#first time ever really writing something for ronance…

[fifthnailinstevesbat]

oh hmmmmmm the other woman kinda au but it’s nancy being so disgustingly jealous of chrissy when she and robin start dating, but nancy had never told her feelings to robin, so she had no right, right? but she had only just come to the realisation that how she felt about robin was what it was, that it wasn’t resentment or hatred or really strong friendship… that she liked her, the same way she liked jonathan, and steve, all that time ago. she could maybe even love her, and wasn’t that just absolutely terrifying. it took nancy so long to realise that she could even be like this, that she could even feel that way towards robin, who was a girl, but when she finally did figure it out, it took her even longer internally to actually be ok with it. or at least, not as completely terrified by the concept. she accepted that the way she felt about robin was stronger than any feeling of disgust or fear she had about having the feelings at all. but she didn’t get the chance to tell her, because while nancy had been internally going through this journey of self discovery, robin and chrissy cunningham had gotten quite a lot closer than ever before. chrissy started getting invited to their hangouts, sleepovers, shopping trips and walks through town. and it was fun, chrissy was sweet and really a very kind person, she brought a great energy to their larger group over all, but then her and robin started doing more alone. and with steve, and eddie, and nancy could do nothing but sit by and watch as robin fell harder and harder for the strawberry blond cheerleader. nancy wasn’t even entirely sure whether robin was the same way as her before all this, but there was no doubt now since the two have made it official. robin is with chrissy. robin likes chrissy, she could maybe even love her, and nancy was devastated. she has to watch now as robin gives so so much love to another girl, wishing it could be her on the receiving end of robins affection, but no matter how hard she tries she can’t just hate chrissy about it. chrissy is so so… beautiful. inside and out. and robin is happy, chrissy makes her happy, chrissy is so perfect for her. nancy wishes she could’ve known sooner, that she didn’t wait so long, that she didn’t spend so much time in her head hating herself for feeling something she never thought was in the cards for her life. she wasn’t prepared for this, prepared to deal with this, to have her whole established perception of herself and who she was as a person be completely cracked open and shattered to the ground in tiny rigged pieces she didn’t even know we’re inside of her. nancy is overwhelmed with hurt, and longing, and jealousy, and confusion, as well as contentment for having actually come to terms with what she feels, slight acceptance, but mostly overall she is utterly heartbroken every second she must spend time with robin and seeing her arm slung around chrissy’s shoulders, or just hearing her talk so fondly of the girl. but how could nancy blame her? chrissy was picture perfect. nancy was always titled the “good girl”, even she got labeled as “miss perfect” in the early days of high school, because she was always trying so, so hard not to fall. not to crack. but she is not the same girl. she has seen too much now, she has had to change out of survival, adapting to the conditions she found herself subjected to. nancy isn’t that girl anymore, and she never can be again, and maybe deep down she never really was at all. but chrissy, chrissy is sweet, untarnished, content with herself in a way nancy fears she could never be, and chrissy isn’t always striving for something more, and always fighting and working herself to death to be more. to do more, to prove herself. chrissy doesn’t have the internal demons that nancy has, festering and growing and spreading and multiplying and consuming her for the last 4 years.

so nancy will watch. it’s ok, it’s fine. she has no choice. she wishes it could be her, but she will never be like chrissy and chrissy couldn’t be like nancy even if she tried. chrissy is perfect, she is beautiful, she makes so much sense. of course robin likes her, who doesn’t? how could anyone not? nancy gets it, which is the hard thing. because she can’t even get the satisfaction of hating chrissy, or seeing all the ways that she herself could be better if it were her instead. see all the ways nancy would do things differently for robin, to make it all that much better. because chrissy does it all right, she is perfect, nancy couldn’t compete. they aren’t on the same level. but nancy likes robin, a lot. she may even love her. and robin likes chrissy, a lot, and robin told nancy that she thinks she might love her, and it’s fine. nancy cant do anything about it but watch.

[eskawrites]

I have seen a bit of discussion on the stobin codependency/the way fans talk abt their relationship and I wanted to know your opinion. I think you are one of the authors that always manages to write it best bc you show how dangerous it can be, the negative consequences of it and you don't reduce robin's character to steve's extension or their dynamic as the only thing ever.

You don't have to answer but I am curious abt your pov bc I really love the way you write the characters.

aw thank you anon! this is very kind and i will try to come up with a smart and thoughtful answer for you, although truth be told most of my thoughts on stobin are just me rambling in a word doc to myself until i have enough notes for a story lol

i guess the biggest thing for me is that, in fandom spaces (and i suppose in online spaces/younger communities in general maybe) codependency has come to mean a couple different things? there's codependent as in 'codependent besties, bonded pair, do not separate, they're platonic soulmates and their lives have been helplessly intertwined since time began' kind of thing, which is of course fun to see and read and write for characters. but there's also, like, the psychological concept of codependency, which often involves controlling behavior or enabling self-destruction like addiction and stuff (i should put a disclaimer here that i'm not by any means a psychological professional and all of this post is, of course, simply my perspective)

we all like viewing stobin as codependent besties because that's what they are in the show, and honestly who doesn't love a little trauma bonding? but the thing is, the line between codependent besties and actual, unhealthy codependent behavior can be really thin. i think it's interesting to write and read what happens when that line blurs and the dynamic shifts into something unhealthy (like in my celebrity fake dating au, where 'you're the only one who understands me' turns into 'i can't face life without you' turns into a very limited support system and simultaneous destructive spirals). however, i do think that online discussions and perspectives of steve and robin can sort of mimic that blurring of the line in some way, which then leads to fans viewing stobin's dynamic as the only thing ever, like you said. and honestly, if platonic stobin is the most important thing to you and it's all you ever want to write and talk about, then hey, you do you. have fun with it

as for not reducing robin to steve's extension, yeah. i think it's very often a combination of the above and the tendency for male characters get more attention both in canon and in fandom. i also click out of posts/fics/etc that do that. but then, i tend not to read anything that isn't centered on robin, nancy, or ronance in the first place lol. and to be completely fair, you could probably argue that i tend to reduce steve to robin's extension in my writing, because i am simply more interested in robin (and female characters in general), so that's what I end up prioritizing in my fic

[steviewashere]

20 Questions For Writers!

I was tagged by the awesome @puppy-steve thank you <3 I like to talk a lot, so this is kind of long-winded and I'm so sorry.

How many works do you have on AO3?

I currently have 95, which is a lot! But also, I have too many ideas.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

I'm currently at 436,999. Again, I'm insane and have a lot of ideas and things just get away from me lol.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Stranger Things! I've written Steddie, Platonic Stobin, Stommy, and a couple Platonic Stancy, and Ronance once. I honestly don't see myself writing for another fandom in the near future. I've thought about maybe doing some for Baldur's Gate 3 with Bloodweave or Tav/Astarion, but we'll see.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Words Like a Bullet, Wounding My Soul

Rusted Silver Spoons and Empty Pockets

I Want You to Love Me, No Obligations, No Strings Attached

Love, Rest Your Head

I Am Vulnerable and I Am Wanting

(People love Steve angst, which I do too, so this list makes a lot of sense.)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes, I typically do! Unless it's one that I just am not sure how to respond to. But I tend to respond within the first two to three days the comment is left—unless I'm down for the count due to chronic illness.

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

Okay, my answer is Death Embraces You as I Kiss Your Skin because both Steve and Eddie die in the end (not really spoilers). And it's just very melancholy, gross, and world-ending. But if you had to ask the people who read and comment a lot on my works, I've heard that Love, Rest Your Head is the one people are upset and mad about the most, lol.

