#robin: barb and another band friend kind of and two girls who work at the hawk and michelle pfeiffer in grease 2

[heavencasteel420]

WIP Wednesday!

From Drive All Night:

Soon the lights dimmed and music from a single trumpet, warm and low, snaked throughout the room. A girl, maybe a couple years older than Nancy, stepped through the multicolored curtains. She had brown skin, a sweetly rounded face, and serious dark eyes ringed with kohl. Her dress was a simple, modestly cut midnight blue velvet, with absolutely adorable shoes to match. Nancy wondered how hard it would be to find sky blue pumps.  Then a butterfly, pink and luminescent, appeared in the girl’s hand, and Nancy forgot all about shopping.  “How?” she whispered to Heather, but the other girl just giggled. “A magician never reveals her secrets,” she said, gazing raptly at Kali.  More wonders followed: a swarm of butterflies, a flock of birds, a parade of dancing flowers. In vain, Nancy looked around for a film projector. Then she gave up, ordered a sidecar, and enjoyed the rest of the show.  Kali finished with a shower of light that rained down on her until it covered her body in shining golden scales. Then the lights went out. A split second later, they came on and she was gone. 

From Tonight, Tonight, The Highway's Bright:

Billy wasn’t in English class the following Monday, so Nancy offered to bring him the homework assignment for 1984. Mr. Lassiter smiled at her hesitantly and said it was nice of her. All the teachers were careful with her now; her transformation from goody-two-shoes bookworm to King Steve’s latest consort to screaming crazy girl to popular ice queen in the space of a few months had made them nervous. Nancy wore soft, fluffy pastel sweaters over demure knee-length skirts and put ribbons in her hair to smooth over the past (and, truth be told, to get a rise out of Carol, who hated her outfits), but of course people remembered her punching the wall. Her hand still ached when it rained.

From Tomorrow's a Long Way Off:

“There you are,” said a tired-looking Mr. Green as he entered the lobby. “Go help Robin clean up Cinema 1, will you? These kids are animals.”  Sure enough, Robin was standing in the middle of the theater next to the bright yellow cleaning cart, looking despairingly down at the fold-out seat. When Jonathan got close, he saw a suspicious dark patch on the worn red fabric. When he got closer, the ammonia smell of urine hit his nostrils. “Okay,” he told Robin. “Don’t panic.” “I’m not panicking,” she said. Her eyes were wide, and she sounded like she was trying not to laugh, which wasn’t reassuring. “Jonathan…they’re just so gross.”  “Some kids just get way too excited over Star Wars,” he said, suppressing a grin. It was gross, and he would’ve been in a much more sour mood if he’d had to face it alone. “It’s not a big deal. Paper towel, water and vinegar, baking soda, vacuum. That’s all you need.” “They also drink their weight in Coke,” Robin grumbled, as he pulled a roll of paper towels from the cart and started blotting the seat. “Thanks a lot, by the way. Chrissy Cunningham said you cut up all the frogs and stuff for her in bio last semester, but I wasn’t expecting…” She trailed off and grabbed a trash bag from the cart, then started picking litter off the floor. “She took all the notes,” he said. “Her handwriting’s way better than mine.” 

[dontcallmeeds]

I saw a twitter thread that was giving reasons for Nancy Wheeler being a lesbian and I gotta say, I agree. At least that Nancy is NOT straight. The way she interacts with Barb….dude, do you know how many of the stairs conversations (from season one before Barb disappears) I’ve had with friends who were secretly seeing me??? The whole “this isn’t you” after Nancy lies about where she’s going and the way she reacts with her facial expressions…..bro, they’ve kissed before. This has been said a million times here and otherwise since season one.

But with the level of grief and guilt she goes through in season two, I’m seeing that right now in myself as someone who just had one of their best friends pass away suddenly who was also an ex. The whole “bullshit” Stancy Halloween fight could be chalked up to grief and liking Jonathan sure, but I think it’s way more than that. I think she’s calling everything bullshit including herself because she lost the one person who saw her, someone she loved more than just platonically.

