#i was so close with we are robin ep. WE WERE SO CLOSE TO HAVING A GOOD DUKE IN WFA

[casscainmainly]

What do you think of how WFA is currently using Duke so far? On the one hand bringing in We are Robin is good but on the other hand I feel like it they still are sidelining him. He's still benched and sure they brought in We are Robin but it felt like they were more used for Damian and his story, and they had Duke set up this support system but we've seen others like Steph doing more with it and really interacting with it. I feel like them say introducing We Are Robin but like making interact more with Damian and be there for his story is like "see we read Duke, now here's the other characters we really want to focus"

I've fallen behind on WFA for a few weeks so I just caught up! And. Yeah. I have thoughts. (Also again disclaimer I don't have FastPass so this is based on the free eps as of now).

In August last year I did an analysis of Duke Thomas in WFA, where I outlined my gripes. Then, in December, I praised the We Are Robin-centric episode. Right after, I wrote about how the next episode was making me a little wary but I was still optimistic.

Just outlining this to demonstrate that my feelings on WFA bounce back and forth a lot, but I do think it can do better and it has done better. So I'm gonna read on (because it's the only consistent place for Duke content, and because I like the Batgirls in it enough), but long story short: I'm pissed.

(Putting a rant under the cut; if you're enjoying S3 of WFA, I'm genuinely happy for you! I'm going to take a more negative stance than usual though so don't read if you don't want to hear that stuff).

Okay first of all the benching. All the way back in August I complained about Duke being benched, in a season that started with his kidnapping and revolves around the Joker. At the time I was hopeful he'd be unbenched, but it's been 34 eps and he's STILL BENCHED!! Even if he's unbenched in the FastPass eps I don't have, it's still ridiculous that he was out of the field for that long.

What happened when canon Duke got injured I wonder??

Oh yeah, in the Cursed Wheel he SNUCK OUT!!! Because he has agency!!!! What's frustrating about benching Duke for the entirety of S3 so far is that Duke, at his core, is a character of action. From his very first appearance in Zero Year, he's defined by an absurd amount of agency, wanting to fight the Riddler (then finding his parents, then joining WAR, then becoming Signal). A Duke that sits by for THIRTY FOUR EPISODES is NOT DUKE THOMAS!!!

But he's broken his arm, right? It makes sense for him to be benched?? Well first of all it was WFA's CHOICE to break his arm, a choice I do not think added anything to Duke's character or to Bruce's paranoia (which was clearly the entire point of Duke's kidnapping in the first place). Secondly, another character was injured in a fight with the Joker and benched. Another character who REJOINED THE FIELD IN 16 EPISODES!!!!

Dick gets injured in #130 and goes back out in #146. That is under half of how many episodes Duke's been benched for, AND Dick got injured in a fight against Joker. Duke didn't even get to fight!!! He didn't get to do anything!!! Dick's injury was also stupid, but the way WFA handled his benching versus Duke's is worlds apart, and shows to me how much less they respect Duke than the others.

Also can I just say how gross it was to use Duke's kidnapping merely to kickstart the plot? An astonishing 14 episodes pass before we get any mention of how Duke feels (in #132, he says he has nightmares). Then another 11 eps pass before we get to him talking to Lucius + calling WAR. That nightmares thing is never followed up on either! In #124 and #132, Duke's dialogue functions to further the plot or other characters - in #124, Duke justifies the others going out, and in #132, he helps Bruce through his feelings. Even when the episodes are about him, they are not about him!!! I genuinely think only 2 eps out of this entire season haven't used Duke as a prop for someone else.

I'm going to briefly detour to discuss #132 because I loathe that episode. In Homebound, Bruce visits Duke and they play Battleship (it was cute. fine. whatever). And then Bruce offers to hear Duke out on how he feels. Smash cut to:

ARE YOU SERIOUS??? We spent more than 3 episodes on Jason's PTSD, but we couldn't even spend a single panel on Duke talking about his own trauma???? Whether or not you liked the Jason bits this season, he had a moment. Babs also has her moment, and a whole ep is spent with just her and her dad. Duke, of the 3 Bats that have the biggest associations with the Joker, never gets to fully express how he feels. This off-panel cop-out is honestly kind of insulting.

Another detour: the kidnapping ep. We finally get Duke's full backstory after TWO WHOLE SEASONS (besides a brief mention in #76), and it was just not good. Besides the fact that Duke's kidnapping is, as I've mentioned, just a way to get the plot moving, I don't like the way WFA handles his parents:

What on EARTH are you talking about. This feels like a justification for Duke having never mentioned his parents before, but it's completely untrue to Duke's canon character. Sure, he thinks about his parents more than he talks about them, but WFA Duke never thinks about them either!! This narration box just riles me up whenever I think about it.

I was a bit nicer to this part in my first analysis, but no this part just straight up sucks. First off, I don't believe canon!Duke fears being turned into "something like [his parents]". In Cursed Wheel, he more or less comes to terms with how his parents are: "every horrible thing coming out of [my parents'] mouths? They're actually telling me how much they love me. [...] Let them stay." WFA always picking the weirdest things (becoming like his parents, his powers) for Duke to be scared about!

Secondly, this part juxtaposes the 'horror' of becoming like his parents ("something like them") and the wonderful, beautiful vision of "home": Bruce Wayne. Not only is this in direct defiance of Duke's canon character, it just strikes me as an odd and mean-spirited comparison. It essentially erases Duke's parents from his vision of 'home', just to fit him into the Wayne nuclear family.

But to get to the actual topic of the ask: We Are Robin. I still think the We Are Robin ep (#144) is the best Duke in the entirety of WFA, but did things improve afterwards? Did we focus on the WAR kids, their relationship to Duke, or their overall relationship to Robin? Nope. Turns out WAR, like Duke, was a prop for Damian!!

Damian is too harsh in training the Robins, so Duke intervenes. Damian stomps off and has a heart-to-heart with Jon, during which he admits he was trying to prove himself as Robin by training WAR. I actually like this premise!!! Duke and Damian have always had a contentious relationship to each other's Robins, and it makes TOTAL sense for Damian to be dismissive of WAR and think of it as a way to 'prove' himself. The problem is we did this already. TOM KING did it, in Robin War!!!

This is literally a microwaved TK story with worse writing and less nuance. In Robin War, we explored the way Damian dismisses Duke + WAR, both Duke and Damian's feelings of inadequacy around being Robin, and both of them eventually finding common ground and accepting each other. This arc is that except we cut out Duke's perspective. Now, it's all about Damian's feelings about Robin, and nothing about Duke or WAR's relationship to the mantle!

I cannot stress enough that this is a worse version of Robin War, and Robin War isn't even that good!!!

By centering We Are Robin's appearance on Damian, we lose about 99% of WAR's relationships to each other (and especially to Duke). The only specific relationship we see is Duke and Izzy blushing around each other. No acknowledgement of the Dre-Duke beef, the Riko-Duke crush, Dax-Dre friendship, these are a bunch of extras in a movie about Damian Wayne I guess.

You get absolutely no sense of who Izzy, Riko, Dre, or Dax are. The only thing you learn about them is that they're incompetent!

It's been a couple of episodes and they've been beaten TWICE. I get that they're not the main characters, but compared to the Outlaws or other affiliated teams, WAR is portrayed as ineffectual. And both times it's for Damian's sake. This is so frustrating because Damian + WAR is a really interesting relationship, but because WFA never focuses on WAR's feelings or reactions, it doesn't feel like an equal conflict. It feels like Damian vs. some cardboard cutouts.

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE??? Why aren't they even a tiny bit mad at Damian for either Robin War (WHICH DID HAPPEN BECAUSE WE ARE ROBIN IS CANON HERE) or what he did to them literally a few eps ago?? You know what, why aren't they mad at DUKE for ghosting and abandoning them?? They mention very briefly at the start that it's 'all good', but why??? Is it because WFA is not invested in their feelings??? Is it because we don't have space to explore even a modicum of Duke's story??????

Having a We Are Robin plot not focused on Duke Thomas or even We Are Robin is so upsetting, especially because the WAR ep was genuinely grounded in canon. Like you said in the ask, it does feel like they put that in there just to prove they've read WAR. What is clear to me now is that, though they've read the run, they didn't understand it. They did it for a perfunctory 'here's some Duke stuff' and never bothered to be interested in any of these characters' stories.

Because we should have gotten Duke's side of things. Damian gets an entire ep to talk to Jon and another to prove himself by fighting Joker, and Duke gets a few panels where he's like 'Damian don't usurp my training I forgive you though'. Season 3 has come the closest to giving WFA!Duke some depth, and because it comes the closest, it also fails the hardest. I still have hope that Duke will get some moments in this season, but I'm losing hope that it will make up for his treatment at all.

Apparently an upcoming Cass ep isn't great so they're really attacking me personally at this point. Idk what gets me is that for some people, this is their first exposure to Duke and WAR. For some people this is and will continue to be their only exposure. And it's this watered-down, uninteresting, bland, prop version of him that just is not the Duke Thomas I know and love.

[ice-cream-writes-stuff]

Spider and Bats Snippets 2

[0.] [1.]

I headcanon Spider!(Y/N) meets Clark/Superman on accident before Batman does.

Just, imagine. Your heading to a part time job, super excited about it! Get on the bus, and wait... Then fall asleep..

The bus driver kicks you out at the Mertropolis bus station. Not good! You don't have enough for a ticket back to Gotham so you managed to get a part-time job at The Daily Planet, as the coffee runner! Simple enough?

Bumping into a meek Clark Kent, who is shyly thanking you for his cup of joe'. Then you, eagerly wanting a new friend in a strange enviorment, (again), asking about what he's writing.

"Wow Kent, didn't expect you to snag the new girl."

Lois teased light-heartedly. "Oh, ha-ha it's nothing like that. They're a good friend."

He shrugs it off as Lois shakes her head. "Sheesh, a lot of fella's make a LOT of trouble with that word. Good luck Smallsville."

Blinking in confusion, you were suprised she didn't notice you as you walk up beside him. "Huh... Wait, you think were good friends!?" You beam in awe at Clark, happily spinning around his desk chair. "Clark! You should of said something sooner!"

You let go, now thoughtful. "Hmmm, we should do friendship bracelets then.. I mean, I did make one with another friend of mine.. OH! I got an' idea-" "-Guh.. I-I think I.. Need to rain check.."

"Hm? What's wrong? You look dizy... Vomit-y."

I know there's different versions of how Batman met Superman. Personally, I perfer The Animated Series Ver!

I would like to think, Robin and Nightwing asked her to get Superman's autograph as a casual comment if Spider(Y/N) went to Mertropolis.

So during her "stay" at the other city, she'd often patrol and help a bit when she could.

Would totally meet Supes' on acident.

"Wow! Hello! Why is your city so much cleaner? I like your cape! Reminds me of Miguel-!" You try to descalate the situation.

You happily greet him, babbling as your buddy glared at you. You shrug at Batman's gaze, giving him a slight push. Herding him close to your side incase of any... Bad, course of action, between you and the supposed "Man of Steel".

Superman paused at the greeting, after thrown into a wall. He expected more hostily from you as well, since he read most crime-fighters were, due to the Gotham Gazette. Yet you seemed more occupied with keeping the Batman away from HIM.

Using his x-ray vision, he peaked underneath your masks.

"Bruce Wayne..." He mumbled under his breath as Batman shoved you to the side. Glaring at the super-powered male, "You peeked.."

"Hm? He did what?" You weren't paying attention, more focused on the destruction and damage. Frowning worriedly, knowung your "unexpected vaction" would meet it's end.