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

A lot of them do end up having happy endings, so it really depends the flavor of angst leading to that happy ending that you're in the mood for. But, my personal choice would be Balls in Laundry Baskets: An Apology or Everything and More (though the series that work belongs to does not have the best of endings, oops. But every work in the series is standalone).

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have only received hate once on a fic, surprisingly. They commented, I responded, and then a few weeks later I deleted the thread entirely. But I've received hate on here for some of my Steve headcanons. And I've received hate on Twitter for writing Trans Stevie Harrington. So...Sort of.

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

Yes, I do. Though, not a lot. I've mainly written emotional/tender/gentle sex. I've done a T4T Steddie fic that's smut with some plot called Be My Lover. Take Care of Me (Sodomy) is physical fighting that leads to rough sex that turns emotional and tender (read tags, obvs). And, I don't really post about it on here because it's the kind of stuff that gets hate (because it's a kink that is usually hated on a lot already), but my weight gain kink fic Indulgence and Discovery is a mixed bag. (If you read that last one, just know it's don't like, don't read. And I don't wanna hear you complain about it.)

10. Do you write crossovers?

I don't currently. And I'm not all that familiar with them, as I don't usually read them. But I'd like to do something, maybe, that involves Steddie x Doctor Who or Steddie x Star Wars. The logistics just don't work all that well in my brain.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, thank goodness. But if it does happen and I'm unaware, I'm hoping someone will reach out to me.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, but I'm open to it! If somebody wants to translate my work, they just gotta reach out and ask. Honestly, that would be kind of cool.

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

No I have not. And I don't know if it's something I'd like to do. I'm not a hard person to work with, but sometimes I am kind of hard headed. (Big old character flaw.) So I tend to get argumentative really easy. And I don't want to scare people off just because I'm being an ass.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Steddie, of course. But I've also been a big fan of Steve Harrington/Tommy Hagan (Stommy), Astarion/Gale (Bloodweave, Baldur's Gate 3), and Markus/North (Norkus, Detroit Become Human). And I've recently liked the idea of Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker (Dinluke, The Mandalorian).

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you will?

Probably my first ever trans Stevie Harrington work, My Girl, Your Girl. I just lost interest with the work over time. But I'm thinking of doing one more chapter and calling it finished. And We Share This Life is one I'm thinking of orphaning. It's just such a big boy project that I am just over with at this point. I don't even want to link them because I don't want to get y'alls hopes up.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think dialogue is a current strength of mine. May be from experience writing speeches and monologues for public speaking and theater classes. But that's a big one for me. And then I've been told numerous times I'm great at writing very human, realistic, disgusting crying scenes. Which is great because I do that frequently. (Cry, that is.)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Writing action. Not like bullets flying, explosions going off action. I mean just the simple act of kissing or hugging or being in a space. And also writing smut. I've never had sex and sex isn't all that interesting or necessary to me, so all of my smut feels kind of stiff. Except for my work in Indulgence and Discovery—that one in particular is written when I'm in the mood, it's written from personal fantasy/desire. So it flows just a little better than my other smut works, but still. Not great at it.

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

I only know two languages, English (which is my first and is what I'm fluent in), and American Sign Language (which I'm intermediate to fluent in). Obviously, I write English dialogue. But I've written sign language in fic before, it tends to write like this: 'WHISPER OKAY?' (an example taken from Words Like a Bullet, Wounding My Soul). And I'm moderately good at writing ASL grammar, as this is how I've seen it written and been taught to write it. So as long as the language is something I know or am fluent in, I'm good to go.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Stranger Things and it'll most likely be the only fandom I write for.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Hard question. I have quite a few that I like, so I'll give my top five. Just because I'm indecisive.

The Bow on a Gift (Steddie)

Lighthouse (Platonic Stobin)

My Boy (Eddie Munson & Wayne Munson)

Be My Lover (T4T Steddie)

In it For the Long Haul (And Then Some) (Pre-Steddie/Steddie)

I don't know how many to tag for this:

@ataliagold @pearynice @scoops-aboy86 @hotluncheddie @sidekick-hero

@touretticeddiemunson

And anybody else because I have a brain the size of a pea <3

[lonesome-witching]

New Friends

I forgot to post yesterday, but I am back today with another anonymous prompt. In this one Nancy and Vickie become friends. But it's still ronance, I promise. Hope you enjoy.

Do you have any prompts yourself? Or do you want to dive into what I wrote before? You can read my previous prompts or send me some new ones.

Robin couldn’t help but stare. It wasn’t anything new. She had been staring at Vickie all year. Ever since that brief interaction during band practice. Not that they had interacted much since then. And she had been staring at Nancy since kindergarten, but so much more since spring break.

That was why she knew what was happening right now was an anomaly, a glitch in the well-constructed world that had surrounded Robin all her life. Because Nancy and Vickie never talked. They had never talked. And Robin had thought they never would talk. But there they were. Talking. Right now. Maybe she was dreaming or hallucinating or something.

She felt like she should look away. It was wrong to stare, wasn’t it? That’s what her mother always said. Don’t stare, Robin. Straighten your back, Robin. Stop slouching, Robin.

Nancy turned away, finally walking away from Vickie. It almost felt like a relief. It probably shouldn’t. It shouldn’t matter that Nancy and Vickie were talking. They were allowed to talk to whoever they wanted to. Even each other. It really shouldn’t bother Robin at all. It shouldn’t.

It did though.

“Hey, Vickie,” Robin said. It might have been the first time she wasn’t having heart palpitations caused by her nerves. It also was the first time she wasn’t rambling.

“Hi, Robin,” Vickie replied with a smile on her face.

“Why were you talking with Nancy Wheeler?”

“Oh, that? She asked if she could interview me for the school paper.”

“Oh? What for?”

“She’s writing an article about the band.”

Robin nodded her head. It stung a little. Nancy hadn’t asked her anything. She hadn’t even told her about the article. Not even last night when Robin had asked her if there would be any interesting articles to look out for. Why wouldn’t she tell her?

“That’s pretty cool,” Robin looked over at where Vickie had just been standing only to find that space completely empty. That was just great. Robin sighed before walking to her first class of the day.

-

The cafeteria was crowded by the time Robin got there. She was lucky enough to have her packed lunches. Or at least, past Robin had been kind to her. Even if it were just leftovers of last night’s dinner.

She noticed Nancy sitting at a table in the corner. Robin felt the smile grow on her face. Usually, Nancy would be too caught up with the newspaper to spend her time in the cafeteria. But today was different. Today, Nancy was sitting there, waiting for her—

Or maybe not her. Vickie walked over to Nancy’s table, sitting down in front of her. Robin could feel her skin itch. She turned on her heels and walked out. She’d have her lunch in the bathroom just like the good old days.

-

“I’m not sure what to do about this. Every single time they talk to each other I just feel sick. And it’s completely unfair. They’re not doing anything wrong. Like at all.”

“I don’t know, Robs. Maybe talk to Nance about it?” Steve replied. He was leaning halfway over the counter.

“What would I even say?” Robin sighed.

“Maybe just tell her you have a huge crush on her and that you get jealous when she talks to the girl you used to have a crush on.”

“Nancy would think I’m insane if I tell her that.”

A girl cleared her throat. “You used to have a crush on Vickie?” Nancy asked.

Robin looked up, startled. “Nancy? Hi!”

“Hi, Robin. So, I hear you have a crush on me, huh?”

