#hawkins plot 9/10

[ladykailitha]

The Harrington Pattern Part 11

The second one for today.

There is a joust, a wild Eddie shows off his mating dance, and Steve and Jeff plot a romance.

Pt 1 Pt 2 Pt 3 Pt 4 Pt 5 Pt 6 Pt 7 Pt 8 Pt 9 Pt 10

@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03

MY TAG LIST FOR THIS STORY IS CLOSED

****

Steve sat on the edge of his seat as he cheered each successful strike the Black Knight made and winced with every hit he took.

The kids were loudly shouting and cheering and even Nancy would leap to her feet when the Black Knight won a match.

It was down to the final match. The Black Knight verses the White Lion. They were two points each. Final run.

The horses pawed at the ground. The knights shifted in their armor as they tried to settle the joints. Every person in that stadium was on the edge of their seat, leaning forward as they held their collective breath.

The man stepped forward with the flag and eyed each knight nervously. He looked up at the king and queen. The king nodded giving his consent. The flag dropped and the man leapt out of the way.

The horses raced down the line as the knights lowered their lances. The audience slowly rose to their feet as the horses thundered toward each other.

No one had yet taken a single breath.

Then...

CLASH!

And the White Lion flew to the ground as his horse made it to the other side of the arena. His squire grabbed the horses reins to stop it from running away.

The whole crowd erupted, the breath finally released in shouts of exultation.

The Black Knight and his squire were at their other end of field, whooping and hollering as they celebrated his win.

Steve and Robin grabbed each other and jumped up and down. They hadn’t seen anything so exciting since Lucas made the final shot of the game.

And it appeared that the boy in question thought the same as he kept screaming “YES!!”

The Black Knight took off his helmet and waved at the crowd. And their entire row let out a gasp.

“Jeff?” Dustin squealed. “Jeff was the Black Knight all along? That is so awesome!”

Now Lucas was completely flipping out. No one could deny that Jeff had won fair and square. That he had the superior skill.

Steve looked over at the king and queen. Neither one of them looked happy to see it had been Jeff the whole time. But they appeared gracious enough when they were handing out the prizes.

Steve was cheering and screaming right along with the rest of them. And it was a cool surprise. Who would have thought that Jeff played his favorite sport.

After the award ceremony they were allowed to go see Jeff at the stable.

Steve looked around when he entered. Jeff caught his eye and grinned. They both knew who he was looking for.

“He’s getting ready,” Jeff said with a wink. “You’ll just not want to miss the next event.”

Steve bit his lip and nodded. Whatever it was, he knew it was going to be amazing. He just wished he had more of an idea of what it was. He looked out at the arena floor and saw that the long wooden partition for the joust had been taken down and workers were quickly putting up... what, Steve wasn’t sure.

“Just let me get out of this armor,” Jeff was saying, “and I’ll join you guys in the stands.”

As they walked back to the stands, Robin pulled out her flier of the day’s events and Steve looked over her shoulder.

“What’s trick riding?” he mumbled.

But she just shrugged. She didn’t know either.

They sat up in the stands and they talked among themselves as the workers finished up what they were doing.

The field was mostly empty except a small platform where the rider would mount their horse.

There were two horses, both black with weird looking saddles.

The announcer got up and bellowed into a megaphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” he shouted. “For the first time ever here at the Hawkins Renaissance Fair we have Hawkins own Eddie Munson trick riding extraordinaire.”

Eddie stepped out onto the field but gone were the puffy sleeves and thigh high boots. His costume was tight fitting and boots were soft soled. It still looked period, but it was clearly designed from modern materials which would make it easier to move in.

Strapped to his back was a lute, the same lute he had been carrying all week.

He mounted the platform and waved to the crowd.

Eddie got on to the first horse and got it into motion. The other horse merely shook its mane as it waited patiently for its turn.

Eddie raised his feet and slipped them into a set of stirrups higher up on the saddle. Sending a wink Steve’s way, he stood up on the horse and began to play.

He began singing. Horribly. Eddie was a fine enough singer for their band, but it seemed to Steve he was deliberately off key as he sang ribald bar tunes.

He slipped a harness over his head and around his waist. Then to shock of the crowd, slid off the side of the horse. Steve was on his feet, so sure that Eddie would be crushed under the thundering hooves the galloping horse.

But as the horse turned, Steve could see that Eddie was safe and still playing.

His caterwauling got progressively worse the more dangerous the stunt was. Almost as if he was signaling to the audience that he was safe.

He made it back to the platform where he handed the lute off to someone who had stepped out onto the field for the reason. They removed the saddle off the one horse Eddie had been riding and he straddled both horses, one foot on each.

And off he went racing around the arena.

Steve was sure that his heart had stopped several times, once with every trick Eddie did.

He was also pretty sure that wasn’t good for it.

But Eddie landed every trick like a pro and at the end he hopped off the platform with a jaunty wave and a deep bow.

Steve was cheering up and down as the crowd around him erupted with applause.

Eddie bowed again and with the other guy that had taken his lute, lead the horses away.

Steve isn’t sure who was more impressed by Eddie’s riding the kids or Nancy. Her jaw had dropped from the first trick and remained that way all throughout Eddie’s riding.

“Where did he learn that?” she asked.

Jeff grinned. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

Everyone exchanged glances as the whole gaggle followed Jeff back to the stable where Eddie and the other guy were brushing down the horses Eddie had used in his show.

The man, who on closer inspection was a teenage old boy spotted Jeff and waved. “Jeffrey! You did great out there today. Mom hasn’t stopped gushing about it.”

The Party turned to Jeff in shock. But he just chuckled.

“Guys,” he said, “this is my little brother Ollie. Ollie, you remember Gareth and Brian, the boys are Hellfire, the girls kick ass, and the two guys are the brat wranglers.”

Jonathan and Steve shared a look before they chorused, “Hey!”

Eddie laughed, but did the proper introducing. When he got to Steve, Ollie’s eyes went wide and nodded.

“Steve Harrington,” Ollie said. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Steve frowned. “From Jeff?” he asked, confused.

“No, man,” Ollie said with a laugh, “from Eddie.”

Who promptly ducked behind his horse under the guise of brushing its mane.

Steve licked his lips slowly as a sly smile took over his face. “No doubt only horrible things,” he teased.

Eddie let out a squawk and glared at him from around the horse. “Hey!”

Steve laughed and Eddie let out a little huff of breath as he pouted.

“Our parents own the horses,” Jeff said, “We have three that joust and two the trick ride and then there’s King, who was a racehorse in his heyday.”

Ollie nodded, “We usually let whoever is playing the king of the Fair ride him at the closing ceremonies. He’s pretty as hell.”

“So like Steve,” Dustin said. “He used to be called King Steve in high school.”

Steve tipped the twerp’s hat off.

“Hey!”

El giggled and Dustin’s head whipped around to face her. She pressed her lips together and looked up and away.

“Can I see King?” Will asked, softly.

Ollie lit up. “Yeah, sure.” He turned to Jeff. “I’ve got get him ready for tonight anyway, so I can I have Will help me?”

Jeff smiled at his little brother. “Sure thing, it’ll make the work go faster.”

“He seems like a good kid,” Jonathan said, “how old is he?”

