#note passing au

[morganski-19]

With a Comma After Dearest Part 1

A Ronance Note Passing Au

Robin’s tired. So goddamn tired. Like the soul was physically sucked out of her body and all that was left was this mess of a blob that she had to carry around all day tired. She hates it. Hates the feeling of just getting through the day just to go home and try to sleep, but never succeeds. 

It hasn’t been this bad in a while. Not since July. But at least then she had more of an excuse. Then she was taken by Russians and tortured, heard Steve’s screams through the long hallway of the bunker. Now, what does she have to say? She willingly jumped into an alternate dimension portal to save her friend and willingly went back again to kill an evil wizard. She didn’t see the visions her friends did, didn’t watch her friends almost die. No, she came out unscathed, just mild horrors to be seen. The sleepless night shouldn’t be happening. 

But they are. Have been ever since that first night after spring break. Waking in a cold sweat, immediately calling her friends to know that they were ok. Resigning herself to only getting the amount of sleep she did or sneaking out her window to go to Steve’s. That way when one of them had a nightmare, they might actually be able to sleep after that. She can’t rely on him as much as she wants, especially if she wants him to have any semblance of a life. But she just can’t help it. 

He’s never said anything about it, always willing to drop anything to come make sure she was ok. Not like he was doing anything either, just laying alone in that giant house of his. But now that Eddie’s been released from the hospital, they’ve been spending more time together, Steve helping him through the nightmares. And she sees the way they look at each other, she knows that something’s going to happen between them too, even if they can’t see it yet. 

So she has to learn how to do things on her own sometimes. She can still rely on him if she needs it, he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He just might need some space and nights alone, meaning that Robin would have to start being alone. If only that thought alone didn’t terrify her.

She walks into the bathroom and is met with the giant bags under her eyes. Barely having the energy to even get dressed in the morning, it’s not like she has the energy to cover them up. Her mom asks her questions, and her dad gets worried. All she could tell them were lies, that it was just nerves about some test or college applications, and that’s why she couldn’t sleep. She splashes some cold water on her face, trying anything to keep her awake for three more periods. 

Slowly she makes her way to her next class and prays that she won’t fall asleep.

. . . 

Nancy is walking to her next class when she spots Robin. Hunched over, clutching books close to her chest, and shuffling into the classroom. She looks like she hasn’t gotten any sleep at all, Nancy knows the feelings. It’s not like she’s been able to sleep that well the last few weeks. She’s just had four years of practice to make sure no one knew it was happening. It would go away soon, she knows. Slowly compartmentalizing in her mind until the memories fade away, only to haunt her again when she doesn’t want them to. 

But Robin, she’s still new to this. Sure there was the summer, but that was only once. It took Nancy three times around to be able to train her mind to forget the images that plagued her mind. And even then it wasn’t perfect. 

There were always people that Nancy could rely on though. Steve and Jonathan when she was dating them, and sometimes even Mike when they both needed someone to talk to. Someone was always there to help her fall back asleep, assure her that she was safe, and that they were okay. 

Does Robin have anyone to do that? Nancy assumes she has Steve, but it’s not like they live that close. And they’re not dating, so it’s not like they would spend that many nights together. She can’t imagine what Robin would do, climb out her window and bike all the way to Steve’s, or call him and he then drive over to her. Time spent in panic when someone could already be there to calm her down. 

Nancy wants to be there for Robin. They live a lot closer and could have sleepovers on nights when one of them just needed someone to help get them through the night. But she hasn’t had time. 

Ever since the “earthquake” the school paper has had endless stories. Student testimonials and memorials. News about the repairs and charity drives. A constant reminder of what they didn’t stop quite in time. 

Because of that, Nancy hasn’t had time to think about herself, let alone someone else. The stories are slowing down and life is returning to normal. Meaning that she should be too, or at least trying to. That way she could focus on her future and get through the rest of the year. Finally leave Hawkins behind and start the next part of her life, away from danger. 

After the bell rings, Nancy sees Robin again, half asleep wandering through the halls. She wants to go up to her, ask her if she’s alright. If maybe she wants to come over after school and take a nap knowing that someone is there to protect her. It’s what Nancy would want Robin to do, so why can’t she do it herself? 

Maybe it’s because she and Robin don’t know each other that well. They hung out a lot during spring break, but how much can you really learn about a person while saving the world? That doesn’t stop her from wanting to get to know her more. Somewhere along the line, she and Robin bonded. Maybe Nancy could have a best friend again, she just has to take the first step. 

Robin stops, exchanging a book in her locker before walking through the hall again. Nancy tries to speed up and catch her, but she misses her in seconds. Looking at the locker at her right, she gets an idea. Ripping out a page of her notebook, she writes a note and pushes it through the slits of the locker, hoping that Robin responds. 

. . . 

Robin,

Hey, I just wanted to check up on you. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to hang out that much, I’ve been really busy with the newspaper. We have so many stories to write about the “earthquake” that I’ve been working overtime just to get all of them edited. Really it’s so annoying, especially since we know what happened. I just want to go back to writing stories about the mystery meat, as much as it pains me to say that. 

But anyway. I really did just want to check up on you. Our schedules don’t really align that much but when I pass you in those halls, you look so alone. Not to say that you don’t have friends or anything. But I know that feeling of just wanting to isolate yourself after what happens, and I know you have Steve to help deal with all of this but, I guess I just wanted to make sure that you knew you could talk to me too. 

I’ll leave my number on the bottom in case you don’t have it. Please feel free to call me anytime, really. I want to be there for you. 

From,

Nancy

(P.S., my locker number is A350 if you want to respond. No pressure though!)

Robin reads the letter that fell out of her locker again, shocked that it isn’t some prank. The first thought that crossed her mind was that it was some jock who just wanted to poke fun at the band geek who looked like shit. Not like it’s unheard of.

However, when she opened the letter and read it, she smiled instead of balling it up and throwing it away. It’s the first time she’s heard from Nancy in weeks. Ever since school started up again, Robin would see her running through the halls from class to class, and then right to the newspaper room during lunch and after school. She thought that Nancy had forgotten about her, but she was wrong. 

The last bell rings for the day and Robin curses under her breath, stuffing her bag full of books before booking it to the parking lot, Steve waiting for her like always. 

“No offense, but you look like shit,” he says as she slides into the passenger seat. 

“How anyone fell for your charm, I will never know.”

He pulls out of the parking lot. “Eh, after school doesn’t really work all that much anymore. But uh- seriously. Have you been sleeping?”

Robin yawns. “I’m fine.”

“That’s not what I asked. You look like you haven’t slept in weeks. I’m worried about you, you haven’t called that much and you can barely walk to the car when I pick you up. I just- I just want you to know that I’m still here, if you need to talk about it, that’s all.”

“I know. I just didn’t want you to come over as much and I can’t keep biking to your place in the middle of the night.”

Steve turns, taking the longer way to her house as he does every day so they can talk more. “Then call me, we can just fall asleep on the phone like we used to.”

“Aren’t you a little preoccupied now,” She switches the conversation, getting the spotlight off of her. 

“The hell does that mean?”

“I mean that you and Eddie have been spending a lot of nights together.”

He pauses, not immediately biting back. “He’s been having a tough time with everything ok, that’s it.”

Robin hums disbelievingly. “Uh huh, sure. Let me know when that changes.” 

She digs through her backpack to find her water bottle and stumbles upon the note Nancy left in her locker. If she had another five minutes, she would have responded. Pulling it out, she looks at it, reading through the words again. 

“What’s that?” Steve asks as he turns down her street.  

“Nancy left me a note in my locker, checking in on me.” 

He parks in front of her house. “That’s nice. You going to respond?”

“I think so. It’d be nice to have someone else to talk about all of this, you know.”

“Yeah I know,” he nods. “Call me, ok. Don’t just think you have to go through this alone. No matter what, you still have me, ok.”

Robin nods. “Yeah, I know. And I will. Promise.”

When she gets to her room, she basically falls on her bed, debating if she should take a nap. But it might be the only sleep she gets tonight, so it’d be best to do it later. Looking at the letter in her hand again, she decides to write a response. 

. . . 

Dear Nancy,

How thoughtful of you to check up on little ole me. I should be the one checking up on you. So how dare you getting to it first. 

In all seriousness though, I’ve been ok, I guess. I haven’t really been sleeping, which is why I look like complete shit all the time. But it’ll go away soon. I hope at least. Steve has been spending a lot of time helping Eddie out, so I haven’t been able to lean on him as much as I did after the summer. It’s been kind of weird going through this sort of alone. But I guess I’m not anymore, 'cause I have you. 

