Chapter One: On and On of my beloved fic is finally online!
Summary:
"Dark, voluminous curls pop up in the crowd abruptly like they were neon signs. They make themself comfortable at the other end of the area, sitting down on one of the bar stools, face turning towards the stage.
Steve swallows hard. On one side he knew he would show up. He never missed an opportunity to see Steve live on stage. But on the other side Steve somehow hoped he wouldn't come. Not after the last time they've met.
And yet there is nothing left to reclaim as being a professional and ignore him as best as possible.
Because Steve knows why he was here. The person accountable for all of this. This whole career. The reason he released his thoughts and made himself vulnerable to the public. The person who changed his life to the best and worst, in all kinds of ways. The person he once loved more than anything.
The person named Eddie Munson."
Or: A characteristic of Steve Harrington
This is also a birthday gift for platonic soulmate @scarlet-pandrian
Thank you for helping me so much along the way❤️
Happy Birthday🥳🫶🏼
🔗
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Steve actually loves science fiction but it’s infinitely funnier to piss Dustin off by repeatedly mispronouncing the names is the characters in Star Wars because, “It’s Skywalker, Steve. Not Stair-Master! And his name is Luke, not Lucas! No one is named Lucas.”
“I think at least one person is.”
“In the movie.”
Dustin has recently discovered Doctor Who and is kinda a dick about explaining it to Steve. He heavily implies that Steve isn’t smart enough for the show like Steve’s mom doesn’t have a friend in England that tapes the new episodes and mails it to them.
Steve could share that information with Dustin but he’s not going to. Instead, when Dustin brings up The Doctor, Steve says, “Woah, Doc Hagan got a tv show?”
“It’s not a show about your dentist, Steve!”
If Steve is trying to round up all the kids and they’re being particularly annoying, he’ll clap his hands together and says, “C’mon, Ghost-bangers.”
The first thing he did after facing the demo-dogs was to memorize the entire D&D monster guide. He could tell Dustin this but D&D seems insufferable to him and it’s going to be way more satisfying when he catches the kid bullshitting an explanation and can call him out.
Robin knows about the stack of HG Wells books shelved in the den and Eddie definitely knows something is up. But Dustin? Nope.
There’s literally a picture on the mantle in the living room of him and his mom dressed as Spock and Nurse Chappell at a Star Trek convention when he was eight. Dustin walks passed it twice a week and has never noticed.
Aziraphale, Raphael, and other angelic names you should probably know
Yes, I’m digging out my oldest piece of Good Omens meta. If you’re one of the very few people who might remember it from my main blog or had followed me on Twitter before it was shared there last year, you should already get the gist of what’s going to come next. For the rest of you, this might serve as a nice warning of how true brainrot begins.
We will start at the very beginning: the name-giving. Since God has created the world with one word, in the Bible and related Jewish tradition names of things are considered of great importance. As the life-givers, they imbue meaning and power to those who bear them, and often lead them towards a certain predetermined path. The concept of true names in general is a global phenomenon, with traces of this belief to be found everywhere from Plato's Theory of Forms through Grimm’s fairytales and beyond, not only in religious, but also philosophical and anthropological context. Considering the vast number of options to choose from, coining a new name instead of just repeating someone else’s is certainly a choice.
Unsurprisingly, the one who came up with the name Aziraphale was Terry Pratchett, and according to an interview it was originally pronounced Aziraphael:
“It should be Azz-ear-raf-AE-el, but we got into the habit of pronouncing it Azz-ear-raf-ail, so I guess that’s the right way now.”
Don’t worry, we’ll get there in a moment. The second thing you need to remember from this interview is Terry’s answer to the question about the name’s origin:
“It was made up but… er… from real ingredients. [The name] Aziraphale could be shoved in a list of ‘real’ angels and would fit right in…”
Conveniently, I’ve already explained who he was and why he was so important in Judaism in one meta discussion on Tumblr, so I’ll be lazy and copy-paste my thoughts and expand them to add some details from other Abrahamic religions.
Before the Beginning, or the Angel of Love
Long story short, Libbiel was one of the archangels working with God on the creation of humans. The idea was opposed by some of them, especially the Angel of Truth, who was promptly cast down from Heaven to Earth (but promised to spring back out of the Earth eventually, don’t worry).
