The Candygirl is a completed Codename: Kids Next Door Alternate Universe fic written by FireFlamerx9z. It can be read on Fanfiction Dot Net here
and Archive of Our Own here.
During a mission gone wrong, Cree Lincoln — then known as Numbuh 11 — gets caught in an explosion and subsequently hospitalized. Though she ends up losing her arm, she's informed that she no longer has to undergo decommissioning when she turns 13 due to the KND's rules regarding operatives being permanently crippled on the job. As a result, she never performs her canon Face–Heel Turn, remaining a Cool Big Sis to Numbuh 5 and eventually becoming a Teens Next Door member.
A spin-off started being posted after the fic's completion; titled The Saga of Numbuh 451, it focuses on the titular character (a Breakout Character from the original fic) and how her KND career unfolds in the main universe. It can be read here (FFN) or here (AO3).
Be warned: all spoilers for the original show are unmarked.
This fic contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Cree ends up walking the Delightful Children home and coming face to face with Father; he berates them for being late (causing them to flinch) and, on learning why Cree did them a favor, grumbles about how they tried to "manipulate" someone into giving them sympathy.
- Adaptational Heroism: Cree never becomes a villain here, instead remaining a heroic member of the Kids (later Teens) Next Door.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul:
- In canon, Cree and Numbuh 5 have a nasty Sibling Rivalry. Here, due to Cree never betraying the Kids Next Door, her and Numbuh 5 have a much healthier relationship, with Numbuh 5 openly regarding Cree as her Cool Big Sis.
- As a direct result of the above, Sector V also has a much nicer relationship with Cree, as she's not a Teen Ninja and, thus, has no reason to be fighting with them, with them all enjoying her stories from her time as Numbuh 11.
- Cree and Maurice, while still friendly, never become a couple. Maurice instead dates Mallory while Cree gets some Ship Tease with Chad.
- Alpha Bitch: Chloe is Cree's personal nemesis at school. She constantly bullies Cree over her appearance and seduced The Steve in order to get power in the Teen Ninjas, even though she's a completely incompetent agent.
- Ambiguously Bi: Cree gets a bit of Ship Tease with Chad, but also blushes when Firecracker calls her hot.
- Ambiguously Gay: While drunk on soda, Firecracker declares that she thinks Cree is attractive. Whether this actually hints at her being attracted to the same gender or was just drunken rambling is never revealed.
- A Day in the Limelight:
- Chapter 3 focuses on Numbuhs 1 and 5 as they return to the sight of the explosion to try and find clues about what actually went down, with Cree only being name dropped a couple times.
- Chapter 11 is a Villain Episode putting Mallory Blackburn in the spotlight, with Cree not even being mentioned.
- An Arm and a Leg: The catalyst of the fic is Cree losing an arm from the elbow down during a mission.
- And I Must Scream: As in canon, Sector Z remembers everything they did as the Delightful Children; Numbuh 0.2 tells Cree that they desperately wanted to save her from the wreckage, but their new bodies prevented them from doing so.
- Ascended Extra: The Teens Next Door get more focus here than they ever did on the show.
- Babysitting Episode: Chapter 6 is an adaptation of "Operation: S.I.T.T.E.R.", focusing on Cree babysitting Numbuh 2 and his brother.
- Big Sister Instinct: If Cree finds out you've hurt Numbuh 5, pray for your life. Chad and the weredogs got to find this out the hard way.
- Body Horror: In the prologue, Maurice briefly notes that he can see the skin on Cree's arm melting off the bone.
- Breakout Character: Firecracker/Numbuh 451 was originally meant to be a minor character. Thanks to both positive reception towards her and the author enjoying writing her, she ended up becoming the most prominent original character in the fic, as well as getting her own spin-off set in the main series.
- Bring My Brown Pants: Valerie wets herself after realizing that Cree and the person who attacked her and the weredogs are one and the same and silently promises the girl worse if she attacks Abby again.