I figured you were busy with the newspaper. I would see you running through the halls right past me, not even saying a quick hello. I don’t blame you for missing me, not like I was trying to stand out anyway. We should hang out, sometimes. If you have time, that is. I don’t really have a lot of friends, especially those who I can talk to about this. What I’m trying to say is that it would be nice, I think. 

So uh, here’s my number in case you don’t have it. We’re the only Buckley’s in town though so if you need to, we’re in the book. 

Your friend,

Robin

(P.S. Also, thought it would be funny to greet and sign these letters as they would back then. You know, for laughs and shit.)

(P.P.S I know you already have my locker number, but it’s B102 if you forgot)

Nancy smiles as she reads the letter, immediately pulling out a piece of paper and writing a response. 

I will start a tag list if anyone is interested. This will be multiple parts, I'm thinking somewhere between 5-10.

#ronance #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #note passing au #background steddie #steve harrington #mentioned eddie munson #with a comma after dearest fic #part 1 #stranger things #stranger things fanfic #ronance fanfic #getting together #pining #note passing #post season 4

[kan-be]

and there’s a special kind of sadness that seems to come with spring

it’s blorbo’s birthday yay 🥳 🥳🥳

#and since I missed the 8th this year I must redeem myself at least in some way……. #insert that one tumblr post ppl who celebrate fictional character birthdays are annoying pass it on #on another note #not me listening to south london forever for the umpteenth time thinking mmmm college au 🤤🤤🤤 #aph england #hws england #hetalia #also not to be rude to myself or him #actually no #to be #he reminds me of that one lady gaga meme #she’s meditating guys #she’s died

[hairmetal666]

It starts in Eddie's second senior year, close to the beginning of the semester. Eddie's in trig (again). He's good at math, but Mundy fucking sucks, always giving Eddie shit for breathing, or his shoes squeaking on the linoleum, or whatever, and he ends up with detention most days. So, he hardly ever shows and can't be bothered to do the homework, even though he knows the answers more often than not.

On this particular day, Mundy is in a bad mood, on Eddie's case way more than normal. In the heat of frustration, Eddie scrawls, "I fucking hate this class" on a scrap of notebook paper, and for reasons he can't begin to explain, leaves it folded on the window ledge. He doesn't think anyone will answer; fully expects the paper to be gone come morning with maybe another detention slip under his belt to show for it. He's a little flabbergasted, the next day, when the note is still there, and loses his mind a little when he sees the words "tell me about it" underneath his first message. He doesn't recognize the handwriting, sloping and a little looped, and for most of the class period, he's too bemused to respond. Right before the final bell rings he scrawls, "trig. You?" He leaves the paper on the ledge again. "Algebra 2 :(" is the response.

They keep it up, just a few words at first, before Eddie accidentally doodles on the page, and the other guy scribbles a hasty formula, the math spectacularly wrong. There's a little arrow leading to the words, "this shit sucks." Eddie re-writes the formula with the correct math, leaving careful notations of how and why. The next day he sees, "Shit, dude, I totally get this now. Mundy should retire and let you take over." Which pleases Eddie down to his core.

The messages get longer, nothing super personal, but complaints about life, math help, Eddie's silly little doodles, bad jokes, the slightly lewd drawings typical of teen boys. Eddie's never had a better attendance record in his life, but there are some days where his notes are left unopened. Most remarkably a couple week period before Thanksgiving, where he goes unanswered for so long he figures whatever thing they had going is done. But after the holiday, the notes start up again, with no acknowledgement they ever stopped. Eddie doesn't bother questioning it.

They keep it up almost all year, and they're definitely friends, even though they're totally anonymous. And that wouldn't have changed, except it's the day before spring break and Eddie's vibrating out of his skin with anticipation of the time off, so he forgets his dnd notebook in Mundy's class. He makes it all the way to Click's before he realizes, then sprints back across the school. He crashes through Mundy's door, tripping a little over his own feet.

"Sorry," he pants. "I just left--" he looks over to his desk, far corner right by the window, and then forgets every word he's ever known because Steve Harrington Steve Harrington King Steve, stares right back at him. And he just. He stops and fucking laughs, because all this time--this whole goddamn year--it's been Harrington he exchanged notes with. And sure, the jock's star has fallen in the last few months, with the breakup with Nancy and all that shit with Hargrove, but it's still Steve Harrington. With his big house and his fancy car and his girls. It's pretty Steve Harrington, the focus of Eddie's most hopeless daydreams.

He has a few seconds to see Harrington's hazel eyes go wide, before Eddie spins on his heel and makes a hasty exit. He absolutely doesn't spend the break thinking about the notes, matching what Harrington wrote with the gossip Eddie heard on him from the past few months.

Once break ends, he doesn't bother going to Mundy's class at all.

The Friday of the first week back, Eddie walks out to his van, only to find King Steve leaning up against it. He's doing that obnoxious thing where he has one leg bent, foot resting against the side panel, arms crossed over his chest, stupid hair falling in glorious cascades around his face. It's ridiculously, unfairly attractive.

"What do you want?" Eddie asks. He opens his front door without fully looking at Steve.

"Can we talk?"

Eddie snorts, "what could you and I possibly have to talk about."

Steve narrows his eyes. It's so bitchy and so fucking cute it makes Eddie queasy. "You know what."

"Enlighten me, Harrington."

"C'mon, man, the notes!"

"What about them?

"Don't be stupid, Munson, you know what. Why'd you stop?"

Eddie pulls a pack of camels and his lighter out of his jacket pocket. "Lost its appeal once I knew who was on the other side. Surprised you even want to keep it up now that you know you've been writing to the freak."

He pointedly ignores the little jolt Harrington gives at that, like the words hurt. Which is pretty rich from Steve Harrington, former #1 bully of Hawkins High.

"I've always known it was you," he says.

"You don't--wait what?"

I've known since, like, the first week, Munson."

"How??"

"What do you mean 'how,' dude, you're always drawing little pentagrams and d20's. Writing the word "Slayer" over and over. Who else would it be?"

And he can't even deal with the fact that Harrington knows what a d20 is (what the fuck) with everything else the other boy just said.

"I gotta go," is his only response. He ducks into his van, slamming the door basically in Harrington's face, before peeling out of the parking lot.

✏️✏️✏️✏️

It's the last day of school. Eddie's failed again. His grades, which weren't great to begin with, took a sharp nosedive after spring break, and he just can't wait to be done with this place for a few months. Harrington hasn't spoken to him again, and Eddie tries his hardest to ignore the other boy (aside from seeing him hanging out with Robin Buckley, a junior and a band geek, besides, and he forcibly has to remind himself that he doesn't care what Harrington does).

He slouches into his last math class of the year, slumping over in his seat. He rests his head on his desk, eyes blankly staring out the window as Mundy talks about what a joy most of them were to have in class. His eyes are unfocused, he contemplates a nap, and then he sees it. The tightly folded piece of paper resting on the window ledge.

Eddie almost doesn't take it. He almost ignores it, but he physically can't stop himself for reaching for it, unfolding it, staring at Harrington's now familiar handwriting.

Hey man, I'm pretty sure I fucked things up with us, and I owe you an apology. I've always known who you were, but you had no idea I was me. Buckley helped me see how that maybe freaked you out a little. I know I used to be a piece of shit. But I'm better--or I'm trying to be. And I'm so fucking sorry for the shit I did to you before and the things I didn't bother to stop. You don't owe me forgiveness, but you should know that I regret all of it. I liked passing notes with you. You made me laugh, and I don't know. It was nice to think someone liked me for reasons other than that I'm Steve Harrington, or whatever. I'd really like it if we could be friends. I get if you can't do that or don't want to.

Whatever the note actually ended with is scribbled out in pen so thick Eddie can't make it out.

All day he thinks about the note, the apology, all of it. Eddie thinks, if he's smart, he won't forgive Harrington. That he knows better than to trust him. But Eddie's never actually been that smart in this way, so he's not totally surprised to find himself walking to Steve's car after the last bell rings.

This time, Eddie's the one with his foot resting on the side panel of Steve's BMW, arms crossed over his chest. He doesn't have to wait long before Harrington makes his way to the car, chestnut hair dancing in the breeze, biceps on display in a short-sleeve polo. A little smile dances across his lips when he spots Eddie.

"So, you gonna tell me how you know what a d20 is, Harrington, or do I have to guess?" Eddie offers the other boy a cigarette.

"Babysitting?

"Babys--Are you serious??" Eddie splutters. Steve Harrington babysits. Steve Harrington babysits little dnd playing nerds. Steve Harrington wants to be his friend.

