#which I have moved on from teen wolf but it for very obvious reasons another great example

[poebrey]

gonna write a whole thing someday about how characters of color who clearly have a history of trauma or mental health issues aren’t given consideration or acknowledgement in the fandom imagination

[insomniacwritersblog]

the friendships between the five girls in murder most unladylike are really important and here's why

this will contain SPOILERS for all nine books in the mmu series, so read at your own risk

*cracks knuckles* i don't actually crack my knuckles, but this is probably gonna be long, so settle in

ever since once upon a crime came out i've been back on my mmu bullshit, and i was thinking about how good and important the friendships between daisy, hazel, kitty, beanie and lavinia are, and how much they all support each other, which is so important. here's why

kitty: i'm starting with kitty, because out of all of them, she has the most solid support unit in her family. she has a nice middle class life, with a nice family. her parents also seem to have a pretty solid and healthy relationship (in top marks for murder, we find out her mother is pregnant, and given that kitty and her sister are already in their teens, this indicates that their parents have a pretty healthy sexual relationship; obviously pregnancy can happen easy, but i hope you get the point). anyway. in jolly foul play, kitty's younger sister "runs away", which kitty is worried about given that her sister had been involving herself in the fallout of the murder and the gossip about the older pupils at the school. the rest of her friends help find her sister. i can't think of many other instances where the murder cases get personal for kitty, but when she needs her friends, they're there for her. another note, kitty is really protective and close with beanie, and has beanie stay with her during the christmas holidays while her parents are away because beanie's mother is ill (this is in the case of the missing bunbreak which is a short story - also! - kitty gets beanie a dictaphone because beanie isn't so good at writing stuff up)

beanie: out of all of them, beanie is the one that seems to value her friends the most, and this really shows. most obviously is in jolly foul play, when beanie knowingly puts herself between her friends and the girl they just discovered is the murderer. beanie. who originally has this nickname because she is physically small. she ends up in the school hospital afterwards, but she was able to protect her friends. beanie's friends are also very protective of her, probably because she is so loveable, which we see in top marks for murder. remember when her dad shows up by himself, and beanie is freaked out because she had recently seen a man strangle/attempting to strangle a woman in the woods? she goes running off, and her friends go after her and hug her and reassure her. good stuff.

lavinia: lavinia as a character is complicated, but here we go. she is very much the "gruff character with a heart of gold" character, but it feels pretty reasonable. in the very first paragraph of the first book, it is mentioned that lavinia comes from a "broken home" i.e. her parents are divorced. i think we find this out even before we find out hazel is chinese. so yeah, given that divorce was pretty uncommon in the 30s, escpecially among wealthier people, i think this affected lavinia pretty hard, and as a result of the fallout from her parents' marriage, she decided she didn't need anyone (this is my interpretation, take it or leave it, but i have proof. it's mentioned that lavinia has older brothers, so i think even when she was a child growing up, lavinia didn't have the experience of parents who loved her and each other, that their marriage was on the rocks for a while, and eventually they decided to just end with divorce, damn the repurcussions, damn the fact that it will be a talking point at their daughter's school). she also doesn't have a significant best friend, which must feel kind of lonely in her dorm because kitty and beanie are best friends, as are daisy and hazel. but she's not entirely a lone wolf, even if it seems like it at first. daisy and hazel's first case is finding lavinia's tie, because lavinia asked them for help. when daisy inducts lavinia into the detective society in the fourth book, it's because lavinia asked to be part of it, and even though she mocks daisy's solemn rituals, hazel notes that she seems pleased to be part of it. when daisy and hazel come back to school at the start of the book, lavinia makes a "we didn't really miss you" comment, but hazel can tell she doesn't mean it. hazel also notes that lavinia seems pleased when the others tell her and daisy about lavinia being good at tennis; this contrasts with the tennis exhibition scene later in the book when her father's fiancée is cheering her on. essentially, lavinia's rejection of parental figures means that she probably values her friends all the more, and the support they give her. a couple of instances of her being a good friend to the others that stick out as well: in jolly foul play, when kitty's sister binny is found, and binny says she is hungry, lavinia is the one to give her some chocolate. lavinia also decides to crash at kitty's during the christmas holidays rather than spend them with her father and his fiancée. this has got too long, let's move on.

daisy: a bit like lavinia, daisy can be a bit mean to/reject others, which i think comes down to her confidence and self-assurance. these are great personality traits, don't get me wrong, but there can be downsides to them. for example, in jolly foul play, daisy feels less self-assured about her friendship with hazel because hazel and alexander have started to write to each other after meeting on the orient express (i'd also point out that this is at a time when daisy probably needs support more than ever because she and her family are probably still dealing with the aftermath of the murder and murder trial, which was probably quite a big deal). at one point, hazel sees daisy making lists and writing notes about the murder, the things that hazel usually does during an investigation. we can put this rejection of friendship with hazel down to daisy's insecurity. even earlier in the series is arsenic for tea, where i can think of two significant moments. firstly, daisy and hazel see her mother secretly making out with a man that is not daisy's father. rough, which is why afterwards hazel comforts her. the second instance is when daisy and hazel overhear a conversation between the butler and daisy's father, and without complete context, it seems to confirm that daisy's father is the murderer. at first daisy won't acknowledge it, and hazel has to practically put the words in her mouth, which is a pretty tense and emotional moment. it's not really an argument, but hazel has to force her best friend to confront the fact that her father may have committed a murder, which again ties into her self-assurance. in the first book, hazel writes about the honourable daisy wells; popular, pretty, clever, the daughter of a lord. she is storybook perfect, but in the second book, we see that things aren't as perfect as they seem. daisy finds out her mother's infidelity, and later fears that the father she adores may be a murderer. her self-assurance about that everything in her life is golden begins to falter, and so she relies on herself and her friends to work through the murder case. daisy is also a good friend though, especially to hazel. yes, she can be mean and teasing sometimes, but ultimately she is a good friend. when hazel's grandfather dies in a spoonful of murder, the first thing we hear daisy say about it is "i guess i'm coming to hong kong then". hazel needed daisy and daisy is there for her. daisy comforts hazel through grief over her loss, jealousy about her new baby brother, and guilt about the subsequent kidnapping and murder that takes place. and in death sets sail? daisy saves the life of hazel's youngest sister may. literally, because may is maybe seven or eight, and probably can't swim. hazel and her family and everyone else is panicking, but daisy kind of just runs straight into the situation, never mind the danger, she has to save hazel's sister. and she does. also a couple of things to note about this scene, when daisy turns to look back just before she goes overboard, hazel wonders if it was because amina was watching, and daisy wanted to impress her. but hazel also hears daisy say her name just before she goes overboard. in that scene, through all the stress daisy was thinking about hazel, her friend, and saving her friend's little sister.

hazel: finally, we come to hazel. out of all of them, maybe even more than beanie, i would say that hazel values her friends the most. for the obvious reason, her family lives on another continent, and therefore it's important to have some strong connection with the people she does have near to her. at first it's just kind of necessity? when she first comes to deepdean, hazel is shy and no-one really talks to her, and she is pretty much just a sort of curiosity, very much the "other". it is after daisy watches hazel's failed experiment in fitting in with the other girls, and realises how she is clever and observant and puts on an act for others (which hazel also recognises in daisy), that daisy decides that they're going to be friends. it's also my theory that this then leads to kitty, beanie and lavinia befriending her a bit more. while they probably weren't unkind or r*cist to her, they probably let the "otherness" of hazel's ethnicity and nationality act as a barrier to properly getting to know her, which was probably exacerbated by the fact that hazel is quite introverted (compared to amina for example, who is very outgoing and lively, which meant that everyone at deepdean immediately loved her - there is something to be said about the fact that people probably didn't regard amina with the same amount of "otherness" because if they can have a asian pupil at their school, why not an african one?). hazel is also a kind person, which makes her a good friend to the others. near the end of death sets sail, she helps look for the cook's brooch which had been a gift from daisy, and later comforts kitty about not having a boyfriend. but hazel also relies on her friends, and they support her. when hazel's grandfather dies and her father wants her to come home, she insists on having daisy with her. kitty tells hazel about the fact that alexander is clearly pining for her. in the first book when everyone is discussing the teacher that has gone missing (because she's been murdered) beanie brings up a rumour that the teacher is "an agent for the East" then panics and apologises to hazel (something hazel notes that only beanie would think to do). there are other facets of hazel and her friendships, that i could explore, but i am tired and this has gone on long enough.

if you have reached the end, congratulations. hopefully you enjoyed this essay length ramble about female friendships in the murder most unladylike series

[saigonharrington]

boyfriend pt.2 //g.w

Hey guys! Everyday there’s more and more of you and it makes my heart warm 🤧🥰

Would you want me to write for someone else instead of George? I think i could try either boys and girls from hp and teen wolf universes

Now let’s move on to the fic

If anyone somehow got there before reading the first part I’ll put the link here

it’s 2.7k words if my word counter is right haha

warnings: some kind of mental breakdown? mentions of eating in public

by the way I think I messed some things up there, hope you don’t mind that not everything is well explained

+ i would really appreciate your reblogs and comments it helps me so much to reach to other readers! thank you

———————————

A month passed by, having everything blurred thanks for tears streaming down your face almost every day. That means until you were too weak to dehydrate your body anymore. You didn’t even know what was the main reason for your mood. You saw your boyfriend cheating, but was it really hurting you the most? Being in a relationship with Adrian for only two months, and despite his not-the-best reputation, you still thought that he’ll turn out to be different. It was stupid to believe in, but you, having a massive crush on him, was oblivious as hell. Still, the biggest issue was your friend, George Weasley. Or maybe you shouldn’t use that word while describing him, since you have not spoken to him after the Yule ball night. Things turned out to be just as you said, hearing unpleasant things about your appearance, your character, and your actions was on the daily basis. Gossiping was one issue, but the second problem was definitely worse. Your friends turned away from you. It took a couple of days to make girls talk to you again since they only heard George’s version of what happened that night. Even though you talked to them, the rest of the squad was not fond of your presence, especially Fred, who looked like he wanted to kill you for hurting his brother. Because of that, you mostly spend time with yourself only. Eating out in public became torture, since all the people you talked to, didn’t want to speak to you, so you sat alone, wanting to finish the dish as fast as you could. From time to time, one of three girls came to you for a little talk, but when they saw you, looking like a ghost, they wished they could go back to the group. They were not the best at consoling, it was easy to say, and you, not wanting them to feel pushed to talk to you, let them go. If you’re sad, that doesn’t mean that they should be sad with you, right?

That whole situation made your grades way worse than you thought they could be. You have been forced to study with the Hufflepuff girl named Emily, to get you back on track.

“ Y/N, have you heard what I asked you? You should focus if you want to pass that exam.” She said, trying to get my attention. “But first, tell me, what’s bothering you?”

When you heard this phrase, you explained everything in details. You wanted to speak with someone who wouldn’t defend George’s action and who wouldn’t mention his feelings towards you every five damn minutes. All you wished for is a person who could understand the situation, hearing the story only from your point of view, because your friends, even though they wanted what’s best for you, have focused too much on his feelings, not yours.

“You’re right, Y/N. It’s not your fault. But it isn’t fully his fault either. And by the way, pushing your friends away from you won’t solve any problems. What you should do is talk to them about your feelings, if they are real ones, they won’t leave you. And talk to that George boy. I think he is the right person, I’ve always seen those gingers next to you for the past couple of years, you can’t end a friendship that lasted years just because he admitted his feelings. It’s been a month since you guys talked, and I do not see the problem because you’re now single.”

“Are you suggesting that I should move on quickly and just hop into the next relationship? Don’t want to disappoint you, but I’m not one of those who heal from one romance by jumping into another.”

“But you still can talk to him and personally I think that maybe you like him. Like a little too much. That’s why it hurt you because he could’ve confessed his feelings earlier, then you and Pucey wouldn’t be a thing, you wouldn’t be cheated on, and everything would look like from some unrealistic fairy tale.”

“I hate you.” You mumbled, pulling your head deep in the pillow.

“Cause it’s true?” She asked, but you weren’t able to explain, so you just nodded in response.

“How can one be so genius, and I’m not talking about grades wise, but emotions.”

“Um I don’t know if you’re complimenting me or George.” She started laughing. “Either way, thank you. Now let’s go, you’re going to talk with your friends.”

“Now?” You panicked. “We were supposed to be studying now. I’ll do it tomorrow, I swear.” You promised, knowing that it would be too much for today.

“But I’m going with you. I don’t trust you, Y/N.” She added, punching you in the arm.

You two were studying the History of magic until you started yawning every three minutes. Emily was kind enough to let you rest, reminding you that tomorrow is a big day. These words did not help you at all, struggled with sleeping, overthinking about what you should say when you’ll confront your friend. Were you ready for that conversation? What if he doesn’t love you anymore? What if he moved on, and now you’re going to admit your feelings at the wrong time? But how can you know the answers if you are not going to talk to him? You have to do this. Even if it’s going to be painful, this case needs to be closed.

The night seemed to last for too short because you barely closed your eyes when all the girls from your dormitory started waking up. They were surprised that you’re awake, you couldn’t find the courage to admit that you weren’t sleeping at all. The lack of sleep made you feel like you were drunk, not responding to any of the questions that Angelina and Alicia asked you. Your friends left the dorm shortly before you came back to reality, slowly starting to get yourself ready for this day. Unexpectedly Emily waited for you at the door to your common room, which was very nice, but you were so stressed, that her presence made it only worse. You knew, that you have to do it, and she won’t let you run away and hide from George. It was quite strange that she was so invested in this whole situation, considering that you two knew yourselves for not a long time, and your conversations were focused mainly on studying. Maybe it was the beginning of an amazing friendship? You couldn’t avoid her, not after she was so kind and sympathetic. She wanted to help you and you knew that she’s right about everything.

While wandering through the halls, both of you looked for that one specific person. The school wasn’t full of tall gingers, but the fact that this morning everywhere was a little overcrowded, made it hard for you to reach him. In fact, you couldn’t make it. He was walking alone, however, it occurred to you that he is searching for someone since he kept his head up. You thought that you lost him, no longer seeing the back of his head, but Emily noticed that he turned right, so you went after him. This corridor was almost empty, the majority of Hogwarts students started their lessons, besides you and Emily, there was only George and some girl miles away from you. Emily grabbed your arm and made you hide behind the column, trying not to make it obvious that you both were following him.

“Y/N, I don’t want to make you sad, but it looks like these two were kissing. I’m so sorry honey. Either way, you should talk to him when you feel ready. It’s not worth it, losing a friend.” She mumbled, trying to sound wise, but you saw that she wasn’t so sure about these words.

“It’s fine, Emily. Guess I don’t have the luck in love.” You attempted to joke, holding back your tears. It felt like a real nightmare. Your last boyfriend was a cheater and now, when you were able to love again, finally brave enough to admit that you felt the same as George, it was too fucking late. Your new friend tried to comfort you, slowly walking back to the dormitory.

“Do you want me to go with you?” She asked, worried about your well-being. All you wished for is to be alone, telling her that you’ll head to your bed to calm yourself down. “I understand honey, I’ll tell your head of the house that you’re sick, so you won’t have to attend today’s lessons. It’s going to be okay, I know that.” Emily added, hugging you tightly, yet tender, not wanting to shatter you. After landing on your cold duvet, you realized that you’re feeling too weak to cry. So you sat there, thinking about everything that recently happened, forcing yourself to break down, because it always helped to clear your mind. Unfortunately, your mind was going crazy, reminding you at once of every moment spent with George. Having different emotions and feeling confused, you managed to fall asleep. You woke up a little dizzy, deciding that you’re gonna attend Care of magical creatures class. That time of sleep made you so relaxed and cleared your mind, convincing you to wake up and not worry about anything for once. You felt like you had nothing to lose, after losing your friends, boyfriend and happiness, sitting in your bed for the rest of the day would not solve anything. And you can not avoid lessons, because your future depends on them.

It took you only ten minutes to dress properly, comb your hair and brush your teeth, so you weren’t late for the class. After welcoming Hagrid, you started to look for Emily, knowing that she was worried about you, so you should explain to her why you decided to come.

“Y/N, I’m so excited that you came, I’ve just talked to Hagrid, and he said that we’re working in pairs today! He chose who’s going to work together, but I might’ve said to him something about you and the Weasley boy, hoping that he’ll put you with him.” She explained to you the whole plan, winking at you from time to time.

She wanted what’s best for you, but it turned out that Fred Weasley was your pair, making you even more anxious, knowing that he hated you for the way you treated his brother after confessions. You tried not to speak or make the first move, but you were so curious what was happening in their life. After all, you were friends for a long time, you couldn’t blame yourself for wanting to get in touch.

“Fred, can we talk? You asked politely, sounding official.

“You mean argue? Cause that’s how you talked with my brother.” He replied rudely.

“You’re making it harder than it is.” You sighed, wanting to change the topic. “I wanted you guys to know that I’m really sorry about that night. I truly do. I know that I can’t change the past, but could we be friends again? I don’t want to sit alone anymore. I’ve made a mistake which I’m going to solve. Please say something.”

“I was angry at you, that’s true, but let’s forget it. Besides, you don’t own me any apology. Talk to him.” He pointed at George, who was paired with Emily, due to Hagrid’s and hers understatement, not having the ability to tell twins apart.

“What do you want me to say to him? I know that he has moved on, I don’t want to create chaos. I think me and him need a little more time to heal.” You admitted, not being happy about what came from your mouth, because it was true.

“Are you mad? George is still single. And he met today only with Katie, but they weren’t kissing. In fact, she slapped him because he couldn’t find the courage to talk to you again. Maybe you saw her leaning to hit him, or checking if she hurt him? I don’t know, don’t ask me.” He looked at you confused, you frowned and noticed that Emily is trying to get your attention. She mouthed that she was wrong and encouraged you to come to them. You didn’t want to, knowing that Hagrid would be asking if something is wrong. You stayed quiet after this, wanting to sort things out.

“Move, Y/N. We’re switching.” The Hufflepuff girl almost yelled at you, seeing that you had zoned out and didn’t hear her previous words. “Hey Freddie.” She winked flirtatiously at him, knowing that she was finally able to tell differences between him and George. “And you, Y/N, go on, your Lover boy is waiting.” She made you go, as you stared at the younger twin, who was talking, or, more like, doing a monologue to the poor, tiny bowtruckle.

“George.” You attempted to get his attention. “I think there’s something we need to talk about.” You added, moving a little closer.

“I think I made everything clear a month ago.” He whispered, not stopping what he was doing. “Nothing changed.”

He still loved you. You couldn’t believe what you heard, because you thought that you broke his heart, what would make a conversation a little harder.

“But aren’t you curious about my feeling towards you?” You mumbled, wishing you were more confident. He raised his gaze, therefore you could see hope in his eyes. “Nothing changed.” You added teasingly, but he was not enjoying it. “Actually, one thing changed. I realized that I might fancy someone, however I was too scared to tell him years ago. I got in a relationship with someone else, thinking that then these feelings will disappear. What an idiotic girl I was. They grew stronger and stronger, making me and my love interest hurt each other. It’s crazy, isn’t it? Now that stupid lass is standing there, next to him, believing that after a whole month of avoiding one another, they could start again?”

“Class dismissed.” Hagrid interfered your monologue, making everyone leave. You sighed, happy that this conversation won’t be heard any more by some random people.

“Will you say something?” You asked, worried that George was quiet for that long and wasn’t even looking at you. “I’ll understand if you will say no. I hurt you and it may take some time to recover. I totally get that. You were waiting for me for many months, I can take a couple more. Just wanted to inform you that I’m reciprocating your feelings.”

You stared at him, waiting patiently for his response. His face looked like he was going to swoon, tears appearing in his brown eyes.

“Are you crying?” You asked rhetorically, wanting to know what’s going on.

“I sure am.” He replied, rubbing his eyes. “I simply can not believe in what you said, Y/N. I have tears in my eyes because I’ve blinked way too much, convinced that it’s a dream. Pinch me, please. Maybe this method will work.” He smiled at you, yet you could not do what he asked you to. you hugged him instead, humming quietly.

“I was waiting for this one.” You looked in his eyes, getting shyer, so you hid your head in his robes.

“I was waiting for something different.” He confessed, taking you by your chin, making you meet his eyes once again. “May I?” Asking for permission, and getting a nod in reply, he leaned closer to kiss your lips. You felt amazing, yet a little different than a month ago. Because now, that was what both of you wanted. And this time, you did not care about what other people say. Now that you found each other at the right time, nothing could ruin your mood, especially not the gossips, feeling proud of yourself for being that interested that people chose to focus more on you rather than on themselves.

“We should thank Emily for that.” You murmured, taking his hand. Remembering that you have a lot to tell your friends. Also, you’ll make them promise, that no personal disagreements will come between you. Things started to seem right, because you finally had the right person by your side.

“We’ll do it after she stops snogging with Fred.” George replied, looking at the pair, sitting on a bench. “Y/N, get yourself ready for double dates with these two.” He added, making you officially his girlfriend.

[mitchpell]

Teen Wolf/MCU crossover :D

Oof! That would definitely be a challenge. Especially considering that these are two very different types of sci-fi and it will be hard to make my brain overlap them. Of course, the prospect of the multiverse definitely opens up more possibilities. Who knows what might come of it.

I do have almost 1k of a Numb3rs/Teen Wolf crossover written, with several chapters outlined. It has been moved to the backburner for the time being, but I can share a few snippets!

Melissa knocked against the open door as she pushed it farther ajar, stepping into Scott’s room and surveying the mess of clothes and toiletries he had scattered across the bed. “Hey,” she greeted, as she sat on a small unoccupied corner of the mattress. “How’s the packing coming?”

Scott looked up from the empty duffel in front of him, his eyes desperate as he responded with a less than convincing, “good.”

“Really,” she teased, arching an eyebrow at him before making a show of looking over the jumbled mess, “because this looks less like organized chaos and more like straight up bedlam. Isn’t Stiles supposed to pick you up in like—an hour?” she asked, as she glanced at her watch.

“Yes,” Scott replied, sighing in defeat. “This shouldn’t be so hard,” he gripped.

Melissa fought the urge to roll her eyes at the melodrama. Normally, she wouldn’t hesitate to call him out on it, but he looked so tired. Nothing as obvious as dark circles or bloodshot eyes—his enhanced healing eliminated the typical physical signs—there was just a general weariness about him. She could hear it in his voice and see it both in his eyes and in the way he carried himself.

She knew it was because he wasn’t sleeping. That he hadn’t been since Mexico, since Kate Argent had turned him into one of her berserkers. The experience had been short lived, but it had still left him with a litany of fresh emotional wounds and even managed to reopen a few old ones. Wounds from which he was still struggling to heal.

It was the reason she was both optimistic and apprehensive about this trip. Optimistic, because it would get him away from Beacon Hills, out with his friends, touring colleges and thinking about a future away from the craziness of the supernatural. It would give him a chance to relax and regroup, or so she hoped.

Apprehensive, because she wouldn’t be going with him, and no matter how capable he was or how quickly he healed, he was still her son. He was still only seventeen. She couldn’t help but worry, especially when he was still recovering from a trauma, especially when he would barely speak to her—or Deaton—about it. It made her consider, not for the first time, having him speak with a therapist. But then what good would that do if he could only speak in metaphors or half truths.

As her thoughts weighed down on her, she heaved a heavy sigh, causing his pitiful expression to morph into one of concern. “Sorry,” she explained, “I was just—you know what, it doesn’t matter. I’ve got time before my shift, so let’s see your list,” she requested, holding her hand out expectantly, as she pushed down her concerns and she forced herself to focus on the task at hand.

*~*

“I still don’t know why we couldn’t have taken the jeep,” Stiles grumbled as he adjusted the passenger seat for what must have been the tenth time since getting into her car. “Automatics are so boring to drive.”

“Four reasons,” Lydia replied easily, “gas mileage, space, comfort, and reliability. There was no way I was making another ten hour trip in that death trap that you somehow manage to pass off as a vehicle.”

“Ok, my jeep is not a death trap,” Stiles defended. “It is a much loved member of the group who has never let us down. Ok. Not once!”

“Except for when it left us stranded in the middle of a Mexican desert.”

“That was definitely Berserker sabotage,” he countered, pointing his finger at her for emphasis. “You can’t blame it for that. And did it not get us home safe and sound, once I repaired it?”

“Removing random objects from underneath the hood does not qualify as repairs,” Lydia argued, shooting him a look before returning her attention to the road.

“If it makes it run, then it counts,” Stiles quipped as he reached between the seats to rummage through his mountain of snacks in the back.

[princeescaluswords]

Is this not the same anon whose been telling us for months that Scott only survived because of plot armor and that he should have been killed off so that Derek and Stiles could be the true leads/heroes of the show? Like... they can't even stick to a stance when it comes to hating Scott?

The term plot armor is thrown around in many discussions of narrative fiction, especially in film and television, but to me, it’s of limited use.  Like the term chemistry, it is so insanely subjective and so often used to cover up agendas and prejudices that it’s become a red flag for me.  I tend to look very carefully at what someone is saying when they use those terms.

I think the concept of plot armor is something worth thinking about when examining writing, but you should be careful to fully separate your emotional reactions from your analysis of how a particular event fits into the established rules of the show.  Teen Wolf often values aesthetics over strict realism. At its best, the production used these moments to heighten emotional response and clarify characterizations.  Too many members of the audience, trained by the vast majority of United States televised drama to value surface realism above emotional truth,  often calls scenes like this ‘cheesy,’ but they can be quite effective.  For example, villains get a boost by being given moments where they don’t act like the people you’d meet on the street.   Gerard’s “Mountain Ash,” Deucalion’s “I am the Demon Wolf,” Peter’s “I’ve always been the Alpha”, Void Stiles’ “I’m a thousand years old” cement them in the audience’s minds as characters that aren’t going to go home after a long day of villainy and be content that they tried their best.