Superman The Animated Series: Season 1 Ep 16 - World's Finest Part 1

I can see Spider!(Y/N) being pen-pals with lot's of heros and vigilantes. Possibly even anti-heros and villians?

Carefully web-shooting the civillians away, you keep squint as you watch them dance in sync. Slightly envious, before shooting a glance at Batman.

He collapsed as groups of Music Meisters pawns held him down. Grunting as he tried to move away. You used your web to toss them away quickly. Huffing as you glanced down at your comrade.

Even with the ear-plugs, you couldn't help it!

As if spotlight shone on your cue, you sang encouragingly. Smiling underneath your mask, you hold out a hand to him. He grasps it as you slowly pull him up.

♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ."And you can rise above...!" ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ.

The Brave and the Bold Season 1 Episode 25 Mayhem of the Music Meister!

We all know that THEE Batman has a certain type.

But this is for fun, so, (。ゝ(ェ)・)-☆

Overall, I stated perviously, it's more a comedic pairing that has many set-ups to be serious.

Watching Catwoman flee once more, you walk to Bat's side. Standing beside him politely, before.. Slowly... Reaching out your hand to his. Holding it firmly with no caution.

The vigilante glares at the action, yet you don't let up as he tries to shake your hand away.

You giggle as you watch your arm swing with his, your laughter becoming louder as he finally gave in.

Batfam relationship depends on if Spider!(Y/N) came before or after the Batfam was formed.

Personally, I perfer it before. I feel like it would show growth in Bat's and Spiders dynamic.

I sorta wanna explore it, but if ya'll got ideas Im open to it.

-

{Yay! Another self-indulg work! Lol. I was inspired once again, I really just love that more people are intrested in the idea than just myself! Horray! Comments, art, reblogs are always wanted! This is purely for fun! If anyone gets the easter egg I put, let me know!}

[gojoidyll]

There is No Law that Emperors Must be Fair

Emperor ! Jing Yuan x Princess ! Reader

Chapter 24 | Brand New Day

You are set to marry the Emperor, Jing Yuan. In order to break the engagement, you stage an accident and fake having amnesia. But now, your own cruel, cold, and distant fiancé, who seemed to not want anything to do with you, is now acting all lovey dovey!

Fic Masterlist

Sunday took you to a place that looked and felt so familiar. Flowers bloomed all around for the eye could see. You wondered why you haven’t found this place before.

“Jing Yuan brought you here all the time in your past life.”

“Really?”

You watched Sunday carefully as he stopped and turned to stand in front of you, his smile was soft as he held out his hands for you to take. You took a moment for yourself, your eyes wandering from flower to flower before smiling yourself, “did you know that you would win?”

“For a long time I didn’t.”

You closed your eyes, “you promise it won’t hurt?”

“I promise… it’ll be like drifting off into a sweet dream.”

“It won’t be a nightmare?”

“Never a nightmare. Not for you.”

You felt him press a kiss to your forehead, his lips were soft and warm, and you realized how different it felt than when he would kiss you in his other form, “to forget the pain,” and he was right. When you felt your body start to fall and he catches you so easily, it didn’t hurt at all. I felt at peace when you finally… drifted off… into sle…ep…

Though the moment that you did it felt like you were snapping your eyes open and sitting up in bed. You looked around almost frantically until you realized that you were in your room, your bedroom in your father’s castle that is.

“Princess,” a maid called from outside, “you better be ready when I get in there! You have an audience today and I refuse for you to be late!”

The maid who was usually badgering you was named Lizette, it was nice to hear her voice again.

“Come on princess! You know how she can get!”

Gepard too? He was here?

Was all of that… a bad dream? You shook your head, it couldn’t be.

Getting out of bed, you went straight for your door, opened it, and rushed out all while still in your nightgown.

“Princess,” both Lizette and Gepard called out but you were already down the hall causing the two to chase after you.

You headed straight for the throne room where you could already hear a few voices talk to one another which wasn’t the norm for your father. If anything he was as antisocial as a brick wall.

“Princess, wait!”

You didn’t listen as you opened the door. You didn’t venture further into the throne room as both your father, Jing Yuan, Blade, Sunday, and a girl you haven’t see before turned to look at you.

“What is-“

Your father was the first to speak up as Gepard and Lizette finally caught up to you, “daughter! How many times do I have to tell you not to run around in your nightgown!”

You ignored him as your eyes landed on both Sunday and Jing Yuan, the two people who shouldn’t even be standing next to each other which was when the unknown girl turned to your father, “your highness, with all due respect, may we talk to her in private?”

Your father gave you a disapproving look before agreeing and leaving the throne room.

“Y-“

Sunday cut you off, “you probably have many questions.”

“Obviously,” you said, “what is going on?!”

The unknown girl stepped towards you, “my name is Robin.”

“Sunday’s sister?”

She nodded, “just as you died, Jing Yuan reset time.”

“Reset it? So he-“

She nodded as Jing Yuan walked towards you and held out his hand for you to take, “I went far back into the past with knowledge of the future I shouldn’t have. But… I decided to take that knowledge and save Sunday’s sister, however, by saving her you died in her place.”

Sunday spoke up next, “but there was still a way for you to live again, though, it did take about three hundred years for your soul to come back.”

“But how? You didn’t have all of your power,” you said as you fitted your hand into Jing Yuan’s palm.

“For you, my power can exceed anything, even if it is locked away.”

“If that was your plan, why did you send me away?”

“I felt I didn’t deserve you… you died by my hand, so many times.”

“But you reset it each time.”

“That I did.”

He interlocked your fingers together before you gently pulled your hand away, “so what now?”

“I hope to make you my fiancé and my empress, if you’ll allow it.”

You smiled at that, “and if I refuse?”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to win your affections.”

You turned away and motioned for Gepard and Lizette to follow you, “I look forward to it, dear Emperor.”

@danae-misfortune @frogsasfrogs @openthenyoor01 @zuhaine @ughlostmyotherac @joyfulnightprincess @thechibifoxcub @ceaether @satanisasofties @thetwinkims @yanrandom @honeybunbunn @superdonkeypatroleggs @ohmyfinggod @baboon-milk333 @zareri @kclremin @rains-mae @yccoffeesimp @bloomiesty @moon-taffy @superdark-soul @pinkismyfavcolor @isa-l0v3r @its-astrotea-love @reapersan @junephantom21 @erisfayred @greyrain23 @justadekusimp @uzxotic @alisstaa @avalordream @unlivingdisaster @pix-stuff @sleepyxion14 @pillows-blankets @anicega @junni-berry @niaainthere @sorachitsuki @dyingsweetmackerel @rosariymchapter @immahuman @fluffy-koalala @momoniq @orphiclueur @insightedly

[love-byers]

Hi! Not gonna lie I was a bit disappointed that you believe the birthday gate stuff... The Duffers wouldn't have admitted to have made a mistake if that were the case. And most of all, it would've come up in volume 2! Now if something happens in S5 it would just feel like they came up with it during the 3 years between S4 and S5. They can say it was planned all they want, people would call bullshit, and rightfully so. I'm sorry I can not believe how anyone can think birthday gate could be a real thing. Not to mention it doesn't even make any sense. Please bylers let's just accept the Duffers made a mistake!!

i disagree with everything you said

1. "the duffers wouldn't have admitted to have made a mistake if that were the case"

they lied.

the duffers are sneaky snakes who want us to analyze and always be looking for little details. they have literally said there are no coincidences in the show.

so yes, i completely believe that they would go out of their way to lie in order to save the surprise for s5. i mean actually think about it, if it really was just a mistake, why would they not just fix it?? they have the full power to just do a little voiceover edit and boom, problem solved. they explained exactly how they'd do it. but they didn't. 2 years have passed and they still haven't changed it when that little tweak would literally solve all their problems if it really was a mistake.

they lied. they're liars.

2. "it would've come up in vol 2"

since when does every single problem have to be solved in one season?? do you know what show you're watching??

there are hints and foreshadowing all over the seasons. vecna is foreshadowed in s1 ep1 when will's door was opened with telekinesis, and we had no idea he existed until 6 years and 3 seasons later.

in s1 they don't fully explain how will was communicating with joyce. but after s4 everything clicks into place.

they show us that will can clearly hear her and is finding a way to make the lights light up. then in ep 8 they show joyce and hopper making the christmas lights light up as they walk through the byers upside down house. jonathan sees this and asks if it's joyce, and joyce hears him.

that isn't addressed AT ALL in s2 or s3. it is fully explained and explored in s4, when nancy steve eddie and robin are stuck in the upside down. they fully show us how it works and acknowledge that it was how will communicated with joyce.

the creators knew exactly how the light upside down stuff worked the entire show. but it wasn't time for it to be explained just yet. it was meant to come up later on. it's a masterful way to write a story with longevity.

stranger things teaches you to never just write something off. everything is important. don't let it go just because it hasn't been fully explained. there will be payoff.

3. "now if it comes up in s5 it would just feel like they came up with it the 3 years between s4 and s5. people would call bullshit."

respectfully i think you're projecting a bit.

the average viewer who does not spend their time on forums is not going to think that whatsoever. the average viewer is going to think "wait what?!", go back and watch s4 ep 2, and think "holy shit it was planned all along that's so cool!"

like that's such a dumb way of thinking. you have to be a master level hater to see a well written plot twist and think "they just did that to cover their asses" like that's some next level hating

and i guarantee you once s5 comes out the duffers will be like "yeah of course we had to lie you guys were too close to figuring it out!"

david harbour has talked about how hard it was for him to flat out lie to people about hopper being dead. it's really not that crazy to think they lied

4. "it doesn't even make any sense"

....it does.

i don't know how you could think it doesn't make sense

rink o mania day was march 22nd. will's birthday. they have not changed his birthday. his official canonical birthday is still march 22nd.

but no one mentions it. even will doesn't seem to know it's his birthday.

s4 is all about memories and trauma and feeling isolated from others. we also literally learn there is a powerful monster man who can read minds and enter other people's memories, just like el can. so i don't see how it's so outlandish to think there's some memory fuckery going on.

of course we can't explain exactly why or how, because it hasn't been adressed yet. you have to wait for the pay off.

5. "just accept the duffers made a mistake"

i would accept that they made a mistake if they actually fixed the mistake LIKE THEY SAID THEY WOULD. they said "we are going to edit the episode and change it to say may 22nd" and then DIDNT. EVER.

and not only that, they wished him happy birthday on march 22nd 2 years in a row. noah schnapp posted a bts photo on march 22nd 2024 with the caption "Do you know what March 22nd is? It's your birthday. - Joyce Byers"

they are saying "yes it's still his birthday so get hyped for s5 where it'll be addressed" every way they can without spelling it out for you.

i really don't know what more you need

[adozowa]

CHAPTER 2 EP 1

|| male reader still being mistaken as a woman, he's about to explode. ||

starting episodes tend to be short! Since it's only the intro.

900+ words

Violence, suggestive themes, swearing.

GREED MASTERLIST: 💲💵

It was a quiet day at sea, a bit too quiet for your liking. The sky was clear, the waves gentle, and the Going Merry glided smoothly across the ocean. Nothing had happened for hours, and it was starting to wear on your nerves—though clearly not as much as it was bothering Luffy.

“GAAAAHHH! WHEN IS SOMETHING EXCITING GONNA HAPPEN?!” Luffy shouted, his voice full of frustration as he flopped onto the deck in pure boredom. Nami, who had been enjoying the rare moment of peace, promptly whacked him on the head.