“He’s fourteen,” he said, “so he’ll be an incoming freshman this year.”

Lucas smiled. “So a year younger than us.”

Jeff nodded.

“Is he going to join Hellfire?” Dustin asked, practically vibrating out of his skin.

“He wants to but with me graduating last year,” Jeff said with a wince, “he’s worried he won’t know anyone but Gareth.”

Lucas grinned. “Well he knows us now, we’ll hang out with him all summer so that come school time, he’ll have friends in Hellfire.”

Jeff grinned back. “I think he’d really like that.”

Steve smiled at his nuggets. He was glad that they were willing to take this kid they just met under their wing and make sure he didn’t get lost at high school.

He really couldn’t have been prouder. He caught Eddie’s eye and the other man grinned.

He lopped over to Steve, the grin never leaving his face.

“So pretty boy,” Eddie teased. “You enjoy the show?”

Steve nudged him his shoulder. “Of course I did. A bit terrifying on this side of things though.”

Eddie laughed. “I assure you, sweetheart, it’s equally terrifying on my end, too.”

“How long have you been doing this then?”

Eddie cocked his head to the side and thought about it. “On and off since I got to Hawkins and became friends with Jeff. His mom is the one that thought me, but I’ve only been serious about it in the last couple years. As a way to keep myself from getting too depressed about school.”

“That’s fair,” Steve said.

When he looked around most of them had gone. It was only Robin, Gareth, Jeff, and Max that remained.

“Where did everyone go?” Will asked as he came out the stall with Ollie.

Robin began counting of on her fingers. “Brian and Mike went to go watch the caber toss on the outskirts of the Fair. Dustin, Lucas and El went to go watch the sword fights. Nancy and Jonathan went to try the ax throwing.” She looked around. “Did I miss anyone?”

The rest of them shook their heads.

“And the rest of us were waiting for Will!” she finished with a cheer.

Will blushed and Eddie and Steve shared a knowing glance.

“Hey, do you and Ollie want to come with me to see the bagpipers?” Max asked Will.

Will and Ollie looked at each other and then nodded as one. The two boys followed the pirate queen, walking side by side.

“Well,” Gareth said, “I’m glad Mike missed that one.”

Robin looked over at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Mike is always jealous of anyone who spends time with Will,” Steve explained, “except El. Even if he spends all his time with her, he still gets jealous when Will gives up and goes to talk to someone else.”

Eddie nodded. “That kid has got to get his head out of his ass, before a sweet boy like Ollie sweeps our Will the Wise off his feet.”

Jeff grinned. “I like that idea!”

Gareth snorted. “You only like that idea because Mike called your thief a common rogue.”

“My thief is literally a lord,” Jeff defended. “Like Lord Kelnic is his name. He can’t be a common rogue.”

Steve leaned over to Eddie and whispered, “What are they talking about?”

“I’ll explain it later,” Eddie whispered back.

Steve nodded, knowing that Eddie would do just that.

“Hey, you want to go for a stroll?” Steve asked. “I don’t care where, really. I just want to spend the afternoon with you.”

Eddie perked up. “Hell yeah! Why don’t I show the behind the scenes stuff most people don’t get to see?”

“Sounds perfect.” Steve smiled.

Robin and Jeff shared a fond glance about their best friends and shook their heads as Eddie led Steve away.

****

Part 12 Part 13

I love jousting Eddie as much as the next gal, but I also realize that Eddie looks like a stiff wind would knock him over and would be flying out of that saddle with every hit. So I made him a trick rider instead.

I also did not set out to write Will a love interest, the love interest just shoved himself into my story and I let him stay.

Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @carlyv @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @danili666 @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @wonderland-girl143-blog @justforthedead89 @vecnuthy @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @dragonmama76 @scheodingers-muppet @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @thespaceantwhowrites @paintgonewrong @mogami13 @beelze-the-bubkiss @croatoan-like-its-hot @retro-vagabond @sani-86 @pansexuality-activated @y4r3luv @dauntlessdiva @vampire-eddie-brain-rot @lololol-1234 @nightmareglitter CLOSED

[pinkprincessunicorn]

personal lies - eddie munson

Plot: Heather is known as Hawkins' best and brightest. She hears people say to her every day that she will go to Harvard or Yale someday, that she will go to great places. She hated the goody two-shoes label, and so the summer before going into her freshman year of College, the Summer of 86', is the start of her mean streak, and who else to ask than the man with the "mean and scary" title?

✿ Heather Thompson ✿ Heather enjoys reading her romance books until dusk, till she realizes she has stayed cooped up all day. One might call Heather a social recluse, while her being the nicest person anyone could talk to. Heather is far too shy to have fun in high school and is often misunderstood, so... this summer she will have to make some changes. And what's the harm in getting to know Eddie Munson?

⚇ Eddie Munson ⚇ Eddie was labeled as a social outcast, according to many, someone nobody wanted to associate with. And so, when Heather Thompson, the golden girl of Hawkins High, talks to him at the graduation party? He's a bit dubious as she lights up his world.

chapter links!

Chapter 1 - Congrats Grad!

Chapter 2 - Corrupt me

Chapter 3 - Like an Animal

Chapter 4 - Where've you been?

Chapter 5 - Truth or Dare?

Chapter 6 - Sleepover

Chapter 7 - Multidimensional

Chapter 8 - Just a Game

Chapter 9 - Melting Milkshakes

Chapter 10 - Anywhere but Here

Chapter 11 - Somethings Different

Chapter 12 - Seriously

Tag list: @spaceconveyor @foreveranexpatsposts @walleloveseve @littlemissholy @hikohyuuga @kaita

A/N: This is my first time posting a full fic on Tumblr (˚0˚)!! I usually just use Wattpad, oops. I'm sorry if it's not a very fancy-looking homepage, but I'm working on it! ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧ Gimme tips plsss!! Enjoy! (I'll be uploading the chapters shortly.)

[acowardinmordor]

a concept from me and @mephestopheles wanting bizarre versions of trans experiences.

The Harrington's move them to Hawkins when Stevie is like, 9 or 10. They're rarely ever home, so, it only takes a tiny bit of work and one helpful nanny for Stephen Harrington to tweak the records, and get to live as Stephanie, Stevie, Harrington. She only has to act like a boy a few days a year, and keeps her hair longish, but not so long she can't play if off when they come home.

Everyone in school thinks she's a bit of a tomboy, but she takes choir to get better control of her voice. Stays in sports because she loves sports, still rules the school bc she can have parties whenever, still has her slut era, but is known for being... generous with lovers, which keeps anyone from noticing.

This means she meets Robin in soccer, and it doesn't stop Stevie being a mean girl and super popular, and kinda bitchy, but its good for her anyway.

How does this intersect with canon? unknown.

How does this eventually become a plot? shrug emoji.

[bigbrotherlouis]

top books of 2024!

i’ve been doing a lot more reading and i love talking about it so here are my faves. i tried to narrow it down to 5 and then went “well, i can’t leave THAT one off the list!” so ten fiction and five nonfiction recs for you:

fiction:

1. nettle and bone by t. kingfisher - i’m a sucker for a fairytale and this was a good one. felt very familiar and still very new all at the same time. t. kingfisher was a new to me author this year and her horror didn’t hit but all her fairytales did. this one was very good, and a princess nun on a witchy endeavor was a fun time.