At its worst, however, the production could get carried away with their ideas, leading to decisions that defy previously established scenes or create inherent contradictions.  The hospital massacre in season 3 was awesome, but having it been completely blown over by season 4 stretched our credulity a little too far for some people.  How many evil supernatural teachers can one school hire or how many times can the sheriff’s station be attacked before something changes?  To be fair, though, the line is sometimes hard to see when writing.  

But when it comes to an accusation of plot armor in a show like this, the complaints usually come down to favoritism.   A character the observer dislikes either avoids what seems to be the common sense consequences of an action or suffers different consequences than what the observer wanted.  In Teen Wolf, the vast majority of the fandom rages about Scott having plot armor because it underlines what they hate about the show -- that it was about Scott.  If Scott died in pursuing victory, the show would probably end, which meant that it wasn’t a damn ensemble.  Every time Scott narrowly avoided a dark fate, it wasn’t something that heroes often do in adventure stories -- to these particular fans, it was the writers cheating.  

Now to be fair, I think that the writers did cross the line from aesthetic to the point where it stretched credulity.  Some scenes -- even scenes we like -- have significant implications that on reflection don’t hold up well.  Some personal examples -- 

What did the alpha pack do in the nearly twenty-four hours between confronting Marin in the forest in Alpha Pact (3x11) and the final confrontations in Lunar Ellipse (3x12).  Go shopping?  Do their taxes?  The sixteen-hour ice bath was suppose to ratchet up the tension, but the idea that chess-master-ten-moves-ahead Deucalion would be aware of the eclipse and still get caught by it without options bothered me.  The writers wrote themselves into a hole and then did the “you seeeeee noooothing” technique to get out of it.

In a similar vein, the nogitsune splitting itself in two in De-Void (3x22), as I mentioned before, didn’t seem to help it at all.  It put itself in that position.  It made itself vulnerable and it didn’t need to, once it got the kaiken, to kidnap Lydia.   It was simply written as a way to save Stiles from possession and it doesn’t hold up 

The Sheriff watched Peter Hale kill the Mute in The Benefactor (4x04) and did nothing.   The Mute was in police custody.  They wrote the scene to remind us that Peter is a bad guy, but it made absolutely no sense that both Derek and Noah would simply let it go.  

I simply couldn’t accept the final confrontation in Smoke & Mirrors (4x12) -- aside from the fact that what should have been Scott’s triumphant moment was somehow made all about the people who hurt him, it only happened the way it did because Kate Argent remembered to take her Stupid Pills that day.  A ruthless professional hunter who wanted to make sure Scott obeyed by killing Kira didn’t bother to make sure that Scott actually killed Kira.  He stabbed her and then they walked away, so she could figure out to heal herself.  Professional Hunter Kate didn’t check to see if she was dead?  Putting aside the fact that it was another example of racism to have Scott not react to Kira’s pleading but totally snap out of it when White Boy Liam pleaded with him coupling that with the idea that only a threat to White Boy Liam -- and not himself or Kira -- could push Scott into defeating Peter, it shouldn’t have happened that way.  

In an unfortunate trend for season finales, I have to include Scott’s saved-by-my-dead-white-girlfriend moment in Apotheosis (5x20).   We’ve been taught that the claws-in-the-neck ritual is very dangerous; that it can kill or paralyze.  We’ve seen that it’s hard to wade through the memories, requiring focus.  But suddenly, Sebastien Valet can do it by accident and receive crystal clear images of Allison Argent?  

These are instances I believe where the plot’s writing was stretched too far in order to protect characters from the expected consequences of actions.   But I want you to notice that they focus on things that interact directly with my personal approach to the production.  It’s obvious that I’m going to be more sensitive to things that diffused Scott’s prominence as hero-protagonist, that undermine the moral schema that informs the narrative, and that diminishes minority characters.  

But my perception is clearly informed by my own agenda while thinking about the show.  If you agree with me that the production threw its main lead under the bus in response to fandom racism and that it treated its other minority characters shabbily for the same reason, your eye will be drawn to the same moments.  

So complaints of plot armor, like acclaims of chemistry, have to be looked with acknowledgment that they’re influenced by agenda.  That’s why they have to be backed up with evidence and explanation to be at all useful.

[chnqin]

My Epic MDZS/The Untamed Daemon AU

I’m sure other people have already done Daemon AUs, but this idea wouldn’t leave me alone. I have been working on this for like three weeks now.

I just wrote down my first instinctive thought for most characters, and then researched* further into subspecies etc. What I found for a lot of the animals made me agree with my first opinion even more, although all of these are obviously just my own opinions. I also decided to stick to non-mythological animals. (some characters have been given a lot more consideration than others, I’m sorry)

Wei Wuxian: beech marten Beech martens are quick and clever. The are nocturnal, omnivores, and skilled swimmers. They move through paths made by larger animals such as hares in the snow. {further notes under read more}

Lan Wangji: white hare More solitary animals. They have an association with the moon, which I tend to associate LWJ with. {f/n}

Jiang Cheng: osprey Aquatic birds; good hunters. {f/n}

Lan Xichen: white stag {f/n}

Jiang Yanli: asian black bear {explained in detail under the read more}

Jin Zixuan: lion Ngl it’s probably because the Persian pokemon reminds me of him

Jin Guangyao: domestic cat {f/n}

Nie Huiasang: pangolin {f/n}

Nie Mingju: wolf {f/n}

Wen Qing: Chinese sparrowhawk {f/n}

Wen Ning: black Formosan mountain dog (tuguo) {f/n}

Lan Sizhui: Xiasi Quan dog or red panda or badger {f/n}

Jin Ling: lion {f/n}

Lan Jingi: monkey They’re respected animals but also have a mischievous side

Ouyen Zihzen: capybara No, they’re not native to China, but this is what I imagined him as and I couldn’t get it out of my head or find a perfect substitute

Xiao Xinchen: swan He just gives me major swan vibes, possibly something to do with Swan Lake (as do some Lans but they’re not graceful in the same way or tragic in the same way)

Song Lan: oriental hobby falcon or black horse He struck me as some sort of raptor, but I also liked a horse for him 

Luo Qingyang/Mianmian: lynx

Lan Qiren: sheep Symbolise filial piety. Also follow other people without question (*cough* the Lan Sect elders)

Jiang Fengiman: otter Spends a lot of time around the water, just what popped into my head

Yu Ziyuan: snake Because Zidian

The Jiang Sect favour animals who live near or on the water, some even possessing daemons which are fully aquatic, and thus are unable to leave Lotus Pier

The Lan Sect usually have herbivore animals for daemons and favour swift, elegant animals.

The Jins tend towards lions and panthers, but also flashy, rich birds like pheasants and peacocks (which makes WWX’s nickname for JZX even more funny).

The Nies often have pack or herd animals. Wolves and mountain lions are very common, but also a lot of horned animals like oxen, mountain goats and sheep (bighorn sheep and ibex are common), and also wild boar.

The Wens were typically birds of prey (the Dire Owl becomes Wen Chao’s daemon) or mountain cats.

The Yus often have daemons which take reptile form. Wildcats also common.  I quite like the idea that the Yus are a sect which has cultivated the ability to separate themselves from their daemons.

~Further notes on why I picked these animals, Daemon settling, angsty AUs of my AU, and research disclaimer under the cut~

Story & Research Notes:

(I’m going with the idea that trauma can make a daemon settle into a particular form)

WWX A marten was the first thing to come to mind for WWX, I have no idea why, but the more I thought about it the more I liked it. They’re really inquisitive, playful, and cute, but are also predators and will fuck you up if necessary.  A crow was another obvious choice because they’re curious and inventive, but with a bit of a dark connotation. However, in my version at least (I’m not great on His Dark Materials canon), Daemons usually settle in the early teens, and at that point WWX really didn’t have as much darkness in him as he develops later. 

I think WWX was one of those people whose daemon changed with every thought and feeling of his, whose daemon changed so rapidly and so repeatedly that people would complain of motion sickness watching it. His daemon’s most common forms were a martin, a magpie, an otter (which drove Madam Yu nuts), and (after JYL’s settled) very occasionally a bear.

When WWX comes back most people don’t realise anything is wrong because Mo Xuanyu always hid his daemon (I think it was probably something like a field mouse although how funny would it be if Little Apple was actually his daemon and WWX unknowingly inherited her along with the body), so they just think his has settled into something too big to hide now. However, his beech martin is the other reason Lan Wangji knows who Wei Wuxian is (WWX’s daemon hides from Jiang Cheng at Dafan Mountain, so JC only suspects it’s WWX). (Angsty AU further down)

LWJ I know that arctic hares aren’t native to China, but I want you to pretend that something like that does exist because I need lwj to have a white hare daemon. They are also bigger than other hares and cuter (they look slightly less cursed than some hares do). I’m imagining a lot of the daemons being slightly bigger than their real-life animal counterparts would be, so imagine the ears coming up to a normal person’s hip-height when the daemon is sitting. Rabbits can also apparently symbolise hope, and that suits someone who is known to go where the chaos is, bringing hope and light in the darkness. 

As a child, LWJ’s daemon was expressive in a way he never could be. It liked to take snow leopard form a lot, which was seen as excessively violent to the Lan sect, who preferred non-carnivorous animals, and often snarled at people. His daemon always took snow leopard form when visiting his mother so it could curl up with her tiger daemon. 

LWJ’s daemon settled exceptionally early, shortly after his mother’s death, into an acceptable hare form. Lan Xichen always wondered if LWJ himself made his daemon settle, if she was not supposed to have been a snow leopard all along, and so always looks upon LWJ’s daemon with a bit of sadness because he feels like it was LWJ stifling - almost killing off - a part of his personality (spoiler: it was) in order to fit into the Lan sect.

(More on that in an angsty AU below)

JC Ngl, I wanted to make Jiang Cheng a goose because they’re always angry but I didn’t. Jiang Cheng shifted mostly between a hunting dog and a mouse as a child, both of which infuriated Yu Ziyuan (honestly what she wanted her children’s daemons to be even I don’t know). Jiang Cheng’s daemon settled very late (another thing his mother wasn’t happy with). In fact, it didn’t settle till the attack on Lotus Pier and the death of his parents, when it took the shape of an osprey (because he wanted to be able to fly away and pretend none of it ever happened). 

Even more angsty: One Chinese poem has the Osprey as a symbol of marital harmony and fidelity. Upon seeing his parents death, finally united in a way they hadn’t been in life, JC’s constant wish for his parents to love each other (and, by extension, him) physically manifests itself in his daemon.

JYL I know what you’re thinking. Why the hell did you give Jiang Yanli a bear of all people. Well I’ll tell you. For two reasons: one, because I can do what I want, and two, because I would say one of JYL’s most central characteristics is her wish to look after people. She’s not physically strong in the way most other cultivators are, however, and she’s always having to keep the peace at home - and so I can see her daemon becoming a physical manifestation of that need to protect (bears are known to be protective, particularly mothers), and a physical example of her inner strength which is so often overlooked.

Yanli shifted between a dove, a crane, and a maritime striped squirrel for most of her childhood. She favoured the squirrel and dove (incredibly mild animals) over the crane, which disappointed Madam Yu.  It’s one of the reasons Jin Zixuan never saw her as a potential match, her daemon too small and docile to match his almost constant lion daemon.

When Jiang Yanli was around fourteen Madam Yu took things with Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng too far one day, and Yanli saw it. Her daemon suddenly shifted into a bear, a form it had never taken up to that point, and jumped on Yu Ziyuan’s snake daemon. WWX and JC always remembered Yanli standing in the doorway, her expression placid while her huge bear daemon growled with absolute fury and menace. Everyone expected Yanli’s daemon to go back to its usual squirrel or dove form, but it never did. It remained a bear, and remained the biggest daemon of pretty much anyone in any of the sects.

I had already picked a crane as one of JYL’s potential daemons because of its connection to water and positive symbolism in China. Upon further (hopefully accurate) research, I saw that cranes depicted with lotuses in Chinese art symbolise purity and longevity, and I liked making her daemon a bear even more, because her daemon took that form to protect WWX and JC - years after her death, they both wondered if, had her daemon had taken crane form, maybe she wouldn’t have died. From what I found, “crane” is also a homophone for 合 hé “peace, harmony”, which is a quality Jiang Yanli had much of, and tried to inspire in others.

LXC I think its LXC’s hairpiece which always makes me think of deer antlers (even though it’s a dragon?), so that’s probably why I immediately thought of a stag for him. But stags are also very noble and refined looking animals which don’t tend towards violence, but also have horns for a reason. Obviously, like with LWJ, it’s a white stag because aesthetique. Upon further research, I discovered a (hopefully correct) source which says 鹿 lù (deer) is a homonym with 璐 lù (precious jade), and the character for deer is used within the character 丽 lì ‘beautiful; elegant’ - both fit LXC very well.

JGY Cats are sneaky little fuckers (I say this with love). The ultimate predator in small unassuming form. Many of the main Jin family have big cat daemons so this is kind of another smack in the face for JGY - so close to being a real part of the Jin family, but still kept apart from them - and something people like to bring up along with his mother. However, many Jins are also birds (including JGS), and cats prey on birds.

NHS I thought a fox was a bit on the nose. Also I like the way pangolin’s just drop and curl up in defence - it’s a viable form of protection, but to the outside appears cowardly. However, their scales are sharp and can cut predators who come after them. Also I didn’t want him to fit into any of his sect’s typical animals. Also also imagine how cute it would look being carried around everywhere by NHS because it’s too lazy to walk, absolutely adorable.

NMJ A wolf was what immediately came to mind for Nie Mingjue. Wolves are apparently sometimes associated with greed, self-interest, and lechery, but I think the pack elements and the carnivore/hunting nature of the wolf really suits NMJ and the Nie clan in general, so I decided to overlook that aspect (although I did briefly consider making JGS a wolf, but I like them as animals too much in real life to do that to them and also he doesn’t have a soul, so he doesn’t get a daemon).

WQ I always saw Wen Qing as some sort of hawk, I just think it suits her very well. The Chinese sparrowhawk is quite small and very beautiful. It has white, red and grey colours. They are good hunters and swift flyers. 

WN I knew I wanted Wen Ning to be some sort of dog because he’s very loyal, and also (angsty) when the Jins call the Wens dogs I wanted that to hurt even more. He’s very unusual for a Wen, none of the main sect have dog daemons - it is very much a thing that is specific to their branch of the Wen family. The mountain dog I picked for him is an endangered breed, which I also felt fitted WN well. From what I found, dogs symbolise watchful wisdom, honesty, and loyalty, which all fit Wen Ning. 

This was all perfect till I remembered WWX’s all-consuming fear of dogs. I decided to get round this by cheating and saying that for some reason daemons are different and he’s not scared of them (because they represent a part of someone’s soul, rather than being a real animal? I guess?? Please do not look too hard at this delicately constructed card tower) 

Angsty version: when Wen Ning becomes a fierce corpse he loses his daemon, another reason people are unsettled by him and another thing WWX feels guilty about.

LSZ I think Lan Sizhui was the hardest to pick. I couldn’t decide which way to go: should he follow a “Lan approved” daemon pattern; should he have a bird like Wen Qing and a lot of other Wens? Then I saw the Xiasi Quan and it’s white and fluffy and cute but it was also a hunting and a guard dog, which seemed right for him. And I liked that it gave LSZ and WN this one very tangible connection. It is also endangered.  However, I also liked a red panda and a badger for Lan Sizhui too. I really couldn’t decide between the three. I like them all, why is he the hardest to choose for? (I’m still not 100% happy with this, let me know if you have any alternative suggestions)

Again, please suspend your disbelief at the fact that WWX’s child has a dog daemon and he’s fine with this (it would have looked so cute as a little puppy running around the Burial Mounds though).

When he was younger his daemon liked to take on the forms of those closest to him. So you’d often see a bby marten running after WWX’s daemon, a tiny bird perched with Wen Qing’s sparrow-hawk, a puppy following Wen Ning’s dog around, and a tiny bby rabbit in Cloud Recesses. As he got older it shifted between the dog, a red panda, and a badger. (maybe I’ll just say his hasn’t settled yet and that’s why I can’t decide)

JL Jin Ling definitely also had a daemon which shifted because of a) his loved ones and b) his mood, and he hated it. As if his own explosive temper didn’t give him away enough, his daemon always showed his exact feelings. When he wanted nothing more than his mother to be there it would be a bear. When he was feeling defensive about his parents it would turn into a lion (this happens when he and WWX first meet and any time people talk about his parents’ deaths). When he was younger his daemon spent a lot of time as a cat and a bird, although different types to what his uncles had. 

Jin Ling’s daemon still hasn’t settled when WWX is resurrected, and he is absolutely mortified the one time it decides to turn into a beech marten like WWX’s. Eventually it will settle into a lion, and WWX will pretend to be grumpy that it didn’t choose a bear instead.

Angsty AUs:

Daemons are linked to golden cores Jiang Cheng loses his daemon along with his core. When Wei Wuxian’s core is removed it’s more like when daemons and humans are separated in the books. His daemon stays with him, but can move about freely - this is part of what causes WWX to rapidly destabilise, not just resentful energy. Jiang Cheng always feels weirdly aware of WWX’s daemon after that but doesn’t know why. WWX’s daemon is technically connected to JC too, and also finds this weird. JC also can’t work out why his daemon never came back with his golden core, and that loss is part of why he’s so angry and isolated.

The effect of trauma on Daemons Another angsty au is based on the idea that, if trauma can make your daemon settle early, then trauma can also make it change.

When Wei Wuxian is thrown into the Burial Mounds, he wishes so hard to be able to fly that his beech marten turns into a crow (because I do love a crow for him too). I kind of like the idea that after the Burial Mounds WWX’s daemon almost un-settles itself, and can change between a marten and a crow. This really freaks people out and is another reason people say he’s dangerous.

Similarly, after Wei Ying’s death and the Lan sect’s punishment, Lan Wangji wakes up to find his daemon has shifted from its hare to snow leopard form. In his soul, LWJ feels like if he had been less passive and actually stood with WWX then his soulmate would still be alive. His daemon changes from a more passive hare to the more aggressive snow leopard.

He’s criticised by the elders for it, but they shut up when his daemon flattens theirs, while LWJ’s face remains an impassive mask but his eyes promise murder. WWX is really sad when he comes back to see LWJ’s hare gone and blames himself for causing LWJ so much trauma his daemon changed. (personally if I were writing a Daemon AU this is what I would have happen, because I love LWJ with a snow leopard daemon - they symbolise bravery and martial ferocity, while rabbits are virtue and gentleness, and I feel like these two both accurately represent the two sides of LWJ. I really feel like LWJ has a huge shift in himself after WWX’s death which would be represented in his daemon. It also is, in a way, a return of a core part of himself which was lost after his mother’s death)

Sword/Instrument substitute Mixing Daemons with sword sprits - the animal becomes a physical representation of the spiritual tool. Some people could therefore have more than one daemon (for example, LWJ could have Bichen - his rabbit sword daemon - and Wangji - his snow leopard guqin daemon)

Angsty version: WWX actually does die in the burial mounds and Suibian, his beech martin, dies/changes into Chenqing, a raven/crow.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.  .·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。..・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. 

If you are reading this you have made it to the end of this post, well done.

 I wanted to make it shorter but I had too many ideas and wanted to explain my reasoning for my choices and decided just to put it all in one post rather than lots of little ones.

*Disclaimer: I know only the smallest amount of Chinese, and have taken all my information about imagery, word meanings, and homophones etc from web-sources, and so it is very possible I have made mistakes. Though I have, to the best of my abilities, attempted to check on the cultural/artistic meaning, if any, that certain animals have in Chinese culture, the internet lies and I can’t get any decent books on it atm as the libraries are closed, so I’m really sorry if there are errors and I hope people will forgive any mistakes or blunders I might have made. 

[coline7373]

Teen Wolf Recc List: My Top Favourite!!!

A Non-Exhaustive List Of My Most Beloved Sterek Fics

(not even the good ones made it there, just My Favourite Ones)

 @isthatbloodonhisshirt @someofusarequeer @grimreaperlover11 @offeringpeoplegumisnotcooking @samslave @namelessfanficreader @yes-yo-yum @sideeffectofthedrug @maia-nebula @citrustree @thegilewhodreamswhileawake @teen-wolf-reimagined @ohhoechyasss @theanarik @she-was-the-universe16 @stilesgrumpysourwolf @obscenitied @butimtheuglytwin @alienace

NUMBER ONE IN MY HEART !!!!!

Waiting

Not wanting to think on it took much, Stiles took a step forward and passed his hand between the bars, moving the bleeding side closer to Derek’s mouth.

“Not too close, he bites.”

Stiles snatched his hand away just as Derek had been about to lick at it. The snarl he got in response was not comforting.

“He what?” Stiles asked nervously, turning to Deaton.

The man looked a little amused. “Don’t worry, only if he doesn’t like you.”

“Well, he probably hates me, now!” Stiles insisted, turning back to Derek.

He looked extremely displeased.

Words : 81015

Tags : Alpha Derek, Feral Derek, Magical Derek, Possessive Derek, Chosen As Yearly Sacrificed Caretaker Of The Beacon Hill Beast Stiles, Compassionate Stiles, Werewolves Are People, Respecting What And Who You Don’t Understand, Hale Line Is Connected To The Nemeton Who Is Connected To Beacon Hill, Jackson Is A Douche, Stiles Is Awesome https://archiveofourown.org/works/15503010/chapters/35989302

  Number Two !!!!

Don't Savage The Messenger

There is an uneasy truce between the werewolves in the woods and the humans who live in Beacon Hills, protected by a magical boundary that gives warning any time a werewolf crosses it. Then the sheriff is taken by the werewolves and his son offers himself in exchange.

Stiles promises to serve the werewolf pack, not knowing what horrible use they might have for him. But it turns out his most useful skill is the ability to cross the boundary line between humans and werewolves. Life with the werewolves is nothing like he feared and the werewolves themselves are nothing like the hunters' stories would have him believe.

Words : 172379

Tags : Werewolf Are Known, Sort Of, They Live In Separate Territories Humans Don’t Have Access To, Cold Racial War, Discrimination, Rape Threats, Non Sexual Endenture, Emissary Stiles, Just Amazing, Alpha Peters, But He’s good At It, Big Pack

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3943051/chapters/8837323

  Number Three !!!

Home

January seventh. Seven days since the start of 2015, and seven days since his father’s death.

The bastard, he thinks bitterly. The past year Derek Hale had made it blatantly obvious that he hated his scrawny guts, taking every given opportunity to shove him up against a wall, growl threats in his ears and roll his eyes whenever he stepped into the room, muttering some snide comment about how spastic or idiotic he was.

So why did he fucking volunteer to take him in?

Words : 167178

Tags : Dead Sheriff, Derk and Peter are the Only Survivors of the Fire, Derek is the Alpha from the Start, Derek lives in a Mansion, Punch to the Freaking Guts, Emotionally Damaging, So Sad, Be Ready to Cry Your Heart Out, But Happy Ending, Will Leave Grief in Your Throat and Warmth in Your Heart, Masterpiece, Beautifull Fanarts, All The Feels, Very Intimate

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3195734?view_full_work=true

   Number Four !!!

With or Without You

Derek thinks that the mating rituals are overly romanticized bullshit, but claiming a mate and defending them from challengers is something werewolves do, and his pack can't afford to appear weak after the fire. Especially not when Deucalion and his friends are in town for the rituals. Enter Stiles Stilinski, who offers to let Derek claim him so he won't be overrun at the ceremonies. Nothing goes as expected.

Words : 62556

Tags : Alive Laura, Alpha Laura, Cora and Peter Are Alive, Mating Games, Think Mating Run But Hunger Games Version Without The Killing Each Other, Smart Stiles, Murder Mystery, Werewolf Politics, Werewolf Are Known, Action

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1070471/chapters/2148020

  Number Five !!!

Sell Your Body to the Night

"No," he repeated impatiently. "I'm not a cop. I'm someone who wants to exchange my money for your sexual services. I was told you were in that line of work."

"I, uh, yeah, sorry," Stiles said. He glanced around again and then up--the full moon was almost directly overhead. Just one of those nights, maybe. "Yeah, I am. I do that."

Words : 121553

Tags : Heartbreak, Dead Sheriff, Prostitute Stiles, Stiles Is Not A Victim, Stiles Is Not Your Pretty Woman Waiting For Richard Geer, Stiles Will Save Money Then Himself, But He Doesn’t Have To, Derek Know Who He Is, One Bad Decision Per Month, Lots Of Sex And Grief, Kinky Kinks Who Kink, Aliva Laura, Alpha Laura https://archiveofourown.org/works/2838161/chapters/6366899

 There's Monsters at Home

“How did you get past the wards?” Derek had put them up, with Peter’s grudging assistance, after the Alpha pack had made themselves at home a few times too many.

The guy pulled a face. “You mean the wards a five-year-old girl with the mental ability of a goldfish could deconstruct?” He blinked wide eyes at Derek. “Gee, I don’t know. It’s bound to go down as one of life’s great mysteries.”

Derek despised him.

Words : 83600

Tags : Kind Of Five Times But Each Times Is Long, Alpha Derek, Failwolf Derek, Badass Magical Stiles, Older Stiles Than In The Show But The Others Have The Same Age

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1730159/chapters/3689288

  One Dollar Yoda

Stiles is an unbonded spark, so he's been dealing with courting alphas since he was ten. It's gotten a lot worse since he turned sixteen. Some are assholes, some are nice, but Stiles hasn't wanted to spend the rest of his life bound to any of them.