- Broken Pedestal: After hearing how Sector Z apparently abandoned Cree, Maurice becomes disdainful of them, muttering that you should never meet your heroes.
- Bullying the Disabled: Both Chloe and Mallory mock Cree for missing an arm.
- Career-Ending Injury: Discussed; there's a clause in the rules saying that any KND agent who ends up permanently crippled on the job can simply retire when they turn 13 rather than get decommissioned, or earlier if they don't think they can continue serving in their condition. Cree ultimately ends up defying this, remaining a KND operative (and later become a Teens Next Door member) even without her arm.
- Conveniently an Orphan: Sector Z is revealed to be a group of orphans, neatly sidestepping the question of whether or not any of them had family that would worry about their disappearance post-Delightfulization.
- Cool Big Sis:
- Cree remains this to Numbuh 5; the two girls clearly care for each other, especially when compared to their antagonistic relationship in canon.
- Firecracker was seen as this by Sector Z. The feeling was mutual, and she was hit especially hard by the reveal that the DCFDTL were them all along as a result.
- Covered in Scars:
- Cree has multiple scars across her body, including a large one covering the left side of her face that she hides with her hair.
- Firecracker is also said to have multiple scars running across her body, including an obvious one over her left eye.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Chapter 13 has an enraged Cree vs. a pack of weredogs. The weredogs don't stand a chance. Miss Thompson doesn't fare much better.
- Didn't Think This Through: Chapter 4, which follows the aftermath of Operation E.N.D., mentions that Chad's plan to become a Fake Defector for the Kids Next Door was to get caught altering the records of various KND operatives invited to his 13th birthday party, then from there stage throwing the Moonbase to the sun, which would fail and keep the Teen Ninjas from trying the same while also impressing them enough so he'll be recruited and spy on them. He didn't account for the fact that Numbuh 86 is extremely overeager to decommission anyone on the list without checking the facts, and the plan only didn't backfire horribly because Numbuh One was able to avoid getting caught. He also realizes too late that everyone invited included Numbuh 5, meaning he'll have to deal with a very pissed off Cree for allowing her little sister to get decommissioned. End result? An hour long beatdown from Cree.
- Disabled in the Adaptation: The big catalyst for the story is Cree, who is canonically able bodied, losing her left arm from the elbow down on a mission.
- Downer Beginning: The story opens with Cree losing her arm on a mission and a newly-delightfulized Sector Z abandoning her and the KND as a whole.
- The Dragon:
- Chloe serves as this to The Steve; it's made blatantly clear she only got the position because they're dating.
- Most people consider Mallory Blackburn the actual second in command of the Teen Ninjas, as she's their best agent and she's taken Cree's canon spot as Father's apprentice.
- Dramatic Irony:
- While the reader can easily infer that the prologue takes place during the accident that led to Sector Z becoming permanently Delightfulized, especially with the hints in chapter 3, none of the other characters know why the explosion happened or why Sector Z abandoned Cree.
- Several times, characters have commented on the similarities between the Delightful Children from Down the Lane and Sector Z, but consider the idea that they are one and the same to be completely ridiculous.
- In chapter 14, after Cree wakes up from confronting her canon counterpart, both Chad and Firecracker say that Cree being a traitor sounds insane. Readers, of course, know that the Cree from the dream was how Cree is in canon.
- Drunk on Milk: Much like in canon, people can get drunk off soda, complete with hangovers.
- Dude, Not Funny!: When she's about to use the de-delightfulization machine on the Delightful Children, Firecracker jokes that she hopes a fuse doesn't blow this time, eliciting this reaction from everyone.
- Expy: Chloe Reginason is pretty obviously based on Chloé Bourgeois; they share a first name, a hairstyle, a (hypothetical in the former's case) voice actress, and they're both shallow bullies who harass the protagonist.
- Halloween Episode: Chapter 5 takes place during Halloween, and focuses on Cree taking Sector V trick-or-treating.
