#I'm not in any of the Steddie discords and there's no one in the fandom I talk to regularly

[solarmorrigan]

How... does one find a beta reader?

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is:  Pricklywhicket/@messessentialist ! Prickleywhicket has four fics published to AO3 -- All in the Steddie tag!

Our anonymous nominator recommends the following works by pricklywhicket:

so let's sneak in from the cheap seats, honey

it's supposed to be fun (turning twenty-one)

start by pulling him out of the fire

"Sadie is so super talented in the way she describes literally everything. She is so good at writing and it's a shame that she's flown under the radar because she's not the quickest at putting things out there." -- Anonymous

Below the cut, Pricklywhicket answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

Why do any of us write anything? Because we want the story to exist in the world, and it doesn’t yet, so we gotta hike up our pants and do it ourselves!

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

Hurt/Comfort. I’m always a sucker for the blorbos taking care of one another, in whatever form that takes. This has always been true, across a truly astronomical number of fandoms I’ve found myself dabbling in over the years.

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

…actually, probably hurt/comfort! I just need to get those little dudes some validation and unconditional positive regard, okay?

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

I’m sure I won’t be the first one to say this, but: I HAVE TO PICK ONE????? Okay, alright. I can do this. I’m gonna say…Sanctuary by SpicedSage.

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

I’ve only written canon or canon-adjacent fic so far, so I’m eager to work on something that’s completely AU. I think there’s a unique challenge to keeping characters recognizable as themselves in a world that might not have all the same contexts that made them into that person.

What is your writing process like?

I would love to say it’s super organized and well-planned, but the truth is it’s mostly about routine and responsibility. I set aside time to do it every day, even if I can only tap out a few sentences. I’m not very strict about writing in a straight line - I can stop a scene if it’s giving me trouble, write a note about what I think happens in some [brackets], and move on to something that I have more fully fleshed-out ideas for. Sometimes writing the next scene helps you know more about what needs to happen in the current one. 

Do you have any writing quirks?

I'm sure my betas would say yes 🙃 I tend to write a lot of dialogue - a lot of my revision process is going back through and realizing I have two pages of a conversation with no indication of what’s physically happening in the world around the speakers.

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

Definitely when I’m finished. Prior to my ‘23 bang fic, I had never written anything chaptered. I knew going in that I could NOT start posting if it wasn’t finished, because I’ve been burned too many times by abandoned works. I didn’t want to do that to people reading my fic, and the best way to avoid it is to finish before you post.

Which fic are you most proud of?

Easily start by pulling him out of the fire. The biggest, most ambitious thing I’ve ever attempted - I still kind of can’t believe I wrote 85k.

How did you get the idea for start by pulling him out of the fire?

Like most terrible ideas, it was spawned in a fandom discord chat. We were discussing the tendency of Steddie fics to centralize the party at Steve’s house, because his parents are never there anyway. And then someone mentioned what if the parents came home and found their house occupied, and someone else mentioned Wayne being there, and it just sort of…spiraled out from there.

When writing start by pulling him out of the fire, what was something you didn’t expect?

I had no idea, going in, that I was going to write a comprehensive history of the Wayne and Eddie Munson relationship. I started writing it where I did to give some background on Wayne’s existing distaste for the elder Harrington, and then I just…kept writing. Over the course of a month or two I wrote 20k of WayneAndEddie that I had no idea was in me - it just kept coming.

What inspired it's supposed to be fun (turning twenty-one)?

@wynnyfryd. It was a gift for her birthday. We were talking about our mutual love of Letterkenny, and she mentioned that the episode was her favorite and wouldn’t it be funny if someone wrote… and the rest is history.

What was your favorite part to write from it's supposed to be fun (turning twenty-one)?

I had an unreasonable amount of fun with that one in general. But I think my favorite part was Eddie polling the party about what Steve means to them all. It was fun to sort of put myself in each character’s shoes and think about how they would answer. Plus y’know, any excuse to unironically love on Steve Harrington.

How do/did you feel writing so let's sneak in from the cheap seats, honey?

I believe my exact words upon deciding to write it were “jingles miserably to a blank google doc.” This was a classic case of saying “god I wish there was a fic where—” and having friends tell me that it was now my responsibility to write it. I’m glad I did, though. I love that story, and it proved to me that I could write sex and publish it and not burst into flames. I also just really, really love summer storms. And Wayne’s use of the singular ‘herpe.’

What was the most difficult part of writing so let's sneak in from the cheap seats honey?

Getting over the fear of publishing something E-rated. It was just something I hadn’t done, and I had a lot of anxiety that people were not going to respond well to it. I made three people individually review the sex scenes before I even asked anyone to beta the full fic. Of course I was worried for nothing, the reception for that fic was super lovely and gave me the confidence boost I needed to attempt start by pulling him out of the fire!

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

This is like asking me to pick a favorite child. I’ll say this: most of my favorite lines in start by pulling him out of the fire were taken directly from conversations @wormdebut and I had about the fic. She’s my number one cheerleader and sounding board, and sometimes she’s so goddamn funny that I just have to include it. You have her to thank, for instance, for Steve quite literally dropping his croissant when he first sees Eddie in glasses.

