This week’s writer spotlight feature is: @cydonic! cydonic has 16 fics posted to AO3 in the Stranger Things fandom and 11 of them are in the Steddie tag.
Our anonymous nominator recommends the following works by cydonic:
'tis the damn season
you and me from the night before
keep my hand in yours
The Harrington Home for Strays and Stars
magnificently cursed
"Cydonic's writing ranges from sweet and sincere to silly and fun, often all within the same piece. Cydonic writes both long fics and shorter one-shots and every piece does a wonderful job exploring Steve and Eddie's characters and their relationships to queerness. The current longest piece in Cyd's portfolio is an ongoing story called 'The Harrington Home for Strays and Stars' that Cyd has clearly poured so much love and time into for the past three (3!) years. A long-term member of the fandom, Cyd's writing captures so many different facets of the Steddie dynamic that draws fans in to the ship." -- anonymous
Below the cut, cydonic answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!
Why do you write Steddie?
Honestly, a lot of my online friends jumped over to steddie, so I got into it by exposure in a sense. What I really appreciated was Steve’s character development throughout the seasons, and how Eddie interacted with him in the show. Plus, I kinda love when there’s not a lot for us to work from as authors because it gives us a lot of free rein. So being able to do what I’d like with both their characters, but moreso Eddie’s, is a lot of fun for me.
What’s your favorite trope to READ?
Definitely something hurt/comfort. I’ve always been a big fan of whump too. I just love to see them hurt!
What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?
Honestly, I love to write hurt/comfort as well. I find the fics I write that are more light-hearted/humorous tend to be a lot of fun too! Basically, I’ll give anything a go haha.
What’s your favorite Steddie fic?
It’s so hard to pick just one! If I am allowed to pick three, I’d go Dissonance Theory by teddywesworl and colossalflea, took you for a working boy by pukner, and Slither by MixAddams.
Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?
I would love to write Deaf!Steve! I don’t know if that counts as a trope, necessarily, and I’m very aware of doing it in a respectful way so there’d be a lot of research involved on my end.
Are there any memorable Steddie collaborations (art, writing, podfic, etc.) you've done or would like to do?
I think every time I’ve been able to work with an artist has been such a gift! I’ve been lucky enough to either receive or commission art from people, and I’ve had a few bang experiences too. I think the most memorable collabs have been when the amazing Catherine has created different embroidered pieces for Harrington Home. They just fit the farm vibe so beautifully!
What is your writing process like?
It really depends! In a lot of instances I just use dot points to mark out key scenes/points I want to cover. For something like Harrington Home, I never intended for it to be as big as it is, so I started out with dot points. Now I’m in a position where I have forgotten so many things that happened, and I’m just hoping to get it done without too many glaring plot holes haha. If I was planning to write something longer, I typically plan much more intensely – I look at things like which time of year I’m setting it, what birthdays/holidays fall within that scope, and I tend to plan out POV (if alternating) too.
After I have a plan, I make a cup of tea and just force myself to start. As hard as it is, once I get going I find it usually pretty easy to get into the swing of things, even though I’m not always in the mood when I start writing. I try to get an entire chapter done at once, if I can, just because I find the flow of it better. Then I try to let it sit for a few days before I reread and edit, putting in any comments for my beta reader to check out when I pass it to them.
What writing tools do you use, if any? For example, do you participate in community writing events like sprints or prompts, or have a favorite writing program aid like Scrivener?
I used to participate in bangs and exchanges, but I’ve found it much harder to commit over time as my real job (boo) grows more and more time-consuming. I’m a huge fan of reverse bangs – I love getting an artist’s work and coming up with ideas from that!
Do you have any writing quirks?
I’m not sure! I definitely throw in a lot of accidental Australianisms in there, as I’m fondly reminded of often by readers. 😊 Sorry about it!
Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?
My preference used to be when I’d finished, because I was so worried about letting people down by just never finishing, but there’s something about the comments that just inspire me! Plus, I’ve had lots of times now where somebody has left a comment with a great idea that I’ve been able to incorporate because I’m not done. So for right now, I post when I finish writing.