- Handicapped Badass: Losing her arm did not slow Cree down whatsoever, with everyone still being terrified at the idea of actually facing her in battle.
- High-School Dance: Chapter 10 focuses on the same prom night that the KND attacked at the end of "Operation: V.I.R.U.S.", though Numbuh 5 manages to convince the KND higher-ups not to do so since Cree will be attending.
- Hook Hand: Cree's regular prosthetic arm has a hook-like pincer at the end, but she also has one that's a more traditional hook hand.
- Innocently Insensitive: After Sector V meets Cree for the first time and she begins telling them stories about herself and other famous figures from her time in the KND, Numbuhs 2, 3 and 4 begin asking if she ever worked with Sector Z, unaware of Cree's messy history with them. Numbuh 3 in particular asks if she was jealous, causing Cree to angrily snap.
- In Vino Veritas: While drunk on soda, Firecracker nearly reveals her history with Sector Z, something she's normally tight-lipped about.
- Instantly Proven Wrong: In the first chapter, after Cree asks if she's sure her sector won't care that she ditched a meeting to have a movie night with Cree, Numbuh 5 assures her that they won't notice. No sooner does she say that does the rest of her sector burst in under the assumption she had gotten kidnapped.
- I Want My Mommy!: Both parents version is seen after Cree wakes up in the hospital and realizes she just lost her arm. When the nurse tells her it's gone for good, Cree breaks down and begs for her parents.
- Internal Reveal:
- Cree finally learns the truth about what happened to Sector Z in chapter 16.
- As part of a plan to bring back Sector Z, Numbuh 362 reveals the existence of the Teens Next Door to a select group of operatives, Sector V included.
- In Spite of a Nail: Cree's canon failed plan to destroy the Moonbase is attempted by another Teen Ninja.
- It's All My Fault: Once the truth about what happened to Sector Z comes out, Firecracker is left blaming herself as she was also supposed to be on the mission that resulted in them becoming the Delightful Children, but had gotten injured and thus, couldn't join, feeling that if she had been there, she could have saved them.
- Lower-Deck Episode: Chapter 12 shows what the Teens Next Door were doing during the events of "Operation: I.T.".
- Mook Horror Show: Cree vs the weredogs in chapter 13 sees the former utterly destroy the pack, slamming them against walls and the floor and even force feeding one to another. By the time it's her turn, Valerie goes from smug and confident to screaming for Miss Thompson in terror and begging to be spared from Cree's wrath.
- The Mole: As in canon, several members of the Teens Next Door have also infiltrated the Teen Ninjas, including Maurice and Chad.
- Not Evil, Just Misunderstood: The KND Global Command briefly pegs Cree as a teen villain due to her appearing Obviously Evil. Cree and Numbuh 5 end up explaining the truth to Sector V when they crash the sisters' movie night under the impression that the latter was being kidnapped.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Firecracker, formerly known as Numbuh 451. While the narration does reveal her name at one point (Ava Baros), at only one point in the story is she actually referred to with her first name.
- Oh, Crap!: Chad has this reaction when he realizes that, since his scheme led to Numbuh 5 being temporarily decommissioned, Cree is after his head.
- Original Character: Several original members of the Teen Ninjas and the Teens Next Door are added to the cast to fill out their ranks.
- Orphanage of Fear: One of Firecracker's past missions saw her take down one that used kids as slave labor. It's where she met Sector Z before they officially joined the KND.
- Other Me Annoys Me: Chapter 14 pits Cree against her canonical self. Cree is horrified to discover her counterpart is an evil villainess who betrayed Abby and all their friends.
- Pass the Popcorn: When Cree lays the smackdown on Chad for hurting Numbuh 5, the other Teens Next Door operatives watch with popcorn and take bets on whether or not he'll die.