“STOP COMPLAINING! THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE’VE RESTED IN FOREVER!” she snapped, clearly irritated by Luffy’s constant need for chaos.

You could relate to Luffy’s restlessness, but not to his extremes. Still, you couldn’t resist stirring things up a bit. After all, it had been a while since anything interesting had happened. With a mischievous glint in your eyes, you leaned against the railing and said, in a calm, almost teasing tone, “It’s awfully quiet today, huh?”

The moment the words left your mouth, both Usopp and Nami froze. Their eyes widened in pure horror. They knew exactly what you’d just done.

“NOOO! WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!” Nami screeched, lightly hitting you on the head, though not nearly as hard as she hit the boys.

“GREED-SAN, HOW COULD YOU?! I TRUSTED YOU!” Usopp wailed dramatically, collapsing at your feet in exaggerated despair.

Chopper, who had been blissfully unaware of your so-called curse, tilted his head in confusion. “Why are they yelling at Greed-sama?” he asked Robin, who sat reading calmly nearby, seemingly unfazed by the commotion. Sanji hovered close to her, waiting for the next opportunity to fulfill any request she might have.

Robin didn’t even look up from her book as she replied, “Greed just jinxed the day. Something chaotic is bound to happen now.”

“EHH?!” Chopper yelped, eyes widening in panic as he darted over to join the others in scolding you. “WHY DID YOU HAVE TO JINX IT?!”

You chuckled, enjoying their reactions far more than you should. But just as you were about to offer a snarky retort, the ocean suddenly heaved beneath you. A loud crash erupted in the distance, and the Going Merry rocked dangerously as a massive wave surged toward the ship.

“AAAAAHHH!” Usopp, Nami, and Chopper clung to each other in terror, screaming at the top of their lungs. You smirked slightly, knowing that your prediction had, unfortunately, come true.

Planks of wood and debris from what looked like a destroyed ship flew through the air, threatening to collide with anyone standing in their path. One particularly large plank hurtled toward Chopper’s face, but before it could reach him, you drew your weapon and fired, splitting the wood clean in half. Chopper looked up at you with tearful gratitude.

“Thanks, Greed-sama!” he sniffled, still trembling from the scare.

Robin, ever the calm observer, narrowed her eyes as she analyzed the situation. “It seems parts of a ship have been scattered across the sea,” she noted in her usual composed tone.

In the distance, an old, broken ship came into view. Its hull was barely holding together, and it looked like it had been drifting for centuries. But you didn’t care about that. Where there was a ship, there were treasures. And you weren’t about to let them slip through your fingers.

“We should investigate it,” you said eagerly, at the same time Nami blurted out the same thought. Both of you clasped your hands together, eyes sparkling with greed.

The crew, unsurprisingly, saw right through your intentions. “YOU JUST WANT THE TREASURE, DON’T YOU TWO?!” everyone except Robin and Zoro yelled in unison. Zoro was still asleep, and Robin, well, she actually seemed interested in investigating the ship’s history.

Zoro finally stirred, yawning as he stretched lazily. “Can you guys stop being so loud?”

Nami wasted no time smacking him on the head. “WHERE WERE YOU WHEN WE WERE GETTING BOMBARDED BY FLYING WOOD?!” she demanded, her aura turning terrifyingly dark.

As Nami barked orders to the crew, you, Usopp, Chopper, and Sanji stood by, watching as Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji donned makeshift diving suits Usopp had crafted from old scraps and prepared to dive down to investigate the wreck. They descended slowly into the depths, the ropes attached to their suits extending farther and farther as they disappeared into the murky waters.

But just as things started to calm down, an eerie noise echoed across the sea. Chopper’s ears perked up as he looked around in alarm. “What was that?!” he exclaimed.

A ship appeared on the horizon, slowly approaching the Going Merry. Its figurehead was shaped like a monkey, and as it drew closer, it became clear that it belonged to another pirate crew.

“Enemies,” you muttered coldly, already bracing yourself for a potential fight.

Nami elbowed you lightly, signaling for you to play it cool. You nodded, waiting for her to take the lead. She, of course, decided to use her charms, striking up a conversation with the opposing captain and flattering him shamelessly. You sighed inwardly, already growing tired of the monkey pirate’s cocky attitude as he boasted about his crew and their so-called territory.

After a few minutes, though, the conversation took a turn. The pirate captain claimed that the sunken ship below belonged to them, and that the Straw Hats were trespassing on their turf.

“And you three lovely ladies are more than welcome to stay aboard my ship—” the captain started, eyeing Nami, Robin, and… you?

Wait, did he just mistake you for a woman?

Your patience snapped. Without a word, you leaped into action, taking down the pirate crew with swift, brutal efficiency. Nami, Usopp, and Chopper stared in shock as you stood there, bloodied and triumphant.

“Was I not supposed to beat them up?” you asked innocently, as if you hadn’t just single-handedly wiped out a group of pirates.

“OF COURSE YOU WEREN’T!” Nami yelled, hitting you on the shoulder. “WHAT IF THEY HAD BACKUP? WE COULD HAVE GOTTEN KILLED!”

You scratched the back of your head sheepishly, offering a quick apology. You had acted out of boredom, but your intentions had been… mostly good.

As the dust settled, the ropes attached to Luffy and the others began to pull taut. You helped reel them back up, watching as they splashed onto the deck, soaked but unharmed. They hadn’t been able to recover much from the wreck thanks to the monkey pirates’ interference.

But the real mystery, it seemed, wasn’t the sunken ship. As Nami checked the Log Pose, her eyes widened in disbelief. “It’s pointing up!” she exclaimed.

Everyone followed her gaze to the sky. Could it be… an island in the sky?

“So, there really is a Sky Island,” Robin mused, her expression as calm as ever.

Luffy’s eyes lit up with excitement. “We’ve gotta go there!” he shouted enthusiastically.

You all knew the next challenge would be figuring out how to reach the mysterious island above. But for now, you had a new goal: find a way to the sky.

[will80sbyers]

Maybe a UD gate opens in the radio station right when the military chases them till there on episode 3 or 4. As we know, Dustin, Jonathan, Nancy, and Steve jump into the UD in a car while being chased by something (probably the military), and El and Hopper enter there too by the gate that opened there. There are some leaks who say some guy in a weird shape and costume was on the radio station during the big action sequence happening there.

my idea is that at some point Vecna's creatures find El at the radio station and try to attack all of them and there's lots of chaos and then for some reason El goes to the UD, maybe she sees Vecna and she's decided that she has to kill him immediately because of her anger and just takes the opportunity even only on her own... and then Hopper follows her but I don't think they find each other immediately because there's that clip of hopper screaming while he in the UD so I think maybe he loses her and is panicking but then they meet again there after not long? Obviously the gate closes behind them but El doesn't care because she wanted to be there, Hop can't open it again

I'm not sure if Dustin etc go there randomly because they just fall or if they were actively trying to go there, I think they were on a rescue mission tbh they go in ep. 4 so they go after El... and at the same time I think Mike, Will and Robin and maybe others decide to go inside the season 2 tunnels and use them to reach the military facility probably (?)

I could be way off though because we have really not enough information for a complete timeline yet

[brucethegirl]

Fave season of ouat. And y. Go. (Mine is 3 bc that’s when you see hooks softer/ but still flirtier side and the relationship growing). Although 5-6 come very close bc they are stronger and the proposal and wedding. Ahhhh. But omg when he asked for David’s blessing. That ep had me. But all the kissing in season 3. Oh wait, there’s other people other than hook and Emma in ouat? Nah.

Oh gosh.... (edit: i wrote like two paragraphs of this before realizing you just asked general favorite season, not favorite CS season, but I still turned this into a CS post.)

Season 2 is not bad. There's so much there for background to understand where emma was coming from, versus season 1 which was mostly us as viewers learning who everyone was in the enchanted forest and how the story we know was being reinterpreted. Now it was learning where Emma was coming from, where Killian comes into the picture and some of his background, where Cora comes from which lays the groundwork for how she raised Regina and where she is coming from. How they became the people they became today, the steps of their recent history. The continuous choices and situations that led them to where they were when they all came together. I love straight up evil Killian. It's fun. Him trusting her immediately, him being sassy flirty, him saying "just a I'm done with you" (pssh, okay my guy). but at the end, despite it being good writing, I'm just okay about it. I mean yea its got Tallahassee.... but I also am not a fan of how they handled the neal/emma relationship when they were young. Michael Raymond-James is NOTICEABLY an older man well into his 30s, and I could buy him being a rough 20 something, but Emma is VERY MUCH meant to be late teens and that entire casting situation and its implications followed by the pushing in later seasons for her to be with Neal by her family just makes me so very uncomfortable.

Three is honestly such a fair choice. I love season 3 with Hook starting to realize he needs to change and wants to change. But also still actively having to purge his villain tendencies. Rolling his eyes while volunteering to help Belle research. His snarky comments constantly that no one laughs at cause they're a little on the meaner side. But also the way he and Emma so automatically can read each other. She just has to tilt her head or nod and he knows what she wants him to do. The longing looks, the declarations. Nothing beats "when I win your heart, and I will win it. It will be because you want me" NOTHING. "I'm in this for the long haul" after saying he'll back off to give Henry the chance at a family, and won't inject himself into that. But also knows Neal will mess it up, knows he'll be on the sidelines for the second of an oppertunity. Knows that he DOES stand a valid chance if he wanted to fight. Like, just fuck me up. The shift in Regina's character and how she learns to become good, how that is different from Hook's journey but they both recognize it being the same journey. Her teaming up with Rumple to fnd Henry and it markedly NOT being villains teaming up, but her willing to do anything to save her son and the second she realizes its no good, she's gone. Learning more about the emotional backstory and early character moments in their lives, Hook, Emma, and Regina especially. Learning the complicate pasts, and seeing the steps they took to get here. I feel like actual writing wise- its the strongest season for them. Its also go the best lines. Like Regina and Robin also is SO GOOD in the flashbacks and I forever regret not getting more of them in that weird flirty hate each other stage but what we did get was SO GOOD. "Where you come from, they bath in the river and use pine cones for money" Lana... ma'am.... that is THE BEST LINE in the entire show for me. This season had all the potential, and for that it gets a lot of points. A lot of what was built didn't get delivered on as well as it should have, but that's not the foundations fault. And this season was the foundation.

Season 4 is prime them in love. I love the relationship part of most shows when they handle it well, and I think THAT aspect was handled well. Him obviously in love, her coming to terms with what that means. So much angst in a good way of him being the reason for some of the problems she has. Of him not having his heart. Of him realizing he can't keep making the same villain mistakes if he's going to be with her, if he's going to change. If he's going to be a better man. This is a great season just like... FOR him. You see the realizations that he's made these mistakes and he can't even blame his past self. His current self did this to himself. You see the beginnings of his self-loathing and how that builds the reasoning for the choices he makes. He's had his hook for centuries, he's learned how to work with it and around it. But for the date, the internalized ableism got the better of him, and he thought in order to be a better man, and the man she deserved, he needed to be 'whole.' Which is IMMeDIATELY disproved when she doesn't even realize he had his hand until its pointed out, and also doesn't notice its a hook again later because she loves HIM she sees HIM. Those outward shifts and changes are not important. She notices his clothing change because it represents so much more about him embracing this weird strange land and showing he's sticking around. But his hook? Well thats just part of him that she accepts because its part of him so when he changes it its not something she notices. (sorry, i have a LOT of feelings about this episode) And then the whole darkness inside him and the hand and him being a villain and being afraid of losing his happy ending. 4b is weak we all know that, but the emotions of it are so strong. "Don't you know Emma? It's you." MY GUYYYYYY. The kisses we got this season, the emotional leaps and bounds. Him admitting having her in his life is what keeps him on the side of the heroes. Him saying he hopes its his job to protect her heart even when no one is actively trying to steal it. Her discovering more about her past and really starting to share her history with someone, showing her past and being vulnerable with someone and allowing them to scale the fortress she's put up to protect herself. Learning that someone is there begging to be let in, and isn't going away, and even when she ignores him he says basically that he's not deterred so easily, she's worth it, he recognizes that, and he'll just wait patiently for her to be ready. He will always put her first. Will put her family first. Often at the expense of himself.

