JJ

Writer-Professional Fangirl-Beta Reader/Editor She/Her/Hers-bi- lvl 17

[ghvstdad]

Firmly believe they couldn't have Dylan O'Brien in the new Teen Wolf movie because he's in his slut era, and they wouldn't be able to stop him from making out with Hoechlin

[hallowedgrounds03]

Stiles Stilinski as a Spark-Explained

Okay so I think I figured out what a spark is in Canon for Teen Wolf.  

So we obviously don't get elaboration in the show on what a spark is and I didn't realize until I was reading a fanfic about Stiles that, at the very least, what it means for Stiles but also what I think that means for the way we see sparks for the rest of the story because we don't see another in the show and we also don't see anyone who is a definite magic user (IE: witches, sorcerers, mages, etc) I mean they blur the lines about Druids and what that means for Darachs and the Nogitsune and the Oni but I don't think in the definition or the context of the show they were technical magic users. Plus the only way I think that we see magic in the show is by using something that already has magic in it. Werewolves exist by magic, but there is also mountain-ash which I think has magical properties or interacts on the magic field and we have the telluric currents and the rituals and the Nemeton, which all interact with a magic force. So obviously there is magic in the show but I don't think that that interaction is determined by a person who exists on the magical plane in Canon.  

Anyway Erica calls Stiles Batman. And I think that tells us everything we need to know about what a spark is. 

So here's my theory: I think that a spark is someone who can connect and interact with magical things like Mountain Ash or enchanted objects or things that would enable them to perform rituals and spells but is not someone who is inherently magic. I think they need a separate magical 'power' source in order to do those things. So, in saying that, I mean that not all humans can perform magic. You have to be able to interact with the magical plane without existing on it to be a spark. 

And the reason that all this connects to Erica calling Stiles ‘Batman’ is that the fan theory about what a spark is, is that a spark works like being a mage or Wizard or sorcerer. All three of those things are different and more often than not one gets associated with being a witch or mage because both of those are magical beings that have a magical source within them that they draw on in order to perform magic. 

But I don't think that's what a spark is. I think that because Erica calls him ‘Batman’ and that being his nickname throughout the entire part of her life on the show, even when she knows that he has this little magical power, even when he is somehow able to interact with Mountain Ash and control it, she still calls him ‘Batman’, and I think that even though Sparks might not be something that they've been acknowledged in Canon, (cuz I don't think they ever went further with understanding what being a spark meant for Stiles and meant in general) I think that's a hint. 

Because Batman is one of the only superheroes in any universe that is someone without powers but is still a vigilante symbol, is still a superhero. It’s like saying that Derek is Superman because he was born as a werewolf and Erica is Catwoman because she became a werewolf. The fact that Batman is Stiles’ parallel is, I think, representative of the way that his power works.  Because Batman’s advantage is with his experience, intelligence, money and status. And in the same way that Stiles is able to use magic as a tool, rather than something that he is, it is the same way that Bruce uses his money to access technology, and intelligence to develop weapons, and his status, to get information he otherwise wouldn't have access to. 

All of these things are things you can still do as a human. 

He's just using his tools and I think being a spark is being a human who can use magic as a tool, unlike other beings. And I think that that was more of a hint in the series than anything else and maybe it was unconscious on behalf of the writers, but I think that that explains, more than anything, what a spark is. And it demonstrates how often misinterpreted in fanfiction Stiles’ role as a spark is, because so much of the significance of Stiles to the story is his humanity, and it's showing that Human Side to the story, to that world. 

(Not to mention how much more volatile Beacon Hills would be if all humans could activate and interact with magic. There would be so many more issues.)

He exists in a world where he could easily get hurt and is then much more likely to not survive than anyone else would. And yet he does exist  in that world, and he is still determined to try and try again and he is the symbol of that human morality and mortality. But him being human is what makes Stiles Stiles, so taking that away from him by making him someone magical, making him supernatural, I think is not being true to his character. Which is why I think, more than anything, making this connection about Erica calling Stiles Batman is really really important to understanding his character

[0hheytherebigbadwolf]

Derek: The duality of man never ceases to amaze me.

Derek: Stiles figured out a murder weapon was hidden inside a hollowed-out cane by looking at a lacrosse stick.

Derek: And yesterday he asked me what the Spanish word for tortilla was.

[0hheytherebigbadwolf]

Alright, Teen Wolf, I see your Satomi telling Derek he reminds her of Talia, and raise you Deucalion seeing full-shift Derek, being absolutely shooketh, and saying, “Talia?” while looking like he’s seen a ghost.