2. burial rites by hannah kent - i read this in one sitting because i couldn’t put it down, and i’m still thinking about it almost a year later. the way kent changes your opinion on the characters is so skillfully done and i liked it a lot.

3. the library at mount char by scott hawkins - this is not a book for everyone but i do love a plot that makes me go “HOW did you even THINK of that?!” what WOULD you do if god went missing?? massive trigger warnings but oh so good.

4. the alice network by kate quinn - kate is my holiday read author of choice and i read this in poland in the summer and it was perfect. the rose code is still my favourite book of hers but this one ranked up there. love a good spy network.

5. beartown by fredrick backman - i loved this one but i think i would’ve loved it more if i had not read the other two. good, but after three books of that length it does drag. masterful control of perspective and of plot weaving, plus some great ruminations on hockey.

6. the six deaths of the saint by alix e. harrow - i am overjoyed that harrow is (allegedly) making this into a longer novel because i LOVED IT. the visceralness of it. the cyclical nature. the horror when you realise what’s happening. perfect.

7. when among crows by veronica roth - i’m a slut for slavic folklore and this has such a sense of both history and place that really draws you in. i cannot stop thinking about the spine sword. i wish it had been longer just to stay in the world more.

8. the english understand wool by helen dewitt- i know it’s three novellas in a row but they were GOOD!! this one was an amazing length and just a fascinating almost oceans eleven-esque unraveling of a story. i gasped.

9. normal people by sally rooney - i know I KNOW. but i went to school on the emerald isle and it just resonated in lots of ways. i fell in love with the characters and honestly? might reread this winter bc i loved the atmosphere.

10. penance by eliza clark - god. this book. brutal in the worst ways and such an insightful commentary on, well, a lot of things. true crime culture, online communities, parasocial relationships, the weirdness of girl friendships as teens. also a potential reread!

nonfiction:

1. red valkyries by kristen ghodsee - probably my favourite book i’ve read this year, just because i learned SO much!! i read it in one sitting because i was just so fascinated by these amazing women, and i walked away with a more nuanced, more positive view of lenin than before.

2. the quiet damage by jesselyn cook - possibly the best nonfiction book i have ever read? i couldn’t put it down. heartbreaking and tough to read but i think very necessary in these days.

3. war is a force that gives us meaning by chris hedges - this is very good with a disclaimer. i agreed with a lot of his overarching philosophies but i didn’t agree with his examples. it has some pitfalls, but! parts of it are essential reading for peacebuilders. if anyone wants to chat abt this one please text

4. in the dream house by carmen maria machado - this was a very good memoir and very innovative in form. i liked that part a lot but i couldn’t quite shake the feeling that this was not written for me. that’s okay! i could still see how it might be impactful and, again, i liked the playing with tropes, but didn’t hit me the way i expected after seeing other people’s reactions.

5. the sunflower by simon wiesenthal - i tell everyone to read this book if they are interested in peacebuilding at all. it’s a good commentary on forgiveness. not much else to say except it’s fascinating.

and that’s all for now! i read 62 books and am trying to read 100 in the upcoming year (about 8 a month). my personal goal is at least one nonfiction a month, but my secret goal is two with one being more memoir and one being more informative. it was fun rediscovering how to read again and i’m hoping to continue that in 2025 :)

also for the record the worst book i read this year is the idea of you which is the one that anne hathaway starred in an adaptation of. absolutely terrible.

[hbyrde36]

Writers 20 questions tag game!!

Tagged by @devondespresso, thanks friend!

And @sidekick-hero 💜

I haven't done this one in long enough that I think some answers will be different, so let's give it a go!

divider by @/saradika-graphics

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

27

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

461,264

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Stranger Things/Steddie

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Hellfire Ink Shelter In Place Times Like These (both versions are neck and neck!) Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy) Steve Harrington: Vampire Hunter

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I try to respond to all comments even if it's just emojis. Comments mean SO much and I like to let readers know how much I appreciate them and their words of encouragement!

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

Though I do write a lot of angst, I'm a happy endings only kinda gal, so not many angsty endings save for one or two very short ficlets. 🤣

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

That's a tough one! As I said above, happy endings only here so there are too many to try and choose between! 'I Don't Think We're In Hawkins Anymore, Big Boy' is probably my most lighthearted work in general, so that one definitely comes to mind. I think the most hard-earned happy ending would be a tie between Times Like These and Life is a Game.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not so far, and I feel so lucky for that. Fingers crossed it stays that way!

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

I do! It tends to be part of larger stories for me. And that's nothing against PWP, I LOVE me some PWP, I don't know if my smut is good enough to stand on it's own like that, but I am getting more comfortable with it! At the end of the day, with Steddie no matter what else the plot contains I'm also writing a romance, and most of the time the smut winds up happening naturally within the story. To me, the boys are almost always down bad for each other on sight, so it's only inevitable that they wind up falling in bed together, one way or another. 😆

10. Do you write crossovers?

I have written two crossover/fusion au's! So far 'I Don't Think We're In Hawkins Anymore, Big Boy' is a Wizard of Oz AU. Steve Harrington: Vampire Hunter is an Anita Blake AU

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of! 🤞

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of, but I wouldn't mind!

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

I have not, but with the right partner I think it would be a fun thing to try!

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

For now I'll have to say Steddie. It's the first ship I've ever put this much time and energy into.

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

At the moment I don't have any real WIPS that I don't fully intend on finishing. Now, I do have a folder full of random ideas, many of the docs within only have a few sentences worth of words and I'm sure many of those will sadly go unwritten.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I don't know if that's for ME to say, but I THINK I do good dialog and banter. I know when I'm writing the dialog is always what comes easiest, and usually first before the rest of the story.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Rushing/not expanding on some things. I think sometimes I rush through certain areas or aspects of a story that maybe I think will be boring, but would benefit from a little room the breathe.

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

It wouldn't bother me in reading as long as the dialog is either explained somehow or if I'm just not supposed to know what the character is saying. It hasn't come up in my own writing so I'm not sure how I'd handle that scenario.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

This one! Stranger Things/Steddie.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Honestly, I can't choose! BUT there is one I'm very fond of that has for whatever reason VERY low hits. It was my fic for the STWG Hozier Project for the song 'From Eden'. Just a short thing with a 3k word count limit, but I adore it. Honey, You're Familiar

No pressure tags! @pearynice @vecnuthy @griefabyss69 @rocknrollsalad @hornedqueenofhell

@shares-a-vest @soaringornithopter @steddiecameraroll @klausinamarink

[royharperlargenaturals]

so, if batman isnt your top 30, and any main batfam related characters arent even top 15, who is? you rarely see that nowdays in this hellscape

oh boy, if I had to list em, under a read more for length;

1.) Booster Gold

2.) Roy Harper / Wally West

3.) Starfire

4.) Cassie Sandsmark

5.) Kon / Bart Allen

6.) Wonder Woman / Constantine

7.) Donna Troy

8.) Oliver Queen / Black Canary

9.) Kyle Rayner / Ray Palmer

10.) Guy Gardner / Big Barda

11.) Raven / Supergirl

12.) Sandy Hawkins / Garth

13.) Jesse Quick

14.) Max Mercury / Linda Park

15.) Tora Olafsdotter / Zatanna

16.) Beatriz da Costa

17.) Tim Drake / Cassandra Cain

18.) Hal Jordan / Superman

19.) Carol Ferris

20.) Grant Emerson

21.) Anita Fite / Vixen

21.) Ray / Connor Hawke

22.) Courtney Whitmore

23.) Power Girl / Atrocitus

24.) Ted Grant / Saint Walker

25.) Kid Devil - Eddie

26.) Jaime Reyes

27.) Mister Terrific

28.) Alan Scott

29.) Spectre

30.) Red Tornado

31.) Steph / New Earth Oracle, pre dickbabs, babs specifically. This woman is a dyke.

