johnconstantius

[johnconstantius]

And All The Days Were Special - Chapter 7

It’s been a long time. I’ve been silent on AO3 and here on tumblr. You know how it is. Real life happens. You want to write, but you keep putting it off.

But… you still want to tell that story. You want it out of your head and down on the page where it belongs. Then a new season of Stranger Things drops and you carve out the time.

Next thing you know, Chapter 7 of All The Days gets posted on AO3.

It’s a little rough, I’ll admit. Writing I find is like riding a bike - you never forget how to do it, but the first time you get on a bike after a long hiatus you’re going to be a bit wobbly. So, sorry about that. I hope it’s a good journey even so.

Anyway, please head over to AO3 if you’re so inclined. I’m grateful for every person who takes some time out of their day to have a look.

#fanfic #mileven #stranger things #ao3 #and all the days were special #new chapter is up #mike wheeler #eleven

[johnconstantius]

i saw the batman movie which was amazing but it made me think about how writers envision things in movies and film. i was wondering what scenes from the Special series you'd love to see on the big screen? Whether it's a big action scene or a more regular scene between characters. for me, i would love to see the kraken in the water on a big screen. but also something basic like the talk between el and steve because there's cool ways you can make regular conversation look nice

What a great question. So basically chapters 24 to 31 of When He Was Special are supposed to be the big screen finale of that story. I wrote them as a challenge to myself to do an Avengers Endgame kind of conclusion - multiple characters, tons of action, every hero (Mike, El, Dustin, Steve, Joyce, Max, etc.) getting a “spotlight moment,” and the tension increasing throughout until the final scene in Chapter 31 with Mike and El. I wanted to see if I could juggle a dozen characters in a chaos of action and keep it all tense and coherent and easy to follow. I maybe pulled it off, if I do say so myself 😊.

So I would love to see those chapters on film, because I wrote them to mimic a big film finale.

As for All The Days, the Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico is incredibly photogenic and frequently features in movies. The Mileven scene from the last chapter where Mike and El kiss outside under the telescopes would look tremendous on the silver screen.

Finally, just a personal favorite - Chapter 18 of When He. The scene where everyone is splitting up to search Whateley House, El is clearly planning to use the opportunity to make out with Mike, and Steve isn’t having it - I would love to see that acted out onscreen 😊.

#fanfic #mileven #stranger things #ao3 #and all the days were special #whenhewasspecial #ask me anything #anonymous #answered

[johnconstantius]

John what did you think of the season 4 news? The posters, the release dates, the two volumes? I'm very excited!

Hello my dear! Big developments lately 😊!

So, a few thoughts:

I’m thrilled with the upcoming release date. Finally, new content - and not far away!

I also have mixed emotions about the upcoming release date. There’s no way I’ll have finished All The Days by then. On the downside, the upcoming season will completely invalidate all the fic I’ve written for the last few years, and that’s not great. It kind of feels like all of the Special series will become pointless. On the bright side, the new canon content could bring new/old fans who are looking for fanfic who could come to enjoy Special for what it is - a different journey for the characters we all love.

I’m pleased about the two volumes as it appears it will allow an earlier release of the first five episodes. I’m guessing they’ll finish post-production on the last four episodes while the first ones are out. This is all good - I’ve actually never been a huge fan of the Netflix “binge” approach in the past. Having a staggered approach and dropping the episodes over time allows for more fan speculation and engagement in the content. And fan speculation and engagement = fun.

I’m a little hesitant about the posters. They suggest that - unfortunately - El is going to be drawn into yet another solo storyline rather than being with Mike. That didn’t work great in Season 2 and I’m guessing it won’t be great this time. At any rate, it looks like Will and Mike will share a storyline, so maybe the Byler shippers will get their wishes fulfilled. I doubt it, but who can say.

Still, a relatively short timeline for new content is fabulous, I can’t wait! Lovely to see you in my inbox as always 😊!

#mileven #stranger things #season 4 speculation #stranger records #ask me stuff

[johnconstantius]

So many, many thanks to the wonderful Stranger Records for the official cover to And All The Days Were Special.

The artist is Jonathan Price, whose website is: https://jonathanpriceart.net/contact/.