[thestrangearchives]

putting my stranger things band au out into the world

weve got steve on main vocals/guitar

robin on bass/backup vocals (although there are a couple songs where she takes main)

and max on drums

do they have a specific genre? who tf knows i chose these songs for their lyrics and story but i imagine some would be modified to create a more uniform sound

now for the album in order(please hear me out on some of these):

Dear Reader- Taylor Swift (steves song to dustin)

BNBG- Djo (steve meeting eddie and discovering hes bi)

To Love a Boy- Maya Hawke (robin song!! self explanatory)

Change- Djo (steve reflecting on who he used to be vs who he is now)

Dial Drunk- Noah Kahan (steve gets arrested for xyz and his parents wont answer)

Somebody’s Baby- Sidney Gish (robin song 2!! start of her crush on nancy)

Acolyte- Slaughter Beach, Dog (90% written by steve before eddies death and finished after)

Run the World!!!- Dayglow (written by max! they all call it their fun song but its definitely still more about her ptsd and depression)

Strange Time- Matt Maltese (steve wrote this soon after eddie died)

Coffee- Chappell Roan (duet between steve and robin about their shared ex, nancy. they all ofc still love her and are very close friends but this was written during a rough patch post ronance breakup)

Brother- Fenne Lily (co-written by max and steve about their relationship)

ceilings- Lizzy McAlpine (steve keeps forgetting that eddie has died)

Francesca- Hozier (stobins soulmate song! written by robin because she knows steve feels guilty about dragging her into the upside down but she doesnt regret it because now she has him)

vague storyline is that steve starts getting into music to cope with all of the upside down shit sometime between end of season 1 and season 2. he starts seeing eddie after season 3 and is head over heels for him before eddie (still) dies at the end of season 4 and is (obviously) heartbroken.

after max heals she starts learning the drums to help process emotions better and also around this time robin and nancy start a budding romance. steve learns about max playing the drums and starts having jam sessions w her and later on robin also joins and its just very cathartic for them all. nancy and robin are kinda on again off again until steve and robin write Coffee together which firmly puts them in the past and they remain good friends after. (i love ronance i swear but for whatever reason in this au i just dont see them lasting longterm) (also i feel bad because the story of Coffee feels like it makes out nancy to be a villain and i love her i swear)

after a few years steve, robin, and max decide to start playing local bars and small shows and eventually are discovered and release their first and only album. the album gets wildly popular and they tour for a bit but none of them really wanted fame and decided that they really just preferred making music in their living rooms. they do pop up shows at small venues every now and again and they still consider themselves A Band.

likely they get rediscovered on tik tok or something and everyone is coming up with theories on the story of the album(stupid shit like ‘he said eddie in acolyte right’ ‘no dude he said annie steve isnt gay god some people’ or some weird love triangle involving steve robin and some mystery person) so they all make a video talking about the history of the band and steve comes out and opens up about how some of the songs are about eddies death (which starts another fire once people find out that steves eddie is eddie munson because obviously everyones heard of the hawkins murders at which point steve releases a video basically telling everyone to not talk about shit they know nothing about and to fuck off and leave him alone and after that the band is never heard from online again) happily ever after the end :) i just needed this out of my brain

[scheodingers-muppet]

in honor of speak now tv about to drop, im bringing back my stranger things taylor song casting. i wrote a lot of this on my phone after listening to the album so apologizes for grammar errors or anything

mine: ronance, from Nancy's POV. Careless man's careful daughter. Sitting there by the water mirroring the boat scene. You learn my secrets and you figure out why I'm guarded. In the music video, we see the couple fighting when things get tough outside of the relationship, which we've also seen Nancy do, both when she was struggling with Barb and fighting with Jonathan when dealing with sexism from her job.

sparks fly: lumax. Max is the rainstorm, Lucas the house of cards. "I'm on my guard for the rest of the world, but for you, I know it's no good"

back to december: stancy; but just Nancy apologizing for how things ended, not them getting back together. "that night" not just being the Halloween fight but her cheating on him. I think she would feel bad about how things ended and I really want them to talk everything out in season 5. Plz. Also the line, "I miss your tan skin, your sweet smile...how you held me in your arms that September night, the first time you ever saw me cry" Obv with the tan skin and smile, but I hc that after Nancy told Steve what happened to Barb, he held her while she cried

speak now: byler, from Will's pov. Not in a literal wedding sense (though that might make a fun fic...) but more of Mike asking Will for advice about El and Will just finally coming clean. Maybe it doesn't go great and he doubles down with El and it causes some tension or maybe the roles are reversed and Mike comes clean then panics and doubles down and Will is trying to get him back

dear john: Joyce about Lonnie. I hate this man.

mean: El about Angela. Imagine if before the roller skate incident, she confided in Joyce and she told her to just confront her with her words, ya know? Like just call her out for being mean. Then when that doesn't work, she thinks, "well, what would Hopper tell me? Gotta fight back." Makes my heart melt

the story of us: Mike and El, from El’s pov. I just really feel like El would use story tails and romance stories, etc. to compare love to. This song to the letter fight just... ugh.

never grow up: Nancy. First verse to Holly, how she knows what's ahead, both in terms of alternate dimensions and being a teenage girl. She doesn't want her to have to deal with either of the two, just to stay little while she can. Second verse to Mike, seeing him start to become more of an adult and secretly missing her annoying kid brother. (brings more punch to the line “all your little brothers favorite songs”) Third verse takes place after she graduates, moving for school. Her night light mentioned in the verse was her graduation/farewell present from Holly, who says she's a big girl now and doesn't need it.

enchanted: elmax! From Max's POV. Imagine the second verse is them having a sleepover, playing truth or dare. I also love the use of referencing the story tail love metaphor again

better than revenge: stommy; Tommy singing about Nancy. idk it’s the closest I could get.

innocent: Steve and Nancy. First verse is about Nancy (lost your balance on a tight rope, lost your mind trying to get it back. wasn’t it beautiful when you believed in everything and everyone believed in you. , second about Steve. bonus points if you imagine them singing this to each other (not in a romantic way)

haunted: lumax (I’m sorry) Lucas begging for her to come back after her attack. Trying to move on and be happy but he can’t get over her. the chorus too, “somethings gone terribly wrong” “your eye’s gone cold” the bridge too “you’re not gone, you can’t be gone” you can also imagine it as like, she lives but can’t face the party without thinking about what happened too

last kiss: stancy / mike and el (parallel!) I think I’m gonna write up a post about all the parallels I see in the characters and dynamics, but I really love this one. Steve being El and Nancy being Mike. The Wheelers having severe issues with love (specifically saying the word) and hurting those who are head over heel for them. I see this from all of their perspectives, switching based off the lines. first verse is mileven (the plane line, “sit on the floor wearing your clothes” we’ve seen El wear clothes from pretty much everyone in the party) the second verse is stancy from Nancy’s pov (life of the party, “i’m not much for dancing, but for you i did” listing things he did she loved without saying “i love you”) bridge is rapid fire switching. “so I’ll watch your life in pictures like i used to watch you sleep” mike (bylers take a lot of family photos; i can imagine him seeing her in photos will sends) “i feel you forget me like i used to feel you breathe” steve “and i’ll keep up with our old friends just you ask them how you are” el “i hope it’s nice where you are…it’s a beautiful day” nancy (i think she feels bad for how things ended)

long live: the whole party. they deserve to feel like hero’s and royalty after everything they’ve been though. i desperately need to find an edit to this

ours: Steddie. the town hates eddie atm and would probably not take well to king steve dating him. the lines “i love the riddles that you speak” and “any snide remarks from my father about your tattoos will be ignored” i can also see lumax, but this is just such a light hearted song to me so i didn’t want to compare it to the racism we’ve seen be thrown at lucas and his relationship