When Derek Hale shows up at his school, Stiles expects him to be just another asshole alpha attempting to buy him with expensive gifts. But Derek Hale puts no effort whatsoever into his courtship gifts. Stiles ought to be offended but instead he finds it refreshing.

Words : 10578

Tags : Humour, Spark Stiles, Werewolves Are Known, Reluctant Courtship

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4797854/chapters/10980425

  Darling It Is No Joke

The first thing Stiles thinks when he opens the door is that it’s not his birthday, but someone has sent him some kind of cop stripper.

 Words : 13250

Tags : Stiles is a little shit, So is Derek

https://archiveofourown.org/works/399194

  Lock All The Doors Behind You

He has no idea what you're supposed to say when you find one of your...werewolf acquaintances, completely out of their mind, growling like they're about to see what your insides taste like. There's no handbook for this. Stiles is thinking that if he survives he might write one.

Words : 25960

Tags : Feral Derek ; Early seasons

https://archiveofourown.org/works/522776

  Stilinski's Home for Wayward Wolves

“At least your puppies knock first,” Stiles snorts. “Here I thought their alpha raised them to be well-mannered.”

“There’s a sign,” Derek responds stiffly.

Stiles, whose curiosity outweighs even his hardest of grudges, abandons his chilly façade of nonchalance in a heartbeat. He jumps right up and all but pushes Derek out of the way in his effort to get to the window, and sure enough when he leans outside there’s a laminated strip of cardstock duct taped to the vinyl siding:

DON’T FORGET TO KNOCK -- Stiles gets cranky when we scare him

Or, in which Stiles Stilinski moves to Beacon Hills for his junior year of high school and accidentally adopts a pack of teenage werewolves.

Words : 35197

Tags : Pack Feels ; Early seasons but No Peter

https://archiveofourown.org/works/822737

  Every Step You Take

Stiles accidentally ends up magically bound to Derek. It’s super.

Words :49347

Tags : Foced Bonding, Derek and Stiles do NOT like it

https://archiveofourown.org/works/454948?view_full_work=true

  All you're giving me is friction

Stiles is Alpha bait

Words : 4707

Tags : Funny, Possessive Derek, The Alpha Pack is full of Hot Young Men who Want To Steal Stiles

https://archiveofourown.org/works/522549

  Fly a Little Faster

Everyone knows when you go back in time, you shouldn't step on an ant, just in case you accidentally kill your own grandparent or something. But what happens when you go back in time and, uh, accidentally interrupt the one event that apparently made the Grumpiest Alpha in Town into a ball of mindless manpain?

Well, if Marty McFly can do it, so can Stiles Stilinski. All he has to do is get Derek and Paige to fall in love before he gets pulled back to his own time. And before he makes anything worse. That's easy as pie, right? Right?

Words : 32052

Tags : Accidental Time-Travel with a dash of tragedy and a dash of humour, Peter is a Lying Liar Who Lies

https://archiveofourown.org/works/900839

  Prince Among Wolves

Looking for full day/evening sitter. 2 twin boys age 4. Must have exp. w/werewolves. Must be human. No pedophiles. No teenage girls. Pay negotiable.

Words : 101 000

Tags : Werewolves Are Known, Nanny Stiles, Businessman Derk, Cold Derek at First, Derek work All the Times But For Good Reasons, Kate is the Children’s Mother, Trans Child, Derek is Middly Transphobic at First, Learning to Become a Parent, Credible Children (not impossibly developped and sassy yet don’t know how to speak english)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/538425?view_full_work=true

 Electricity In the Contact

In which Derek has been invited to the Greater Pacific Northwest Alpha Symposium (that's not what it's called, Stiles, stop saying that), and showing up unattached would mean an arranged marriage. When the rest of the pack objects, he agrees to let Stiles come along to pose as his mate. Derek is reasonably sure that he's not going to make it out of this weekend alive.

Words : 27067

Tags : Scent-Marking, Fake/Pretend, Mates, Knotting, Funny

https://archiveofourown.org/works/664623/chapters/1213111

  Don't Worry Baby

"You know you're allowed to ask for vanilla sex, right?" he says, afterwards. "We can do whatever you want. That's kind of the point."

Derek doesn't respond.

Words : 20276

Tags : Prostitute Stiles Turned Kept Boy, Fucked-Up Derek Who Need A Boyfriend, Porn & Feels, Knotting, Possessive Derek, Lot of Soft Feels, Good Friend Scott

https://archiveofourown.org/works/639852

  Sideways and Slantways and Longways and Backways

“I called you a slave-driver!” Stiles cried hysterically. “I called you an ogre! I stole all the blue paperclips!” Derek raised an eyebrow at him. “That’s company property!” he shouted, waving his arms madly in distress. Derek ran a hand over his face. “It’s not theft if the vice president of the company gives you permission.”  (Otherwise known as the Elevator AU)

Words : 7 799

Tags : Humans AU, Office AU, Funny

https://archiveofourown.org/works/570582

  What I Did On My Summer Vacation

There's something weird about Beacon Hills that Stiles can't quite put his finger on. The way everyone in town knows his name the day he arrives. The way they insist the melancholic howling that echoes through the forest every night is just a dog. The way his dad denies getting a dog, even though Stiles comes home to find one sprawled across his bed, some big black thing whose eyes gleam red in the right light. The way that massive oak tree out in the woods vibrates under his touch, pulsing with sickly life.

There's something weird going on in this town, and Stiles is determined to get to the bottom of it.

Words : 118749

Tags : Sherif Moved In BH Whiles Stiles Was In College, Stiles Is Just Here For The Summer, Alive Laura, Derek Is The Alpha From The Start, The Nemeton is Connected to The Town, Near Eveyone In BH IS In The Known, The Town Is Pack, Magic, Made Of Awesome

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1881024/chapters/4052355

  Five Times the Sheriff Found Derek Hale in His Son's Bedroom

There's a pattern Sheriff Stilinski just can't ignore.

Words : 3525

Tags : What the Title Said, Humour

https://archiveofourown.org/works/520371

  By Any Other Name

He doesn't know his name, he doesn't know who he is, and neither does the werewolf he's on the run with. But he's pretty sure they hunt monsters, because they seem to be really good at it.

Words : 33090

Tags : Both Stiles And Derek Get Amnesia, They Make Assumptions About Who They Were, Action

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/BrilliantRecs/works/566258

  What Fresh Twilight Bullshit Is This?

“I am not Bella!” he insisted, shaking his fist angrily at Jackson, as if he’d been the one to suggest he was. “I am not Bella! I am, like, a Jacob, at least!”

Lydia made a noise of debate from his right and he whipped around to look at her.

“What?! What was that sound?!”

“You’re more of a Mike,” she insisted, shrugging neatly and flipping some curls over her shoulder.

“Wha—” Stiles had never been so offended in his life! “I am not! No way! I am a solid Jacob!”

“Mike,” she argued.

“Who’s Mike?” Scott asked.

“Shut up, Scott!” Stiles insisted, pointing a finger at him but still glaring at Lydia.

Words : 196127

Tags : Not Crack, Serious And Real Issues With Impriting, Derek Is Seriously A Creep At First, This Is Not Cute But Scary, Alive Hale, Cop Derek, College Student Stiles, Mates, Stackson BroTP, Scott and Stiles Meet In College, Really Good, Not Twilight Level of Writing, Better

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18650299/chapters/44228674

  Pack Wars

Scott liked to call it the Great Pack Divide of 2012.

Derek liked to call Scott an idiot.

(Or the one where Derek kidnaps Stiles to teach Scott a lesson, and ends up learning a few things himself)

Words : 158626

Tags : Kidnapping Taken Lightly By The Captors But Not The Kidnapee, Angst And Humour, Pack Dynamics, Learning When You Think You’re Going To Teach A Lesson

https://archiveofourown.org/works/641269/chapters/1162823

   here is the deepest secret nobody knows

“Derek,” Stiles groans. “You have me. You’ve always had me, you absolute moron, how many physically impossible feats of life-saving heroics do I have to perform before you get it?”

Words : 22322

Tags : Pack-Mom Stiles, Pack Feels, Stiles And Erica Are Bro, Derek Doesn’t Know How To Do Feelings, Post Seeason 2 So Jackson Is There

https://archiveofourown.org/works/529219

  Divided We Stand

Derek is being pressured by his family to pick a mate, and somehow stumbles into a choice that they didn't expect and aren't sure they approve of....

Words : 156742

Tags : Lenghty, Plotty, And It’s A Serie, If You WAnt To Be Occupied For Days Here You Are, Werewolf Are Know, Searching Ceremonies, Mate, Alive Hale, Pack Dynamics, Den Maker Stiles, Antagonisitc Talia, She Will Come Around But At The End, Sass Master Peter, Courtship, Detective Stiles, Seriously, Such A Good Serie, So Much Plot, Very Interesting

https://archiveofourown.org/works/877251/chapters/1686486

  Love Runs Wild

"You've got a hickey on the back of your neck!" A Neckz 'n Throats story.

Words : 9494

Tags : For Those Who Are New To TW Fandom Or Lived Under A Rock, Neck’n Throat is An AU Fanon Porn Mag Targeted Toward Werewolf Audience, And It’s Awesome, Possessive Derek, Model Derek, Model Stiles

https://archiveofourown.org/works/771875

  Mated

Stiles already had a history with skin magazines for werewolves. It wasn't like he was new at this, even if his modeling portfolio was completely pathetic. He was cool and collected. He was a jaded professional. He was not at all prepared for working with Derek Hale.

Words : 37712

Tags : Necks ‘n Throat, Model Derek, Model Stiles, Past Exploitation, Past Offscreen Torture And Rape, Kate Argent Is Her Own Warning, Jackson And Lydia And Scott and Allison And Stiles Are All Friends, Derek Is A Hale Outcast, Alive Hale, Laura Is A Good Sister But A Forcefull One, Angst And Humour, The Best Revenge Is life Lived Well, Leaping Wall Of Love

https://archiveofourown.org/works/781844?view_full_work=true

   My Heart Comes Tumbling Down

"This is a casual, adult relationship based on sex, and it is awesome." In which Stiles and Derek have a great time buddyfucking until a burrito ruins it all.

Words : 5689

Tags : Assumption, Discrimination Toward Hot People, Stiles Think Being A Hot Man Makes You Automatically A Player And He’s Wrong, Stiles Discover Sex, Derek Discover Feelings Again

https://archiveofourown.org/works/781057

  Love So Hard, It Could Rip My Heart Out

Stiles is seventeen, and his best friend is drifting away, and his dad isn't speaking to him, so he's going to make some bad decisions. He's seventeen and he needs bad decisions to look back on when he's thirty, and nothing is a worse decision than Derek Hale. He'll let the Big Bad Wolf in, let him press Stiles down into the couch and he'll wrap his arms around him and he'll know it's a bad choice, but it's his, and Derek is here when no one else is.

Words : 7552

Tags : Stiles Think Being A Hot Man Makes You Automatically A Player And He’s Wrong, Stiles Discover Sex, Derek Discover Feelings Again, Stilinski Family Feels, Angst But Hopefull Ending

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15387474

  Single Parent, Multiple Problems

Derek tries really hard to do the right thing, Stiles thinks Derek's idea of the right thing is the wrong thing, and John does his best to help.

 "Is, uh--is Stiles home?" Hale is staring at the ground and his shoulders are so tense that John's tempted to say 'Boo!' just to see what'll happen.

Words :

Tags : Developping Sterek, Parenting Is Hard, Sheriff Is An Awesome Dad, Middle Of Season 2 But Melissa And John Know About Werewolves, Consent Is Sexy, Building Trust And A Relationship Before Sex

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1161275

  Derelictions of Duty

No one wants to be the bearer of bad news to someone as nice as Sheriff Stilinski -- especially when he's your boss. That's why none of his employees want to be the first one to tell him about the scandalous goings-on between his only son and the former murder suspect Derek Hale. For all of their sakes, hopefully the Sheriff will find out all on his own...

(Or, 5 times a Beacon County Sheriff's Office employee witnesses the unique relationship between Stiles and Derek but neglects to tell the Sheriff and 1 time he witnesses it for himself.)

Words : 10846

Tags : Outsider POV, Mistaken For Being In A Relationship, Humour, Sheriff Is An Awesome Dad

https://archiveofourown.org/works/576645

   Scent Marking For Dummies

Stiles is almost used to being chased around the school by werewolves at this point. Having to share a bed with Derek freaking Hale, on the other hand, is just needlessly complicating his life.

Words : 8824

Tags : What The Tile Said, If Scent-Marking Is Your Kink, Go For it, Humourous Situations, Obvious Stiles

https://archiveofourown.org/works/702564

 That Which You Cannot Undo

By twenty-eight, Stiles has resigned himself to a quiet life of working in his magic shop, selling Jackson Whittemore fart-inducing tea, and looking after his goddaughter. It's a good life. But the quiet goes to hell when his sister, Lydia, shows up with a crispy werewolf in her trunk and a bite mark on her shoulder, because hard on her heels comes the hottest person Stiles has ever seen, and he happens to be looking for his uncle.

You know, the dead guy Stiles helped Lydia bury last night.

(Or: the Pracitical Magic AU nobody asked for.)

Words :28182

Tags : Lydia And Stiles Friendship, Orphan Stiles, Stiles Is Adopted By Lydia’s Moms, Magic Stiles, Single Parent Stiles Of His Goddaughter, Familial Love Curse, Dead Peter, Sweet Derek

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1248274

  Wolf in the House

“What? It’s totally an improvement. He’s not scowling, or dating bad guys, or slinking around in unsanitary places. Still a bit paranoid, but what can you do. At least he’s a lot easier to get along with when you can buy his affections with ear rubs.”

“And you always wanted a dog,” Sheriff added wryly.

“And I always wanted a dog.”

Words : 33481

Tags : Trauma Induced Tansformation, Actual Wolf Derek, Unable to Speak or Rationalize Derek, Derek’s POV, Stilinski Family Feels, Pack Dynamic

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3992896

  The Importance of Turning Around Three Times Before Lying Down

It’s like this dog has walked out of all of Stiles’ childhood dreams and into the real world just because Stiles wanted it hard enough. He is the most awesome dog ever, and he and Stiles have a bond. A deep, unbreakable bond because this animal is his soul mate, obviously. Now he just has to convince the dog of that.

Words : 31661

Tags : Alive Laura Hale, Actual Wolf Derek, Humour And Angst

https://archiveofourown.org/works/634774/chapters/1149039

  Little Wild Animal

Derek Hale finds a feral human on his pack's property. Humans are supposed to be extinct. But then, Stiles is full of surprises.

Words : 61036

Tags : Extinct Humans, Feral Stiles, Kind Derek, Alive Hale, Gender Fluid Child

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3904933/chapters/8738758

  Introduction to Zero-Sum Anthropology

Stiles buys Derek a set of cooking spoons. Derek retaliates with lunch.

The war begins.

Words : 19773

Tags, Humour, Post Season 3A, Gifts War

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1817704

  You Don't See Straight

Stiles finds himself in a secret werewolf community to participate in a mating run. Sterek happens. Side OC's.

Words : 174981

Tags : Werewolf Community, Rape, Non Consensual Bonding, Non Consensual Mating Run, Xenophilia, Knotting, It Fuck Stiles, Derek Is Fucked Up Too, Big Paragraphs With Not A Lot Of Space, But It’s Good, Definitely Original

https://archiveofourown.org/works/441012?view_full_work=true

  Crash Landers

In which Stiles learns to Stalk That Stalk. (Or, how to accidentally woo your unfriendly neighborhood alpha in roughly five hundred handwritten steps.)

Words : 31173

Tags : Stiles Leaves Derek A Fake Parking Ticket And It Kind Of Get Away From HIm, Epistolary But Not Formally So, Senior Year Of High School Post Season 2

https://archiveofourown.org/works/539061

  Actions Speak Louder than Words

“I apologize.” The cop finally looked back up at his face, seeming thrilled. “It’s just—it’s been so long. And we finally have you.”

That was a bad word. Not found.

Have.

Stiles wrenched his hand free and took a step back, but before he could even think up a gameplan, he felt a prick in his neck and jerked away, reaching up to slap one hand against it and twisting in the same moment.

Words : 434619 !!!!!!!!

Tags : Supernatural Are Known, Spark Stiles, Orphan Stiles Alpha Derek, Mute Derek, Cursed Derek, Dead Sheriff, Imprisonement, Stackson Brotp, Cora And Peter Are Alive, Stress Inducing, Badass Long Fic, Longest Completed Sterek Fic

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21906259/chapters/52286296

  You are the Moon

Stuff Stiles doesn’t like to deal with first thing: hot, moist dog breath in his face, a cuddly werewolf creepifying his perfectly normal morning wood with shades of bestiality, and his dad holding his service revolver up against the skull of his bedmate, never mind the fact that his bedmate could possibly be a vicious unhinged rogue omega.

Words : 10055

Tags : Alive Laura, Werewolves Are Known, Derek Is Though To Be Dead, No Sense Of Personal Boundaries Derek

https://archiveofourown.org/works/515616

 Then You Think Again

"Holy crap!  Why the hell did you lie to incredibly powerful magical beings with trust issues?  How was that Plan A?"

Derek says, "We're not arguing about this, it's already done."

"Like hell we're not fighting about this," Stiles says, indignant.  "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking it was worth the risk if it kept you alive!  And it worked, so drop it."

"You had no idea that it was going to work!" Stiles throws his hands up.  Why is Derek the most frustrating werewolf in the history of ever, why is Stiles even helping him, why is this his life?  "Why did they even believe you in the first place?"

Derek says, "You reeked of me," which is unfair.  Stiles only smelled because he'd gotten covered in Derek's bodily fluids trying to staunch the bleeding.

Words : 22552

Tags : Hags, Hags Made Them Do It, The Forced Bonding I mean

https://archiveofourown.org/works/566131

   Bogarted

Alternate Title: "Dick Failwolf, Private Eye."

(Or, Derek's hit with a Film Noir curse, which forces him to narrate his own life in luridly-detailed prose.)

Words : 3126

Tags : Bottom Derek, Top Stiles, Truth Curse, Failwolf Derek, Fluff

https://archiveofourown.org/works/696371

  On Building an IKEA Den for an Alpha Werewolf.

Senior Prom is coming up, and Stiles doesn't have a date. Additionally, Derek has an unfurnished apartment, and no one to take him to IKEA.

Words : 13892

Tags : Pack Mom Stiles, House Making, Failwolf Derek, Cute, Domestic

https://archiveofourown.org/works/527100/chapters/933196

  The Alexandrian Solution

"I accept your body!" Stiles says hurriedly. "I accept you. Sexually."

There is a pause. Derek says, "Thanks."

Words : 5317

Tags : Knotting, Derek Didn’t Know It Was Possible, Humour, Fun Sex With Feels

https://archiveofourown.org/works/489654

  Father Knows Best

Sheriff Stilinski has finally figured out the cause of the rift between them: his son's gay, and he's effectively cut that line of communication. Being the good father that he is, he tries to make sure Stiles knows that he can tell him anything, especially about Derek Hale. Their wires seem to have gotten crossed somewhere.

Words : 5984

Tags : Humour, Miscommunication, Sheriff Love His Queer Son

https://archiveofourown.org/works/574959

  Things To Do On The Dates You Aren't Having

"So are we dating now or what?" Stiles asks the third time he finds himself doing the obligatory postcoital cuddling with a certain sour wolf.

Words : 5557

Tags : Humour, Stiles Bullied Derek Into Dating, Jackson in an Ahole And Lydia Is A BAMF

https://archiveofourown.org/works/406485

  we can take our time

Tact and social mores are completely relegated to the back of Derek’s brain, and without thinking, he blurts out, “Did you spend your heat alone?”

Stiles’ head jerks around in surprise, and then he flushes pink and looks away. His voice comes out brusque and unfriendly. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I spend every heat alone.”

Words : 17476

Tags : Cops Stiles And Derek, A/B/O, Alpha Derek, Omega Stiles, That’s How Consent Is Done And Respected, Very Real Thoughs On What Consent Is And How It Works In An A/B/O Setting

https://archiveofourown.org/works/9965375?view_full_work=true

  Come with Me and Walk the Longest Mile

"Stiles shouldn't accept rides from werewolves he meets behind abandoned convenience stores." In which the zombie apocalypse is just one of their worries.

Words : 39275

Tags : Zombie Apocalypse, Omega Stiles, Heat, Road Trip Of Survival

https://archiveofourown.org/works/2697935?view_full_work=true

  Help Wanted

Nice things begin to happen to Derek Hale and it kind of freaks him out.

Words : 15593

Tags : What The Title Said, Classic Good Teen Wolf

https://archiveofourown.org/works/533677

  Come Fly With Me (Or Don't)

Stiles is overworked and stressed out when his flight home gets delayed due to copious amounts of snow. He finds entertainment with one Derek Hale, whom he hasn't seen since high school but really doesn't mind getting reacquainted with.

Especially when it turns out Derek is surprisingly hilarious and will reluctantly play snap with him. And can walk on his hands.

Words : 15319

Tags : Good Old Stucked In An Airport AU Because Of The Weather, Human AU

https://archiveofourown.org/works/609537

  The Chase

Derek's fourth Chase will be his last if he doesn't catch an omega this time. He's starting to doubt this whole soul-mate thing anyway, at least until someone from his past shows up and gives him the run of his life.

Words : 10435

Tags : Mating Run, Werewolf Everyone, Knotting, Alpha Derek, Omega Stiles

https://archiveofourown.org/works/848435

  pretty in tents

Even though he’s making fun of it, Stiles thinks the whole thing sounds awesome and, like most stuff these days, the experience is going to be totally wasted on Scott.

Words : 7657

Tags : Fake/Pretend Relationship, Werewolf Politics/Culture, Pack Dynamic, Stiles Is Awesome

https://archiveofourown.org/works/543994

  In Desperate Times

Stiles gets magic wish-granting powers, but only when he's in danger. He begins to teleport to Derek in increasingly awkward moments.

Words : 3454

Tags : What The Title Said, Awkward And funny, Those Two love Each Other Even If It Would Cut Them Up To Say So

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1391083

  Whatever Works

The problem with having your soulmate's first words to you tattooed on your arm is knowing your whole life that you're fated to be with a jerk. It's enough to make Stiles want to date other people ... which is how he winds up dating his soulmate's nephew.

Words : 61929

Tags, Asexual Derek, Aromantic Peter, Sexual And Romantic Stiles, Soul Mates, Not WHat You Expected But They Make It Work, Rich Hale, Just The Kids And Peter Are Alive, Corporate Thriller, Stiles Is Awesome, Peter Is Smart, Derek Is A Sweeheart

https://archiveofourown.org/works/5943391/chapters/13665637

 ADHDecaf

Stiles is 25 and runs his own coffee shop. Derek doesn't know this. Derek, a mechanic, thinks that Stiles is 17 and jail-bait.

Misunderstandings ensue.

Words : 2765

Tags : Pining, Stiles Looks Young, Idiots Crushing On Each Other

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1541012

  This is Ridiculous

There's a unicorn in Beacon Hills. A fricken' unicorn. In fricken' Beacon Hills, California. And it turns out that unicorns aren't drawn towards virgins in a happy-go-lucky let-me-lay-my-not-at-all-metaphorical-horn-in-your-lap way. No. They kill them. And guess who's the only virgin idiotic enough to get sucked into the Beacon Hills supernatural scene? Stiles, that's who.

Words : 35818

Tags : What The Summary Said, Freaking Evil Unicorns, Crack Yet Not

https://archiveofourown.org/works/541020/chapters/961691

  The Scientific Method

Stiles’s life was so much easier before his BFF got super powers. “But, so, werewolves have super strength, right? And super speed. And better vision, and better muscle control, and healing powers, and stuff. And some of that’s probably, like, genetic, if you can be born a werewolf. Right?”

 “Yeah,” Scott says. From the perplexed look on his face, he doesn’t yet know where Stiles is going with this. “So?”

 “So what if you have condom-defeating supersperm?”

 Stiles has a lot of research to do. He decides Derek's kitchen is the place to do it. Derek probably regrets giving him a key.

Words : 5947

Tags : What The Summary Said, Crack Yet Not, Hilarious, Stiles Does Research

https://archiveofourown.org/works/762878

  Not Quite Lost (Not Quite Found)

A year after the nogitsune is defeated, Derek is living a quiet life in the mountains above a small town in Colorado.

Then Stiles shows up.

Words : 25025

Tags : Emotional Healing, Derek Leaves Beaacon Hill After Season 3, Stiles Leaves After High School, Sad Boys But The Are Going To Get Better, Melancholy In A Beautifull Setting

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4880440

  Outrun Your Ghosts

When Derek Hale arrives at the Beacon Hills Young Adult Rehabilitation Center, he plans on keeping his head down and serving the rest of his time in minimum security peace. Stiles Stilinski changes all of that.

Words : 19148

Tags : Rehab, No Werewolves, Stiles Is Still Sort Of Magic But Everyone Think He’s Mental, Derek Is Accused Of Kate’s Crimes, Everyone In Rehab, Scott And Allison Met At Anger Management Issue Anonym, Jackson Is Here Because He’s A Douche, Patient Abuse, Harris Is The Worst Everywhere

https://archiveofourown.org/works/535679

  When You Stop Believing in Santa You Get Underwear

There are some salvageable things though. A virtually untouched heavy slate sign that says, engraved in an ornate script that confirms at least one person in the Hale family had a sense of humor (Stiles has a horrible suspicion it might have been Peter), When You Stop Believing in Santa You Get Underwear.

Words : 7817

Tags : Christmas Memories, Found Family, Pack Mom Stiles, The Boyd And Reyes Are Actually Include In Pack Big Gets Together, Seasonal Feels

https://archiveofourown.org/works/607336

  What Goes Around

“Well,” Stiles says, “if they’re going to hunt werewolves, I’m going to hunt them.”

