in-a-spring-way

[in-a-spring-way]

can we talk about how easy theo accepts being a prisoner? because, after he got back from the ground, he haven't even considered running. trying to escape. stealing the sword and get the hell out of BH.

no, he just did what he's told, no hint of rebellion, and followed liam and hayden to the house. sat there, healing from malia's punches, listening to everything that was being said and no once did he try to defend himself. sure, he doesn't have many arguments. but still. he only spoke to remind them that liam's the one making the decision to put him back or not, because liam's the only one defending him. he hung up to that. it wasn't a jab, or him trying to be cocky and annoying. it was pure, undeluted fear.

and what does that say about the seemingly confident, put together boy we met in season 5? exactly! that that was a farce. we see his mask break when the Doctors call him a failure. he's just as terrified of them as the others are.

imagine being a kid and the monsters from under your bed being real. not only that, but now you live with them in their creepy Operating Theatres home. and they don't talk, don't smile, don't offer you anything but pain. and you don't even know when to expect it, because their minds don't work on a clock. and you don't know what you did to earn it. you don't even know which is a punishment and which is part of your lab rat life.

so you learn. you adapt. they want theo to be evil? evil doesn't know fear. so he hides it. evil doesn't know compassion, love or emptahy. so he hides it. evil doesn't know pain, it brings it forth. so he hides it and works his way as a killing machine.

but after they're dead, theo can't unlearn a lifetime of habbits. he can't unlearn how to submit and adapt. to survive. the pack is the threat now and if he listens, if he's useful, if he keeps them from forgetting he's a real person (making them feel something for him, a connection, even if it's based on annoyance "oh, it's always awkward when mom and dad are fighting"), then maybe, hopefully – though he doesn't remember what that word's supposed to mean – they'll let him live.

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Man, Scott's murder just gets to me. It's the cruelty of it. Theo tears away all his friends and manipulates him and betrays him and humiliates him and poisons him and leaves him to bang on the bars of his cage for hours, knowing his murder is coming. He makes one of Scott's best friends try to kill him, makes Scott pick between dying and killing this kid. And Scott takes a violent beating and the only reprieve comes from another loss--that someone else has died, someone Scott has tried so hard to save, someone else he's failed. And Mason is so scared and needs answers Scott doesn't have, help he can't give. And all of that's over in seconds because Theo's gonna kill him even when it gets him nothing.

It's the smallness of it. Scott dies for nothing except Theo's desire to kill him! He won't get any power out of it, the Doctors don't care. Theo wants to kill him because he's "perfect," something that has to be so bitterly laughable to Scott right now. He's gonna kill Scott because he's a werewolf--because he was attacked in the woods one night and has been a target ever since. He's gonna die for that! He's gonna die because Theo is so obsessed with things that don't matter, being a real werewolf doesn't matter. It's so small and Theo's killing him so violently over it.

It's how desperately Scott clings to whatever little he has left. He's ground down so relentlessly into his own powerlessness. He can't save anyone, he can't escape, he can't fight, he can't breathe. By the time Theo kills him, he can't even stand--Theo is holding him up by the claws he's got buried inside him. Mason's lying unconscious beside him and Theo could kill him so easily if he wanted and Scott can't stop him and he's got to spend his final moments facing that. He's fought so desperately to have any control over his body and his life and to make things better for others, to make meaning of the violence that was done to him, and this is where it's gotten him and everyone he cares about. He's got a few final breaths before this person he thought was his friend--whom he tried to help--silences him forever and the only thing he's got is man, at least I know what matters. And does it really matter when all it gets him is those final tortured breaths before he dies alone and in pain.

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can't help but deeply appreciate the thiam/theo raeken centric fanfics that put theo through a series of unfortunate events and traumatize him more,,, basically whump theo fanfics (thank you fanfic writers for providing the stories that break my heart and then repair it with thiam)

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''what if my writing isn't good eno--'' what if it's a reflection of your soul. what if it has a place in this world. what if you write it anyway

[in-a-spring-way]

In the scene with Theo’s fake parents, I think the way he speaks to them is really interesting. He’s not playing the normal, kind boy trying to help the pack, but he’s still playing a role; he seems to be imitating the Dread Doctors.

