#Tamora Monroe

[blackhholes]

teen wolf meme: [1/3] colours -> red

As an Alpha, you have that bit of extra-- that spark intensifies the color of your eyes from a bright yellow into a searing red.

[bansheenolan]

[gayholloway]

[Click. Monroe presses record. The tape rolls.] [Monroe clears her throat, adjusting the recorder.] Monroe: Psych log, recording on 9/23/12 for work with Nolan Holloway. Friday was my first session with Nolan. His primary doctor recommended sessions thrice a week during his stay until he’s either moved to a more long-term facility or discharged. Or: a Banshee-Nolan AU following the rough plot of the Little Nightmares podcast, The Sounds of Nightmares.

[princeescaluswords]

I've been thinking about Munroe and wondering what about season 6 could have been different if her supernatural trauma was related to the nogitsune and the oni instead like in the hospital attack. I think it would be make her hatred of the pack a bit more compelling because they, especially Scott, actually did choose to save and protect Stiles regardless of the danger to other people and they could do something interesting with Scott and Stiles' guilt over it all. I also feel like it would be more believable for her to have supporters if they were other survivors who saw what they thought was the sheriff's son do something terrible and then have it completely covered up.

Do you think that's something that would have worked? How do you think it would have played out?

I think that your musings are inadvertently neglecting a very key part of Tamora Monroe's story. Unless I am mistaken (and feel free to correct me if I am) you're arguing that if her trauma had been directly connected to something the pack chose to do rather than something that they failed to stop, it would have made more of an impact. I agree that it would have certainly made her hostility toward the pack more personal.

However, I consider the fact that it wasn't due to a specific decision is vitally important dimension to her story. As usual, I'm going to preface my remarks by making it clear that Monroe is a villain, and my exploration of her motivations should not be taken as approval of her actions in any way.

To me, the central premise to Tamora Monroe's story isn't that she experienced trauma. A lot of people in the show experienced trauma and reacted to it in ways both good and bad. No, Monroe's fury arises from the way the main characters reacted to her trauma. She may have completely recovered from the damage the Beast did to her. She may have mourned the friends she lost on that school bus. What she can't accept is how unimportant the reaction made her seem. Something terrible happened to her but it was a side effect, a background detail to a trap made by a monster for others she saw as monsters.

In a bit of clever meta-narrative (with a bit of clear social commentary thrown in), Monroe existed as a minor victim, an extra designed, as T. S. Eliot put it, "to swell a scene or two." Her words to Corey in Said the Spider to the Fly (6x11) establish not only things about Corey's character but also hers.

Tamora: Look, I understand the need to keep up, to be recognized or noticed. Everybody feels invisible sometimes.

What Monroe went through wasn't given any importance. The bodies in the school bus were bait and afterwards, they were carted away never to be mentioned or dealt with again. If she hadn't survived, no one would have given her a second thought.

But she did survive, and even though she did, she still wasn't given enough importance -- enough value -- to be told what really happened to her. She figured it out on her own, and that is where her anger comes from. Her life didn't matter. That type of dismissal can be enraging, and she takes out that rage on those who she sees as acting that way in Raw Talent (6x12).

Monroe: I'm sorry. I should've told you. It's wolfsbane.

When I first heard that line, I was confused. Why would she say that to a werewolf she was hunting? However, it's clear on reflection that this line speaks directly to her motivation. Wolfsbane is dangerous to werewolves, so she should have told Brett that there was wolfsbane in the lacrosse ball, just as the Beast was dangerous to her, and she should have been told about the Beast. She is claiming an eye for an eye.

Her speech to the Sheriff in Werewolves of London (6x17) is also worth analyzing.

Monroe: Understand each other. Do you wanna know what I understand, Sheriff? Do you wanna know what I see in your little show and tell?

She speaks passionately because this is what should have happened way back after she survived the Beast. She should have been allowed to understand what was happening. She should have been listened to, but she didn't have any power. Only now, when she has power, are the people responsible willing to talk. She'll say that exact thing to Scott in After Images (6x13). Now that they're listening, she's going to do the talking.

Monroe: I see a sheriff unable to control the violence in his own county. A county he's sworn to protect. I see the same sheriff in way over his head. And not ready to believe the truth that's been staring him in the face for years.