It’s a ridiculous statement from a ten-year-old, but he’s obviously one hundred percent sincere. For the first time since the fire, Peter feels life stir inside him, feels purpose. It’s kismet, clearly. He’ll never meet the child he would have had with Olivia. Instead he’s met this boy, this brilliant, determined, cynical child with a world of potential.

Peter kneels down in front of him so they’re at eye level. “How do you feel about doing that together?”

Words : 71451

Tags : Dead Sheriff, Dead Hale, Dark Vengeancefull Kid Stiles, Dark Vengeancefull Peter, Murder Spree, Yet Found Family, Stiles Thinks He’s Robin To Peter’s Batman, More Or Less Good Peter, No Completly Moraly Bankrupt, Still Pretty Dark, We’re Talking About Acomplice Murder At Ten Years Old, Smart Stiles And Peter, Derek Hang On For The Ride

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13560651/chapters/31118688

  How far do I have to go to get to you

Stiles never knows if it's worse when Derek Hale steps out of the shadows or when he slinks back into them; either way, Stiles never expected to have this many feelings about his stupid old yellow owl shirt.

Words : 5189

Tags : Gaming, Teenagers, Derek Is Tragic But Catching Up On Late Teen Years

https://archiveofourown.org/works/509020

  Fire, Fury, and Flame

Stiles Stilinski was never going to be the omega who got knocked up right after high school, and then he's accidentally artificially inseminated with a stranger's sperm. Awesome. And the father of Stiles's baby just so happens to be Derek Hale. Half-feral, quite possibly a murderer, and pursued by a gleefully sadistic band of hunters who are only too eager to use Stiles and his baby to hit Derek right where it hurts. Joy.

Words : 124597

Tags : Accidental Virginal Pregnancy, Omega Stiles, Alpha Derek Making The Best Of It, Derek Is Running From His Past, Half Feral Derek, Action, Plot, Angst Love And Badassery, Stilinski Love Each Other, Sheriff Is An Awesome Dad, So Good, Making Family, Falling In Love, Secret Werewolf Compound

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3949369?view_full_work=true

  Present

When Stiles's best friend Scott presented as a werewolf, it was just the worst. It was front-page news, there were reporters outside his house asking him questions, and people at school stared and kept their distance or interrogated him mercilessly. Worst by far was that it meant Scott had to leave immediately to live with the werewolf pack in the mountains -- which no one knew anything about. Stiles couldn't even visit, so he only got to see Scott once a month when he came back to visit his mom. It sucked.

A year later, he presents too.

Words : 112399

Tags : Not Always Omega Stiles, Alpha Derek, Turned Werewolves Scott And Stiles, Werewolves Are Known, Human/Sup Segregation, Stiles Hates Derek Guts At The Start, Like Hates Him, Then Resent Him, Then Become Okay, So Slow-Burn Feels

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7946893/chapters/18168928

 Like the Sun Holds the Moon

Stiles is an omega, and he's supposed to be obedient. He's supposed to mate with the stranger chosen for him and quietly disappear. He's not supposed to talk to alphas, or have sex, or fall in love. Then he meets Derek Hale. Obedience was always overrated, anyway.

Words : 118155

Tags : A/B/O Dystopia, Racism, Sexism, Omega Stiles, Alpha Derek, Omeaga Are The Lowest Of The Low But Still Too Good For Werewolf, Forbidden Love, Running Away Together, Sheriff Is A Good Father, Mpreg, Childbirth, Parenthood, Omea Rehabilitation Center, Imprisonment, Minnor Character Suicide, Short Non-Con Elements, Forced Kate/Stiles In Chapter 14, Fighting Back, Smart Stiles, So Good Derek

https://archiveofourown.org/works/5442803/chapters/12578702

  Break the Lock If It Don't Fit

"Do you know what just happened?" Peter asked, frowning. "Do you know what Derek did?"

"He dislocated my shoulder," Stiles snapped, but Peter just arched an eyebrow, unimpressed by that answer.

Words :12738

Tags : Pack Dynamic, Domestic Violence, What Derek Did Was Not Romantic Sexy Or In Anyway Okay, He Apologised And Will Do Better

https://archiveofourown.org/works/504532

  Theory of Overprotective Canines

Stiles is totally looking forward to living alone in his super cool apartment off-campus. He is. He is also very excited to bike to school every day, ready to set up an awesome game room, and definitely over his crush on Derek Hale. Completely over it.

Or at least he is until Derek decides he's moving in with him. And then turns out to be the perfect roommate. And then starts attending all his classes. As a wolf.

This is not going according to plan.

Words : 11798

Tags : What The Summary Said, Idiots In Love, Mutual Pining, Actual Wolf Derek, Smart Derek, Possessive Derek, Obvious Stiles, Succesfull Cohabitation Come From Compromise

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4613304

  A Simple Life

Derek plans to spend the rest of his life holed up in the woods after Laura dies. Then he meets a stubborn young fox, and the stubborn young fox meets an urn of Deaton's magic powder, and his plans change.

Words :13763

Tags : Actual wolf Derek, Fox Stiles, Not A Werefox But A True Fox, Magical Powder Thanks To Deaton

https://archiveofourown.org/works/749767?view_full_work=true

     A Very Special Mention For A Technically Steter Fic But It’s WIP And SUPER Long So We’re Not There Yet

Consider it Gen !!!

It’s Awesome ! Check It Out !

Fanart !

We Don't Need Grace

The only reason Stiles and Finstock even met was because the Sheriff needed someone to wear his kid out. Countless clubs and sports turned Stiles away, and the alcoholic gym owner with a foul mouth and crazy hair was the Sheriff’s last hope. What started as an awkward arrangement would become an incredible journey full of gymnastics, blue ribbons, and gold medals.

Family isn’t always blood, sometimes it’s finding someone at the right time. Sometimes family is a hyperactive kid who hangs around the gym and his coach who takes his coffee with whiskey.

Otherwise known as The Olympics AU.

Words : 53905

Tags : Uncharacteristically Bad Father Seriff But Bob Finstock Make Up For It, Sheriff Is Too Preoccupied with His Wife And Don’t Understand His Son, Alive But Of Fragile Health Claudia, Bright Stiles, Stiles Keep On Being Happy, Stiles Wants To Be Spiderman But Will Make Do With Gymnast, Bob Finstock Is Made Of Awesome, Sport !!!, Olympics !!!, Found Family, Good Bobby, Allison And Kira Apparition

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19621804/chapters/46529518

How could I forget this one?!!?!

It’s a fancomic! It’s awesome! It’s long! It’s sweet!

You haven’t lived until you’ve read it!!!

Seed Wolf!

Stiles finds a mysterious packet of seeds one day called 'Seed Wolf'. He doesn't expect anything to grow from them, maybe a flower or something to replace his beloved (and deceased) cactus Bertrand.

What grows from the little seed is surprising.

Words: Zero, obviously. But it’s really long

Tags: Awesome cuteness, Dying of cute, Thumbellina trope, Anthropomorphic animoid plant people, manga style, so sweet, fluffy tails, soulmates

https://archiveofourown.org/works/2788907

[chocoholicannanymous]

...As Stupid Does (Teen Wolf) 19/19

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything – except for a red hoodie...

This is the final part of this story, and this ‘verse. A bit bittersweet, but honestly? So much relief too. Because as much as I never wanted to abandon this story I was worried that I’d never pull together the focus and energy to connect scattered paragraphs and thoughts into a complete ending.

Here it is though. I hope those of you reading this enjoy it.

Part 18, Part 17, Part 16, Part 15, Part 14, Part 13,  Part 12,  Part 11,  Part 10,  Interlude,  Part 9, Part 8d, Part 8c, Part 8b, Part 8a, Part 7, Part 6, Part 5,Part 4,Part 3, Part 2, Part 1,Not Stupid, Stupid Is… and pre-verse ficlet I’m Stupid (Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me)…

Epilogue

Here's the thing: Stiles is a lucky guy. He's smart enough to realize exactly how lucky.

He's three years through a four year college degree, with a job waiting for him after graduation. His relationship with his dad is stronger than ever. He's got a home also waiting for him, one that's surrounded by two packs full of 'wolves.

He's also got Derek.

And the thing is, he and Derek? They're good together. Like really, really, almost disgustingly good. They weren't back in Beacon Hills. They kind of weren't when they decided to try again, for real this time.

They had spent their first year together fucking up, and god, the amount of times Stiles had questioned not just his sanity in doing this but also his intelligence. But during that year they also started working together, begun healing old hurts and smoothing down their rough edges, and found a way to fit together.

Once that year was over they'd sat down and talked things through.

Okay, they'd screamed some too, and once Stiles had even walked out. But the important thing is that he'd done so in a mature way. He'd told Derek that he was walking out, why he was doing so and that he was coming back once he'd cooled off. And then he'd kept his word.

And they'd done it on their own. No prompting, no mediating, no one coming in to send them to separate corners or patch them up. Stiles is still hella proud of that.

It's been three years now, and as far as Stiles is concerned he's got an amazing boyfriend that he fully expects to spend the rest of his life with.

If anyone had told him this years ago, when Scott had just been bitten and they were scrambling to keep their heads above water – at one point literally – Stiles would not have believed it. At one point he'd have taken violently offense, even without being told said boyfriend would be Derek.

Things have changed. He has changed. Derek has changed. But most importantly? They've changed together.

These days Derek has enough of a handle on himself to not need magic or therapy to make it through a visit. He's still seeing Dr Bianchi occasionally, as is Stiles, but they're both down to a handful of times per year.

And it's not just when it comes to the two of them that Derek has improved. Stiles gets regular reports from Scott, and it's obvious that Derek's a good Alpha these days. Sure, he will only stay an Alpha for a little while longer before handing it over to Cora, but that doesn't diminish his accomplishment. Everyone in a pack benefits from a good, steady Alpha.

Just like Cora benefits from a brother who is all these things.

Yeah, life is good.

The only dark cloud on Stiles's horizon is that he's going to have to go back to Beacon Hills.

Returning to Beacon Hills is, yeah okay, it's not the last thing Stiles wants to do. Reliving the Alpha pack, the kanima, Kate, Allison, Gerard, Peter (though that one's a firm “against” on returning too), reliving his mother's death, living through his dad's death, killing someone, almost killing someone, losing his pack, losing Embry... There are a lot of thing that Stiles wants even less.

But returning to Beacon Hills, even for a weekend, does come very low on the list. Distance has not made Stiles' heart fonder. Returning sadly isn't exactly optional.

Sure, no one's forcing him, but that doesn't mean staying away is an alternative. Not this time. Because Scott is getting married. Scott, who's still only 21 for another couple of weeks, and who used to think that werewolves were the worst (or second worst depending on how angry he was with Derek that day), who believed that he didn't need an Alpha and that Allison had hung the moon, is getting married to a werewolf, one that's not only Derek's sister, but also his soon-to-be Alpha.

And of course said wedding has to take place in Beacon Hills.

Now, Stiles has done his best to talk Scott into eloping, has tried since Scott called him with the news that Cora had said yes, but. Apparently Scott can't see the brilliance in eloping, not even with Stiles's excellent arguments.

“You, me, your mom, abuela Delgado, Derek and Cora. Just the family. No douche pack.”

“What about Peter?”

Seriously? The last thing Stiles had expected to need to justify is why leaving Peter out of, well, everything is a good idea.

“No uncle psycho either. He doesn't qualify as family.”

There's a sound that Stiles knows from years of being Scott's friend means he's nodding in agreement.

“Okay, true. What about dad though?”

“Oh, you know, I figured he'd be my plus one.” That came out flippantly, because he knows there's no way Scott wouldn't invite his dad regardless.

“No, Stiles, what about my dad?”

“He doesn't qualify as family either.”

The words come out before Stiles can filter himself, and he kind of wishes he could take them back, except...

“Look, can I be brutal here? I mean, we both know I'm going to be honest so... When's the last time you saw agent McCall?”

“There was a thing junior year, he came here to investigate.”

Not what he was asking, but a very telling answer.

“Okay, and when's the last time you saw him in his capacity as your dad? Hell, when's the last time you spoke to him? Does he even know about Cora?”

Scott evades the questions, which again: telling.

“He's my dad though, doesn't that kind of mean I have to invite him?”

Stiles snorts. As if.

“I don't see why. Sure, he's 50 % of your genepool, but is he really your dad? I mean, I can't remember the last time he and you shared anything other than your last name, and we both know that's not going to be true for much longer.”

“Yeah, okay, you have a point. He's not getting an invite. That doesn't mean we're eloping though, Stiles. Cora deserves a proper wedding, and I'm going to give her that. Now, you convince her that eloping's a good idea and we can talk about it again, but I'm not risking making her mad at me just because you don't want to subject yourself to Isaac. At least Jackson won't be invited?”

“Small favors, man. Small favors.”

There's another one of Scott's agreement noises before the conversation had moved on.

Of course, Cora had been an even tougher nut to crack than Scott, and Stiles had retreated ungracefully once she'd started threatening his balls.

Really, there was no need to go there. If for no other reason, well, shouldn't she leave the goods intact for Derek's sake?

Of course, Stiles can understand why she's unwilling to let go of the only Hale tradition she still can have, namely getting married in the preserve and in the presence of pack. Every Hale has done so for over 200 years, before they were even called Hale.

(Stiles listens to Derek explain, haltingly, and decides to admit defeat. At least Derek's willing to bypass that tradition, should they one day decide to marry. He'll take that win and stop pestering Cora.)

So, anyway. There's no talking the lovely couple into eloping. Which means like it or not – and trust him, it's not – Stiles is going back. Because it's Scott.

There's also the fact that in a strange way Stiles has waited for this wedding as long as Scott has. When he and Derek had gotten back together the plan had been for Cora to graduate, then take over the Alpha spark and the pack. Two years had felt long, but doable.

And then Cora had asked for more time.

She'd gone straight from school to working at the Beacon Hills sheriff's department and had felt she needed to adjust a little better to that before taking on something new. It'd been reasonable, and more importantly: Derek had been almost unable to deny his sister anything after getting her back from the dead (except you know, figuratively speaking, unlike a certain other family member).

So they'd talked it over and agreed to give Cora another year, moving the transfer to after the wedding. It makes, Stiles thinks, for one hell of a wedding present. If that's good or bad, eh. Who knows.

He'd taken on more classes in order to have a distraction, had worked himself to the point of exhaustion more than once, and nearly driven the people around him crazy. It'd been more than a little overkill, he admits now, but it had kept him from missing Derek too much. It also means he'll be able to slow down a little his final year.

Or take on whatever shiny but totally unnecessary new class catches his eye, probably, but. He pretends he'll take it easy. Derek pretends to believe him. Derek's also made it clear he's going to move to Seattle once he can leave Beacon Hills, and stay there as long as Stiles does. They both pretend it's not partially to keep Stiles from studying himself into the hospital.

Anyway. He's just, you know, going to have to count small favors. The first one being that Jackson really isn't invited. The second is that Lydia, who was, isn't coming either. Once Stiles had gotten over his crush on her he'd kept a measure of fond respect for the person he'd learned existed behind Lydia's facades, even though they'd never really become friends. That didn't change the fact that her not coming was a relief – she's too smart, sees too much, and he would hate for her to figure things out.

Another person not coming is Danny who's transferred his allegiance to the pack near his college where he's, completely coincidentally Stiles is sure, dating the Alpha's grandson. He'd been invited as a courtesy, but told he couldn't bring his boyfriend, and had wisely chosen not to accept. Cora hates him, and he apparently knows it, and Scott isn't to fond of him either.

Those really are small favors though.

A slightly bigger one is the fact that Deaton isn't coming. Not only does he no longer live in Beacon Hills, but he hasn't been invited. While no one had been able to prove that there had been magic on Scott, his opinions on both Derek and Deaton had changed a little too much for comfort after first moving away and then beginning to meditate. Even Scott had noticed, and gotten suspicious.

In the end there had been no protests from Scott as Derek and Cora had ended Deaton's lease of the land for his practice – land he had been granted use of as the Hale pack's emissary and then had kept using free of charge since the fire, knowing he wasn't keeping to the agreement. Once he'd been called on it, Deaton had packed up, sold his home, and moved away.

No one misses him – not even Scott.

However none of that changes the fact that Beacon Hills still has Peter Hale, who is most certainly both invited to the wedding and attending, and who Stiles still sees as a threat. Because, well, he's not stupid.

Peter Hale will stop being a threat the day he dies, and maybe not even then. (Next time, Stiles has promised himself, he's going to make sure Peter gets the Aiden treatment.)

And Stiles is going to willingly place himself within striking distance from said threat, without a protector on hand.

He hadn't even thought about it at first, just assuming he'd have Embry to keep him safe, but it hadn't taken long to realize that bringing Embry to Scott's wedding wasn't an option.

First of all there's the fact that while neither Derek or Cora can feel the supernatural in the LaPush 'wolves unless they're shifting Peter might. Peter, who's not only older and has had the kind of training Derek never got but who also has access to a lot of the Hale pack's lore which Derek had thought lost in the fire. Stiles isn't willing to take a chance on that knowledge not containing something to help Peter identify the LaPush shifters. (This is, incidentally, one of the reasons Stiles is happy Deaton is gone. He too knows too much for Stiles to trust he wouldn't be able identify another kind of shifter.)

Second there's the fact that every single pack member is visibly Native American, and there are only so many tribes. Peter – or Danny for that matter, even though he's not going to be present, but he's more of an annoyance – could locate Stiles far too easily easily with that kind of information.

There's also the fact that Embry would be on a hair trigger simply because Stiles will be, and might shift and expose them.

Most importantly though is that bringing what would look like a plus one to Cora's wedding would be an insult. Not just to her, who's only just gotten to the point where she accepts that Stiles is in her brother's life for good, but also to Derek. Yes, everyone who matters knows that Embry's relationship with Stiles is as platonic as can be, but that doesn't change anything. They smell enough like each other for wolfy noses to know they're not casual acquaintances, and chances are there would be quite a bit of ribbing and speculation. Derek shouldn't have to listen to that, or for that matter look at Stiles walking around with another man when he himself has to hide what they are to each other. Desire for protection or not, Stiles just isn't willing to do that to Derek.

It's possible that Embry could have skated by as the son of John Stilinski's fiancée – and wow, Stiles still hasn't gotten used to referring to Tiffany Call that way (and damn, does that make him glad that he and Embry are platonic, because that's a little to incestuous even as is). Scott would have been okay with both of them coming, had even brought it up, but everyone involved is aware that it'd make Melissa feel uncomfortable. Regardless, Tiffany's not coming either. Like with Embry there's no way of hiding that she's native, making her too easily identifiable. There's also the fact that it just isn't safe.

Tiffany is many things, and a stronger woman than most, but she's not a fighter. If things go wrong she would be vulnerable, and a liability.

Bringing someone other than Embry means the same risk of discovery.

So instead of a werewolf bodyguard or ten Stiles has his dad.

Yeah.

There's also the fact that in the interest of keeping secrets Stiles can't even use the silver lining of more time with Derek. Letting anyone from that pack know of their connection is bad, but the thought of letting Peter know makes Stiles's blood run cold. That means he's going to be within minutes of his boyfriend for days, and yet he's not going to get hugs, or kisses, or a bedpartner. He's going to be at a wedding along with his romantic partner, while pretending he's single.

Yeah.

It's going to suck.

O--o---o--O

The wedding is missing a lot of traditional parts. It's understandable, really, and not just because both bride and groom along with several guests are werewolves. It's just... Cora doesn't have a father to give her away, or dance with her. She doesn't have a mother to support her, an inherited dress or heirloom jewelry. She doesn't have a best friend to be her maid of honor. What she's got is a brother whose Alpha she'll be within days and an uncle that she doesn't trust as far as she can throw him. Or well, as far as Stiles could throw him.

So they adjust.

No one gives Cora away. Instead she and Scott walk up the isle – isle, forest path, same thing – together. Neither of them have attendants, and Melissa McCall's wedding dress stays in its garment bag.

The wedding is small and intimate, with only a handful of guests outside of the pack – Stiles, John, Melissa, abuela Delgado and two 'wolves from Cora's South American pack. It takes place in a glade just on the edge of the preserve and the only decorations are wild flowers and boughs of leaves.

It's scaled-down, but also beautiful in its simplicity, because no one can doubt that these are two people who love each other deeply.

Stiles has to blink away tears at more than one time. His friend, his brother, is promising to love, cherish and honor his girl, and is being promised the same in return. There's not a doubt in Stiles's mind that when they swear to do so until death do them part they mean it. This, he knows, is Scott's life now. It's the life and future he deserves. It's enough to make Stiles's heart swell with love.

And then it hits him. With a little luck that'll be him in a not too distant future. He has to look away not to betray himself by staring lovingly at Derek.

Stiles walks through the door to the cabin he's sharing with his dad. He's tired, both because of emotion and vigilance. His dad's still back at the wedding, catching up with Melissa, but Stiles doesn't have the energy. He's spent the day keeping one eye on the pack, and Peter in particular, and generally hating that he's back in Beacon Hills while loving that he's able to be here for Scott.

It's been exhausting.

Just about everyone else is still celebrating, but once Scott and Cora had left to change clothes and go on their honeymoon Stiles had left too. Pretending that he doesn't want to kill Peter, or kiss Derek, has taken it out of him and he can't do it any longer. He's going back home tomorrow and he can't spend another minute being that close to Derek without being able to be with him. That it'll be at least a month, probably two or more, before he can see Derek again is making it even harder.

As far as everyone but him and Derek knows Scott and Cora are going on an actual honeymoon, for a whole month. The truth is that they'll be gone for a week before sneaking back. The rest of the time will be spent in recovery and training after Derek transfers the Alpha spark. Cora will come back as the new Hale Alpha, but that doesn't mean Derek will be free to leave.

There will be unrest in a pack with a new Alpha, even under the best of circumstances, and these – as so often for them – are not. Cora will need Derek by her side, to support her and calm the pack. Maybe she'll also need him to help take down threats thinking to take advantage of a novice Alpha. Maybe they'll have to deal with Peter...

It'll be a little while yet before Derek will be free of Beacon Hills.

So Stiles is sad, and he's got a headache and he just wants to take some pills, text Embry some and then sleep.

After he's re-ringed the cabin with mountain ash of course.

Stiles pulls his phone out of its pocket, takes off his jacket and goes to throw it at the chair before thinking twice. It's a decent suit jacket and if he treats it right he won't need to go suit shopping again in years. Coat hanger it is.

He turn towards the clothes rack, his brain three steps ahead, and hits a wall, his phone clattering to the floor.

Only there's no wall there.

He scrambles backwards, trying to put as much space as he can between himself and the threat and swears. The door is out of reach and he's trapped.

“Hello Stiles.”

Fuck.

“Peter.”

He flicks through scenarios in his head, trying to figure out how to get out of this, but he keeps running into mental walls.

Stiles is a lot better trained than when he left Beacon Hills, in ways Peter knows nothing about. Under the right circumstances he might have a chance.

These are not.

He's in close quarters with Peter, unable to reach the door before the 'wolf can get to him. He's mostly unarmed due to being dressed for a wedding, and what he does have isn't as easily accessible as he'd like.

Plus it's Peter.

Stiles is going to assume that everything he thinks he knows about Peter's skills and strength is wrong. To do anything else would be to sign his own death warrant. Derek might be clouded by memories of “uncle Peter”, but Stiles has never forgotten the psychopathic killer he'd first encountered.

No, training or no training, Stiles's one real advantage is having a pack, and what being part of it means. Unfortunately he has no idea if it'll be enough.

“Shouldn't you be with the pack, or, I don't know, in your own home? Not breaking and entering somewhere you're definitely not welcome.”

“Oh, but it's not breaking and entering if you have a key.” Which, fuck, did Peter kill someone to get his hands on a backup key? “Besides, I didn't get a chance to talk to you earlier. It's been so long, Stiles, won't you humor me? We're practically old friends, are we not? It'll be like old times.”

“You're crazy.”

“Now now Stiles. That's not very nice of you.”

Stiles snorts, because nice? Not really in his wheelhouse.

“You think I care? When it comes to you? Come now, I said crazy, not stupid.”

Because unfortunately Peter is anything but, making him even more dangerous. Still, the wolf just smirks a little at Stiles's defiance.

“I'm afraid that answer just isn't acceptable. See, I really do need to talk to you. Or well, I need you. I'd like it if you talked to me, but I'll manage either way. You however... You really would do well to humor me.”

Then Peter looks at him, and oh shit. His eyes are flashing back and forth between the electric blue that had looked so good on Derek and a sickly red.

It takes nothing to figure it out.

Peter had called him the clever one, and meant it in a mocking way. But the reality is that Stiles is clever, and knows how to put puzzle pieces together.

And these particular puzzle pieces... Peter came back to life using not only Lydia but also Derek – had drained Derek of life and strength and power, and had tried to steal the Alpha power too.

And afterwards Derek had changed. Had grown more volatile, more likely to hurt someone – more unstable.

Stiles is willing to bet Peter had had a bit more success than they'd realized, that he'd managed to siphon off some of the Alpha power and keep it.

That would explain why Derek had acted the way he had. Why he'd been so easily influenced by the pack's negativity. Why Derek had sometimes acted more like Peter than like himself.

It would definitely explain how the Alpha power had become this unstable, negative force in Derek that he felt was fighting him. He is sharing it with Peter. And apparently Peter is done sharing. Stiles is uncomfortably aware of exactly how little defense he has to put up in regards to a Peter who is no longer hiding his power, who is no longer playing weak and damaged.

The only reason he's still alive is so Peter can use him against Derek.