He uses passive voice (“You were told” instead of “I told you”) to put distance between himself and the situation like the Doctors do. It also puts all of the onus on the “you.” It makes them seem more like an inevitable force instead of people choosing their actions. In an interview, Cody talked about how villains don’t think they’re the villain and how Theo does what he thinks is necessary, which goes along with that. The man didn’t follow orders, so Theo is just giving him the natural consequence of his actions. Failed perfection.

His general vibe can come off as a bit sadistic in this scene, especially upon first watch, but I don’t think that’s the truth of it. He’s cold and not open to mercy; his voice is flat and leaves no room for argument. He’s expectant. It’s not really enjoyment. That flatness comes naturally for the Dread Doctors, who are genuinely apathetic and already covered with their suits and masks. It’s less natural on Theo. There’s almost certainly frustration beneath it, because Theo hates to lose, but that’s not the focus. This is just the process of things that the Doctors had ingrained in him for 8 years: you fail, you get fixed.

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i'm keeping you in the time loop. it's the only way i know how to keep you safe. trapping you here, in the last day that you're alive, ignorant of what's to come as the sun sets. i dread each minute, a countdown to the end, but live in relief as all the blood washes away, all the would-be scars fade, and the tears dry before they have a chance to fall. but the memory of you dying in my arms remains, and so i'm keeping you in the time loop

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site that you can type in the definition of a word and get the word

site for when you can only remember part of a word/its definition 

site that gives you words that rhyme with a word

site that gives you synonyms and antonyms

[in-a-spring-way]

After the gunshots, the smashed radio, and relieved hugs in the empty hospital, Liam had said, “Let’s go,” and Theo followed wordlessly.

The wetness in his eyes stuck around. He didn’t care to wipe them; the dam could crumble if he did. There was some kind of fragility to Theo in that moment despite his strength, endurance, history, and everything else. Despite, despite, despite. He couldn’t even be frustrated at himself because of it. Something heavy covered his mind, threads of sorrow and grief sewn into a blanket of numbness. It almost scared him, feeling like that. Distress tied a knot against his sternum. Instinctual masking—a skill ingrained too strongly to abandon now—kept his hands from shaking, kept his heart from racing, but it didn’t feel like enough. Echoes of phantom pain crept up his forearms as if the black veins were still there. They weren’t. He kept glancing at the skin anyway, following the stretch down from his hands which somehow sat relaxed against his steering wheel.

Theo didn’t remember the drive to the school; he parked his truck mechanically, auto-pilot keeping his body moving when his mind wasn’t following along. It was concerning. There was safety in awareness, and yet he started missing everything.

He didn’t notice Liam’s gaze until a moment too late for it to seem natural. A foot already over the blacktop, Liam paused halfway in his attempt to climb out.

“Let’s go,” he repeated, and Theo didn’t follow. Instead, his eyes flicked away.

When he found his voice, it still sounded as stilted as it had when he spoke to Gabe. “You go ahead.” Liam’s pack—Scott’s pack—were surely waiting inside, and Theo had enough sense to know that the pardon they’d briefly granted him for the sake of a war wouldn’t last. It would be a pack reunion, a celebration, and Theo already felt disconnected enough without standing on the sidelines for their touching moment.

Liam stayed silent for a few beats. In the quiet, Theo glanced over to be met with an unreadable expression. Maybe he could’ve figured it out if he tried harder. He didn’t, instead waiting until Liam spoke. Almost abrasive, almost cold, but not quite there: “Are you leaving?”

Whether he meant the parking lot or Beacon Hills in general, Theo wasn’t sure. Either way, he answered honestly. “I don’t know.” Why would he stay, yet where would he go? The internal back-and-forth wasn’t unfamiliar.