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

I have a couple of irons in the fire, but nothing I’m ready to share just yet! I’ve been taking a breather from writing (blame baldur’s gate 3, okay) but my WIPs are still very much IP. Stay tuned!

Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?

Not that I can think of!

Thank you to our author, Pricklywhicket, and our anonymous nominator! See more of pricklywhicket's works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[penny00dreadful]

So... some of you may have noticed my fics have come to a screeching halt the last couple of months which is not like me and I am here to explain myself.

Babygirl, I have been preparing.

The end of this month is my 1 year anniversary of posting in this fandom, of posting any of my work online after not doing it for like fifteen fucking years and it has brought me so much incandescent joy, I decided I had to do something for it.

(I've also hit like... several milestones which is fucking insane like you all know I'm just some cranky bog witch, right??)

I have been working on my WIPs for over the last two months. All... holy mother of god... like nine of them???

Some of these have been completed, some I am still writing and some are mostly done.

So starting from my anniversary date, 23rd October, every second or third day, I'll be posting a chapter of something.

I have so much material built up this shit could go on until 2024

@hbyrde36 called it my own personal Penny00Dreadful BigBang... and yeah kinda! 😅

I wanted to do this to show just how much I love this community. Your kind words, your support, your unhinged ramblings, your obsessive love, your talent (for free??) it's all amazing it's so amazing and I wanted to explode forth with my love for it so I figured why the fuck not do this stupid idea??😅

All of these will be posted both to tumblr and AO3 so subscribe over there to keep updated or follow me here!

OH! And let me know if you wanna be tagged! If you wanna be tagged for a specific fic or for everything I'll add you, whatever you want.

You've made me so happy and so warm for the last year. The way I know if I'm having a bad day I just need to hop onto this side of tumblr and everything will be peaches and gravy again.

I love you guys so much. 😘🖤

Updated Schedule - (18th Feb 2024)

Fic list with blurbs below the cut, this will (roughly) be the order they're posted in:

Return of The King - COMPLETE

Steddie Vampire AU with a twist! Vampire Steve comes back after falling to the bats. There is two more chapters left and those chapters have been completed.

Comeuppance - COMPLETE

Dustin just wants Steve to be happy. So he tries to parent trap him with Nancy. Clearly they should be together. But Steve's heart doesn't even seem to be in it at all! How is he so bad at this? And Eddie is being less than helpful

Rookie Mistake - COMPLETE

My Steddie Established Relationship Spies AU oneshot that will have a multi-chapter prequel fic coming very soon after!

Eddie is "retired" and Steve has been injured on the job, so he's supposed to be taking it easy. How hard could a walk to the gas station be?

Before He Cheats - COMPLETE

Songfic! Carrie Underwood - Before He Cheats

I literally have no excuse for this one. The rotted brainworms were behind the steering wheel with this one.

One evening, Eddie gets a call from some guy named Steve dropping the news on him that his boyfriend has been cheating on him. With this Steve person and Steve had no idea up until that day.

And Eddie rarely takes that shit lying down.

Steddievember Smut - COMPLETE

No Nut November is here! One can play however he wants. The other just has to wait for December to roll around. I have no other words to describe what this will be, it does what it says on the tin. I blame the STWG discord server. Currently we're looking at four little ficlets for this.

Cat and Mouse - COMPLETE

The Steddie Spies AU Prequel! How they got together and the extreme ups and downs their enemies/rivals to lovers journey goes through. I had so much fun with this one.

And They Were Roommates! - COMPLETE

omg they were roommates.

Steve and Eddie don't hate each other exactly. They just... tolerate each other. But one night Eddie doesn't come home for hours. Long after he's supposed to and it's not like Steve is worried or anything... he's just... concerned for a fellow human being... that's all.

Through The Valley - IN PROGRESS

Post-Apocalyptic AU. Eddie, Dustin and Nancy have a nice little community of survivors outside of Hawkins that they take care of, surviving day to day. Everyone's a little broken, missing the rest of their Party just hoping that one day they'll find each other again.

Devotion

Dungeons and Dragons AU. Steve is the golden boy of the small town of Hawkins. Harrington in name and now a Paladin with his very own oath to hunt down the Bard, the witch Eddie Munson and bring him back to justice under High Priest Henry Creel.

[ladykailitha]

A Heads Up and a Schedule Update

Just a few things to go over with you today!

Posting schedule

What's Next Story Wise

Halloween and WIP Wednesday

My permanent tag list

1- First up, my posting schedule. The days AREN'T changing. This is just an update on which stories will be released.

This Sunday is the last chapter of Icarus (metal band) and I will start posting its sequel "Around the World" and it's epilogue "The Rise of the Fallen".