Brenner has that perfect “looming” quality and I love the way Ewan’s face is in shadow - it really gives the vibe I want to communicate for the character. I’m super thrilled with how everyone looks, especially short-haired El! And the VLA at the corner captures that location’s feel so incredibly well.

For avoidance of doubt, the car race scene (one of them, anyway 😊) is coming soon and Brenner returns in Chapter 7 - which is well underway!

Thank you so much, @stranger-records! You are a gift and a true gem and I’m so blessed that you are reading along with the story. 🙏❤️😊🥰

#stranger records #fanfic #ao3 #mileven #stranger things #and all the days were special #fan art #cover art #book cover #movie poster #people are nice #Jonathan price

[johnconstantius]

hey I’m the anon who asked about fanart. I finally posted it to my blog after completely forgetting about it for months. Anyways, sorry, I hope you like it!! I love your work :D

OMG I love it!! Seriously, you picked some of my favorite moments from the series and you captured them so well. I’d like to say Steve’s Professional Monster Hunter is my favorite, but I love them all - Will’s picture (poor Will ☹️) and the “assman” one are so perfect. Thank you so much for this ❤️.

#fanfic #ao3 #mileven #stranger things #whenhewasspecial #fanart #flordolaciosambodromo

[johnconstantius]

Give that Vecna's hand and eye famously are grafted onto their bearer in place of the bearer's own body parts, I'm intrigued as to what the "Curse of Vecna" could be in the context of Stranger Things

You’re killing me dude! I hadn’t even thought of that.

My bad for owning the 1st edition DMG and not reading it closely enough.

Hmm... maybe Robert Englund / Creel was the wrong call. Maybe Matthew Modine / Brenner? He did appear to take a hard beat down in ST1 that might require... replacements...

#stranger things #season 4 #season 4 speculation #vecna #robert englund #Matthew modine #martin brenner #lifeattomsdiner

[johnconstantius]

Another important question is what did you think of the episode titles? The titles so far are: The Hellfire Club, Vecna's Curse, The Monster and the Superhero, Dear Billy, The Nina Project, The Dive, The Massacre at Hawkins Lab, Papa, The Piggyback. Some might change when the season launches but until then, any thoughts on the names of the episodes so far?

As always, it’s a joy to see you in my inbox - and a shout out to the Anonymous who asked a similar question while expressing their appreciation for the title, “The Massacre at Hawkins Lab” 😊.

For me, the title that stands out and that I love is “Vecna’s Curse.”

For those not in the know, Vecna is the name of a sorcerer and arch-lich / undead necromancer from the earliest days of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.

Wikipedia tells me that the earliest mentions of Vecna appeared in the 1976 supplement to the original (white box) D&D. These were three magic items - Vecna’s Hand, his Eye, and the sword of his henchman, Kas. A copy of the white box materials in good condition can run north of $1000 these days, so I’ll have to take Wikipedia’s word for it 😊.

Similar items appear in the 1979 AD&D first edition Dungeon Masters Guide. I bought a copy of the 1st edition DMG on eBay - it’s freakin’ expensive, but luckily not in white box territory thanks to to a much larger print run. I had to buy it - it’s just so cool to hold a proper piece of fantasy RPG and fiction history in your hands.

Vecna continued to show up and be fleshed out in future editions of the D&D game, but given the ST series time frame I’m going to assume the title refers to the editions above.

At any rate, I love the Duffers’ continuing nod to the granddaddy of all RPGs, which so clearly influenced their youth and future creative endeavors. They put the Demogorgon in season 1, the Mind Flayer in season 2... and even wrote Mike and Lucas’ rejection of D&D as ���kid stuff” in season 3. Now we’ve got Vecna in season 4 and I am happy.

I’m going to assume the episode title is linked to the Hellfire Club and Creel House - perhaps with Robert Englund as the new “Vecna” - but who knows? I’m just glad to see the Hawkins gang is (apparently) back to gaming again.

Finally, was Dustin giving Erica the box of D&D books at the end of S3 one of the best things about that season? Yes. Yes it was 😊.