A full grin spreads across Steve's perfect face and Eddie is absolutely, 100%, fucked.

(Part 2)

(Steddie Notes is now posted in full on ao3!)

#steddie #steve x eddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #ficlet #one shot #sort of #sorry this is so long #it's going to be a series now #i already have parts 2 and 3 planned out #slow burn #sort of enemies to friends to lovers #season 2 au #eddie and steve are friends #note passing #robin buckley and steve harrington are friends pre season 3 #stobin #steddie fic #eddie munson has a crush on steve harrington #dubious understanding of dnd #canon divergent au

[rinchdressing]

klapollo baseball/photographer au

#klapollo #ace attorney #apollo justice #klavier gavin #apollo justice ace attorney #um so basically. you know that line in turnabout succession where apollo talks about passing notes to a crush #well in the jp version he references baseball #and fun fact: in highschool i did all of the yearbook coverage for one of our softball teams. which was an insane thing to assign to a baby #gay such as myself #so this spawned from a combination of those things #so if we’re being very technical this is a high school baseball player/yearbook photographer au. but high school aus aren’t really my thing #so they can be older idk i didn’t put that much thought into it

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Ok, this is mostly bc I realized we've only seen Sally being passive, but how is she able to hypothetically rip apart larger puppets limb from limb? (if the captions with Howdy hold water with other puppets)

(Slight Mutilation Warning Ahead: Puppet Edition)

they absolutely hold So Much water! it's a combination of a couple things!

a) Nightlight!Sally is really Strong. i'd liken to her to a chimp, as much as i hate them. despite being smaller than people, they're absurdly powerful. when it comes to Her, this comes from a mix of hysterical strength and something Else i've been pondering but don't want to solidify yet, so shh dont worry bout it. it's also much easier to tear fleece & cotton/stuffing than, uh, Biological materials.

b) none of the puppets are really prepared for violence? they've lived in an idyllic world where true, visceral violence likely hasn't even been a Thought in anyone's minds. like, you watch videos of people get attacked by like... raccoons or rats and they visibly Lose because they panic! they aren't prepared! they don't wanna fight! so the much smaller creature wins. They Don't Know How To Fight, Or Fight Back.

b.1) also, Nightlight!Sally is still... Sally. she's still their dear friend. i know that if a close friend attacked me, i'm not sure i'd be able to bring myself to do much other than defend/flee. i wouldn't wanna hurt them even if it meant protecting myself. hence why Wally avoids all confrontation with her & can't protect his friends from her. he can't hurt his neighbor.

b.2) there's also the shock factor. imagine you wake up from a pleasant dream to an absolute nightmare reality. Boom, automatically thrown way off your rhythm. then one of your close buddies looks Fuckin Weird, Are You Okay? and other crazy shit is happening! you're freaking out!! then your Close Friend Who's Off is suddenly slashing at you and BOOM, your arm's gone & your entire brain is scrambled from shock and fear and "?!?!?!?!?!". plus, i doubt the puppets know they're full of stuffing. seeing yourself sliced open and white fluff spilling out has gotta be just. so Unpleasant on principle.

c):

CLAWS BABEY! RIP TEAR AND SHRED! those sharp grippers are perfect for piercing and ripping! puppet fleece is Paper to her!

her fighting method is attack wildly until the threat stops making noise! it's very hard to defend oneself from it! imagine those cartoon bits where a cat attacks someone and its just a Flurry of Unbeatable Violence

#if it helps. barnaby goes back to sleepytown immediately after this #so he's safe. as safe as he can be. #i would Also like to note that to My Interpretation/Understanding the puppets can't feel actual pain #i believe this for several reasons! #but for this au specifically im gonna make that a thing for Different Reasons on top of the Main Reasons #anyway anyway #the barnaby-sally attack in my head happens Directly after he tries to help her #its already a chaotic scene but he thinks theres something wrong with her for Obvious Reasons #and runs to her to try and snap her out of her apparent daze #and then WHAM arms gone. barely gets a chance to process #meanwhile wally is hiding curled into a little ball with his hands over his ears #bc he Cant Help and he Doesnt Want To Listen #if this makes you sad! oops! sorry! i have a softer scribble queued up for later today if that makes up for it #wh lights out au #scribble salad #i am Also taking into consideration clown's post about the neighbors playing splatoon. iykyk <3 #alright its 6 am im going to sleep #meant to pass out Hours ago but that didnt happen! #ah fuck wait cant sleep yet starships just started playing. ninki minjaj...

[coffeebrownn]

fucked up teeth gang(?)

#eveline with gapped tetth and chris with visible canine.. 🥺❤ #the note is if you see eyepatched eveline that means she survived/alive passed the re7 event #my small silly au... #also her hair is so fun to draw she's really cute 😭 #CHRIS HOWEVER... UAHAHSHHSHSN #canine teeth.. 🥺❤ #he's really a 🐻 #IT JUST FITS HIM... #resident evil #re #rebhfun #re7 #re8 #eveline #chris redfield #doodle #my art

[mnemov]

More fantasy au with Sam Mason

#mnemo’s notes #danny phantom fandom #danny phantom prompt #fantasy au #fae au #sam mason #yay Sam joined the gang! #now time to draw Tucker #tho I might ended up doing it later since I feel like passing out #I wanna sleep #danny phantom

[infini-tree]

according to a cursory search, an aries-libra friendship are a complete opposites scenario but ultimately compatible which is. incredibly funny in relation to this au.

(something quick based on jackie's post on captain's birth "become real"-day)

#mells draws a thing #captain underpants #sticky notes au #i think i had it at sept 1 as a reference to the books but i won't pass up a chance to draw the him :]

[journey-to-the-attic]

3rd anni req 2: [DRAGON AU] mammon / first encounter

ao3 link

note: requested by @whensam! i have to admit, i was hoping this'd pop up. i know i can write what i want, but i always feel i need an excuse anyway. you didn't indicate a preference for pov and i also just ended up wanting to do both, so this is a little longer than expected as a result!

∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎

Baker's children don't make good hunters. We’re used to carrying sacks of flour, not sprinting across fields with pitchfork-wielding mobs in hot pursuit. We don't make good kindling, either, but that hasn't stopped about half the adults in the village - for shame, I'd say, if I had the breath to speak.

Here's the thing. Our village isn't exactly a popular spot by any definition of the term. We're too far from any big cities to make good business, we don't make much worth selling, and the people certainly aren't charming enough to warrant a detour.

More important, though, are the creatures we share land with. Through the grassland that border the crop fields, there are invisible lines drawn in the soil - ones that no one crosses.

These lines mark dragon territory, and everyone knows that a dragon would sooner eat you for breakfast than stop for a reasonable conversation. Reasonable conversation is not something I have the luxury of at the moment, which is why I’m already several hundred paces over the line.

Just fifty already takes you into the forest. I don’t hear footsteps in pursuit anymore - they’d have to be mad to follow me so far in, which is exactly what I'd been banking on. The issue now is that, rather than being pitchforked, or burnt at the stake, I’ll probably just get eaten instead.

I pick my way through rotting leaf litter and ridged roots before collapsing against an old oak, wondering if the moisture dripping from overhead is safe to drink - or at least to wash my mouth out with. Gnawing through rope seems like a clever idea until your teeth start bleeding.

I can’t stay here, I think. Dying now would be like letting them win. Then Dad will have smacked the alderman for no reason.

Just as I get back to my feet, something whooshes overhead. I freeze. Those wings were larger than any bird I’ve ever seen.

Surely it couldn’t see me through the leaves. I crouch low to the ground and try to hide in the undergrowth - the wingbeats disappear until all I can hear is distant birdsong.

At least they’re having a nice day. I duck my head and trudge through a hedge - and come face to face with a dragon.

“Argh!”

I leap backwards. Bad move. The sunlight falls across its pointed face just in time for me to watch its pupils expand into full moons, like a cat on the hunt.

It doesn’t pounce. It doesn’t charge, snap or growl. It creeps slowly, eyes fixed on me the whole way forward, as if making sure I know that I can’t escape.

Nowhere to run. I press my back against a wizened old pine and shut my eyes tight - throwing out an arm, as if that might shield me.

Nothing happens. Then something cold presses into my palm.

My eyes snap open. The dragon blinks down at me. Its eyes are such a deep shade of blue that it’s almost dizzying. Oh. Oh, okay.

Its - his? I wonder, noting the ridges on his nose - snout rests carefully in my palm. He seems to register me staring at him, and snorts. The hot air is just on the brink of scalding, but not quite enough to hurt.