It's clear that she thought she feels that people like the Sheriff were operating under false premises. They were supposed to keep the monsters away from people who couldn't protect themselves.

Monroe: I was told I was the victim of a wild animal attack. A bear. I was lied to. You lied to protect them over us.

The attack itself doesn't matter as much as the disregard. She was treated as a second-class citizen as opposed to monsters who can heal from stab wounds in a matter of minutes and grow claws and fangs at will. She was made to feel invisible, powerless, and unimportant.

Until she wasn't. Until she had enough power and enough followers to make them treat her differently.

So, what pushed her into become the woman who callously ordered Edgar the Werecoyote disposed of as trash? Well, she wouldn't be the first woman in Teen Wolf manipulated and used by a particularly selfish man to further his own ends.

Gerard: Someone who has been doing this a lot longer than you, but also someone who recognizes raw talent when he sees it.

Gerard had obviously been studying Monroe and figured out what I argue up above. It's not the wounds, it's the lies. It's the ignorance. Notice how many times during Season 6B Gerard emphasizes Monroe's importance or emphasizes how much she needs to learn, or emphasizes that this is what happens when the supernatural is unchecked. He's honed in on her psychology and uses her as a tactical advantage, one he's more than willing to discard once she's outlived her usefulness. Just as he did with Kate. Just as he did with Allison back in Season 2. It's the same thing -- take their feelings and twist them into action.

Monroe fit into Teen Wolf perfectly.

[rosalinesurvived]

Need to speak more about how Nolan Holloway was absolutely a grooming victim. Monroe wasn’t just there at him during 6B, she was his guidance councillor, his literal fucking therapist. She went to this traumatised teenager to get him to join the hunters from the get-go. She explicitly states ‘what we spoke about over the summer’. Nolan told her about his trauma and she took advantage of his anxiety to shove him into joining a pseudo-genocide group. Why am I the only person talking about this?

[feelingtheaster99]

I finally finished the end of the last season of Teen Wolf this week, and I almost wish I didn’t because I think the Season 6A plot would’ve been a better ending

[teenwolfpackincorrectcaptions]

Nolan: I can’t do it! I can’t go out there, especially not alone! Monroe: I’ve given you all the tools you need to handle this Nolan: No, you didn't-

[cat-crowned-8]

Uh, the teen wolf movie is one plothole after the other

spoilers below the cut

no way they got through the entire thing without mentioning the fucking WAR CRIMES that monroe committed and how/if they beat her. and how was Derek the only casualty?? the nogitsune didnt even kill him, he just was a casualty of killing him! plus i think that easily couldve been avoided so thats just bs and wanted to give eli more trauma. speaking of eli, i wanna know who his mom is! bc with the timeline they set up, he was born like, right after the war with monroe. so...what? anyway, that shit with parrish and malia? ew. thats weird. i feel like they really forgot how scary the nogitsune is. im still reeling that he killed NOBODY. anyway i missed kira (racist mfs) and theo.

And how tf did they have the audacity to make a movie ENTIRELY about the villain that kira and stiles were INTEGRAL to. without even mentioning her?? plus, HARRIS?? nah that felt weak. there was zero explanation for that shit. this movie was so long but the pacing was shit. they made it 2 1/2 hrs without actually expanding on anyones story like, at all. still can't believe they killed derek.

What would've really brought the movie full circle would be allison dying again. this time they get to say goodbye. she doesnt belong in this time. the entire movie was fucking fan service for scallison lovers. i would also like a an explanation for why scalia broke up (and how tf she got with parrish)

[kingofangst]

Something made me think of an idea...what if Nolan (had Froy pursued it) was in the Teen Wolf movie? How much would he have grown from season 6 to the movie? Would he still be able to shoot crossbows and arrows?

Makes me think how he’d fair against the Onis and the Nogitsune, plus meeting Allison who happens to be the granddaughter of his former superior, Gerard Argent.

Considering it's been years since the supernatural war between the supernaturals and Tamora Monroe ended, would she be still alive? Did Scott spare her (as he will) and helped her see the bigger picture? Or was she murdered by a more aggressive group of supernaturals? It made me wonder how they both would fare in the movie and Nolan meeting Tamora after 10+ years

Comments? Questions? Thoughts?

[daughterofluthien]

tamora monroe and "there's no such thing as fate," please?

There’s no such thing as fate.