superman: jopper. i love the idea of joyce hyping him up as her superman. also based on my parents (my dad was a first responder and this song always made me think of them for the “saving the world” aspect) “he’s not all bad like his reputation” i’m ignoring the sad parts and just focusing on the “go be a superhero, i’ll be here when you get back”

electric touch: steddie. eddie’s taylor, steve is patrick. “this could either break my heart or bring it back to life” “got a history of stories ending sadly” (eddie) “everytime i tried for love, it fell apart” (steve)

when emma falls in love: robin. i have no real proof, it just reminds me of her. i love the image of steve saying all of this about her ❤️❤️ (obvs pronouns change and stuff)

i can see you: steddie (it’s a very steddie coded album, leave me alone) from steve’s pov, talking about how he’s always had a crush on eddie and always noticed him but it breaks eddie’s brain fhat king steve has a crush on him

castles crumbling: steve angst time. talking about his “fall from social grace” and how he lost everything, both in terms of reconciling what he lost from being a jerk as king steve and what he lost when he was dethroned

foolish one; byler. “stop checking your mailbox for confessions of love” “it’s delicate but i’ll try my best to seem bulletproof” “maybe someday when we’re older this is something we’ll laugh about” “you haven’t written me or called” “i’ll get your longing glances but she’ll get your ring”

timeless; jopper. soul mates for real

[snowangeldotmp3]

'to the market'

(hello again, this is from another prompt requested by @fishwear ! i challenged myself to do all three prompts, so here's another! sorry it took so long heh, but i hope you enjoy, and thanks again for the prompt!)

32. markets x ronance - they go antiquing. nancy is obsessed with trying to hunt down valuables. she’s got her little antique pocket guide in her hands furiously checking stamps on china sets. meanwhile robin is having the time of her life to track down the ugliest, kitsch trinket in the whole store so she can annoy (amuse) nancy by displaying it proudly in their living room.

Robin was not a stranger to the many multitudes of Nancy Wheeler. After everything, nothing really surprised her about Nancy. Priss and a massive nerd. Badass and made Robin get rid of the spiders. Gorgeous and a gunslinger.

Serious Antiquing Nancy Wheeler, though, was something Robin can safely say she never expected.

Though it was quickly becoming her favorite.

It was adorable, the way Nancy was so passionate about it. And Robin had to admit, it was kind of fun.

(Mostly because Robin enjoys finding the most radioactive item in the antique store, keeping her own record of whatever she finds—Nancy refuses to let her bring it home—but that’s not the important part.)

What is important, is that Robin can say without a doubt, that antique malls were Nancy Wheeler’s favorite place in the world.

And specifically, the antique mall that was closest to their apartment. They’d been all over Boston, but nothing came close to this one. It was enormous, and Robin often found it hard to keep up with Nancy, who always had an open edition of Picker’s Pocket Guide and meticulously searched through every antique tea cup she could find. Robin’s job was usually to either hold Nancy’s guidebook, or use the black-light flashlight to search for radioactivity.

Which is the case for today. Nancy’s got her eye on another antique tea set, one that she’s been hunting for months now, bound and determined to find the damn things if it’s the last thing she does.

The stalls have changed since the last time they’d been there, new antiques (which is Robin’s favorite oxymoron now) from countless vendors all trying to get rid of all their old junk. Everything from dolls (creepy with a capital C) to paintings, old comics, and small clocks that Robin knows without a doubt have radium painted on the dial.

She is thankful, too, that it’s at least warm inside. The cold in Boston decided to have an extra bite to it today, and Robin maintains that they should’ve stopped for hot cocoa.

Nancy’s got her guidebook opened to the page she needs, hair tied up in a messy bun, bag thrown over her shoulder, and, most surprisingly, her glasses perched on her nose. It’s adorable. Nancy’s face scrunches up in thought, tongue darting out as she frantically writes something down in her book. She looks like a librarian, turtleneck under her lavender Emerson sweater and long skirt with pockets (Nancy’s favorite). She’s even tied her hair up with a matching lavender scrunchie.

Believe it or not, this is Nancy’s most casual look. She rarely wears her glasses out, but desperate times and all.

(It’s Robin’s favorite look. She only ever sees her this relaxed at home, and Robin’s mentally kicking herself for not bringing her Polaroid to get a picture of Nancy like this, in her element. Maybe some other time.)

“So,” Robin says, walking a half step behind Nancy to the first stall, “what teacup are we looking for? Is it even a teacup? Or is it another saucer?”

Nancy rolls her eyes as they find the wall of fine china. She searches for something in her tote, pushing her glasses up as they slide down her nose. “It’s a teacup this time, Robbie, I promise.” Nancy fishes a pen out of her bag, and then hands the book and pen to Robin with a small smile. “Hold this while I check the stamps on these? Please?”

And well, Robin can’t tell her ‘no’ when she’s got that spark in her eyes and that small, almost shy, smile.

Robin hums, tapping Nancy’s pen against her chin. “Well, I guess… since you asked so nicely.”

Nancy’s grin widens, stepping closer to give Robin a quick peck on her cheek. “Thank you,” she singsongs.

Robins rolls her eyes fondly as her face reddens. “Yeah, yeah. Anything for you, Nance.”

***

She should’ve expected that they’d be here all day. After all, Nancy was on a mission, and if it’s one thing Robin’s learned about being with Nancy, once she’s on a mission, she’s practically unstoppable.

Nancy had, after about an hour, released Robin to look at whatever she wanted, while Nancy continued to look at near-identical teacups. Though, Robin would’ve gladly stood there for another hour or two while Nancy searched for this mysterious cup.

Robin strolls down the stretch of stalls that are behind glass. Glassware, all with a faint greenish tint. Bingo.

Robin grabs the black-light from her jacket pocket, flicking it on and pointing it to the various bowls and vases, beaming the moment the stall lights up like a Christmas tree.

She steps closer, face close to the glass, but not too close. All this uranium glass in one spot is enough to create a hotspot.

One item in particular glows brighter than the others; a small bedside clock, shining a specific shade of radium green and for a moment, she really wishes Dustin were here with his Geiger counter, just to see how radioactive it is.

If Robin had to guess, the answer would be: extremely, given how bright the green is compared to the others.

She takes a cautious step back, away from the radioactive hotspot, taking out her own small notebook and jotting down the antique clock in her version of Nancy’s pocket guide and writes: Clock, Westclox, Big Ben. Radium. January 1989. Extremely radioactive.

Putting her notebook, pencil, and flashlight back into her pocket, Robin continues her stroll around the giant antique mall.

And then she spots it.

Like a cartoon, the clouds disappear just enough; the sun shining down on it, revealing itself in a holy light.

A stuffed opossum, wearing tiny sunglasses, holding a guitar in his tiny opossum paws.

Robin strides over to it and snatches it up, racing back to Nancy.

Nancy bumps into her halfway, eyebrows raised at Robin’s excited demeanor.

“Oh, hey Nance,” Robin says, a little out of breath, “didn’t see you there.” She shifts from foot to foot unconsciously, holding the stuffed opossum behind her back.

Nancy folds her arms over her chest, eyes narrowing. “What do you have?”

Robin smiles. Nancy does not. Robin shows her the taxidermied opossum. “Nance, we have to take him home.”

“Absolutely not,” Nancy says, making a face. “Where would we even put him? The living room? The bedroom? I’m not sleeping in the same room as that.” She points at it, face twisted in disgust.

Robin pouts, if only a little, to make a point. “Please, Nance?” She begs, watching Nancy’s resolve crack, if only for a second. “I’ve already named him. Plus, I know the perfect spot for him! You won’t have to worry about him in our room, pinkie swear.”

