalon stick with theirs. Aisha is the one who manages to bridge the gap between the two teams with her high energy that the others greatly enjoy partaking in.

Possibility of relationship: 3/10. Aisha’s feistiness would be a good match for Avalon, but Aisha and Rocky are so into each other that nothing could tear them apart. Not even Adam’s small crush on Aisha could. Aisha and Avalon don’t have too much in common for it to last.

Kat: While Avalon does hold some grief against the newest pink ranger for taking Kimberly’s place, the two get along for their shared backgrounds in Australia. The two of them come from Australia, Avalon from Canberra (still can’t remember if it’s that or Melbourne, lol) and Kat is from Sydney. Avalon excelled in surfing competitions that made her name around the country while Kat did the same with her diving until her accident. Kat and Avalon don’t talk much at the beginning of Kat’s tenure of being a ranger until one night Kat admits she feels homesick and shouldn’t be a ranger and Avalon comforts her, sharing her own experiences with her doubts of being a ranger. The two continue to bond over their shared history and Av is very supportive of her feelings for Tommy.

Possibility of relationship: 0/10. Kat is too ‘goody’ for Avalon. So much so that Avalon teases her about being good at everything and being so soft spoken. The pink Aussie only has eyes for Tommy.

Fred: Fred is her little sister’s best friend and love interest. Avalon likes Fred. They don’t interact much as ranger duties continue to get in the way, but she really does like him. He’s smart, funny, and is a good friend of the team. He helps out in the Command Center with Bailey until Bailey gets her own ranger powers, and Avalon trusts him with her sister. She sees him as a little brother long before he and Bailey work out their relationship.

Possibility of relationship: 0/10. He’s much too young for her and Bailey has dibs.

Bulk: One of her good friends. To the point that the rangers don’t understand why. She finds Bulk and Skull goofy, interesting, and entertaining. She stands up to Bulk when he pushes Skull too far and loves to watch him go through his plans of pranking the rangers and they backfire. They both have strong leadership capabilities that make them butt heads at times, but Bulk does find himself protecting her a bit.

Possibility of relationship: 0/10. Enough said.

Skull: Skull is Bulk’s right hand man and hangs out with Avalon when she’s not hanging out with the rangers. They have a lot of fun making up jokes to make each other laugh. Avalon doesn’t know Bulk and Skull used to bully the rangers, it never came up, though they still call the rangers dweebs and losers at times. She continues to hang out with them throughout her time in Angel Grove, finding them similar to the Vipers but much less harmless, and encourages them in every stage of their lives. Eventually, Skull names Avalon Spike’s godmother.

Possibility of relationship: 4/10. At the beginning, Skull was one of the people I thought of putting Avalon with. He’s only a bully when around Bulk and on his own is a very nice, sweet, charming, eccentric young man with many hidden talents. Avalon feels bad that Bulk orders him around and becomes friends with him one-on-one. They have similar interests in their means of having fun and his enthusiasm for life rubs off on her. If it weren’t for Sharkie and their baby Spike, they had a real possibility of working out.

Sharkie: The only other girl that hangs out with Bulk and Skull. They don’t spend much time together but lament at how stupid the boys can be.

Possibility of relationship: 0/10. She only has eyes for Skull.

Lt. Stone: He worked hard to get her out of the Vipers, using everything he knew to aid her. At the same time, he didn’t keep her above the law and ensured she stuck to her probation, her fines, and the community service she had sentenced to her once things with the Vipers came to an end. He’s very serious about his job, but has a bit of a soft spot for Avalon and Bailey considering the life they live because of her being in the Vipers.

Possibility of relationship: 1/10. She goes to him when she needs help, he works to keep her out of trouble. Otherwise, per his words, he doesn’t want to see her again because, if he did, she was in trouble.

Emily: Jason’s girlfriend and then later ex-girlfriend. Emily blames Avalon for Jason breaking up with her and Avalon feels guilty about it. They’re very similar in personality and background; Emily used to be part of a biker gang that terrorized Angel Grove, Jason was immediately attracted to her, and she’s very headstrong. Since meeting each other, Avalon and Emily were suspicious of each other, knowing of each other’s gangs. Things don’t go well from there.

Possibility of relationship: 0/10. They don’t like each other. Not just because of Jason, but because they’re very similar. Fun fact, I got inspired for Avalon off her, complete with her ranger color being orange. Hence why, they’re too similar to each other.

Tanya: Tanya is new to Angel Grove from an exchange student program with Aisha. While Avalon is said Aisha is gone, she likes Tanya from the beginning. It’s hard not to like her. She’s so positive and happy, even from moving from a new country, that it rubs off on others. Avalon understands her moving to a new country as well as gives comfort and advice when Shawn, who quickly claims Tanya as her own, starts to abuse her. Avalon threatens to kill Shawn, which Tanya is grateful for but assures her is not necessary. Tanya and Kat become best friends and while Avalon is friendly with her, they don’t hang out a lot.

Possibility of relationship: 0/10. She’s too naïve for Avalon and she very quickly falls for Adam, despite Shawn being her boyfriend.

Justin: The new blue ranger after Rocky leaves. Normally, Avalon would’ve been antagonistic to him, but this time Bailey is the one who’s angry about it. Avalon, having been a ranger so long, understands that sometimes these things happen. She wasn’t so happy when Bailey became a ranger but had to deal with it. She and Justin don’t interact other than when fighting monsters as rangers.

Possibility of relationship: 0/10. Too young for her.

