Stranger Tales is now a project, rather than event - a celebration of Stranger Things and all things fairytales and fantasy! You can write fic, create art, share cosplays, or just come hang out in the discord where you might encounter the strangest thing of all: friendship (link at the bottom of this post!)
All Stranger Things lore, characters, spaces and concepts are welcome in anything you decide to create for the project
Fairytales may be existing or original! We're using an extremely broad definition of "fairytale" here - as long as it fits within typical fairytale/fantasy elements and includes Stranger Things in some way, we encourage it
When is the deadline?
That’s the beauty of this project, there is no deadline! You don't even have to create anything at all! We will be doing yearly collections as long as there is interest, so whenever you have completed your work, feel free to add it to our ao3 collection or tag the project on social media!
We release regular prompts on our socials and in the discord server for inspiration, using one overarching fairytale and multiple related mini-prompts using elements from the story, but, again there's no obligation and no deadline - if you see a prompt from months ago and it sparks something, go forth and create!
We also play weekly Stranger Things themed games on our socials for a little extra fun - come check out a Meme Me Monday, What-If Wednesday, or Fic Me Friday
Is there an age limit?
Yes, this project is 18 and up, due to the often dark and sexual themes in fairytales, as well as the content being allowed for the event
Are there content restrictions?
We are asking people to not make any ST character/OC (as main ship) and ST/Reader content for this project, but otherwise everything is fair game if tagged correctly!
Does that mean dead dove content is allowed?
Yes! We just ask that everything be tagged accurately, and any appropriate warnings be included
For those unfamiliar, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat is a tag that means “exactly what is written on the bag”. While this does generally include darker, mature and often taboo themes, the meaning is that what is listed in the tags will be in the work. Dead Dove writers are encouraged to participate, as we will not be turning away works for any specific themes. That being said, it is the author’s responsibility to tag works appropriately, and reader’s responsibility to read the tags and be mindful of their own boundaries and triggers
If you have a piece you might not want to add your name to, that’s fine! You’re more than welcome to post anonymously if you prefer
What about omegaverse?
Omegaverse is absolutely allowed! Mpreg is also allowed, again as long as everything is tagged appropriately
Please refer to this as either omegaverse or apha/beta/omega dynamics, rather than the abbreviation to be respectful of everyone
Are there character restrictions?
Nope! We realize some people may not be fans of certain Stranger Things characters, however we will not be restricting characters included in this event
Once again, tag appropriately, but any characters or pairings may be included
Is there a minimum word count required?
Nope! No deadline, no word count, no fic/art/cosplay/participation requirement. If you just want to quietly follow the tumblr and enjoy other people's game responses, that's totally fine!
I’m a beta reader/editor or would like to be a cheerleader! Can I still sign up?
Absolutely! As there's no participation requirement for the project, there's no formal beta reader matching, but our discord server is a fantastic little space full of encouragement and we'd love to have you to help out! (You can find the link at the bottom of this post)
Alas, I don’t write or beta, draw or cosplay, but I do craft?
Excellent! You will be able to add photos of your craft to our collections if you would like to share your talents with us! (Please note, craft submissions should still fit within the guidelines of the event)
What if someone else has posted a work using the fairytale that I planned on?
The more the merrier! There is no limit to the amount of works that can be inspired by the same fairytale. More cake!
Obviously, don’t copy anyone else’s existing work, but inspiration strikes in many ways. If your idea is inspired by an existing Stranger Tales work and shares similarities, just make sure to contact the original creator beforehand for permission to riff on their idea
Also, since our monthly prompts are all based around one classic fairytale each time, there will likely be a fair amount of overlap and lots of different cakes made from the same ingredients
Where & how do I post my fic/art/podfic/craft/cosplay?
archiveofourown.org/AO3: Fics should be posted to Archive of Our Own in the Stranger Tales collection. Here is a guide from AO3 on how to add your work to a collection
Tumblr: please tag your post with “Stranger Tales” and “stranger tales [artform]” (eg “stranger tales fic”, “stranger tales art”, “stranger tales cosplay”, “stranger tales craft”) and tag @stranger-tales so we can easily find it and repost it
Bluesky: please tag @stranger-tales.bsky.social and use the hashtag #StrangerTales
Twitter: please tag @StrangerTales25 and use hashtag #StrangerTales
Where can I stay up to date?