Because even holding a part of the Hale Alpha spark Peter isn't going to just challenge Derek for the rest of it, or meet him in a fair fight. It's not how he works. Peter doesn't believe in fair, and wants the odds as weighted in his favor as possible. Using Stiles as bait, or whatever, is a way of doing that. There's also the fact that Derek has been getting stronger and better as an Alpha, leaving Peter needing every advantage he could. Even an ambush might not give him the upper hand.

Well, Stiles is going to do what he can to even out the odds a bit.

It helps that he has no reason to believe Peter will let him go after killing Derek. He'll either be dead too, or bitten without concern for his wishes, and forced to obey Peter. His dad will probably be used against him – or, again, killed outright.

Not fighting won't save him – it'll only make it easier for Peter.

“You kept some of the Alpha spark after using Derek to come back to life.”

“Ah. You really are clever. Too bad you've always wasted that cleverness on my failure of a beta and my useless nephew. Yes, I kept some. It should have been mine altogether, but something went wrong.

“Doesn't matter though, because I'm getting it back. I'm getting it all back tonight.”

Stiles stiffens. That sounds really not good.

“I was willing to be patient. To wait for it. Derek isn't made to be Alpha, and I've always known that sooner or later he'd get himself killed, especially the way kept attracting hunters. I could wait. After all, I had enough power to get through most. Especially after getting a little boost.”

That's what happened to miss Blake, Stiles thinks. He doesn't say anything though. It's not time to upset the balance. Not yet.

“It was possible one of the others would have had enough and killed him, but chances were the Alpha spark would have gone to me either way. If not,” Peter shrugs, “a new Alpha, who doesn't know how to deal with the change in their senses? Easy to kill.”

Stiles can see it happen just like that too, unfortunately.

“Everything was going according to plan too, with Derek growing more and more unstable. Given a little more time I might even have been able to talk him into giving up the spark voluntarily.” Like hell he would have. “And then my dear, dear niece came back to life.”

There's something in Peter's voice with couple with the moue he makes that gives Stiles another flash of insight.

“You resent Cora for being alive. You resent her for surviving the fire.”

Peter almost slips into a roar.

“She abandoned me!”

“She was a child! I know you were trained to hide from hunters, to go to ground and stay there until the threat was over. Are you blaming her for doing what she's been told?”

“You go to ground, yes. And then you come back. You don't abandon your pack.”

And wow, hearing that shit from the wolf who killed one niece, tried to kill a nephew, and had just explained how he had been waiting to try again... Yeah, Peter Hale is a hypocrite on top of being fucking insane.

“She abandoned us, and then when she comes crawling back,” which, totally not how it had actually happened, “that useless weakling wants to reward her for it by passing the Alpha spark to her. And they expect me to just take it?”

Fuck. The biggest flaw in the plan had always been the risk of Peter finding out and getting mad. There are contingency plans, sure, but none of them counted for quite this.

“I should have been Alpha after Talia. Laura was just as weak, just as unsuitable, as Derek. She didn't have it in her to take vengeance for our family – she just ran. It should have been me. It would have been me, had I not been burnt so badly.”

Peter's eyes are flickering between red and blue again, but the light in them has nothing to do with the 'wolf. It's insanity, and Stiles makes a quick judgment call.

He's never going to be able to outfight Peter. What he needs is to keep him of guard, while hoping for help to reach him. And as dangerous as it might be, the best way is to go after Peter's ego.

He's calm and collected in a way he rarely is as his brain starts listing sore points to hit.

He starts off by laughing, startling Peter out of his self-righteous rant.

“I might have to take back what I said about you not being stupid. You really think you should have been Alpha over Laura? Dude, you are delusional. You not becoming Alpha after the fire had nothing to do with you burning, and everything to do with the fact that you're a monster. Hell, the only way you had a shot at Alpha-hood was to steal it.

“Derek's fucked up plenty, yes, but even on his worst days he's better than you. He at least is sane.”

His words are working, Stiles can see it, and he continues to taunt the 'wolf.

“In fact, should Derek die today? You're not even in the running to become the next Alpha. It'll be Cora, or Scott if she's not an option either. Hell, even Isaac is a better candidate for Alpha than you and I really don't like that guy. No, you're going to have to kill the rest of your family and the new Hale pack along with them to even have a shot.

“Fuck, if I was that Alpha spark? I'd leave the Hale line – hell, existence even – completely over settling in you. You're simply too corrupt.

“You speak of Derek and Laura not being worthy of the Alpha spark. The truth is that you're the one that's unworthy. The world truly will be a better place once you're dead.”

Peter's eyes flicker back and forth and Stiles is actually kind of surprised he's not already dead. Maybe Peter still thinks he can get something out of keeping him alive.

“Brave words, Stiles, but that's all they are. Words. You don't understand what it's like to be a werewolf, what it means to be in a pack. But I'll make sure you do. Before the sun rises I'll be the Alpha, and like it or not you're going to help me. And as a reward I'll give you what you wanted but were afraid to say yes to all those years ago.

“Once my useless nephew is out of the picture you'll be my beta. Part of my pack. And you'll be good to me, won't you Stiles? After all, you have...experience in being good to your Alpha, don't you?” Peter's voice is silky-sweet around the words, and Stiles shudders with disgust.

What Peter is hinting at is never going to happen, not even if Stiles has to kill himself to make sure it doesn't. Yes, he's made some pretty harsh statements about what was between him and Derek, but not even at the lowest point did that make him feel as dirty as Peter's mere words are doing now.

At the same time Stiles is willing to put money on the fact that Peter doesn't really mean what he's saying. Oh, he might follow through, especially if he leaves Derek alive, but this isn't about any kind of want or desire. This is about scaring Stiles, about rattling him, about making him beg.

He's not going to do that.

“Fuck no.”

“Tsk, tsk. You'll sing a different tune once you're in my pack.”

Stiles laughs again, short and sharp, putting as much mockery as he can muster in it.

“Your pack? You don't have a pack. You'll never have a pack. All you've got, Peter, is two people who shares blood with you and who pity you too much to put you down like the animal you are.

“Really, where's an Argent when you need them?”

That does it. Peter's claws pop, his teeth lengthen and his eyes shine like lasers. Only one of them will walk away from this, and Stiles has finally managed to tip the scales enough that it just might be him. Of course, even almost out of his mind with rage Peter does have some control – he hasn't howled, for instance, keeping it in as to not warn anyone. Stiles's chance is tiny, and it mostly depends on outside factors, but unlike five minutes ago it exists.

Now he just has to be right about a number of factors.

Luckily he is.

The window breaks, glass splintering and flying across the cabin. Peter jerks back as a big furry shape follows and Stiles hurries to to put his back against a corner. Chances are that Peter will win this fight so he's not safe yet, but he's certainly safer than he was a minute ago.

No one had been happy with Stiles going back without Embry. Hell, Stiles hadn't been happy about it. Had it been an option he would have brought the entire pack with him – preferably both even. Jake'd been on the verge of laying down an Alpha order about Stiles and John not going on their own for weeks, the only thing stopping him being the safety of LaPush. Instead he had had to stop basically the entire pack from sneaking off to follow them, same for Sam.

The compromise had been one 'wolf. There had been a fight over who got to go, and even Leah – who still think Stiles is being an idiot – had wanted to go. Of course, Leah is also finally pregnant and no one wants to put her and the baby at risk. (Plus, she's not feeling that great. The phrase “sick as a dog” takes on a new light when you've seen a horse sized shape shifter with violent morning sickness, Stiles decided after seeing Leah sick up to the point where she phased out of her wolf form and fainted. Yuck.)

Embry still hadn't been allowed to go, and Stiles knows why, knows that Jake has a point in claiming Embry's bond to Stiles would cause him to be on edge and risk exposing them in more ways than one. That doesn't make it easier to deal with though.

Stiles wishes with all his being that it could have been Embry.

Instead it had been decided that Collin, as the most harmless looking one, should go and play hapless tourist. He had arrived in Beacon Hills a couple of days ago, and as far as Stiles knows no one's picked up on anything strange about him or his story.

Of course, with Collin being one of the youngest and least experienced 'wolves he's not the one Stiles would have wanted in a fight against Peter Hale.

All he really is is a distraction, but it does gives Stiles a chance. While Peter's attention is on the giant 'wolf Stiles slowly eases the hidden blade from his sleeve and then carefully rips open his cuff.

The mountain ash concealed in the cuff does as it's meant to and falls into his hand. Now he's got a chance.

Provided nothing has gone to hell in the last couple of hours there is at least one other 'wolf near, able to warn others. If it has and they're on their own, then there's always howling.

All Stiles needs to do is get up a barrier and they'll have some breathing room. He just needs some distance between Collin and Peter.

At first the giant 'wolf is causing Peter to be cautious, but it doesn't take long for the man to realize he's the strongest of them. The wolf shape is excellent for fighting and killing vampires, but less so when it comes to another type of werewolf.

Collin yips in pain and Peter strikes again. This time he lands a powerful blow that throws Collin across the cabin. He lands heavily, with a whine, and doesn't get up. Stiles swallows as he sees blood pooling out from the still body.

A 'wolf can heal just about anything, given time. Peter won't give them that though. He's already stalking across the floor with blood dripping from his claws and a sadistic smile on his face. He's fast enough that he could have crossed before Stiles knew what was happening. This slow walk is just a show, meant to intimidate Stiles.

Too bad it just gives him the time he needs.

“You've been keeping secrets. I'll enjoy dragging them out of you.”

It's a promise, meant to invoke, and it works. But Stiles has gotten used to pushing down his fear and working through it, and so he looks Peter straight in the eyes and quips.

“Didn't your Alpha teach you not to play with your prey?”

And then he throws the mountain ash.

He's practiced this very moment over and over until he doesn't need to walk the perimeter, or to have “enough” ash. All he needs is a little bit and his belief.

He's never believed anything this hard before.

“Mountain ash? Always the clever one, aren't you? But your little trick won't save you, or your friend there. You can only hold the barrier for so long, and I can be a very patient man.

“It would be wise of you not to test that patience though. Sooner or later your father will walk through that door, and I would hate to kill him just to prove a point.”

Like he'd let any of them live either way.

“Here's the thing, Peter. You would be wise to leave now. Who knows, run fast enough, far enough, and you might even live to regret your actions here tonight. Because Game of Thrones might be shit about a lot of things, but they're dead right about: 'the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives'. And you, Peter. You're all alone.”

“You think you're pack? You, my useless nephew's even more useless fucktoy? Don't make me laugh.

“Since you're apparently too stupid to realize, I've got you trapped in here. You've got no way to call for help,” and he steps on Stiles's phone, grinding it to components to make a point, “your supposed savior is out like a light, dying as we speak, and your mountain ash barrier is weakening by the minute.”

It's not. Stiles can feel that it's still just as strong, but it's a good tactic, trying to shake the belief holding it together.

“That poor fool is even more of an idiot than that useless beta of mine. He didn't even howl for help. Not that he would have gotten any, but he didn't even try. Pathetic.”

Stiles smirks. No, Collin hadn't howled. But with the LaPush pack mind he didn't need to, not being shifted.

“Peter? This is the 21st century. Proper 'wolves use cellphones just like the rest of us.

And then in a show of timing almost too good to be true Seth and Brady jumps through the broken window as Derek – followed by Cora – break through the door.

Stiles almost sobs with relief. Having Collin arrive had been such a help, but it hadn't really made him feel safe. Not when up against Peter Hale. The same goes for Brady. They're his friends, yes, but they're the most inexperienced of the 'wolves and they're Sam's. Seth is, well, he's not that much more experienced but he's pack. That matters.

It's not the fact that they're four against one that calms Stiles, or even that Derek is there – it's the presence of pack.

He still wishes Embry was with him, but now he dares to believe he'll see his 'wolf again.

Peter is actually looking stunned, faced with another two giant wolves. And is that a hint of fear Stiles sees? It could be. After all Peter has to realize that while Derek and Cora might be swayed to spare him out of sentimentality, these new and unknown wolves have no such compunctions. Stiles wonders if the crazed 'wolf sees his death in their arrival.

He hopes so.

The four circle Peter, cutting of all routes of escape. If he wants to leave he'll have to go through them, and that's not as easy as fighting Collin might lead Peter to believe. They don't attack though and Stiles can't help but think his 'wolves are holding back out of consideration for Derek, and to a lesser degree Cora.

Seth and Brady both know that Peter needs to die, but Derek has had a hard time reconciling with the fact that killing Peter had been necessary the first time. He hasn't even wanted to entertain the idea that it might be needed a second time, and might want to give Peter a chance to surrender.

Or it's just about waiting for the right moment. Regardless Stiles finds himself unable to watch what is about to come. Strange. He'd had no problem watching Peter die the first time, had thrown Molotov cocktails at him and watched Derek rip his throat out without regret. He has been certain Peter needs to die again since about 5 seconds after finding out he was back.

And yet he finds he can't watch.

As Peter lounges, desperately, towards Brady – either having identified him as the easiest target or unwilling to attack his remaining blood family – Stiles burrows his face into Collins fur and tries to shut it all out. They're safe behind the mountain ash barrier, and their friends will take care of Peter without them. They're safe, the barrier will hold, their friends will live, and Peter will die.

Stiles's world shrinks down to those four things, trying to will it into existence.

They're safe. The sound of a large body hitting the wall.

The barrier will hold. A grunt as claws strike flesh.

Their friends will survive. A high-pitched whine and the smell of blood.

Peter will die. A howl rises, then cuts out and is replaced by silence.

Derek and Cora are curled up together, shaking and crying and laughing all at once, both their eyes flashing between red and beta blue or gold. Stiles looks at them and feels a sting. Not jealousy, precisely, because he's got Seth, and Brady, and he's pretty sure Embry is a lot closer to Beacon Hills than Jake really likes, just...

Derek won't be coming back with him.

Stiles knew that already, knew that Cora would be vulnerable after the transfer of power, and that having Derek essentially break away straight after wasn't going to happen. They'd talked about it repeatedly and made their plans accordingly.

It's even more true now, with the added trauma of Peter's betrayal and death, causing her to lose a pack member already that day along with half of her remaining blood family.

For her to lose Derek on top of that... No. Stiles doesn't wish that on anyone. Cora needs to stabilize herself, find her balance again, and both siblings need to be allowed to grieve.

Again, it's no surprise that Derek will be staying in Beacon Hills for a while. It's just... It was abstract before. Now it's right there in his face, and Stiles realizes he wasn't prepared.

Looking at Derek and Cora he also realizes that regardless of what they've said, what they've promised, there's a possibility that Derek will change his mind now that the moment is here. It's possible that Beacon Hills without Peter will be tempting enough that Derek will start seeing it as  his home again. It's possible that he will decide that staying with Cora, and the pack he started, is more important than being with Stiles.

If he does... It'll hurt. It'll even hurt like hell. But if it's one thing Stiles has learned it's this: he can live through that, can heal from it, because he won't be alone. Even if he doesn't have Derek he'll have Embry, and his pack.

But that's not how Stiles sees it happening. Not after everything they've been through to get to where they are.

Derek is going to grieve with his sister, and help her settle, and when he's ready he'll leave Beacon Hills, leave their own personal Hellmouth, and come back to Stiles.

Because that's where they're headed, full circle. When they're both ready things will be different. This time around it'll be Derek joining Stiles's pack. There will be no begging, no miscommunication, no posturing, no self-hatred and no Alpha crap. It'll just be Stiles and Derek, healed and happy and together, trying their very best to love each other and not do anything stupid.

It'll be great.

Stiles believes it with all that he has and is. And his belief? Is magic.

~ The End ~

[stray-inu-writes]

Ko Murakami : Character Analysis

Despite being a secondary character (like most characters in WT), Murakami is part of the few chosen ones that got an actual backstory and a whole lot of defining characteristics, which lead him to be one of my favorites !

A Side Effect whose influence is more than a side effect

One thing I love about World Trigger is how Ashihara always shows the downside of what could be considered as a superpower, and Murakami is no exception to that rule. His enhanced sleep learning allowed him to rise to the top of Border without having to train as much as the others, a capacity that most students would love to have (me included). Earlier in life, he’s shown to improve quickly in every sport his friends introduce him to, and this ability was probably helpful in his academic cursus. He just needed to take a nap after class, and the lesson of the day was ingrained in his brain ; same goes for soccer tactics, volleyball moves…the list goes on. Heaven, right ? Except one little thing : social bonds are often forged through common struggles, especially during childhood and teenage years.

At this age, not struggling the same way as your classmates and friends translates to being unable to relate to them. How could Ko Murakami, 12 years old, understand why the others had to study hard to get a good grade, or forget things the teacher said in class ? It was obvious, he just remembered everything, so why weren’t the others the same as him ? When I read Ko’s backstory, my mind immediately linked it to a lot of gifted kid’s experience, where they feel isolated from their classmates. It’s explicitly stated that he lost a lot of friends to jealousy : every time they tried to teach him something (another popular form of bonding), he quickly surpassed them. Such a situation can easily take a toll on a young child or teen, and I believe that it’s exactly what happened, damaging the relationship he had with his Side Effect. Despising something that causes you isolation is perfectly normal, even though it gives you an advantage in other fields. Success doesn’t equal happiness, after all, and that was especially true for him.

The search for a purpose and a place where to belong is a central theme of everyone’s teen years and this belonging is usually found in friendship groups. For Ko, this search resulted in his enrollment in Border, most likely so as to put his talents to good use, since he had to deal with it anyway, but not in the big, shiny HQ in the middle of the city, no, in the Suzunari Branch. Ashihara mentioned in a Q&A that Murakami didn’t care to where he would get assigned to and I think he was even relieved to be sent in a newly created branch. New means that everyone is into unknown territory and it’s a very comfortable situation for someone like Ko.

However, the same thing happened : he got a mentor, Arafune, who taught him how to fight and use Attacker Triggers. In six months, the student surpassed his teacher and Ko found himself in a situation that seemed in all ways similar to what he went through during his childhood. In his mind, everything was going to repeat itself : he had made new friends, forged new bonds, but these bonds were at risk to be tainted by jealousy. As a matter of fact, this could have very well been the case, had his mentor been someone else than Arafune.

The path to acceptance

Fortunately for him, Arafune goals were very different from his disciple’s or really, anyone in Border, as he looked for a way to produce perfect All-Rounders. Ko’s experience with the effects of his ability mixed with a terribly bad timing and probably a lack of communication between them played an important role is the misunderstanding. We can see Ko completely breaking down, crying alone because thinking he lost another friend to his Side Effect was unbearable. It’s very likely that he kept this possibility in mind since the day he joined Border, and even the smallest sign that his fears may be true again was probably too much. That’s when the usual course of events suddenly shifts when he discovers that Arafune doesn’t resent him in the slightest and that Kuruma and Taichi don’t hesitate to comfort him. I can only imagine the relief he felt : for the first time, the people he let close to him didn’t reject him, in the contrary.

In Border, while there may be a rivalry between squads, everyone is working towards the same goal : protect Mikado from the Neighbors. In times of crisis, all teams come together and cooperate, because that’s what they trained from. This is even truer for the members of the same team, whose success depends on every one. Ko’s teammates don’t see his particularity as something disturbing, but as something they can all benefit from. It’s a very different perspective than his previous friends’, because another dimension was added. In organizations like the Border, people with unusual profiles and exceptional capacities aren’t seem as “too much” like it’s the case in others social situations where deviating from the norm is frowned upon.

Hence why Murakami’s own point of view of his Side Effect changed : he was no longer the weird kid, but someone who supported his team and helped others. Enhanced sleep learning went from factor of exclusion to a useful talent. Of course, Ko’s change of heart was probably gradual, because reevaluating something you believed most of your life isn’t done overnight, but that’s what made him into the Murakami we see through Yuma’s eyes.

A selfless and patient fighter

Ashihara could have gone the easy way and made him this super mysterious and edgy character – and with his backstory, he could have very well become a lone wolf ! - but he chose instead to create maybe one of the most human characters in World Trigger. Plot-wise, Murakami represents a turning point : he’s the first opponent to represent a challenge for Yuma. Our white-haired prodigy acknowledges that if the match had gone on, the losses and victories would have evened out, which is a very rare thing for him. However, Murakami is honest and doesn’t show any signs of arrogance when he gets to defeat his opponent, probably because he knows it’s because of his Side Effect and not entirely thanks to his personal skills (which raises the question : does he consider his ability to be entirely part of him or something he can separate himself from ?)

In general, the readers can see Murakami as a very humble young man, always polite, someone who could very well brag openly about his ranking but doesn’t in any way. More importantly, he’s defined by his undying loyalty to his teammates : he could have left them to get in a A-Rank unit with more prestige, but I believe the idea never came to his mind and for a very simple reason. He isn’t looking for glory, he’s looking for somewhere to belong and somewhere to be useful, and his skills fit perfectly into Suzunari-1. In a way, his new perspective on his Side Effect is that he has a responsibility, which explains why he often chooses the hardest tasks and takes the more risks : for his team. Murakami doesn’t think too highly of himself and wouldn’t mind to take a hit on his pride if that meant victory for them, something that others would be unable to do. That’s also why he trains relentlessly : he doesn’t satisfy himself of his current level, not because of his ego but because he knows he can do better for the others. (his hard-working nature has been confirmed by Ashihara himself in a Q&A !)

This unit is one of the few that consider themselves as more than teammates, as every interaction between them we get to see resemble a family’s. They all know they would be nowhere as high in the ranking without Ko, especially Ko himself, but he never belittles them. Even Taichi the klutz, who can be more of a burden than a help sometimes, is treated sweetly by him, while others may have snapped under the pressure. Other examples of Murakami’s patience are shown by his friendship with Kage. Kageura obviously isn’t an easy person to get along with considering his outbursts and his irritability.

That’s where we can notice a pattern in Ko’s friendships : they all are honest (sometimes to a fault) and simple people. He probably wouldn’t enjoy that much the company of someone like Jin who often hides his true feelings. Murakami likes real people, and it’s extremely coherent with his backstory. In the past, he had to deal with friends that let him down when something didn’t work out the way they planned, and now tends to befriend people who are unapologetically themselves, meaning they don’t conceal their true personality and thoughts behind a mask they use to be liked or well seen by the others (Kage couldn’t give more a shit about people’s opinion of him).

And of course, Murakami isn’t all serious ! He’s shown various times to be amused by his friends’ behavior or to mess with people in a harmless way, like the time when he makes Yuma believe Kage’s Side Effect is to read minds.

(does my crush show through this analysis ? Absolutely.)

I could have gone into some points in a little more depth, but that will be all ! Also, there are some moments where my limits in using the English language are blatant and I apologize in advance. Next one will be Reiji ! It will probably be shorter, since I’m always more proficient in analyzing my favorites, even though I like Reiji very much 😊

[musette22]

Dancing Queens

Dancing Queens

Pairing: Chris Evans x Sebastian Stan (Evanstan)

Words: 3.3k

Rating: Teen and up

Warnings: Outsiders POV

A/N: So I was writing an Evanstan AU and then I got one of those pesky ideas and I wrote a different Evanstan fic in an afternoon. I don’t why my brain does what it does sometimes 🤷🏻‍♀️ Anyway, this is just something super self-indulgent and fun because I just LOVE to think of all the different ways in which Chris and Seb could’ve have gotten together (or could get together in the future), and also I love meddling friends and a tad of voyeurism. So yeah. Hope you enjoy this, and the Evanstan AU should be with you soon, too! ❤️❤️

Read on AO3

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Twenty-two months.

It's been twenty-two months since Chris met Sebastian, and Sebastian met Chris, and the two of them fell arse over teakettle for each other. Since then, these absolute fools have been driving Hayley up the wall with their mooning, constantly making goo-goo eyes, laughing too loudly at each other’s jokes, desperately dating one pretty girl after another, only for things to fizzle out again and again because, obviously, their hearts aren’t in it. Their hearts, very clearly, belong to each other. Everyone with eyes can see that.

Well. Everyone with eyes, except for Chris and Sebastian themselves, it seems.

Tonight’s no different. The club where the wrap party for Captain America: The Winter Soldier is held is thrumming with life: people everywhere, some casually dressed, some in outfits that make Hayley, who’s not opposed to showing a bit of cleavage herself and who certainly isn’t religious, feel the urge to run to the nearest church to find a confessional booth. Lights are strobing, music is booming, liquor is flowing. Normally, Hayley would be dancing on a table at this point, or trying to get Sam Jackson to do an impromptu striptease, or doing belly shots off Hemsworth’s quite frankly spectacular abs.

Tonight, though, she’s on a mission. A mission seemingly impossible, but when Hayley sets her mind to something, she won’t rest until she succeeds. For a long time, she figured that Chris and Sebastian would simply sort themselves out at some point. No two people flirt that obviously and constantly with each other without it ever turning into either an awkward one night stand or a marriage. But clearly, neither of these things has occurred yet, or else these two pillocks would’ve stopped making such pathetic heart eyes at each other by now. It’s getting a little ridiculous.

Something needs to be done, and it seems Hayley is the one who needs to do it. Well, ultimately, it’s Chris and Sebastian who need to do it – do it lots and lots of times, preferably – but she’s accepted that she’s going to have to help them get there.

Right now, Chris – beer in hand – is telling Anthony some story that involves wildly waving his hands around and almost sloshing his beer all over himself, while Sebastian looks at him like he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, laughing so hard he needs to hold on to Anthony for support. Truly, he couldn’t look any more smitten if he tried. Meanwhile, Anthony is looking between Chris and Sebastian with an expression of amused exasperation. Hayley feels for him. She’s been in his position plenty of times herself.

Right, then. To the rescue. Downing what’s left of her glass of red, Hayley puts the empty glass down on the nearest table and starts making her way through the throng towards where the guys are stationed.

“Hello, boys,” she greets them, doing a little twirl followed by a tah-dah gesture. “Missed me?”