Cassie, TJ, Ashley, Carlos: The new Turbo and, eventual, in Space Rangers. (I think they’re called Astro Rangers, actually). Avalon meets them when she and the rest of her friends are going on a graduation camping trip. They come to the ranger’s aid when the Pirrhanatrons and Divatox attack them. Their rushing straight into battle makes it so that they’re eligible to get the ranger’s powers when they transfer them over, aware they need to live out the rest of their lives (though Avalon kept her powers which eventually helps in Lightspeed Rescue). Avalon doesn’t interact with them since her time as a ranger ends and they come back in New Beginning to face their past enemies.

Possibility of relationship: 0/10.

Andros: She and Bailey don’t meet Andros until they and Jason return to Angel Grove within “Countdown to Destruction” to save Angel Grove from total destruction. They meet up again in “Forever Red” when she aids their red ranger mission, having once been a red ranger for a very, very brief amount of time. (Again, this is more than likely to be retconned).  They have a professional relationship with each other.

Possibility of relationship: 0/10.

Captain Mitchell: Avalon’s and Bailey’s father. Avalon has a polarizing relationship with him. She was daddy’s little girl until he became very militant in her expectation of her, not knowing he was doing it out of love and wanting to give her skills and values to make her a better person. However, it caused her to resent him, especially with her mother constantly making excuses for him. Their relationship is strained even further when she finds out that she and Bailey are the secret children of him and her mother after he cheated on his dying wife. When they return to Australia, where Captain Mitchell was stationed to work, Avalon tells him off for what he did to them, resulting in her hatred growing for years. It’s not until Lightspeed Rescue that their relationship moves in a more positive direction.

Possibility of relationship: 7/10. Her feeling for her father run hot and cold. She hates his guts but deep down still loves him. She hates that he relinquished his parental rights to her but at the same time loves him for later trying to get their familial relationship back together.

Dana: Her half-sister and someone who, admittedly, she barely knows. When they first meet, Dana and Avalon get along, later, during Lightspeed Rescue, Avalon is appalled to see how much their father’s influence has gotten to her. She says as much, constantly berating Dana for allowing herself to blindly follow Captain Mitchell. Dana, finally, snaps back at her that she’s putting too much of her anger onto her father when he’s trying to make things better. Eventually, their strained relationship manages to become much more friendly and sisterly.

Possibility of relationship: 8/10. Once their issues with their father are fixed, they do grow to be close. However, Avalon still thinks Dana has moments of being uptight.

Carter, Kelsey, Joel, Chad: Avalon doesn’t want to work with them at the beginning of Lightspeed Rescue. As a matter of fact, she purposefully distances herself from them as she deals with being around her father and how angry that makes her. The Lightspeed Rescue rangers are confused about this, until they figure out about Captain Mitchell’s infidelity and familiar issues. As they work together, Avalon slowly becomes more of a mentor to the rangers due to her ranger past, ultimately working with them as equals.

Possibility of relationship: 6/10.

Ryan: Avalon’s half-brother. Like Avalon, he was angry at being left behind by their father’s actions. This brings them close when he manages to stop being brainwashed by Diabolico. However, they feel nothing but antagonism to each other at the beginning; she was the product of a failed marriage and he tried to destroy her. After their work through their issues, they do become very much like any pair of siblings.

Possibility of relationship: 8/10. The only thing that bugs her about him is that he’s the oldest of all the Mitchell children and tries to use it against them.

Conner: Avalon easily sees Conner has the potential of being a good leader and a good red ranger. He just needs the motivation to get himself there, and he’s a bit immature at the beginning, caring only about his popularity, girls, and making sure he could get as far in soccer as he could. She talks to him about his stressors with his step-father, his mother, his twin brother, and how to juggle everything of being a ranger. She really does like him, willing to help him out when he needs it. Unfortunately, he does hit on her, and she turns him down with a smile and a laugh.

Possibility of relationship: 2/10. Bailey likes him. He’s too young for her. He hits on her too much.

Kira: Kira stands out and Avalon takes notice. In a way, Kira reminds Avalon of Kimberly and is drawn to her for that reason. She works with Kira one-on-one for a lot of her ranger duties and works as a close mentor to her. Kira reacts positively towards Avalon’s influence and goes to her for help at times. They both have a habit of rolling their eyes at the guys on the team—Tommy included—and share a sarcastic attitude.

Possibility of relationship: 10/10. As the only female ranger on the team, Avalon does feel she needs to be there for Kira. Not to mention, noticing the abuse she’s endured, but knows she can’t say anything to help unless Kira wants the help. Avalon has a soft spot for the yellow ranger and will help her out when she can.

Ethan: Ethan is an outgoing computer nerd that Avalon immediately notices reminds her of Billy in all ways except for his social butterfly tendencies. She laughs when Ethan quickly comes back to Conner’s quips with his own barbs and encourages him with his looks into their ranger past and the new weapons they’re working on. Avalon alters her fighting style when sparring with him, knowing he’ll closely and easily come to defeating her as he pays attention to his surroundings. She has a soft spot for him despite usually only interacting with him as his mentor.

Possibility of relationship: 2/10. Avalon is not close to Ethan. Bailey is closer to him through their similar personalities and interests. But as a mentor, she’s there for him when he needs it.

Trent: Avalon feels for Trent with all his problems; being new to school, his lupus, his being an evil ranger. She works to comfort him when he starts to struggle with his father’s identity as Mesogog and being new to Reefside.

Possibility of relationship: 1/10. She’s not close to Trent at all. Tommy is the one who is closer to him, understanding his struggles of being an evil ranger. Nevertheless, as a mentor, Avalon is there for him when needed.

Part 2

Part 4