Then, almost experimentally, he opens his mouth - a yawning chasm of teeth, poised as if to ever-so-gently bite off my head. Except he doesn’t do that. There’s no pain - no crunch of broken bone or split sinew - far from it. The dragon leans down, carefully hooks his teeth into the collar of my shirt, and takes off.

I’d have screamed if it wasn’t for all the air leaving my chest at once. The forest shrinks to a dark blanket beneath us faster than I can even register it happening, and I realise very quickly that I’d be dashed to bits if I so much as slipped.

Wyvern, says an unhelpful voice in the back of my head as we soar. The dragon’s white-and-gold wings blot out the sun, but they’re so brilliant that it’s hard to tell the difference. They’re good fliers.

Before long, the dragon lands - legs first, digging his talons deep into the soil as he skids to a stop. After a moment, he huffs, then (strangely gently) drops me in a heap on the stony ground.

There’s a rumble, a swoosh - then several thuds, a swoosh of wings. I watch a shadow fall over my field of vision, then slowly raise my head.

Oh, I think a little faintly. 

All sorts of colours, all sorts of demeanours. One in particular steps forward - dark, with crimson eyes, and the sort of air about him that tells me he's the leader. Boss, I'll call him, if only to settle my own nerves. The dragon that brought me here (Goldie, I decide, still trying to settle my breathing) steps forward with a sort of chirrup in greeting.

It's a spectacle, if nothing else. Here are seven dragons, horns and wings and all. I've heard cautionary tales and horror stories, but they never really tell you how majestic they look in real life - scales shinier than any jewel I could imagine. Marvels of creatures, really. If only I had the wits to appreciate it.

Boss is growling now - there's a sort of heat rolling off him in waves. Some of the feeling coming back to my numb legs.

If only I knew what they were saying...

-

It isn’t often that the forest bears treasure - usually it’s all very boring things, like meat and berries and leaves. To be fair, Mammon's used to treasure of the shiny, golden kind - not this weird little critter crouched against a tree.

It smells faintly of smoke and burnt wheat. He stalks closer, but he's testing it more than anything - it doesn’t look like any prey he’s familiar with.

When he gets close, it sticks out a little starfish-shaped appendage and closes its eyes. He smells bitter fear now.

Is it greeting him? Telling him it isn’t a threat? That’s smart. He thought only dragons could be smart, but it’s not behaving - nor does it look - like any dragon he's ever met.

So he returns the greeting with his snout. He half expects to be stung, like the time Asmo brought that little spidery thing home, but all the critter does is look up at him fearfully.

Interesting. On a whim, he scoops the little round thing off, and decides to take it back home.

The weird not-prey goes still as soon as he takes off. Once home, he lets it disembark (drops it on the floor, though he tries to be gentle), then looks up to face his brothers as they land around him.

The others decide to keep their distance. Lucifer is the first to plod forward and investigate.

He sniffs carefully at the air, then makes a crackling noise somewhere at the base of his throat - which isn't usually a good sign.

“That’s a human, Mammon," He says, glaring at the little critter. It’s still sitting, frozen.

“It’s a what?”

“What’d you bring that for? Stupid.” Belphie settles back on his haunches, blowing out a puff of frost. “Can’t go around snatching humans. We’ll get hunted. Stupid.”

“Shut up,” He grunts. “And I didn’t snatch it. Found it walkin’ around in the forest.”

“That’s impossible,” Satan says nearly immediately. His tail swishes back and forth - slow and deliberate, an analytical glint in his clever eyes. “They don’t let their young anywhere near us.”

“Well, whaddya call this, then?”

The human - apparently - suddenly seems to regain use of its limbs. Springing to its feet (Levi shrinks back, crest flattering over his head), it stumbles for a moment, then abruptly ducks under one of Mammon's wings.

The rest of his brothers - who'd similarly drawn back - relax again with a simultaneous murmur of vague confusion. Mammon blinks. Then his tail starts flicking at the end - like it always does when he's pleased.

“...you are not keeping it,” Lucifer says, looking as if he'd very much like to fly off into the sunset.

“It might have a disease!” adds Asmo.

“I don’t care what any of ya say,” Mammon says stubbornly, snapping at Beel when it looks like he might creep in for a bite. “I’m not sendin’ it back to the forest. It’ll be dead in a day.”

"It might be dangerous," Levi hisses. "It's totally giving me the evil eyes."

"Stop scaring it, then,” Mammon says loftily. “Relax, ya big baby - You’ve got teeth bigger than its whole head.”

“You are not keeping it,” Lucifer says again, as if repeating himself will make him sound more in charge.

“Pfft. Can’t tell me what to do.” He snaps at Beel again. “Oi! No bitin’! Go raid your stash or something.”

Beel’s horns seem to droop a little. “...fine. C’mon, Belphie.”

“I was busy,” complains Satan with a huff as the twins flap off. "This is boring. I've seen deer carcasses more interesting than that weird little thing."

"Go look at your stinkin' carcasses, then," Mammon shoots back, fighting the impulse to spit something at him.

Satan does exactly that. Levi soon slinks off as well, apparently still intimidated - and Asmo seems to have disappeared as soon as he decided the human wasn't going to make a good accessory.

Lucifer, meanwhile, stands his ground. His tail is beginning to lash in agitation. If Mammon’s lucky, maybe he’ll even start spitting fire.

“I'm not gonna eat it,” He says stubbornly.

“I wasn't going to tell you to,” Lucifer replies, but he sounds very much like he’s considering it. “Belphie was right. If a hunter sees us with one of their young, they’ll take it as a threat.”

“Like we wouldn’t win,” He scoffs, sitting down with a thump. "Anyway,don't ya smell the fire on it?"

A single scarlet eye narrows a little. Evidently he hadn't - though Lucifer's always smelling smoke, by virtue of the literal furnace in his chest, so he can't really be blamed for not noticing.

The human is peeking out from beneath his wing with a little more bravado now. Lucifer eyes its round little face as if it might start spitting poison at him.

"...humans don't usually try to set fire to their young," Lucifer says after a moment. "You're sure she doesn't have anywhere to go?"

"Wouldn't've been in the forest if it— uh, she did." He glances down. "C'mon! Not like we don't have the space."

Lucifer is silent. Then he gives a long-suffering sigh - sending a plume of dark blue smoke into the sky - and bends down to the human’s eye level again.

“Will you behave?” Lucifer asks her severely, as if she can understand dragon-speak.

The human child blinks up at him. Then she reaches up and plants a hand on his snout.

Mammon holds his breath. After a moment, Lucifer’s wings flutter, then settle.

“I’m not having any part in this,” He announces, stepping back. “This is to be your responsibility only. Don't make any trouble for your brothers. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, yeah,” He says dismissively, occupied with keeping his triumph from showing in his tail. Got it.”

Lucifer glances down at the human one final time. “...take care of her.”

And off he flaps - to attend to his usual nighttime duties. He says he's keeping watch for danger, but mostly they seem to involve gazing darkly into the sunset.

With his brothers dispersed, Mammon takes a moment to actually consider his situation. He doesn’t actually know what taking care of a human child involves. He doesn’t know much about humans in general - it’s not like he usually pays them any attention. Maybe some of his brothers could give him some advice… if any of them were interested in the kid’s well-being, at least.

They’ll come around, He decides after a moment, unfurling his wings and attempting to nudge the human in the general direction of their living caves. First, I gotta figure out what these things eat…

#3rd anni event #obey me #writing #dragon au #i mentioned this in the ao3 notes but it's crazy to me that it's been two years since dragon au started #like woa. time passes #jtta aus #obey me mammon #jtta ik #obey me brothers #(won't tag the others individually since they're not as prominent) #whensam

[minty-bunni]

Okay, but stuntman Danny making one hell of an entrance into the world of professional stunts.

He skips over all the "small" stuff and heads immediately into "a human has a 99% chance of death if they attempt this" type stunts. Either he goes the Hollywood stuntman route (safer but popularity could ensure a paycheck there) or grows his own fanbase (doing way wilder stunts) with videosharing sites and public stunts.

Either way he just straight up goes "normal humans can do that, but I'm a superpowered crime against nature so I'm going to show them how it is done" and then immediately makes use of immortality/quick healing/powers. Just shoves himself in a woodchipper and walks away fine.

The episode in ZLS when Tae literally falls to pieces and the other girls put her back together while hiding the fact they are all zombies from an audience? Yes, he does that kind of stuff.

People mistake him for being an illusionist or some sort of magician when stuff like that happens and his secret never gets revealed because who would think a guy flaunting his ability to survive stuff would actually be dead?

