#honestly get ready cause I’m about to transfer the thread over and that’s gonna suck lol

[kissmejusttokiss]

Strangerdale (the story so far)

1. What is Strangerdale?

Strangerdale is the by-product of a slightly unhinged conversation in the Steddie discord between myself and @grandmastattoo that has since snowballed entirely out of control in the best way. (If memory serves correctly, it started as a joke about Steve meeting Archie Riverdale in jock heaven and, honestly, how far we’ve come since then.)

Strangerdale is an au in which the characters (and some of the funnier plot-points) from Riverdale just exist randomly in the Stranger Things universe. So far, there is no explanation as to how that happened or why they’re in Hawkins. They just are. The only two people to recognise how weird any of this is are Eddie and Vecna.

2. What time period does Strangerdale exist in?

Good question? Probably the eighties. Maybe? I’m still not entirely sure. Here are the things I do know though: Eddie is a Gleek, Cheryl Blossom has full use of modern day technology (& Steve can and does receive texts from her on the regular), and, at one point, a gofundme is created to have Jughead put down. But, other than that, I think it’s still the eighties.

3. Why have you done this?

Also a good question!

Anyway…

4. Are there any rules?

The most important rule in terms of taking part in Strangerdale is to have fun. Genuinely, if something is funny enough, it does not have to make sense or have any sort of explanation lore wise. To quote the great philosopher @grandmastattoo “Strangerdale operates on ‘it works if it’s funny’ rules.”

(There are however a few pieces of established lore that you might want to stick to. Such as:

- Archie Riverdale (which is his full legal name) has fought and defeated Vecna multiple times in hand to hand combat.

- Eddie and Jughead have an enemies to frenemies arc the is entirely one sided. Eddie hates Jughead with a passion and Jughead has to be reminded who Eddie is on a regular basis. (This is only made worse when they eventually finds out they’re brothers.)

- Steve and Cheryl are besties.)

5. Right. OK. This is unhinged but where can I find more?

Strangerdale content can be found under the #strangerdale tag or on a ridiculously long thread on twitter that you can find here! The lore is ever evolving and I encourage, nay implore, everyone to take part because it’s the most fun I’ve had in ages. (And yes! This is me telling you to watch Riverdale in the year of our lord 2022 so that you can take part in this silly au.)

#Strangerdale #honestly get ready cause I’m about to transfer the thread over and that’s gonna suck lol

[thederailedtrain]

The Mark of Oblivion: City Hall Station [Three]

“Start at the beginning,” Cedric said. This was as much as he’d gotten from Toni when she burst into the shop not five minutes ago. “What happened?”

“Literally, exactly what I said,” Toni replied. “I was coming home from work when I caught Gus’s name over the typical Harbinger chatter.” Toni tapped her head twice. “Did a little digging, and it looks like Bryce was approached by Gus’s girlfriend, Phoebe-”

“Sophie,” Kira corrected.

“Sophie, whatever,” Toni waved her off. “Anyway, she apparently noticed something was up between the two of them and guessed Bryce was involved somehow. Since Gus hasn’t spilled the beans about this whole Otherworld business, she figured Bryce would. So he took her to the old 6 train station beneath City Hall, lured Gus there, and tricked him into revealing magic to her first.”

Cedric could see Kira’s breathing hitch. “You mean they’re fighting right now?” Her voice had risen several notes along with her nerves.

“Well, I would’ve gotten here sooner, but someone sealed off the basement from teleportation magics,” Toni sent a withering glare in Cedric’s direction. He was ready to argue back, but Toni just charged right ahead. “The second I figured out what was up, I made it down as fast as the 4 train would take me. Y’all owe me a subway fare, by the way.”

Ignoring Toni’s last comment entirely, Salazar spoke up. “If I’m remembering correctly, Gus’s girlfriend is mortal.” He received three nods of confirmation. “Then this is a lot bigger than just some battle against a Harbinger. The exposure risk-”

Cedric didn’t wait for him to finish. “I agree. We need to send someone immediately.”