Unlike Michael and Gabriel, Libbiel (“God is my heart”) warned his angelic troops to accept the Ineffable Plan in advance and saved them from the Fall, which granted him God’s recognition and a new name, Raphael, the Rescuer, appointing him as the Angel of Healing (“God has healed”).
This seems to check out within the Good Omens universe: Aziraphale was involved in the Earth creation project before the rollout and had enough access to the human plans to see them with his own eyes and share this knowledge with the angel that eventually became Crowley.
He also appeared extremely anxious at the very mention of Crowley’s obligation to dissent and wanted to save him from any negative consequences even at the cost of interrupting the conversation he’s been enjoying so much.
We’ve noticed some peculiar reactions of Aziraphale to any mentions or acts of love, right? They usually involve reaching out to Crowley and might either suggest his feelings toward him or how physically overwhelmed he is with the very concept of love (or both, actually).
Interestingly, one of the official titles of archangel Raphael is Angel of Love. In Christianity he is considered a patron saint of happy meetings, matchmaking and marriage, and his healing powers involve especially eyes and… heart, in the context of both mental health and human love.
Raphael also has a canonical (at least in Catholicism) episode of playing a human matchmaker on God’s behalf in the Book of Tobit, in which he appears on Earth under the disguise of a man named Azariah. Aziraphale seems now like an obvious portmanteau for Azariah, Raphael’s alias used while disguising himself as a human, and Raphael, the name given to him by God as a commendation. An archangel embracing some humanity of his own volition.
Raphael’s color is sometimes mentioned as light blue, exactly like the light Aziraphale emits in the S2 opening sequence, and his symbol is a serpent (the ancient Caduceus, but I feel like at this point we can call him Crowley).
The angelic couple, or Zophiel and Barachiel
Remember that bit of Terry’s interview about real ingredients? Raphael’s backstory already seems complicated enough, but what if Aziraphale had not one, but two angelic prototypes? I happen to know one more angel — a cherub said to possess great feminine energy — whose story rings some alarm bells.
This is Jophiel (“The Beauty of God”) or Zophiel (“My Rock is God”, “Widom of God”, “God’s Rage”), believed to be a companion to the angel Metatron, regent of the Principalities and leader of the Cherubim, a heavenly protector — one of the child amulet angels.
In Jewish tradition Zophiel takes on the role of the guardian of the Torah as well as other books and knowledge itself, based on the fact that he was the one to guard the Tree of Knowledge and, armed with a flaming sword, drive Adam and Eve out of Eden. He also watched over Noah and his family during the Flood and was serving as an assistant to King Solomon when he spoke on Wisdom and wrote the books of Proverbs, Wisdom, and Ecclesiastes. In the Anglican tradition he is recognized as an archangel and typically depicted with a fiery sword in hand. The color belonging to Zophiel is yellow.
Lynn Fischer in “Angels of Love and Light: The Great Archangels & Their Divine Complements, the Archeiai” (November 1996) describes Zophiel as one who
“stirs the feelings through radiation of illumination and into aspiration … help in absorbing information and studying for and passing tests; dissolution of ignorance, pride, and narrow-mindedness; and exposure of wrongdoing in governments and corporations. Jophiel helps in fighting pollution, cleaning up our planet, and brings to [hu]mankind the gift of beauty. He also provides inspiration for artistic and intellectual thought providing help with artistic projects and to see the beautiful things around us.”
While this angel is mentioned in other works of fiction, Zophiel makes his most notable appearance in John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost, as the warrior “cherubim with the swiftest wings” in the battle of Heaven, where he was believed to assist Michael as the standard bearer. He’s presented as a spy returning from a reconnaissance mission to the rebel camp, much in the way Aziraphale had infiltrated Hell and fooled its demons in the wake of Armageddon’t.
As Zaapiel derived from Za’ap (Hebrew) meaning rage, anger or storm, he is also recognised as the angel of storms and, under the variant Zafiel, the angel of rain. This might be the reason why Zophiel is traditionally associated with the archangel of lightning and thunder, Barachiel (“God’s Blessings” or “Lightning of God”, especially when transcribed as Barakiel or Baraqiel) — to the point of being mentioned as his partner or consort.