[anonazure]

Warming up after chillin for the holidays. Have my first hyperfixation for 2022

  A very sketchy Sterek DUNE!AU

[0hheytherebigbadwolf]

Stiles: *exists*

Derek:

[hallowedgrounds03]

I require a Writers’ Conference.

I have a novel idea. I want it to be a collaborative project.

It’s very bookish.

I kind of took this prompt by @christmasat-hogwarts I saw on Pinterest, and took some of the finer points and ran with it, so if this tickles your fancy, reply or chat me?

Prompt: Imagine a library filled with every book in the world, non me of them have titles on the cover and the pages are blank, but when you open one you are instantly transported to the world within the book. You get to live in the story as any character for as long as you like. And when you come out of the story, almost no time has passed in the real world.

I kinda stuck to the basics and made it a race for survival, needing to pull important aspects from books with powers this world can’t access, while also trying to keep track of which book is which, and surviving the character’s plot of your chosen book without diverging from the plot line so far that the mile marker points and the resolution aren’t the same as the original, or the book closes forever. And you can die in-world, you have to live out the entire plot of your character, no coming out when you want to. And you can’t just write your own book with all the answers because when the book is officially published, all the number codes on the books change. So not only do you have to go searching for your book you just wrote, but you have no starting point as all the work you did to catalogue the existing ones is gone because the numbers changed.

So, if that sounds like a project you can get behind, LMK please.

[breannbooks]

She is pretty and she is mine. Don’t you dare hurt me now

[hallowedgrounds03]

I would like to know how well this post aged for you. I am about to start it since I just finished my Skyhunter reread. Will my heart be irreparable?

[lucentcorrigan-moved]

the fiercereads skyhunter personality quiz!!

[hallowedgrounds03]

I got Adena!!!!

[therealharbingerofdevastation]

So we all know that Marie Lu is one of the best sci-fi writers out there and owns the YA dystopia genre with her three YA dystopian series: the Legend quartet, the Warcross duology, and the Skyhunter duology. These three series present three very different dystopian futures, but have we ever considered that they may all be part of the same timeline?

Here’s my reasoning: the Warcross duology takes place in a cyberpunk near-future, which is saturated with technology and controlled by corporations. Places such as the United States, Japan, France, India, China, etc. still exist as sovereign nations, and modern-day pop culture such as Super Mario Bros and BTS are referenced. The culture of Warcross is heavily capitalistic, and people still have some degree of freedom, though it is limited.

The Legend quartet takes place in a much more distant future. Like Warcross, it has a cyberpunk vibe and is very technologically advanced. However, in the dystopia of Legend, North America is a wasteland devastated by a nuclear war. The United States no longer exists, and Los Angeles is the capital of the totalitarian Republic of America. The culture of the Republic is quite capitalistic, yet far more oligarchical. People have almost no freedom whatsoever.

Finally, the Skyhunter duology takes place in an unspecified post-apocalyptic world, which is technologically advanced and socially primitive. The imperialistic Karensa Federation dominates most of the continent, and the free nation of Mara stands alone against it. Mara is quite socialist, while Karensa is fascist. Both nations are built on the graveyard of an ancient, technologically advanced society that they know little to nothing about.

Coincidentally or not, this perfectly falls in place with a timeline, meaning that the theory that all three of these dystopias occur within the same universe, within the same timeline, very plausible. So if you were a time traveller, you could visit Warcross, Legend, and Skyhunter. They’re all part of the same universe, just different eras.

My timeline placements:

Warcross: c. late 21st century AD

Legend: c. 22nd or 23rd century AD

Skyhunter: c. 3rd millennium AD

Anyway, those are just my theories. Enjoy!

[asterekmess]

And you know what, while I'm at it, I love soulmates.

I get it. Some people are freaked out by the soulmate trope bc "How fucked up is it that you get no choice, or those fics where your soulmate's name is branded on your skin, and you're just Assigned someone, and you're forced to love them." And "No one is half a person, we don't need soulmates or matches, and soulmate tropes imply that you're not you until you have your soulmate"

Feel the way you wanna feel, but I disagree, and that's as much attention as I'm giving those arguments.

I, for one, love soulmates. I'm so damn picky about how it's done, so I rarely if ever read it because there's this *particular* feeling I'm looking for when I open up a soulmate fic, and it's....it's a sigh. It's the moment after you run to your door and fumble to get it open bc it's so damn cold out, and you step inside to warm, safe air, close the door behind you, lean back, and *sigh.*

It's "finally" and "home" and bone-deep security and safety and soft comfort after rough times.