“I’ll do it,” Kira’s response was so quick, she ran over the tail end of Cedric’s words. She jumped from the couch, already going for her jacket.

However, Cedric’s hand on her shoulder stopped her. “Perhaps you’re not ready for this yet,” he said, his voice low.

“What?!” Kira cried. “This is my best friend. I have to go-”

“As much as I hate to agree with him, Mr. Warden’s right,” Toni cut in, giving her what was probably supposed to be a consoling shrug. “You’re probably worse off than he is right now,” she added, throwing a nod in Salazar’s direction. Salazar gave an impressive eye roll for a man with only one eye. “Alright, Cedric, looks like it’s you and me.”

Realizing that he really was the only option they had at the moment, Cedric sighed. He let his hand linger on Kira’s shoulder for a moment, unspoken promise in his eyes. We’ll get him back safe, don’t worry. Just before he let the hand drop, Kira covered it with her own. Cedric was grateful she had to turn away to speak to Toni, because he was having trouble thinking past their points of contact.

“So why come up here in the first place?” The witch asked. “Why not grab Cedric and go? To put me in a situation where I’m utterly useless?” Even Kira seemed surprised by how loud she’d gotten by the end of her rant.

To her credit, Toni didn’t flinch. “Because you were right earlier,” she explained. “Gus is your best friend and you deserve to know what was going on.” She paused, shrugging. “I mean, I could’ve just texted you, but it’s not like I have your number.”

Every time Cedrd thought he had Toni figured out...Kira opened her mouth, but seemed to have trouble getting the ‘thank you’ out. Cedric could feel her stare on him as he shrugged on his coat. “Kick Bryce’s ass for me,” Kira said eventually. “And stay safe, alright?”

“We will,” Cedric assured her. Then he turned and headed out the door because if he didn’t look away now, he knew he would never be able to. It wasn’t until they were out on the street that he found the words again. “There’s an alley behind the shop that will provide enough cover for a transference spell.”

Toni nodded, a couple steps behind Cedric. He figured, given the situation, Toni would want to stay on point. Honestly, Cedric should’ve known better. “So judging by how that went down in there, I’m gonna go ahead and guess you still haven’t told Kira? Like, anything, I mean.” Her voice cut through the nighttime traffic like a well-honed knife. Cedric was glad he was turned away so she couldn’t see him wince.

“How about we discuss this some other time?” Cedric asked, once he’d managed to school his expression back to normal.

Years in court when he was a young man had been good practice for exactly this type of situation. But that training never taught him how to stop thinking about something, or remove the ache it caused from his chest. Cedric actually found himself looking forward to the battle, if only because it would give him a momentary respite.

Toni muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like, “It’s not me you need to discuss this with.” He ignored it and held out an expectant hand, which Toni took with a shake of her head. “Alright, Mr. Warden, hold onto your scarf.”

Which was all the warning Cedric got to close his eyes before the world dropped out from under him. Over a thousand years living in the Otherworld and Cedric still had yet to get used to transference via chaos magic. Few other things provoked this kind of instinctual fear in him. Unconsciously, he tightened his grip on Toni’s hand.

At least it was over quickly. The world wasn’t spinning the same way it did for most other transference spells. That Cedric knew how to handle. This was like coming back to consciousness after suddenly falling asleep. Cedric needed a moment to get his bearings back.

The moment he opened his eyes, nostalgia hit him like a tidal wave. Aside from rust and water damage, the old City Hall Station looked exactly like it did the last time he’d stood on this platform over seventy years ago. Cedric only noticed Gus seconds later when the werewolf nearly bowled him over.

Gus didn’t stand fully to his feet, remaining in a crouch. He shook himself off, growling under his breath while his jacket continued to smoke. The intimidating image was completely undercut by the tone of his voice. “Oh, hey, guys! I was kinda hoping you’d show up soon.”

“Thought I said this party was supposed to be invitation only,” someone else said, prompting Gus to switch from friendly to snarling once more.