#danny phantom #stuntman danny au #for reference zls is zombieland saga and it involves a necromancer turned idol producer and his zombie idols #only they have to hide being zombies which is hard because their limbs sometimes pop off and they need makeup to look living #they passed a girl's head popping off during an early performance as a magic trick once #i'm saying the type of undead chaos that goes on there? definitely stuntman Danny territory #what is with me and undead body horror characters masquerading as happy living people #i know I have talked about danny becoming a stuntman on multiple occasions #but I think the boy deserves some chaos and to use his powers for a little fun #500 notes #750 notes

[bonefall]

Two questions! What's Leopardstar doing after her death? She got dammed so hard that there was a comet in the sky iirc, and Starclan happily gave Mistystar her lives, so I imagine that Lep is PISSED that her murderer is being welcomed as a hero, while she's rotting in the DF. I would like to know how she feels about Tigerstar's plans, since BB Lep was an active supporter of his idealology

I thiiiink the fallen star thing was a joke, but it is a very funny image to think that any damned spirit becomes one tbh

But actually! Leopardstar and Mudclaw are both kind of ashamed of what they did. Leopardstar is more resigned to her fate, while Mudclaw eventually decides he wants to atone and gets involved with the StarClan bridge.

Being around Tigerstar and a bunch of the worst offenders of TigerClan has brought a lot of it back. Distance had made her begin to feel that there was no need to "throw the kitten out with the tonguewash." Tigerstar himself was bad, yes... but is it *really* so wrong to want a pure, strong Clan? What's wrong with putting RiverClan first?

But now she's back under his claw. Being spoken over, used as a pawn, just like old times. She hasn't confronted the CORE of how her ideology is bad, but she does remember know how humiliating this situation was, and how terrible Tigerstar really is.

But at the same time, she is proud. She cannot let Mistystar go unpunished. She wants "revenge," though, to her "revenge" is a rematch.

On the day she died, Mistystar attempted to poison Leopardstar's food, in a way unintentionally similar to how Leopardstar poisoned Crookedstar before them. So she recognized it right away. It struck her in that moment that she was sick of these dirty, dishonorable tactics.

So she pushed it aside, leapt to the top of the stump, and announced that she had learned of a pack of vicious rogues on the border. "Mistyfoot and myself will confront them. Alone. Don't follow."

Mistystar only won the fight through luck. There was a stone in the river where they fought, and she smashed Leopardstar's head on it until she stopped moving.

So, Leopardstar uses this in her death to hold a grudge. I think on some level she knows it's an excuse, or perhaps a quirk of her pride, that she feels her death was unfair. She believes she gave leadership to Mistystar by covering for her own murder-- and she WANTS that perfect fight.

But before the BOTTE, I plan for her to have a conversation with her apprentice. Hawkfrost's arc is to break free of his father and his legacy... and he needs to speak to his proud, strong leader, who he comes to realize is being used like a tool.

It's another step in his revelation about cycles. How he was used, how he's done the same thing to Ivypool, how people have been doing this to his loved ones long before he was born.

#Now and then I see a passing sentiment of frustration towards writers who write fic where black gets redeemed but leopard doesnt #But understand this; I LOVE Leopardstar. #And I thought a lot about the story I was gonna tell in my redux of TNP #And this story works better with her. Largely because of her supporting cast #Between Misty Sedge Hawk Moth and Storm #They all come together to tell this story much better than Black Russet and Tawny can #And on a less important note... I hate how much they tried to soften Leopard. With all of her supporting material #But ive gone off about her before and im sure I will again lmao #But shes MY spotted mean girlboss and you will pry her from my cold dead hands #LET GIRLS BE PROUD. LET GIRLS BE CONSUMED BY IT #Better bones au #BB!Leopardstar

[morganski-19]

With a Comma After Dearest, Part 3

part 1, part 2

Dear Robin,

Sorry the greeting isn’t more fun, I couldn’t think of one. Honestly, I don’t really expect a response from this letter at all. If we were to ignore it after I slide it through your locker, that would be fine by me. I don’t even know if I’ll give it to you, I just need to get this out. 

I gave back Jonathan’s things today, in person. The original plan was to just drop it off at his doorstep and try not to see him. It would have been better for both of us if I stuck to that. Then I wouldn’t feel like shit. 

Just seeing him again hurts. Not because I regret breaking up with him, but because I regret hurting him. I tried being friendly and he got mad. He asked me if we could just have space between us and maybe after that, we could be friends again. Which is fair, I guess. I was the one who broke it off, it makes sense that he doesn’t want to see me. 

It hurts though. I knew that what we had was gone and that I didn’t think it was going to come back. I tried. While he was still here, I tried to rekindle what I felt for him before, but it didn’t work. All I could see him as now was a friend, that is how I loved him. And I didn’t want to string him along if I knew I felt that way. That was the right decision, wasn’t it?

After yesterday, I’m not so sure. He was so hurt. It made me feel so guilty, that I could do that to him. When we got together, we promised each other that we’d never be the ones to hurt each other. That we wouldn’t end up like our parents, we’d be better. But that isn’t how it ended. I broke up with him and left him hurt, which hurt me as well. 

It just makes me question if I did the right thing. 

Your friend,

Nancy

Robin finishes reading the letter as the first bell rings, carefully folding it up and sliding it in between some folders before sprinting off to class. She wasn’t expecting to get a letter, it was her turn to write one back. But those rules don’t really apply, she guesses. 

Nancy’s pain transferred through the letter so easily. Robin could picture her writing it, furrowed brows and pursed lips. Rapid blinking as the tears try to escape, a slight shake of the hand traveling through, making wobbly lines in her cursive. Pulling out the letter again, she sees that one of the edges is wrinkled like it was wet but now dried.

She wished Nancy had called. Wished that she asked Robin to come over and they talked about it in person. It sounded like Nancy needed a person to talk to. A person to hold her while she cries, telling her that it would all be ok. It would be so easy for Robin to do that, just hold Nancy close while running her fingers through her curls. Whisper small assurances through the tears, be the safe space that Nancy needs. 

Safe spaces are something that have become few and far between. She knows what it took for Steve to even be able to sleep in his bedroom after the first time around, never really telling her the reason. Saying something like it wasn’t fully his to tell, whatever that means. Dustin had said something about never being able to go down into his basement anymore. Houses have nightmares crawling through the walls and secrets no one dares to whisper. What once was a nice getaway in the woods, is now tainted debris that no one steps near. 

Robin’s lucky. Her house, her room, was away from everything. Her first time around was in a building that no longer exists, and she lives right inbetween two of the faults the earthquake created. It stands the same as it has for years, and the safe space remains. 

Well, as much as a safe space it can be for a mind that’s so filled with nightmares it barely can fall asleep. In the dark, shadows become monsters about to attack, and lamps become weapons. Or rather, anything that Robin can get her hands on. At least she can have the knowledge that nothing has happened in or remotely near her home. But that knowledge isn’t enough enough to assure her that it can’t ever be. 

She wonders what it’s like for Nancy. Someone who keeps her secrets so far underneath her skin, that only those who really know her will ever see them. Even then, Robin’s sure that Nancy buries things and deals with them on her own. Normally that hurts more than it helps. It’s dangerous, going through something like this all alone. The thoughts that come from it can hurt much more than a wound itself. Guilt and fear are powerful tools of destruction. 

Robin wants to let Nancy know that she’s safe. That she could keep a secret better than any lock and would be there for her, anytime, pretty much anywhere. Under the laws of her bicycle, that is.  She’s a great friend, at least she likes to think so. Especially when people are hurting. A great listener is sometimes all a person needs.

. . . 

My friend Nancy

Don’t feel bad about writing this or even giving this to me. It sounded like you needed it. And I’m here, that’s what friends are for, aren’t they? 

I was surprised to get your letter this morning, it was kinda my turn to write to you. Beat me to it I guess. Not that I’m mad. It sounded like you needed it more than I did. I just complained about studying for my history test and asked if you had any tips. We probably have the same teacher anyway, we could have studied together. Unless that wouldn’t help you, I don’t even know if it would help me. 

Too late for that I guess, I just took it. I’m actually writing this after I handed it in, I had an extra ten minutes. So if you take Mr. Nickel’s history class and you take it after reading this note, it wasn’t that bad. A lot of the questions kinda answered themselves if I’m being honest. 

Anyway. I just wanted to let you know that I’m here. For anything really. I wish you had called me after this happened, or invited me over if you were ok with that. I know I can talk a lot, but I’m also a really great listener. I’m here for you, always no matter what. I want to be friends with you Nancy, and not just friends that see each other at school and never talk to each other again. I want to be close and have sleepovers and hour-long phone calls or whatever other shit that comes with being friends. 