Now season 5. Look. Do I think its strong? No. It's some of the saddest writing (season 6 is the worst in my opinion) in that it had SO MUCH POTENTIAL. But it Never delivers it. Season 4 was their love story, so there's no need to focus so heavily on them in season 5, sometimes having them not even interact in scenes that make NO SENSE for them to not interact. Despite the fact that she's just told him she loved him before being taken over by the darkness and saying she trusts him to be able to reach her and save her. Despite the entire ARC being ABOUT THEM for BOTH HALVES, the actual day to day episode to episode is not about them at all. So little focused on them, on them interacting, on their story. It was such a mess. So much promise with so little delivery. Nothing was allowed to breath, nothing was allowed to sit, no one was allowed to have a single thought to work through what they were going through. He's evil for what? a single episode? and in the middle of it there's this entire hour about a character we don't know, with no one we care about, about something never mentioned again that holds zero bering on ANYTHING that happens or has happened. So much wasted time. I LOVE what 5 could have been. I LOVE the implications, and the shifts in narrative and expectation. I LOVE the discovery and acceptance of their relationship and the confirmations we get. I HATE nothing is ever discussed on screen. Everything is implied to happen off screen "like I told you" Did you tell her when the cameras were off? We're given nothing we should have. Everyone else is just set dressing, and yet have all the focus. Its disjointed and just lazy, and its only saving grace is whoever had the initial idea on the brain storm board and then the acting itself. But damn if this season doesn't give me inspiration.

Finally, season 6.... I'll leave at saying when its good, its great. All three singular scenes that are good. There's no follow through from whats already happened to these characters. There's no acknowledgment of their past selves, their past experiences. Hook is GENUINELY shocked that Emma understands why he didn't toss the shears knowing she'd hate him for doing 'the one thing that could save her' WHEN THAT WAS THE ENTIRE CLIMAX OF 5A!

All of this to say, I guess 3?

[thegeminisage]

ok, tng update time. i'm quite behind! monday we did "deja q," tuesday we did "a matter of perspective," and then wednesday was "yesterday's enterprise."

deja q: NOT as bad as i feared but still not great. turning q into a human was a fantastic idea because in general it helps facilitate empathy when you see a character suffer, which worked a little on me, and then also i greatly enjoyed seeing him suffer because he was so annoying before, lol. guinan and worf kicking him when he was down were the best <3

another smart choice was to have data be the only one who had any sympathy for him - precisely because data's "feelings" ""can't"" be hurt and he's less likely to hold grudges. also, because data is wonderful and it's easy to get behind his cause of reforming q into some kind of functional being

AND it was good that the first time q felt shame it was because data almost died for his ungrateful fucking ass...correct response

unfortunately i still have many problems. during that section right before data's sacrifice move, all of the goodwill q generated by being fun to laugh at kind of evaporated because he was being annoying

SECONDLY, i have realized the reason i dislike q is because his main two personality traits have aged horribly. firstly is the "randumb~ XD" humor (the mariachi band at the end of this ep, the random napoleon soldiers from the other ep, his various costumes...). i think the only person who could ever do that kind of humor well was robin williams and they didn't cast him as q and also he's dead now, so knock it off. his second personality trait is that he's smarter and more powerful than anybody else in the room which he (and the people writing him) seems to think is a license to be an asshole to them, as long as it is charming assholery. think t*ony st*rk, house, bbc sh*rlock. this of course is a deeply flawed premise to begin with, but he doesn't even do it WELL. nothing about his assholery is charming. specifically i am thinking of all the "worf is dumb because he's a big brutish klingon" jokes, which are for sure fantasy racism and border on ACTUAL racism, because they're derivative of horrible antiblack stereotypes. not that q is the only source of this kind of stuff aimed at worf, but it's really damning that it's ALWAYS the first thing out of his mouth and played for laughs and made his "but worf i'm a klingon at heart too!" bit extra unfunny

anyway, bringing in a SECOND q to praise him for his "selfless" act is eeehh considering one q is already one too many and the act wasn't even that selfless. it would've been better if he said the only reason he was doing it was for data, specifically, so he could stop feeling shame - that's more genuine than trying to get me to believe he'd give himself up for that ship of people even if really what he was mostly doing was committing suicide.

nonetheless i DID really enjoy getting to see data laugh at the end. GOOD for him <3 also lmao, the moon is falling, so true. JUST like majoras mask

a matter of perspective: the one thing i don't understand here is the bit where picard is a horrible painter and then data insults his art. like yes it was funny but i thought it would have something to do with the main plot. riker sees events this way and that lady sees them this way. not unlike in the art room where everyone interpreted the nude model in a different manner!

ALSO, WHY IS THERE A NUDE MODEL. does that woman not live and work on this starship. does she not have to command respect from her coworkers the rest of the time. they didn't even do this in the holodeck where that sort of thing would have made sense!! the one time you WANT the holodeck around...

anyway, i thought this episode veered dangerously close to dud territory. trial drama is fine, even though it begs the question of why no lie detector in tng. holodeck recreation also fine in this instance, as was the murder mystery

but why ON EARTH did they feel the need to show a fake version of riker attempting to rape this lady and then have deanna go well that's the way she remembers it because i sense no dishonesty from her :) this is just the true way each of you remembers it :)

LIKE THERE IS A CANYON OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RIKER'S VERSION AND THAT LADY'S VERSION. it's not like they can both partially be true. in one instance she flung herself at him despite his clearly being uncomfortable and in the other he forced her despite her asking him to stop!!! like in this case what you do is believe the woman except because riker's our protagonist we know he didn't do it except they never CLARIFY that he didn't do it??? obviously i don't think for a minute that he did, but of all the fucking things to leave open...

anyway i hated it. i actually hated it more than catherine did which may be a first for tng

yesterday's enterprise: TASHA YAR?????????????????????????????

ok, the premise of this was kinda confusing at first, but i don't give a single fuck. TASHA YAR!!!!!!

i was so happy and confused to see her but the more scenes she had...man. like, ok, they did not HAVE to have her make out with this guy. even in death they will not stop doing this to her. but the whole thing where guinan was like your death was meaningless and empty in this timeline so she decides to go back and die in the past instead...GOOD for her

also, i'm a little confused on my canon - i think the battle that other enterprise went back to die in was the one that worf's parents were killed in? which is why he wasn't on the bridge because he fuckin DIED at age 6 or whatever? i guess they must have done enough good to save at least some people??

anyway, ABSOLUTELY adored this one. tasha yar redemption arc. that was the LAST thing i EVER expected to see on tng but here we are. they even made that other captain a woman although lmao in the end they refridged tasha nd this other captain. STILL. if shes gotta die let it be better than the death she got in canon. i'll miss you queen

my one gripe, aside from her boyfriend, is that she and data had a lil scene in the elevator and im mad we could not infer from it whether or not they had fucked in this timeline. rip :(

NEXT TIME: "the offspring" and "sins of the father," which is a normal title that does not at all match the title of a merlin episode i wrote a 130k coda about

[robingurlscorner]

EP 2 AU Chapter 2 - Preview

I got food poisoning this weekend so I'm recovering. Here is a preview of part 2 that I promised this weekend.

Episode 2 AU

Chapter 2

By Robin Gurl

(So glad everyone likes it! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve written some good Robin in Peril/Robin Whump and the 66 Series is perfect for it. It all but writes itself sometimes XD )

“I don’t believe I have to tell you to not take Batman’s trust lightly, Dr. Mason.” Gordon says as he gets up from his desk watching a nurse set up some things in his office.

Dr. Mason looks up from his medical bag before bringing it over and setting it on the coffee table, “Of course not. I’m honored you trusted me enough to begin with. I do wish I know more of what happened though.”

“Batman will tell you everything that you need to know in due time.”

“At least tell me how old the boy is? What am I getting into?”

“If I remember correctly, Robin turned 12 a few months ago and as for what you’re getting yourself into all he told me was that Robin was unable to speak. Batman himself did some research and wanted you to prescribe the Boy Wonder a medication to help with that problem.”

“Research? He’s a crime fighter, a father and a self proclaimed doctor now?” Dr. Mason crossed his arms a bit nervous at not knowing anything else. “I’m going to have to get used to knowing very little aren’t I?”

“You will know as much as I know.” Gordon shrugged then smiled looking at his watch, “However. I do know he’s a good man and would risk his life to keep Robin safe. They both have saved Gotham City several times, we owe them a debt that we can never repay.”

He walked past the doctor to look out his window, “I do hope he will walk through the door though. I don’t like the idea of him bat climbing if Robin is injured.”

“Through the window?! What next?”

The door to the office opened a few seconds later and Batman appeared carrying the Boy Wonder in a cradle carry. The boy looked awake but not entirely coherent.

Gordon pushed past the doctor and hurried over, “I was hoping you’d walk through the door and not my window. Glad to see you’re alive Robin.”

“He’s alive but not entirely coherent, I’m afraid. I’m hoping the doctor can help me with that as well.”

A nurse walked over, “Here. Sit him down on the couch and I’ll start checking his vitals.”

Batman looked to Gordon, then to the doctor then back to the nurse. Dr. Mason realizing the reluctance stepped forward, “Do not worry, this is Mary Anne. She’s one of my top nurses. She will take great care of him.”

The other finally relented and sat the boy down on the couch. He waited a few seconds not sure if Robin could hold himself up right or not.

Mary Anne knelt down smiling at the two of them, “May I remove his gloves? I need to get a pulse reading.”

“It’s alright Batman, they know not to remove his mask.”

He nodded getting back to his feet staying close. “And you are Dr. Mason I presume?” His arms were crossed as his seemed to fidget on his feet a bit not liking how he didn’t know either of them personally.

“I am.” The doctor stepped forward offering his hand. He got a strong handshake in return but noticed the Caped Crusader’s attention was not on him. “You can relax, Batman. We just want to help. Can you tell me what happened?”

“That I’m unsure about. I’m only going off what Robin was able to motion to me and what I’ve experienced up until now.  It seems a heavy sedative and some kind of vocal chord parallelization. I had him resting and trying to sleep it off for several hours. He was more coherent before we left and even half walked to the Bat Mobile but by the time we got here –“ He shrugged motioning towards the one on the couch. “Up until this case, my Universal Bat Antidote has been able to fix everything. I’m at a loss of what to do now.”

[houseofwolvess]

hi y'all. im sorry ive been off tumblr lately but im here. also i just finished the final ep of stranger things 4 and i have heavily mixed feelings

[foreverindreamlandd]

Okay, what if it's Steve's turn to save babysitter reader and she ends up in his arms and they start leaning in, like so close to kissing for the first time but the gang ruins it being all oooooo so they kinda laugh it off but then he kisses her later in the car when he drops her off or something.