Cedric followed his line of sight across the platform to where another man was standing. He was a Harbinger, that much was obvious from his appearance and the chaos-tinged smoke of black magic curling around his body. And while Cedric was only vaguely familiar with him, there was an intrinsic loathing tied to his face. It was Gus’s, Cedric knew, still lingering in his mind from when they’d been linked during their last battle against the Harbingers. That same hatred was pouring off of him right now.

“Oh, honey,” Toni simpered. A wide grin broke out across her features as she let her eyes turn black. “I know I’m not your boss anymore, but a little respect would be nice.”

When Bryce’s eyes widened, Cedric didn’t need his empathy to guess why. “Who...who are you?” The air of superiority in his tone did little to hide his stumble.

“Hmm, guess we must’ve just missed each other,” Toni sighed. She turned her head, staring wistfully into the distance. “Too bad. That would’ve been a much more effective threat if you’d been around for my reign of terror.”

While Toni’s gaze was diverted elsewhere, Bryce attempted to strike. It was a desperate maneuver - he must’ve noticed the difference in power between himself and Toni - and even Cedric could sense the spell before it left his hand. He watched in horror as the cloud of black smoke sailed right for Toni, only for her to deflect it casually back at him.

“Everyone’s always trying to use my own tricks against me,” She pouted, dropping the expression to return fire.

Taking that as a sign the battle was back on, Gus rushed back in. Cedric nearly followed suit, until a thread of emotions wandered into his consciousness. It had been there the whole time, overshadowed by everyone else’s because it wasn’t wrapped in a magical presence.

Once Cedric put it all together, he whirred around. The woman standing behind him was petite, with vibrantly red curls and blue eyes that were wide as she took in the scene before her. Cedric already knew that this had to be Sophie, Gus’s girlfriend. With one last glance at the battle raging on the other end of the platform, Cedric turned and ran towards her. Toni and Gus were more than a match for Bryce. Right now, Sophie needed him most.

“Are you alright?” Cedric asked, kneeling down once he got to her feet. Even like this, he was practically eye to eye with Sophie. She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice, pulling back when her eyes landed on him. “Don’t worry, I’m Gus’s friend. I won’t hurt you.”

“I-I’m alright,” Sophie stammered automatically. She was more preoccupied with accessing Cedric’s threat level than telling the truth. The incubus sensed the moment she decided he was trustworthy and watched her begin to backtrack. “No, what am I saying? This sucks and I have no idea what the hell is going on right now.”

Cedric nodded slowly in understanding. “Can you tell me what you remember about how you got here?”

“Umm, I don’t remember much, actually,” Sophie replied. She sounded surprised by her own answer. “I got a message from Gus about him coming back to Henderson, so I decided to go in. But then I bumped into Bryce. I might’ve taken my frustration out on him and he said something about having Gus tell me himself...And then I wound up here. It was really dark for a while, but then Gus was here and they started fighting.” She stopped short, seeming to realize she had been rambling. Cedric was impressed she caught onto his influence so quickly. “Gus…” Sophie trailed off, gaze now on the battle. Cedric was prepared to give her reassurance that he was going to be fine, but Sophie’s next words surprised him. “What is he?”

Of course, Cedric sighed. Sophie was a mortal, she wasn’t used to Otherworld matters the same way his regular clients were. “Much as I hate to admit it, I think Bryce was right about one thing. This is a private discussion for the two of you,” he said.

It was a massive breach of protocol, but at this point, Cedric felt he owed it to Gus. He’d done the same thing when Kira had accidentally exposed Gus to the Otherworld. Of course, Cedric also knew there was a chance Gus would become an Otherworlder himself, so the situations weren’t exactly the same. With Sophie, he couldn’t feel a single glimmer of magic.

What he could feel from her was a confusing mass of emotions. Given the circumstances, that was to be expected. Sophie was putting on a strong face, but that didn’t stop Cedric from sensing the anger and frustration welling up within her. The betrayal. To her credit, Cedric knew she hadn’t shed a single tear.