Soulmates isn't meant to say that you're not whole. It's meant to say that you're not fucking alone. The person who is your soulmate isn't your other half as in, you're missing who you are without them. They're your other half as in they're your companion. Through dimensions and generations and future lives, this is your companion. They find you, they travel with you, and then they do it all over again in the next world and the next. Because they don't get sick of you. Because you are their companion just as much as they are yours. Because they need you as much as you need them. Because they want you as much as you want them.

Because you fit.

Sure, yeah, relationships take work, and even soulmates can take work. But that doesn't mean you don't fit. Fitting itself doesn't mean that you're perfect and never argue or disagree. It means that you soothe each other. That you harmonize. That when they're happy, you feel it in air, and it makes you smile uncontrollably because yes, they're happy. And when one of you is sad, the other feels for it and wants to make it better, and they hurt a little bit with you until you do. (and this can be as emotional or mental as you're capable of. Not being empathetic doesn't mean you can't be sympathetic or compassionate) And they want to. They want you. They chose you in Every Fucking Universe, over and over and over. So much that your souls are considered mates. Paired, inseparable in the cosmos.

Soulmates doesn't mean you don't get to choose. It means you and your mate choose each other every fucking time. Over and over. It means space and time cannot separate you because you will always find each other, so instead of fighting it, fate gives you hints. A name on your wrist. A physical response to their injuries, so you can know when they're safe and happy just as much as you know when they're hurt. It gives you a memento of your soulmate before you find them, just to remind you that you're not alone and you have someone who wants you just as much as you want them.

I mean, even the idea of finding your soulmate bringing color to the world is SO much richer than people give it credit for, if you would just look.

There are millions of colorblind people in the world. Most of them aren't black and white colorblind like we imagine in these stories, but the point still stands. Their lives aren't drab and plain and depressing just because they don't see color the same way we do. They're just different.

And that's what it is. When you find your soulmate and the world lights up with colors, it's not meant to be inherently better. It's meant to be different. Because meeting your soulmate changes your world view. The entire way you look at the world changes because you found your soulmate and that will change you. In some ways better. They'll give you strength and you'll give them strength. In some ways worse. You'll borrow their fears, and they'll borrow yours.

It's about the absolute shock of change that creeps up on you as you grow and adjust to being with your soulmate. But you're given Symbols of those changes, through these markings and colors.

Name tattoo - Your soulmate will be a part of you, because of how much you care about them. Colors appearing - Your soulmate will change you so much that the entire world will look different. Sharing bruises/injuries/sensations - You will love this person and feel for them, good and bad. Their pain is your pain, their joy/pleasure is yours. First words - Their point of view and thoughts and ideas will become intrinsically familiar to you. Shared markings/symbols/birthmarks - What you will have will be so unique to you. It'll never be exactly like that with anyone else, and you'll share the uniqueness of that bond forever.

And part of the beauty of soulmates is that it's so fucking inclusive. No one said they all had to be romantic or sexual. No one said that it's two people only. It can be your best friend. Or your sibling. Or your parent or your mentor.

It means choosing someone. And don't we all just want to be chosen sometimes?

[hallowedgrounds03]

I could literally listen to you speak and read your writing for the rest of time and always find a new poetic meaning or some new spot of beauty in it. It'll never get old.

[asterekmess]

Honestly, I'm a huge fan of consensual unhealthy found family. As in, the group of people who're fucking traumatized by everything around them and they cling to one another to stay sane and to find some kind of warmth in this fucked up icy bullshit that is their life. They do good for each other, they help each other heal in a lot of ways and learn their own self-worth/boundaries, etc, and they're still not technically healthy.

Lil (a lot) too co-dependent, too defensive, protective, possessive (not jealous or territorial, there's a difference to me of which I will probably rant later). They'll kill for each other. They will go fucking blazing magic eyes, avatar state, world-ending, "that kind of power is physically impossible and yet here we are" feral for each other, because they Can Not Lose each other.

I love it, bc sometimes people don't heal like that. Where it's layer after layer that you peel and work away and grow and heal from, always pushing and growing until you reach that point of "I'm independent, and not reliant on my family to function."