Then season three is mostly just her fighting with Jonathan if you really think about it, because she wants to be more than just a sandwich girl at Hawkins Post. Someone Barb would be proud of. We only see her really happy with Jonathan in season three when they wake up late and she sneaks out and the soft moment they have at the end when he’s leaving. Other than that they’re either fighting with each other or fighting monsters. Robin calls her a “priss,” but before Steve she was just kind of a…nerd. Like Robin. Maybe they ran in the same circles? We know they don’t know each other in person, at least Nancy doesn’t know HER.

FOLLOW ME HERE: What if Robin knew Barb?? What if Barb confided in her that she had feelings for Nancy, but that Nancy was dating Steve and we know how hard Robin goes for her friends so she just made this assumption that Nancy is a priss????

Then season four of course, we see Nancy not going to California. She’s frustrated that Jonathan wouldn’t be coming and she stayed for the basketball game for her front page news right?? Why didn’t she take another flight hmmm??? And we think she’s jealous of Robin, but what if she was jealous of Steve??? Because we don’t really have indication that Steve and Nancy have spent much time around each other since summer ‘85…but Robin and Nancy go to school together. Robin is in band which means they’re in the same room *hypothetically* for the important games that Nancy needs to document. We don’t know how many games Steve went to besides the one, he could’ve been working on some of those games or on dates. So ipso facto, Robin and Nancy have (probably) been in the same room more than Steve and Nancy….why would she suddenly be jealous of ROBIN???

And you can see her genuinely enjoying being around Robin after her monologue at the psych ward when she was being “annoyed” and “on edge” with her before that. I don’t see that as “oh well she started considering her a friend” I think she had a crush, she was on edge because she had lost Barb and didn’t want to feel that way about another girl. But the monologue relaxes her because she realized Robin is just as unhinged as she is, but in a different way. Because Nancy Wheeler is IMPULSIVE. She’s smarter than hell, but she is so careless with her own safety.

Also every time the Bylers shippers contrast the Wheeler siblings really they’re just giving us Nancy Wheeler is gay proof too. Because look at their similar behaviors. They fight and bicker in a way that says “i know what you are, NO I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE”

NOT VERY STRAIGHT IF YOU ASK ME.

Also, while I now understand my attraction to men is because I was a queer trans dude the entire time, I used to think it was comphet. But everything I feel about men is different than the way Nancy feels about men. It feels forced, it feels like she thinks she HAS to have a boyfriend and HAS to force a real connection with them. COMP. MOTHERFUCKIN. HET.

In conclusion, for the love of god, let Nancy Wheeler kiss girls. Natalia wants it, the fans want it. Give us a SMOOCH.

[emrysarthurpendragon]

Breath in, breath out

Merlin sat anxiously in their car. A couple of days had passed since they first met Arthur and now, they were heading to the hospital together. The lady Morgana dialled his mum and told them Arthur was alive and ready to have visitors. Still, one thing was bothering the little boy… Arthur was going to live with that woman. He hated her. He found Arthur and he wanted him to stay with them, in their domain with plenty of rooms and even ONE domestic! Since his parents told him the news, Merlin had been pouting on his sit and mumbling about life being unfair. His parent’s chatters broke the silence until they parked not far from the hospital. Merlin jumped from the vehicle and took his father’s hand from one side, his mother’s from the other. They walked together to a desk where a kind woman shows them to where Arthur’s room was. In an attempt to ease the boy’s fears, they let him stay in the children service, where Merlin stopped for a moment, next to an activity room filled with various sick kids of all ages. A teenager with long brown hair and sparkling eyes. He was playing guitar before he noticed his new spectator and wink to him.

There was music there in the derriere

Like a language that we all could understand

I remember the day that I earned my first pay

When I played in a small pick-up band

 There I spent my youth, and to tell you the truth

I was sad to leave it all behind me

For I learned about life, and I found a wife

In the town I loved so well

 Merlin blushed when the older boy knelt in front of him. Something was happening … they both felt it. Merlin wanted to cry, because he missed this boy so much … and it was stupid, because they never met!

