This week’s writer spotlight feature is: @hairstevington! With 38 Stranger Things works, they've published 25 in the Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson tag and counting!!
@marvel-ous-m recommends the following works by @hairstevington:
Deaf Steve AU
call me when you get this
i wanna cut to the feeling
They’re such a fantastic author!!! I love their fics so so much. They bring such joy and realism into their writing, and have a fantastic sense of humor. Sending so much love to @hairstevington for being such an inspiration, cheerleader, and for breaking my heart just to put it back together again whenever I read their writing. <3 -- @marvel-ous-m
Below the cut, @hairstevington answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!
Why do you write Steddie?
I got into Steddie completely by accident. I hadn’t written fanfiction prior to Stranger Things Volume 2, and I basically fast-tracked the learning curve lol. I think it just took a couple posts on Tumblr for me to see the vision, and then the brainrot just did its thing for 2+ years and counting. I like their dynamic, their banter, how they’re both idiots. Chef’s kiss!
What’s your favorite trope to READ?
I’m such a sucker for slow-burn romance, enemies to lovers, and fake-dating.
What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?
I write what I like to read, mostly! But I tend to do a lot of “firsts.” First time falling in love, first kiss, etc.
What’s your favorite Steddie fic?
That I’ve written? Oh, gosh. “Freaky Friday (Steddie’s Version)” or “i can’t tune you out.” I think those two inspired me the most while writing, so I have a soft spot for them. OF COURSE I also love and adore the Deaf Steve AU. Hard to choose! If it’s one I’ve read?? Oh man, too many to list. There are so many amazing writers out there <3
Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?
Not really a trope, but maybe podfic?? It’s an interesting avenue I haven’t explored yet!
What is your writing process like?
I take a lot of notes on my phone throughout the day about what I want to add to my stories when I get home. For the Deaf Steve series I’ve got a playlist I listen to a LOT and that keeps me in the universe. I also map out the general plot. My current season 4 rewrite has the most extensive outline I’ve ever done (character and group arc breakdowns, motivations, etc). But most of the time, I just sit at my computer and go!
Do you have any writing quirks?
I HAVE to write in chronological order. If I write a future scene, I’ll fall in love with it, and by the time I get there it won’t fit anymore. Tragic!
Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?
I don’t have a schedule. I would love to have one, because I like routine and it gives people something concrete to follow, but at this point I can’t commit to a schedule since I’m so busy.
Which fic are you most proud of?
It has to be Deaf Steve, right??? Both parts of that have taken a LOT of brain power. Learning how to incorporate sign language into my writing was a huge challenge. It was interesting though to write Steve’s POV, because he often is left out of the conversation, which was frustrating for me to write and frustrating for him as a character.
How did you get the idea for songs that voices never share?
Oh!! That was ENTIRELY a fluke. I am in the Stranger Things Writers Guild, and every day we have a “daily drabble.” One day, the prompt was “quiet.” For whatever reason, I wrote about a hundred or so words of Steve having gone deaf, then being introduced to Eddie, who knows ASL. A lot of people requested more, so I fleshed it out and made it a full fic!
When writing songs that voices never share, what was something you didn’t expect?
I didn’t expect so many people to resonate with it!! The amount of comments I got about how important the representation was motivated me to keep going, even when the project went above and beyond its roots. It started as a drabble, then was planned as a 7 chapter fic, which turned into a multi-part series. Wild!
What inspired call me when you get this?
That was another one from the Stranger Things Writers Guild! I wanted a writing exercise, and someone suggested a story through voicemails, and I thought that was so cool I ran with it.
What was your favorite part to write from we can be heroes?
Oh, man!! I had never written suspense/horror before, so that was new territory for me. I wanted to capture the energy of season 1, and I tried to do that by diverting from canon and subverting expectations. I also loved being able to change all the things from canon I didn’t like lol. And, for the record - the part I’ve been MOST excited to write since the fic started hasn’t happened yet, so more good stuff to come!
How do/did you feel writing i wanna cut to the feeling?
Aww, this fic <3 I started writing it while I was sick with Covid the week of Christmas, 2022. It was my first long-form Steddie fic, and I had a blast, but it’s interesting now to look back and see how I’ve evolved as a writer. You can even see my writing skill develop over the course of the fic! Very cool. I also had so much audience engagement for that one. The Trish Takedown™ was extraordinary - I have NEVER had so many readers band together to hate a single character lol.
What was the most difficult part of writing i wanna cut to the feeling?
At the time, it was the most popular thing I’d ever written, and I felt a lot of pressure to get it right. I had a WHOLE inner conflict about whether I “needed” to include smut. I was so worried people would drop off if I didn’t include it, but ultimately decided to do what I was most comfortable with. I don’t think a single person complained, and now I don’t feel the pressure!
Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?
One that I have always adored is from i can’t tune you out. (That’s the one where Eddie and Steve are rivaling musicians who are fake-dating as a PR stunt to promote their new albums). Eddie listens to one of Steve’s new songs and goes on a whole rant about how all music nowadays is formulaic, soulless, and predictable with no fire in it. And he says, “but this? I felt it.” And Steve asks, “the fire?” and Eddie says, “No. You.” It’s a huge turning point in their relationship and things keep growing from there! Oh, also, the entirety of Chapter 13 of songs that voices never share!
Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?
I am currently writing a fic that is a modern day AU where Eddie, Steve, El, Max, Chrissy, and Argyle are in group therapy, led by Bob (it’s called “the hardest part is who we are”). If you like the thought of the characters processing their trauma together and Eddie and Steve falling in love with each other in the meantime, go check it out! It’s full of feels and at times heavy but also soft at the same time?? I’ve loved writing it so far.
Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?
TO WHOEVER NOMINATED ME - thank you!!! I am genuinely so honored. These questions were awesome, this account is awesome, and so much of the joy and inspiration I feel while writing comes from the people reading who resonate with it. It makes me feel so connected to you all, and so seen. So, thank you’s all around, my friends!
Thank you to our author, @hairstevington, and our nominator, @marvel-ous-m! See more of @hairstevington works featured on our page throughout the day!
Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!