Nancy’s face softens, another crack in her resolve, and Robin knows she’s won. Nancy huffs, pinching her the bridge of her nose. “Fine. But only if you help me look for this stupid cup again.”

“Deal,” Robin beams, “thank you, Nance,” she mimics Nancy’s singsong voice from earlier. She leans down, planting a kiss to Nancy’s cheek, reveling in the way pink dusts across her cheekbones.

“Yeah, yeah,” Nancy mutters, taking Robin’s free hand and intertwining it with her own. “Anything for you, Rob.”

***

“It’s perfect!”

“It’s hideous.”

Robin gasps, “He is not! He’s charming. He brings the room together!”

“I still can’t believe I let you bring that thing into our apartment.” Nancy wrinkles her nose, leaning further into Robin as they sit on the couch, sipping hot cocoa and taking in the marvel that is the guitar playing opossum in their living room.

“Believe it, babe. Besides, if not for me and Franklin here, you wouldn’t have found your precious cup.” Robin nods to the teacup, now preciously displayed on one of Nancy’s shelves, and crosses her arms, grinning smugly at Nancy,

Nancy rolls her eyes, lightly swatting Robin’s chest. “Shut up, Buckley.”

“Make me, Wheeler,” she teases, poking at Nancy’s shoulder. “I’d do it again, though. Help you get your special cups, it’s just so cute. I’ve seen you run a gaggle of newspaper nerds before, but I don’t know Nance, I think you could make it as a professional antique collector.” Robin pauses, considering, “Is that even a real thing? It could be. You could be the first.”

Nancy giggles into her cocoa. “I’m glad you say that, actually, Robbie, because there’s this one teacup that would match this one really well and I think—”

Robin groans, unable to think about fine china any more than she already has, but she meant what she said. She’d do it again. Just to see that brilliant look on Nancy’s face.

[formosusiniquis]

20 Questions for Writers!

I was tagged by @augustjustice thank you!! 💕

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

47 at time of writing!

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

534,051

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently pretty much exclusively Stranger Things, but I’ve written for several like It (2017), American Vandal (where are my Vandal friends at), etc.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

it's his party (and i'll fall if i want to) – Stranger Things, my first steddie fic in the fandom and most kudos’d by a mile thanks to hitting the biggest fandom window.

seven old losers on twitter – IT (2017)

sandra bullock eat your heart out – Stranger Things

if you like this you might also like: me – Stranger Things

starts with an h, sounds like potential – Stranger Things

5. Do you respond to comments?

No… it’s my worst author habit and I’m sorryyyyyy I just get overwhelmed by them all, but I love you all and thank you so much to anyone who has taken the time to say something nice to me about my stuff. I keep them all in a special folder in my inbox.

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

I almost said I don’t have one because this is a happy endings only house and then I remembered that the rest of facts and pearls (both sensitive) only exists in my mind and is still technically a one chaptered ambiguous ending thing so probably that.

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

Again this is almost always a happy ending only house. So maybe today is a new day to find you just because it’s so long and there’s some angst in the middle before we get to the ending (and also it’s my big bang fic from last year and my pride and joy)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Knock wood, but no. The worst I’ve gotten is a snarky comment in a bookmark and I think people forget that authors can actually see those.

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

On occasion, though it’s rare. (Though there may be some more for Stevie Week if I can get my shit together). Usually it’s oral, because it’s easier to keep track of where everyone’s limbs are at.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Not any that are published. As a baby writer I wrote some SPN/GO self-insert shit that will never ever see the light of day. Now it’s just not really my bag. I’ll occasionally sneak a reference to another piece of media in for my own amusement (see the Justified references that will be appearing in my summer exchange fic) but that’s about as far as I go.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I’m aware of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of

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

Nothing published, but I’ve had a lot of fun writing a ronance fic back and forth with my beloved @cauldronoflove and it’s definitely something I’d be up for doing with others if anyone is interested!

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Okay so I have steddie brainrot so if it’s romantic ships that, but actually it’s Steve&Robin. Some honorable mentions: Buckingham, Ronance, and for brain rots now dormant Sam/Peter (AV) and Newmann

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you will?

So the only blatantly unfinished WIP I have published is mi media naranja (and other things that need to ripen) which I do hope to one day finish (I have more chapters written that aren’t on AO3 but it’s been so long since I’ve posted I’m embarrassed to put them up). Technically facts and pearls has more to it that could be published that maybe one day I will, but the current ending is functional.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I write dialogue well. And I think I manage a pretty good internal monologue for my narrative POV character. Every now and then I’ll pop off with a little detail that implies significant character things.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I just can’t describe what a scene looks like, what are rooms and what are the characters doing in them? Idk use your imagination cause for all I know they’re all standing in a big empty room with big white walls.

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

I cannot do it! It’s part of why naranja is indefinitely delayed thanks to the plot I set up! I am monolingual.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

My first published fic (on a platform that isn’t AO3) is from the Mentalist. But I’m sure I have notebooks full of stories that I wrote as a kid for like Sisters Grimm or something.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

I’m refusing to pick a favorite child so enjoy a collection of works that I’m proud of.

today is a new day to find you – my most beloved timeloop child. Possibly my magnum opus, a timeloop fic from a non-looper POV, it manages to be repetitive without feeling stagnant. I’m very proud of it!

Am I the Asshole? - it’s an epistolary fic in an atypical format so I’m actually pretty impressed with myself that I managed to get an actual overarching story that makes sense in the format. Also it’s Stobin QPR and that’s my favorite

the bells, the joy (together in darkness) – Stobin hivemind fic, it really does it all and I want everyone in the world to read it and love it

no pressure tagging some folks whose answers I would love to see if they want to do it! @cauldronoflove, @grasslandgirl, @aberfaeth, @thefreakandthehair, @stevespookington, @sevenmerrymagpies, and anyone else that would like to talk about their writing!

[thestobingirlie]

Hello!! How are you?? So, I absolutely hate ronanc/e. Like you never ever date your friend's ex, especially if it ends badly. Which is what happened. There's going to be a ton a complicated feelings about Steve and ro/nance and even if Steve didn't express his displeasure about it, it would negatively affect Steve's relationship with Robin. Like ST4 completely screwed over Stobin for Stancy. And it drives me crazy that Steve, who canonically has issues with people committing infidelity, would go for someone already in a relationship. And Dustin, Robin and Eddie for convincing Steve to go after someone in a relationship!! And Nancy and Robin barely have a good relationship in canon! Nancy gets annoyed with Robin until she does something helpful to Nancy's cause. (Which is something that is now like ingrained in Nancy's character and I would like for the Duffer's to let her change from it, because it makes her so unlikable and the one of the most unrealistic parts of the show is that no one treats her like she only cares about people until they are useful to her.)

I honestly think people are harsh on Vickie (I adore her, she looks like a really good match for Robin and she's bi! If not canonically, then in my heart.) because Robin is the sole canonical wlw character in the party. So her love interest falls under way more scrutiny and when the Duffer's gave her a similar trait to Robin, people were disappointed, especially with how little screen time she has. And if the Duffers wanted, they could have really easily made Vickie a more prominent character. Have Chrissy take her for backup at Eddie's trailer and have them both go on the run or something. And most non party love interests get the same amount of development. (Take Suzie) However, on the fandom side of things, people will literally make up backstories for Gareth and ship him with Will???? You see this white boy who's a junior and got like 30 seconds of screen time and decides he's a good match for Will, but you see Vickie and deem she is too similar for Robin and won't bother creating backstories for her? People literally do it for Chrissy and ship her with Robin! Nothing against Buckingham, it's just that people will take any character and give them backstories and ship them but they won't do this for Vickie.