#stranger things #season 4 #season 4 speculation #vecna #d&d stuff #erica sinclair #dustin henderson #mike wheeler #lucas sinclair #will byers #fantasy rpg #ask me anything #stranger records #anonymous

[johnconstantius]

Hello! New reader and big fan of the story. What do you draw from most when writing? Your take on Stranger Things is really cool and combines urban fantasy with myth and legend and sci-fi, which is unique and I really like it.

Thanks so much! I'm always pleased to hear from a new reader (also existing ones 😊).

For inspiration, I read a lot and always have - mainly history, archaeology and mythology, but other topics too. The things I draw on in my fics are things that have interested me: sailing, Church history, King Arthur, the Freemasons, astronomy, colonial history, classic cars, etc. I'll think of cool locations I've visited or seen pictures of (like the VLA in All The Days). Then I wrap an adventure and romance story around all that and see what happens 😊.

However, I always try to write in a way that the reader doesn't have to know anything about those topics to enjoy the story. I don’t want to bore people by geeking out over classic cars. It's enough to know that Steve's El Camino is cool, he loves it, and as a running joke it will be destroyed by the end of story just like his previous car.

I also rewatch ST now and then if I feel like I'm starting to get disconnected from the characters. For instance, it's easy to fall into the trap of writing El as a typical teenage girl who happens to look like Millie Bobby Brown. El is very unique - and my impression is she's nothing like the real MBB - so watching ST is helpful for me to "get in character" when I'm ready to write her (or Mike, Steve, Dustin, etc).

Thanks for the ask and I hope you continue to enjoy the series!

#fanfic #ao3 #mileven #stranger things #and all the days were special #when he was special #when she was special #writers on writing #writing inspiration #ask me anything #anonymous

[johnconstantius]

What would your ideal covers for the Special series look like? In the same way the stranger things seasons get posters, how do you envision yours? The big, ST/Avengers style poster of every character? Something more nuanced and with just a few characters? I envision When She with Mike and El holding hands in front of Whatley Mansion, kind of like the season 3 1st poster. Or Steve, Dustin, Mike, and El driving in a car with the Lighthouse in the background. For When He I envision the Party and Steve in their summer clothes by the lake, with the outline of the Kraken in the water. For When All the Days it's too early to say, but maybe a more ST style poster with all the characters imposed over the nighttime New Mexico sky with the VLA. Just my thoughts, how would you do it?

Oh, such a great ask, thank you my dear 😊. Your concepts are very similar to mine. And isn’t it typical a writer would idly daydream about what their book covers would look like 😊?

I’m a fan of the season 1 ST poster and think it’s a great model for a cover. It’s got that thing with multiple characters + intriguing scenes from the series, but nothing too spoilerish.

Unsurprisingly for an 80s nostalgia show, it’s a common look from the era. From more or less that time period (technically 1977 so a little early), you get this:

And this (1981):

It’s still a popular look, as the modern poster for Rise of Skywalker demonstrates.

But the newer version is slicker, more photographic. It’s clearly been done on a computer with a software suite. What I love so much about the earlier posters (and the one for ST1) is the sense that someone actually painted it. It has an old-fashioned feel that fits what ST is trying to do. That’s what I’d want for the Special series covers (in a hypothetical world where they existed).

Now, it doesn’t need to be packed with characters - here’s another poster for the original Star Wars with a slightly different vibe:

I’d imagine the When She cover following this model - El and Mike would be the biggest characters, Steve and Dustin would be there as a pair, but smaller, and the demogorgon and Dart would be there as a pair also. Whateley House would be looming over it all, and Steve’s Impala would also be on it.

The When He cover would follow the busier model with more characters. El and Mike would still be the biggest. Steve would be pretty large, also Dustin. Then, smaller, there would be Lumax, Dart, Will, Jonathan, Joyce, Brenner, Grigori and Dr. Owens. There would be images of the lighthouse, the Spear, a cave with the red glowing Gate, maybe a small scene of soldiers and demogorgons fighting. And keeping up the car theme, there would be an image of Steve’s El Camino somewhere.

As for All The Days? Not to be too spoilerish...