Babysitters Club (2)

PART 1

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

WC: 2.7k

Summary: You and the other dumbasses went through Watergate, and all Steve can think about is keeping you safe.

Warnings: Canon level violence, monsters, Vecna shit, mentions of a panic attack, mentions of nightmares. Takes place during and after episode 7 of season 4 (posted before the final two eps have dropped)

~~~~~

In the end, though, things had still managed to go to shit.

While you were celebrating your small victory of rescuing Steve,a new weird tentacle vine thing crept up the boat unnoticed.

And suddenly, Robin was flying back and into the water.

“ROBIN!” you and Steve screamed in unison, scrambling to stand to see if you could find her in the water.

She was gone, all that remained were some air bubbles rising to the surface.

“What do we do?” Nancy asked frantically.

Sirens blared behind you, and you turned to see cop cars pulling up, then to your right you saw four flashlights scurry off further into the woods.

You and Steve shared one look, then started to move, grabbing flashlights and weapons.

Then, you dove.

The rest went by in a weird, nightmarish blur. At one moment, you were swimming. The next, you were falling, and you landed in a desert of vines, giant monstrous bats attacking left and right, and then you were running, passing through a broken, disfigured version of Hawkins.

“Is that…is that my house?” you asked Robin as you headed down the dark street.

She grimaced. “Try not to pay too much attention to everything.”

You made it to Nancy’s house, and managed through hauntingly beautiful gold dust to connect with the kids and Eddie.

Everyone was acting way too calm, like this was all totally normal for them. The near-death moment for Steve in Lover’s Lake had already been a lot to process. To be attacked by literal monsters, be in some hellish alternate dimension, with no real plan on getting back.

It was too much.

And suddenly you couldn’t breathe.

“Hey, hey,” Steve whispered after picking up on your labored breaths, pulling you into the corner as Nancy and Robin continued communicating with the other side. “You’re okay.”

Your body was shaking, vision going dark and you knew you were well on your way to having a full-blown panic attack. “I-I can’t…this is…”

He started rubbing his hands up and down your arms. “Look at me. Y/n, look at me.”

His voice, strong and sure, brought your attention to him rather than the pounding in your ears, and your eyes slowly made their way to his.

His gaze was piercing, stabilizing, comforting.

Protective.

“We’re going to get out of here, okay?” he said, squeezing your shoulders. “We’ve fought these things before and we always win. I’m going to keep you safe and make sure that none of them touch you. I promise.”

Tears fell down your cheeks and you nodded, trying your best to smile and failing.

Without hesitation, he closed the distance and wrapped his arms around you, resting your head against his bare chest.

His heart was racing as quickly as you knew yours was, and it was then that you knew he was as afraid as you were.

But he was here, and though it truly felt like the end of the world, when he said everything was okay, you believed him.

So you hugged him back, and as you felt the beat of his heart slow, you knew yours was doing the same.

“Besides,” he eventually murmured, “Someone has to make sure those little shitheads stay safe.”

You giggled, pulling back to meet his eyes once more with a genuine smile this time.

“Gotta make sure the pay grade doesn’t get compromised,” you said with fake seriousness.

He feigned annoyance. “I really gotta figure out how to get paid for making sure these kids don’t get killed by monsters.”

More laughter, enough to muster up the strength to wipe away your tears and continue forward. 

“Hey guys,” Robin said and you turned to her. “We know what we have to do.”

~~~~~

The four of you stared up at the ceiling of the trailer, staring into the eyes of Dustin, Lucas, Erica, Max, and Eddie as they stared at the ceiling of Eddie’s trailer in a different dimension.

“This is so…” you started.

“Trippy,” Steve finished.

The plan was eerily simple. The group on the other side went to work tying up towels, sheets, shirts, anything they could find to create a rope for you to climb up and then fall down onto a mattress they laid underneath the gate.

Robin went first, the three of you helping her up, and then once she was through she crashed onto the padding.

All of you breathed out a laugh of wonder, completely blown away by the ridiculousness of it all.

Nancy went next, as smoothly as Robin.

“Your turn,” Steve said, handing you the makeshift rope.

You opened your mouth to argue that he could go next and he just lifted up a hand to silence you. “Not up for discussion. I promised I’d keep you safe so I’m going to make sure you stay safe, alright?”

You frowned, looking around the room of floating spores. “But what if I climb through and the gate closes? Or something attacks you while you’re climbing and another vine thingy holds onto your ankle-”

“God, are you always this anxious?” he asked with an amused smile, hands going to his hips, a gesture you were quickly growing fond of.

Your eyes narrowed, but you couldn’t help but smile back as you crossed your arms in defiance. “I call it being prepared for anything.”

Steve just shook his head. “Y/n, please. The longer we’re in here the more likely it will be for danger to come knockin’. Now can you please get your ass up there so I can put a shirt on and maybe find a bandaid or two?” He gestured to his side at the gash left by one of the monster bats - Demobats as Steve started to call them. 

Dread coursed through your body and you grimaced. 

Then, finally, you grabbed the rope. 

“Promise you’ll be right behind?”

He nodded. “So fast I might even crash on top of you on the mattress.”

The cocky bastard winked at you and you snorted, rolling your eyes.

“Doesn’t sound so ba-”

Suddenly, everything went dark.

~~~~~~

Steve knew the moment your hand dropped from the rope in a weird, lifeless way that something was wrong.

“Y/n?” he asked, trying to hide the concern from his voice.

“What’s taking you guys so long! Get your asses down here!” Dustin screamed, but he sounded far away to Steve now that his ears were only focused on hearing your voice.

“Y/n, enough playing around let’s get you up the rope-” he gently touched your shoulder and tried to spin you around.

Only you didn’t move. It was as if you were glued to the floor.

He jumped in front of you. “Oh God,” he cried out, hands instinctively moving to cup your face.

Gone were those lovely, striking irises he was so captivated by. They were glossed over with a white film. 

It was happening again. 

“Shit shit shit.” For a few moments, all he could do was panic, attempting to shake you awake even though he knew it wouldn’t work. “Come on, Y/n, please,” he begged.

Focus Steve, he thought, trying to gather his thoughts. You guys saved Max, you can save her.

He looked up at the group and shouted, “What’s her favorite song?”

Their brows furrowed, not understanding. “What…” one of them - Steve wasn’t paying attention who - said.

“I NEED HER GODDAMN FAVORITE SONG NOW.”

“Oh shit,” Dustin said, looking at Eddie with wide eyes, who looked at Robin with even wider eyes. The two of them ran into Eddie’s room.

Steve’s thumbs stroked the smooth skin over your cheek. “Please don’t do this to me, Y/n. You gotta come back to me. I promised to keep you safe.” His voice grew more choked, more desperate as tears welled in his eyes, completely overwhelmed with the devastating realization of how important you were to him.

“Listen,” he said, choking out a laugh, “You dying is definitely going to ruin any chance of me ever getting paid for babysitting. Can’t ruin my perfect record of keeping the shitheads alive, can you?”

“WE GOT IT!” Eddie yelled, throwing the walkman up until it fell into Steve’s hands.

Hands shaking, he gently put the headphones over your ears.

When he looked at the tape, he exhaled out a wet chuckle. 

“Tears for Fears,” he said, looking back at you. “It’s a good song-” his voice broke and he selfishly allowed himself one precious moment to place an arm around the back of your head and press his lips to your forehead.

Then, he pressed play.

~~~~~

You were in the backyard of your old house, running from the monster behind.

Vecna. This had to be him. Max hadn’t missed a single detail when describing him to you.

And you were his next victim. 

“Y/n,” Vecna called tauntingly, his voice echoing all around you. “Do not fight the inevitable. It is time for you to pay for all the harm you’ve caused…”

You weren’t sure how long you had been running for. It felt like seconds, it felt like days. Your limbs grew heavy, and when you turned you saw that he was gaining on you as he reached out to grab you-

A faint, familiar melody emerged into the air.

It was a guitar intro you identified from the first note alone.

Then, a hazy circle opened up ahead of you.

It was a portal.

And on the other side was Steve. Eyes wide and filled with pain, staring at something so intensely, as if it were the only thing that mattered in the world.

He was so far away, and you were so tired. There was no way you could make it in time.

“Come back to me, Y/n. Please,” Steve said, his voice sounding as if he were underwater.

That’s when you realized.

He was looking at you.

You took a step, then another as the music grew louder and louder. 

Welcome to your life

There’s no turning back

You started to run.

~~~~~~

And then, you were falling.

Steve opened up his arms and caught you, holding your body to his as tightly as he could as you gasped for air.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he kept saying, and you couldn’t tell if he was saying it for your sake or his.

A few beats later, once you caught your breath, you finally noticed how close you were to him.

“Hi,” you said, blinking a few times.

Steve chuckled, relief flooding through him. “Hey.”

“You saved me.”

He moved to brush a piece of hair from your face, his fingers resting along your neck as his thumb brushed along your cheek.

“I promised I would,” he whispered, and his eyes flashed down to your lips. The sound of your breath hitching in response made his head fuzzy.

Steve leaned in-

“IS SHE OKAY?” Dustin yelled, causing the two of you to jump back and look up to the group.

Erica punched his arm and he yelped. “Duh she’s okay,” she mumbled to him. “And they were about to have a moment, idiot!”

The two of you turned your gazes back to each other and burst out laughing.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” you said, standing up and grabbing the rope.

“Right behind ya,” Steve responded, smile plastered on his face.

~~~~ 

TWO WEEKS LATER

“I don’t care what you say, Henderson,” Robin said, balancing a stack of movies in her arms. “I’m not seeing Spaceballs with you.”

Though he was arguing with his best friend, Steve couldn’t help but feel grateful for this moment. The normalcy of bickering over seeing a new movie rather than swinging paddles at monster bats.

“Come on Buckley. It’s going to be hilarious! Besides, I have months before it comes out to wear you down until you finally say yes-”

Bells jingled behind him to signify the entrance of a new customer. 

Based on the look on Robin’s face, it was an unexpected but familiar face.

Steve turned, and when he saw you at the door he temporarily lost control of his body and his elbow bumped into the computer at the register.

“Shit,” he hissed, rubbing the now sore spot. When he looked back up, your right eyebrow was raised in amusement.

“Harrington, is there ever a moment when you aren’t getting hurt?”

He narrowed his eyes at you, unable to suppress a grin caused just by being in your presence. “I heal quickly.”

Silence.

“Um, I think there are some returns in the back that need processing,” Robin said, running away to leave the two of you alone.

More silence.

“So,” Steve started, running his fingers through his hair. “How you been?”

You nodded. “Good. I mean, I get a few more nightmares than I used to…but I’m fine.”

He sighed, nodding in understanding. “The nightmares will go away. Eventually.”

“Yeah?”

A shrug. “That’s what I keep telling myself.”

You laughed, and Steve’s smile widened. 

And then it was back to silence.

“Anything I can help you with?” he asked.

Your eyes swept across the video store as you took a few steps forward. “Couple things, actually. I’m watching Erica tonight and she made the mistake of telling me she’s never seen Star Wars. That little nerd is gonna love it.”

Steve smiled, jumping to action as he emerged from behind the register toward the sci-fi section. He turned and wiggled two fingers to signal for you to follow.

You complied, biting your bottom lip.

He scanned the shelves until mumbling a low aha!, grabbing the VHS and handing it to you with a smug smile.

“Perfect, thank youuu,” you said, grabbing it from him.

“For Hawkin’s beloved babysitter? Anything.”

