#fallen hero Ortega

[quiddling]

he’s a good listener

[honeyglas]

Are you really a superhero if you don’t have a cheesy smoking ad at some point

[kidhellion]

Please don't shut me out again...

[b33tlejules]

ORTEGAAAAAAAAAAA

My hand was possessed and I couldn't stop smiling while drawing her.

[currently-evil]

Never delivered messages send from Ricardo Ortega to individual known as Sidestep, days after his funeral

[pirunika]

how does your ex deal with seeing you again on a scale from Red (shepherds of haven) to Ortega (fallen hero) to Seven (infamous)

...its less a scale and more of a 🔼 now that i think

Edit: should Bobby be added here

Edit 2: Jun (Samurai of Hyuga) and Maria Garcia Perez (Relics of the Lost Age).......

[ladyshivs]

Sal is a competent villain, I swear to god, but Julia's back isn't playing fair

[nukbody]

I owe this fandom sm ❤️

[seawardboundsammy]

first fic in a hot minute, a chen character study! all about his grief and how he manages it. link here!

[gamingtrashbasin]

this is such a chargestep song, like:

"And I'll use you as a warning sign

That if you talk enough sense, then you'll lose your mind" -> Ortega's conspiracies about Hollow Ground and such driving them mad!

Then there's:

"And I'll use you as a focal point

So I don’t lose sight of what I want

And I've moved further than I thought I could

But I missed you more than I thought I would" -> Ortega, once Sidestep's ally/friend/lover, is now their enemy. The face they think of when they think of the Rangers. And despite their determination to commit to this path, having Ortega around again is harder than they ever could have expected

And of course:

"Oh, and I found love where it wasn't supposed to be

Right in front of me, talk some sense to me" -> Falling for eachother (possibly all over again) even though Sidestep knows they shouldn't and Ortega only knows something is wrong but not what and keeps trying to help

[quiddling]

If your Sidestep was a worm, who would they trust to take care of them?

it would be between argent and ortega methinks...i dont think wyatt would really 100% trust anyone truly but i guess hes a worm so he wouldnt be able to stop it from ortega looking after him

[honeyglas]

Unearthing a month-old sketch of him … I’m totally normal about him

[kidhellion]

Cowboy au back with a vengeance after I spent all day listening to johnny cash

[currently-evil]

Look into Rowan's Sidestep conversation

(Quick disclaimer, these are conversation's of my own Sidestep not generic Sidestep, mob boss, poly Ortega and Steel)

Ortega

Get well soon Ortega

When you have enough of Ortega's bs

When you fail to insult your bf

Birthday Boy - p. 1

Love confession - p.1

Kissing

How is therapy going?

How is therapy going? - p. 2

Hollow Ground

Hollow Ground - p. 2

Can I rizz you up?

Just Sidestep instability

Will Ratking ever get friends?

Random Chargestep conversations

Chen

I got your package

Could you resist?

Goodnight

Flirting is hard

Chen & Ortega & Rowan

I would die for both of you

Polycule Breaking Material

Oh, that dimple

Favourite Boyfriend

Polyamory is god send

Argent

There is no ignoring Lady Argent

You should better protect your online data

Friends be like

Food Revenge

That's not a good excuse

Herald

Why is he texting like this

Mob Boss' Crew

Nehal - Sugar Daddy

Pelayo - Worst Nurse in the whole Wild West

Nehal - A bad deal

Pelayo - Dog in the office

Nehal - Dog in the office - p.2

Zaza - But what if we do..?

Ward - Integration Party

[toxicwasteempire]

The heroes need help.

This is not an exaggeration. Because of how the acquisition of powers work in universe, it's guarantee almost all heroes are either suicidal or former military (some in indentured servitude.)

We already know the boost drug is dangerous and it's more likely to kill you than give you powers. Only those truly desperate would try it. They may even use it to commit suicide because at least if it doesn't work they get cool powers and a way to change their life for the better. They likely come from poverty. (Sidestep was puzzled at why Herald took the drug while being good economically) At the end, they either are some degree of depressed or are terrible at risk assessment. (Terrible at risk assessment while having this job mind you)

In the case of military. It preys on young people, most of them from poverty or with an incomplete idea of the reality of the institution. They come out of it with PTSD and disabled, are given the mods to deal with those disabilities and in return they keep being useful for law enforcement. The government owns them in some way. Ortega is in indentured servitude because of the massive debt they would be in if they retire before outliving their usefulness.

Nevermind the fact the government can force them back overseas and make them disappear. (Like it happened to a certain someone after the Nanosurge.)

One extra way of gaining powers is the theory that they appear from incredible mental and physical stress on the body (and that this is how the boost drug works) the body's last ditch attempt at surviving. I believe this is what happened to Argent. Needless to say those who gain powers this way also have their share of PTSD.

I'm just saying. Beyond the fact that Los Diablos is a really fucked up place to live maybe this is why Sidestep said many heroes either die or hit rock bottom before retiring.