El and Mike would still be the biggest characters. Ewan would probably be next largest along with Steve, Dustin and Dart. Then, smaller, you’d have Lumax, Will, Brenner, Grigori and Dr. Owens. The Mind Flayer would be looming over them all in the background. The images would definitely be of the VLA (so photogenic), but also a Scottish castle, and a “sword in the stone” set on a small island in the middle of a lake. On the car theme, there’d be an image of Steve’s Gran Torino racing against a Triumph Spitfire - but we can’t quite see who the drivers are. There would also be an image of a Cadillac Eldorado, though again we can’t quite make out who’s standing beside it.

Thank you so much for this ask, it was so fun to think about (and it inspired a bit of googling on a lazy Sunday 😊)!

#fanfic #ao3 #mileven #stranger things #and all the days were special #when he was special #when she was special #book cover #movie poster #season 1 #star wars #raiders of the lost ark #rise of skywalker #stranger records #ask me anything

[johnconstantius]

It's amazing how Creel House came to be after you had already written about Whatley house in When She Was Special!

I know, right? What can I say, me and the great minds at Netflix think alike 😊.

To be fair, ‘teens visit spooky old house’ is a very common trope... and the reason it’s common is because it’s awesome! I’m very optimistic about this storyline in season 4, it feels like there’s a lot of potential for some great scenes.

#fanfic #ao3 #stranger things #when she was special #season 4 #season 4 speculation #creel house #ask me anything #hangry hearts

[johnconstantius]

happy new year. What new characters in season 4 are you most looking forward to seeing?

Happy New Year 🎊🥳. And it is truly happy because one thing we can all look forward to this year is new ST content 😊! Even if it’s still going to be a while ☹️.

It may be an unpopular take, but I’m not really looking forward to any of the new characters. My sense is that ST already has too many series regulars plus supporting cast. It’ll be hard enough to give all the existing characters compelling story lines, so I’m nervous about adding more.

If the new castings are bit parts with a couple of lines, fine. But if we spend a lot of time getting to know and love “brochacho” bus driver (from the latest trailer), I’m not sure that’s so great. Don’t get me wrong, the guy actually looks kind of fun, perhaps a nod to Sean Penn’s character from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Unfortunately, any screen time we spend on him is screen time we won’t be spending on Steve or Dustin or Hopper or (pick any other existing character).

With that said, I get the feeling that one of this season’s inspirations is the ‘80s high school movie’ and obviously it will take plenty of extras and bit players to make that work.

Now, as far as “newish” characters go (newish because we haven’t seen him in a long time), I’m really hoping we’ll get the return of Brenner in a major way...

Thanks for the ask!

#stranger things #season 4 #season 4 speculation #ask me anything #hangry-hearts

[johnconstantius]

looking back at your special series, do you have three favorite scenes that really stand out to you, that you're proud of or find memorable?

Oh, what a great question! If there’s anything I like more than writing, it’s talking about my writing 😊.

My personal top 3 all come from When He Was Special. While I’m very fond of When She, it’s an earlier story and I think my writing has improved since then. In no particular order:

When Mike goes over the cliff in Chapter 29. I laid a lot of groundwork for that scene, with the flashbacks and iterations of “the sky above” and “the sea below” that started in chapter 26. That scene was also the culmination of Mike’s character arc, where he does something heroic and self-sacrificing, just like always, but this time he does it for the right reasons. I also like the end of the scene, right before Mike hits the water, where he imagines he sees El one more time and finds comfort from that.

When El gets her powers back in Chapter 31. That was the culmination of a character arc that started way back in Chapter 2 of When She. I’m pretty proud of the idea that El would finally get her powers back by turning to the positive side of her emotions - friendship and love - rather than the negative like Papa and Kali taught her. I’m also pleased that I held off for so long on El’s powers returning. It would have been so easy (and cliche) for them to come back earlier so she could win some big battle - I’m glad I avoided that temptation.

Pretty much all of Chapter 28. That was a massive action sequence, involving just about every character, and I was cutting from scene to scene while trying to tell a coherent story. It was basically my attempt to write something like the final battle of an Avengers movie, where every character gets some spotlight time and a chance to be heroic. It could have turned out a confusing mess, but I feel like maybe I pulled it off. That chapter also includes the climax of Steve’s character arc. He’s my favorite character after Mileven, and he’d been in such a bad space throughout the story, it felt good to finally give the guy a win.