I think that the whole Robin and Nancy making fun of Steve things stems from Robin making fun of Steve in ST3 and Nancy just generally being demeaning to Steve in general. And ST4, with every single person demeaning Steve's intelligence did not help at all. And people say that you shouldn't bring a man's feelings into a wlw relationship, but Steve is entangled in this relationship. Nancy was his first love and Robin is his best friend. If the genders were swapped, people would be having a conniption. [Also, I honestly believe that if you swapped the genders of the characters, Steve would get a lot less hate and Nancy would get a lot more, but that's my opinion. Like people would never doubt that Nancy cheated on Steve and Steve breaking the camera wasn't all that unreasonable.]

Anyways, sorry for the long ask, I just have a lot of opinions on ro/nance and platonic Stobin and Vickie! (Also, from above, like Vickie and Chrissy could have been childhood friends but then grew apart but they know they can go to each other for everything, so Chrissy takes her to Eddie's trailer and then season 4 continues with lots of Rockie interactions. I would love to read a ST4 AU like that but unfortunately I haven't seen any of those on AO3 and I have negative writing skills, so I will be waiting for the day that it might come) ~@thestrangerthingsmeadow

hi!! i’m good, thank you.

i’m so glad other people dislike r//nance! the ship feels so difficult to escape within this fandom, which is insane, because it honestly makes no sense to me. i think a lot of people that ship it, ship it because they’re two hot women, and don’t really care beyond that. their personalities don’t mesh well, and their situations in life don’t either. like you said, steve is robin’s best friend and nancy’s ex. it’s just not the kind of thing that mix.

i didn’t love that a lot of stobin scenes became about stancy, and i feel like nancy replaced a lot of scenes that could’ve included robin. it is also weird to me that so many people were pushing for stancy when nancy and jonathan are still together. like you said, steve has major issues with infidelity, and while i can see dustin pushing for steve and nancy (because he loves to involve himself into steve’s love life) i don’t really understand eddie putting in his two cents.

and yeah! nancy really only likes people when they benefit her in some way, which is a really interesting character trait, but not if the character never develops out of it. nancy’s character development has been stagnated for 4 seasons, when they gave her a handgun and decided that was enough.

i love vickie so much and it kills me that the fandom doesn’t appreciate her. i’m pretty sure she’s canonically bi, but people toss her aside for no reason. and while i would’ve liked vickie to have more of a role, i also think it makes sense that she doesn’t. someone compared her to rosie from lotr. the calm in the storm, the peace at home, the hope you long for during horrible times. i know the st fandom loves trauma relationships, but i just love the idea of robin being able to have someone safe, outside of everything horrible that’s happened to her. and yeah, i don’t have anything against gareth, he’s a fun little character, but i have no idea why people love him and will so much, it’s honestly weird. people found the closest in age, good looking teenager they could, and said that’s good enough! wlw will always come under more scrutiny than mlm.

i’ve made a post about how much i hate steve becoming the butt of all stranger things jokes, but it’s even worse if it’s his ex and his ex’s new girlfriend that is also his best friend making fun of him. and i think it’s insane that people complain about a man being involved in a lesbian relationship, like… first of all, it isn’t even a real relationship (not in real life, or even the show) and second, a man is involved. he is quite literally at the centre. you can shove him off to the side, but in doing so essentially create entirely different characters. and i think i made a post about that!! if nancy was the man people would hate her, like she would probably be one of the least liked characters. people would consider it girl power that steve had slutshamed nancy, and smashed the camera. and if you’d had a drunk guy calling his girlfriend bullshit, and saying he’d never loved her. people would think they were the worst person alive.

you don’t have to apologise for long asks!! though it might take me a bit longer to respond!! and i do love that idea to involve vickie more!! honestly if i had written the season, i wouldn’t have given her a current boyfriend, but still, i’m just glad we got her at all. and if that fic existed, i’d totally read it!!

[likecastle]

Ronance Femslash February

OK, so . . . this is the first prompt I’ve gotten for Ronance Femslash February where I’ve significantly deviated from the prompt. The prompt was this: “nancy gets pregnant and robin steps in and helps nancy w her pregnancy and theyre great mothers.” Anon, I genuinely appreciate you sending this prompt, but as I turned over how I would fill it, I came to the conclusion that this scenario just isn’t how I see these characters. I’ve read and enjoyed fic where Robin and Nancy have kids in some way or another, but it’s just not my read on Nancy especially as a character. Maybe I should have just passed on this one, but it did get my gears turning to think about how I would take this subject matter on. I wound up writing something that was almost entirely the opposite of the prompt, and I’ll completely understand, anon, if it’s very much not your jam. I’m still grateful to you for giving me the chance to explore my understanding of these characters through this lens.

I’m accepting Ronance prompts all month for Femslash February. You can find previous prompts I’ve filled here.

Putting this one behind a cut, mostly for length. Content warning for non-graphic discussion of pregnancy and abortion.

Nancy shows up at Robin’s door soaking wet, with a bottle of vodka in a soggy paper bag. Robin thinks she’s been crying, but it’s impossible to tell with all the water streaming from her hair.

“I was in the neighborhood,” Nancy says, and her voice cracks in a way that instantly turns Robin’s insides to ice.

Robin was supposed to go out with some friends from work, but she immediately hustles Nancy into her room and calls to cancel while Nancy changes into dry clothes. Once they’re nestled under a blanket on the couch, with a glass of vodka in front of each of them, Robin begins the elaborate conversational ritual of finding out what’s bothering Nancy. The problem is, a direct line of questioning usually only succeeds in getting Nancy’s hackles up, and someone who tried to wait for Nancy to volunteer that information herself could easily wait forever. Robin’s gotten better, over the years, at restraining her own panicked instincts and slowly leading the conversation around to whatever it is that’s bothering Nancy, gradually drawing her out until she’s ready to talk about what’s on her mind.

Which is how it happens that Robin’s solidly tipsy by the time Nancy finally says, “There’s actually something I wanted to ask you.”

“Whatever you need, Nance,” Robin says, bumping their shoulders together. She can smell the product in Nancy’s damp hair, something sharp and sandalwood-y. “You know that. Anything, always.”

Nancy gives her a thin smile. “I’ve got a doctor’s appointment on Friday, and I was hoping, um, that you’d come with me?”

This isn’t exactly what Robin was expecting, but it’s hardly the most onerous thing Nancy’s ever asked of her. She and Steve helped Nancy and Jonathan move into their third-floor walkup in a 100-degree weather last year, so sitting in a doctor’s waiting room is no big deal compared to actual heat exhaustion.

“I know you don’t like doctors,” Nancy says in an apologetic rush, evidently taking Robin’s surprise for dismay, “but I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather have with me. But it’s OK if you don’t want to, I can find someone else.”

Something about the way she says it gets Robin’s brain spinning off into paranoid scenarios. “Of course I’ll come, Nance, don’t even worry about it. But if you think you’re really sick, or something, you’re legally obligated to tell me. You’re entitled to your privacy and everything, but I will literally implode if I have to worry that you’re dying or something for the next week.”

“I’m pregnant,” Nancy says dully.

Later, Robin will blame the three glasses of vodka she’s had for what she says next. “Oh, shit. Or,” she adds too late, her brain catching up with her mouth, “sorry—uh—congrats?”

Nancy shakes her head, and sniffs. “I think you got it right the first time.”