People had tried to tell her that for years, but she could never quite bring herself to believe it. She may not have landed the counseling position she wanted—the one she had spent years training and studying for—but when a friend sent her a job posting for an English teacher at one of the most troubled high schools in the state, she couldn’t help but feel like the Universe had set this all up just for her.

The students at Beacon Hills High had endured a lot over the past three years. A quick google search turned up multiple articles about mountain lion attacks, several separate serial killers, and even an infectious disease outbreak. Not to mention the recent rapid turnover of administration. She might not have the official job title, but there were a lot of students at that school that needed a sympathetic ear.

There’s no such thing as fate.

For some reason, none of her classes in trauma recovery had covered how exactly you were supposed to heal after waking up in a pile of bodies. None of her professors had talked about the bone deep fear that drives you to close your eyes in the face of the most terrifying thing she’d seen in her entire life. 

She didn’t know how she survived. She didn’t know how to talk to anyone about the fact that she had. 

How could she hope to help students when she was so lost and afraid herself?

There’s no such thing as fate.

No one had saved her, so Tamora had to save herself. 

She listened and studied, and learned there were monsters in the world. More than that, there were monsters in Beacon Hills—all the tragedies the town had faced over the years, they weren’t part of some improbable string of bad luck. All the evil and death had been the work of some malevolent hand.

Now all she needed to know was if the leadership of the town was complicit, or just unforgivably blind.  

There’s no such thing as fate.

The only practical way to fight a conspiracy, she soon learned, was to build one of her own. She’d learned so much more about the monsters now, and she knew what she had to do.

If the only way to save Beacon Hills was to drag it, bloody and screaming, into the light, then that’s what she would do. She came to this town to help troubled students, and that’s what she would do. No matter what tried to stand in her way.

After all, there was no such thing as fate.

[blackhholes]

Teen Wolf as Horror Subgenres

Season six B: Cosmic Horror

[bansheenolan]

That isn't human. One of you put it out of its misery.

[dailyscottficrec]

Happy Birthday Mem <3

Please enjoy this long recommendation post in honor of @momentofmemory's birthday. I've said it before and I will say it again, I highly recommend everything she writes. If you are looking for genfic, Scott centric fic and fic that just exudes love for the canon and characters: this is the place to go!

(find her fics here: momentofmemory)

all these years left unspoken

It’s been ten years since it happened. Five, since she was last here.

It doesn’t feel like it.

(or, Lydia Martin lost her best friend at seventeen, and the worst part is that she has so much time to figure out how to live with that.)

This was the first fic of hers that I read. It really captures the essence of grief and mourning so well. It gives you such a gut punch re: how young Allison is when she dies and how young Lydia is too. I love it so much.

what measure is a non-human

“Scott!”

Kira’s sprinting past him before Stiles can get an appropriate what the hell out, and she just barely catches Scott before he nosedives into the asphalt. A shell-shocked Liam appears from behind a row of cars, hands reaching for Scott like he wants to help, but isn’t sure if he’d be welcome.

The only sound louder than Stiles’ feet slapping against the pavement is his heart pounding in his ears.

Ahhh! I love this one so much. The exploration of Scott's pain and scira comfort of it. My heeeearrt.

administered twice, daily

It’s been—a lot, to say the least. Between wrapping up all the loose ends from what Theo, the Dread Doctors, and the Beast did, and untangling the mess his own pack had become, he hasn’t had a shift at the clinic since—well. Before.

It figures it’d be raining.

He blinks up at the streetlights, the hum of electricity buzzing underneath the harsh patter of the rain, and it feels too much like too many things.

Wolfsbane, asthma, claws. Kira, Stiles, Liam.

 (Dying, dying, dying.)

I *just* read this today!! I can't even believe I had missed it. Both Deaton and Scott's voices are absolutely impeccable. I love how much they say without ever saying it and the exploration of Scott's grief and pain over his own death. Gyahhh! And there is Scott cuddling kittens? Lovely.

meet me on the landing

There’s nothing at the foot of the stairs.

Gravel under his shoes, gasoline in his nose. Flames reflecting off his eyes and flecks of deep-red rust from the motel steps on his palms.

But nothing, whisper his thoughts. Nothing for you.

(or: a series of ten interconnected, 100-word drabbles exploring Scott's character arc through the lens of staircases.)