She’s hailed enthusiastically, hugs all round and another twirl under Anthony’s raised right arm, before everyone starts clinking their drinks together again like inebriated people tend to do.

“Where’s your drink?” Chris shouts, louder than the volume of the music warrants, when he notices she’s not holding a glass for him to clink.

He’s clearly tipsy, if not a little drunk, all expansive gestures and slightly slurred words. Chris is always handsome and wonderful, but Hayley finds that he’s rarely as charming as when he’s had a bit to drink. The alcohol lowers his already low inhibitions further, rendering him even more affectionate and handsy than he usually is. Though he’d never be handsy in a pervy way. Mostly, Chris just wants to be close to people, preferably by enveloping them in a bear hug that will unfailingly last for longer than is strictly appropriate. The man loves to cuddle. That’s why it always pains Hayley to watch him struggle not to throw himself at Sebastian every time he gets a little tipsy. Somehow, despite the beer taking away almost all of his filter and sense of personal boundaries, he always retains a proper distance from Sebastian. At most, he lets their arms brush one too many times, or he reaches out to squeeze Sebastian’s shoulder when he laughs. But it’s not enough. It’s glaringly obvious how desperately Chris wants to be closer. He’s practically gagging for it, and it’s getting to the point where Hayley herself feels parched just from being around that much thirstiness.

Sebastian is only a little better. He’s more skilled at hiding his true emotions, better at pretending he likes Chris a normal amount, especially in professional settings. But more often than not, he does eventually slip up. He’ll giggle like a school boy with a crush at something Chris says, start to blush when Chris praises his acting skills, gaze at him adoringly when Chris is regaling everyone with some bonkers anecdote or other.

Quite frankly, it’s nothing short of a miracle that these boys haven’t figured out how they feel about each other yet, because Hayley’s sure pretty much everyone else has. It’s an open secret, if you will.

In response to his question, Hayley leans up to kiss Chris’s bearded cheek. “I don’t want a drink, I want to dance!”

Grabbing Chris’s free hand, she tugs him along behind her. “Come on, Christopher, show a girl what those hips can do.”

Mackie wolf whistles, taking the beer that Chris hastily hands him as he follows Hayley onto the dance floor.

Chris rises to the challenge as she knew he would. That boy has a competitive streak a mile wide – he reminds her of herself in that regard. It’s one reason why they would never work, even if they seem compatible at first glance. Way too similar.

Almost instantly, Chris’s hands drop to her waist, firmly settling on the curve of her hips while she starts to move them. They don’t go easy – that’s not the point of this, after all. Hayley winds her arms around Chris’s neck and presses herself up against him. Chris is a fantastic mover, even when he’s drunk, and dancing with him certainly isn’t a hardship. Still, Hayley can’t enjoy it the way she normally would, because her mind is elsewhere.

It’s a few meters to her right, in fact, where Sebastian, clad in dark skinny jeans and a white, v-neck shirt that’s almost see-through, is leaning against the wall. Watching them.

Oh god, the poor sod looks miserable already. He’s trying to hide it, of course, smiling through the pain, but the way he starts worrying his lower lip a few minutes in, averting his eyes only for them to dart back to their undulating hips, as if he’s compelled to make himself suffer… It’s clear as can be that Sebastian’s jealous to the point where he would probably quite like to strangle her, even if he also adores her.

Hayley dances with Chris a little while longer, just until the second song turns into the third, and then she figures she’s done enough. She pushes away from Chris, slapping him playfully on the chest.

“Good effort, my love,” she decides, before she cocks her head and adds, “But I think I’d like to dance with Sebastian, now. I’m keen to find out if I can tease out that pretty blush of his, what do you say?”

Chris’s eyes widen a fraction, but she doesn’t wait for a reply, instead turning on her heel and striding back towards Anthony and Sebastian.

“Alright, handsome,” she says, taking Sebastian by the hand. “You’re up.”

Sebastian splutters something about how he doesn’t really dance, but Hayley ignores him, pulling him along behind her. She knows Sebastian’s just sulking, because she’s seen him bust some serious (if not particularly graceful) moves over the years. He dances, alright. Granted, he isn’t as good of a dancer as Chris, but he’s light on his feet and he holds his booze better than Chris does.

Pressing in close immediately, she rests her hands on his biceps as his settle automatically on her waist. For a moment before she starts to move, she looks up at him, forcing him to look her in the eye.

“Hey, cheer up, grumpy cat.” She goes cross eyed. “Dance with me. Let’s show these Yanks how us European kids do it, eh?”

That gets Sebastian smiling again, that lovely, gorgeous smile of his that’s melting hearts all over the planet, if her friends who are more up to date on the latest celebrity gossip are to be believed. Hayley herself isn’t immune to it either, but while Sebastian certainly has his sassy side, deep down, he’s just too sweet for her. She’d bulldozer all over him, and they both know it. They’re much better as friends.

It’s fun, dancing with Sebastian, especially once he starts to really get into it. They make a striking pair, Hayley’s pretty sure. Two winsome brunettes, spinning and grinding on the dance floor, are sure to turn more than a few heads.

And sure enough, when Hayley darts a look over Sebastian’s shoulder towards the wall, Christopher Robert Evans is practically salivating. He’s staring at them so intently he’s nearly crushing his long-forgotten beer bottle between his hands, eyes so dark they almost seem black in the dim lighting. The seams of his too-tight, black t-shirt are straining with how tensely he's holding himself, and what’s more, Hayley is pretty sure things are beginning to stir inside those washed jeans of his.

She giggles, hiding her face in Sebastian’s neck.

“What’s so funny?” Sebastian sounds a bit bemused.

“Oh, just… men are stupid.”

“Hey,” he says, but there’s no heat behind it.

Hayley pulls back enough to look at him, placatingly patting his cheek. “It’s alright, love, at least you’re pretty.”

Predictably, Sebastian rolls his eyes in a poor attempt to hide the way the comment makes him blush. Good lord, the man has the biggest praise kink she’s ever seen in her life. Yet another reason why he and Chris are perfect for each other; Hayley’s pretty sure Chris would never shut up given the chance to praise Sebastian freely. Already, Chris can’t seem to help but call him sweet and talented and amazing every time he’s asked even the simplest question about his co-star.

Hayley deliberately steers them back towards the others a little, enough to make sure Chris can hear her when she calls out to him, “Oi, Christopher, do me a favour and come here for a second, will you?”

Chris starts, shaking himself out of his reverie. “What, me?”

“Yes, you.” Hayley clicks her fingers. “Come one, chop chop.”

Believing this to be his cue to leave, Sebastian lets go of her, trying to step back, but Hayley just grabs him tighter. “Oh no, I’m not done with you yet, pretty boy.”

“But-” Sebastian says, but Hayley shushes him with a finger to his lips.

“Sshhh. Trust me, okay?”

Sebastian’s eyes narrow slightly in confusion, but he doesn’t pull away. Hmm. Hayley always suspected he’d be good at following orders. She turns a bit, grabbing a handful of Chris’s shirt and pulling him closer, slotting him in behind her.

“Come on, boys,” she challenges, tilting her head up to look at each of them in turn. “Grant this old lady her dying wish of getting to dance with two handsome men at once, won’t you?”

“I’m a year older than you,” Chris protests – the big lug.

Hayley shrugs. “Yes, well, you know perfectly well a woman’s lifespan in Hollywood is significantly shorter than a man’s. Enough talking, now’s the time for dancing.”

She starts to move again, swaying her hips from side to side to the music and forcing them both to move with her. With her right hand, she feels behind her, finding Chris’s hand and placing it on her hip – where Sebastian’s hand is also resting. Their fingers touch, Sebastian’s left hand to Chris’s right, and Chris makes to pull away, but Hayley tightens her grip and doesn’t let him escape. Once it seems like Chris has stopped trying to resist, she switches to her left side to do the same thing, basically leaving the boys to hold hands on top of her hips.

“That’s it,” she nods approvingly. “Just follow my lead.”

Neither man says a word, both of them ostensibly focusing their attention on her, but in reality, Hayley is certain the only thing they’re aware of his how close to each other they’re dancing and where their hands are touching. She can feel the tension in both of them, feel their hearts beating fast where their chests are pressed to her back and front.  

They’re not exactly dancing now, more of a slow grind that Hayley is pretty sure some of the women in their vicinity are shooting her jealous looks for, but she doesn’t give a flying fuck. All Hayley cares about in that moment is her mission, of which the crucial stage is coming up right...

Now.

In a smooth, calculated move, Hayley twists out from between Chris and Sebastian, causing them to stumble and fall forward – right into each other.

“Oh,” Sebastian blurts, hands coming up to brace himself. On Chris’s chest.

They both freeze, eyes growing wide in surprise but unable to look away; the proverbial deer in the headlights.

Before they have a chance to snap out of their shock and do something undoubtedly stupid that will endanger her entire mission, Hayley quickly grabs their shoulders and gives them a firm squeeze, effectively pushing them closer together.

“Very good, just keep dancing now. Atta boy.” And with a final pat, she’s gone.

Of course, she doesn’t go far, just stepping back far enough so that she’s out of their space but still close enough to have a clear view of what happens next.

Sebastian’s hands are still on Chris’s chest, one on each defined pectoral, while Chris’s raised hands are hovering awkwardly at the level of Sebastian’s midriff. They’re not moving, but they’re not moving away either, which Hayley counts as a tentative win. Skittishly, Sebastian averts his eyes to stare at a point somewhere over Chris’s right shoulder, and it’s all very awkward, until eventually, Chris cautiously lowers his arms, resting his hands lightly on either side of Sebastian’s waist.

At the touch, Sebastian visible exhales, as if he’d been holding his breath this entire time. In turn, Chris’s shoulders relax infinitesimally once he realizes Sebastian isn’t shoving him off. One of them, she’s not sure who, slowly starts to move again; just the slightest movement from side to side, but it’s enough to make Hayley clap her hands together in glee.

Slowly but surely, Chris and Sebastian start to sway together, finding a rhythm and sticking to it, almost perfectly in sync. They don’t speak, clearly terrified to do something that will break the spell, and it’s so ridiculously cute that Hayley has to fight the urge to squee.

While Sebastian is still studying that elusive spot on the far wall, Chris is watching Sebastian, looking completely enraptured. God, he’s so in love, it’s almost painful to watch. Hayley prays this won’t fall apart at the last minute, because Chris would be absolutely devastated and go all kicked puppy on them and that would be too much even for her to handle. Finally, her prayers are answered. It takes a while for Sebastian to gather his courage, but then he turns his head a fraction, and meets Chris’s eyes.

Hayley could swear she can feel the electricity crackling between them, can almost hear the sound of those pieces finally clicking into place. It’s quite possibly the most satisfying thing she’s ever witnessed.

The air around them changes, slows down, becomes thick and charged as they look deeply into each other’s eyes. All the while, they’re still moving together, Chris’s hands now gripping Sebastian’s waist more firmly as Sebastian’s hands slowly slide around to clutch at Chris’s shoulders. Chris pulls Sebastian’s hips forwards, flush with his own, and Hayley sees how Sebastian’s fingers dig into the meat of Chris’s shoulders. When Chris leans in a hair’s breadth, Sebastian responds in kind until their foreheads are touching, their noses bumping together, breathing the same air.

Chris murmurs something Hayley can’t make out, probably some sort of endearment, and then he's moving in, eyes closing as their lips meet for the very first time.

Hayley doesn’t even try stop the sound of pure joy that escapes her. She punches the air, whirling on the spot and almost bumping into Anthony. Anthony, who is beaming, grinning from ear to ear.

“You did it!” he yells, holding up his hand for Hayley to high five, which she does with feeling.

“I fucking did it!” Elated, she throws her arms around Antony’s shoulders and lets him spin her around. “Wait, wait,” she says as she’s put back on her feet again. “I need to see the rest.”

She turns back to the dance floor, just in time to see Chris lift his right hand to the side of Sebastian’s face. His big palm cradles Sebastian’s jaw as his thumb swipes almost tenderly back and forth over his cheekbone. Both of them have closed their eyes and they’ve all but stopped moving, too caught up in the kiss to have any attention to spare for dancing. Hayley can’t blame them. They’re stunning, getting lost in each other after nearly two years of helpless pining. It’s a sight she doesn’t think she’ll forget any time soon.

As she’s watching, the kiss deepens. Someone opens their mouth, the other follows suit, and suddenly there’s tongues – tongues and slick lips, hungry mouths devouring each other as if they’ve been starving for years and are finally, finally being fed.

Chris has got a tight hold of Sebastian and doesn’t look like he’s planning on letting him go anytime soon, but fortunately, Sebastian doesn’t look like he minds. In fact, he’s slowly sliding his hands down Chris’s wide back, lower and lower until they find his ass and he squeezes. Hayley can almost hear the growl Chris lets out at that, the way his fingers tighten in Sebastian’s hair, making him gasp for air.  

“Whoa,” Anthony mutters next to her, “I feel like I’m seein’ some things I’m not supposed be seein’.”

Hayley’s never been a prude, far from it, but even she starts to feel a little voyeuristic. She hums. “Might be time for them to move it off the dance floor, at least.”

She wades into the crowd until she reaches the tangled mess of limbs formerly known as Chris and Sebastian, tapping them on the shoulder to try and get their attention.

“My darlings, I am ecstatic that you’ve finally come to your senses, but you might want to move this somewhere a little more private, eh?”

Neither Chris nor Sebastian really responds, which, kind of rude, but okay, she’ll let it slide just this once. Drawing the line at actually poking her nose into their business, Hayley starts to gently push at them until they finally get the hint.

“What’s – huh?” Chris finally lifts his head, giving her a dazed look.

“Just going to take you somewhere a little less public,” Hayley assures him. “See that corner over there? It has your names written all over it.”

“Fuck,” Sebastian mutters, blinking out of his trance. “Yeah, come on, quick.” He takes Chris’s hand, entwining their fingers, and starts to pull him towards the designated corner.

“Okay, then,” Hayley says brightly. “I guess my job here is done. Have fun, boys. Oh, and be safe, yeah?”

With that, she lets them go, fondly watching them stumble to their destination, where they immediately resume their lip locking. And hip locking. It takes approximately five seconds before Chris is sliding a hand down Sebastian’s thigh, lifting his leg so that he can slot their groins together more effectively and grind against him while enthusiastically continuing to suck face.

Reluctantly, Hayley turns around, smiling to herself.

Mission complete.

Now, where's Anthony? She rather thinks she owes him a dance.

Read on AO3

[bytheangell]

Where the Wild Things Make Sense

(Read on AO3) Square Filled: Ritual for @shadowhunterbingo Pairing: Malec (Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood) Rating: Teen and Up  – Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Tags: curses, curse breaking, fairy tale elements Summary:  When Magnus finds a wooden figure in the woods with familiar magic, he finds himself unexpectedly entangled in the life of a mortal he never even met before.  ------------- Magnus is only meant to be passing through this part of his journey back to his father’s realm. His magic is running low so he’s conserving it for now, deciding to walk rather than portal which is the only reason he sees the figure in the woods. It looks like it’s made of twigs and branches, the form of an archer with a bow raised and arrow drawn. It looks as if it grew out of the very ground beneath it. A guardian spirit of the woods, perhaps? A shrine of sorts?

It pulls to Magnus, drawing him near, and he can feel something familiar about it. He can sense magic, though it’s heavily veiled, just the slightest hint of it calling out to him.

“Who are you?” he asks, circling the figure.

He doesn’t get a response, but he does hear the sounds of a town nearby and wonders if the people there will have an answer instead. He’s only meant to be passing through… but a quick stop won’t do any harm, right?

---

Magnus finds the local bard more than willing to tell him all about Alexander Lightwood, the brother of the town’s weapons smith, who was cursed and turned into the figure Magnus came across in the woods.

“The man who did it said that it was to keep something from happening in his future… that it was foretold Alec’s very existence would turn his son against him and bring about the warlock’s downfall. So he put a curse on him to remain in that form.”

A curse of that nature… it’s powerful. Magnus knows because it’s something he’s capable of himself. Someone else hears Simon talking and comes over with a story of how this Alexander put himself in front of a wild wolf to protect a child who wandered too far from town on her own, and another chimes in with a recollection of a time Alec stayed up for days on end when illness hit the village to make sure no family was without food or medicine.

It seems like the loss of this one man hit the village hard. “How long ago did it happen?”

“Eleven months, 2 weeks, and 4 days ago.”

The answer is immediate, coming from a blonde man in the corner who remained silent until now. A strange hush falls over the crowd that, up until that point, had been so caught up in their memories they didn’t seem to notice him arrive.

The small crowd disperses quickly as the blonde comes over to them.

“You know,” he says. “Alec would hate people talking about him like this.”

“Sorry,” Magnus says.

“He never wanted attention. He did what was right, and that’s it. He never asked for thanks. He wasn’t a hero. He was just… Alec.”

The blonde leaves and Simon lets out a long sigh next to Magnus. “That’s Jace, Alec’s brother. He was out with him the day it happened. Always blamed himself for not being able to save him.”

Magnus hums to himself, finishing his drink and tossing a coin onto the table as he gets up to leave. Perhaps that’s enough prying for one night.

---

He’s only halfway to the inn when a form steps out in front of him, blocking his path. It doesn’t take him long to recognize it as Jace.

“What are you doing here?” Jace asks.

“Just passing through,” Magnus says.

“Are you a warlock?” Jace demands.

Magnus considers lying. Warlocks are clearly not Jace’s favorite for obvious reasons, but Magnus gets the feeling that if he’s caught in that lie it’d be worse than telling the truth outright.

“Yes,” he admits slowly. “I am.”

“You look an awful lot like the one who cursed my brother.” It’s as much an observation as it is an accusation.

“You think if I cursed your brother I’d show back up to ask questions about him?” Magnus isn’t sure what Jace is aiming at here.

“No. I just… if you know who it was. If you’re protecting them…”

“I don’t,” Magnus says, but even as the words leave his mouth he realizes that isn’t entirely true. He doesn’t know, not for certain, but if it was a warlock who looked like Magnus, cursing someone to protect his own legacy… he might have an idea, but he isn’t about to say it out loud. Not until he’s certain.

“I promise I don’t mean you or your town any harm,” Magnus swears. “But if you want me to leave, I will.”

Jace looks him up and down. “You can leave in the morning.” It isn’t a suggestion.

Magnus nods. “Thank you. And for what it’s worth, I truly am sorry about your brother.”

“Me too,” Jace says before leaving back towards the tavern, leaving Magnus with a lot to consider during what ends up being a restless night.

---

Magnus wakes up in the morning with every intention of leaving. He doesn’t know these people. He doesn’t owe them anything. He has an entire Kingdom waiting for him, a life of power and wealth when he returns to his father’s realm from his time studying abroad. He knows that his father is ruthless in battle and that he can be cruel... but surely he isn’t cruel enough to take the life of an innocent over some nonsense prophecy?

He takes his bag and walks back out of town the same way he came… past the figure he now knows to be Alexander Lightwood in the woods. He should continue to walk past it. He should leave it behind and not look back.

But he can’t.

Magnus turns towards the twisting wood, running his fingers gently over the curves that make up the shoulder, the ones that twist their way down his back. “It wasn’t you that felt familiar,” Magnus mutters to no one in particular. “It was the magic that made you this way.” Now that he knows what he’s looking for Magnus senses it almost immediately. The sort of magic that could bind someone permanently like this… it wasn’t just everyday magic. This took years of practice. This was dark magic, the very kind he’d sworn off during his time away from home with the realization that there were other options.

“I believe you were told to leave, Warlock.”

The words come from a female with black hair and fierce eyes which narrow at him as her hands go to rest on the hilt of a blade at her hip.

“That won’t be necessary,” Magnus says, eyeing the weapon. “Isabelle, I’m guessing?”

“Please,” she says. “Spare us any more pain and just go.”

“What if,” Magnus starts slowly. “What if I can help him?”

“The warlock told Jace the spell was bound by blood,” Isabelle says, shaking her head.

“Yes,” Magnus agrees. “And if my suspicion is correct, then my blood should work just as well as my father’s to counter the curse.”

A look of realization dawns on Isabelle at that, and the weapon is drawn now, raised at him though she makes no move forward.

“I told you that won’t be necessary,” Magnus repeats. “If my father is the warlock behind this, I can find a way to undo it. If you’ll let me, I’d like to stay and try.”

“As if I’d let you leave now,” Isabelle huffs. “Let’s go.”

---

Magnus knows the other implications of the warlock behind Alexander’s curse being his father - that means that, somehow, Asmodus had it in his head that Alec would corrupt Magnus leading to Asmodeus’ downfall. That his own fate is so closely intertwined with that of a mortal he’s never met before… It’s a lot, even for Magnus, but if this is even indirectly his fault then he owes it to the people here to try and help.

Under very close watch, most often by Jace or Isabelle, Magnus is allowed to brew small batches of potions to try on Alexander’s form and to try and pull energy from him to better pinpoint exactly what was done to leave him like that. Magnus questions Jace as much as Jace questions him, trying to get any detail from the day this happened that might help him narrow down the wide variety of magic that might’ve been used.

The longer he remains in the town the closer he grows to not only Jace and Isabelle but so many others. Simon, Clary and her mother Jocelyn, Alexander’s mother Maryse and youngest sibling Max.

It’s entirely accidental when Magnus gets the breakthrough he needs - cutting his finger on a weathered section of wood, a drop of his blood falls onto some of the wood at the base of Alexander’s figure. Magnus watches as the wood reacts to it, opening themselves where it touched, moving out towards the blood, before closing again around it.

Of course. Magnus lets out a sharp, derisive laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Jace asks with narrowed eyes.

“It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. If my father never did this… I would’ve passed by this place without a second thought. I never would’ve stopped. I never would’ve asked questions. I never would’ve gotten invested in the lives of people I have no business caring about.”

“What are you talking about?” Jace asks.

“What causes my father’s ruin is going to be the very act he performed to prevent it. I think I know how to free your brother. But I need to prepare something first.”

---

Magnus holds a jar of blood and a handwritten letter, one in each hand, as he stands before Jace and Isabelle.

“I know a ritual that I believe will bring Alexander back,” Magnus begins. “But it’s a ritual of transference.”

“What does that mean?” Isabelle asks.

“It means it doesn’t break the curse, it only transfers it to someone else,” Magnus admits. He watches the uneasy look that the two siblings share over the idea that Alexander can be freed but at the cost of someone else’s entrapment.

“I’ll-” Jace immediately begins to volunteer, but Magnus holds a hand up to stop him.

“I’m going to do it,” Magnus says the words to the surprise of everyone, even a little bit himself because up until that moment he hadn’t been sure he wouldn’t take the inevitable offer from Jace or Isabelle he correctly anticipated. “Under one condition.”

He doesn’t fault them for the skeptical looks he receives. “What?”

“Give this to Alexander when he’s back.” Magnus holds out the jar and parchment. “It’s everything he’ll need to break the curse completely and release me.”

Jace steps forward to take both objects from Magnus, immediately opening the parchment to skim its contents.

“Why not do it yourself?” He asks, holding up the instructions.

“Because once someone is under this curse for more than a full year the petrification is permanent, and they’re trapped in this form for eternity. And by your recollection, if it is accurate, that only leaves us-”

“Until tomorrow,” Jace breaths out, eyes wide with horror at how close they came to nearly losing Alexander forever.

Magnus nods. “So once the ritual is complete I have a year for Alexander to break the curse.”

“And what if he doesn’t? What if you free him and we leave you out here to petrify?” Isabelle questions.

“That is a very real possibility,” Magnus agrees. “But if your Alexander is half the person this town has built him up to be, he’ll do it. I only ask you give him that and allow him the option to decide.”

Magnus knows the risks involved - it’s part of the reason he won’t allow anyone else to take Alexander’s place but himself. Should he fail to do what needs to be done and return within the year he would never be able to forgive himself for simply trading Alexander’s life for Jace’s, even if Jace would agree. This is, after all, partially because of him. If anyone should be made to suffer for his father’s sins it should be him, it feels only right.

Magnus begins to draw the sigils he needs on the ground, waiting until the moon begins to rise and hangs at just the right angle in the sky before he calls upon the power needed for the transference ritual. He takes out a small blade to cut a deep line into his palm, wincing as he drips the blood first over the sigils then onto the wood encasing Alexander.

As the branches begin to retreat into the ground to reveal Alexander Lightwood’s human form again they rise up again where Magnus stands. Magnus takes very deliberate final breaths of fresh air before the stasis hits.

He hopes he isn’t making a horrible mistake with his last conscious thought before the darkness consumes him, and everything goes black.

----

The first thing Magnus registers as he comes to is the very attractive pair of hazel eyes staring back at him.

“What a gorgeous vision to behold,” Magnus says. “Are you here to rescue me, or are you an angel and I’ve died and gone to heaven?”

The hazel eyes roll, and Magnus misses them for the moment they retreat back behind thickly lashed eyelids.

“Perhaps I should’ve listened to Jace and let you remain cursed,” the man says.

Magnus gasps. “And I thought we were friends,” he accuses, eyes turning to Jace. The dramatics are entirely forced, meant to cover the terrifying sense of relief he feels at the knowledge that his trust in a man he’s never met before wasn’t misplaced.

“I didn’t say he should let you die,” Jace defends. “I simply stated it was too dangerous and that I wouldn’t go through with it if I were him.”

“That’s the same thing as letting him die, Jace,” Isabelle points out with an elbow to his ribs. Seeing the three of them together like this feels… complete, somehow, in a way they hadn’t before. Jace and Isabelle’s smiles are easier than when he saw them last.

“You must be Alexander,” Magnus observes. He looks down to see the last of the branches retreating back into the ground below, as well as the markings on the ground in deep crimson. “Nice to properly meet you. I must say, the stories hardly did you justice.”