Liam pressed his lips into a line then, looking at the school before turning to him again. After seeming to debate himself for a moment, he asked, “Are you okay?”

It caught Theo a little off-guard. Before he could try to think of any real answer to give, though, a response came out automatically. “I’m fine.” His steady heart concealed the lie, of course, but his low tone betrayed it. Still, he vaguely remembered digging the bullet out of his own shoulder at the hospital; physically, he was fine. That was what really mattered anyway. “Are you?”

Liam nodded dismissively, eyes somewhere else. “Fine.” Then, “Tired.”

With a slow nod back—even though Liam didn’t see it—Theo said, “Makes sense. You went through a lot.” Too soft. There was a hum in response. “…you should get in there before they think something bad happened.”

That seemed to wake Liam up, as if he’d forgotten where he was. “Right—“ He finished climbing out of the passenger’s seat, holding onto the edge of the door instead of closing it. A moment of hesitation followed before, “I need a ride home.”

A family full of people able to drive Liam home stood in that building and they both knew that. Part of Theo didn’t want to see any of them, including Liam, ever again. Another part couldn’t say no to their requests, as if that would ever mean anything. The same part always won out. “Yeah, I’ll drive you, Liam,” he said, quiet and knowing.

Letting out a breath, Liam nodded. “Okay.”

[in-a-spring-way]

Something I haven’t seen anyone really talk about is how Theo fully flinched away when Gabe was shot. A year ago(?) he dug his claws inside of his pack as painfully as he could and felt them dying. He can’t even look at that kid getting gunned down now; he physically recoils, squeezing his eyes shut and turning his head away from it. Countless things he’s witnessed and experienced, and this is what he can’t watch. An angry, misguided teenager getting betrayed, blindsided, and killed.

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Conversation Prompt

“If I betray you in every time-loop, why am I still here? Why do you keep bringing me this far?”

“Because I like you. We get on well when you’re not actively trying to kill me.”

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horror timeloop game where an entire group gets timelooped and have to work together to break out but realize in horror after a really good loop that one of them no longer remembers any of the progress made and now does the same thing every loop. they have to get out individually. they cant escape together. making progress means reducing the amount of people you have with you

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We don’t talk enough about how fanfiction writers love to give character large amounts of non-specific paperwork they hate doing

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Writing Worksheets & Templates

will update this every few weeks/months. alternatively, here are all my tagged Writing Worksheets & Templates

Chapter Outline ⚜ Character- or Plot-Driven Story

Death & Sacrifice ⚜ Magic & Rituals ⚜ Plot-Planning

Editing: Sentence Check ⚜ Writing Your Novel: 20 Questions

Tension ⚜ Thought Distortions ⚜ What's at Stake

Character Development

50 Questions ⚜ Backstory ⚜ Character Creation

Antagonist; Villain; Fighting ⚜ Protagonist & Antagonist

Character: Change; Adding Action; Conflict

Character: Creator; Name; Quirks; Flaws; Motivation

Character Profile (by Rick Riordan) ⚜ Character Sheet Template

Character Sketch & Bible ⚜ Interview your Character

Story-Worthy Hero ⚜ "Well-Rounded" Character Worksheet

Worldbuilding

20 Questions ⚜ Decisions & Categories ⚜ Worksheet

Setting ⚜ Dystopian World ⚜ Magic System (AALC Method)

Templates: Geography; World History; City; Fictional Plant

References: Worldbuilding ⚜ Plot ⚜ Character ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

all posts are queued. send questions/requests here.

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Liminal spaces-themed voicemail writing prompts:

"I don't know where I am." – The voicemail is from a loved one who sounds disoriented, describing a vast, empty mall with no exits. Their voice fades as if they’re walking deeper into the unknown.

"I swear this place wasn’t here before." – A friend calls, leaving a message about a strange gas station that appeared on a road trip. The voicemail ends with static and a faint voice in the background.

"I waited for you, but you never came." – The message is from someone who claims to have been standing outside your house for hours—but no one was ever there.