It feels good to write about people who aren't healed in some ways, and aren't forced to. They're clingy and overly attached, and the person they're like that with? Is like that RIGHT BACK. They agree to it, they accept it. They say "I'm codependent, you're codependent, and that's alright. We'll be codependent together, and since we're both so desperate to stick together and lean on each other, maybe two of us put together can stand up, where either of us alone falls down."

And obviously, that's not the "goal of life", but fuck life, this is fiction.

No Man is an island. We all gotta lean on each other, and Some of us don't get a FUcking CHoice. We HAve to rely on other people Way more than is seen as 'healthy,' and we get so fucking sick of being told that we're co-dependent and that's not 'healthy.'

Obviously, writing about the supernaturally fucked up lil characters of my shows isn't the same as writing abt being chronically ill or having multiple mental disorders and being incapable of holding a job or living alone or Functioning without your very tiny support system that consists of one or two or three people max on whom you rely for your entire goddamn existence.

But god does it feel good to see people lean on each other and have no one tell them to stand tall on their own.

[hallowedgrounds03]

Dude, all of this. Yes. Love it

[nephilimeq]

Favorite Teen Wolf characters (and why)

Yay! Love this! Okay, here we go:

Stiles - It goes without saying! He is sarcastic, smart, and ADHD (as well as autistic) coded. I identify with him quite a bit. But he is also acted amazingly well and given such an excellent backstory. In a lesser actor's hands, this character wouldn't have been as amazing, so I have to thank Dylan for that. Stiles' loyalty, in spite of rejection, and his love for his father makes him feel like a real person, and not just a character.

Derek - He constantly shows how hard he is trying to live up to the legacy that his mother left behind. Though he messes up from time to time, he tries to learn from his mistakes and that's what makes him such a compelling character. A true alpha if I've ever seen one. And Tyler really brought a world-weariness to the character that made him incredibly compelling on screen. Would have loved a spin-off show just about him.

Peter - Yes, he's the villain from time to time--But he is always a man with a plan, a man who knows what he wants and exactly how to get it. This is why I love his character! He's sarcastic, wise, dangerous, and very obviously a Hale. Ian did such justice to the role.

Isaac - I have so many feelings for this boy, and he is one of the characters that just looks like someone that could be a werewolf, if you know what I mean. Again: sarcasm, tragic backstory, and street smarts. Something about these three things make compelling characters for me. He survived a physically abusive father and went through some great character development on the show--until the writers were done with him and just dropped him off in London.

Argent - Where do I start? He had an amazing storyline of redemption amidst tragic loss, and was acted so perfectly by JR Bourne. He brought a gravitas to the character that very easily could have been camp if done by another, less experienced one. Though Zuko from AtLA has the best redemption story ever, Argent comes in a close second.

Sheriff Stilinski - Now this is a man that feels real. From the first moment I saw him on screen, I knew I would love his character, and I was right. He is a dedicated father, a brilliant sheriff, and it's obvious from how they wrote the show that Stiles got his smarts from his father. A great mix of sarcasm, tragic backstory, and a smart mind.

Melissa - The McCall family has one claim to fame: Melissa. She is a strong single mother who not only holds down her job, but manages to deal with her son and his werewolf problems, as well as a social life. She stepped up to the plate and became an amazing asset for the werewolves and I fully support her in everything and do not blame her one bit for how her son turned out.

--

Now, before you start saying "What about Coach or the twins or Danny or Cora?", just hear me out. Yes, we all love them, but I am writing down characters that I love for specific reasons, mainly around the fact that they don't feel contrived. All of them fall under the category of three-dimensional, well-written and acted characters that step outside of a standard form sheet.

*Reminder, this is just my opinion. Don't agree with me? Then keep scrolling and move on.

[richietozsier]

So believe me then. Say you believe me. Say it.

[cer44]

You know who believed Stiles? Over his own girlfriend (love spell or not)? This guy.

And now why? He reciprocated. 

“Can you just trust me this once?”

[churkey]

[alltheextrahobrientalk]

The UK TV Times feature on SM&L. It is on just before Strictly Come Dancing, the equivalent of Dancing with the Stars in the US, on BBC One on Saturday.

[modern-austen]

GUYS I JUST SAW THIS ON TWITTER AND I AM DYING

[rockboci]

[no-terfs-no-swerfs-no-fascists]

Add the author’s reply, cowards!

[thewhiskeykitteh]

I scrolled through the notes on this post and my favorite has to be one mockingly accusing Madeline Miller (a Latin and Greek teacher with a Masters in Classics) of needing to do research and she wasn’t a real writer like them.

Anyway when I read that line I immediately understood what she was trying to say.