You giggled, rolling your eyes before reaching into your bag. “Actually, Harrington, that was my second reason for coming here…”

Steve’s brows furrowed in confusion as you pulled out a laminated card and held it out to him.

He took it, staring at the yearbook photo of him printed on blue cardstock and the words next to it.

STEVE HARRINGTON: 

CERTIFIED BABYSITTER

“It means virtually nothing,” you said as he continued staring. “But show that to parents and I can assure you they’ll drop some serious money.”

He shook his head in disbelief, then looked up with an awestruck expression that brought heat to your face.

“I can’t believe you put so much effort…..into a stupid inside joke.”

You grinned. “As if I would ever half-ass anything.”

Steve laughed, running his fingers over the card before taking out his wallet and safely storing it inside. “I love it. Thank you.”

“Thank you for saving my life two weeks ago. Again.” You nervously tucked a piece of hair behind your ear.

“Well, to be fair, you also saved my life. So I guess we’re officially even.”

“For now,” you responded. “With the way you’re so willing to put yourself in harm’s way-” you pointed at his elbow “-someone’s gotta be there to keep you safe.”

Boldness took over as Steve took a small step closer to you, brows raised. “And who’s going to keep you safe?”

You scoffed. “I can keep myself safe.”

“Don’t doubt that at all,” he said, stepping closer, the corners of his mouth twitching.

“But if someone, like, wanted to give me a break at being so strong and awesome and independent all the time..”

“Well,” Steve started with another step toward you, “I am a certified babysitter now. Do you think that makes me qualified?”

Your lips opened slightly, as if you were getting ready to speak, but Steve was so close that his breath touched your skin and suddenly any word you ever knew was gone from your mind.

All you could do was nod.

“Can I ask you something?” Steve asked quietly.

You nodded again, lost in the nearly black hue of his eyes.

“Was Erica right that night? Were we having a moment?”

A small, breathy laugh escaped you, causing the corners of Steve’s eyes to crinkle.

“As if that girl could ever be wrong about anything-”

