#choose the rose garden (over madison square)

[strawberryspence]

choose the rose garden (over madison square)

“I didn’t know you smoked.” Eddie looks at him tentatively.

“Didn’t until ‘86,” Steve answers, letting the feeling of the cigarette between his fingers anchor him into reality.

“I see a lot has changed for you in ‘86.” Steve snorts, still not returning Eddie’s fixed gaze.

“Are you just going to ignore me for the rest of the night?”

-

or: It's 1991, Joyce and Hop are finally getting married. Steve owns a flower shop, Eddie's a rockstar and everyone's tired of their bullshit.

[lastparty]

cordelia chase could do the lucky one...

[daenerys-targaryen]

taylor singing the lucky one in 2023 about a person who chooses the rose garden over madison square aka privacy over fame after having a song that says "I didn't know if you'd care if I came back, I have a lot of regrets about that" in 2020

[wandanatss]

choose the rose garden over madison square SNIPPET!!

summary: "Natasha Romanoff, celebrated star of the Oscar-winning film Kiss, Kiss, has been revealed to be moving into Paris for a sequel!" Amidst dirty rumours, sabotaged sets and hectic schedules, can Natasha find some time for love? That's what you wonder, holed up in your Paris apartment with Wanda and your blog to keep you company. [Wandanat x Reader] HEAD TO @svnmxxns TO KNOW MORE!

warning(s): swearing, smut

chapter i - And I Was Enchanted To Meet You:

THIS IS A PREVIEW. THIS IS NOT THE ACTUAL FIC. AGAIN: THIS IS A SNIPPET OF THE FIRST CHAPTER OF CTRGOMS.

You sigh, twisting away from the table, where newspapers are strewn about the laptop, glowing with the electronic light of the article opened up on it. It's not a very good-looking website, but it serves the purpose of providing information that you need.

❝Natasha Romanoff quickly became quite the household name after her rise to fame in the early 2000s with "Black Widow", a female superhero movie. She then went on to amass a large fan following (affectionately referred to as Natasha's Widows), triggering the subsequent sequels of the Black Widow trilogy. More recently, she played the lead role in Kiss, Kiss, which won the Oscars "Best Costumes", "Best Director" and "Oscars' Fan Favourite". This film also bagged Romanoff the Oscar for "Best Actress". Now, news via Romanoff's latest Instagram post (@real.natasha.r) has revealed that she is to be staying in Paris for the next year to film a sequel to Kiss, Kiss.

The post, captioned 'Hello to the city of love! Hopefully this next year here shall truly live up to the name. 😘😘(sic)' showed three photos: a selfie in a truly gorgeous velvet dress, a view of the Paris skyline with the Eiffel tower barely peeking in from the corner, and a script's front page, reading "Kiss Kiss 2". No further information is available at this time.❞

You stare at your screen, at where you've begun typing the above paragraphs. The cursor blinks defiantly. The article you're writing lacks the personal touch characteristic of your blog posts. Truth be told, despite Natasha being a highly popular actress, she usually keeps to the sidelines in real life, so it's hard to know her. Or about her. Instead of struggling through this, you hit post on the barebones information post you've written (it doesn't even count as an article, but you have to stay on the top of the game). You merely decide to speed through all the movies and short films Natasha has been in, which may help you understand her better.

The list you make reads:

Black Widow (superhero movie)

Black Widow 2: Red In The Ledger (superhero movie)

Smokeforest (scifi mystery)

The Secret Forest (children's movie)

The Queen of Utopia (children's movie)

Boss In My Bed (adult comedy, romcom)

Love and Butterflies (romcom)

Green Eyes (horror/thriller)

Lust In The Mountains (adult romance)

The Mouthless (horror)

Kiss, Kiss (psychological romcom)

Kiss, Kiss 2 *

[taylortruther]

clara bow - before i learned civility, i used to scream ferociously anytime i wanted and my town was a wasteland, my love was cruel as the cities i lived in, i didn't choose this town and combat, i’m ready for combat and you chose the rose garden over madison square and it took some time but i understand it now and if a man talks shit then i owe him nothin’ and i held that grudge ‘til it tore me apart and i think you got it right and the stars in your eyes shine brighter in tupelo and i said “that’s a lie”