Because I want to get as much of "Around the World" out as possible in the spooky month, it will post starting on Tuesday, Oct. 22 and will post one chapter every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday until it completes. Then once it is done, "The Rise of the Fallen" will premier at the first Sunday AFTER "Around the World" is done. So if it ends on Oct. 31st then it will come out on Nov. 3rd. But if it ends on Nov. 5th, the epilogue will premier on Nov. 10th. Does that make sense?

"The Rise of the Fallen" only has two chapters so there is no need to rush them out. So the two chapters will release a week apart.

The Hellfire Club (stripper) is nearing it's completion and will have 13 chapters. It will continue to release every Friday ending on Nov. 22.

Now, depending on what finishes first, "The Au Pair Boy" (nanny) will premier the following week. So if the Fallen verse ends first, then it will come out on a Sunday, if Hellfire does then it will come out on Friday Nov. 29th.

As always I am constantly writing so as these finish I move onto other stories and will begin posting new stories once they get at least 3 chapters in backlog. Which brings me neatly to number two!

2- What's next story wise?

I have so many ideas (waves at my Discord chat, if you know, you know).

Some really interesting ideas that I've come up with recently are:

Noir AU

Mafia AU

FB Prompt

Amnesia

Steddie as Dragon Dancers (which I haven't written up for Tumblr yet)

And any or all of them will be used as I finish the other stories. If you have one you'd really like to see, put a comment or tag in and I'll see about moving it to the top of the list or at least closer to the to the top.

3- Halloween and WIP Wednesday.

I won't be having WIP Wednesday on the 30th, because I'm doing the Trick or Treat ask game on the 31st.

This is how I will be doing it. I will have two pick wheels up on my laptop. You send Trick or Treat (with the name of a current WIP) and the first wheel determines whether you get a trick or a treat. A treat is a snippet from that WIP or if it's a trick it will go into the second wheel where it pick a number and I will answer the corresponding ask from this list.

Just like with WIP Wednesday you can play as often as you like. You know me I love asks. Any remaining asks will be answered the next week as part of the usual WIP Wednesday.

4- Permanent Tag List.

It's that dreaded time of year again. Trimming and rearranging my tag list. About every six months or so, I go through all my stories and if you haven't liked, reblogged, or commented on a story in the last three months, I give you a whole month of me constantly, almost aggressively tagging you to respond whether or not you want to remain on the list.

I do this because sometimes people fade from a fandom and I don't want to keep tagging someone who isn't interested in my writing anymore. It's not fair for them, and it's not fair for the other people who want to be on the list but can't.

If after the month and you haven't responded or if you respond that you want to be removed from my list (which I am 100% okay with I promise!) you'll be removed from the and refill any vacancies to the list.

I have a hard max total of 40, and depending on how many I lose this time that might go down.

THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO REQUEST TO BE ADDED TO THE LIST PLEASE!!!

I already having a waiting list of SIX people who comment, like and reblog my stuff all the time that I want on it. And they will be given top priority to be added. @fearieshadow

@dreamercec @blondie1006 @kultiras @thesecondfate @sadisticaltarts

If there is any room after I add them, then I might be open to requests. But again it depends on how many is left. Like if after the six get added and I have 37, then I'll open for three more. But if I have 35, I might lower the hard limit to the 35 so more casuals can get a chance to be tagged in a specific story as my story tag lists have a hard limit of 50. Which means as it stands only 10 casuals can request to be added at this time.

So starting on Nov. 2nd I will send out the call. And every Saturday until the end of Nov. I will repost (not reblog as a reblog doesn't RE-notify you) with how many days you have left to reply.

Then on Nov. 30th I will trim the unanswered and the removals from the list and add the wait list. Then if there is any room I'll do an open call. If there isn't enough room for all six, I will use a pick wheel to fill the list to keep it fair. Same will go for the extras if more than required amount to fill it goes over.

[tyrantonutx]

Looking for RP Partner(s)!

Hey, hi, how's it goin'?

I'm Tyrant, 30+ s/they, and this is a Take Two attempt at finding like-minded folx, so if you happen to see a similar looking post floating around (unlikely but possible), I am in fact one and the same Tyrant, I'm just too damn impatient to wait on tumblr to fix my original blog.

ANYWAY.

I'm hoping to find some partner(s) interested in Discord RP, because I am in fact a tumblr Baby (despite the original blog being...several years old...) and the formatting on tumblr rp blogs makes me Nervous.

I've been roleplaying in various capacities on forums, discord, and chat (throwback to AOL Instant Messenger amirite?) for approximately two decades and some change. I tend to write in a casual cadence as one might suspect, and I like to adapt my replies to the thread (anywhere from several sentences to a few paragraphs is my norm). I generally prefer CANON x CANON ships, at least starting out, to get a feel for how we come at characterization and plot together before we dip into OC territory. I'm involved in a few fandoms that may in fact be wastelands but, hey, you miss every shot you don't take, so here I am!

What follows is a list of fandos, characters, and ships I'm ACTIVELY looking for, the things that make my brain buzz in all the good ways. I'm down for hearing out any plots you might have in your lovely beating hearts (or shriveled little black ones, no judgment here!) or working out plots together based on all the good things that come from two rambling fans throwing head canons and "OK BUT WHAT IF"s at each other til something sticks.