“Does—” Robin realizes even as she starts saying it that she may be making a mistake, but she can’t stop now. “Does Jonathan know?”

Nancy shakes her head again. “No, and he’s not going to. That’s . . . how I knew I couldn’t go through with it. The thought of telling him, of—of having to have a serious conversation with him about what we were going to do, I just—I couldn’t.” She stares out across Robin’s living room, as if pretending Robin isn’t sitting right next to her will make any of this easier to say. “And I don’t just mean I couldn’t talk to him about it, I mean I don’t want to. I don’t want to make that decision with him, and I don’t want that life with him. Maybe not with anyone, but definitely not with him.” Finally, she picks up her untouched glass and takes a swallow, grimacing. “I told him I couldn’t see him anymore.”

Robin stares at her. This is classic Nancy Wheeler, burying the lede twice over. “You broke up?”

“Suddenly it just seemed so obvious,” Nancy says simply, and she seems almost relieved to be saying it. “It was like confronting the possibility of having a child with him—getting married and buying a house—just made it unbelievably clear how much I don’t want any of that. For such a long time, I’ve been telling myself—maybe when the time’s right, I’ll want those things, but having that life with him is never going to feel right for me. And once I realized that, I just . . . I couldn’t even sleep in the same bed with him.” She takes another swallow of her drink, and then her glass is empty. “I guess I’ll need to start looking for a new place.”

“You can stay here,” Robin says, without hesitation. “If you want.”

“You’re sure?” Nancy asks, turning to look at her for the first time with such a tentative expression that Robin wonders if Nancy was expecting Robin to hate her—if Nancy doesn’t know that nothing she could do could ever make Robin turn her back on her.

“Of course.” Robin bumps their shoulders together again, and this time neither of them quite pulls away. Nancy is warm against her, and all Robin wants to do is draw her into her arms and never let go, so that’s what she does.

On Friday, she holds Nancy’s hand in the cool white quiet of the clinic, and she keeps holding her hand for as long as Nancy needs.

[backhurtyy]

fic writer asks!! 4, 18, 29 🤲💞

4. How many WIPs do you have right now?

ummm… active??? six. inactive??? many many more than that, and many of which are for you 💀💀💀 i have worms for brains.

18. What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic?

this is like asking me to pick a favorite child… have a selection.

And Jamie of today hates him, but the small part of him that’s still just a kid whose favorite player is Roy Kent, who remembers that first injury as if it was yesterday, who knows exactly how many times Roy has hurt his knee by now, knows that… That’s it. Roy’s knee is done. Roy’s career is done. — a WIP about roy and jamie and their relationship, as told through roy’s shitty knee

MJ, though, doesn’t seem to mind. She just smiles, a little bit sad. “Peter has a big heart. He always has. I’m glad that he’s sharing it with you.” — THATS THE PETER PARKER THESIS!!! HE HAS A BIG HEART AND HE ALWAYS HAS!!! (from these little wonders)

“Oh,” is all Steve says, looking down at himself as if seeing himself for the first time. He’s quiet for a moment, then looks back up at Eddie with a raised eyebrow. “Really? The sweater vest does it for you?” — they’re so silly and i love them so much… (from been in love and lost my senses)

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

i think i may have sent you this before but this is from what was supposed to be a platonic stobin/developing ronance wip but i don’t think is ever going to happen. but basically the idea is steve starts dating eddie and robin feels really alone, so she starts hanging out with nancy. i never got much further than this scene though, because i find nancy really difficult to write lmao

She can see it now, Steve unlocking his door and tripping because he refused to drop Eddie’s hand, the two of them laughing as they enter his big empty house, Steve stopping to listen to the voicemails the way he does each time he comes in, Steve going pale when he hears nothing but Robin’s silence, Steve instantly worrying that something terrible has happened and grabbing his nail bat.

No, she can’t do that to him.

So she looks down at the toe of her converse, where Steve had scribbled truly horrible stick figures of them in blue sharpie, and brings the phone back to her ear.

“Hey, dingus. Just your daily reminder to not be an idiot, and use protection. Love you.”

Then she hangs up because there’s a tightness in her throat, and she refuses to cry while leaving a voicemail for Steve fucking Harrington.

She looks down at the toe of her shoe again.

Wiggles her toes, making the stick figure Robin-and-Steve nod.

Feels a hot tear race down her face, and slips off her shoes right there in the hallway.

She’s proud when she manages to make it to her room before she starts sobbing.

[justonemorewallflower]

Fic Tag Game!

I was tagged by @iamfandomcrazy

Thank you! I was hoping I'd get the chance to answer these!!

How many works do you have on AO3?

24

What's your AO3 word count?

92,829

What fandoms do you write for?

On AO3, Wednesday. I only have Wednesday fics posted on AO3 but elsewhere like Wattpad I have some Harry Potter and Stranger Things. I do want to start posting some Ronance on AO3

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Condolence (Wyler, 339)

2. Jealousy (Wyler, 274)

3. Freckles (Wyler, 251)

4. Bitter Coffee (Wyler, 227)

5. The Beach & Realization (Wyler, both tied at 219 kudos)

Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I try to respond to all of them albeit sometimes I forget or procrastinate to do so

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably In The Middle Of The Night or Death's Goodbye. I haven't finished A Pain Worse Than Death yet, but that will have a pretty angsty ending too

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

A Night To Remember, Realization, or Welcome to the Family

Do you get hate on fics?

Nope, not that I know of! Most of the comments I get, if not all, are positive

Do you write smut? What kind?

Yes, I do. I got into it too rather recently (back in summer) as I did a kink bingo writing event. A lot of it is kinky, obviously lol. Beyond that I'm not sure how to explain it cause they each vary/are pretty different from each other. Some are really out there/dirty and others are more tame, just depends on the fic

Do you write cross-overs?

No. I wrote a bit of one in the past for Narnia x Harry Potter, but I never did anything with it and I haven't written any since then. Unless you count Omegaverse, no

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I think so. I remember someone asking me at one point if they could translate one of my fics but I never checked to see if they actually did so I'm not 100% sure

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not really. I've helped other writers with ideas for their fics and they have helped me with ideas for my own but that's the extent of collaboration I've done for writing fics

What WIP would you like to finish but doubt you ever will?

Oh God, where do I start? I'd love to finish A Pain Worse Than Death but low-key don't know if I will. I also would love to finish some other AUs I have in my drafts like my Wyler Circus AU and my Wyler Goody Two shoes/Rebel AU, as well as some Ronance fics I have in my drafts

What's your all-time favorite ship?

Honestly, probably Wyler. But beyond them I also adore Ronance (Robin Buckley and Nancy Wheeler) and Shirbert (Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe)

What are your writing strengths?

Grammar and I like to think I'm decent at descriptions and characterization

What are your writing weaknesses?

Tense! I always subconsciously switch between past and present tense and it drives me insane!! It's something I always have to go back and fix/check for. And maybe dialogue, sometimes I struggle with that. As well as just finishing projects before starting a new one lol, I always have like 500 million drafts all at once that I'm working on

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I think it's fun to do sometimes but I don't do it much and if I do I try to do a language I am partly fluent in (like Spanish) or do a lot of research beforehand to ensure it's as accurate as I can get it

First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter I'm pretty sure

Favorite fic you've ever written?

Maybe Coffee Memories (I really like the characterization in this one) or A Pain Worse Than Death (the angst is just so delicious) or Scars Never Leave (I like the sort of hurt/comfort of this fic) or Safe Haven (it's the only Madwheeler fic I have and I like the angst and tone of it but I wrote it several years ago so it needs updated a lot) and then a lot of ideas that are just in my drafts

What fic would you want to rewrite one day?