Barachiel is the angel of lightning, but also — as the name suggests — blessings. In Catholic iconography he is usually depicted with a staff, a basket of bread, or a rose, each petal of which is representing a blessing from God, tossed out as the angel pleases to bless people. He is the chief of guardian angels, but in particular watches over young children, and sometimes takes on the task of delivering the blessing of offspring to prospective parents.
Like Zophiel is believed to have taught humans languages and wisdom found in books, Barachiel is commonly revered as the angel who taught them astrology, the wisdom of the stars.
Nothing lasts forever
Raphaelic legends aren’t all fun and games, but also mention the less marketed aspect of being an archangel: signaling the Day of Judgment. In Christianity, this is usually assigned as another one of Gabriel’s jobs, but he’s on the run right now, isn’t he? Well, good news! In Islam, Raphael is called Israfil or Israfel and believed to be the angel who blows the trumpet to signal Qiyamah, a counterpart of the Christian Second Coming, instead. The fact that Aziraphale has taken over Gabriel’s position in Heaven might be much less coincidental than some think.
And it’s important to remember that this power is not only destructive — while the first blow will kill all creatures and creations, the second one will revive them and prepare for the Last Judgment (yes, the very same one that in Christian belief will be administered by Jesus with the help of Book of Life). Very much in line of what Adam, the Antichrist, has done with the help of a certain shoulder angel and shoulder demon.
This is exactly the sentiment found in the poem “Israfel” by Edgar Allen Poe. In a material world nothing is meant to last forever, which is a curse and a blessing. A curse because it means death and destruction; miracles may sustain a certain bookshop in its current form through millennia, but as a tombstone to the life they led instead of a home it once used to be. A blessing, because it also means change and a new beginning — as long as there’s enough life force to replace whatever is lost in the process.
Nothing on Earth lasts forever, but we should use it for inspiration, savor momentary bliss, and hold it in our hearts. Only Heaven and the passions of its angels (fallen or not) are truly eternal.
And we can expect at least two of them to keep loving each other beyond the human concept of time, perhaps in a nice cottage on the South Downs.
Taking place from September 1st to 30th, artists and writers will have the opportunity to share their Stobin creations and works.
There will be no minimum or maximum word count, we just ask that after 1000k you add a 'read more,' to your post. Please rate your works accordingly and use warnings at the top of your post if you believe your content could be triggering to some users. When posting make sure to write the prompt of the day at the top of your post and tag @sept-stobin-extravaganza so your post can be added to the queue. Expect to see a '🍦' commented in the replies of your post, that's when you'll know it's been added to the queue. After receiving a '🍦' in your replies please add your works to the Ao3 Collection. Same goes for artists.
But most importantly, get creative and have fun!
Please no AI.
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to send a message @sept-stobin-extravaganza or @little-annie
Steddie Olympic AU where Eddie gets on his first Olympics for BMX freestyle, and it's so weird because he has been in competitions for many years but nothing like this, something so big and with so many rules.
His background was being a hyperkinetic kid who didn't really care about his life, and somehow being fearless and doing acrobatics became his career. Still, even then it wasn't so serious.
His thing were the X-games and open exhibitions, with fire, hard rock & metal, tattoos, and having RedBull as a sponsor.
Behind the adrenaline he and his friends are a bunch of clowns who just wanted to fly and have the bones of a child forever.
But now he's here: in the middle of a giant line in an ocean of other athletes, wearing a fucking blazer from Ralph Lauren and with the lamest jeans he had to wear in his entire life.
And everything is kinda awful, because he lost sight of friends (Gareth and Max, both skaters, but they train in the same place), and he just heard there's no McDonald's at the Olympics this year.
He doesn't even like McDonald's so much, but god, he grow up hearing about athletes eating hundreds of burgers and mcnuggets for free, and sue him, but his inner child was super excited about it.
"Are you ok, man?"