If any of these strike you as fun, or if you just think I'm gosh darn neat and wanna chat me up for the thrills, please like this post, message me here on tumblr, or send me a friend request on discord (@tyrantonut)! I'm shy af and terrible at reaching out first, thank you hereditary anxiety and Burnt Out Gifted Kid syndrome, so sometimes I need that lil nudge.

...right! The fandoms! (Please note that while I have listed characters for me vs. for you, I'm actually pretty flexible on these! I just think I write some sides better than others.)

FANDOMS

The Boys (AU preferred)

Butchie -- Billy Butcher x Hughie Campbell

Stephen King's It (Muschietti AU preferred)

Reddie -- Richie Tozier x Eddie Kaspbrak

Stranger Things (Aged up AU preferred)

Byler -- Mike Wheeler x Will Byers

Harringrove -- Billy Hargrove x Steve Harrington

Steddie -- Steve Harrington x Eddie Munson

Hannibal (NBC)

Hannigram -- Hannibal Lecter x Will Graham

Marvel Universe (Comics & Movieverse)

Spideypool -- Wade Wilson x Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield)

Spiderprowl -- Aaron Davis x Peter B. Parker

Mysterio/Spiderman -- Quentin Beck x Peter Parker (Tom Holland, preferably aged up)

Starkmonger -- Tony Stark/Erik Killmonger

Hazbin Hotel / Helluva Boss Universe

Huskerdust -- Angel Dust x Husk (Overlord Husk AU has given me brain rot)

Chaggie -- Charlie Magne x Vaggie

RadioApple -- Alastor x Lucifer

Stolitz -- Blitzo x Stolas

Fizzarozzie -- Fizzarolli x Asmodeus

Glee

Puckurt -- Noah 'Puck' Puckerman x Kurt Hummel

[toburnup]

I don’t understand why people care enough to negatively comment on work because they don’t like a character…

I don’t like some characters that my friends reblog and I just scroll past like a normal person, I’m not going to dictate or judge what people like and I can’t stand the way people say “oh I block people who like *insert character they dislike*” like it’s so petty and strange… I like all your work I think you’re a great writer do I ship all the same people as you? Nope but does it bother me? Not at all. There is no letting people have fun in this fandom I swear to god!

i find it very odd. it's especially easy to avoid on tumblr, so i don't understand people's reactions (also, sorry, i accidentally wrote a whole essay here)

i'm not sure if it's because so many people in the ST fandom are newer to fandom in general, or it's just how things are now (i'm afraid it's this one), but i find that a surprising amount of people see any interest in a character as like... symbolic of someone's personal morals and values. and this is especially rampant among steddie shippers which is unfortunate. i block a ton of people on twitter because they say "hellcheer dni" and then i see passive aggressive messages on discord about how i blocked them. is this because people make the media they consume their whole ID? or people trying to play activist? (i've said it before on here but my activism isn't an online activity for me, it's my work and it's my personal life, and i'm intentional about separating these. i don't share much about my life on here on purpose).

billy anti's are actually scary at times. i personally don't see the logic of harassing real people in the name of fictional characters (and this is a generalization, but most of the time it's white shippers pulling that shit which just feels performative at best). this isn't billy-related, but joseph quinn fans bullied a jquinn fan account (run by a woc) off of twitter because she wasn't retweeting social justice-related posts. lmao. people really see sj rt's as the be-all and end-all of Being a Good Person. like people have lives outside of fandom and they can't see that.

LONG STORY SHORT, i know that posting my hellcheer and metalsandwich fic is going to make some people hate me or whatever, but i'm really tired of feeling like i can only openly like and enjoy steddie in order to have value here. if people are going to stop reading what i write, or blacklist me or whatever, i'll make my peace with that. and let's be real, who's really the one losing out in that scenario? because it's not me.

[sparklyslug]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @aidaronan and @softbrah thank yewwwwwww!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

50!!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

405,752

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now it's all Stranger Things, all the time baby. But you never know when the madness might strike for something new. Or re-strike for something I thought I was done with haha.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

In Focus (Check Please) Up the Punks (Stranger Things) we're gonna fight til we do it right (Check Please) If you want him, come and claim him (Stranger Things) t'hy'la (Stranger Things)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I'm usually really good about it for the first day or so after a fic has posted, and then I kind of.... fall off with it usually. I read all comments! I appreciate all comments! Usually what happens is I see the email notif on my phone, mentally go "ah I will craft a perfectly thoughtful and appreciative and stirring response to this later when I have time to do it justice!" and then I do not do that.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

The one that comes to mind is a fic I wrote for the Hobbit, hands too small to hold it, which is an AU where everyone lives but Bilbo still has the ring and the events of LOTR are still barreling towards them.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Let Us Dwell in Fair Ithilien and There Make a Garden with @greenlikethesea is ONE BIG MASSIVE HAPPY ENDING (after 10+years of tragic angsty pining but w/e). I also wrote a little happy family ever after Garak/Bashir for Star Trek DS9, between the noise.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

noooo it's never happened! If I'm getting hate it's behind my back ahaha who knows what goes down in y'alls discords, that’s none of my business! Im a Leo and I work in marketing, so I am not terribly tortured by that kind of thing ahahaha

