blaze of GLORY

everyone can be a hero

[mandytwoshoes]

mandytwoshoes: an independent, private & selective sideblog for Blonde Blazer (Mandy) from AdHoc Studio's Dispatch. Low-activity, not spoiler free and very much a work in progress as game content is released and adapted. Penned by Mari (30+, she/her, UTC -3), est. in 2025, dash only. Personals DNI. Credits: 1 / 2.

[formerinvisibitch]

❝ How is it morning already? I feel like I just closed my eyes. ❞ (from @mandytwoshoes )

Courtney couldn't help the fond chuckle that only dwindled when a yawn decided to stifle it. Sure, she's more or less used to running on two to three hours of sleep, but it doesn't make her miss a full night's rest any less.

"Well, that's what happens when you party with the Z Team," she began easily, stretching her arms as she lifts herself up and off of the couch. "What? Do you think we're all goody-two-shoes now that we're on the up and up?

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but we're all gonna have a bit of an edge to us no matter what."

Reaching over to plop a hand on Blonde Blazer's shoulder, she added, "It's fine, though. You'll get more used to it the more you come out with us!"

[mandytwoshoes]

"What? You mean to say you... You actually want me to go again?"

Blonde Blazer sounded surprised - and more than that, a bit insecure. These were not traits commonly associated to the SDN supervisor and household name, but it didn't change the fact that the older woman looked almost... Impressed with that conclusion.

The party had indeed been something - not at their usual spot, as far as Blazer understood, if only because there was no way she could ever pass for a villain unless she removed her amulet. To make up for it, the team had assembled way more booze than they kept at the branch - and it had ended at a burger place that proudly boasted a 24h service; for some reason, the neon lights of the restaurant that depicted some dancing fries was one of the most vivid memories of that evening.

The Z-Team did know how to party - it had been too much even for Blonde Blazer and her legendary tolerance.

"I mean," Blazer cleared her throat softly, doing her best to soften the look of surprise by offering a small, understanding smile for Inivisagal, "I am the boss, after all. I just assumed the team would like to get loose... Without management around."

[songsomi]

I'm taking a lot of you with me.

[mandytwoshoes]

@stagborne sent: are you sure this is legal?

[ from morbid curiosity . accepting ]

The question from Will was met with silence for a minute, much longer than the intervals that Blonde Blazer usually required in regular conversations. Her gaze fell to the conference table they currently shared, taking the time to watch her own fingers drum over the polished surface before letting out an uncharacteristic sigh.

"No, Will. If anything, I'm almost sure of the opposite," the superhero confessed, voice barely over a whisper. It was not something they should be talking about at SDN premises, but Blonde Blazer trusted very few people with that type of information - and perhaps inviting one of her dispatchers to dinner could send a more dangerous sign to those watching her every move.

"We don't have a warrant or anything to back this idea - but I'm afraid we can't resort to the proper protocols at this time. Don't you think it's very suspicious how we failed the last three times whenever the Red Ring stood to lose something?" Blazer moved back into her chair, shoulders briefly rotating forward in an effort to relieve some of the tension that had settled into her body.

Her right hand reached for the famed tablet she carried everywhere around the branch, sliding it over to Will so he could look at the numbers there. His mind had always been his super-power - the famed dispatcher of the A-Team, their elite team at Torrance, and which had accumulated strange failures during critical assignments over the last month.

"You see this too, don't you? The numbers make no sense. I know this is not you either," Blazer sighed, sounding and looking sincerely conflicted before verbalizing her innermost concerns next, "I think we have a mole, Will."

[beefsdad]

"Mm..." Comfortable with his cheek pressed to Mandy's chest, Robert made a not-entirely-mature face. "Why would I tell you to do that?"

These were the happiest moments of his life, after all. Even around the stress of trying to fix the Mecha Man suit, the mounting pressure of getting Z-Team to make numbers for SDN to take seriously, and the ever-present fear that something could go wrong, Robert was trying to remember that there was good in his life, too. He had a healthy and happy dog who loved him and a girlfriend (if they were calling themselves that, anyway) who welcomed them in her home-- it was more than he'd had in a long time, and he wasn't about to take any of it for granted.

"I like hearing stuff about you. It's why I ask."

Carefully, Robert lifted his head, rising enough inches to catch Mandy's gaze and admire the pink that coloured her cheeks. Sometimes she got sheepish about being a cheeseball at work, and that was cute too, but seeing her like this was different. Gone was the mask that obscured her face, gone were those bright blonde waves, and gone was the picture-perfect smile Robert saw on billboard after billboard. In the wake of it all was this good girl... someone who seemed to find it unbelievable that anyone would take interest in her.