Discord: our server will have all of the information listed here, as well as any announcements and updates as they come, not to mention being generally a fun place to be! You can find the link at the bottom of this post
If you are not on discord, please follow our socials where we will be posting additional prompts, any important updates and of course reposting people’s Stranger Tales projects:
"Well, bruv, you're never gonna believe this but I were on my way home stoned outta me tiny wee mind and-"
"How much did he have?" Whispered Steve.
"Not entirely sure," Dustin whispered back unable to look away. "He thought we were being tailed by the cops and ate the entire contents of his contraband lunchbox."
"Why does he sound like he's from England?" Steve looked at Eddie not wanting to take his eyes off his boyfriend in case he made a break for it.
"I think he thinks he's part of a Monty Python sketch-"
"Has anyone seen my coconuts? I can't ride my horse without them." Eddie stood and started looking under the cushions.
"I've not seen a horse, baby, have you, Henderson?" Steve asked Dustin tentatively.
"Of course you wouldn't!" Eddie exclaimed, "She's invisible!"
(also @stranger-tales little mermaid prompt if you squint — because he's in the water) it's a hot summer day and eddie decides Lovers Lake is the perfect place to chill, or something. because you know he would just get in the lake, fully dressed, holding a beer and a lit cigarette. yes, he held both up above the water while he dipped is head under the water to cool down
also on bluesky.
(it was about time i did / finished some bingo prompts)
"You shall bend to my mind contr-- Wait, your skin is so soft! What's your routine? Do you have a favourite lotion? You absolutely must give me the name of your dermatologist, the air in the Upside Down is playing merry hell with my fine lines and open... well, everything."
at last we find out why Vecna has had such a fixation on Will all these years
brave citizens, you have made it to the end of the week!
let's see if I can drag any brainworms out of you with this...
Fic Me Friday!
I'm going to give you the title and some tags for an imaginary stranger things au, and I want you to spin me the vague plot or summary of a fic! you can give as much or as little info as you like, just whatever makes those brainworms go a-burrowing
we're still pulling from our Brave prompt set for this month - you can see the full list here, but in the meantime why not show me what you've got for...
title: petrified opinion (never yet broke a chain)
tags: teachers au, rivals to lovers, opposites attract, after school clubs, misguided attempts at matchmaking
If Joyce had been taken by the Russians, I think it would have been interesting to see a parallel where either Jonathan or Will is the one who can’t accept that she’s gone, and looks for her.
definitely! it would have been nice if Jonathan had had something to do after season 3
yes! Lonnie becomes Jonathan, Will, and El's legal guardian and they still end up in California
I could see a scenario where Jonathan and Nancy arrange stuff with Owens behind the scenes and then Jonathan goes to Lonnie like "listen, we're taking in this strange girl and moving to California, the government is paying for the move and a house and all the logistics, you don't even have to get a job, just sign the papers and I'll look after the kids"
thus furthering the parentification themes we got with Jonathan in s1 even more
If Joyce had been taken by the Russians, I think it would have been interesting to see a parallel where either Jonathan or Will is the one who can’t accept that she’s gone, and looks for her.
definitely! it would have been nice if Jonathan had had something to do after season 3
Platonic Soulmates Mini Bang is dedicated to the platonic pairings Stobin & Hellcheer. Create for one or both pairings! We’ll reach out over email to confirm sign up and send the discord link, so please check your spam folder if you haven’t heard from us.
brave citizens, you have made it to the end of the week!
let's see if I can drag any brainworms out of you with this...
Fic Me Friday!
I'm going to give you the title and some tags for an imaginary stranger things au, and I want you to spin me the vague plot or summary of a fic! you can give as much or as little info as you like, just whatever makes those brainworms go a-burrowing
we're still pulling from our Brave prompt set for this month - you can see the full list here, but in the meantime why not show me what you've got for...
as ever, when you see [character], substitute the name you want to use - shapeshifter El? cursed Steve? or perhaps the same character is both cursed and a shapeshifter? who's to say. it's your call, beloveds!