"It's the same hallway, over and over." – A caller frantically describes walking through an endless, flickering office corridor, doors leading nowhere, footsteps echoing, but no sign of life.

"I found the old arcade again." – The voicemail details a childhood hangout that was torn down years ago. The caller insists they just walked inside, but something feels…off.

"I see someone that looks like you." – A voicemail from an old friend says they spotted someone who looks exactly like you in an abandoned train station—except you were nowhere near that place.

"Don’t come looking for me." – A final message from a lost friend who vanished years ago, sounding like they’re in a vast, empty parking garage, their voice echoing endlessly.

"The hotel room is wrong." – A distressed voice describes how they checked into their room, but the hallway outside keeps changing. The room number doesn’t exist.

"Please answer. I keep seeing the payphone, but you never pick up." – The message is from an unknown number, talking as if they’ve been calling you for years from a forgotten, abandoned place.

"There was a door here yesterday." – A panicked voicemail about a missing exit in a subway station, the voice growing more distorted with each word.

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Character used to work together with a Team. They got close, even became friends, something Character never had before. But something happened, and Character got kicked out (did they betray them? Falsely accused? Too much of a risk? Left behind because of injuries?)

Years later, the Team has completed their mission, and is now in a leading position. But now, they have a mission, a treath that needs to be dealt with. It's specific, and they know only one person who can help them; Character.

Character is summoned, and they show up.

But there is no warmth on their face, no friendliness. They walk up to Teamleader, head high, eyes stoic. They ignore the suspicious glares from the Henchmen. But they stop before Teamleader, and make a bow. There is no respect in the gesture, no emotion in their eyes but hatred.

The message is clear. They're not here for Them. They're here for the job. They'll do it, but don't for a second think they have forgotten what happened.

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Stop

"S-stop. Please. Please just stop."

A mantra repeated in their head, as pain takes over everything, and they can't even voice it. Stop-Stop-Stop-Stop

Needing painful treatment, knowing it's needed, but just- "Stop. Please, no more."

Whumpee clutching at the chains/ropes, anything to escape the pain. Whumper slaps their fingers. "Stop that."

"Stop crying. Please, we need to be quiet. Please stop."

"Make it stop, please"

"The nightmares don't stop. I'm not getting better. It just never ends."

"You have to stop searching for them, they're gone."

Screaming as someone else gets hurt. "Stop it! Please! Stop! Don't hurt them!"

"Stop it, you're killing them!"

"Whumper please, I'm sorry. Please, stop."

Living Weapon, trying to hold on, a little longer, just as their trainer wants. They're at their limits, but they have to hold on, they have to- "Okay, stop. That's enough." Living Weapon collapses.

Whumpee tries opening up. "Oh, can you stop? All you talk about is that! We get it okay, give us a break."

Whumpee pressing their hand to their eyes, trying to stop the tears. Stop it, they tell themselves. Get it together.

"You know what you need to do if you want it to stop."

"You just don't know when to stop, do you?"

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defiant whumpees turning into compliant whumpees are *chefs kiss yes yes very good* but the inverse has really been kicking around in my brain lately & honestly it's just. so good.

a whumpee that starts out scared & confused, focused solely on just getting the pain to stop so they go along with whatever whumper wants, thinking it'll please whumper enough to leave them alone, to let them go, to make it stop...but whumper just keeps going. they keep ramping up the torture. always trying new things, finding new, equally horrible ways to hurt whumpee.

& eventually, whumpee snaps & has enough, leading to their once kind, obedient self twisting itself into something sharp, guarded, & vicious, ready to lash out & bite whumper whenever the opportunity presents itself.

(bonus points if whumper uses this change in whumpee against them, mocking them for allowing whumper to have so much influence over them but also convincing them that they're better this way anyway & that they might as well not even bother trying to leave because...well, they're so difficult now, aren't they? most of whumpee's loved ones probably wouldn't even know what to do with them in the state they're in. who better to handle whumpee than whumper?)