32.) Beast Boy / Cyborg

33.) Shayera / Huntress

34.) Kilowog

35.) Jason Todd

36.) Amy Allen

37.) Miss Martian

38.) Bumblebee

39.) Dove

40.) Nightwing, but specifically right up until the dogshit split between him and kori and then they turn him into a gotham lapdog, strip him of every characteristic that made him interesting, and fundamentally have slandered babs character for the past 25 years to have her entire personality and plot lines revolve around him. Dick is on very thin ice even being this high because I do not think he has been written well for 30 years atp.

41.) Bruce. He is lucky he's even in this high, for similar reasons to Dick. I think out of the entire batfam, they have suffered the most for decades atp. When Batfam was at it's worst throughout the early 00's and under DiDio, Steph, Cass, Tim, and even Jason were all still going strong. The same can't be said for Bruce or Dick. Bruce has been completely sanitized of anything that made him interesting, deified to the point it ruins his characterization of 'the one human/normal one' on teams he is on. Any female character within a 10 foot radius gets hit with the misogyny beam and gets completely shafted. Dan DiDio fundamentally ruined batman and idk if his shit is even salvageable atp. I loved Gotham stuff as a kid, even if I cared more for Flash/Green Arrow/JSA, so it's been absolute fucking AGONY watching it get this bad.

[mojowitchcraft]

Fanfic Writer Interview

Thanks for the tag @bilbosmom-belladonna 💘

What fandoms do you write in?

Stranger Things

How many words did you publish in 2024?

I actually just figured out how skewed the stats are on Ao3 because even if you post 9/10 chapters of a fic in one year, it'll roll over to the next year, which seems silly, but ANYWAYS... my stats say 131,992 words!

What are your top three fics you wrote last year?

The Ritual  11k | One Shot | Rated E Genderbent Steddie with Vampire Eddie & Human (Virgin!) Stevie Really hoping to expand on this universe this year because I had a blast writing this one!

We Part To Meet Again 27k | 7 Chapters | Rated E Steddie dads reunited in the 90s, a fic I started on an impulse for Steddie Week in 2023 and then put on the back burner for a year before finishing it. I'm really proud of how it turned out.

Late Bloomers  cowritten with @arimakes for the reverse bang 65k | 6 Chapters | Rated E Modern AU in which kinky Eddie has a bi awakening and bi Steve has a kinky awakening Ari and I had a lot of fun collabing on this, and I'm really proud of the fic it grew into

What was your biggest pit of despair moment?

Getting burnt out after signing up for too many events and then not having time to just focus on what I wanted to write. I went through a rough period where I just kept wanting to write and nothing would come out, my poor friends listened to me whine a lot about worrying that I was never going to write again. I felt like a sponge that had been wrung out, all my creativity dried up. It was honestly a little scary because I've never felt so tapped out like that before. I started several fics hoping they'd light the spark again but nothing really worked other than giving myself time.

What have you learned?

To give myself breaks from events and exchanges (I haven't signed up for any more since the reverse bang last year despite wanting to!) and to go where the wind blows me. I've also tried to become more intentional with my plotting and outlining, making sure I know how a fic is going to end before I start posting. Things definitely change along the way but it helps to have a strong idea of the conclusion especially when I'm still stuck on figuring out how to end my Bat Eddie fic over a year later 😥

Did you beta any fics last year? Any faves you want to shout out?

Oh god...so many. I tend to weasel my way into my friend's docs. I absolutely love beta reading ♥️ I actually started a bookmark collection to keep them all in one place, so feel free to check out my Beta Bestie Fics here but I'll list a few faves that need more love!

Where the Black Willow Stands by @arimakes 8.5k | One Shot | Rated E Chrissy POV in a 1600s New England village, where she encounters a coven. Complete with genderbent Steddie. This is a sapphic dream that is so rich in worldbuilding and such a run ride. Ari is a master of writing super fun and unique alternate universes for our favourite characters. Honestly everything Ari writes is unreal, and I encourage everyone to read their entire catalogue but I also want to shout out their Stommy fic After Everything

The Friends Outweigh The Benefits Series by @itcanbepalped 14k | 2 Works | Rated E Benefits - Sapphic Hellcheer A New Regular - Steddie but make it Butch Edie Mads is such a pioneer of sapphic fics and rarepairs. This is one of my favourites that they've written with such fun dynamics between the characters

apocalypse boys series by @glitterfang 18.6k | 2 Works | Rated E Tommy comes home to Hawkins and gets sucked into the Upside Down mess. This series is so much fun, I love the different dynamics at play between Steve & Eddie, Steve & Tommy, and Tommy & Eddie. It's so fun to see them mess around together pretending like it's just jerkin off with your pals at the end of the world, but Becca's really building them into a very sweet and codependent throuple hehe.

What three fics from last year did you love?

The Choice is Yours by @pearynice 82.5k | 16 Chapters | Rated E Farmer Steve & Rockstar Eddie This fic was just soooo cute and comforting, like a steaming cup of hot chocolate on a cold day, or a warm hug, or just driving on a sunny day with the radio on and the wind in your hair, y'know? It just made me so happy to read I adored it.

Big Talk by @occasionaloverboy 29k | 3 Chapters | Rated E The first time Eddie flirts with him is a surprise. The second time is a fluke. After that, it gets a little hard to keep track. Top tier flirting in this fic, I was giggling and kicking my feet the entire time.

In A Mirrored Room, Talking To Myself by @entanglednow 65k | 8 Chapters | Rated E Corroded Coffin ghost hunters, and Steve Harrington's haunted house, what could go wrong? LOTS!!!! Man this fic spooked the shit out of me, if you've enjoyed their other fics you'll know that entanglednow is a talented writer but she really knocked it out of the park with this one, the vivid descriptions and the creeping foreboding were just top notch. Such a wonderful spooky fic.

What ideas are percolating for this year?

I've posted about all of these before, especially in my latest WIP Weekend post but my goals this year are to finish all my WIPs. Right now my prime focus is on my Frat Boy Steve Fic Acta, Non Verba and then I'd really like to finish the unfinished fics on my Ao3: Bat Eddie and the Night Drives series. I recently was working on the outline for my werewolf Steve fic though so that might end up howling for me first.

🏁 🏆 Congrats you made it to the end! I'm impressed honestly cause I never think anyone is gonna read these hahah.