“Please tell me I didn’t go through all the trouble of saving your life just so you could flirt, Magnus,” a voice chimes in from behind him and Magnus spins with a grin to see Ragnor Fell standing there, his arms crossed and his head shaking disapprovingly.

“You’d be bored if I petrified into a tree and you know it,” Magnus huffs. “I knew you’d help him.”

“Of course I did. But your father’s blood? Honestly, Magnus, is nothing ever easy with you?”

Magnus hums as he considers his answer. “Not usually, no.”

He turns back to Alexander. “Did you… is he…” the spell to break the curse required the blood of his father mixed with his own. It didn’t necessarily call for the person’s death, but Magnus wouldn’t be surprised if that’d been the only way. He certainly wouldn’t blame them.

“He’s alive,” Alexander says, not looking particularly pleased about it. “But he bled enough as he fled that I could collect it for the spell.”

“Right.” Magnus nods, not sure if he’s disappointed or relieved at the news. He certainly can’t go back now, not knowing what he does about the sort of person his father truly is. “Well then, I suppose we should get to work.”

“What do you mean?” Alexander asks.

“You heard the prophecy - you’re to turn me against my father and bring about his downfall. So, Alexander? What do you say?” There’s a hint of a challenge to Magnus’ tone, but it’s a friendly one, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

Should Alec say no and send him away, well, at least things turned out alright in the end. He’s alive, after all, and with quite the story to tell from it. But if Alec agrees…

“How about you stay for dinner, and we can discuss the potential downfalls of kings over drinks afterward?” Alexander offers instead.

“Drinks sound good,” Magnus agrees easily. “Breakfast sounds even better,” he adds with a suggestive wink that has Alexander flushing crimson.

“I can turn him back into a tree-” Ragnor offers helpfully, but Alec recovers quickly and shakes his head.

“No need,” Alec says. “I believe I can handle him from here.” Alec is already casually turning to walk back to the village as he adds over his shoulder, “I think he’ll find the breakfast at the inn he’ll be sleeping at just fine.”

Ragnor snorts at Alec’s response, and Magnus, caught off guard, watches as Alec, Jace, and Isabelle start off ahead, laughing.

“I like that one,” Ragnor admits.

“Yeah,” Magnus agrees, taking off after them. “Me too.”

[baddyxangel]

Go is not like chess. Chess is a battle, Go is a war. Go is played by laying stones on the intersections of lines that form the board, or Goban’s, grid – these are called Moku and represent 1 territory. The two players take opposing sides and unlike chess in Go black goes first but white is awarded a ½ moku handicap, because Go is a game of skill players can be awarded up to twenty stones handicap, and it can be played on three sizes of board. A master might play with a neophyte in a game called Shidou-Go where the point is not to win but to teach. Go is unique in this. Play falls into two forms, Gote and Sente, or aggressive and defensive play, it is generally the player who stays in Gote (aggressive) longest who wins the game. When the board is full (the other way to win is if the other play concedes due to a lack of territory and being unable to catch up) the moku are marked with stones to make them easier to count, the person with the most moku wins. However, again unlike Chess, Go presents the possibility of the Divine Move, sometimes called The Hand of God, a move so out of left field and amazing it turns the game around and takes a player from Sente to Gote. A divine move is considered so rare that professional Go players might go their whole lifetime without one being played – not that they might not see it played against them, but it won’t even be played in their lifetime. Yet a Divine Move might not win the game, it just turns the game from crushing defeat to offer a hope. Understanding Go and how it’s played it becomes apparent how very rare it is. Now, like Chess, Go is rarely played with the move at hand, it’s played as many moves ahead as is possible and between two equals in skill it’s the one how plays that one move more that wins. It becomes a matter of if I move here, he’ll move there, which mean I can move there and he’ll move there and I can then capture that territory for example. A reactionary player will get crushed – speaking from experience. So the idea that Stiles was sat at that Goban playing against the Nogitsune was ludicrous, where a child who knows the moves could possibly beat a chess grand master it wouldn’t happen with Go, and it was a full sized board. I can’t look at the board and say who was winning, I can’t look at finished games and tell you who won without counting off the stones, and until the game is considered complete it can go either way in the placement of a single stone. It’s not like Chess at all in that, so although people could look at the chess board and point out the errant pieces we cannot simply do that with Go, so the point becomes not the moves that are played but who is playing them. Now when Derek rebuilt the chessboard he had seen in Stiles’ bedroom Peter distinctly said “chess was Stiles’ game” and he was right. Stiles admitted in 3a that he could play chess (badly, it was his father’s game) and Go is a game that takes years to master. When Noshiko tried to teach Kira Go Mr Yukimura was able to immediately tell who was who by the style of play and Kira was playing against the Nogitsune – her mother. And that was the final piece I needed, the Divine Move I needed to process the information. Noshiko is the Nogitsune, she always was. A nogitsune is not necessarily evil, it can’t be, it’s not subject to our morality. It is a trickster and vampiric in nature, feeding on chaos, but the only thing that separates a nogitsune from a kitsune is the affiliation to O-Inari. A nogitsune is a free kitsune. Now, a nogitsune is a trickster and because it’s tricks don’t share our morality they might seem needlessly cruel. The old example is if you asked a kitsune (or nogitsune) to make you richer than Bill Gates it would bankrupt Bill Gates so you had more money than him. If a kitsune affiliated with a family saw that the family were poor it would steal money not understanding that this was wrong. Noshiko, in her flashback, incites the riot. Satomi, the wolf lady, tells her that her mischief will end badly but she does it anyway. When the riot happens it gets out of control and Rhys is immolated and Noshiko herself is shot. On the way to death she begs her ancestors to send a powerful Nogitsune but there is no evidence that they did, she merely assumed that they did. Instead Void showed up. It’s quite obvious in retrospect, when the Nogitsune appeared to Stiles it begged him for permission to possess him, but there was no way that it could possess Rhys the same way, it needed permission which Noshiko knew because she offered it to the spirits of her ancestors. So it couldn’t have been a Nogitsune that possessed Rhys, also look at it’s actions, it didn’t play pranks or get even, it slaughtered everyone who came near. There are many shows I would discount it as bad writing but not Teen Wolf, so I just looked more closely. I knew by that point there was a second possessing force, Void, so it was easy to make the leap that Void possessed Rhys, but Void was antagonistic to Noshiko, after all she had trapped it, and this explained why she summoned the Oni to destroy it. We knew it couldn’t be a Nogitsune that was possessing Stiles because of how easily it destroyed the Oni and how easily the Oni had killed the Nogitsune before in Chris’ flashback – therefore it had to be something else and something more powerful – ergo Void. But, we had seen the Nogitsune ask for and gain possession, not once but twice, so we knew that Stiles WAS possessed by the Nogitsune and that the Nogitsune for reasons was appearing as Rhys (looking exactly like the Batman Villain Hush, a character who works primarily on misdirection btw) If we turn our attention back to Noshiko we find inconsistencies, she said she was 900 years old which means she would have 9 Kaiken, she had spaces for 9 in the book but we actually only see 8, the original five Oni, the two she summoned to replace those who were killed and the Kaiken that Void uses to take control of the Oni. So where was the ninth? I think she used it to summon the Nogitsune that possessed Stiles, adoppelgänger form of herself to possess Stiles and she did it to defeat Void. This is where Go becomes important. When Scott and Lydia entered the dreamscape they saw Stiles sitting on the Nemeton playing Go with the Nogitsune, but we’ve already proved Stiles couldn’t play Go against a master, it wouldn’t be a competition, so we have to make the assumption it wasn’t Stiles that was playing Go, that means it was Void. The Nogitsune appeared at the coyote den when Stiles went missing, and this is a good example of the Nogitsune fighting Void. Void wants despair, and by taking Stiles to the coyote den Stiles was meant to die, by alerting Scott and setting up a manhunt it was meant to show them fail. It was only luck that Rafael McCall found him, it wasn’t planned that way, we know that because the Nogitsune asked for possession his exact words “we’re trying to save your life, Stiles.” Now imagine for a moment that Agent McCall had not found him in time, imagine the despair that would have wreaked the town, Scott, Derek, the sheriff would all have lost hope. The brain scans happened before the Nogitsune took possession in the machine, and the cable was doctored before then. If the Nogitsune HAD possession it wouldn’t have needed permission. This is when they start playing Go, the Nogitsune and Void are playing against each other, using Stiles as their Goban. Possessed Stiles went to see Mr Yukimura and caused a fly to go inside Mr Yukimura forcing Noshiko to go to the school to expel it. This meant that Noshiko told Scott in front of Mr Yukimura who urged her to be more honest. But the point of it from Void’s perspective was simple – the sword was broken and couldn't be used to defeat him this time. This would cause despair. This then became the Nogitsune’s move. The Nogitsune knew Kira was a thunder kitsune and could reforge the sword, thus preventing Void’s move and setting up an attack of his own, but it had it’s downsides, Nogitsune knew that Noshiko, seeing the photo, would go to the basement and take the Kaiken with her – thus revealing the Kaiken to Void. Ie the move that Void had put in play to get the Kaiken directly was thwarted but everything was in place for it to get it another way. But with Nogitsune still in control when Noshiko appeared in the basement it used the Kaiken to expel the flies seemingly working for Void but preventing it taking the Oni that early. And although Void could control a corpse – possibly part of it’s idea for killing Stiles – because it controlled Rhys, Nogitsune could create a double so when Scott and Lydia faced it at the nemeton in the dreamscape it did that – which of them made that move I don’t know because it helped both of them – but it meant that the Shugendo scroll suddenly applied. A fox could possess a wolf, but the fox’s fake body was entirely that of a fox and it couldn’t sustain the bite. But look at how Nogitsune acted in the dreamscape, it drove Lydia to the double doors- it pushed her to the solution. The same thing happened in the illusion with Stiles, in pressing Stiles to kill himself it gave him the sword’s reflection allowing him to see that it was an illusion – all without revealing to Void it was working to SAVE Stiles. That was the Divine Move, not that Stiles overcame the illusion, but that the nogitsune managed to play void to the point where it could both be captured and destroyed. The nogitsune’s false body was susceptible to the sword meaning that Void could not maintain it and the sword expelled it, and it did it all without revealing to Void that it was antagonistic. Void wasn’t affected by the bite – but the Nogitsune’s own body was. Nogitsune wouldn’t be affected by the sword – but Void was. It had to be both or Void wouldn’t have tried to escape to be caught in the jar. The victor of the game wasn’t Void who threw aside the pieces in the dreamscape, but Nogitsune who played that many more moves ahead. Nogitsune sacrificed the Oni to get the flies out of Stiles, Nogitsune who led Stiles and Lydia to save themselves. Nogitsune who played consistently in Gote was revealed to be leading Void into the moves it needed to gain final victory. A divine move indeed. And the biggest hint that Noshiko was the Nogitsune was in her interactions with possessed Stiles, and possessed Stiles’ own words. Noshiko recognised Void in the hospital and spoke of it’s choice of host and how it wouldn’t stop her, this was just after Nogitsune had been given possession. It could be argued that she knew because of the killing on the Oni but why wait until afterwards to confront him. Noshiko could play Go. Noshiko was nice to unpossessed Stiles. So we had a kitsune of indeterminate type who had both a vendetta against the force that killed Rhys and could play Go – and then Stiles’ own words – you can’t trust a fox, they’ll trick you every time. It’s unclear if it was Nogitsune speaking here but it is clear that it wasn’t really aimed at Scott at all. If it was Nogitsune it was telling Scott that it would defeat Void and if it was Void it was telling Scott it couldn’t trust Nogitsune – but in reality it was the warning that the fox would always come out triumphant – and that is the moral of Japanese Fox myths = you don’t mess with foxes they always win. The Go game was between Noshiko – Nogitsune and Void, Nogitsune tricked Void and defeated it by showing Stiles how to defeat it and creating the fake body.

[popculturebuffet]

Quack Pack Episode 22 Review: Snow Place to Hide

So as some of you may know, I do weekly reviews of Ducktales ever since the season started. But quite obviously, that only comes once a week and on top of that we have only two weeks left of episodes before a break and given the last few episodes have stoked my wanting to watch other Disney Afternoon shows, after i’ve taken way too long to get around to watching more of them again despite having D+ for almost 6 months now, i’ve decided to branch out into other shows.  If you have an episode of a show, animated or otherwise, on D+ you want me to review, just shoot me a message and for three bucks, i’ll review it asap. Yes I snuck a promo in there but in my defense.. shut up. More babbling under the cut. 

So with Daisy a coming and me starving for Daisy Duck Content, and Disney Plus for SOME REASON STILL NOT HAVING HOUSE OF MOUSE DESPITE HAVING NO REASON NOT TO HAVE IT ON THERE AND HAVING BEEN AROUND 6 MONTHS, YOU ASSHOLES, I was left with a handful of choices to both watch casually and review. I’m not really intrested in the Disney Junior shows, though they aren’t bad, especially roadster racers, just not my speed. And while I DO fully intend to watch legend of the three cablleros, i’ve put it off too long and i’ve heard it’s excellent, it’s not a place to go for Daisy when, by all acccounts and what i’ve seen of the show, that version of her is godawful and not really approraite to celebrate the character going into her big debut.  Hence,  Quack Pack. I’d been meaning to revisit the show anyway, having seen two episodes that weren’t half bad years ago and despite it’s obvious flaws, being curious about the good in it. For the uninitated Quack Pack was disney’s second Duck show for the Disney Afternoon and followed Donald and teen versions of the boys on various misadventures. Along for the ride are Daisy, anchorwoman for globetrotting news program “what in the world?” and her coanchor and Donald’s Boss , as Donald’s the duo’s cameraman, Kent Powers, a smug egotistical human with weird hair. Yup I said human. One of Quack Pack’s more infamous traits was having humans instead of dog faces (the dog like humanoids carl barks used since he coudln’t use humans himself when he didn’t want to use a duck), which is a choice i’m just.. eh about. I don’t LIKE IT but it dosen’t ruin the show for me and the ducks blend well enough with them, I just question why disney did it when they turned down Goof Troop’s request to do the same, which again worked out for the best. As a result of this weird choice the series is less of a direct sequel to Ducktales and more of a spritual sequel:  it’s still barksian in it’s own way, just instead of focusing on scrooge, like the earlier comics in Barks catalogue it focuses on Donald, and thus bounces between slice of life shenanigans and globe trotting adventure, sort of like how the collection of barks stories I bought recently that’s donald centric starts with the all-time classic old castle’s secret about the family visting castle mcduck to find a hidden foruturne, and then segues into a comedy plot about donald trying to put the boys in chimp suits for a society party because he’s kind of an asshole in the old stories and these stories were kinda weird. I”ll probably talk about some of them at some point.  The problem though is that not only are the boys the focus instead of donald and daisy, but that the boys are insufferable here. They speak like otto rocket and act like zack morris, trying to scheme their way out of work and speaking like they just walked out of a commerical for Whale Cancer. 

F-Yeah. the point is, the three of htem just aren’t likeable or intresting, and it also hurts their paired up with Donald, who as usual is. It’s probably why I remember this ep so fondly: it’s mostly donald focused with the boys off to the side and taking slapstick vengance on a deserving target. But that’s quack pack in a nutshell: a wasted opprotunity that got overhyped as bad and whose good title got used for one of Ducktales 2016′s best episodes which classily didn’t take any real pot shots at it and even snuck kent in as one of the humans trying to murder them.  So with all of that out of the way, what’s this episode actually about? Well basically donald, after flying into a jealous rage over what he thought was her sweet talking another guy behind his back but was really just her cuddling her igauna, which sounds dirty for some reason but is entirely wholesome, is chastized by daisy for being a jealous twit. Daisy herself is jetting off for the weekend to a nearbye ski resort to get an interview with action star Jean Claude.. basically a combination of Jean CLaude Van Damme (the accent and onlyt hat) and Steven Segal (his apperance and skeeziness). Sadly the character isn’t wearing a kimiono the entire episode for accuracy, but he’s also not trying to sexually harass daisy for favors like the real steven segal would. No joke there he’s just a creep and deserves to be called out on it. Also the show missed a massive opproutnity to have him be a seagull named “Steven Seagull”. Just saying.  See Kent, being an ass, is trying to scoop daisy on it and get an interview himself, so Daisy’s trying to beat him. Donald says he trusts her but well.. then he starts hallunicnating. Everyone, i’d like you to meet the green eyed monster of jealousy. 

Why yes, that is a sizeable wolf in a green zoot suit representing Donald’s jealousy and insecurity. Why is it a wolf an not ana ctual monster? Why is donald halluicnating? Does he need thereapy.. I can only answer the last one which is yes. The rest I have nothing but I am here for it. And the wolf is one of the best parts of the episode: if this was just donald getting jealous over daisy, he’d be as much of a dick as his nephews are in this series, but the green eyed monster is a neat representation of the ugly feelings we all feel at one time or another. He sounds intellegent, clever... like he’s saying the right things... donald’s inner voice goading him on even though he knows deep down daisy wouldn’t cheat and he shoudln’t be doing what he’s doing.. which in this case is, as the wolf’s suggestion, taking the boys on a ski trip despite hating sking to find out if hsi fears are unfounded or not.  And while what donald’s doing is a MASSIVE dick move... the episode TREATS it as this,a s him being irrational and insecure.. so it’s a lot easier to deal with. Plus as is standard for comedies he keeps running into scenarios that look like Daisy’s having a good time or in romantic situations with kent by concidence, even though again he should know better. But that’s why donald is who he is: a relatable angry asshat whose just like you and me: because like us we all sometimes sink to our lower instincts despite knowing we shouldn’t. We slip and stumble. Does it make donald following her around okay? nope. But it dosen’t make him unsympahetic either, and he does learn his lesson and suffer plenty of slapstick for it. But that’s the basic setup,donald follows daisy around while his new wolfy pal eggs him on. Meanwhile the boys get cut off sking by kent, calling him “Lime Slime”, real clever guys, and only agree to help donald get kent away from daisy, in reality Daisy is merley sticking so close to keep kent from running off.. and that’s not an overreaction, kent hilarious trys to sneak off the second he’s out of her sight every time and is so inepet at his job Daisy wants to stick around to make sure he dosen’t cost them the interview, which he probably would honestly. It’s good comedic timing and that coupled with the slapstick and the wolf whose damn funny and reminds me , along with daisy in her ski outfit that yes I am bi bi bi till the day I die. It’s not bad. Wait what were we talking about? oh right the boys.. they mess with kent a bit, it’s okay, it keeps them out of the main plot.  Eventually things esclate as Daisy does find Jean Claude who unlike kent, whose unitrested in Daisy and is a sleazy dope for other reasons, very intrested in Daisy who rebuffs him.. and donald witnsess it and realizes he was a dickhead and a skunk, with helpful visual cue for the latter if sadly not the former. Donald of course ends up crashing into their table and Daisy realizes what was going on, and the boys quickly cover for him as entering the weekends ski race. Because of course there’s a race to end this this was the 90′s and goof troop had already done this so Quack Pack had to do the same.  But we get a somewhat charming moment as Daisy admits she knows donald was just covering by agreeing with the boys, and that what he did was NOT okay.. but she gets why. And to me, at least, I get it was less him not trusting her and more him .. simply thinking he’s not good neough. As seen above the wolf appears during the race to goad him again, but I think he’s less afraid of her genuinely not loving him and more afraid she’ll see he’s not good enough, he his, and leave him. But ..s he won’t. This si daisy at her best, willing to put donald in his place for being a dickhead, but still having genuine chemstiry with him and understanding the dope. It’s why I prefer this daisy to one who treats him like garbage without letting him explain (Cabs) or cheats on him constantly with Gladstone because he has money even though he’s a massive selfish dick and donald’s a decent if flawed guy. (the comics depending on the writer). Admitley Id on’t think she should be as forgiving as she is, but whatever. Donald gets injured during the race,learns his lesson.. and for real this time as the monster, himself banged up, tries to goad donald on when donald’s handsome doctor shows up but donald instead does the old bit with hospital beds where he has the thing collapse on the guy. That’s also whyi ‘m not too hard on him: again he gets punished, but in addition he LEARNS from it and realizes he was a moron and is genuinely sorry.  Overall the episode is pretty good. The bits with the boys are incidentaly and likely there only so their actresses can get a pay day, not that i’m against that, Pamela Aldon has mouths to feed and at least one of her daughters had to be born by then, but otherwise it’s an enjoyable throwback to the older shorts that showcases donald and daisy at their best and has an intresting and well designed, if werdly named, side character. While I joked about the weird choice of green eyed monster, I still loved the character as his smooth talking, flashy design, and great use of metaphor meant he was a delight and i’d love to see the design show up int he reboot for something else.  Overall not a bad time for 20 something minutes and far better than i’d of expected of quack pack in the past. Who knows maybe the rest won’t be so bad.. MAYBE. Until next time , courage. 

[princeescaluswords]

Murder Can Hurt You

One of the accusations in fandom that gives me the most confusing moments is the accusation that Scott is somehow responsible for the deaths caused by villains that he doesn’t execute when he defeats them.  

Here’s a quote from a reply to one of my posts.

You sort of bend this into a semantics argument of “second” vs “third” chances, when really another chance suffices. And they get the idea from canon where it happened.

Keeping Gerard alive resulted in the deaths of others, The same is true of Monroe. He also showed mercy to the Darach, it was Peter who finished her. You also forgot the twins which were met with mixed feelings. Many didn’t like their inclusion because they killed Boyd, the other bipoc character in case you’d forgotten. I would also say it’s arguable that Deucalion turned his life around when really his actions still led to deaths. He was already at odds with himself and we never see him completely rehabilitated.

I think the author and writing is insincere, but I’ll take it at face value for purposes of this discussion.

My first problem is the implication that somehow Scott’s reluctance to deal out death in judgement is not only immoral but also weird.  I don’t know what culture they thought Scott grew up in, but murder is considered a pretty heinous act with serious repercussions in the United States culture in which Teen Wolf is set.    Premeditated murder is not seen as justified, even revenge murder, in our modern times.  

Scott had even more reason to resist the use of killing as a tool than most others.  The entire first season he was scared, warned by Stiles and Derek that he now had a blood lust on which he must be constantly on guard against.  The alpha attempted -- through mind control and extortion -- to turn Scott into a lethal weapon against the alpha’s enemies.  To make him a killer.

And then, when seeking a way out of this nightmare -- and it was a nightmare even after an asthma cure and making first line, as if that somehow makes up for being hunted, tortured, and violated -- he was told that the only way for him to reclaim his life was to kill the one who bit him.  (It was a lie, but you can’t expect a 16-year-old who didn’t even think that werewolves were real a month before to know that.)  So, Scott was forced into a position where he thought that the only way for him to be free of blood lust, of mind control, of being hunted, of the loss of autonomy, of horror was to kill the person responsible for his condition.   

To me, the foundation of Scott’s heroism is that he decided, with every reason to pursue violence, to reject “murder is the only answer” solutions.  In fact, Scott’s growth in rejecting murder as a solution became a controlling theme of Season 2 and Season 3 -- “I’m not like you,” Scott says to Deucalion, “I don’t have to kill people.”

It seems that the present contention is this -- did Scott have a responsibility to execute others for their past crimes?  Did Scott have a responsibility to preemptively murder people to protect others?   

The production’s answer is, I believe, obvious to the casual observer.  Revenge solves nothing.  Peter and Deucalion and Gerard were locked in a spiral of violence which begot more violence -- all their revenge killings led to was more danger and death.  Peter, Jennifer, Monroe, and Meredith didn’t protect anyone with their purges and sacrifices -- all their preemptive killing led to was more danger and death.  The psychic costs of murder -- for Jackson, for Stiles, for Malia, for Scott, for Liam -- were portrayed as simply too high a price to pay for an emotional catharsis and an illusion of justice and safety.   

Let’s take Gerard Argent.  Scott was willing to resort to potentially lethal means to stop Gerard from killing Derek, his mother, his friends, and Scott’s own self.  That was Scott’s motivation in Season 2.  He wasn’t seeking revenge for others, and he wasn’t in a position to demand justice.   When it was over, an enfeebled Gerard needed a wheelchair to get around and was virtually imprisoned in a rest home.  Scott’s goals had been fulfilled; the people he wanted to protect were protected.  There was no need for execution or preemptive killing.  

How could he possibly be responsible for Gerard’s future crimes?  How could he imagine that a crippled Gerard would somehow be miraculously healed and then become a threat once more.  If someone is sent to jail, serves his sentence, and then breaks free and kills again, is the legal system responsible for his new crimes?   Yet people seem to be arguing that Omega Scott needed to kill a human being in Master Plan for the good of -- we’re not entirely sure.  (I do notice, however, that Derek and Peter are absolved from this crime completely -- even though Peter was doing absolutely nothing while Gerard crawled away from the warehouse and Derek was the alpha.)   Why was it specifically Scott’s responsibility to execute Gerard?  In Apotheosis, Chris literally told Scott that he would take care of his father. 

When it comes to Monroe, I think the author means that Scott gave Monroe a chance when he tried to talk to her in the tunnels.  Scott was seeking a non-violent solution, true, because he didn’t want anyone else to die.  That’s a bad thing?   By this point, he knew that Monroe was Gerard’s protege and that she was very well armed.  Did the fandom want Scott to lead his six-person pack against her and her hunter army like the Charge of the Light Brigade?   What’s telling (and hilarious) is that Scott attempted just that in Pressure Test (6x14). Scott was willing to lead a charge of his own pack against Monroe and her men, but they were stopped by the sheriff.

What his other choice?   Tear her apart in her office during a school day?   If that’s true leadership, why don’t they complain about the Sheriff not gunning her down in his office when she challenged him?