Which fic are you most proud of?
Overall, I think Harrington Home. I’ve never written anything even close to it in length, and I just love the world I’ve managed to create around it. However, magnificently cursed was just so much fun and I’m really proud of the concept.
What's a funny or interesting or completely wild research topic you've dug into as a result of writing Steddie?
Way too much stuff about how to care for livestock haha.
How did you get the idea for The Harrington Home for Strays and Stars?
I don’t entirely remember, just that I was reading Charlotte’s Web as a class novel and I loved the farm vibes of it. As far as Eddie’s origin story in that universe, it just played into my love of hurt/comfort.
When writing magnificently cursed, what was something you didn’t expect?
I think the main thing I didn’t expect was how much fun I was going to have with Eddie’s POV! I have always found it easier to write Steve, but I really enjoyed exploring Eddie, especially getting some free rein with how he would’ve been if he knew Steve in Season 2.
What inspired keep my hand in yours?
That’s a really complicated one! I think part of it has a foundation in my own experience around gender and family. I’m also a hopeless romantic, and Christmas is my favourite time of year, so I just wanted to bring in that sort of hopefulness and joy. 🙂
What was your favorite part to write from The Harrington Home for Strays and Stars?
My favourite part to date was when Steve told Max he wanted her to stay, so they could begin that adoption process. I’d had that scene in my mind for, like, two hundred thousand words haha. But this may change as I continue writing! I have some really fun stuff planned.
How do/did you feel writing you and me from the night before?
This one was inspired by a piece of art I saw on Twitter! At the time I wrote it, I had started to be cut adrift, and it was my first long steddie fic which dealt with more of Steve’s trauma post-everything. So it was nice to change things up, and write something a bit lighthearted. 🙂
What was the most difficult part of writing 'tis the damn season?
Probably the fact that I got it in my head that I had to write a Christmas fic, and started it on, like, December 23rd haha. Once I got into it, though, it flowed pretty easily!
Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?
That’s always so hard for me! Sometimes people comment with a line and I don’t even remember writing it haha. I think one of my favourite scenes is from magnificently cursed, when Eddie shows up at the Byers’ house looking for Steve, mirroring the scene when Billy beat him up. It was just delightfully chaotic to write (and, if you hadn’t already noticed, I love to make Steve hurt sometimes).
Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?
I wish! Work continues to get harder, and my chronic pain isn’t letting up, so I haven’t been able to write as much as I’d like to. 🙁 I’m hoping to upload another chapter of Harrington Home soon, though!
Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?
I would just like to thank you for reaching out, this is so sweet and really made me reflect on my writing journey. 🙂 I actually got some writing done while mulling over these questions, so I appreciate that. And just a general thank you to everybody who has read and shared anything I’ve written - it really does mean the world! 💖
Thank you to our author, @cydonic, and our nominator! See more of cydonic's works featured on our page throughout the day!
Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!
“Mike.” Steve has a very calm voice. He hasn’t stopped rubbing his thumb against Mike’s skin, and Mike thinks he must really be stupid, if he hasn’t figured it out by now. “You know there’s nothing wrong with sharing a bed with your best friend when you have a sleepover, right?”
Mike shakes his head, turns and presses it into the carpet, seeking the burn against his cheek. “We didn’t even do anything!” It explodes out of him, the same thing he’d yelled at his dad through tears as he threatened to call Mrs Byers, threatened to move schools so he couldn’t ever see that boy again, because no son of his - no son of his -
“That’s fine,” Steve tells him, reassuringly calm. “And you know that if you did do something, that would be fine too, right?”
Mike tries to snatch his hands back from Steve, wants to bury his face in them, wants to pull the hair out of his head and sink his teeth into his arm and scream and scream and scream.
But Steve doesn’t let him.