Everyone that I tagged above pls consider this my plea for you to do this as well, but here's some additional (zero pressure) tags: @kwills91 @punkslovepoints @loki-is-my-kink-awakening @paradimeshifts7 @maryofdoom @mixsethaddams

[frie-ice]

These are some of the characters I would like to see in Kingdom Hearts, Sora visits their home worlds or simply has them as summon characters. 1. Jim Hawkins (as many of us are waiting for the day Treasure Planet joins the KH universe) 2. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (as  a keyblade master like his mousy brother) 3. Moana (as a possible Princess of Hearts) 4. Tiana (also as a possible Princess of Hearts) 5. Mirabel (since Alice is the none princess member of the previous Princesses of Hearts) 6. Miguel (from the life and death theme that is rumoured to be part of the KHIV plot) 7. Merida (possibly as a summon character) 8 Milo and Kida (they are a pair and people would also like to see Atlantis the Lost Empire as a KH world) 9. The Manhattan Clan (who doesn't love Gargoyles and would like to see KH focus on classic Disney TV shows that just films alone) 10. The Parr/Incredibles Family (we mostly see the bonded heart affect on friends and lovers than families) I wanted to add in Lightning of Final Fantasy XIII's Lightning Saga, but company who creates the FF games no longer has rights to Kingdom Hearts. Its all Disney know and that is why we haven't see any new Final Fantasy cameo characters after Zack Fair in Birth By Sleep. DeviantArt meme template used: Top 10 KH Character Ideas by jacobyel.

[kivaember]

For the choose violence ask game:

#9, 10, and 12 for armored core

oh man i thought i posted this... i saved it to my drafts dfhdfdfh WELL ANYWAY A BIT LATE BUT yeah if you click on the read more you agree to reading opinions that may run counter to yours uwu

9. worst part of canon

ALLMIND's ending no doubt. While the boss fight was fun and the ending cinematic cool, there were so many plot holes, the ending made no fucking sense, and there was no reason given as to why 621 and Ayre were so gung ho about Coral Release when they both had no idea what it even was? Like it really felt like we were missing a bunch of missions to give context or info and they just didn't edit the script to reflect that.

Like, I genuinely really hate ALLMIND's ending LMAO i pretend it doesn't exist... ╯︿╰ i do not see

10. worst part of fanon

I also close my eyes to headcanons and the like I disagree with, so there isn't really a part of "fanon" that i hate :ua uhh... there probably is stuff I just can't think of any right now from the top of my head.

oh wait, i remember now. People portraying Pater with ~split personality disorder~ or a mental illness equivalent to that because of his DUAL NATURE AC name, his Arena profile and/or citing his behaviour when Hawkins dies. I went on a bit of a ramble before about Pater and my thoughts about him, but there is smth that rubs me wrong something fierce when people just slap on "THIS GUY IS MENTALLY ILL AND SOCIOPATHIC" and make that his whole personality. There's plenty more you can dig into, like how he's an example of what living in a hyper-competitive corporate world can do to you, where you're so focused on success and corporate-pilled that it fucks with your ability to properly process emotion or act appropriately.

But anyways.

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

I don't see enough Rokumonsen stuff. I love Rokumonsen. I'd write him more if i knew how to write decent haikus but i don't. THIS GUY IS A CANON WEEB!!! HE PROBABLY NARUTO RUNS IN HIS AC CALLED SHINOBI!!! I'M SURPRISED HE WASN'T YELLING "MISSILE SHURIKIN NO JUTSU" WHEN SHOOTING HIS FUCKING ROCKETS AT YOU!!!! I love Rokumonsen. He's such a nerd that can kick my ass (why has the RLF not yet reclaimed Rubicon when that stagger god is amongst their ranks)

[redbelles]

twenty questions for fic writers

tagged by: the wonderful @carry-the-sky 💖

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

51

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

245,595

3. what fandoms do you write for?

i don't ever really abandon old fandoms, but so far 2024 has been all berserk (nothing posted yet, unforch) and masters of the air

4. top five fics by kudos

like a heartbeat drives you mad

the dreadful need in the devotee

and my body found the wind

stuck in colder weather

all the love you need

5. do you respond to comments?

yes! it may take me a hundred million years, but i appreciate each and every comment i get, and i often go back to them for a little jolt of "hey, people actually like your writing!" motivation when i'm stuck

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

lmao uh. known angst goblin meg redbelles here, but i honestly didn't have to do much work to the canon endings of robert baratheon (the clouds will form a crown) or judas iscariot (in the violence of our dreams) to make them even more horrifically angsty, so. one of those, probably!

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

i don't tend to go for out and out happy endings—i prefer bittersweet—but i feel like the answer is either the mercy wheel, which fixes dany’s gabarge season eight character arc, or tongue’s talkin’ riddles (sticky sweet), which gives chrissy and eddie a mostly happy future together instead of horrible deaths in deeply cursed hawkins

and! for what it's worth! the chimneys hardly ever fall down is going to end on a happy note! they're just going to have to Suffer a lot to get there! it's fine!

8. do you get hate on fics?

nope

9. do you write smut?

me, currently 3k into a m/m/f threesome scene:

10. craziest crossover:

i enjoy spitballing about crossovers, but i doubt very seriously that i'll ever write one

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i'm aware of, no

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

i've had offers before, but i've declined every time; they all wanted to host the translations outside of AO3, which is not something i'm comfortable with

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

yep! keep calling me home is a really fun little round robin fic i wrote with three other authors a couple years ago

14. all time favorite ship?

i can't read suddenly.gif

15. what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

shUT UP!!!!! I'M GONNA FINISH ALL MY WIPS!!!!!! SHUT UP!!!!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!

16. what are your writing strengths?

imagery, emotion, themes, dialogue

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

plot? never heard of her. also, i feel like i still suck at writing humor

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language?

to crib from a previous answer: unless you speak the language, it gets real dicey real fast. i personally avoid it unless a) it’s a canonical term/phrase, like all the faux-russian bullshit in the grisha trilogy, or b) i can check the grammar/usage with a native speaker or someone who is solidly fluent

19. first fandom you wrote in?

[redacted] way back ages ago on [redacted]

20. favorite fic you've written?

recency bias talking here, but i am so, so, so fond of the chimneys hardly ever fall down; i challenged myself to write the first chapter as one continuous scene (i feel like i sometimes abuse scene breaks to heighten tension), and honestly i think i nailed it. also, this sequence:

Maybe he is drunk. That would make sense. He’s going to wake up and find himself alone at the bottom of a bottle. Back in the cold blue, Fort shot to shit and tumbling from the sky like a wounded bird, trailing fire and screaming as she falls. Maybe he won’t wake up at all— maybe he’s dead in a potato field, a ghost who never made it back in the first place. His heart can’t fucking take it.

like, i'm sorry, but that's brutal! and i am so proud of it!

tagging: @sluttyhenley @littlelindentree @oatflatwhite @meyerlansky @ladywaffles

@charmtion @anthropologicalhands @jacyevans @thatworldinverted @thatgirlnevershutsup

and anyone elso who wants a go ✨

[thecomicsnexus]

TMNT X STRANGER THINGS #1-4

July/October 2023

By Cameron Chittock, Fero Pe, Sofie Dodgson, and Rus Wooton.

