one of my favourite things about having a teen wolf shaped brainworm in the year of our lord 2025 is thinking about how I felt about certain characters/dynamics back when i was like 12-15 vs. now bc I find it endlessly entertaining.
for example I was lowkey examining why the young impressionable weirdo that I was liked sterek way back when (it was the most popular pairing at the time and I was still fairly new to fandom so I just kind of went along w/ it, the inherently tragic vibes, the constant high stakes with the big baddies looming over them, I related to stiles and derek a lot separately and so ANY fanfic that centered around either was my jam, I hadn't realized I was acespec yet & overall just had a very unrealistic idea of how older teens acted when in relationships, was super into BBC Merlin at the time & read SO many modern AUs in THAT fandom so I got really into future Sterek AUs where they had dramatic slow burn romance arcs while simultaneously having weird ass jobs, etc.)
cut to today as an adult it's so funny to think about bc now I have this cool skill called ✨accurate character analysis✨, an actual understanding of why I'm drawn to certain characters, and overall having a more refined taste in platonic and romantic dynamics in fiction. And in regards to Sterek, seeing these boys free from the shackles of Beacon Hills' random chaos and enter their chill lil domestic sitcom era is so fucking funny to me. Like now they are not constantly mixed up in trouble, both Stiles and Derek have these little highlight reels of each other where they go - awe i couldn't process that emotion while dealing with the oozing bullet wound in front of me, but that's when we first became friends :D - All this to say that I just find it absolutely hysterical (and begrudgingly relatable) that it’s a fairly valid take to say that one of the best and honestly most realistic depictions of Stiles and/or Derek figuring out that they have feelings for the other person is probably that either one of these complete morons - both known to be incredibly intelligent and emotionally complex characters who both are super observant of those around them - could be seen waking up alone in a cold sweat several years after the series finale completely shellshocked from suddenly remembering a vague interaction they had with each other while in the middle of fighting for their lives and in their head going - "omfg - WAS HE FLIRTING WITH ME?!"
Like what do u mean when I was a freshman in high school I completely ignored this old fic bc the plot was something as simple as these two 25-30 somethings are just kind of hanging out and failing at being “normal people” for a single goddamn minute?! It’s funny as fuck bitch these two freaks are just as (if not more) entertaining even if their days of saving the other from actively bleeding out are over! Like yeah - Stiles and Derek experiencing the horrors that is the main plot is fun to read about and all, but I’d argue the real canonical horror for these guys would be that even after finally cancelling their subscriptions to whatever monthly trauma delivery service they unknowingly signed up for, this clinically depressed dog man and the danger magnet disguised as a jester who by some miracle has somehow kept them both tethered to this mortal coil with nothing but poor impulse control and weaponized neurodivergence, having to LARP as well adjusted tax paying citizens turns out to be the most harrowing part of their journeys. Oh, the werewolves are doing blood-sport again? Been there done that I wanna see Derek fuck up a social interaction at Starbucks.
Because sometimes peak character development means making them a total loser, and the reward is getting to watch the battle-damaged goliath try to make small talk with a woodland creature in a sweater-vest while stranded on the animal crossing island you put him in.
TL;DR - something something as you get older you learn that moments highlighting the mundane ≠ uninteresting, and the feeling of getting to see ur favourite characters go through the same strange adult bullshit that you’ve also been cursed with is akin to reaching the point in ur life where u start getting excited about a new dish sponge or getting socks for Christmas bc growing up is acknowledging the comedic value in those very human experiences. And also u get to lovingly laugh at the loser blorbos that stumble through life while being as dense as a lead brick.