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

SURE DO! I don't know what "what kind" means. The smut kind. I've done closed door fade to black, I've done some explicit stuff, I try to give you range baby.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I LOVE A CROSSOVER! Star Trek/Stranger Things is pretty crazy. My current project is Stranger Things/You've Got Mail put in a blender with Supernatural, so that's decently zany too.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I thought Quorum had been translated into Chinese, but I can't find any evidence of it, so might be all in my head ahaha.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I love to collaborate with folks! When the creative chemistry is right it's RIGHT, and it's so fun to ping-pong ideas and paragraphs back and forth. I co-wrote Check Please fics with @softbrah, have written a universe of Stranger Things fic with @greenlikethesea, and it's all been a blast. Me and @aidaronan are cooking up some ideas, if the two of us can ever stop signing up for bangs and things long enough to get to em.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Well of course I will say Steddie right now because I've been living here for over a year and a half. It truly does have just the most delicious dynamic, however the setup and wherever you take their characterizations.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I don't know if I'll ever finish my Vampire Eddie immediately post-canon fic, I didn't have much direction with it, just Vibes.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I like to think I'm good with atmospheric sensory details, it's something I really care about when writing at least. I definitely enjoy dialogue, too.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action scenes are hard, and I struggle with nailing (heh) the physicality of sex scenes. My haters in their discords are welcome to chime in here 😂😂

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I have no thoughts in particular. If it works in the fic and you've made sure your translation is right if you're not fluent in that language, hell yeah.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Lord of the Rings. You will never see this fic.

N E V E R.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

IT IS REALLY HARD TO CHOSE AMONGST MY CHILDREN. I put a lot of my heart into I was open to pain and crossed by the rain (Wayne Munson my beloved) and I'm really proud of what I did with that one. I truly wrote Can't We Be Seventeen knowing it was really just for me, to scratch one of those desperate writing itches after an intense period of fixating on the Heathers musical soundtrack, and I really like that fic too.

Tagging @occasionaloverboy@greenlikethesea @thefreakandthehair @henrystars @capriciouslyterminal

[thefreakandthehair]

hi, hope this is not a weird ask but i was wondering do you have any advice on how to get started in writing spaces on tumblr? i would love to like... do what you guys do but the fandom is HUGE and a little overwhelming. tl;dr: how d'you start where d'you go who d'you need to know?

hi there! not a weird ask at all! this fandom truly is huge, so I completely understand it feeling overwhelming! I mean, I still feel that way a lot of the time so you're definitely not alone. as for getting started in writing spaces, I don't have like, a guide or anything but I don't think there's really a specific place or people you need to know! I just sort of showed up last summer and started screaming with everyone else about s4 lmao, but the thing that's helped me feel most comfortable in the writing sphere here has been making friends! so, some things that helped me connect with people were:

writing! this seems obvious but don't wait to feel like you're "in" to start posting your work here or on ao3. I love ao3 for fic personally, and you can link to your tumblr there in the author notes where it can reach people you're not already in the same "orbit" with on tumblr yet.

there's the other stuff that you might already know like tagging ships and whatnot so people can find your work in the correct tumblr tags, but also participating in events! that can be an awesome way to make friends. things like big bangs, people's follower celebrations, seasonal challenges, character/ship weeks, etc! steddie week, for example, is coming up and you could potentially meet some new friends and reach new people if you want to participate!

99% of the writing friends I've made here happened because one of us DMed the other about a post we shared similar ideas about, so don't be shy to do that, too. especially if you've read something you enjoy, I've found that people are always always always happy to talk about ideas, prompts, etc. I, for one, am always happy to talk writing things.

I don't use discord much outside of the two servers I'm in with people I was already friends with on here, so I can't say too much about it, but I know that there are some that encourage writing and sharing of ideas! the steddie big bang server is huge and very far reaching, and from what I've seen, pretty supportive. sign-ups are over but you can join as a cheerleader for someone there, too!

if anyone else has suggestions or thoughts, shout 'em out <3

[strangersteddierthings]

For the fanfic ask: E, G, K, N, Z 😈

Ah!! A lot! Thanks so much <3

E: If you wrote a sequel to the Eddie’s friends try to prove Steve’s cheating on him. Eddie doesn’t take kindly to them trying to ruin his relationship for no reason fic, what would it be about?

KATY. How dare!! I was typing out an answer and it turned into an actual fic I wanna write. So, to summarize, it would be about Eddie and his friends making up and them apologizing to him and Steve.

G: Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

Both! Planned fics get written out of order. I write what I'm most excited for, or any new scenes when they come to me, and then I find out how to mush it together. Unplanned fics get word vomited in the drafts and posted as soon as they're done.