The gang from Hawkins goes on a field trip to New York, where they discover an invasion of Demo-mousers, and together with the ninja turtles, they'll try to close a portal to the upside down.

SCORE: 9

This could have been a 10 from me, but to be honest, the plot was a little too complicated to follow. I would have preferred one more page of exposition about what happened to the utroms that got left behind.

The real star of this mini is Fero Pe. Not only these turtles (and cast) look like they jumped right out of the first few years of TMNT, but they also look A LOT like the NECA action figures (the ones based on Peter Laird's designs).

With that mind, I have the suspicion that Fero Pe uses action figures to draw. Because I was looking at one of his covers for the main book, and the turtles looked a lot like the Playmates figures for the 2012 series.

In any case, I would love a Turtles book that looked like this, perhaps an anthology series like Tales (but I assume the name "Tales of the TMNT" will be taken for the foreseeable future). And maybe taking place in the Mirage universe?

The personalities are all on point, and if you are wondering, no this isn't the Mirage universe, but it looks like a spinoff universe from it, that also includes the Stranger Things characters.

As for the gang from Stranger Things, the story clearly takes place between seasons 2 and 3.

Overall, I am happy with the results, it looks good for both universes.

One interesting detail is that April in this story is the one with the perm (based mostly on the cover of TMNT #11), and once again, her ethnicity is a guess game. I am not sure why, as they could have simply made her Afro-Latina for this mini. But in some panels she looks white, and in others she looks more like Donna Summer... this was probably a colorist decision.

Another interesting detail is how the demo-mousers look like Peter Laird's prototype from the 2000s series (the one before the 4kids show).

I wonder if that played any part on this, or if it just came out naturally?

[ladykailitha]

Royal Pain Part 22

Hey, guys! You know how I said there was still plot to go through? Hehehe...

Corroded Coffin gets the opportunity of a life time.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Meta

***

Eddie had been staring at the phone in his hand for the last twenty minutes in absolute shock.

He typed into the Corroded Coffin group chat: Emergency meeting, meet at the usual in twenty minutes.

The chat instantly blew up, but Eddie refused to answer any of their questions. He went to his room and blew his guitar a kiss. “Sorry, beautiful. I’m not taking you out tonight, but if everything goes to plan, we won’t be in this dump much longer.”

He ran his fingers gently over the strings, smiling at the sound. He dashed out of the apartment, patting his pockets to make sure he had his keys, wallet, and phone.

Eddie was the last to pull up to the garage they rented to practice in as he lived the farthest.

He wiped his hands on his jeans before he hopped out of his van. He paused outside of the door and took a deep breath. He opened the slowly and peaked his head in.

In addition to his band, Eddie wasn’t surprised to see that Mandy and Cecil were there too. He did say it was an emergency and the only reason Gethin wasn’t there was that because he was in Hawkins with their mom for the weekend.

Cecil was a quiet young man with red hair and glasses. He had a cane that he used to help him move around, having had knees that went bad early in his life.

“Right,” Eddie said, again rubbing his hands on his jeans nervously. “So I got a message from Rick at Nightmare Holes about a half hour ago.”

“He’s not firing us, is he?” Brian asked. Cecil squeezed his shoulder.

Eddie held up his hands. “Right right, sorry. Wrong order. Let’s try this again.” He took a deep breath. “I know I used the emergency send up, but it’s not a bad emergency, and it’s not an emergency on Rick’s end either.”

Everyone looked at each other in confusion.

“So who’s good emergency is it?” Jeff asked.

“Well, it’s a bad emergency on Metallica’s part,” Eddie said with a grin. “But it’s good for us.”

“No,” Gareth said. “No fucking way.”

Brian stood up and walked straight up to Eddie and got in his face. “You tell me right now, Edward Lawrence Munson, are we opening for Metallica?”

Eddie pursed his lips to keep at straight face. “I think that rather depends on the consensus of everyone in the band.”

Brian hugged him tightly. “Explain.”

He sat back down to next to Cecil.

“So the band that was supposed to open for Metallica,” Eddie explained, “their bus broke down and it’s going to take three days to fix it. And while they can get the members here in time, they don’t have the time to get all their gear here.”

Suddenly everyone was trying to talk over each other.

Jeff let out a loud piercing whistle. “Shut up and let him finish.”

Eddie cleared his throat and said, “So their manager was calling around all the local metal bars to see if they could recommend a band to sub in for the opener. Rick told him about us and asked if we were free tonight.” He glanced at his watch. “We have twenty minutes to decide before they move on to the next band.”

The room was now deathly quiet and Eddie gulped.

“Right,” Jeff said, “we’ll go around and ask each member of the band for their vote and then if majority says yes, Eddie will call Rick and that we’ll be there. Agreed?”

Everyone nodded.

“I’ll go first,” Eddie said. “I say yes. Of course I do. This has been my dream for years!”

“Brian?” Jeff said after nodding at Eddie’s answer.

Brian twisted his fingers nervously. “I want this as bad as Eddie does. Maybe even more. So, yeah, my answer is yes.” Cecil smiled at him and Brian smiled back.

“Gareth?” Jeff asked.

The youngest of the band was hunched behind his drum kit, making his small frame appear even smaller. “I know that it’s not going to matter, that we’re going to do it anyway. But I don’t want to. I like what we do. I like small crowds, dedicated fans. I know it’s everyone else’s dream. But it’s not mine. I say no.”

Eddie walked over to Gareth and pulled him in a big hug. “That was so brave of you. Thank you for being honest.”

The younger man nodded and squeezed back with all his might.

Jeff cleared his throat. “I want to do it. It was be the chance of a lifetime. A golden opportunity. But I don’t think we’re ready as a band for that type of crowd. Especially since none of our fans are going to be there. The people that are coming tonight expecting this other band and are going to be pretty disappointed when they don’t show.”

Mandy gave his thigh a quick squeeze. “I know I’m not part of the band and really don’t have a say, but I’d like to say something before Jeff casts his vote one way or the other.”

The band nodded. Mandy hadn’t been there since the beginning, but she had been with them the longest. She had seen their up and downs and knew them better than they did.

“I don’t think it’s about not being ready or just liking a dedicated fanbase,” she said gently. “Though I don’t doubt that’s part of it. This could signal the biggest change in your lives full stop. I noticed that Eddie didn’t bring up the money, so I’m assuming it’s a lot.” Eddie nodded. “That’s scary. And I get that. But when I tell you if you don’t do this you’ll regret it, I mean for the rest of your lives.”

Everyone was silent.

“Everyone here likes Metallica,” Mandy continued. “Hell, even I like their music and I am not a not a metal fan. These are your heroes. And you get to be theirs for one night, how epic is that?”

Gareth blinked. “We get to be their heroes?”

Mandy nodded. “Yeah. They’re in a bind. They need an opening act and if you step up, then you’re their hero. You came to their rescue when they needed it. Plus, you’ll get to meet them and not just with a table between you at some signing. Actually meet them.”

Gareth and Jeff exchanged glances. They both nod.

“I change my answer to yes,” Gareth said.

Jeff chewed on his lip for a moment. “Yeah. Okay. Let’s do this.”

Eddie nodded back. “Okay, I’ll give Rick a call.”