 But when I returned, how my eyes have burned

To see how a town could be brought to its knees

By the armoured cars and the bombed-out bars

And the gas that hangs on to every breeze

Now the army’s installed by that old gas-yard wall

And the damned barbed wire gets higher and higher

With their tanks and their guns, oh my God, what have they done

To the town I loved so well

Now the music’s gone but they carry on

For their spirits been bruised, never broken

They will not forget but their hearts are set

On tomorrow and peace once again

For what’s done is done and what’s won is won

And what’s lost is lost and gone for ever

I can only pray for a bright, brand new day

In the town I love so well

 Scenes from a long-forgotten battle made him shiver and Merlin stepped back. These were from his nightmares, the one he had since forever. The ones he talked of with his grandpa Gaius, who never judge him or call him crazy. He shared them with his parents too, and they sent him to a doctor. A kind man who let him draw on many papers. The other day, he drew a big Dragon with yellow scales! His name was… Kikigarah!

“Merlin, what’s wrong?” his mother’s called and Merlin shook his head. If he started being weird again, the doctor will make him take yucky medicine. Instead, the boy smile and pointed to the musician.

“I like music! Can he play for Arthur?” he asked, and notice how the teenager chuckled when Merlin made decision without asking him first.

“Who is Arthur?” the stranger asked, standing again so he can greet young Merlin parents properly. From his place, Merlin still wondered where he met that boy before. “I’m Gwaine, I play for the kids when I don’t have school,” he explained.

 “What’s that smell?” a huge man asked, and an older Merlin stared at the direction the smell came from.

“Gwaine! Pull these feet of your back into your boots! We’re all going to die!” he yelled, throwing a rock at him.

“Ouch! It hurts!” the Gwaine from the fake world.

“Well, you hurt our noses!”

 The moment vanished. What if it were true, Merlin wondered? He had to protect Arthur from dangerous scent. Just in case. Maybe with some tissues or with a hug, so he can hide his face in his hair and smell his shampoo. His favourite with strawberries and apples!

“Arthur is my friend!” Merlin claimed, “He does not know it yet, that’s all!”

Both adults and Gwaine laughed at the claim. Still, the little boy was not done yet. Gwaine asked who Arthur was and, of course, he had a duty to be as precise as possible.

“His bad daddy killed his mummy and now, he’s hurt. But my mum and dad are nice and kiss a lot! It’s not all parents, I promise!” he said, “And Morgana killed the bad daddy, so now Arthur is safe and I want to…”

“Merlin, stop. You can’t tell these things to Gwaine. You’ll make him uncomfortable.” Balinor said. Merlin lowered his head and whispered a quick ‘sorry’. He just wanted to answer properly, and as a six-year-old, he didn’t realise some things were private. Except his parents’ bedroom. He knew not to break in when there were giggles from his parents in it. They were trying to make him a little sister, even if Merlin couldn’t fathom how laughing in a bedroom was going to help them. Maybe they did not know they had to ask Santa. Instead of rummaging his thoughts, Merlin took off when he noticed chamber number 28, where Arthur was supposedly waiting for them. With a happy squeal, Merlin pushed the door open and barely avoid colliding with Morgana. The beautiful woman laughed when she saw him but earned nothing from Merlin, except a disdainful glare.

“I don’t like you,” the child murmured. He turned his gaze to the bed, where Arthur blinked lazily. “You’re awake!” Merlin yelped, not even noticing he was the one who woke the other boy. There was a strange mask on his face, making him look like a fish but the oblivious child just ignores it as he sat on the bed.

“Hi Arthur! I’m Merlin! You remember me?”

Arthur nodded, still slightly confused. He stopped crying about his mum a couple of days ago, but he never expected to meet Merlin again. Still, he seemed more friendly than strange now, and it eased the blond orphan. Merlin acted as a friend and with no such thing as pity in his eyes.

“Dada told me you’re going to live with Morgana. If you don’t want, just tell me so I adopt you! I can! I just have to write it on a paper!”

“I… I like ‘Gana…” Arthur whispered, confused by Merlin’s words. He also felt touch by the way the brunet kindly offered to give him a new home.

“What? But … but she’s old!” Merlin pointed, like it was some huge con. Only then did he notice all the adults were staring at them with a mix of annoyance and amusement. “Can you all go outside, please? It’s between and Arthur and I! Except Gwaine, we want the music!” he ordered. The ‘olds’ laughed, not even bothered by how Merlin talked because they knew he was a good child deep inside. Gwaine took a sit next to the two six-year-old with his guitar still in hands.

“You know, kids, I think we are quite the trio,” the teenage boy laughed. “Arthur, Merlin and Gwaine, all from the round table. Do you want a song about King Arthur and his merry companions?”