[kaylor]

taylor swift writing songs about how much she loves her career and the acclaim and the applause and how she chose it and would choose it again and again over everything else she's expected to choose as a young woman. how she wrote about someone who chose the rose garden over madison square and how she felt at 22 how understandable that choice was because of how lonely it is to be famous, how isolating it is to choose and keep choosing what she wants so so badly, how it feels like you can only have one or the other, love or success. and in the decade since has proven that (not only can she have both if she wants to) she would choose her career over any relationship any day of the week. and y'all think yoyok is a sad song. be for real.

[onceamadhouse13]

The Gaylor Issue: An Attempt at Nuance from a Very Tired Queer

I feel like the Gaylor issue is so divisive and polarizing in the Swiftie fandom. I want to make space for nuance, acceptance, and a more relaxed conversation. And I want to make space for fans who don’t fit on either extreme end of the issue.

On one side, you have diehard Gaylors who insist that Taylor is OBVIOUSLY gay and that all her “boyfriends,” including Joe, have been beards. See also: Kaylor, Swiftgron, etc.

On the other side, you have the people who insist that Gaylors are delusional, her relationship with Joe is real, and Taylor is nothing more than an ally to the LGBTQ community. Side note: I really dislike the term “hetlor” because a) it feels mean and gross when said in a demeaning way, and b) believing she’s straight is the default so I feel like giving them their own term is in the realm of “straight pride.”

Sprinkled between these camps are the people who say stuff like, “It’s weird and gross to speculate about real people’s sexuality. Taylor is a private person and it isn’t our place to talk about her love life.” Or, “Speculating about people’s queerness is bad because it forces people out of the closet before they’re ready.” Which is very kind.

I feel like I don’t fit into either of these three groups.

Saying “Taylor’s relationship with Joe is fake” feels really dismissive of bisexuality. Bi people are the biggest segment of the LGBTQ community and somehow it seems like people forget they exist because they float in that middle ground. When we view the world through binaries, bi people seem like they’re full of contradictions. But, like all people, bi people just contain multitudes.

Saying Taylor is straight seems downright ridiculous, at least to me. The most obvious, “no heterosexual explanation for this” pieces of evidence are: the song Paris, the lyric “I swear you could hear a hairpin drop,” the 13 in northern Michigan in the Lavender Haze music video, and the idea that gay pride “makes me ME.” Here are some things I believe to be true: 1) If Taylor Swift were straight, she’d be too good of an ally to queerbait, and 2) Taylor Swift is too smart/well-read to make queer references accidentally.

The thing about the “don’t speculate about her personal life” argument is that speculating about Taylor Swift’s personal life pays her bills. Yes, she’s making and selling art. But she has chosen a life in the spotlight. She has consciously decided to sell her [personhood, brand, name, soul, whatever you want to call it]. She has chosen NOT to “take the money and her dignity and get the hell out.” She COULD choose the rose garden over Madison Square. But every day, she chooses not to. On the one hand, this “don’t speculate” argument is very noble. But there’s some part of me that wonders if the folks in this camp see themselves as potential future friends of Taylor and think that being speculative ruins their chances at that, ruins their chances of attending a secret session, etc. It’s sweet and kind AND it feels a little “pick me.” Here are some things I believe to be true: 1) If Taylor Swift were straight, she wouldn’t be offended that people think she is queer. 2) If Taylor Swift is queer, she’s not offended that people think she is queer.

And then there’s this weird, in-between camp that I fall into. Personally, I think Taylor Swift is a queer woman who is currently in a legitimate, long term relationship with her boyfriend Joe Alwyn. Do I think that she had relations of some kind with Karlie Kloss? Yeah, probably! Do I think that she is afraid to come out for fear of outing past lovers? Yeah, probably! Do I think she is afraid to come out for fear of alienating part of her fanbase? Yeah, probably! Do I think she is afraid to come out because she feels like her current relationship with a man will “delegitimize” her queerness? Definitely.