He called up the owner of the Nightmare Holes and told them that they would be there and to send over the contract for them to all sign.

Cecil licked his lips. “How much money are we talking about, Ed?”

“Ten thousand,” Eddie said.

Jeff frowned appreciatively. “Not bad for one night’s work.”

“Each.”

They all stare at him not quite comprehending what he just said.

“Each? Each what?” Gareth asked with a furrowed brow.

“Of us,” Eddie clarified. “Ten thousand for each of us.”

“Oh my god,” Brian said, his eyes wide. “Forty thousand dollars for a single night, forty-five minutes of music? That’s insane.”

Eddie shrugged. “The other band was going to get seventy.”

Jeff leaned forward and cocked his head. “Come again?”

“You’re preforming at the biggest venue in Indianapolis, that’s huge crowd,” Eddie explained. “Metallica makes two million. Forty k, is like a drop in the bucket. It is more than a band like us would normally make. About two thousand a concert. But they’re in a bind and are willing to pay a lot.”

Everyone nodded.

“Sound check is in two hours,” he continued. “So we won’t have time to practice. But we’re professionals. We do this shit every weekend. They’ve given us ten VIP tickets to give to loved ones. That’s three tickets for all but one of us. I only have two people I want to invite, so you guys can take the rest.”

Gareth was already on the phone with Gethin. He looked up at Eddie, “He says that he should be able to pick up Wayne on his way out of town.”

God, Eddie loved his friends with every fiber of his being. He just nodded, suddenly overcome with emotion.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket knowing that this was going to be a hard sell. The shop closed at eight and the concert started at seven. He let out a shuddered breath and hit Steve’s contact.

“Hey, honey,” he whispered when Steve picked up. “Is this a bad time?”

“Not at, sunshine,” Steve said brightly. “I just finished up with a client. What’s up?”

“You know that Metallica concert tonight?” Eddie asked, struggling to get the words out.

“Sure!” Steve said. “Dustin and his friends were going.”

Eddie closed his eyes, and pressed his finger and thumb into the lids. “Yeah? You thinking of going?”

“Not really,” Steve said. “It’s sold out, and I figured since I had to work it wasn’t really a big deal.”

“What if I told you I had two tickets to go see them tonight, VIP?” he asked, his lip beginning to quiver. He started to pace back and forth.

“You want me to go with you?” Steve asked slowly, unsure where this was going. “I figured you would take Jeff first before asking me, love. He loves that band.”

Eddie huffed out a watery laugh, chewing on the edge of his thumb. “That’s sweet, baby. No, he’s already going to be there.”

“Oh cool,” Steve said. “I’ll see if I can move things around, but sure if you want me to go with you, I’d be happy to come.”

Eddie breathed out a sigh of relief. “Great, it starts at seven and goes until ten.”

“So I’d have to get off at six to be ready in time?” Steve asked, sounding a little more up beat.

“Sounds about right,” Eddie said. “I think you’ll really like the opening act.”

“Yeah,” Steve said with a smile, “anyone I’ve heard of?”

Eddie laughed freely for the first time. “Yeah, babe, you’ve heard of them.”

“You sure about that?” Steve teased.

“Corroded Coffin.”

Eddie pulled the phone away from his ear as Steve started screaming on the other end.

Once Steve’s volume returned to normal, Eddie put the phone back to his ear.

“That’s so amazing,” Steve was saying. “You’ll have to tell me all about it later, I’ve got to get back to work. But yeah, babe, of course I’ll be there. I rearrange heaven and earth to see you preform on that stage.”

“See you tonight, sweetheart,” Eddie said, grinning from ear to ear.

“Will do.”

Eddie hung up and did a little dance. Everything he ever wanted just fell into place.

***

Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Epilogue

Tag list: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @artiststarme @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @pyrohonk ​ @renaissan-vvitch @goodolefashionedloverboi @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @plyerice27 @thedragonsaunt @sapphirecobalt-1 @a-little-unsteddie @i-must-potato @danili666 @carlyv @rozzieroos @wonderland-girl143-blog @itsall-taken @justforthedead89 @emly03 @bookworm0690 @aizawa-emma @redfreckledwolf @thesuninyaface @bookbinderbitch @yikes-a-bee @littlewildflowerkitten @scheodingers-muppet @archermightbegay @hallucinatedjosten @ellietheasexylibrarian @anne-bennett-cosplayer @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @bestwifehaver @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @oldwitcheshat @nightmareglitter @tinyplanet95 @novelnovella

[gsgerry]

The Top 10 New Mystery Books You Must Read in 2025

Mystery lovers, get ready—2025 is shaping up to be a thrilling year for the genre. Whether you're a fan of psychological suspense, courtroom drama, or classic whodunits, the best new mystery books hitting shelves this year promise unexpected twists, unforgettable characters, and gripping plots. If you’re looking to update your reading list with some of the most buzzworthy titles, this guide is for you.

We’ve rounded up the top 10 new mystery books you must read in 2025, including one powerful standout: the Trust on Trial book by G. S. Gerry, a fresh voice shaking up the genre with a truly original narrative.

1. Trust on Trial by G. S. Gerry

One of the most unique releases of the year, Trust on Trial is not your typical mystery. This genre-bending courtroom thriller blends humor, suspense, and emotional depth into a story inspired by true events. Gerry’s sharp writing and layered characters take readers on a journey through deception, betrayal, and justice—with a surprising twist. This is a must-read for fans of unconventional mystery storytelling.

2. The Widow’s Lie by Hannah Grey

This dark psychological mystery follows a grieving widow whose past secrets begin to unravel after her husband’s sudden death. Packed with tension and buried truths, it’s perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins.

3. Before the Smoke Settles by Daniel Voss

Set in a small town rocked by a suspicious fire, this atmospheric thriller explores family loyalties, secrets, and the lengths people go to protect their own.

4. The Coldest Betrayal by Nadine Sharpe

A gripping detective novel introducing Inspector Alice Thorne, whose investigation into a politician’s murder exposes corruption that runs deeper than anyone imagined.

5. Whispers from the Attic by Lisa Renard

A gothic mystery involving an old estate, a missing girl, and a series of cryptic journal entries. Renard masterfully blends eerie ambiance with smart twists.

6. No Truth Left to Tell by Morgan Blake

This legal thriller follows a defense attorney who begins to question her own client’s innocence. With its smart pacing and ethical dilemmas, it’s a standout in the genre.

7. The Memory Code by Isla Keane

A scientist wakes up with no memory of the past year—and a string of murders points directly at her. A fast-paced thriller that dives into memory, identity, and guilt.

8. Silent Pact by C.L. Monroe

An old secret between friends comes back to haunt them when a body is discovered in their hometown. A mix of psychological suspense and classic mystery elements.

9. Crossed Lines by Darren Fielding

A detective must work with a hacker to track down a killer targeting police officers. Their uneasy alliance leads to a riveting game of cat and mouse.

10. Echoes of the Lake by Marcia Hunt

A missing person case takes a chilling turn when long-buried crimes are uncovered in a quiet lakeside town. Hunt’s lyrical writing adds depth to the suspense.

From debut authors to seasoned pros, these best new mystery books of 2025 are sure to satisfy your craving for suspense, puzzles, and page-turning tension. But among them all, Trust on Trial by G. S. Gerry stands out for its originality and daring approach to storytelling.