She’s like Gus that way, Cedric couldn’t help but think. He could almost visualize the close bond between the two of them, stretching out from her to him like a thread. It had become frayed in the past few months, but her concern over him right now was keeping it from snapping.

“You know,” Cedric added after a moment of listening to Sophie’s emotions. “This is something you were never meant to see. If, after this is all over, you want to go back to not knowing...I can help you forget.”

There was a strange look in Sophie’s eyes when she finally turned back to him. The conflict of emotions reigning over her thoughts swirled more furiously. Before she could settle on an answer, a voice cut through the usual sounds of battle.

“Why?!”

Cedric recognized Gus’s accent immediately. Both he and Sophie turned to see the battle still raging behind them.

It was an interesting fight to behold, but it was clearly one-sided. Bryce was perpetually losing ground, trying to get out of range of Gus’s fists while simultaneously dodging the spells Toni threw his way. Cedric could feel his regret at his choice of opponents, even from here.

In response to Gus’s question, Bryce let out a laugh. The sound was quickly cut off by a burst of chaos magic that slammed into his back. While he was still stunned, Gus seized the opportunity. He grabbed a handful of Bryce’s turtleneck, using it to slam him against the nearest support beam. The impact rang throughout the platform.

“Why?” Gus repeated. Even though he was closer to Bryce now, and didn’t have to compete for volume, his voice was just as loud. “Why would you- Sophie did nothing to you! Why would you hurt her?!”

Again, Bryce let out a laugh. There was some fear and frustration in the sound, but it was masked by an overwhelming sense of victory. He certainly chuckled like he’d won. When Gus did nothing, only continue to glare him down, he appeared to roll his eyes - it was difficult to tell if that was the intention when he lacked scleras.

“First of all, I didn’t hurt her. She came to me for help, and that’s exactly what I provided,” Byce answered. “But this really isn’t about her. No offense to you, Sophie. Hope there aren’t any hard feelings after this,” he spoke the last bit to Sophie directly, nodding to her from across the platform.

“Go to hell,” Sophie spat back.

“Actually, I’m trying to bring hell to us, but that’s a little besides the point right now,” Bryce grinned. Turning back to Gus, he added, “But I’m man enough to admit it; you won our fight on Saturday. I had to find some other way to settle the score.”

“You sound pretty confident for someone currently pinned to a wall,” Gus fired back.

The smile that spread across Bryce’s face was directed across the platform. “Yeah, I probably do,” he sighed and the sound was almost wistful. “But the Warden over there looks about ready to bust me for magical exposure, so I think it’s time I ghosted.”

Suddenly, shadows enveloped Bryce’s form, which quickly dissolved in smoke. Toni, who was in the middle of a binding spell, cut herself off with a loud swear.

“No!” Gus cried, claws slashing through the air in a vain attempt to grab anything. They passed harmlessly through the smoke that was left behind, gouging lines out of the paint covering the support beam. The frustrated shout he let out sounded close to a howl.

In the following silence, Toni surprised Cedric by beating him to a comforting statement. “Hey, chill out, alright?” Well, perhaps not comforting, but there was an undercurrent of concern in her voice. She placed a hesitant hand on Gus’s arm, which Cedric could see shaking even from so far away. When she did, the shaking stopped. “There’s someone over there who needs you right now and that’s more important.”

At that, Gus’s head snapped up. His glowing gaze flew right to where Sophie and Cedric were huddled by the stairwell. By the time he’d jogged over, his eyes were back to their natural shade of hazel.

“Are you alright? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Gus asked. The words tumbled from his mouth so fast, all Sophie could do was nod or shake her head to keep up.

Sophie took a second before pulling Gus in for a hug, which Gus returned with gusto. He picked Sophie up, spinning her away from the stairs. “Gus…” she trailed off, staring up at him. “What just happened?”

#the mark of oblivion #n: the mark of oblivion #the magic shop #writing #my writing #katie writes sometimes