With that, Steve closed the now minimal distance between you as his lips pressed against yours.

~~~~

Thank you for reading! :)

Main Masterlist

[beaulesbian]

i have another a veeery long theory/thoughts about will having powers, vecna, mind flayer, and some parallels from  s1-4.

i go on so many different tangents, but its all centered around  will having powers, so i hope it’s not too confusing

I was rewatching 2x1, and when Will went on the check up (in the lab...) and Owens says to Joyce and Hopper this:

the second season is taking place in time from 24th of October 1984 until Halloween and some time after.

this was right before the halloween ep:

this is what made me pause it in the first place.

Owens explains that those nightmares/visions are happening to Will because of it being close to the time when he was taken to the upside down (6th of november 1983). - this is before they knew it was the part of the mind flayer still inside him, so there were guesses what could be wrong.

the anniversary effect:

sounds kind of similar to what is happening now in s4 (i tried to put some of my thoughts about the march days in this post before)

but in summary, s4 is happening in the week of march 21nd 1986

(later in season 2 ep 8 we learn this important date: will’s birthday is on march 22nd)

but the creel tragedy happened in the 50s also in march - around the same days the deaths in hawkins started.

which leads me back to this commentary from Owens about anniversary effects

and here is where it starts to get similar with describing how the vecna victims felt just before being taken

(s4)

Just treat him normally, be patient, don’t pressure him, let him lead the way.

It’s great how once again these dialogues from one season could be used for another. The same thing is happening again - not just with Will, but in Hawkins to many other people, because it’s a circle of trauma, in s4 even more focused on pressure on the kids and their very own specific problems.

and then later in s4x6, with Eleven and Brenner, more about forgotten memories. of memories that a person forgot as a result of trauma, and brain “protecting” them from those memories:

(also note: brenner has so many video tapes which he can show el and she remembers, i dont want to go more into the details here, but i have a feeling that brenner could be actually somehow linked to the mind flayer itself - control over people. he was the doctor that made 001 from henry..)

it’s interesting the day in s2x1 Will went to the doctors, they had a class in school.. about brain and nervous system in humans.

in 2x8 dustin brings up the mind flayer, as a being that with its mind controlls others.

this is basically the same or similar rhetoric that venca/001 was saying, about how he sees himself as a better being than all others-- umm yikes.

this is where i at first thought that it was the mind flayer who wanted to create the undead army, controlling billy to do his bidding, but it could have actually be vecna already.

in 1x8 will was found in library, covered with vines, almost similar to what the monster in s3 did to its victims. expect he was still alive. the vines now in s4 seem more connected to vecna, so it could have been him all along.

the same library, where in s4 robin and nancy found their clues about the creel house tragedy

which finally leads me to this thing i noticed today

zombie boy - on the photo will’s eyes are crossed over, (even different color than the writing.)

what if will wasn’t taken by the mind flayer, but it was vecna all along. what if something connected to vecna got out of upside down just as eleven escaped the lab, the gate was opened, and instead of vecna finding eleven - he found will, because he somehow sensed him too? mistook him for el, maybe?

brenner constantly trained henry/001 and the other kids, 11 too. training them to possibly open the gates, harvest so much power within themselves, other horrible things.

henry said in the beginning - with practice, he learnt more.

what if Will has maybe similar powers, but he never developed them, never practiced them, (just like the star wars comparisons, will being like leia)

at least not consciously.

dnd players handbook 5e: “clerics are conduits of divine magic // harnessing divine magic doesn’t rely on study or training. A cleric might earn formulaic prayers and ancient rites, but the  ability to cast cleric spells relies on devotion and an intuitive sense of deity’s wishes.”

that night in 1x1 will went home from Mike’s house, and saw the shape that could be vecna, he didnt attack Will, instead he stalked him to his home.

will hid on the side of the road and with a closer look it almost seems there was a fog around him, almost obscuring the vision of the creature

that’s when i remembered this part in 2x8, mike telling will another story to bring him back from under the control of the mind flayer:

Fog cloud is a level 1 spell, and can be cast by Tempest domain clerics (amongst other classes).  A heavily obscured area - such as darkness, opaque fog  - A creature effectively suffers from the blinded condition when trying to see something in that area.)

now i’m only missing the Why Will?

what if they got that part of mind flayer (or possibly vecna’s vines) out of will, but he still had something that connected him to upside down

something that could be useful when defeating either vecna or the mind flayer, but also something that connected will to either of them.

i love the analogies with d&d and their real world, so once more this is interesting part in d&d about clerics:

”clerics are intermediaries between the mortal world and the distant planes of the gods” (reminder - vecna is listed a god in 5e, and mind flayers basically think of themselves as gods (more on those later).

in s1 we see will communicating with joyce via the lights, the electricity in the phone, and almost appearing in the gate one time.

because we know the rifts/gates can be open with enormous amount of energy, as in s3 under the mall, and vecna using his powers (by killing) to open them,

what if Will could actually be powerful enough to open the gates between upside down/hawkins by himself, without killing anyone, just with his powers, if he trained them enough?

--

that’s all i needed to write down about this. if you’ve read it until here, kudos to you ♥♥ i just have too many thoughts about parallels, deeper meaning, and hopeful towards will having some kind of powers, where he would still choose kindness even over these monsters getting to him.

[nonsensical-pixels]

4t2 Cottage Living Debug Animals: Continued!

I would just like to preface this post by saying that it's going to be quite a long one. I did this all over the space of a couple of days on a shitty laptop, so I'm sorry if it's not up to my previous standards 😅

4t2 Cottage Living Farm Animals

Download - SFS | MF

An anon requested for me to convert the rest of the Cottage Living farm animals. Here you go, anon!

Keep in mind that these are very high-poly. I'm talking about, like, as high as 6000 polys, last time I checked? These are the debug Cow, Rooster (which I renamed a chicken, because the hen is literally identical?), Rooster Chick, and European Robin from The Sims 4: Cottage Living.

There's a slight catch: these are debug models after all, and well, as we all know, Sims 4 debug stuff tends to either be way too big, or way too small, or way too blurry, etc. In this case, the chicken and chicks and robins have their wings sticking up in a T-pose, like this:

Not exactly the cutest. I tried to fix it, but I think it only really made it worse. The cow's tail got fixed to my best ability, though. As for the chicken, you can't really tell from the side, I guess...?

Everything can be found under Decor -> Miscellaneous! Hope you find some use for these, anon, and sorry for the disappointment!

4t2 Cottage Living Wild Animals

Download - SFS | MF

Next up, have some wild animals! I suppose that the European Robin technically counts as a wild animal... but these were the only ones that had 'wild' in their name in SFS. Plus, I really like how the preview looks, okay?

These are the Wild Fox and Wild Rabbit from the same EP. Not as high-poly as I expected, but they're cutting the 'hair' line pretty darn close.

Also, these have neighborhood decor versions! I couldn't see the farm animals just wandering in the wilderness around town, so I made up for that with these! Now every forest you build can have a little fox peeking out. Assuming your PC doesn't explode first, at least.

If you're lazy, you can just

Download the 'Cottage Critters' Pack - SFS | MF

My previous post with the llamas can be found here ~ !

[samanthaafrasers]

updated who i think might die in the last two eps of stranger things, now with scores out of ten lmao

El: 1/10. I have a strong feeling she’ll die in season five, but there’s just no way they’d kill her off this season I don’t think.

Will: 2/10. Again, he’s a contender for season five, but not this time. I have a feeling it’s all going to tie back to him in the end, so they’d need him around for the finale.

Max: 3/10. I don’t think they’d have that big scene in Dear Billy if she was just going to die anyway. It would be cruel to have her go through everything to just die anyway. I also don’t think they would straight after she’s just lost Billy last season. Again, too cruel even for stranger things.

Lucas: 3/10. I don’t think they’d take yet another person away from Max that she loves, it’d be repetitive. That’s what’s giving me hope with Lucas.

Mike: 4/10. I’m not sure with Mike. I seem to have a feeling he could die out of the kids, but also I have a gut feeling that they just won’t, but I have no justification for it. I think it may be to do with some other characters who I’m convinced will die, they couldn’t kill him off along with them.

Dustin: 7/10. I have a really bad feeling about Dustin. He doesn’t have any siblings as main characters, nor is he dating any of the main characters. I think he would be the perfect character to kill off if they were going for a younger cast member dying. His attachment to Steve would create a great final push for Steve’s character redemption (before my theory of him dying in season five). Joseph Quinn seems to have said Eddie will be in season five. Whether he’s said that to throw people off the idea of Eddie dying, i’m not sure, but for now let’s just take it as he will survive. This would create such a great bond between Eddie and Steve. None of the other teen characters will know what they’re going through. As much as I love Dustin, I do feel like this would be a really great storytelling arc if they went for it. Joe and Joseph both have incredible acting skills and I feel it would work really well into next season if they did this.

Erica: 2/10. I think she’s just too young for them to kill her rather than another child character.

Argyle: 3/10. I’m not sure, I can’t actually see a scenario where he would end up in a life or death situation. But if he goes to Hawkins with everyone, it’s possible. I strongly believe either Jonathon or Nancy will die, therefore I doubt Argyle will. They wouldn’t make Jonathon loose two people so close to him, and they wouldn’t kill off both Jonathon and Argyle. Maybe if I didn’t think them two may die his score could be a little higher tbh.

Eddie: 5/10. I do feel like his death has been set up quite obviously. The whole ‘I see danger and I run’ thing setting up him saving everyone else from danger in a big hero moment and then dying. However, he is giving me more Billy and Robin new character vibes rather than Alexei or Bob, which hopefully means he’ll survive his first season at least. Again, Joseph Quinn has seemingly confirmed he’ll be in season five, but whether that’s just a red herring I’m not sure.

Robin: 2/10. I strongly doubt it, I can’t see any reason why they would kill her. They’re nicely building up her character, and I think they’re more likely to kill someone she’s close to this season.

Nancy: 7/10. I was convinced she would die beforehand, but now we’ve seen her with Vecna maybe not. Maybe it’s too obvious. I always thought either Nancy or Jonathan before the series began, having one of the older siblings we’ve been with since the beginning die would be a big game changer. I know we saw Billy die, but I feel this would be different. I’m now convinced the whole Steve/Nancy/Jonathon thing is setting up one of the three of them dying. With Nancy, I feel like it could end up with Steve in danger and Nancy saving him and consequently dying. I’m not sure; as we have already seen Steve in grave danger this season and surviving (so far) so maybe not.

Steve: 6/10. Them bites look pretty dodgy like. I’m not sure how safe that all is, he would realistically get an infection surely? And with him saying about breathing stuff in. The upside down is meant to be toxic I believe ? There’s no way that attack can’t have done some more damage than what we’ve seen. Also, I think there could be a Steve sacrificing himself for Nancy moment, or even Dustin. However, I do think it’s almost certain Steve will die before the end of the series. It just seems like such a perfect full circle, especially if he sacrifices himself for the kids, but I think Steve is way way too popular to die now. There’s no reason they’d risk loosing viewership by killing off one of the most popular characters just before the last season. I’m convinced they’d just wait until the end.

Jonathon: 8/10. I think it makes perfect sense. Nancy feeling guilty because of her flirting with Steve. A hard hitting loss for everyone. No one really knew Billy well enough to be hurt by it apart from Max, everyone knows Jonathon. It’s more a gut feeling than a logical one, but I just really think an older teen might die this time round, and Jonathan makes the most sense. One thing that does give me hope he might live is the fact they just put Joyce through losing Hopper, and they put her through losing Will. I’m not sure they’d repeat that whole thing yet again. Its a tad repetitive.

Joyce: 1/10. They just wouldn’t kill off a parent I don’t think, especially not Joyce.

Hopper: 1/10. There’s no way they’d do all that rescue plot just to kill him again.

Murray: 5/10. He’s a comic relief that maybe won’t be needed in season five if they go fully dark for the last season. He has no solid connections apart from Joyce and Hopper. I think it’s possible if they just want to kill a character without going full out and killing one of the kids.

Faceless guy from Game Of Thrones: 9/10. Forgot his name lol, but I feel like he mentioned his family too much now, they’re just setting it up.

I hope I haven’t missed anyone lol. As for side characters, I think maybe Dr. Brenner. I’m not sure about Owen, they’d be so fucked without him, but also that might make a good plot for season five. Vicky probs not, i’d hope they wouldn’t introduce a lesbian love interest to just kill her off. Karen is an interesting one, like why does she have a poster? Something must happen in vol.2 to warrant that. It would make a good storyline for Mike and Nancy.

As for season five, I am beyond convinced El has to die. There’s just no way around it. It started with her and it’ll have to end with her. I also think Steve will go in a perfect circle redemption arc. Maybe another kid too, Dustin? If we don’t see him die this season.

[jadelotusflower]

Robin Hood Rewatch: 3x12 - Something Worth Fighting For Part 1

So here we are at the end of the rewatch - it only took me two years! Since this was a two-parter I watched them together, and will post the final episode tomorrow.

This episode is mostly setup (with one obvious exception), but that doesn't mean I don’t have nits to pick! What has this rewatch been but an outlet for my own meandering complaints?

Robin has his ear (literally) to the Great North Road, and is about to shoot two arrows at the rider he hears, when Kate gives a sultry whisper in his ear “I bet you can’t do it with three” and WHAT THE FUCK AM I WATCHING?!?

I’m sorry, but given the last time we saw Robin shoot three arrows at once was after Marian’s apparent death on 1x13 this really feels like a kick in the teeth. What is the point of this opening? I suppose to remind us that - despite all evidence to the contrary - Robin and Kate are in some kind of relationship. Or to make me lose my lunch.

Kate places the arrow in his bow, and Robin unseats one of Prince John’s men from his horse.

He’s carrying a letter to Isabella saying that King Richard will return within the month, and his loyal troops gather at Loughborough (which just over the county in Leicestershire), and they need men to be ready for him. Robin has a surprisingly subdued reaction.

John and Much arrive to tell them Clun and Nettlestone have been cleared out of men - which means that Locksley is next.

I do kind of like the full circle that 1x12 started with announcing the return of the fake Richard, and 3x12 starts by announcing the return of the real one (even if it never actually happens).

Keith Allen has returned to the credits, and Clive Standen added (together with clip). We’re playing with a full deck to finish things off.

This episode is written by Ryan Craig, who penned the dull-as-dishwater Lost in Translation earlier this season. Because when choosing who to tap to write the penultimate episode of your series, you go with the guy whose claim to fame is a filler ep. At least the director is stalwart Matthew Evans, who directed among others 1x12 and 1x13, so there is some symmetry there as well.

In Locksley, we have Isabella’s new henchman Blamire (who has a deep gravelly voice) in charge. The gang rescue the men but for once Robin curbs his murderous instinct and doesn’t shoot him.

Archer arrives to see Isabella, and Blamire demonstrates his competence by recalling he was meant to hang in York and that Guy and Robin rescued him. Isabella orders his arrest, but he reveals they are siblings and uses the information Guy told him last episode to prove it.

@ravenya003​ pointed out that it’s possible Archer abandoned Guy and Robin for Isabella partly because he believes women are easier to manipulate, and he tries it on here, saying that between his power and her skill they’d be unstoppable, then playing the “sister, don’t forsake me” card when it doesn’t work.

Isabella continues to employ the power move of getting very close to the person she’s speaking to and then yelling in their face. She’s not having any of his guff  and orders him taken away.

But while they were getting weirdly up close and personal with each other, Archer stole a key and slips the guards.

Tuck and Robin have a very confusing conversation where Tuck wants to use the Locksley men to fight, and Robin wants to protect them. It’s almost like Ryan Craig didn’t read the script for 3x02 where they explicitly set up calling on the men to form an army.

Isabella is worried about failing Prince John and dying for it. But she knows her enemy, and that to get to Robin, she must go through the gang. And there is only one family member that’s available to her to exploit.

So we get the return of Rebecca with a weird little side braid - Maggie is sadly absent from this episode. But rather than do the obvious and hold her captive, Isabella gives her half a locket and tells her to plant it on Robin, to make Kate believe he still holds a candle for her.