“The merry companions are with Robin Hood!” the two kids corrected, exchanging a smile while Merlin cuddled with Arthur. Merlin who was always so scared around other kids most of the time, felt at home here.

“So, this is a song about King Arthur and his Queen, Guinevere.”

“I don’t like it,” Merlin pouted.

“You did not even let me start!”

“Arthur loves Merlin and Merlin loves Arthur. Like mummy and daddy,” the younger boy claimed. “Grandpa Gaius says it’s okay for boys to love boys and girls love girls. Grandpa is always right. I say Merlin and Arthur are married!”

Behind him, Arthur blushed. Merlin realized he probably think the wrong things and they both turned red while Gwaine laughed. In another life, the teenager would have teased them but now, he just shook his head and let his finger started a lullaby about a beloved King and his lands. A land of magic, with mighty knights and flying dragons. It took a minute before Merlin’s rubbed his eyes and sucked his thumb. Arthur started dozing off too, his breathing slowing down under his oxygen mask. The one he wore since he first came here and struggled to breathe with his broken ribs.

 Gwaine smiled at the two sleeping forms. Something inside him wanted to protect these children, like an older brother. Arthur, with his bruises covered body. Merlin and his good nature. With much care, the teenager left the room, where he met the adults.

“They fell asleep. I uh… I should go home. I have works to do … well … uh … goodbye?” Gwaine murmured.

“It was nice meeting you, Gwaine. Feel free to come again later,” offered the woman he thought was Arthur’s guardian. Morgana, was it?

“I will,” he promised with a bright smile.

 They were all going to meet again. Maybe not now. Maybe in a couple of weeks, months or years. He felt like something was about to happen. A change they all needed. Something about Merlin and Arthur, even if they were far too young to change the world.

[searchingwardrobes]

Desdichado: Ch 11/?

Finally, the next update on this fic! Unfortunately, this has no Captain Swan in it. However, it is very important to the plot and sets up the next chapter. This also has the development of two of the other couples: Aurora/Phillip (which is good for CS, right?) and Outlaw Queen.

Summary: I think I’ve summarized this differently every single time, but basically this is an Ivanhoe AU. It’s also a fix-it fic (for me anyway) because I never liked how Ivanhoe ended. So basically you’ve got knights, jousting, chivalry, castles, lords & ladies, and Emma and Regina under suspicion of witchcraft. (That last part hasn’t been a big plot point yet, but trust me, it will. You know what I’m talking about if you know Ivanhoe.) Did I mention Killian is a knight? That’s always good, right?

Rating: T

Trigger Warnings: “set in a time period where women were treated like crap” basically sums it up, also starts off Sleeping Captain, but you all know why I’m here . . . lol. Oh, and it Neal is a straight up evil villain in this . . . shocker from me, I know!

You can catch up on Ao3

@bethacaciakay @teamhook @kmomof4 @whimsicallyenchantedrose @snowbellewells @kday426 @snidgetsafan @delirious-latenight-laughs @jennjenn615 @mythologicalmango @wellhellotragic

Chapter Eleven

Aurora blinked, but no light penetrated the dark of the forest around her. She shivered. Even with Sir Phillip’s cloak added to Emma’s, the chill of night could not be warded off. This was the second night spent under the trees since fleeing their captors, and still Phillip insisted upon giving her added warmth while he took none for himself. He did the same with the meager rations in his satchel and the meat from the coney he had managed to shoot for their dinner. He was different from the rest of the knights in his company, and his gentleness and kindness warmed Aurora’s heart even as she feared what her father and Killian may be suffering.

She shifted on the hard ground, wondering what had awakened her from her slumber. Then she heard it, a sharp cry from the other side of the cold embers of last night’s fire.

“No, no! Please, no!”

It was Phillip’s voice, and the brokenness and fear in it made Aurora’s heart clench with an almost physical pain. She heard him thrash and cry out again. The mumbled tone of his voice let her know he wasn’t awake. She crept across the ground to where he lay, letting his cloak slip from her shoulders. She eased down to kneel next to him, and was concerned to see how he trembled. Whether it was from the dreams plaguing him or the cold, she wasn’t sure, but she draped his cloak over his shoulders nonetheless. Her hand drifted to his shoulder and lingered there. She startled when he grasped it firmly in his own.