Eddie opens his mouth to give a snarky remark when he sees the most beautiful man in existence – GORGEOUS v-shape, honey eyes, pink pouty lips, and kissable moles– looking at him with concern.
"Yeah, yeah. Everything is okey-dokey" He says lamely.
The most beautiful man in existence snorts at him.
"Okey-dokey? What are you? Five?"
"Probably. I was sad because I found out today there's no free McDonald's this year. Now that I know I'm not sure if it is worth being here"
Eddie's future husband looks surprised for a second and laughs at him.
"Are you serious?"
"Of course. I read some people ate so many nuggets they left the Olympics cackling like a chicken: I wanted to be one of them!"
"Oh, yeah. I ate lots of them post-competition"
"See?!"
"Ok, I give you that. But this year there's going to be international cuisine and all that jazz"
"Knowing me, I'm going to get too overwhelmed with the options and I'll end with the saddest oatmeal every day."
"You have lots of food opinions for someone that's on a sports event"
"Well, is either that or thinking that my biggest rivals are a bunch of 15-year-olds from Brazil and Japan."
"Oh? What's your sport?"
"BMX freestyle"
"That's the race in the mountains?"
"That's literally BMX racing."
"Right." He looked ashamed.
Eddie needed to fix that look, now.
"And you? What's your poison?"
"Poison? You mean my sport?" Eddie nods at him encouragingly. "Gymnastics."
"I can see it." Eddie looks at him approvingly, "You have the arms of a gymnast, big boy."
The face of Eddie's future husband turns a beautiful shade of red. And Eddie is just a second away to ask for his name, and his number to change the course of his life, when he feels a hand on the jacket's collar.
"Here you are, loser. We need to go this way!"
And before Eddie can say anything, Max Mayfield (his new arch-nemesis) takes him away from the love of his life.
He says bye with a hand before being cruelly separated, disappearing into a sea of people.
"Do you want to be murdered before or after the opening ceremony, Red?"
Steve is going back with his best friend to their apartment, feeling super frustrated. Somehow, 24 hours ago, he thought it would be a good idea to give his phone to his best friend for the inauguration night to avoid getting too excited and watching videos of the event until 4 am.
And now he was regretting ALL his life choices.
"You don't understand Robin, I met a super cute guy, but I couldn't get his name! I'm only going to search that and nothing else"
"Steve, you made me swear I wouldn't pass your phone on inauguration day, no matter the reason. You need to sleep"
"Easy for you to say. You didn't meet someone when you didn't have your phone!"
"I would understand better than anyone! I met the cutest girl competing at air riffle, aaaand I didn't have my phone either!"
"You gave her your presentation card, didn't you"
"Yes, sorry."
"See? Why didn't you make me buy some for me, too?"
They arrive at their floor. Steve knows they're a little obnoxious, but it was the first night and it's still early.
"Good night, neighbors! Isn't it too early in the event to be fighting?"
Steve looks up so fast, he probably hurt his neck a little bit. At the end of the hallway, sitting on the floor next to a very closed door, was Steve's meet-cute: All smiley, charming, and inviting.
"It's you!"
"Oh! Hi Mr. Gymnastics, and hi unknown lady."
"It's Robin Buckley," She says and goes straight to her apartment, "we probably going to see each other again, so good night".
And she closes the door firmly behind her.
"I didn't have. I mean. I don't have my phone to search for you."
The other boy looks at him, almost evaluating him, before giving Steve a big smile and offering his hand to stretch.
"Eddie Munson."
"Steve Harrington."
"So, would you-"
"There's a McDonald's near where I compete tomorrow. Would you like to go with me?"
Eddie stands up and walks until he's in front of Steve. He smiles.
"Would love it. After all, it was my childhood dream."
This is a fanworks challenge/event that is all about Corroded Coffin. It will take place from July 1st thru July 31st.
Thanks so much for showing interest in this event during this post! If you have friends that you think would like to participate, please considering reblogging this announcement!
The calendar of prompts is located here:
Since there are so many events going on (and we love to see it!) we've decided to set a word count range for this event, so the love can be spread around to more events.
GUIDELINES:
Ideas for works include: fic, art, gifsets, fanvids, moodboards, edits, playlists, or anything else you can think of to celebrate Corroded Coffin!