K: What's the angstiest idea you've ever come up with?

Oh, it's for sure the thing on discord where Steve is cousins with Gareth and Chrissy and Vecna speaks to him instead of Nancy during that one scene and... well... I shan't say. YOU know, and everyone else will once I've finished writing it :3

N: Is there a fic you wish someone else would write (or finish) for you?

Yes. Someone else please write the last chapter of Shovel Talk(s). The fix-it part, where Steve gets his apologies and everyone makes up. Also I have like 6 drafts that are just ideas that I want to read so I have to write them.... but if someone else did that!! Would be amazing!

Z: Major character death—do you ever write/read it? Is there a character whose death you can't tolerate?

I'm in the Steddie fandom. I think we all know whose death I cannot tolerate. There are actually other tropes/plot points I avoid more than character death.

So, yes, I read and write it. I have to be in the mood for it, specifically, though. I will say when I write it it's basically guaranteed to be a Temporary Character Death actually. *cough* bad news first, eddie *cough*

[loki-is-my-kink-awakening]

Fic origin story

Thanks @cha-melodius for the tag.

What was your first fandom (reading and/or writing)?

I'm old but I'm baby, so my first fandom for reading and writing fic is Loki, but the first fic I published was actually for Midnight Mass.

What was the first story you ever wrote (even if it was never posted) and what made you decide to write it?

I started writing a Loki fic about Mobius helping the god to stop self harming behaviours but I decided I didn't have the skills to handle that subject at that point.

What's a piece of advice you would give to your younger fic-writing self?

Never say, "I won't be able to write that." I said I couldn't write angst. That was a lie I told myself because I can.

I said I could never outline, and while I'm definitely not good at it yet, I did do it for Petals In A Storm.

What's an early fandom interaction that stuck with you (be it a nice comment, a friend you made, a fic that got a lot of feedback etc.)?

I found some amazing friends and we started a discord server together and it's still a lovely little server to be in. I love how encouraging they are, it's a great place. They're very special.

Also, getting positive feedback on my first fics was really encouraging. I never expected to get any comments, but people were so lovely.

Post a sentence or two from one of your older fics, and a sentence or two from a newer one (if you want).

From Praying For Salvation (Priley, Midnight Mass)

Father Paul was still drawling on about something or other and Riley felt like he was falling under a spell when suddenly the priest reached out and touched Riley’s leg. “It’s going to be OK, Riley. I know you’ve been through a lot and forgiveness feels far away right now, but you can do this. You can work your way towards salvation.”

From In His Space (Steddie, Stranger Things)

Eddie was driving him insane, sucking hard on a popsicle while leaning on the counter of Family Video.

His leather jacket squeaked against the wood, and each tiny suck noise rattled around Steve’s brain like a pinball machine.

I was definitely a lot more clumsy when I look back, but it's only practice that helps improve skills, so I'm okay with that and hope I'll continue to improve.

Since I'm still writing that first fic—cardinal sin, I know—I have been thinking of making edits of the earlier chapters at some point and using what I know now to make it better.

Tagging most writers I know @mimisempai @rins-love-wins @insert-witty-user-name-here @jesskier @kingeomer @diabla616 @echo-bleu @xianvar @jaskierswolf @dapandapod @kueble @kuripon @goofgoofdildo @officerjennie @eddywoww @queenfreddiebrianrogerjohn @zara2148 @kit-middleton @spacecores @sylwritesstuff @bluesundaycake @csinnamon-fox @joycecarolnotes @yoites-good-omens-blog @octinary @homosexual-having-tea @phonoix @floofywolfer @flightsfancy1 @mojowitchcraft @kickassfu @unexpected-readings-of-poetry @unclewaynemunson @rauchendesgnu @geraltrogerericduhautebellegarde

[aamputation]

The Five Dreams of Eddie Munson

written by @chrystalmethchristian |||  art by @academic-clown (formerly @acaademicqueer)

-> @steddiebang2024||| @steddiebb2024

DO NOT RE-POST MY ART ANYWHERE WITHOUT MY EXPLICIT WRITTEN PERMISSION.

title banner made in canva. under the cut are the full images since i went a bit bonkers, as it were, as well as some commentary and detail shots, since apparently tumblr eats quality ಠ_ಠ

long time steddie fan (gotDAMN this community is great because we are blessed with so much content), first time participant in any sort of ST fandom event! boy-oh-boy was it a trip! This was the biggest bang I've ever participated in with over 100 fics during claims time which made it incredibly hard to make any sort of pared down list... however, I really shrieked and kicked my feet and chewed the hem of my shirt when i saw this particular fic and fell so in love i started the overly-ambitious journey of illustrating every chapter. because i'm insane. absolute delight to work with Sam on this, and i bet you'll dig their fic as much as i went coo-coo-bananas over illustrating it.

Below the divider I'll be explaining a bit of my process / reasons for doing what I've done if you've any interest!