“Mother?” he asked in a wavering voice.

She eased forward, eyes straining in the dark, but she didn’t think he was awake. She squeezed his hand and ran her thumb along his knuckles soothingly.

“Phillip?”

“Mother,” a slight cry trembled in his voice, “you’re here.”

His voice slurred, and his hand grew limp in hers. She reached out and traced his forehead with her other hand and felt furrows under her fingertips. He was grimacing in his sleep; evidently still within the throws of his nightmare.

“Don’t leave,” he whispered, sounding so much younger than his years.

It was the most vulnerable any man had ever sounded in her presence, and something about it made a part of her heart unfurl in a way she had never known before. She shifted to sit next to him, running her fingers through his hair.

“I am going nowhere, Phillip. I promise.”

“There’s so much pain here, mother, so much hate . . .”

“Shhh, sleep,” she whispered, her fingers still gently soothing his scalp. He let out a sigh, and as she traced his forehead with her thumb, it was smooth. His breathing soon evened out, and his fingers slipped from her grip. He was asleep again.

Aurora gazed into the darkness, tears rolling down her cheeks. She knew what he was dreaming of; it was the Crusades.

*******************************************************

Regina stomped across the campsite, looking around for something to kick, and frustrated when she could find nothing. The rising sun was burning off the mist of dawn, and she squinted against its light as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her fingers dug into her upper arms as she ground her teeth.

“I always find ladies quite fetching when they want to hit something.”

Regina spun around to see Robin Hood leaning cockily against a tree, his own arms crossed as he watched her with an infuriating smile upon his face. She scowled openly at him.

“You make women irate on such a regular basis?”

He chuckled as he pushed himself off the tree. “My wife would have said so when she lived. Yet her fire was one of the things I loved about her. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. All men need such a partner in life, in my opinion.’

Regina rolled her eyes. “Please, you believe no such thing.”

Robin’s eyebrows rose, “You think I’m lying?”

Regina stomped closer to him, “Yes, I do. For one, men universally wish women to be meek and worship them no matter how infantile their actions. Secondly, you certainly didn’t listen when I spoke my mind just now.”

His face softened as he placed both hands on Regina’s shoulders. Her skin heated at his touch. “You have to trust me.”

Regina blinked, thrown slightly by the tingle that skittered down her spine at his nearness. She shook her head and took a step back.

“Trust you? Why should I? You’re a bandit that I’ve known for only two days. And the plan that your merry men and Stefan’s knights have cobbled together could very well get Emma killed.”

“Don’t forget that I fought alongside Sir Killian in the Crusades,” Robin retorted, his voice rising slightly. “I do not wish to see him harmed, nor does Lord Stefan want his daughter endangered.”

“Then we storm the castle!” Regina cried.

Robin stepped directly into her personal space and gazed into her eyes with fire in them. “And we would fail. You heard our scout. He saw Prince James and his knights heading for the castle where our friends are being held. We are far too outnumbered.”

Regina looked away, partly because she didn’t want to hear his arguments and partly because the way he looked at her had her feeling off-kilter. She blinked rapidly as worry and fear threatened to overwhelm her. But Mills women didn’t show softness; they didn’t show weakness, so she squared her jaw and took a step away from the bandit at her side. He stopped her with a gentle hand to her elbow.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned eluding the Sheriff of Nottingham, it’s that you don’t reveal move three before you’ve made moves one and two.”

Regina jerked her arm away. “This isn’t chess. Emma is no pawn.”

He grinned at her. “But how do you know I don’t have an extra knight – or even a king – up my sleeve?” He reached out for her again, running his hand up and down her arm in what she assumed was supposed to be a soothing gesture. How could he know his touch left fire in its wake? “We’ll draw the Templar knights away from the castle where my men fight best. Meanwhile Stefan’s men will attack from the rear –“

“- and set fire to the garrison,” Regina interrupted in irritation, “I was there for the strategy meeting, remember? So excuse me if I don’t want my dau – my ward – set on fire!”

Robin shook his head. “It’s a diversion, remember. It will give us time to –“

“To search every inch of that enormous castle?” she barked a sarcastic laugh. “There are so many holes in this plan, it’s ridiculous.”