Um, how does Isabella know about Robin and Kate? Is she just guessing?

It’s unclear if there’s a part of Isabella who does believe Robin “still loves” her or if it’s all for show - I lean towards the latter, because Isabella knows he never loved her to begin with. The potential was there, but the relationship was too short lived for her to actually believe it was anything more than it was, even if his betrayal cut her so very deeply. On the other hand, they’ve leaned full on into crazy ex-girlfriend (even though the situation’s a lot more nuanced than that) so who knows.

After a token refusal, Rebecca capitulates and rather than tell Kate about Isabella’s machinations, dutifully gives Kate the locket and then hides the other half in Robin’s bag.

Ah, Rebecca. Terrible to the end. It’s really very sad, because Robin seems genuinely touched that she hugs him.

A far more interesting dilemma for Kate would be Rebecca planning to take Maggie and leave for somewhere safer, and Kate torn between duty to her family and desire to stay with the outlaws. But the show really can’t let go of the Isabella/Robin/Kate drama.

Back at camp, the locket half falls out of Robin’s bag and Guy recognises it as Isabella’s, and this actually sows more discord than she actually intended, because now Robin thinks there’s a spy among them. Would he have been so quick to turn on Allan later if he hadn’t found the locket?

Archer meets some dude in The Trip, and apparently he is familiar with Nottingham, because he claims the guy hasn’t moved for ten years. Who were Archer’s adoptive parents? LOL at Malcolm apparently hiding his illegitimate baby within walking distance.

Robin very listlessly outlines his plan to take Nottingham Castle and hold it for Richard.

At the beginning of this season I said that this was Robin’s slow march to death, and by this point it’s pretty clear he’s Done. He’s holding that dagger like a talisman, preparing for the last hurrah but with none of the excitement and anticipation he should probably feel at Richard’s return, ostensibly what he has wanted for so long. Instead he seems rather wrung out, not quite capable of feeling much of anything, shifting into soldier mode so he doesn’t have to.

It’s also raining throughout these next scenes which actually makes them quite atmospheric.

Guy suggests they use the super secret tunnels underneath the castle that Vaisey had built after returning from the Holy Land. In my alternate season 3 fic which I started writing before this season aired for the first time, I also had Vaisey build under the castle and kill the workers, so this amuses me.

Guy admits that he was the one who silenced the diggers and no one even bats an eye. But I guess in for a penny, in for a pound - if the gang has to overlook the murder of Marian and Matthew, they have to overlook the rest of Guy’s extensive body count.

The guy in The Trip also knows about the tunnels for some reason, and sells the information to Archer.

Oh, I spoke too soon. Kate objects to Guy’s plan, because she doesn’t trust him and thinks it’s a trap. Guy says they want the same thing, Kate calls him out on not caring about the people and he admits to it - he just wants to make Isabella pay.

Now you’d think Kate would be happy about this, since she also harbors (equally unjustified) murderous intent towards Isabella, but instead she snaps “now that sounds more like the Gisborne that we all know and love.”

Robin puts his foot down, reiterating that Guy is one of them and foreshadows that they will share the same fate. He really has gone from “I can never forgive Guy” two episodes ago to “I’d trust him with my life” at the speed of light. But I guess Robin doesn’t do anything my half measures - except perhaps his relationship with Kate.

Kate reiterates that she’ll never trust Guy, Robin asks her to trust him. But what Rebecca said has gotten to her - it’s idiots all the way down this episode apparently, because she knows that Isabella gave her mother the locket, and a bit of critical thinking would have told her it was an obvious ploy.

Or she could just...tell Robin what her mother said and see how he reacts? But that would have solved this stupid subplot too quickly.

And somehow questioning Guy’s loyalty turns into suspicion of Robin’s - but it does indicate that Kate is insecure in their relationship - clearly it is not like she expected and I suspect there’s not much romantic validation in it for her. On screen, all we’ve seen him do is tolerate her.

She’s talking about the two of them (“I’m here, with you”) and he keeps talking about the cause (“you’re helping, you’re making a difference”) and the disconnect between them could not be more clear. It’s also clear at this point that she could have gone back to her family at any time, and the only reason she remained with the outlaws was to be with Robin.

Kate asks Robin to tell her that he needs her more than her family do, and of course he cannot, physically removing her hand from his face and walking away.

Face it Kate, He’s Just Not That Into You. I mean when you ask your boyfriend if he needs you, and he reacts like this it’s time to pack it in.

The Locksley Theme is gently playing while Robin and Kate are talking, but then as Kate finds the locket and put the two pieces together, it seems to turn into a version of Marian’s Theme? Which offends me.

Isabella’s machinations continue - she really is the true successor to Vaisey when it comes to psychological manipulation. She issues a pardon for Allan.

Archer sneaks in via the secret tunnel and offers to trap Guy and Robin for Isabella.

Tuck and John hear the proclamation of Allan’s pardon, and John forgets all about Allan calling him family last episode, playing right into Isabella’s hands.

Much notices Kate is gone, and Robin really could not care less. I’m sorry, I have to laugh, because he literally SHRUGS AND TURNS AWAY.

Much wants to go find her, but Robin says she can take care of herself, and they’ve got a castle to conquer.

John barges in, takes hold of Allan by the throat and calls him a traitor and Judas. This is so hard to watch. He’s your family, John! Don’t be like this!

And in a wtf reaction, Guy is smirking in the background?

Allan swears he hasn’t done anything, and appeals to Much first, and he looks conflicted but says nothing. Then Guy (which sets John off again), who kind of shrugs and looks vaguely amused. Then Tuck, who looks to Robin. And finally, Allan very plaintively says Robin’s name, who has immediately shifted into wide-eyed angry mode and cannot be reasoned with.

“So you think I’m a coward. Is that it, yeah? What that I’ve...sold you out to save myself somehow, yeah?”

Much says what they’re all thinking, that he’s done it before. Allan: “I know, and every day I wish I could take that back, you know that!”

Robin orders him tied up, and angrily says they’ll sort it out when they return. But neither Allan nor Robin will ever return to the camp, and will never be reconciled to each other.

John ties him up and growls at Allan not to look at him as he does so, which is absolutely brutal. Allan also gives a last pleading look to Much

It’s just so unbelievably sad that after everything, they can’t trust Allan, that no one even thinks that this is a ploy by Isabella, and that if he really was a traitor, she wouldn’t be announcing the fact. Idiots all the way down.

I present, for your pain, a tableau entitled Allan’s Heart Breaks in Half.

This scene really, really hurts. Come on gang, family means no one gets left behind!

Especially when it’s followed by the rest of the gang all farewelling each knowing it could be the last time - Tuck gets handshakes, Robin  Much and John all hug, and Guy stands awkwardly in the bakground. It’s just so undercut by the knowledge they’ve just left Allan tied up in the camp, given no benefit of the doubt, no fond farewells. Less grace is extended to Allan than Guy, who was their enemy literally five minutes ago.

However Allan is able to free himself, and no one would blame him if he left these ingrates to their own mess.

Guy shows Robin and Much the secret entrance through a grave.

Isabella gives Archer his money: “If I ever smell your fetted odor anywhere near Nottingham again, I will have you dipped in blood and torn apart by starving dogs.”

She idolises her mother, calling Ghislaine a saint, and: “I will kill a thousand times to keep my mother’s sacred memory pure.” It’s too bad we never got to see little Isabella interact with Ghislaine in 3x10 to support this. This is also undercut by the fact that Isabella destroyed the only keepsake of her mother - the locket - earlier. As always she is a mess of contradictions that the show has no interest in exploring.

Archer assures her she’ll never see him again.

Kate returns home: “I thought I loved him. I didn’t know I could love someone like that.” Um, like what? What exactly has Kate gotten out of this relationship other than to be held at arm’s length?

But this sufficiently guilts Rebecca and she confesses what she did and Kate leaves again.

Allan laments he’s given the best years of his life for nothing, but then sees something unbelievable - it’s Vaisey and his army, but we don’t know that yet.

Two guards ambush him and he fights them, and a nice little moment is him ducking so the guard flips over him - the same move Djaq pulled at the beginning of 1x13. He rushes off to tell Robin what he’s seen.

John and Tuck actually get a nice little moment before the gates of Nottingham Castle. John: “It’s quiet isn’t it? Calm. Like when you’re hunting, the moment you spit you’re prey. Your stag. There’s a stillness, just for a moment, when you wonder whether you can go through with it. Whether you can slaughter this beast with so much...”  Tuck: “Dignity?”

They are joined by the men of Locksley to stop the supply train when it leaves. Tuck’s plan, inspired by John, is non-violent resistance; he makes a speech, finally giving David Harewood something to do after half a season of absolutely zero material

Robin, Guy and Much fall into Archer’s trap, to be buried in limestone. Robin suggests Guy get on their shoulders to try and reach the top, but Much insists that Robin has to be the one to live. Surprisingly, Guy goes along with this.

Allan gives a last smile as he runs from a hail of arrows - but then he is struck by one, then another, and another. He tries to crawl despite being shot in the back and is confronted by Vaisey who we must assume finishes him off. It’s desperately sad.

Back in the limestone, Robin grabs hold of the grating with one hand and tries to pull Much up with the other, but he and Guy are buried.

John, Tuck, and the Locksley men sit down on the bridge as Blamire leads out the supply train and Archer watches.

He appears to be holding some kind of bracelet - what is the significance? It seems like this should have been a keepsake of Ghislaine’s that fuels his twinge of conscience, but there’s no context. If it was, it would have made a nice contrast to Isabella, who destroys her mother’s heirloom, whereas Archer’s prompts him to do the right thing.

Blamire draws his sword but Tuck stares him down. He seems reluctant to go through with it, which seems odd given his true allegiances.

Isabella appears on the battlement with a crossbow and shoots Tuck in the shoulder.

Kate appears, urging the guard to start with her if they’re going to kill them. He’s about to do it, but Archer launches a throwing star into his back they all storm the castle.

Why does Archer have a change of heart? Was he so moved by seeing Kate and the rest offer their lives up? Or perhaps he realised that he would get no more from Isabella and could not manipulate her further, and it would work to his advantage to switch sides and see what he can get out of Robin and Guy.

Archer tells Kate they need to save Robin, and releases the door to let the limestone out.

Kate goes to Robin, performs CPR and tells him she needs him, while Archer helps Guy and then Much (using some kind of elixir to help revive him). She then tells him she thought she’d lost him, and he parrots it back to her.

She reveals her mother planted the locket, and Robin realises that means Allan’s innocent. Robin: “She’s been playing with us all along.” NO SHIT SHERLOCK.

Isabella demands help from Blamire, and it seems he was never really working for her at all. He tells her to deliver Guy to the tunnel if she wants to save herself.

Kate confronts her and they fight. If there was any actual reason for these two women to hate each other it would have felt like an earned showdown, but they don’t, so it doesn’t.

Robin claims the castle for King Richard and and the people, charging Isabella with High Treason and crimes against the people of Nottingham. She’s back in her vulnerable state - hair down, outer armor stripped, laces loosened.

They find Allan’s dead body at the castle gates, but we have no time for sorrows, because Vaisey arrives with his army.

They retreat inside, and to be continued...

This episode was mostly setup for the finale, moving all the pieces into place. Allan’s death wasn’t given the weight it really deserved, the Kate subplot was unnecessary, John and Tuck had a good dynamic but we’re wasting time with Archer. 

There was really no need to introduce him now as a backdoor to next season. There is a precedent with replacing your lead character - Robin of Sherwood ran for another season with Jason Connery after Michael Praed left (and they managed to make the reasoning pretty meta) -  I can only assume Archer was a pitch to the BBC as to how the show could go forward, but it just feels like a waste of time - even when season 4 was in discussions, it was clear Sally Wainwright was unlikely to continue with Archer and it would be a soft reboot rather than true continuation.

So it’s very annoying to bother with Archer, a terrible character, rather than focus the time on the ones we actually care about. Season three in a nutshell!

[kaypeace21]

Ok me and @0aurelion-sol0 were talking and we think we figured what was going on in that teaser...

So in ep 3 "the hero and the monster" is where El most likely has her carrie moment. Talked about it here.

After the aftermath, after el's changed clothes. The police may want to question El and the byers. And want to interview  El separately at the station since she was a direct eye witness. While the byers, Mike, and argyle stay at the house with the other detective , for questioning. This would explain the police car El is in . So the man in white - who is shooting at Byers' house intruders , may be 1 of the detectives who stayed behind.

As El is being driven to the police station, we probably have the police car intercepted by colonel Sullivan and his men.  And the detective (men in suits) hand her over to the army. And the u.s gov takes El to the secret- secured base in the dessert. Aka the door in the dessert. The door leads to an underground bunker ,  with a man-made portal to the upsidedown. Similar to the russian portal in the basement of the mall. The tanks and helicopters are there as a preemptive measure incase anything monstrous theoretically escapes. And they want El cause they know she can open and close gates.

As far as the fire starter. Well, we can't tell who it is. But we don't think it's El, or any other obvious choices . So we assumed maybe it’s some number working for Brenner who blows shit up in order to apprehend El . Maybe this person has been spying the whole time and that's why they're in civilian clothes. Similar to the spies in s2 who wore street attire. Everyone else at this base is in camo. So this plaid/ white /pink ensemble stands out. We see them hurt a lot of the men in camo- and light one of the armed jeeps (near the base) on fire. so they're not with colonel Sullivan's group. I also think El if she had a carrie moment probably ran her ‘battery’ too low to do this type of destruction anyways.

Meanwhile right before this. Jonathan , Mike, and Will, are probably freaking out in Will's room- over El and the roller rink incident/ what to say to the detective. Then Sullivan's other troops bust in - we see the man who breaks the window is wearing camo. Then the 3 run up the stairs and the door is busted open by again more men in camo. Sullivan's men try to either capture El's family a) thinking taking/controlling them Will make El more compliant b) Will's file was a bit fishy and they want him too. Hard to say.

So then Will, Mike, and jonathan run out (maybe even drag the detective away who may have been shot). And argyle probably idk...was in the car like... smoking a jo*nt , while this was happening in the house. And then everyone crashes into his car. They drive off and stop somewhere in the dessert and the detective probably dies-as they’re trying to help. We see Mike, and Will look toward the back of the car where jonathan is lurching over something or someone. Then Will upset, turns back to the front where argyle is.

I assume Joyce maybe already headed out with murray before all this stuff went down. My  personal guess, - el is taken by the mystery person... to eventually go back to Papa (prob at Penthurst). And as a parallel someone may suggest the byers, Mike,and argyle lay low at Lonnie's.

maybe after the ep 3 cliffhanger of El’s carrie moment- they pull an s2e7 where s4e4 is dedicated to max. And we don’t see what happens to El and the others (aka this)- till ep 5. Similar to the cliffhanger of Will causing mayhem at the lab- then the next ep was the el/kali ep. since s4e4 is the ‘dear billy’ ep, I think it's possible. Maybe it shows Max teaming up with dustin, Robin, steve, etc to get the ball rolling on the hawkins/ creel storyline.Also, the mayfields/hargrove clan also parallel the Byers’ family .  So, maybe the rest of the episode has max’s present storyline (focus on her mourning Billy- and possibly her current struggles with Neil) . And or flashbacks with Billy/Neil/ her bio dad leaving . Her mourning Billy probably parallels hopper's grief of Sarah (both at the end of a season give El a hairband after the de*th of a family member) . Not to mention Neil /Max's bio dad parallel Lonnie. So it may be a good set up to ep 5- that focuses on hopper and the byers more.

Max's ep 4 storyline may intersect/parallel  flashbacks of maybe Lonnie in ep 5.We saw Jonathan have flashbacks of his dad when driving up to see him (so during the car ride, we may see brief flashbacks from jonathan and or Will’s pov)? plus in ep 5 we may have victor creel flashbacks, and Hopper’s current imprisonment with the demogorgon(deepfather). Explained the reasoning for why they me be in ep 5 here- under "Nina project" section. And maybe after all the creel, demogorgan, lonnie stuff... at the end of the episode 5 is where we learn El is at penthurst (near papa)? Aka everyone is imprisoned with a father figure metaphorically / physically.

At the end of ep 5 El is with papa (at penthurst), hopper is in prison with the deep father, creels are stuck in the house with possibly possessed victor , and the boys at the end of 5 may arrive at lonnie's house?

Just spit balling ideas... feel free to share XD