Mem and I live together at the top of the "a proper drabble is exactly 100 words hill" and I learned that after reading this fic. And gushing about how lovely it is. I love that each drabble stands alone and then how they also tie together. It's a lovely look at each moment and I adore this fic so much.

retrouvaille

retrouvaille (n): the joy of meeting or finding someone again after a long separation.

Ken gives Kira the phone three weeks before they move.

It’s an eye-catching bright yellow, designed to match the intensity of her favorite watch, with a package of professional apps preloaded to the home screen and technical specs boasting an unprecedented 64gb of storage. The most important part to Ken, however, is the impressive-looking camera lens protruding from the back.

!!!! Ken's voice in this is amazing. This explores Ken's relationship with Kira and is so so lovely. I love the bit at the end that explores Ken and Scott too!

codominance.

Scott veers the jeep sharply off the road just in time for it to rattle to a stop.

Stiles is uncharacteristically silent beside him.

Scott breathes through his nose and watches as the arrow on the gas gauge drifts down to empty—honest, now that it’s too late.

Now that it’s dead.

This is arguably mem's most famous fic. I remember teasing her about having a box of tissues ready when she finished it. I need them. This fic is absolutely dripping with love for Scott and Stiles and their relationship. Every single line is so measured and so impactful. If you read only one, I suggest this one. (But really, check them all out)

hiraeth

He reads the pamphlets on the table outside the counselor’s office at school: Your body is changing, they say.

He thinks, no. My body was replaced.

This is a shorter piece- but it packs SUCH a bunch. It really explores the effects of the body horror Scott feels after s1-2. It does a lot in such a little amount of time.

the devil you didn’t know

He hasn’t heard that voice in nearly two years, but it’s instantly recognizable. “Danny?”

There’s a low rumble of a laugh, not quite like he remembers, but when he hurries past the threshold he’s met with the blinding, ear-to-ear grin of his former classmate.

“In the flesh,” Danny says, rainwater dripping from the black leather of his jacket as he gives Scott an open-armed shrug.

I absolutely love the horror vibes in this one! The tension is so good!!! And I always love Scott and Danny content. This one is so fun!

electric love

Scott’s toaster zaps him twice when he stumbles into the kitchen at 5:30 in the morning.

He doesn’t think much of it.

This is such a sweet scira, Kira comes back fic!! I love just how nervous but affectionate they are around each other at the end. This is sooo sweet.

the family business

There’s a gun in Scott’s face.

He doesn’t know guns. Has no idea what the caliber is or the range it has, or honestly even what a caliber is.

He just knows that it’s Big.

I am not exaggerating in the least when I say read this every time I watch 2x01 now. This scene from Scott's POV is so ahhhh, it really hits home that he's *sixteen* and that this kind of violence has just recently become his life. Gyahhha. I love it.

varicose veins

Theo can smell Scott’s sweat from the long run. The aftershave he’d used this morning. The rain-smell of his clothes.

Still none of the exhaustion he knows has to be there, or the relief from making it out of the elements. Not a thing about his emotional state at all.

It’s not like him.

Scott from Theo's pov is always so good, and this is absolutely no exception. This explores Scott's relationship with pain taking and pain and Theo's relationship with Scott and the Dread Doctors and pain so well. I love it so much.

schrödinger’s boy

Mason checks his hands. He doesn’t really know what he’s looking for.

Claws?

Smoke?

He just sees skin.

This Mason post Beast trauma character study is sooo good. I love that it explores Mason's relationships with Liam, Sydney and Scott so well. Love it.

guardian

Melissa looks frazzled, hair twisted in a mess and clothes soaked, but she doesn’t waste a second in sizing Jennifer up. “Who the hell are you?”

The frightened courage in her eyes is all too similar to her son’s.

The genuine confusion, however, is not.

This might be easier than Jennifer had thought.

This is a look at Scott from Jennifer's POV during 3a, and it's soo chillingly good. It was the first of the collaborative series we worked together on, and it was so fun, too! I loved Jennifer's voice in this so much and the way it really hits home the trauma of your English teacher also being your enemy.

blood in the water

There’s blood on the shower wall.

It’s smeared over the tile at chest height, handprints just barely distinguishable in the bright red streaks. Thin, watery droplets glide slowly down the wall. Fresh—as if it’d been splattered there seconds ago.