I guess what I’m trying to say is, call me next time. I want to be there for you, and I hope you do the same. 

Your confidant, 

Robin

Nancy smiles while reading the letter, feeling warm for some reason. She regretted sliding that letter through the slit of Robin’s locker, but now she’s glad she did. It’s easy to forget what having a friend can mean to you, the amount of warmth that it brings you. The comfort of just being known by someone who’s there for you. 

It scares her, to be seen. Sometimes all Nancy wants is to fade away into the background, not be perceived by those around her, and just be. She’s never really been able to do that. Always puts her foot in the door and tries to stand higher than those around her. Making her voice heard even when they tell her to stop. Nancy Wheeler doesn’t just stop, she keeps moving, keeps talking, keeps rising. 

Feelings can stop all of that though. They can hold you back to a time you don’t want to be in anymore. They make you weak, reduce you to what everyone thinks you are. If she showed her feelings when she worked at the Hawkins Post, she would be laughed at, ridiculed. If she were to show them now, she would be seen as the emotional girl who just went through a breakup. She’s so much more than what people think, so she learned how to hide her feelings to make herself stronger than those around her. 

It’s hard though. Really hard. Sometimes when Nancy’s alone, she just lets it all go. Violently sobs into her pillow, or in the cover of a shower. No one is meant to see Nancy cry because then they would know that she’s not strong. 

But Robin sounds like she wants to know. Wants to see all of Nancy without her holding back. Be a real friend, a best friend maybe. 

Robin is already so much more than the people who have judged her. She’s already believed her shot-in-the-dark theories and went with her crazy plan to infiltrate a state penitentiary just to interview a supposed madman. And right before the big battle, when Nancy let her fear show just for a second, Robin only encouraged her. No judgment, just assurance that they had this. That Nancy was exactly who she was supposed to be, even in fear. 

So maybe she should let Robin in. Call her next time, maybe even invite her over. Let herself be seen, be known. Feel that warmth that only a best friend can provide again. Let herself lower her guard. 

. . . 

Steve’s late, which is weird. He’s never been late to pick her up. Even when he works while she’s in school, he convinces Keith to give him a split shift so he can pick her up. He didn’t call this morning and tell her that he was busy. And she knows he doesn’t have work today. So where the fuck is he?

Robin sighs and leans up against the wall, resorting to waiting until he shows up. She could call, but if he’s already on his way, it’d be useless. So she’ll just wait, alone. 

“Robin?” a soft voice next to her asks. When she turns her head, she finds Nancy, holding a folder to her chest. 

“Oh, hey.”

“Hi. Waiting for someone?”

Robin rolls her eyes. “Yes, Steve. Asshole’s late, which is weird because he never is so I guess I should be worried, but knowing him it’s probably for a stupid reason so that just makes me annoyed.”

“Sounds rough,” Nancy laughs. 

“This is weird. Seeing you in person, I mean. It’s nice. Not that it’s not nice that we’ve been writing notes. I’ve kinda of been really enjoying it. It’s just weird because I got so used to talking to you through the notes and not in person. We should definitely start talking in person more, that way you don’t become just words in my mind, but like an actual person.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Nancy giggles. “Once I get these tests done, we can hang out.”

“Yes, we should,” Robin gets cut off by a car horn. Steve had pulled up while they were talking. She flips him, yelling, “Now you show up, dingus.”

“I’m only five minutes late!”

“Yeah, five minutes later than normal!”

“I had a good reason!”

She rolls her eyes again. “I’m sure,” she snarks, making Nancy laugh. “I’ll see you later then.”

“Yeah, oh wait.” Nancy opens the folder she was holding and takes out a piece of folded paper. “Here. I meant to give it to you before school ended but I couldn’t make it in time.”

“Thanks, I’ll slide my next letter into your locker tomorrow. No beating me to it this time.” 

“What if I have something important to tell you that just can’t wait?” She challenges.

“Then call me,” she smirks as she walks over to Steve’s car, waving to Nancy as she gets in.

“What was that about?” Eddie asks from the backseat, making her jump. 

She whips her head around to find him lying in the backseat, hiding from view. “The fuck are you doing? You could have given me a heart attack.”

“Don’t get him started,” Steve sighs as he pulls away from the school.

“One,” Eddie raises a finger into the air. “I’m not cleared to go back to school for another two weeks, so I’ll be damned if they knew I was on campus before then. I’m not thinking about school before I have to. Two, got to scare you, didn't I?”

Robin turns her head back to the front. “You’re insufferable.”

“Tell me about it,” Steve mutters. 

“Aww, but you love it, don’t you, Stevie?” Eddie sits up and pokes at Steve’s arm. Robin sees a slight blush spread across Steve’s face, choosing to ignore it. 

“Why were you late?”

“Someone’s doctor’s appointment went longer than it should have. Care to explain?”

Eddie rolls his eyes. “You make it sound like it was some big thing.”

“Because it was some big thing,” Steve exclaims.

“You’re mom mode is showing,” Robin snarks, rummaging through the glove compartment for a snack. 

Steve sighs. “Would you stop calling it that?”

“Don’t know. That tone with the prepared snacks in the car, seems pretty mom to me.”

“Would you just tell her why you made me late to pick her up,” Steve glares through the rearview.

Eddie dramatically sighs and leans back into the seat with his arms crossed. “Wayne picked up a few shifts to help a coworker out and since we just moved into that new place, there were still some things that needed to be unpacked. So, I tried to pick up a box from the ground that I thought was light, and I ended up pulling a muscle in my side and popping one of my stitches.”

“Eddie,” Robin yells. “That is so dangerous.”

“I thought it was light, ok! I would have unpacked it from the floor if I knew it was heavy.”

“You shouldn’t have been unpacking at all,” Steve says while pulling onto Eddie’s street. “You should have called me.”

Eddie huffs. “I can do things by myself again. You don’t have to treat me like I’m going to break.”

Steve pulls in front of Eddie’s house, putting the car into park. “I just don’t want you to-,”

“Thanks for the ride.” Eddie gets out of the car, slamming the door. 

“Hurt yourself,” Steve finishes, looking defeated as Eddie walks up to his house. 

Robin reaches across and rubs Steve’s shoulder. “He’ll apologize. He’s just adjusting.”

“I know,” Steve says, laying his forehead on the steering wheel. “I just want him to get better. To heal so I, so he doesn’t have to go through that again.”

She knows that he slipped up, that he knew she heard it. He knows that she saw the blush. Even though he hasn’t said anything about it, she knows this is bothering him. These feelings that he has, whatever they are, he’s not sharing. It’s worrying her. They talk about pretty much anything, but in the last few weeks, Steve’s been quiet. There’s something there she knows it, and she can help him through whatever it is. 

“Steve, you know you can talk to me if-”

“Just stop, Rob. Just, stop. I know ok, I know. I just, I don’t even know what it is and I’d appreciate it if you stopped trying to make it something it’s not,” he snaps

Robin removes her hand from his shoulder and just sits in her seat, letting the car fill with silence. She fiddles with the paper in her hand, folding it more and more before unfolding it and refolding it again. “I’m sorry.”

“I shouldn’t have snapped, I’m sorry.” He raises his head from the steering wheel, looking at her again. 

“No, I shouldn’t push. Or joke about it, I’m sorry.”

“If I ever figure out what it is, I’ll tell you. You know that right.”

She turns her head, looking at him. “I know. I won’t joke about it again, ok.”

“Thank you.” He puts the car in drive and brings her home. 

My friend Robin,

Thank you for reading my letter, and then being so kind about it. I honestly wasn’t expecting you to respond. We weren’t really friends when Jonathan still lived here or when we were long-distance, and even then, we weren’t dating that long once we became friends anyway. I just needed to vent, and you seemed like a good person to do it to. 

I wanted to call, I did. I was two seconds from dialing your number and talking, but I couldn’t say it. It’s just one of those things that are so hard to even think that you can barely say it out loud. Otherwise, I would have, believe me. 

Next time though, I’ll call you. Maybe then it’ll be easier for me to talk about it. 

Keeping her promise this time,

Nancy

(P.S. I don’t know, I was just trying something)

Robin smiles as she reads Nancy’s words. Feeling warmth bubble up in her chest she reads them over again. Picturing Nancy in her mind, instead of just her voice. Brown curls danced along her shoulders and a soft smile. Blue eyes look her way, animated in a way that shows that Nancy is safe. That she feels safe to let them talk with her words instead of staying rigid. 