Robin’s eyes narrowed, a sure sign he was beginning to lose his patience with her. Regina could care less. She may have been the only women in this little band, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to just be dragged along in any fool hardy scheme they concocted. The two of them were in an obstinate standoff, but before either of them could get in another barb, a sharp, high pitched cry pierced the edge of the camp.

“Please! Mercy! I beg of you!”

Regina’s eyes rose in alarm as they met Robin’s, and they raced across the camp. At the edge of the forest clearing, the merry men had a figure surrounded, their bows fitted with arrows to point at the interloper. When Regina and Robin pushed through the crowd, they were both shocked to find a slight young woman with dark brown hair crumpled on the ground with both hands raised and a look of terror upon her face.

“Stand down, men, she’s but a child!” Robin barked. Then he reached out for the girl and helped her up, speaking soothingly to her until her trembling ceased. He led her over to one of the logs by the fire, his eyes connecting with Regina’s as he did so. She understood his meaning and rushed to get the girl a cup of water. She accepted it gratefully, but only took a sip before speaking.

“My name’s Violet, and I am a servant at Glowerhaven castle.”

“Where they’re keeping Emma!” Regina gasped as she eagerly sat beside the girl. “No one seems to know who the Lord of that castle is. What can you tell us?”

The girl’s eyes filled up with tears, and Regina rubbed her back soothingly. She took a deep breath, then spoke.

“It will be Sir Baelfire’s once he weds. It’s part of his father’s holdings, though it’s only been a summer holiday retreat all the years I’ve worked there.”

Robin clenched a fist as he growled under his breath. “Lord Robert.”

Violet nodded. “Aye. His main estate is Fortress Gold on the far side of the kingdom, though I’ve never been there.”

Regina shook her head in frustration. “But what of the prisoners. What of my Emma?”

“And my dear Aurora,” Stefan added, coming to stand beside Robin, his face a tortured mask of worry and fear.

“It was Lady Emma and Sir Killian who told me to run. You see, her and Lady Aurora switched places that first day. I was to be the Lady Aurora’s chamber maid, but I’ve been Lady Emma’s instead while she cares for Sir Killian’s injuries.”

“Switched places!” Stefan cried. “Where is my daughter now?”

“She fled with Sir Phillip. To . . . Misthaven I believe?”

“She fled in the company of one knight?” Stefan moaned as he sank to the log. “She’ll be ruined!”

“Your daughter managed to escape from her kidnappers, and that’s what you’re worried about?” Regina exclaimed. Lord Stefan gave her a disapproving glare that could have curdled milk, but Regina could care less. Of all the patriarchal, ridiculous –

“Oh, but she had no choice, my Lord!” Violet exclaimed. “Prince James was on his way to force her into a marriage.” The child flushed as she glanced at the two men before her, then leaned towards Regina and whispered. “She was terrified, m’lady, she seemed to think he would . . . deflower her.”

Violet began to tremble again, and Regina shot a glare of her own at Lord Stefan as she pulled the poor girl close. After a few moments of Regina’s soothing fingers in her hair, the girl lifted her tear streaked face to Regina.

“Lord Killian was mending well under Lady Emma’s care, but then Sir James arrived. He frightened me so! He may be the prince, but he’s cruel.” She turned her gaze to the men. “He plans to use them as bait to capture Lord Stefan.”

Robin nodded, rubbing his chin with his hand. “He assumes we still believe Aurora to be imprisoned at Glowerhaven.”

“And we did,” Regina put in, giving Violet another smile, “until this brave girl found us.” Then she sighed deeply before looking up at Robin. “I do hate admitting when I’m wrong, but . . . what was that chess move you were planning again?”

Robin grinned down at her, and she felt a blush rise up into her cheeks. He clapped his hands, “All right, Merry Men! Let’s prepare for battle!”

Regina rose to her feet, relieved to finally be doing something to help her ward. She was also relieved that she hadn’t been forced to make her final chess move in order to ensure Emma’s safety. But before she could follow after Robin, Violet grasped her hand frantically.

“They have to hurry!” Violet implored with a trembling voice. “Prince James has murder in his eyes.”

Regina swallowed the bile that threatened to rise in her throat. She knew all too well Prince James’ true nature, and she’d be damned if the past eighteen years had been for naught.