It hadn’t been there this morning.

(or, 5 times Scott washed the blood off alone, +1 time he didn’t have to.)

Are you a hurt!Scott fan? Me toooo. And wow, does this deliver. I love the imagery and the emphasis on Scott's disassociation. And then the +1 just puts you so high on scalia feelings. Love, love, love.

zebra cakes

“Have you ever…” Lydia pauses, catching a glossy lip between her teeth. “Do you ever feel like you’re falling?”

Malia frowns.

All four legs of Lydia’s chair are anchored safely (and boringly) on the library floor.

Malia tilts hers back another couple inches, situating her boots confidently on the table. “Nope.”

Lydia sighs. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

This is such a good look at Malia and Lydia friendship. It also catches the essence of grief and mourning so well. It's really a Malia and Lydia character study and rings so true for both of them. Highly recommend.

futility

“If you wanted to murder me,” he says, turning slowly to face the source of the scent, “there are less public places you could do it.”

Tamora Monroe smiles at him, still nearly ten yards away. The sage bushes neatly obscure the pistol at her hip.

“You can’t murder an animal,” she says.

“In your mind, maybe. But it looks the same on paper.”

This was originally a tumblr fic and I am so glad mem cleaned it up for a03. There is a lack of Tamora content and Scott and Tamora content and this excellent fic corrects Crimes. I love the emphasis on just how tired Scott is along with how he still wants to change her mind. I love, love, love.

silence

Stiles watches Scott’s chest expand on the inhale; collapse on the exhale. His button-down shirt sticks lightly to his front, damp only with sweat, instead of the blood Stiles had seen days before.

Stiles wishes he’d snore. Talk in his sleep. Something.

He raps his own fingernails against the handle, achingly loud against the silence. 

This is a Stiles pov tag fic to codominace. And it's so good. I love how clearly you can feel that Stiles loves Scott in this. It fits in the fic and enriches the relationship between them and I love it, too.

heavy heart

“I can get you out,” Theo says. “It’s a low dose—you probably won’t even notice the wolfsbane for the first couple floors.”

Scott leans heavily against the table in the center of the room. “After that?”

“You’ll start getting weak. After a few more floors, you’ll pass out.” Theo makes sure his voice doesn’t waver. “And then I’ll carry you the rest of the way.”

This was part of the sceo collaboration. And it's another hurt! Scott. Favorite. Beloved. I really enjoyed the parallels between wolfsbane and asthma. And the tension between them here is so fun. Gyhahh!

what do you know

Melissa finally musters up the nerve to rap on the window between them. “Kira? Honey, are you okay?”

Three seconds slip by—tick, tick, tick—before Kira’s head turns, slowly, like she’s half asleep.

The look in her eyes startles Melissa.

This was another collaboration. This time looking at Kira over the years through different eyes. I remember we all found this a lot harder than we expected, so it's extra satisfying that this is so lovely. This explores Melissa and Kira during the time in s5 when they have no idea what is going on with Kira. It's so good. I love how it really adds to canon.

perspective

Surprise radiates from Scott’s scent at Deucalion’s instruction. “I’m going… home?”

“‘Going home’ isn’t an option anymore,” Deucalion corrects. “At least, not the one you’re thinking of.”

This was another tumblr fic- written for me. And I adore it so much, I probably reread it on tumblr 10-15 times. Now it is on a03 where I can enjoy it. Mem and I are both forever fascinated by the missing 24 hours that Scott is with Deucalion in 3a and this fic explores that. I also love snarky! Scott so much. Another feature.

worth fighting for

Table at his back.

Pain.

Restraints around his wrists.

Kate?

Harsh fluorescent lights glaring down, bright like the High Line, isolating like the church.

He can’t think.

Or: Scott wakes in an unfamiliar place. It gets worse from there.

It would be disingenuine of me to say anything other than this is my favorite mem!fic. They are all great, but this was written for me- tailored to exactly the kind of stuff I like. It has captive! Scott, hurt!Scott, all the villains, scira, BAMF Scott and BAMF Kira, and it explores Bardo and Scott's relationship with death?? And just. Everything about it makes me so happy always. <3 <3 <3

[scribeoffate]

[metagalacticx]

hi @jennnifersbody my partner in crime.

i come bearing gifts: evil women who deserved [to murder and maim] more