I want a label for people who have this opinion, because I see SO much hatred toward “Gaylors” from “Hetlors” and vice versa. I feel like I have a nuanced, reasonable, rational take on the situation. And I want to be able to communicate this nuanced take with a label.

Here are my suggestions.

Nuance Gaylor

Pro-Joe Gaylor

We Contain Multitudes Gaylor

Gaylor (Joe’s Version)

Please don’t be mad at me Gaylor

Anyway, thank you for reading this. Please feel free to chime in but please don’t send me hate mail.

[jonismitchell]

you know the saddest thing about the lucky one is that she would never choose the rose garden over madison square

[sombersynth]

STEDDIE FANFICTION REC MASTERPOST PT. 5

You're Divine by OonionChiver, 259.5 k, explicit ‘Blood?’ Eddie says again. Eyes black but for the slice of iridescent white in the centre. His teeth are sharp, his hands are weapons and Steve thinks maybe he’s made a mistake doing this without telling Eddie first. Eddie’s focus lowers, it moves to his left hand which is… Oh fuck. It’s dripping blood onto the floor. ‘Shit,’ Steve says, takes a single step back, swallows. ‘Eddie, I’m so sorry, fuck.’ Eddie can’t seem to look away, can’t bring his ethereal gaze back up where it belongs. Steve thinks he should run, he should flee. A tiny part of him knows Eddie will chase him. Eddie will catch him, outrun him easily. It's more than a little fucked up how that thrills him. (My personal favorite Steddie fanfiction of all time.)

Stereoscope by Seraphy, 60.8 k, explicit Here's Steve Harrington's biggest secret, though: It's not the alternate dimension brimming with monsters or the impossible girl with powers. It's the fact that he and Eddie Munson have been friends all along. In an on-and-off, tangential, fucked up kind of way. Never on his own terms. But still friends.

(There Is) Thunder in Our Hearts, by Ayes, 28 k, explicit It was only once. They were teenagers. It didn’t mean anything. The last one was a lie.

Paradise by the Dashboard Light by Oaseas, 154 k, teen and up Things were weird in Hawkins. The fields were rotting, there was something in the woods, and Steve Harrington's Beemer had a new problem every week.

Choose the Rose Garden (Over Madison Square), by Strawberryspence, 42.6 k, explicit “I didn’t know you smoked.” Eddie looks at him tentatively. “Didn’t until ‘86,” Steve answers, letting the feeling of the cigarette between his fingers anchor him into reality. “I see a lot has changed for you in ‘86.” Steve snorts, still not returning Eddie’s fixed gaze. “Are you just going to ignore me for the rest of the night?” or: It's 1991, Joyce and Hop are finally getting married. Steve owns a flower shop, Eddie's a rockstar and everyone's tired of their bullshit.

I Don’t Care, Go On and Tear Me Apart (I Don’t Care if You Do), by Gorgeousgreymatter, 3 k, explicit The words are filthy, they always are whenever they do this, play like this. Eddie’s voice is so sweet though, sticky like syrup and sending little pulses, shivers of pleasure, all the way down Steve’s spine. The only way Eddie’ll be able to miss what it does to him — how Steve’s cock is so hard and heavy against his own thigh that it hurts — is if he’s suddenly gone blind. Is it any more than that blistering hurt he always feels when he wants Eddie? It doesn’t matter how, in what way. The wanting always feels the same.

Nothing’s Gonna Harm You (Not While I’m Around) by Judasofsuburbia, 2.8 k, teens and up when max mayfield shows up at eddie munson's door after a nightmare, the last thing she expects to see is steve harrington staring back at her. or steve and eddie being the big brothers that max deserves.

Stevie Don’t Change Your Number by Eggurie, 33 k, teens and up A young Eddie finds the school's golden boy's phone number scribbled on the bathroom wall. A poorly executed call leads to late night talking, secret crushes and lots and lots of anonymous flirting.