I was actually surprised as I thought about this question - my impostor complex is so bad that I figured I wouldn’t be able to come up with anything. On reflection, there’s actually a lot I’m proud of in the Special series, even beyond the three scenes above. Thanks so much for asking this, it really made my day!

#fanfic #ao3 #mileven #stranger things #when he was special #when she was special #and all the days were special #ask me anything #anonymous #writers on writing

[johnconstantius]

u alive and okay dude? genuinely worried

Hi, hopefully it’s clear from the last few posts that I’m okay 😊! I’m sorry I didn’t answer sooner. It appears tumblr doesn’t notify me when there’s something new in my inbox, and when work is bad (which it usually is these days) I can sometimes go for quite awhile without checking.

Thanks for checking in though, that was incredibly thoughtful!

#people are nice #johnconstantius is alive

[johnconstantius]

And All The Days Were Special - Chapter 6

Well, it’s been awhile - but I wanted to get one more chapter of All The Days done this year. I cut it close to the wire, but here it is. Please do head over to AO3 if you’re interested in having a read.

I can’t promise how fast the next one will come out, but I promise no one wants to read what happens next more than I do 😊.

As always, some non-spoilers images related to the chapter below.

#fanfic #ao3 #mileven #stranger things #and all the days were special #when she was special #when he was special #new chapter is up

[johnconstantius]

Hey! How you doing? Hope you don't mind me asking, but any updates on the new chapter? Not trying to pressure you at all, just excited!

Funny you should ask. The new chapter of All The Days should be dropping right about...

Now.

#fanfic #ao3 #mileven #stranger things #and all the days were special #new chapter is up #ask me anything #anonymous

[johnconstantius]

Perhaps an out there question, but have you ever considered writing older mileven (as in actually adult mileven)? I feel like there is so much potential in ST for stories set in a somewhat far future since most sl could easily come back to haunt them like 10 years later or more, but there really aren't nearly any fics like that... The idea of a more mature, married mileven intrigues me tho :)

Wow, what a great question. A few thoughts:

I’ve planned out an adult Mileven epilogue for All The Days, because it’s the last story in the Special cycle and I want to give some closure. I guess this is kind of a spoiler, but anyone who didn’t realize I’m Mileven ‘Til I Die hasn’t been paying attention 😊.

I see endless opportunities for adult Mileven adventures, because I think Mike & El’s soulmate connection gives them a deep romance (and all kinds of smutty smutty smut smut 😊) that would continue well into their adult years. These two will be engaging in PDA’s that will turn their kids’ stomachs for decades.

With all that said, I see an easy 100k words still to write for All The Days, so a mature Mileven story would be something for the future. But I like the concept and I could definitely see it.

#fanfic #ao3 #mileven #stranger things #and all the days were special

[johnconstantius]

hiii you don't have to answer but I was thinking, is there any particular part/scene of all the days you're looking forward to writing the most? (there's so many i myself can barely wait for)

MINOR SPOILER ALERT

So, I have to admit I’m looking forward to writing a lot of scenes on this story in future - so read no further if you want to avoid semi-spoilers for All the Days.

Right now I’m writing some El and Mike scenes for chapter 6 that are super fun.

One of my “character groups” for the new story is Dustin and Grigori (!). Really looking forward to writing this pair together. And I’ve got some Lucas/Max/Dustin/Grigori scenes that I cannot wait to put on paper.

I’m really looking forward to writing the end of the tale. I’ve scripted two major “final fights” - one with El, one with Mike - that I’ve been imagining for years.

There’s so much more - scenes where Will, Dustin and Dart will feature together; scenes with the finding of Excalibur; the New Mexico Indian casino; Brenner (!); El and Mike’s first time... so many things to write down.

And for chapter 7, we’ve got Mike vs. Ewan in a shirts/skins soccer match with El watching from the sidelines. I assure you it won’t go well 😊.

#stranger things #mileven #fanfic #ao3 #and all the days were special