One of Robert's arms unfurled from around Mandy's waist, coming up to cup a warm cheek. The kiss he pressed to her lips was gentle, and when he pulled away the look in his eyes was even more so.

"Tell me about your holidays," he insisted. "I wanna imagine them with you."

Robert sank again, cheek resting on Mandy's shoulder, and let the hand on her cheek drift so he could hold her in both arms again. This close, he sank into the oblivion of Mandy's scent entwined with her perfume-- a dangerous thing if anyone ever knew about it. It was so nice Robert could fall asleep just breathing her in.

"Mm... you think your grandma would've liked me? Or would I have to prove I deserved to date her pretty granddaughter?"

[mandytwoshoes]

Dear God - Mandy felt like a schoolgirl all over again, blushing even harder when Robert cupped her cheek and kissed her with that raw sincerity of his. Honestly - the woman could not really understand why he appeared to be so fascinated by the person that everyone thought to be a pale shadow of the one truly, incredible awesome thing that Blonde Blazer.

But deep down - she adored him for it. Maybe it was a bit of a selfish side that got stifled during work hours, but Robert was hers: Mandy's boyfriend and not Blazer's. As much of an understanding and accommodating boss as she was, the quiet hours of privacy and intimacy at her apartment had made the female superhero realize just how much she had missed having a life outside of SDN and the Phoenix Program.

Even if that frequently brought back all the stark evidence of her privilege. Unlike Robert, who burned through his inheritance to keep a dream going, Mandy never wanted for anything. The best schools, the dream vacations, the most expensive wardrobe, the brand new cars... She had been a spoiled child but somehow turned out okay. The world had been kind to Amanda - so it was no wonder Blonde Blazer was the personification of the drive to give something good back, in all that spandex and glowing stone glory.

"Grandma would have loved you," she chose to say first, allowing gravity to claim her without making an ounce of effort to fight it. Mandy's figure was further pressed into the couch by her boyfriend, and wrapping both arms over Robert's figure in return came easily - as if she was finally responding organically to the affection he showered her with, "She was French, moved here because of her dad's job - never stopped being an artist. I think she would find you fascinating... Like I do," Mandy chuckled, letting both eyelids drop to conjure the scenery of her childhood vacations: smelling the earth after rain, the song of the birds around the house, the warmth of sunshine on her face.

"She lived in Sonoma, at this gorgeous vineyard. I never met my grandpa because he passed before I was born, but her villa was... Everything. I helped make the wine sometimes, plant the flowerbeds close to her window... The pool was so big it looked like the ocean," Mandy sighed, the sound soft and full of longing. But her arms never left Robert, squeezing him softly in her grip only to add some emphasis.

"My family was always wealthy, but she was a free spirit. She always told me I could guess a lot about someone's heart if I watched them playing with children and animals - the way you spoil Beef? She would be your number one fan," Mandy nodded gently, feeling her chest tight for a second - it was a shame these encounters would never happen, but maybe they could go back to the vineyards one day. They were no longer in the family, but they could visit.

...They deserved a vacation, didn't they?

"Enough of rich white girl things - how about your dad?" she murmured tentatively, voice dropping to a caring whisper, "You think he would have deemed me worthy of his only son?"

[mandytwoshoes]

@beefsdad sent: what's that perfume you're wearing? [ robert leaning in, a little too close, nose nearly brushing mandy's jaw. he could bite her where her blood pumps hottest. he could. but he basks in her scent instead. ]

[ from morbid curiosity . accepting ]

Mandy was sprawled on the couch in the laziest possible way - a far cry from the usually uptight and perfectly composed superhero who roamed the local SDN branch. With both arms in the air holding a tablet at a decent distance from her face, the woman made it quite easy for Robert to make himself at home over her - not unlike Beef would do to any empty lap within his reach.

(Like father, like son.)

But instead of licking her hand and asking for treats, the former hero turned dispatcher came to sniff her neck - it made her chuckle but not enough to move, blue eyes still going line after line of the report being reviewed, including the last performance charts and other financial data of the Torrance branch.

It wasn't until Robert said something that Mandy's focus shifted - and she let go of work, placing it on the floor at the right side of the couch. The brunette's left hand descended over his head, playing with the messy and shorter locks for a while before responding.