⚠️!! WARNING !!⚠️ FIC SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT!⚠️

The first chapter of the fic is a Medieval AU, and I wanted to show Steve the way Eddie in the chapter sees him: golden, glowing, almost a deity-esque figure who seems untouchable in comparison to his lower status as a blacksmith's son. this was actually the second pose I attempted for steve, as the first one just wasn't cutting it for me in my preliminary sketches.

Tracked Time: 13hrs 9min

The second chapter takes place in a speakeasy during prohibition. Eddie is working class, somewhat of a goon if you will (pardon my '20s slang there) and although long hair was not in fashion during the time period, both my author and I agreed that the slicked back low-ponytail look felt right for Eddie's personality: a maverick but still somewhat within the bounds of reasonable for the time period. Steve is obviously the rich boy here, the ritzy palooka that Eddie first takes for a sucker. Unfortunately, Eddie realizes he's not so much a palooka as a sheik.

Tracked Time: 10hrs 13min

Chapter 3 is a Superhero AU, and while Steve is painted as the Metroman-esque figure of their city, Eddie is the villain, the dark smear on society. I put a lot of time into the background, as that's something I've been working on improving with my art and the strong perspective in the piece was a true challenge. The costume designs themselves were pretty simple; I wanted Steve to be sleek and streamline, a traditional superhero look. For Eddie, I wanted greaves and gauntlets and cuisses and an overall homage to medieval armor à la his love for D&D. I also struggled a lot deciding on costume color schemes. I wanted bright and pure looking for Steve, dark and muddied for Eddie but I also didn't want to just be brash about it. I ended up going through seven different color palettes until I finally settled on the ones I and my author liked best.

(also shout-out to the discord because their input was invaluable as well)

Tracked Time: 21hrs 43min

Chapter 4 is a Coffee Shop / Musician AU. Steve is a barista and Eddie a songwriter who patronizes the shop where he works, and wants to give him the song Eddie wrote for him. The shyness and overall vibes of like, small-town Hallmark movie longing in this chapter was beautiful and so I did the entire piece in a pencil sketch style, with a focus on Eddie in the foreground. I wanted it to have that same sort of longing that was so prominent in the chapter. I wanted to capture that wistful sort of transience that happens as the sunrise bathes the gray of night into the hues of dawn.

Tracked Time: 5hrs 38min

Chapter 5 is a "The Upside Down Never Happened" AU, set in the future. Eddie is a mechanic, and a freshly-divorced Steve rolls back into town, looking to tune up his old 1983 Bimmer. They reconnect, and the tentative, more mature relationship that grows between them is something gentle; honest and pure in a way that feels like a Hallmark movie, overlaid with all the grainy, warm nostalgia of youth. There's so much gorgeous imagery in this chapter and when you get to the vulnerability... get ready for your socks to go flying.

Tracked Time: 4hrs 19min

Art for Chapter 6 will be added to this post when it's finished, as right now I'm still waiting for my wonderful author to finish weaving their wordsmith magic!

Cumulative Tracked Time for Ch Art 1-5: 120hrs 2min

reblog divider || medieval divider || prohibition divider || superhero divider coffee divider || neighbors divider || heartbeat divider

[shinydixon]

paul newman's birthday is the same as joe. some vq tweeted and tagged g on a post about paul newman saying 'g, it's your favorite man's birthday' and she liked it. this woman tires me so much. i go back and forth between seeing things through her pov and straight up feeling angry and sad that she uses her fanbase like this. for example, she needs no excuse to like a post about her co-star and close friend's birthday (i really wish people would realize they've been friends for over two years which means they are pretty close), but then she goes around and likes a tweet by a vq who is very much implying something else since the vqs have collectively decided joe looks like paul newman. it's like....why stir the pot? she may not be as online as she used to be but she still knows what goes on in the fandom. she's seeing the hellcheers being transphobic and stalking steddies. i agree she shouldn't be blamed for things out of her control such as how her fans behave but the least she could do was not engage. i'm gonna say it because it's been on my mind for a few months now: i strongly believe g likes this kind of attention. she may have asked them to respect the people she loves but at the same time, she adores knowing she's got this entire fanbase all for herself and completely ready to go to 'war' for her. i think that after the attacks she suffered from rabid fans, this entire thing just turned into a big game of 'i'll piss off the people who hate me by showing them how awesome my ship is and how close i am to joe.' it feels as if the things she likes on tweet regarding hellcheer sometimes are used to sting anyone who hates chrissy. she posts a lot of bullshit on her tumblr (which reads like the diary of a 15 year old, btw), gets people riled up and then deletes it. then the same thing happens and then it happens again and so on. it irks me that she won't stand up for the girl suffering racist attacks fro her fans, or the trans community being harassed again by her fans and so on but she will like a tweet about joe's birthday and then about paul newman's like there's no tomorrow. my conclusion is that i'm pretty sure she likes the attention, she likes feeling superior in the sense that all the joe fans who hated on her will never be as close as she is to him. and i think she's deathly afraid of losing support. she's not a good actress and she's only done a couple of stuff prior to st. now she has this huge fanbase that are willing to follow her work but only if she plays her cards right. her fans are the first ones to run to a discord group and cry about the fact she has a boyfriend and i'm almost certain g must have seen the prints given that she goes around twitter searching for posts about her. so she knows she'll lose most of her 'loyal' fans the second she attempts to shut the whole thing down. it''s vile and disgusting and so childish but i don't she will stop any time soon. same goes to her fans.

