Zero Sparrow

Hello,

If you're here because you've seen and, hopefully, liked my Steddie fic 'Stand and Deliver' but then saw that it hasn't been updated since July 2025. This is a little update to let you know that the fic has not been abandoned.

Stand and Deliver is currently undergoing a rewrite. I wasn't very happy with the pacing and the character development in the original fic. So instead of deleting the entire work, I have decided to rewrite it. This will be quite a big undertaking on my end as I will be writing the entire fic first before I begin posting. I've found that having any sort of deadline gave me quite bad anxiety, which in turn affected the writing. From now, until I start posting, I will be giving updates on this fic every month. This will, hopefully, keep me accountable and to stop me from just veering off into yet another WIP.

As a show of good faith and to be like "look, see! I am doing something!" Here is a little thing that I made that will feature at the end of a chapter.

Omg yes. ok. I was on a Truman Capote binge when I had the idea for this one. So it's basically 'In Cold Blood' with Steve being an investigative journalist (for Nancy's independently run magazine). He goes to Hawkins where Eddie is being charged with first-degree murder of Chrissy Cunningham. Like 'In Cold Blood,' Steve interviews Eddie and the residents of Hawkins, but soon finds out that the small town harbours deep seated biases and secrets. I kind of want the story to go back and forth between a Steve centred 3rd person POV and snippets of the book he's writing about Eddie. (Here is a little snippet of Steve's book, please ignore any punctuation mistakes) -

In the lush hills of Roane County, just a two-hour drive from Indianapolis, lies the town of Hawkins. It is an idyllic suburban daydream, with green manicured lawns, a heart-shaped lake, and a verdant forest encircling the town in quiet isolation. Hawkins is the kind of place we envision when we think ‘Middle America’— a town where neighborhood kids become lifelong friends, and parents proudly watch their sons and daughters play basketball and cheer.

The people of Hawkins are a friendly sort, welcoming to newcomers who share their vision of domestic bliss. It is the type of town that inspires its residents to take pride in their home, where everyone works hard to make Hawkins a place where families can settle and grow roots.

Before 1986, Hawkins had mostly flown under the radar as a seemingly ordinary town. Even the fire in 1985, which destroyed the newly opened Starcourt Mall (resulting in the tragic death of troubled teen Billy Hargrove), was barely mentioned outside Indiana. For the people of Hawkins, however, most of whom had been vehemently opposed to the mall in the first place, this tragedy felt like both a blow and a betrayal. In the aftermath, under heavy criticism, the mall's biggest supporter—Mayor Larry Kline—stepped down from office, leaving behind a scandalous cheating affair and a charred shopping center as his legacy. Even this barely made waves beyond the great state of Indiana. Undeterred by a disgraced mayor and the ruined remnants of modern America, the townsfolk of Hawkins carried on, their determined shoulders squared and smiles firmly in place. They would weather through this, as all red-blooded Americans do.

RULES: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous and tag as many people as you have WIPs**. People send an ask with the title that most intrigues them, then you post a snippet or tell them something about it.

I don't really know anyone in the fandom communities well enough who I can just tag in a random post. :\

If you read this and you don't mind me tagging you, let me know!

Steddie

Stand and Deliver (Rewrite) - This is my priority fic at the moment.

La Gioventù Dorata (The Gilded Youth)

Apricity

The Devil's Advocate

Original Fiction

Neoptolemus/Pyrrhus

The Whitecross Mysteries