"Chanel. Not the classic No. 5, but their Chance one. I think it's really good, refreshing. Reminds me of a summer day," Mandy sighed pleasantly, then kept going, "It was a gift from my grandmother when I turned 16 and I have been unable to change it for anything else. I guess it brings back the memories of the holidays we spent together and-"

Suddenly, her voice faltered and the woman blushed, realizing she was just babbling on. It happened somewhat frequently when Robert spent the night at her place because Mandy having the spotlight instead of Blonde Blazer was a very rare thing. She was so used to never being herself and just the very public persona powered by the necklace that the real woman behind it all had a hard time not being excited to talk about... Normal, boring stuff.

But she knew Robert had less than happy memories about his own family - it wasn't lost on her that, unlike Amanda Newman-Brighton, Mecha Man grew up without a grandfather precisely because of that suit.

"You know, outside the office... You can tell me to shut up," Mandy's cheeks were still flushed, voice softer but nonetheless kind, "I promise it won't get you in trouble or anything."

[ohisms]

✱ ˚｡⋆ ↪ MORBID CURIOSITY ... [ REMASTERED ] ( a collection of various original dialogue prompts centered around asking questions. adjust phrasing / gendered terms as necessary. )

give that to me! where did you find this?!

do you drink coffee or tea?

sorry– am i crazy, or have we met before?

do you trust me enough to close your eyes?

when were you planning on telling me?

at the risk of being a cliché, do you want to get out of here?

can i convince you to stay the night?

do i look like someone who knows what that means?

would you consider giving me a second chance?

do you really think that's helpful right now?

would you mind showing me around?

do you ever plan on forgiving yourself?

are you thinking what i'm thinking?

can we ... go out and do something crazy?

why are we whispering?

who exactly are you, anyways?

can't we just be civil for a minute?

does the past ever keep you up at night?

if you have nothing to hide, what's the problem?

how long has it been since i saw you last, [ name ]?

did the power just go out?

are we still doing the thing where we pretend not to care?

how should we celebrate?

can we just ... start over?

why is this so important to you?

how was i supposed to know that?!

do you want me to stay? it doesn't have to mean anything.

where are you? nobody's heard from you.

can you help me zip this up?

why do these things always happen to me?

you don't secretly hate me, right?

can i get you something to eat? –or drink?

ready to see what i've been working on?

where have you been disappearing off to?

what's that perfume you're wearing?

you're laughing?! do you really think this is funny?

are you planning to stay for dinner?

did you think it was going to be easy?

you see where you went wrong, don't you?

when did we become so cold and distant?

who are you working for?

did you really do all of this for me?

can i open my eyes yet?

haven't you heard the stories?

[ name ], what are you doing here?

what's it gonna take for you to trust me?

do you believe people can change?

how about we catch the ten o'clock showing?

don't you remember what happened last time?

why is it so unbelievable that i'd want to help you?

you're [ name ], aren't you?

who did this to you?!

how did you know i'd be here?

what's that supposed to mean?

do you think i'm irredeemable?

what kind of mess have you gotten us into?!

do you see anything you like?

what do i owe you for the food?

why won't this stupid thing work?!

does tonight really have to end?

holy shit. can you believe we really pulled that off?!

i can tell you're upset, [ name ]. what happened?

how long have you been standing there?

do you ever wish you could just ... run away?

haven't we been here before?

wait, shush ... did you hear that?

did i miss today's newsletter or something?

can we put our differences aside for a second?

what are you getting out of this, exactly?

you'd tell me if something was wrong, right?

are you willing to bet on it?

would you kill for me?

what made you think that was okay?!

do you believe people can change?

what's the worst thing you've ever done?

you were going to leave without saying goodbye?

[ name ], can you sit up for me?

can i kiss you?

where are your keys? you're not driving like this.

how's life been treating you?

where have you been?!

aren't we supposed to be alone tonight?

aw, has someone had a little too much to drink?

where are you going with this?

are we really doing this right now?

have you eaten today?

can i crash here for the night?

how did you learn to lie so well?

can i at least buy you a drink?

where should i meet you?

is that  ...  blood?!

are you trying to make me jealous right now?

what’s your problem? you're acting weird.

[ name ], you're ... real, right?

where’s your sense of adventure?

do you like horror movies?

what are you trying to prove?

can you give me a ride?

do you have any idea what you've done?

shouldn't you answer that?

why should i be the one to calm down?

have you been up all night?

why are you lying to me?

is that my [ jacket / hoodie / shirt ]?

what are you so afraid of?

do you want to grow old with me?

you’re gonna walk away from this?

are you nervous? your hands are shaking.

where am i supposed to go?

how many fingers am i holding up?

you want me to just walk away from this?