“Mike, listen to me.” There’s something a little sharper to Steve’s voice now. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to have a sleepover with your best friend, there’s nothing wrong with sleeping in the same bed, and there’s nothing wrong with two boys holding hands or kissing or just thinking about any of that. Do you hear me?”
Mike curls further in on himself, which draws him towards Steve, towards where his hands - and body and mind - are anchored in place by his infuriatingly stable presence. “It is wrong,” Mike whispers, forehead knocking into Steve’s knee.
“Bullshit it’s wrong,” Steve says, almost jokingly, and it’s the unpredictability of everything that is Steve Harrington that throws Mike’s familiar spiral off-course again. “Listen, I’m not an expert on anything, you know that for a fact. But I can tell you that liking boys or liking girls or liking both or liking none, like… none of that is bad. It’s just - human, y’know?”
Mike turns his head, tries to glare at Steve though his eyelashes are clotted with tears.
Steve smiles beatifically at him. “There’s nothing wrong with being in love,” he says, with an element of awe, like anything Mike has ever thought is romantic rather than disgusting.
“I’m not in love,” Mike replies. He wants it to sound harsh and dismissive, but instead it just sounds small and sad.
Whatever way it sounds, it’s a lie.
“A lot of people love you, though,” Steve notes simply. “In a lot of different ways.”
haven't been on tumblr in a while but I am trying to get back into social media with things I actually enjoy instead of just aimlessly scrolling tiktok, so gonna post some of my fics here 🥰
if you're interested in reading about mike wheeler crashing out post-s5, have I got news for you!
This month I'm also participating in @sapphicstevents Sapphic Mini Bang as an artist!
I did this promo for the project #025 "like a lamb to the" by the super talented @cydonic, with a supernatural and steamy piece with Robin and Chrissy.
Beware who are you calling from beyond!!!! If you love monsters (and monsterfucking, of course) then this demon Robin AU it's for you!
You can read a preview here:
Chrissy approaches the mirror, fear spiking in her gut. She grips the edge of the counter and glances over her shoulder, to ensure no bobby-pin lock-picking has been performed whilst her back has been turned. Slowly, she leans in towards the mirror.
Then, Chrissy whispers the words she had promised to yell.
"Red Robin," she murmurs, then swallows around the lump in her throat, determined to continue. Determined to do it now, door closed, so that she can say it with more confidence later for the giggling masses to hear. "Red Robin, Red Robin." Nothing is happening in the room - not even an ominous flickering of the overhead light, or some unexpected creaking. Chrissy can hear whispers and hushed giggling through the door. "Red Robin, Red Robin."
Chrissy searches her own reflection in the mirror, but nothing has changed. She is still completely alone, still standing in Tina's bathroom with bright red cheeks because she was such an idiot to ever believe something stupid could be true.
And then, in the span of a singular blink, she's not alone any more.
a post-s4 fic about the monster Eddie becomes, and how he and Steve save one another. inspired by the winter soldier and written for the @kaseddieevent. a new chapter posted every Sunday.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
literally just steve harrington dressed as an elf falling in love with eddie munson, who visits santa in the mall… many times. a meetcute for the ages. happy holidays! 🎅
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
(trying to keep my tumblr up to date now with my works, so there may be an influx over the next few days - primarily steddie! follow me if that's something you're interested in 🥰)
literally just steve harrington dressed as an elf falling in love with eddie munson, who visits santa in the mall… many times. a meetcute for the ages. happy holidays! 🎅
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
(trying to keep my tumblr up to date now with my works, so there may be an influx over the next few days - primarily steddie! follow me if that's something you're interested in 🥰)
reviving my tumblr in case twitter goes down 💖 I’ll try follow back all my twt pals but if ur usernames are drastically different please just message me
Hi, I’m Tracy Grimshaw! Are you ready to lose both of your last two braincells? Because we have a shonky tradie who could be coming to YOUR door and preying on your grandparents also there are HOONS that are making electricity prices skyrocket and coming up next is your suburb at risk of gang war. electricity expensive and fear everywhere watch next for more fear related trash journalism