[steddie-fanfic-recs]

choose the rose garden (over madison square)

by strawberryspence

Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationship: Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington & The Party, Steve Harrington & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Eleven | Jane Hopper & Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson Character: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley, Joyce Byers, Jim "Chief" Hopper, The Party (Stranger Things), Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers Additional Tags: Minor Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper, Minor Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Minor Will Byers/Mike Wheeler, Minor Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington Friendship, Steve Harrington owns a flower shop, Rockstar! Eddie Munson - Freeform, Eddie Munson is Bad at Feelings, Steve Harrington Needs a Hug, Post-Canon, Angst with a Happy Ending, Found Family, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Miscommunication, Mutual Pining, Idiots in Love, Fluff and Angst, Use of Little Women line, multiple POVs, Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson-centric, there’s smut, but there’s also fade to black smut, Eddie Munson Needs a Hug, Steve Harrington is a Sweetheart, Aged-Up Character(s) Words: 42,807 Chapters: 5/5

Summary

“I didn’t know you smoked.” Eddie looks at him tentatively. “Didn’t until ‘86,” Steve answers, letting the feeling of the cigarette between his fingers anchor him into reality. “I see a lot has changed for you in ‘86.” Steve snorts, still not returning Eddie’s fixed gaze. “Are you just going to ignore me for the rest of the night?” - or: It's 1991, Joyce and Hop are finally getting married. Steve owns a flower shop, Eddie's a rockstar and everyone's tired of their bullshit.

[strawberryspence]

DAE's STEDDIE FICS

I am not taking requests right now.

🍦 Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson 🎸

Chaptered

for your eyes only (i'll show you my heart)

(7 Chapters completed on AO3)

“Damn you, Harrington.” Eddie shakes his head, looking back at the box again. He can see Robin looking at him, but Eddie avoids looking at her. He didn’t want to answer questions about his damn crush on Steve freaking Harrington and how he keeps getting more perfect by the minute. Eddie needs him to stop, like literally right now.

“Oh my god,” Dustin screams, making Eddie look at him from across the room. Eddie finds him staring at someone, so he follows his line of sight and finds one Steve Harrington, yeah, that one, the one he just asked a second ago to stop being perfect? Yeah, that guy is standing at the bottom of the stairs with a crumpled box in his hands and is wearing glasses.

Steve Harrington just exceeded perfect.

-

Or: 5 times Eddie falls in love with Steve wearing glasses and the 1 time Steve finds out.

choose the rose garden (over madison square)

(5 Chapters completed on AO3)

Eleven Blooms is Steve Harrington’s pride and joy.

The first time El visits the flower shop, she cries. She cries, and she cries, as Steve holds her in his arms, thanking her for everything she’s ever done for all of them, telling her that no matter how many flowers he’ll watch grow in his life, Jane Hopper would be the prettiest, brightest, strongest one of them all and it’s been a privilege to watch her bloom into the person she’s always meant to be

-

Or: It's 1991, Joyce and Hop are finally getting married. Steve owns a flower shop, Eddie's a rockstar and everyone's tired of their bullshit.

i’ve got you under my skin

(5 Chapters completed on AO3)

“Who’s getting married?” Steve whispers. Eddie smiles at him, and Steve swears he’s never seen that much of Eddie’s teeth.

“You and I, sweetheart. We’re getting married.”

Eddie gives him a look, thank God, something familiar in this whole mess. It’s the look that Eddie gives him that says Do this or I’ll fire you. Steve cocks his head, “Yes! Yes!”

He looks back at Gareth, “We are getting married.” Steve announces, enunciating every word.

Or: Steve Harrington has to marry Eddie Munson (also know as the Devil Incarnate), so Eddie won’t get deported back to Canada and for Steve to finally achieve his dream to be a producer.

Or: The Proposal AU Steddie Edition

One Shots

i saw the world crashing (all around your face)

(9,7k words)

"How're you feeling?" Eddie quietly whispers, the conversation private for just the two of them, even if there are people around them.

"Okay. I think. Your injuries hurt like a bitch." Eddie laughs, full-on paughs, his eyes wrinkling into a crescent. Dear fucking god, he had dimples. Yeah, Steve is a goner. Eddie Munson had a smile that could rival the sun. He thinks this might be his new life mission: make Eddie Munson laugh and smile for the rest of his life.