For fics, there is a word count minimum/maximum of between 300-1000 words per drabble. We'll use wordcounter.net to check the word counts before reblogging, so make sure you stick to that range!
Do one prompt, do them all. Hell, do them all twice! It's totally up to you. You can pick and choose what you're interested in. And we're not going to police how you interpret the prompt. Just use them as a jumping off point to be inspired by the boys of Corroded Coffin, and then share that inspiration with us! (Not everything has to be band related, we encourage you to explore other parts of their lives, too!)
Submissions can absolutely be connected to other prompts from the event, or even past works, but should still be able to stand alone each day.
Every morning a new prompt card will go up, reminding everyone of what that day's prompt will be.
All submissions should include any pairings featured, content rating and any content warnings (CW) or tags that you think are appropriate. Please put the prompt you are fulfilling as well, just to keep things straightforward. A sample could look something like this:
Prompt Day 9: The Hideout, Word Count: 666, Rating: M, Pairing: None, CW: Underage Drinking, Recreational Drug Use, Tags: Corroded Coffin, First Gig, Partying, Eddie, Gareth, Jeff, Freak, The Hideout
Also, please consider putting any explicit material under a read more cut, because anything rated E that's not hidden under a cut will not be reblogged.
For the artists! Your art submission must be posted on the same day as the current prompt in order to be reblogged by this blog. Your piece of art (or other creation) must be Corroded Coffin focused, using any combination of the guys, together or solo. Of course, other characters can be included, too! But you need to have at least one of the CC band members in it for it to count for this event. Thank you!
All ships are welcome, as long as they include at least one member of Corroded Coffin: Eddie, Jeff, Gareth & Freak. (Who I look forward to learning the name of from you all, time and time again!)
Please tag us here @corrodedcoffinfest when you post your work for the day so we can reblog it!
Be respectful of your fellow participants and readers. We're all here to have fun and share the love of all parts of Corroded Coffin.
Definitely feel free to ask me anything if the rules weren't clear in places, or if I straight up forgot something (or if you just have anything else you'd like to ask). You can send an ask/message to this blog or reach out to @thisapplepielife.
Please submit your post by 11:59 PM EDT on the day of the prompt in order to not be missed for reblogging.
If posting on AO3, please feel free to use the collection associated with this event: Corroded Coffin Fest AO3 Collection after your submission has been reblogged by this account.
Most importantly, have fun! We can't wait to see what Corroded Coffin fanworks come out of this new event!
More info below, including full prompt list with jumping off suggestions, the warm-up rounds for April, May & June, and a spreadsheet you're free to use:
PROMPTS:
JULY 1ST - FIRSTS
First gig, first check, first award, first...anything.
JULY 2ND - IN THE BEGINNING
How did Corroded Coffin come to be?
JULY 3RD - BEST FRIENDS
Who are the best friends in the band in your head? Let's find out.
JULY 4TH - EDDIE
We all know Eddie. Let's hear some more about him today.
JULY 5TH - ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Get them out on the road, in any way you see fit.
JULY 6TH - HEARD IT IN A LOVE SONG
Let's have some romance. Any pairing(s) that tickle your fancy.
JULY 7TH - CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES, C'MON
Let them celebrate! Maybe that's a birthday/holiday/celebration show. Maybe it's a wedding, etc.
JULY 8TH - BAND POLITICS
Fight! Fight! Fight! Not everything goes smoothly all the time.
JULY 9TH - THE HIDEOUT
Catch them there, every Tuesday, playing for five drunks.
JULY 10TH - PRIDE
Let's see them celebrate Pride! Or let's see them be proud, etc.
JULY 11TH - JEFF
Let's spend some time with the guitarist of Corroded Coffin.
JULY 12TH - OW!
Injuries happen. Tell me more.
JULY 13TH - SEX, DRUGS & ROCK N ROLL
Tell us about the seedier parts of being in a band! 18+ for adult content, please!
JULY 14TH - AND THE WINNER IS...
It's time for awards season. Do they win? Lose? Let us know.
JULY 15TH - LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT
Press Tour/Interviews. Sometimes they need to promote themselves.