I don't know, I think she likes posts that she likes and not think much about it, which is something we all do and how it should be.

It's vq that read too much into it

[stevethehairington]

I watched stranger things s1 way back when it aired and thought it was pretty good but then couldn’t be bothered to keep watching when s2 came out and haven’t paid it any thought since and yet now after seeing gif after gif of Eddie fucking Munson and reading headcanons and ficlets about steddie on tumblr I’m suddenly in a position where I’ve read at least 300k worth of steddie ao3 fics and I can tell I’m not about to stop any time soon. I still haven’t watched any more of the show. What is this strange power Steve and Eddie hold

omggg i feel this in my BONES. only difference is i have watched all of it (some seasons multiple times hskgsd) BUT. i totally get what you mean. like there is just SOMETHING about eddie goddamn munson. like, they put fucking CRACK in that boy or something lol.

i was a VERY casual fan before s4, like i watched s1 when it first aired too and i really liked it! but it was definitely one of those this is really cool i really dig it but i'm not like obsessed kind of likes. and i got excited about the other seasons too and i binged them all when they came out, but again, super casual!! like once i watched that would be it. i wouldn't really think about it all that much after. i didn't seek out any fan spaces for it, didn't really discuss the plots or analyze it or anything outside of like very general predictions with family and friends who watched too, and i certainly didn't create or write for it at all.

but then season god damn 4. season goddamn 4 and eddie goddamn munson!!!! i fell in LOVE. i got SUCKED IN. i was pulled DEEP. the obsession set innnnn, that funky little dude sunk his claws in deep and dragged me headfirst into a full on stranger things fixation - dedicating my blog to it, reading a million fics, writing a million fics, joining discords, signing up for zines - and i am STILL hooked, 4? 5? months later?

there's just something SO good about eddie and something SO good about steddie!!! steve and eddie just FIT so goddamn WELL it's insane, truly, how complimentary they are to one another. i reblogged a post about it earlier, where it pointed out how steve and eddie so clearly want the same things, how they have plans for the future but those plans are not set in stone, they're flexible, and all that really matters is if they're together and are able to get and give the support they need to. also i feel like they're both SO easy to put into any sort of situation - ESPECIALLY eddie. because like as much as the show gives him plenty of interests and traits and all, he is still SUCH a malleable character, still SO easy to project onto and relate to and to shape into what you want him to be. and that makes for a WONDERFUL canvas to work from.

and honestly, i am SO glad that this did happen, because like i've met so many incredible people through this fandom already and i've had such a good time, and also steddie has sort of like reignited my love for writing too? like, i didn't not love writing before steddie, but i felt like i was sort of in a writing slump for a very long time. like i wrote for other fandoms and pairings but i would never make it past 10 fics (barely even made it past 5 for some!!) and it just wouldn't stick, and i just wasn't coming up with ideas or getting that spark of inspiration. but with steddie ohhh my god!!! it's been FANTASTIC!! i've been writing more the past couple of months than i have the last like 2 years. i've broken the under 10 fics curse with them haha and i have sooo many ideas still. and the response to the fics i have posted has been insane!!! like so good! and i am blown away!!

so yeah, basically i owe eddie munson my goddamn LIFE sjfdhksf

(also, i totally do recommend you watch the rest!! like the show has it's issues and some rocky narrative choices, like all shows do, but overall it is a very enjoyable show and there's a lot of good stuff that comes out of the other seasons too!! ESP season 3, my beloved. scoops steve?? YES. scoops troop team up?? YESS. robin buckley introduction!!! YESSS!!)

[jeysbvck]

Ship Tag Game

OTP:

Ship that you love but your friends don’t (and that’s ok):

Wholesome ship:

Comfort ship:

Crack ship:

Ship that should be popular but isn’t:

Opposites attract ship:

Canon ship:

First ship:

Cursed ship:

Ahhhh! thank you for sending this game, i love it!😊

otp: buddie

ship that you love but your friends don't: i'll say...stucky, just because my mcu friends on discord don't ship them! also hannigram bc i don't know if any of my friends have seen hannibal.

wholesome ship: lumax, elmax, finnpoe, sambucky, chenford, brucetony

comfort ship: buddie, steddie, ronance

crack ship: i'm not actually sure i have one and now i feel like im missing out 😭

ship that should be popular but isn't: i think all my ships are popular in their own fandoms, but i think buddie should be more popular, i guess?

opposites attract ship: steddie, sambucky, quill/gamora, ronance

canon ship: madney, henren, wandavision, hannigram

first ship: will/elizabeth from potc & my first non canon ship was stucky.

cursed ship: (i do not ship these, and this is my opinion) harringrove & eddie/billy