Let’s talk about the twins.  Fandom obviously had a problem with Scott not putting them down like rabid dogs, but the whole point was that such an act wouldn’t bring Boyd back.  (And they don’t complain about Derek not hunting them down, either).  On the other hand, Scott didn’t let Aiden and Ethan into his pack.  He did employ them when they could useful, but in the end they remained omegas.  Remember, Derek said in The Divine Move  “ You've been trying to find a way into his pack. Trying to earn his trust, trying to fight for him.”  They were never actually pack.

Did fandom really want Scott to walk up to Ethan and straight-up execute him after Ethan had helped saved Derek from Kali?  Did they want Scott to drive them away immediately so they couldn’t help save Stiles?   Yes, they helped kill Boyd, and they were rewarded with distrust and for Aiden, death.  But not at Scott’s hand.

As for Deucalion, the production literally had him actively trying to make up for his actions, first by sending Braeden to rescue Derek from the Calaveras.  Then they had Deucalion work with Scott to deceive Theo.   Josh and Tracy didn’t die because Scott and Derek didn’t execute Deucalion in Lunar Ellipse.  That was Theo’s doing -- and only Theo’s doing.  Deucalion did not take extra steps to protect Josh and Tracy, his kidnappers, but neither did he encourage Theo’s murder of them.  Eventually, Deucalion refused to participate in a fight against Monroe, who would be coming for him, more worried about his soul than his life.  Then again, he did train Scott to fight the Anuk-Ite.  In what way was he not rehabilitated?  

Teen Wolf was consistent in showing the costs of vengeance and murder as a tool in securing safety and stating, clearly, that this cost was too high. As they should have.   And the embodiment of that principle is Scott McCall.

[ellewritesathing]

So Close - S.S. IV

Summary: The universe has a funny way of putting the things you want right in front of you, but just out of reach. Stiles and Y/N have been best friends ever since Scott brought him home, but when Stiles realizes that he might want to be something other than best friends, she leaves to go to some fancy private school up North. Now that she’s back though … maybe he’s got a shot? A Teen Wolf AU in which the reader has always been so close to Stiles and yet so far. 

Prologue - S2E1 Part 1 - S2E2 + S2E3 Part 2 - S2E4 + S2E5 + S2E6 Part 3 -  S2E7 +S2E8 Part 4 - S2E9 + S2E10

Wordcount: 3k+

Although you’d never been to one of Lydia Martin’s famous birthday parties, you’d heard great things. When you got there with Scott, however, it was a bit of a letdown. There were maybe ten other people who came, excluding Allison and Stiles. And while the three of them were huddled up, catching one another up on the kanima, you were walking around with Lydia and helping her make sure that everything was perfect. 

On the outside, it seemed like the only thing she could be worried about was this party, but you knew there was more to it than that. Before you’d gotten back, she’d been attacked by the old alpha and lived to tell the tale, and now she’d just been broken up with by homicidal lizard. It was a lot for a girl to handle.

“So how have you been?” You kept your voice casual as you fixed some of the flowers in one of the arrangements. “I haven’t really seen you since the day we all got together to study.” 

“Oh, that?” Lydia hummed, pouring more drinks into the massive punch bowl. “I’m fine.” She turned and gave you a sugary sweet smile. “Why wouldn’t I be?” 

“Um, no reason. Just that you and Jackson had a pretty big fight,” you said hesitantly. 

“We’re so passed that.” She shook her head as she pulled a face that you couldn’t quite describe the emotion behind the punch bowl and scooping some into a cup. When she looked back up at you, she had her winning smile on again and she pressed the glass into your hand. “He’s coming tonight, after all.” 

“He is?” you took a sip of the drink and tried not to scrunch up your face. You didn’t mind the burning of the alcohol so much, but it tasted like she’d dumped an entire bag of sugar in there. 

She nodded, content that you’d drank some punch and didn’t seem to be pushing the Jackson topic any further. “I’m gonna bring out more snacks.” 

You watched her turn on her heel and stride into the house. As soon as she was out of your line of sight, you poured out the drink. You guessed that made you the designated driver for the night and grabbed a solo cup to fill with some water. 

--- 

It didn’t take much longer before the party got out of control. Apparently, you were the only one that didn’t like the taste of it, because everyone you saw was drinking the punch and they all seemed very enthusiastic about it. You pushed through the crowd to find Scott, but with all the people it was a nearly impossible task. Eventually, you found him on the second-floor landing, shifting to his werewolf form. 

“Scott?” you called hesitantly. You knelt down next to him, touching his back lightly. His breathing was ragged. “Scott, come on. You’ve gotta listen to me. Whatever’s going on is-” 

“It’s Lydia,” he heaved. “She put something in the drinks.” 

“Why would Lydia roofie the drinks at her own party?” 

“I don’t know!” He was trying not to yell but you winced all the same. He was gripping on the carpet underneath you, fighting the claws that were trying desperately to come out. 

“Okay,” you said, in more of an attempt to get him to calm down than anything else. “Can you stand?” You began helping him up, but he was leaning heavily on you. “Let’s get you some water and then we’ll find Stiles.” 

He nodded and let you drag him to the bathroom to get cleaned up. He coughed up whatever he’d drank into the sink and washed his mouth out. You frowned when you saw blue flower petals filling up the sink. 

“I’m pretty sure that’s wolfsbane,” you told him. You reached to pick one of the flowers up but stopped when you remembered how they came to be there. “Where would she even get that?” 

“I don’t know,” Scott exhaled. “But we need to find Stiles first. Let’s split up.” He was out the door and down the stairs before you had the chance to protest. 

You couldn’t find Stiles but you did manage to find Allison. She was really freaked out but seemed to be through the worst of it by the time you’d found her and taken her to the bathroom. She got a call from her dad while you were cleaning up and rushed out, leaving you to find Scott and sort this mess out by yourself. 

People were jumping into the pool and dragging others innocent bystanders in with them when you got outside again. You scanned the crowd for your friends and rushed over to them just as someone dumped Matt in the pool. He was flailing and calling for help. He couldn’t swim. You shared a quick glance with Stiles before moving closer to help Matt out of the pool. 

Jackson beat you to it though, roughly pulling him out of the pool and turning around to face the crowd. He looked like an angry guard dog curling around Matt’s soaking wet frame, ready to attack anyone who came close. Matt glaring at the crowd around him didn’t exactly make help the image. 

“What are you looking at?” he yelled. He stopped in front of the three of you, Scott and Stiles tensing at the confrontation. The three of you watched as he walked past and through the crowd. Someone yelled that the cops had shown up before any of you got the chance to say something. The teenagers screamed excitedly as they scattered, completely and blissfully unaware of the danger around them. 

“Come on,” you said, nudging your brother and Stiles out of their stupor. “We should get out of here.” They both nodded, and Stiles took your hand in his as he guided you through the crowd. You’d reached for Scott’s hand but the three of you were separated almost instantly. When you met up at the Jeep, he told you guys that Matt was definitely the one controlling Jackson.

--- 

You stood behind Stiles as he tried to convince Noah that Matt was the killer, sparing him the supernatural details of course. You and Scott looked at each other a few times throughout the process. It was a pretty unbelievable thing you were asking him to believe. 

“Okay, so give me a motive,” Noah said eventually. He seemed like he’d aged five years since the beginning of this conversation. “Why would this kid want the majority of the 2006 swim team and their coach dead?” 

“Isn’t it obvious?” Stiles asked. If it was obvious, it wasn’t to you or anyone else in the room. “Our swim team sucks!” He continued complaining about the team while you and Noah rolled your eyes. 

“We’re still working on that part,” you cut Stiles off with a smile, pulling him back slightly to give his dad more space. Scott jumped in and explained that you needed to see the evidence but Noah was hesitant. He didn’t work there anymore. 

“Just trust me, they’ll let you in,” Stiles urged, moving forward again but stopping abruptly when Noah pointed a finger at him. 

“Trust you?” he repeated. His anger, though it made you uncomfortable, was understandable given recent events.

“Trust- trust Scott?” Stiles tried again. He put an arm around you and pushed you to the front of the group. “Y/N? She’s always been your favorite.” You gave Noah your brightest smile as the three of you waited for his answer. 

“Them I trust,” Noah said, lowering his hand. And after a little more convincing, the four of you piled into a car and drove down to the police station. It was two in the morning, but it couldn’t wait. As Noah drove, you looked up at the full moon and wondered how the Hale pack was handling it. 

The four of you huddled over Noah’s desk and began reviewing footage of the hospital murder when you got there, and soon found a shot of Matt talking to your mom. Scott called her and convinced her to come down to make an official statement saying she saw him there. That would give Noah enough for a warrant. Stiles rushed to the front to tell the officer to let Melissa in when she got there and you sighed and curled up on the couch. It’s not like anyone in Beacon Hills had a regular sleep schedule, but it was really starting to get to you. You snapped out of your tiredness, though, as soon as Stiles came back, followed by Matt pointing a gun at him. 

“Matt,” Noah said. “It’s Matt, right?” When he nodded, Noah pushed forward. “Whatever’s going on, I guarantee you there’s a solution that doesn’t involve a gun.” 

“You know, it’s funny you say that,” Matt chuckled. “Because I don’t think you’re aware of just how right you are.” That meant Jackson had to be somewhere close. 

Matt coerced Stiles into handcuffing Noah to a bench in front of the holding cell and made Scott cuff you to the desk on the other side of the room. You told him it was okay, that you’d be fine - just like Noah was saying to Stiles. Matt had thrown everything off the desk so that nothing would be in your reach. As soon as they left, you took a deep breath and began scanning the wreckage for something useful. 

“Hey, Y/N,” Noah called over. You turned to look at him. “Don’t panic, okay? We’ll get out of this just fine.” 

“Thanks, Sheriff Stilinski,” you smiled. 

--- 

When you heard the gunshot and Melissa screaming, you panicked and Noah shot upright and yelled out. Once they moved Melissa into the holding cell and you saw that she was alright, you began to calm down. Scott would heal in no time. But he was in over his head and you had to do something to help. 

“Please,” Melissa begged. “He needs to see a doctor.” Noah started arguing with Matt but Scott told everyone he was fine and that it didn’t hurt. “Because that’s the adrenaline, okay? Please, let me- let me just take a look at him, okay? I can help stop the bleeding.” Her begging broke your heart and you looked down guiltily. You’d been so upset about them keeping things from you but you didn’t stop to think about how it might affect your mom. The tension wasn’t eased by the fact that Matt was having a psychotic break and no one knew where Stiles was. 

Matt threatened to kill Scott if Melissa didn’t shut up, and any fear that you’d felt was replaced with anger. You heard Derek in the back of your mind telling you to channel your anger into something productive and started thinking of how to get out of your cuffs. He’d said the only way to do it was with a key or to dislocate your thumb. You didn’t have a key nor did you really feel like dislocating your thumb, so you thought harder. 

There was a kid at Willow Creek who used to pickpocket the rich kids and she taught you a few tricks. You weren’t exactly sure how to do it, but as soon as Matt and Scott left you turned to your mom. “Do you have anything small and metal on you?” 

“What?” Melissa frowned, tears in her eyes and clearly overwhelmed. She was probably also wondering why that was your first question instead of a daughterly ‘are you okay?’ or a naive ‘what’s going on?’

“Do you have anything metal on you?” you repeated. “A paper clip that you forgot to put back when doing filing or a bobby pin for your hair or-” 

“Yeah- yeah, why?” Melissa asked. She patted the pockets of her scrubs and took out a binder clip. You could take the metal out and it would work just as well, or so you’d hoped. 

“Throw it to me,” you instructed, repositioning yourself to get a better chance of catching it. Your cuff pulled on your wrist but you ignored the discomfort. 

“Why?” Melissa repeated, tossing it over to you nonetheless. 

“She’s gonna break out of the cuffs,” Noah said incredulously. He looked at his own cuff. He’d been working on pulling it out of the wall. He told you to get him out if your plan worked and you nodded. Everyone would be safer if you could get the two of them out of the building.

You struggled with the binder clip until you got the metal out and managed to flatten it out to a mostly straight line. “Here goes nothing,” you mumbled. You used your makeshift shim and slid it in as your tightened the clip. You grinned when the cuff release. “Kate, wherever you are, know that I love you.” The lights began flashing and an alarm sounded and you took that as your cue to find the others. 

“Y/N, stop!” Noah yelled as quietly as he could without letting the others know you’d broken out. You ignored him as you raced out to find the others. You ducked when you reached the bullpen that was under fire, crawling over to the lumps you assumed were Stiles and Derek. You asked whether they were okay, but Scott got there before they could answer and Derek was yelling. 

“Take him!” Derek could barely move, but it was more than Stiles could. “Go!” 

Scott slipped and arm around Stiles and pulled him to his feet before handing him over to you so he could help Derek. The two of you tried to stumble out of the building, hearts pounding your chests. Jackson was right behind you, breaking through every door you slammed shut and barrier clumsily thrown in his path. You shoved Stiles into an interrogation room and locked the door behind you, breathing heavily as you leaned against the door. For a few seconds, it was deathly quiet, but then Stiles groaned and you got the fright of your life. 

“You know I’m still mostly paralyzed, right?” he asked. “You push me like that and I fall face-first on the ground.” You looked over at his contorted fallen body and pulled a face. 

“Sorry!” you whispered, kneeling down to flip him over. You sat down and pulled him into you so he could pseudo-sit up. With your arms around him and his back pressed to your chest, you could almost convince yourself this was a sweet moment. The two of you sat in the quiet for a while, you resting your head on Stiles’ shoulder and Stiles leaning back into you. 

“We should keep moving,” Stiles said after a while. “We’ve gotta get our parents out of this.”

“You can't even sit up by yourself.” You shook your head and started moving out from under him. “Stay here and I'll get them,” you said as you stood up.”

“Y/N, please,” he exhaled. He looked so small propped up against the wall, so defenseless. You knew he needed to be a part of this to prove something to himself, but it didn’t make the decision any easier. “Let me do this with you.” After a few seconds, you caved and pulled him to his feet. Once you made sure he could do this without getting himself hurt, the two of you stumbled forward. His grip on you was a little bit tighter now at least. 

Noah had just torn the handcuff plate from the wall when you’d gotten there, but Stiles pushed you flat against the wall. Matt stormed past in a haze and didn’t see you. He knocked out Sheriff Stilinski and you squeezed Stiles’ hand to keep him grounded. “Stay here,” you whispered, lowering Stiles to the ground. “I’ll keep them safe.”

“Matt? Matt, please listen to me,” Melissa begged. If she saw you, she didn’t let on. “My son has been shot. And I’ve heard other gunfire and I don’t know what’s happening, but can you please just let me see my son?” 

“How totally clueless are you people?” Matt replied. You made your way towards him while his back was facing you. You’d picked up one of the heavy files that he’d strewn across the floor, and you were about to strike him with it when he turned. You hit him in his stomach. “You bitch!” He lunged at you and you dodged his attack. You looked over to see Derek growling in the corner. You weren’t afraid until Jackson came in from the other side. 

Matt used your momentary surprise to hit you with the gun and you fell down. He started running but you grabbed his ankle and yanked him down, crawling over to pin him to the floor. The gun skid across the floor to where Stiles was lying, but you didn’t have time to really notice because in an instant Jackson was pulling you off Matt by your neck. Your hands flew up to pry the claws off and your legs were kicking wildly, hoping to strike either of them. Matt made his escape and your vision started blurring when Derek attacked again. You fell to your knees and gasped for air, not hearing your mom’s frantic yelling. 

When you recovered, you dashed over to Stiles and fumbled for the gun, lying when he asked if you were okay. It was bulky in your hands - none of your training with Derek was with weapons like this - but when Jackson was slithering all over Melissa’s cell door you knew had to at least try. While you were trying to aim, Scott ripped him from the cell doors. You weren’t even sure when he’d shown up. 

You lowered the gun and took a deep breath. Scott had saved Melissa, but in the process shown her who he really was. To say she wasn’t taking it well would be an understatement, and you ached to see him go through that. He turned and left, not looking at anyone as he did. Jackson had gotten away during your family turmoil and you rushed up Melissa’s cell, barely registering your new-found safety. You managed to get the door unlocked and wrapped your arms around your mom. She was crying so hard that her entire body was shaking and collapsing into yours. 

“Shh,” you whispered, smoothing out her hair and holding her up. “Mom, it’s okay. You’re okay.” She was grabbing desperately at your clothes, trying to find something to hold onto. “Scott’s okay. We’re all okay now.”

Part 5 - S2E11 + S2E12

[louisapennyfeather2021]

Newsies Teen Wolf AU, but it's my favorite Issac x Allison scenes, which will be known as Katherine x Sarah scenes!

Just some extra short scenes because why not?

Warnings: Mentions of bombs, slight make out session, slight second-hand embarrassment. Mentions of PTSD, mentions of child abuse

____

Sarah's sitting at the desk in the office she shares with Davey when she hears a faint noise outside. She pauses, contemplating grabbing her bow unt she hears a distinct yelp followed by another. She stifles a laugh and not even minutes later, Katherine walks in the office with pursed lips and slightly frizzy hair.

"Electrified the windows?" Katherine asks, her voice higher than normal.

"Yep." Sarah doesn't look up at Katherine, she just keeps flipping through her book looking for any signs of the bomber that they still can't find.

"Didn't think to say anything?" Katherine asks, a tad bit of sarcasm in her voice.

"Nope." Sarah looks up and grins at Katherine before returning to the book.

"Alrighty then."

____

"You find anything?" Katherine asks, half her body hanging off of Sarah's bed. The two moved to Sarah's bedroom more for comfort than necessity. Sarah's pacing her room now, her book in hand as Katherine slides through page after page on the virtual document.

"There's a thing about flies carrying messages from the dead." Sarah stops pacing and sets the book on her bed, her hands now firmly planted on her hips as she thinks. "What about you, did you find anything?"

"Just something about a Lord of the Flies." Katherine stands up and stands closer to Sarah. Maybe she's been working up the confidence to do this for a while and maybe she's hoping that Sarah had been too based on their interactions, but that hope is quickly shot down when Sarah backs away with slightly wide eyes.

"Are you serious?" Sarah scoffs. Katherine's face heats up, but she tries to ignore it. "You were just trying to kiss me."

"No I wasn't." Katherine knows the attempt is futile, but she'd rather try and lose every last shred of dignity she has.

"Okay, then what were you trying to do? Head-butt me?" Sarah laughs nervously. She keeps trying to tell herself she doesn't want that. Yes, she told Jack forever ago that she thinks she likes both girls and guys, but that has nothing to do with that fact that her and Katherine were hardly friends until recently.

"All right, fine, maybe I was trying to kiss you." Katherine caves, now knowing any dignity she had left is long gone.

"Are you completely, totally out of your mind? You actually think that I would want to kiss you? Or any other werewolf again? Because trust me on this, I would never kiss you. Ever." Sarah laughs nervously again throughout her mini speech, shaking her head and making various hand gestures as her faces flushes red.

"Never." Katherine and Sarah both nod in agreement and they're suddenly stuck in an awkward silence. That is, until Sarah is right in front of Katherine. Sarah places her hands on Katherine's cheeks and suddenly her lips are on Katherine's. Katherine's briefly shocked, but she quickly snaps out of it and holds onto Sarah's shoulders. They eventually break apart for air and Katherine is in a slight daze. "Alright, yeah, I won't kiss you either."

Katherine sits on the edge of Sarah's bed and closes her eyes at Sarah reconnects their lips. She holds Sarah's wrist as Sarah's hand rests on one side of her neck and the other squeezes her hip. Katherine is surprised when Sarah pulled away and hurriedly unbuttons her blouse, leaving her in her bra and shorts. While Katherine is lost in a daze, Sarah carefully at first pulls at Katherine's sweater and when Katherine doesn't oppose, Sarah's pulling the sweater over Katherine's head. She's left in a white camisole and her jeans before Sarah's leaning back in for another kiss. Katherine finds herself with her back on Sarah's mattress, the other girl leaning over her while she still stands at the edge. Sarah's carefully working her fingers under Katherine camisole, her cool fingers meeting the warm skin of Katherine stomach, when suddenly Sarah's door is open. Both girls freeze and look up.

And low and behold, there stands David Jacobs in the doorway with a slightly shocked, slightly regretful look on his face.

"Hey Sarah, can I talk to you in the office for a second? Where we keep the guns." Davey stares right at Katherine when he says it. Sarah quickly stands and hurries out the door. Katherine sits up, her eyes wide as Davey follows Sarah out the door. Katherine waits, knowing there's bound to be a big brother lecture. She is not, however, ready for what she hears next.

"ANOTHER WEREWOLF?!"

____

Katherine's still waiting in Sarah's room, voluntarily tuning out of Davey's rant as she aimlessly wanders the room. She's still in her jeans and camisole, not caring much to put her sweater back on. She's looking at an old picture of Sarah, Davey, and their older brother Morris when goosebumps rise in her arms and there's a tingling sensation on the back of her neck. She whips around to see nothing in the dark room, although she's not dumb. She knows something's wrong. She hurries towards the door, knowing she should warn Sarah and Davey, but the door is somehow slammed shut.

And then she hears the whispers.

She turns in a circle as the whispers get louder and louder, her hands gripping the sure of her head as the whispers seem to blend into an intolerable static.

Until she's stopped.

And she's staring into the glowing, green eyes of a shadow.

She tries to run, but two more appear. They grab her arms and hold her in place. The first shadow walks closer and reaches it's hand up towards her face. Katherine starts breathing harder until the hand covers her left ear.

And she screams.

Sarah and Davey immediately stop their arguing when they hear Katherine scream. They rush out of the office to see Sarah's door shut. They run at it, Sarah grabbing the handle.

It doesn't move.

"Katherine! Katherine, what's going on? Open the door!" Sarah yells, knocking on the door and pushing it while trying to turn the handle.

"Katherine!" Davey yells. No matter how angry he might be for Sarah going behind his back and breaking their entire agreement to stay out of the supernatural, he doesn't hate Katherine. He likes her, she's generally okay to be around. Now that she's screaming bloody murder in his sister's room, Davey is panicking. They both keep yelling and pushing on the door until the screaming stops. Seconds later, the door flies open and Sarah all but falls over.

"Katherine?" She breathes when she sees the girl trembling on the floor, her body curled into itself. She hurries over to Katherine and kneels next to her, but she almost jumps back when her fingers touch Katherine's arm. "She's freezing. Dave, she's like ice."

"Katherine, look at me." Davey grabs Katherine's chin and makes her face him. It's then that Sarah can see Katherine's lips moving rapidly and her eye kids fluttering, although her eyes stay wide in what Sarah only recognizes as fear.

"What's happening to her?" Sarah subconsciously asks. She jumps when a broken sound passes Katherine's lips and she vaguely hears the word please being whispered over and over again.

"Katherine, listen to me, you have to turn. You have to trigger it." Davey's voice is loud and clear. It's obvious that Katherine is in a form of shock and if she doesn't trigger the healing, she could die.

Suddenly, there's a loud slap followed by a low growls and Katherine's bolting upright, moving as far away from Sarah and Davey as she can. Davey stares incredulously at his sister, not expecting her to full on backhand the very same girl he had caught her making out with not even ten minutes ago.

"Did you see them?" Kathrine breathes, her body still trembling, but her face more alert and less frozen.

"Who?" Sarah moves closer to Katherine, reaching up to her bed to grab a loose blanket. She carefully wraps it around Katherine, letting the shivering girl grab the fabric and pull it tight around her.

"There were five of them. They wore black, I couldn't-" Katherine has to stop, squeezing her eyes shut and swallowing hard as she trembles even harder. "I couldn't see their faces, they were covered."

"What do you mean, like masks?" Sarah sends a confused look to Davey only to find him frowning in thought.

"One of them, I could see his eyes. They were greenish-yellow, like a firefly." Katherine squeezes her eyes shut even harder and curls her body into itself. Sarah wonders for a brief second if she's remembering the freezer from the basement of her old home. She obviously doesn't ask, bit she knows that Katherine is still plagued by the memories.

"The security system wasn't triggered." Davey mumbles, shaking his head.

"Then how did they get in?" Sarah asks. She scoots closer to Katherine and hesitantly reaches out to her her upper arm, hoping to help her warm up. Sarah is shocked to feel the icy cold through the thick blanket.

"They didn't, it was like they came out of the shadows." Katherine stifles a whimper and subconsciously moves closer to Sarah, her eyes glued shut.

Everything was so cold. She was trapped and it was cold and there was no way to get out. No matter how much she screamed, she couldn't get out. It was like being stuck there all over again. She thought she escaped it, but she was wrong.

"Do you know what that means?" Sarah asks when she sees a brief flash of recognition on Davey's face. "David, what does it mean?"

"I'm not sure, but I need you two to keep this quiet. For a few hours." Davey quickly stands up, turning to leave the room.

"From everyone?" Katherine asks, sniffling as she slowly stops trembling so hard.

"Just twenty-four hours." Davey walks to eh door, but he's stopped again.

"David, they could've killed her." Sarah raises her voice to let Davey know she's not done yet, especially since it's obvious he knows something.

"But they didn't and there's a reason why." Davey leaves the room, leaving Sarah to grab more blankets and sit closer to Katherine.

"I was there. All over again." Katherine whispers. Sarah doesn't think she's meant to hear, so she just sits with Katherine and holds her, confused and concerned.

____

Heyo! So I love the Allison x Isaac scenes in season 3 and that's partially why I made Sarah, Allison and Katherine, Isaac. Also, who doesn't love some fun Newsbians fluff/angst/make out/ whatever you want to think of it.

Let me know if you want any specific scenes or if you have any suggestions! Please, don't be afraid to ask! I promise you aren't a burden and I'll try my hardest to write what you ask for! I love writing and I'm currently stuck home for a while with a lot of free time!