Looking to dive into the unexpected? Start with Trust on Trial—and prepare to question everything you thought you knew about trust, truth, and justice.

[lovestuckyhatemarvel]

Okay, another hour and a half long episode.

1.) Brenner missed the sad CGI and also baby El was very good at sealing the upside down.

2.) Brenner should have been a tattoo artist instead. I mean, a tattoo artist for adults, not kids. He’s got very steady hands and can tattoo numbers very exactly.

3.) THIS IS MUSIC.

4.) Honestly so far the only one who’s been a snob about music is Robin. But also I still don’t think Eddie would like Taylor Swift.

5.) Henry really wants to villain monologue at you, Nancy. Take a seat for this cliche.

6.) Damn, the CGI on those restraints is…bad.

7.) These images are going way too fast.

8.) Damn, Steve. Your arms are nice.

9.).”Written and directed by the Duffer Brothers”. I Know. That’s the Problem.

10.) What’s the point of keeping Yuri quiet at this point?

11.) Hopper, we super had a funeral for you.

12.) El is actually doing really badly.

13.) Why is anyone surprised that demogorgons can climb? Look at those fuck off legs.

14.) DID NONE OF THESE GUARDS PAY ATTENTION TO HOPPER USING FIRE?

15.) Okay the soldiers can unload their clip into a demogorgon and nothing happens but Hopper can shoot a demodog once in the head like Ol Yeller and it works.

16.) Okay but for real, where are the Russians getting all these bastards? Fun tubes, but WHERE ARE THEY FROM? Are they from Hawkins? How did they transfer that shit?

17.) HOW’D THEY GET THE CGI DUST MONSTER TO RUSSIA?

18.) Okay she can lift a thing.

19.) Will, I’m so sorry, but I did not care about your speech to Mike.

20.) I still don’t understand how Henry survived El’s attack or why the upside down didn’t turn into anything for him or what the fuck he did for like a decade floating in a void.

21.) Why is everyone whispering

22.) El got to hear at least some of the plan, at least.

23.) The War Zone is a hilarious name for a shop.

24.) Eddie, you moron. Wearing a mask doesn’t help if you’re wearing a shirt emblazoned with your club.

25.) BIG BOY.

26.) My roommate pointed out the RV would have been hooked up to water and sewage so driving it off like that would have fucked up the ground and the vehicle.

27.) I do not understand why Henry is so powerful or why him killing people would give him their powers when it doesn’t do that for El.

28.) I still don’t want Steve and Nancy together. Also I don’t think he actually said he wanted her there.

29.) that helicopter is hilarious

30.) “The KGB will be listening to this call” Oh what a change. This time it’ll be agents of someone else’s government that will be listening in.

31.) Oh, okay, Steve got the jacket from War Zone. Where’s the vest though?

32.) Ah, the boyfriend reveal.

33.) I still hate Jason Carver. Also, buckshot has a pretty good range, dipshit.

34.) Tire tracks. Ah yes, the plot happened here.

35.) IDK why El told Sam to check Max’s place. The bit she heard did not make it seem like they were staying there. And so Sam asking that woman for that was kind of stupid.

36.) What? Brenner double crossed Sam Owens? Who could have predicted this twist? Surely only the greatest psychics.

37.) I am proud of El for saying to Brenner’s face that he’s a monster.

38.) Baby girl, kill Brenner anyway.

39.) YOU KNOW WHO WOULD LOVE TO KILL BRENNER? KALI. THE GIRL NO ONE IN THIS FACILITY TALKS ABOUT.

40.) Robin and Steve are sweet.

41.) goddamn it, brenner, just remove El’s collar.

42.) I am glad Brenner got shot so many times though.

43.) Oh shit, it’s the script.

44.) oh no the psychic child is using her psychic powers to stop your from badly shooting at her? Who could have predicted this?

45.) oh my god el, do something real already.

46.) the payoff wasn’t worth it.

47.) “Yeah, it’s cool, but it would have been better if it’d happened about 11 seconds earlier.” My roommate is hilarious.

48.) Brenner turned off the collar as a last act. Okay whatever.

49.) BRENNER SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DIE ALREADY.

50.) this heartfelt conversation makes no sense and was not earned.

51.) brenner you were shot like 5 times by a sniper rifle, how are you still talking, let alone alive?

52.) SHould have run over his corpse with the pizza van

53.) god they held on that brenner shot for way too long

54.) WHO’S GONN DIE????? Just say everyone.

55.) moody shots.

56.) LMAO THIS SONG. GOD. DUFFERS, STOP SUCKING YOUR OWN CODCKS FOR FIVE SECONDS.

Oh god I looked ahead and the season 4 finale is 2 and 22 minutes long. I hate the duffers.

[mlchaelwheeler]

ok wait in lieu of this post, pls rb and in the tags rate each s4 plot (listed below) on a scale from 1-10, 1 being a snooze fest and 10 being cinema

hawkins/creel house plot

russia plot

el/papa/lab/NINA plot

cali crew plot

[777cherry-blossom777]

SPOILERS FOR STRANGER THINGS VOLUME 2

Ok here’s a list of why everyone is saying volume 2 was so much worse than every other part (part 6).

Im putting all the groups in seperate posts so its not too long. Here’s just the overall reasons it sucked.

GENERAL

1. The fucking two day time skip. Oh please. First of all, that was the most pathetic excuse to not show everyone trying to get out of the upside down and/or grieving Eddie. It was like the duffers could see all the loose ends they left and just decided to make that time skip so if ever anyone asked they can say “oh yeah that was addressed in the two days afterwards”. Second, you’re telling me that I’m only two days, everyone made a miraculous recovery except Max and Dustin??? Where did his limp even come from? Duffers you can’t just give him a limp to show that he’s been in a fight he has to have actually INJURED HIS LEG. No scars or bruises on the teens faces, only Lucas’s black eye, Dustin’s limp, and Max’s everything. Ok so they got Max. But literally everyone else? And they’re not even upset about Max or Eddie??? What???

2. They went on and on about time this and time that and there was literally nothing to do with time. The clock was just to say that four people had to die before times up (great pun but wtf). With all the actors saying this season would be carnage, I was expecting an Avengers Endgame type thing, where El somehow reversed time. But, much like pretty much every other plot point from volume 1, it was completely ignored.

3. Angela? She was just gone? Mike and El never discussed it again? Yet another point from volume 1 they forgot about.

4. Will’s birthday. I still can’t believe they forgot that.

5. How did no one in Hawkins notice the giant glowing red x in the ground from all the murder sites in the earthquake zone??? What?

6. The whole team just let Eddie be called a murderer??? And they just left his body in the upside down and were all fine except Dustin??? Once again, what???

7. Max’s mum not being in the hospital room and her trailer probably being destroyed seeing as it was right next to Eddie’s. Obviously she’s most likely dead, and yet they never addressed that?

8. The relationship between the mind flayer and Vecna was never addressed?

9. The fact that the upside down was frozen in time was never addressed???

10. All the queerbaiting. And using their only queer characters to further straight relationships.

Honestly this whole volume felt like it was made by completely different people with no idea what they’re doing.