It’s like Robin forgot about bits of Nancy, only remembering them when she saw her again. She wondered how much more she would find if they hung out again. This time without there being a doomsday clock hanging over their head. Maybe then Robin can notice more, and learn everything there is about Nancy. 

Her heart starts to beat faster as the ideas travel in and out of her mind, without her even realizing it. She thinks about the things she and Nancy could do together. Sleepovers, movie nights. Everything she’s always wanted to have with someone close but never did. But what starts as an innocent friendship starts to morph into something more. Flashes of lingering touches and waking up tangled in each other and the sheets. 

She sits up rapidly, throwing the letter across the room and willing it all to stop. This can’t happen to her, not now. Not ever. Nancy is just a friend, she can only be just a friend. They haven’t even had a proper friendship and Robin’s going to mess it all up before it even starts. Feelings can’t interfere, not with her. She won’t allow it. 

Those thoughts, they were all a fluke. A response to not being close to another girl her age for a while. Grabbing on any straws she could to make herself hopeful for something that would never be there. Because Nancy can never be more than a friend.

. . . 

Salutations Nancy,

I don’t know if I used that right, but It’s fancy and I don’t care. I kinda just need to vent about something and make sure that I don’t say too much, so here that is I guess. 

Steve’s not telling me something. I know it. I know I shouldn’t be mad about it. It’s just something that I know I can help with, so I want to be there for him but he’s not letting me in. 

What’s worse, is I know it’s hurting him. He’s doing this thing he does all of the time where he just bottles things up and deals with them on his own, thinking that he has to. But he doesn’t. He has people he can talk to. Me, Eddie now, you probably if that’s not too weird. He never wants to talk to Dustin about his problems, but they’re basically brothers at this point so he could if he wanted to. It’s just frustrating seeing him go through this alone. 

I think he likes someone. Someone that’s not you, he’s over that weird moment he had with you over spring break that I personally think was just a fluke and a trauma response. But that is a conversation for another day. This someone is new, different from the people he’s normally into. And like different in a way that I would understand. But he doesn’t want to talk about it, so what am I supposed to do?

I know pushing is bad and I should just wait for him to tell me. And if I’m being honest, I will wait for him to tell me. If it was me that was in his situation, I would want that. But it’s just hard because I could just be someone to talk to. Help go through the feelings and what they mean. 

This probably makes no sense for you and that was the goal. I’m entrusting you with half of this information while leaving out a big chunk of it to protect his privacy. I just needed to get it out somehow.

Thankful to have another friend who is not a child,

Robin

(P.S. If you were to burn this note after reading it, I would probably thank you.)

(P.P.S. Hope this wasn’t weird for you to be, him being your ex and all)

Nancy sets the note down on the table, brows furrowed. Something about it makes her feel off, but she’s not sure why. She presses her lips together and reads the note again, absentmindedly trying to read between the lines even though Robin probably didn’t want her to. It’s hard not to though, natural curiosity and all that. There was so much that was left out, that it’s easy for her to speculate. 

She shouldn’t be though. Not about this. It seems private, sacred. Something that she shouldn’t have even known in the first place. But Robin trusted her with this. Like a friendship code where you were told a secret that should never be repeated, but you just had to tell that one person anyway. Nancy thought that Steve was the one person that Robin would spill all the secrets to, but she guessed she was wrong. 

Or because this is about Steve, Robin had to go to her. That could easily be the reason for it, but something in Nancy wishes that it wasn’t true. That somehow in their minimal interactions, she had become a better friend than Steve is. Not that she’s competing. They have a bond that she doesn’t quite understand, but she doesn’t have to. It’s interesting to observe, the way they act with each other. At first glance, you would think they were dating, or about to be. That was her first impression after all. But after learning about them, they’re more like siblings. It makes Nancy happy that they have someone like that. 

It’s not surprising to hear that Robin is worried about Steve. So that can’t be the reason she’s upset. Maybe it’s because Steve likes someone, that’s not her. Even though that thought makes her happy more than anything else. She’s always felt bad looking at him, seeing him go home alone more times than he was with someone. It always rooted itself around in her mind to be her fault. That he couldn’t get over her, so he just never dated again, even though she knew that wasn’t true. 

It was a hard time for her, a hard time for him too. She shouldn’t feel bad for that, it was out of her control. It’s impossible to plan to lose what she did. What she could have done, though, was treat him differently. At least in the end. Apologized for what she said in the bathroom, even if it had an heir of truth. She doesn’t regret breaking up with him, she didn’t feel the same for him as he did for her. But the way she did it, could have been better. 

But now he likes someone else, or at least Robin thinks so. Nancy hopes that he does. Hopes that whatever lingering feelings he had for her are gone and he can move on. What he said to her over spring break felt like a confession, but looking at it from the right angle, it could have been him finally letting go. Maybe it didn’t feel like that at the moment, but maybe that’s what it felt like now. 

So what about this letter is making Nancy feel so weird? Her eyes are drawn to the scribble in the middle of the page, a line that Robin didn’t want her to read. A secret that Nancy doesn’t know. One that Robin doesn’t want her to know. 

It shouldn’t upset her, really. They were just beginning their friendship, she couldn’t know everything about Robin this early on. And she would never expect Robin to trust her with everything right off the bat. But it still hurts a little. 

Nancy feels close to Robin, for a reason that she’s still a little unsure of but doesn’t care. There is something about Robin that makes Nancy trust her with anything, everything. She’s already told Robin so much more than she would a normal friend. Feelings that normally would just fester until they went away, or they didn’t. 

But when she thinks about it, there are still some things that Nancy hasn’t told Robin about. So it’s hypocritical to be a little bit upset that there was something that Robin is keeping a secret. 

Maybe with time, Robin would feel comfortable telling her. And maybe in time, Nancy can tell Robin her secrets too. But trust takes time, friendship takes time. Although Nancy trusts Robin and is friends with her, some secrets just take their time to come out. That is something she understands, so she’s willing to wait. 

. . . 

Robin spies Nancy walking to her next class. She thinks about going up to her, walking with her for a little bit even though she has to go in the opposite direction. But she can’t do it, because something is different. 

It’s there again, the patter of her heart that was there yesterday. Noticing small things about Nancy that she didn’t before. Remembering things that she picked up on, but never paid too much attention to. The small bounce her curls would do when she walked, the sway of her skirt with each step. The way she would press her lips together when she thought, and the wrinkle that appeared between her eyebrows. Her determined eyes that would turn soft whenever they looked Robin’s way. 

She has to stop it before it grows, otherwise, Robin is fucked. 

#ronance #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #background steddie #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #note passing au #with a comma after dearest fic #part 3 #multi part fic #angst #pining #getting together #friends to lovers

[even-disco-baby]

SOLA — Her Innocence, Sola— the anti-innocence— turns to face you. In the distance, you hear the tattoo of propellers, turning, sucking all the air. A strong wind whips her long, dark hair around her face. Her simple black gown billows behind her. The same gown she wore the day she resigned.

She has your eyes.

“Hi, Kim,” she says simply. “You don’t look well.”

PAIN THRESHOLD — Her voice is so familiar, and yet the moment she stops speaking, you cannot recall its sound, no matter how hard you try. And you have tried. Innumerable times.

AUTHORITY — What makes her think she would even *know* the difference between you looking well or unwell? She’s being presumptuous. She doesn’t even know you.

INLAND EMPIRE — She never will.

“I’m doing great, actually. Never been better.”

“Hey, I’m trying my best.”

“I’m *not* well. I’m so fucking unwell. I can’t take it anymore. Please, help me…”

“I’ll live.”

SOLA — “Hm…” She smiles apologetically. “Well, that’s all we can really ask for anymore, isn’t it?”

EMPATHY — She wishes more than anything that this was not the case. That you could ask for the world and have it.

RHETORIC — She tried to give it to you, and this is how you repay her? You’re gonna be in *deep* shit trying to explain that insignia you stitched onto her jacket.

“Um, about the jacket. It’s not what it… well, no, it *is* what it looks like. But I don’t— it’s— there’s nuance.”

“Is that really all you have to say to me?”

“I don’t know what to say to you.”

“Where are you going?”

SOLA — Her Innocence looks away from you, toward the wind. “Away,” she says, her voice distant and strange. “Yes… I’m stepping down, you see. The world doesn’t need me. It never needed me, really. It’s best for humanity to think for itself. No… it already *does* think for itself.”

She turns back to you with a small smile. The thought brings her peace.

PAIN THRESHOLD — But what does it bring *you?* She’s leaving you forever. Abandoning you for lofty ideals.

AUTHORITY — Let her go. Let her see how little you care. Don’t give her any satisfaction.