Condolence because the first half of chapters are very short and lack content and I'd like to fix that, to try and make chapters more similar in length (like at least not like a 400 word chapter then a 3000 word chapter right after each other, yk) and Safe Haven (it's alright but could use some work to be more consistent in its plot and so it would work better, I'd just like to update it with my more recent writing style and knowledge since it's a few years old)

I tag @cosmic-lullaby @katwitchwriting (sorry if either of you have been tagged already!!)

[eskawrites]

Werewolves AU is everything i ever wanted and more i am so in love with it you dont even understand! It is perfect! I am obsessed with it completely!

asdfksdjal thank you!! it's a silly little thing that is very near and dear to my heart--I think I've been wanting to write something like this ever since the first time I played werewolf as a teenager? and i think this ended up being the perfect medium for it lol, i'm glad it's special to someone else too <3

linking it again because it's silly, it's sweet, it's fluffy, and it's ronance! what more could you want, really?

[stars-and-birds]

Alright, I’ll play. There’s a lot of questions because I just copy and paste the original post and remove anything I don’t wanna know or feels too personal or whatever.

🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

😈 Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?

🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. (Do it)

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

🙋‍♀️ Do any irl people know you write fanfic?

🌞 Do you have a preferred time of day to write?

💖 What made you start writing?

❌ What's a trope you will never write?

🏆 What's your most popular fic?

🎯 Have any of your readers accurately guessed major plot points? Care to share which?

🦅 Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants?

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

🧠 Pick a [toh] character, and I'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them. (It’s gonna be angst-y most likely btw)

😬 Which of your fics would you be most horrified for friends, family, or coworkers to stumble upon?

🎉 What leads you to consider a fic a success?

🤯 What's a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)?

💔 Is there a fic of yours that broke your heart?

Okay I’m doing this no procrastinating.

🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh? Cannot think of any i might be funny here but it doesn’t come naturally in writing

😈 Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers? hmm does inserting a twice song into my first Wenclair fic count?

🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride? if I ever actually go somewhere with twaf (I’m working on it I swear) we are going places and not coming back folks

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. (Do it) i have good analogies?? I think??

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately? yup! I’m a swiftie bitch and right now I’m listening to cruel summer a lot for a ronance fic that maybe I’ll release someday should the fanfic gods allow. that and silk chiffon by muna has been stuck in my head since I watched do revenge

🙋‍♀️ Do any irl people know you write fanfic? *grits teeth* they can’t prove it

🌞 Do you have a preferred time of day to write? preferably afternoon 👍

💖 What made you start writing? i do wanna be writer but I didn’t really think I’d write fanfic. But then I tried and despite all the woes I have about it it’s super fun

❌ What's a trope you will never write? I can’t think of any?

🏆 What's your most popular fic? good question. I should probably know this. okay I just checked it’s New Years eve. (A Wenclair fic) which I am slightly salty about bc like all of my popular things I wrote it at midnight slightly unhinged. Still, I like it and I even got some fanart of it (!!!) out of it which was super cool.

🎯 Have any of your readers accurately guessed major plot points? Care to share which? *sighs* I’m not cool enough to have readers theorizing abt my work lol. Maybe further into twaf that’s my dream

🦅 Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants? both! I spout out the randomest shit as I go but if I have a timeline idea I’ll write it down in a separate doc with future scenes I want to use

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started? write multi chapter fics in advance or you’ll regret it

🧠 Pick a [toh] character, and I'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them. (It’s gonna be angst-y most likely btw) give me a vee headcanon!

😬 Which of your fics would you be most horrified for friends, family, or coworkers to stumble upon? oh god. I might actually die if any of them read any of my fics but especially the new years fic idk it’s a little dramatic

🎉 What leads you to consider a fic a success? well I wouldn’t consider any of my fics successes so… maybe praise. or just a comment. I’m not a popular fanfic author but one day. One day.

🤯 What's a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)? id love to say angst but I’m not sure that’s true. maybe action I can’t write fight scenes ;-;

💔 Is there a fic of yours that broke your heart? nope.

thanks for the ask dagger sorry this took me so long!

[infinite-orangepeel]

Tag 9 people you want to get to know better, tagged by @asbealthgn and @harmonictechnicality (thank you friends ! would love to get to know you both better too <3 dm me any time :) )

3 ships: steddie (my world revolves around those two at this point), ronance (perfect lesbian angels), & lumax (cutie pies)

First ship ever: oh god this is such a hard question bc there have been so many over the years….ahhhhh. okay i’m gonna say either zutara (avatar the last airbender) or drarry lol

Last Movie: checking letterboxd brb…its skinamarink (2022) which is hands down the scariest and most effective horror movie i have ever seen (and that’s saying something bc i LOVE horror movies and really don’t scare easily). anyways, highly recommend it but also be prepared to revisit your childhood fear of the dark if u watch !

Last song: i want your video by djo. i would die to see that man in concert, there is not a song on ‘decide’ that i don’t adore

Currently reading: it came from the closet by joe vallese & as much steddie fanfic as i can whenever i take breaks from writing my own !

Currently watching: love is blind season 3 & white lotus season 2

Currently consuming: strawberry lemonade kombucha & @bpillustrated’s gorgeous steddie fanart

Currently craving: divine creative inspiration for the next chapter of my fic…and mint-chip ice cream

no pressure if you don’t want to also sorry if you were already tagged!: @edmunsn @thefreakofhawkins86 @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @veestrikesback @fruitandbubbles @spellboundbysteve @fruityfours @henderdads @henrystars

[beawritingbooks]

Hi, i'm the anon who "attacked" you for your Ronance post.

First of all, I want to say sorry for the way I talked to you. I'll admit I was a little rude.

But you know, it's not really good to find a negative post about your ship, put in the main tag of your ship, where you are supposed to find good posts about that ship, and people who loves it too, just like you.

Also, I want to clarify that I haven't read your post, but from the beginning words, I could tell it was a negative Ronance post.

Anyway, I'm glad you decided to tag your posts correctly.

And in the future, if things like this should happen again, I will try to be more polite.

I appreciate your apology.

Here's the thing, and please stick it out through this whole post. I promise that I am not trying to "attack" you, either, but I would appreciate being heard out.

Did it ever occur to you that I did not know that there was such a thing as putting "anti-[ship name]" on posts like that?

I have been in fandoms for many years, but that does not mean that I know every piece of fandom etiquette that there is.

I answered your original ask the way that I did because I felt the need to defend myself. I'm not a doormat that people can speak to/treat however they want.

I'm behind a screen, but I am still a human being.

Just...next time something like this occurs - whether it be with me or someone else - instead of assuming malice, maybe just assume that the person did not know.

I actually try to approach my character analyses with empathy and care. I never want to hurt anyone's feelings. So, I am sorry that seeing my post tagged wrong ruined your scrolling experience, but I am glad that you protected your peace and did not read it.

And I want to make something very clear, your original ask was not what made me start tagging things correctly. Your way actually made me not want to tag posts the way you wanted me to, because I don't like caving to a bully.

FYI, I don't think you're a bully anymore, I now think that you write with intensity and that makes you forget that you're talking to a real person on the other end of the screen.

That being said, I am glad that you have decided to try to be more polite.

I don't like sorting this out publicly. Ideally, conflict resolution would not be a public spectacle. But, if we are not going to be able to get along moving forward, dude, you gotta block me. I protect my peace, too, and I will just delete your asks, or anyone else's asks, if they keep popping up with people looking to pick a fight.

Be nice to me & I'll be nice to you. It's called a social contract.