JULY 16TH - STRUGGLING
They're working their asses off, grinding it out, but they haven't hit the big time yet. Or they're struggling in other ways...
JULY 17TH - "THIS ONE'S FOR YOU"
Dedicate a song to someone special.
JULY 18TH - FREAK (GRANT, FRANK, GOODIE, ETC.)
Whatever name you given him, let's all focus on the bassist of Corroded Coffin.
JULY 19TH - IN THE GARAGE
Get them in the garage. Band practice, fixing the van, etc.
JULY 20TH - UNDER THE COVERS
Let them cover some real songs. Or, you know, get under the covers in another way...
JULY 21ST - HATE THIS TOWN
Hawkins. How was it dragging them down? Or, maybe they hate LA...
JULY 22ND - ALTERNATE UNIVERSE (AU)
Use your imaginations and put them into a whole new world!
JULY 23RD - UP AND COMING
They're finally gaining a little traction. Or maybe they're up...and coming. *wink wink, nudge nudge*
JULY 24TH - BEHIND THE SCENES
What's it take to get this show on the road? Or, what are they really like, off-stage? Let's get a peek behind the curtain.
JULY 25TH - GARETH
Bang them sticks! Let's catch up with the drummer of Corroded Coffin.
JULY 26TH - TOUR DATE
Let's focus on a specific show.
JULY 27TH - YOU'LL BE IN MY HEART
Navigating love while on the road.
JULY 28TH - BACK TO INDIANA
Let's go back to Hawkins and/or Indiana. Send these boys home.
JULY 29TH - BEHIND THE MUSIC
You know there's drama. A story. Probably enough for VH1 to come knocking.
JULY 30TH - FAME & FORTUNE
They've made it big! Now what?
JULY 31ST - YOUR SONG
A Corroded Coffin song? A work inspired by a song? A song that makes you think of Corroded Coffin?
WARM-UP ROUNDS:
Let's get a little practice before the full event in July!
Here's a prompt each month leading up to the event to work out the kinks and get in the rhythm of it all!
APRIL 15TH - TAXED
It's tax day. Do they need to pay their taxes? Is this a write-off? Or, are they just taxed from being on the road? Tax them.
MAY 15TH - GET A JOB
Put 'em to work. First jobs, side hustles, etc. Surely they've had some other jobs besides being in the band. Tell us about them.
JUNE 15TH - BAND ON THE RUN
Are they late for a gig? Running from monsters in the Upside Down? On a tour from hell?
Same guidelines as the full event will apply.
SPREADSHEET:
If you'd like a spreadsheet to help you keep track of the prompts and your progress, here's the one I personally use for other events, and will be using myself for this event. If you'd like to use it yourself, just go to File>Make a Copy and you'll get a version you can edit in your own Google Sheets.
Thanks for showing interest in having a Corroded Coffin event this year! ❤️🦇🖤 - @thisapplepielife (and thanks for the help and adding to the prompt list, @wormdebut!)
“What in the hell am I looking at?” Steve asks, expression flummoxed.
“That, my dear, is my newest creation,” Eddie says proudly, looking from the yellow painted dachshund/banana figurine back to Steve's face.
He hid it on their bathroom counter, half-obscured by the face wash Steve uses at night. He’s been waiting with baited breath for Steve to find it, lingering by the doorway while Steve washes his face.
Steve picks up the figurine Eddie painstakingly made and holds it in his hand, marveling at it.
“I love him,” Steve says, biting back a grin. “What’s his name?”
“Banana Dog,” Eddie says and Steve wrinkles his nose.
“You can't name a banana dog ‘Banana Dog’. That’s so lame.”
“You name him, then,” Eddie says, crowding closer, wrapping his arms around Steve, kissing his temple.
Steve hums and looks at Eddie’s reflection in the mirror. “He looks like a Jerry.”
Eddie snorts. “Jerry? Okay. Jerry, the banana dog, it is.”
“Tell me about him?” Steve asks, leaning back into his embrace.
Eddie tells him about how the party will meet Jerry and Steve listens on with adoration in his eyes the whole time.
Your local ST cosplayer @beccichu - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