HALF LIGHT — Stop her. You won’t be able to live without her.

VOLITION — You have already lived almost all your life without her. You don’t need her. You have *never* needed her.

“What if the world *does* need you? Who are you to make that decision for the entire world?”

“Fine. Go. It’s none of my business.”

“So you’re just going to leave me behind again.”

“Please, don’t go. *I* need you.”

SOLA — “What else is an Innocence appointed to do?” Her smile turns wry. “You see? This is why I’m stepping down.”

Distant propellers turn and turn in endless circles. She glances toward them.

YOU — “Fine. Go. It’s none of my business.”

SOLA — “I suppose not.” Her voice and her face betray nothing. No sign of remorse.

YOU — “So you’re just going to leave me behind again.”

SOLA — “That was never my intention,” she says softly. “Surely you know that.”

INLAND EMPIRE — You will never truly know. No one will.

SOLA — She stares out at the horizon through the tendrils of hair that almost seem to threaten to swallow her. Her expression is strange and ambiguous, shifting every time you try and look directly at it.

YOU — “Please, don’t go. *I* need you.”

SOLA — She looks at you, and her eyes are full of what might be genuine sadness. But they could also be full of anything else.

“Oh, Kim… You must make do with what you have. I don’t know what else you want me to say…”

RHETORIC — What?! There are a million other things she could say! Forty-one years worth of possibilities! She could say *anything!* Anything at all… Even if she’d only left you a single word, it would be better than this…

VOLITION — It’s pointless to wish. Please, no more of this. It’s too sad.

“You could say that you’re sorry.”

“Say that I turned out all right.”

“Say that you’re proud of me. That you love me.”

SOLA — “Then I’m sorry.” She closes her eyes. “It was terrible of us to leave you alone.”

Her voice is utterly calm and emotionless.

PAIN THRESHOLD — No… Wrong, all wrong…

YOU — “Say that I turned out all right.”

SOLA — “You’re a good man despite it all. That is all I ever hoped for you.”

Again, there is no warmth to her words. No conviction.

VOLITION — Lieutenant… Please, don’t do this to yourself.

YOU — “Say that you’re proud of me. That you love me.”

SOLA — “I’m so proud of you and everything you’ve accomplished. You wear that jacket well.”

Her eyes have nothing behind them. A pair of two millimeter holes in the world.

“I love you.”

PAIN THRESHOLD — Your lungs seem to constrict at her words. Your chest hurts more than it’s ever hurt. This wind is hard to breathe in.

YOU — “No! Don’t you fucking get it?! You don’t love me!”

SOLA — “Then I don’t love you.”

YOU — “You should be *ashamed* of me!”

SOLA — “Then I am ashamed.”

YOU — “I betrayed you! I betrayed everything you stood for! I’m a fucking cop!”

SOLA — “Then I am betrayed.”

She proclaims it as dispassionately as she proclaimed her love.

YOU — “For god’s sake, *say something real!*”

SOLA — She just looks at you. The propellers keep on turning.

DRAMA — She can’t speak for herself, sire…

LOGIC — Of course she can’t. Of course…

PAIN THRESHOLD — Your lungs feel like they could collapse. Empty, crumpled, dark. Hot tears prick your eyes for the first time in what feels like a long time.

SOLA — “Do you understand now?” she asks gently.

LOGIC — She cannot speak for herself because you do not know what she would say.

There are many memories that you have been slowly recovering, little by little. Your mother will never be one of them. Her, the revolution, the aerostatic brigade— they all died before you could even comprehend loss.

AUTHORITY — You did not become a detective so that you could find your lost mother. You became a police officer because you did not want to end up like her.

VOLITION — She can neither forgive you, nor condemn you. She is dead, Lieutenant. She can only be what you make her.

RHETORIC — You’re asking your own echo for answers…

SOLA — “Humanity must think for itself,” she says again, turning again toward the wind. “What point is there in asking me where to go from here? I’m a failure. We all failed…”

RHETORIC — The revolutionaries failed their children, and the children are failing their parents, and all of them are dying, dying, dead… What’s the point in any of this anymore? I cannot argue in favor of any of it.

VOLITION — There is a point. There is a way forward. But you won’t find it here, Lieutenant.

“I hate you. You made me everything I am and then you just *left.*”

“I miss you… How is it even possible to miss someone you never met? It’s like someone ripped a part of me out and all I can do is bleed.”

“I don’t know what I am. I need you to tell me what I am.”

SOLA — One last time, she turns back to you. She slowly bridges the gap between you and reaches out a hand to cup your cheek. Her fingers feel like your own.

“You are whatever kind of animal you choose to be,” she says, so quietly that you don’t know how you can hear it over the distant roar of engines. “I cannot make that choice for you.”

EMPATHY — She died hoping that you would grow up with the freedom to choose to be whatever you wanted. Instead, the world that raised you hardly let you dare to want anything.

VOLITION — But you can still make a choice. Humanity can still think for itself.

#disco elysium #kim kitsuragi #swap au #should i tag sola? i kinda doubt i’ll ever need to use that tag again LMAO #anyway um. yeah. #tbh as fun as the swap au stuff is i wasn’t all that interested in it until my brain was like. SWAP DREAM SEQUENCE #and now suddenly i have like. lore for swap kim. #his breakdown isn’t bc of a breakup it’s over a crisis of identity #at first when he wakes up and starts inspecting stuff like his jacket and his notes #he starts finding out things abt his mother (a revolutionary aerostatic pilot who died and passed down the jacket to him) #and at first he’s like ohh i see im investigating her disappearance! #but he’s not. she’s dead. she died when the moralintern crushed the commune #kim grew up resenting both his parents for dying in a failed revolution #leaving him to grow up alone as a gay disabled seolite orphan #he became a cop and drank the moralist koolaid bc he didn’t want to be like his parents #and also bc he wanted to not be so powerless (and to be able to take shit out on other ppl just like canon kim) #but also just like in canon his experience in the rcm was just more of the same shit #he felt constantly humiliated and like a hypocrite and just compartmentalized hardcore #then he came to martinaise and saw the scars of the failed revolution and finally just snapped and broke down #he doesn’t even know what kind of animal he is other than he doesn’t want to be it anymore #so he pulls harry’s epic mind wipe binge and etc etc #anyway. coughs

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Was thinking about your au and realized that whichever neighbour wakes up last is in for a very awkward reunion

Imagine waking up to your entire neighbourhood being in an apocalyptic scenario, and you’re the last to find out about it-

technically the last neighbor is Sally BUT Julie is the last "normal-sleeping" neighbor to wake and yeah! she sure has a hell of a time! i mean tbh it's kinda her And Barnaby? they wake up within a week of each other (the neighbors wake via Pacific Rim kaiju rules) so their breakdowns overlap <3

#julie wakes up just in time for the situation to Start Deteriorating At A Rapid Pace #like 'welcome back julie! frank is very close to dying the neighborhood is quite literally beginning to crumble' #'tensions are very high and everyone is starting to lose it <3 also your memories and siblings and life and world was a lie <3 good luck!' #she and barnaby have it the worst smh #well. kinda the worst #cause sally wakes up to an (arguably) Even Worse Scenario and also tons of guilt etc etc #sally: oh so its my fault my friends are injured and/or dying/dead. cool. im going to cope with this so gracefully (lie) #(side note: the death(s) are Not her fault. they were going to happen no matter what) #(well. i say no matter what. they'd have been prevented if the lights had been turned back on but we all know that wasnt really an option) #rambles from the bog #wh lights out au #and julie does not really get time to adjust... #shit is already going down #but only a week or so after she wakes up Shit. Goes. Down. #the transition into act two occurs and thats a whooooole enchilada in of itself #and trust me a week is Not enough to adjust! #especially when frank passes out halfway through and then never wakes back up smhhhhh #julie: at least i have frank! right frank? frank? frank- #julie: .... #julie: at least i have eddie! and wally! #julie: wh- whats that? mhm. mhm. oh. really? oh... #julie: at least i have eddie!

[koszmarnybudyn]

Another rottmnt screenshot redraw! Gosh i love drawing them!!!!

#rottmnt #rottmnt leonardo #rottmnt leo #rottmnt donatello #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt rapheal #rottmnt raph #tmnt human au #tmnt #i wanted to post this earlier but i am kinda sick and i nearly passes out in the morning :/ #so i hope it still gets notes

[lacunasbalustrade]

If I were to hypothetically start writing an interactive Cardfight vanguard au on tumblr exclusively and request for you to interact would you do so

#<passing notes in class> #I really want to do a horror/detective kind of au but I want participation #cfv