[ name ], slow down– what's wrong?!

are you embarrassed of me?

what's that smell? something's burning.

how can i make it up to you?

why can't you stay out of it?

is this some kind of trick?

come on, what do you have to lose?

do you ever still think of me?

idiot. why didn't you tell me?!

can we stop and think about this rationally?

how long has it been since you’ve slept?

what's your ideal first date?

are you ready to tell me the truth?

i almost died, and you're laughing?

what do you mean, "sort of"?

can we just stay like this forever?

when can i see you again?

can we put this behind us?

oh ... you thought of me first?

where did you learn to do that?

oh my god,  are you bleeding?!

where are you?  nobody’s heard from you.

[ name ], are you drunk?

how can i make this go away?

someone's jumpy today. are you feeling okay?

are we safe here?

what can i do to convince you?

what could possibly go wrong?

you have no idea who i am, do you?

how do you really feel about me?

why can't you look me in the eyes?

did you know you talk in your sleep?

were you following me?

can we just pretend this never happened?

are you just barely getting home?

are you even listening to me right now?!

where does it hurt?  can you show me?

are you trying to get yourself killed?!

how about we just forget the world exists?

how long have you been keeping this from me?

were you ever going to tell me?

what do you make of this?

[ name ],  what the hell?!

can we just be honest with each other, here?

are you trying to keep me a secret?

why does your story keep changing?

how long have you known?

it can't be that bad, right?

are you happy? i mean, really happy?

isn't this place amazing?

did i interrupt something?

how am i supposed to trust you?

are they still following us?

are you fucking serious?

do you remember our first kiss?

can we take a break for a minute?

how about we disappear for awhile?

you're going to walk away from this?

can you please just cut the crap?!

why didn't you tell me you were hurt?

how can i make this go away?

can you just look at me, please?

is there anything i can do to change your mind?

do you ever stop talking?

that depends. are you done lying to me?

are you sure this is legal?

how do you take your coffee?

can you keep your voice down?

why does your phone keep buzzing?

[beefsdad]

“Your eyes aren’t focusing. Just close them for ten minutes.”

— @mandytwoshoes, prompts.

"I don't have ten minutes."

God, some days Robert felt he didn't even have two. If he took his eyes off the screen for even a second, someone would get in trouble, and not even because Z-Team'd been doing poorly. Their teamwork was only getting better as the days went by, but Shroud and the Red Ring's influence was growing just as exponentially. The stronger they got, the more bad they did. More and more victims were calling in everyday.

Crimes were popping up everywhere, too. Even now, clocking in some overtime to finish his reports, Robert could hear an endless line of beeps signifying another disaster had popped up. He didn't even have the fucking Dispatch Program on-- it just kept going in his head.

"Fuck." He saw himself type "premnilanty" instead of "preliminary" and gave up on keeping his fingers on the keyboard. Robert's hands lifted to rub his eyes. "Shit. I won't get this document done by midnight if I stop, Blazer.

"God knows it took forever to get the momentum to begin with."

[mandytwoshoes]

There was something in Robert's voice tone that had Blonde Blazer arching both eyebrows and instinctively taking a step back, arms crossing over the blue spandex of her uniform. If she hadn't been so deeply connected to his hiring process (as well as privy to the details of his previous life as a hero), she would have struggled to not take that as a lack of courtesy when addressing your superior.

As it stood, Blazer cut Robert some slack - it was easy to see his frustration came from a good place. He cared - way more than he was able to admit to himself, maybe.

"I am your superior at this branch, Robert. And I'm saying you should take a break and not hand in the report by midnight - listen to me, please," a hand went out to his closest shoulder, the movement to turn the dispatcher in his chair decisive but gentle. The blonde hero leaned down, meeting his eyes with hers and making sure he could see the sincerity of the claim being made.

"I got this. I got your back," a smile, encouraging and warm, "Let me handle whoever asks for anything from headquarters, okay? The Z-Team or the Phoenix Program is not your responsibility alone."

The hand was removed then, and Robert's personal space restored. Unfurled to her superhero height, Blonde Blazer nodded at the direction of the break room of their branch, which should be unusually quiet and contemplative at such late hours.

"Come on, let's take a breather. They've restocked the machines earlier today and they finally have Skittles," she said with an amused smile, winking at Robert for good measure - surely the implication wasn't lost on him, "Been craving some since the day we met. Let's go?"