- Point of Divergence: The main divergence from canon is that Cree's sector is teamed with Sector Z for the mission that led to them becoming the Delightful Children from Down the Lane. As a result, Cree get caught in the explosion caused by the malfunctioning Delightfulizer, losing her arm and subsequently triggering every other change the story makes to canon.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Both Chloe and Mallory mock Cree for missing an arm.
- Precision F-Strike: Cree drops an F-bomb in chapter 13 while confronting the weredogs who turned and blackmailed her sister.
- Pyromaniac: Ava "Firecracker" Baros got her nickname due to her love of using fire and explosives in combat.
- Replacement Flat Character: Mallory Blackburn takes Cree's place as the most competent of the Teen Ninjas and Father's apprentice, but has none of her redeeming qualities.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: In a way, Cree is correct that the people who abandoned her following the explosion aren't heroes because the people who abandoned her were the Delightful Children, not Sector Z as she mistakenly believed.
- Rise of Zitboy: Chloe takes Cree's place in canon as the Teen Ninja infected with an unpoppable zit right before prom. Unlike in canon, no one has enough sympathy for her to help cure it, so she's forced to (badly) cover it with make-up.
- Secret-Keeper: As in canon, Numbuh 5 is informed of the existence of the Teens Next Door. From there, she's able to figure out that Cree's a member, and she promises to keep it secret.
- Sleep Cute: After the events of chapter 6, Betty Gilligan comes home to find Cree and Numbuh 2 cuddling on the couch together.
- Sleeping Their Way to the Top: It's made clear several times throughout the fic that the only reason Chloe has such a high position in the Teen Ninjas is because she's dating the Steve.
- Share the Male Pain: Several male Teens Next Door operatives wince in sympathy when Cree subjects Chad to a Groin Attack.
- Shipper on Deck:
- Cree knows about Numbuh 5 and Numbuh 2's mutual attraction and fully supports them.
- When talking about it, Numbuh 3 says that she thinks Numbuh 1 and Numbuh 362 would make a cute couple.
- Shout-Out:
- In a clear reference to Candyman, when Cree is mistaken for a teen villain, she's given the moniker "the Candyperson" (later changed to "Candygirl") and particular attention is drawn to her hook hand. Cree ends up dressing up as the actual Candyman during Halloween.
- Besides being an expy of Chloé Bourgeois, Chloe also has the last name Reginason.
- Doubles as a Meaningful Name — the pyromaniac Numbuh 451's number is derived from Fahrenheit 451.
- During her beatdown on the weredogs, Cree yells out how much she loves the smell of fear as she drags her hook along the ground.
- Sneeze Cut: As Numbuh 1's friends talk about how annoying Lizzie is, the scene cuts to Lizzie suddenly feeling like she's being insulted.
- Spared by the Adaptation: In the fic's version of "Operation: Z.E.R.O.", Cree manages to avoid being turned into a Senior Citi-Zombie, unlike in canon.
- Spit Take: Numbuh 5 causally revealing to her sister that she knows she's in the Teens Next Door results in Cree spitting out the water she just drank.
- Underestimating Badassery: In chapter 14, when Cree ends up facing her canon counterpart in a dream, the latter assumes that the former will be go down easily, only for the two to end up evenly matched.
- Villain Episode: Chapter 11 focuses on Mallory Blackburn, revealing how she sees the world.
- Wild Card: The only reason Mallory joined up with the Teen Ninjas was for extra protection; otherwise, she has no loyalty towards the adults and is just as eager to disrespect them as she is to battle the KND.
- Wild Teen Party:
- Chapter 14 sees the Teens Next Door have one after completing a successful mission, breaking out the soda and going wild. Many of them wake up hungover the next day.
- Chapter 16 covers the events of "Operation: P.A.R.T.Y.", with the Teens Next Door using the party as an excuse to trash Father's mansion.
- Worth It: Cree considers beating up Chad for hurting her sister this, even though she busted up her prosthetic arm in the process and her parents got mad at her for it.