Or: Steve Harrington begs the universe to keep Eddie Munson alive while he carries him in his arms. Someone must have heard im in the Upside Down because Eddie's injuries transfer to him.

you're beautiful (every little piece, love)

(7,5k words)

Steve Harrington would do anything for the kids. Anything.

Apparently that includes shaving his hair.

shakespeare and warm drinks

(4,8k words)

She’s not sure of a lot of things. But here are three things Joyce Hopper knows right now:

1. She makes the best hot chocolates in Hawkins, maybe the whole of Indiana.

2. She loved Shakespeare in high school.

3. She is not a great matchmaker.

Or: The one where Joyce matchmakes Steve and Eddie: Shakespeare Style.

this love came back to me

(15,9k words)

"And you do know that people are curious, right?" Oprah pushes her glasses up, "Everyone is curious as to who and how you can write such heartbreaking songs without anyone ever seeing your date?"

The camera flicks to Steve, and he blinks back at her, "Yes. I am aware."

"Where is this muse?" The camera flickers between Oprah and Steve as they laugh at the question.

"My muse is chilling in the skies, watching me play. He's probably berating me for stealing his sweetheart."

Or: After Eddie's death, Steve returns to the Upside Down to retrieve his guitar. He learns how to play it and ends up becoming a famous singer, famous for his heartbreaking songs about longing and yearning for someone. For a while, that's it. It's not until sixteen years later, that some secrets are uncovered.

this umbrella belongs to me (to us)

(13,8k words)

Sarah Hayes is nineteen when she finds out she’s pregnant. She had just graduated high school, and she just gotten accepted into Indiana University, and this was supposed to be her year.

Now— now she’s pregnant.

Damn, Wade Munson and his damn smooth talking and his damn brown eyes. She should’ve never agreed on that date.

Or: 5 times fate tried to pull Eddie and Steve together through an umbrella, and the one time it finally brings them together.

lumière over me

(1,2k words)

Growing and changing will always be easier for Steve when Eddie’s with him. It doesn’t matter if it has been 10 years, 20 years or even 50 years.

Series

was there a lifetime waiting for us (in a world where i was yours?)

one: you're the pulse i've always needed

(9,2k words)

28 years after Eddie Munson's death, Steve Harrington watches The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and hears a song that changes his life.

two: my soul looks forward to loving you

(3 chapters completed on AO3)

"I don't shake hands." Eddie gives him a look. Steve can't decipher what it is. Fascination? Curiosity? Interest?

"Soulmate non-believer?" Eddie challenges.

Steve raises an eyebrow at him before answering, "Romantic soulmate non-believer."

"Shake my hand. Nothing's going to happen, love. Not ever.”

-

Or: In their next life, a universe where if you hold your soulmate's hand, you will see visions of a past life lived together, Stephen Buckley and Edward Munson both don't believe in soulmates.

[heystephen]

I got a song question for you....on the RED album the song 'The Lucky One', do you have any idea who was the inspiration for that song? I love everything about old Hollywood and I can't seem to figure out if she was talking about Greta Garbo or Audrey Hepburn? Any clues, ideas, crazy theories? I would love to know if you've ever read anything about that song 😊

well, the secret message for the song is “wouldn’t you like to know” so i don’t think taylor is ever going to confirm, but if i remember right, sometime around the red era, she did say there were 2-3 muses behind the song. the most widely accepted guesses are joni mitchell and shania twain, i think, and carly simon, too. and i have read theories on the song potentially pointing to audrey hepburn as a partial muse. but my personal opinion is that kim wilde could be one of the muses- taylor sampled the hook of one of kim’s songs on the lucky one and kim wilde did, quite literally, choose a rose garden over madison square (she left music and became a gardener), but that’s about where the coincidences end, if i remember right. that being said, it’s really anyone’s guess, and the mystery is kind of the appeal of the song in a way, isn’t it?

[love-geeky-fangirl]

The feminine urge to take your money and your dignity and get the hell out

[imissthembutitwasntadisaster]

I don't think The Lucky One, the creator of my goals, would be very happy about people expecting me to be rich and successful.

[taylorftphoebe]

mutuals that are down to take the money and your dignity and get the hell out and perhaps even choose the rose garden over madison square