Hi guys, welcome to our new weekly segment: Feature Friday. Once a week, we’ll be hyping up one of your favourite authors and recommending five of their fics, some old and some new, so that you can re-read all of your old favourite stories, or maybe even discover a new favourite! If you have someone you’d love to see in this segment, send us an ask here on Tumblr, or message one of our helpful mods on discord.
Our first author to be featured is a veteran of the thiam fandom, @snaeken. His first thiam fanfiction was published in December 2017, and since then, he has written a total of 55 teen wolf stories, 22 of which feature our favourite couple! Few in the fandom can rival the intricate way snaeken paints a tapestry of words, pulling you into his au stories and taking you on a journey that you never want to end.
Find below five of officialthiamlibrary’s favourite thiam fics that snaeken has written:
We’re Not Kings of Anything [ General / 3K / Complete ]
After Brett turns down his prom invite, Liam convinces Theo to go with him instead to make Brett jealous. The evening turns out a bit differently than either of them expected.
What’s so great about this fic is that it uses one of our favourite tropes: jealousy! Liam is oblivious to Theo’s feelings, but by the end of the prom, he sees Theo in a whole new light. It’s well-written and emotional and funny, and a great place to start if you’re unfamiliar with snaeken’s work!
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Parallel Park(ed My Ass In The Wrong Fucking Car, Again) [ General / 1K / Complete ]
Mason drops Liam off at the store, but it's not Mason's car that he gets back into.
Okay, but this story is actually hilarious. Snaeken perfectly captures Liam’s chaotic nature and good-natured obliviousness. It’s definitely an interesting way of getting a date!
Formerly a professional ice hockey player in the NHL, Theo suffered a career-ending injury on the ice which resulted in the loss of everything he held dear to him. No longer able to cope with his teammates pity, and the speculation from the media and the general public on how bad his injury really is, Theo runs away. He goes back to the hometown he left behind when he turned pro, hoping to find solace in a place which has previously caused him so much pain. After a chance encounter in a graveyard of all places, Beacon Hills local Liam Dunbar slots himself into Theo’s life, wanting to aid him in both his physical and mental recovery. Theo quickly discovers he’s not the only one who has demons, and when feelings become involved… well that’s just inevitable, isn’t it?
This story was written for OTL’s Big Bang in 2018, and is an epic story about the trials and tribulations of recovering from a life-altering injury. Snaeken pulls no punches in this fic. While there are plenty of light-hearted, hopeful moments, he also explores the anguish, anger and hopelessness that Theo feels as he tries to come to terms with his new life.
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in the hospital after the war [ General / 1.5K / Complete ]
"I can wipe the blood off my own face, Liam," he snarks, mainly because he doesn't know what else to do; because it's comfortable, familiar, as far as the two of them are concerned. He doesn't pull away though. "I know. But I want to." Liam looks up at him, ocean blue eyes boring into his own. Theo's breath would probably catch, if he was breathing at all. "Let me."
Snaeken’s most recent story definitely needs to be mentioned. It’s a look at how Theo copes after the actions in the hospital after the defeat of the anuk-ite, and how Liam fits into that. It’s a moving, emotional story. An exhale after holding your breath for a long time.
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Safety of the Dark [ Teen / 65.5K / WIP ]
After Garrett cheats on him, Liam not only loses his boyfriend, but one of his best friends. Then he starts talking to Theo, and it's like Liam can't get him out of his head. There's more to Theo than meets the eye, though; he's hiding something, and seems intent on keeping it hidden at all costs. Will Liam be able to trust Theo? And will Theo reveal what he's hiding?
No rec-list of snaeken’s works can be complete without SOTD. It’s his baby, and the care and effort he puts into crafting this epic pays dividends. A feature of snaeken’s fics is the way he breathes life into his characters. They’re flawed, and it makes every story he writes just so compelling. In this fic, Liam and Theo find each other at a time when their lives are turbulent, and the friendship they build through these tough times helps them both. Make sure you check this one out, and leave nice comments for snaeken to encourage him to keep writing!
Stiles had placed Liam in charge of following Theo around after they had gotten caught in the preserve, thinking that one werewolf would be better equipped to stalk another wolf. Despite having a perfectly innocent reason, and a rather depressing one at that, for being in the woods, Stiles refused to believe that Theo was anything other than “a problem.” Liam disagreed, which was how he found himself rather unsubtly sitting at a bench by the skatepark while Theo amused himself doing kickflips. He would do what Stiles asked, but he wasn’t prepared to put in enough effort to be sneaky about it.
Theo was laughing as he stacked it, his board skittering away and landing near Liam. He retrieved it, winking at him, before getting straight back onto the board. Liam sighed, eyes drifting over Theo’s body, from the black back-to-front snapback down over the long-sleeved blue shirt, to the ripped skinny jeans that hugged his ass perfectly and topped off by a pair of pristine white converse. He looked sinfully hot, completely in his element.
Liam felt wildly out of place by comparison with his grey sweatpants and maroon Beacon Hills hoodie. He played lacrosse and was generally considered to be the typical jock who worked out in his spare time and was a little bit full of himself. Both of which were true, but Liam liked to think he was more than that. He also liked history, and cared deeply about his friends and family, and obviously there was the whole IED thing, but that was something that he had left behind him at Devenford Prep, hopefully. He was pretty straightlaced, really, he didn’t drink, he didn’t go to parties, and he wasn’t dating anyone either.
Skaters, on the other hand, were rebels, or at least these ones were. The people that Theo was currently hanging around with were handing around a flask and chain smoking as they lounged around watching Theo. Liam wrinkled up his sensitive nose at the smell, eyes dragging back over to Theo, who was dropping into the bowl with a determined look on his face. Liam rolled his eyes.
Everytime Theo had attempted this trick so far, he had hurt himself. And this time was no exception. His board flew out from underneath him, sending him sprawling down to the bottom with a pained grunt. His so-called friends laughed, but Liam rose slowly to his feet as he smelled blood.
“You okay?” He asked under his breath.
“I think I broke my fucking leg,” Theo muttered, cursing as he examined it. One of his friends rose to their feet but Theo waved them away, pretending to be fine.
“Want a hand?”
“I’m fine,” Theo growled, clenching his hands into fists. Liam slowly sat back down and waited to see what Theo would do.
Theo turned away from his friends, hiding his face as he dug his fingers into his leg, twisting it. Liam could just hear him snarling quietly over the sickening sound of a bone being pushed back into place and winced in sympathy. Even with accelerated healing, breaking bones wasn’t fun.
The other boy remained hunched over, panting, for another minute, sucking in air as his flesh started to knit back together. Eventually, he huffed, turning to look at Liam.
“Will you help me back to my truck, please?” He asked, hazel eyes dull with pain.
“Sure,” Liam said, getting up and sliding down to help Theo to his feet. Theo wrapped his arm around his shoulders while Liam placed his around his waist, holding him steady as he began to hobble forwards. He was almost immediately overwhelmed by that same clean, crisp scent from the other night in the woods, his wolf rumbling in his chest, wanting to press its nose into Theo’s neck and breathe it in. His eyes dropped to Theo’s neck, fixated on his pulse, and he licked his lips.
“You alright there?” Theo asked, sounding bemused. Liam startled, realising that they had reached the truck.
“Fine,” Liam said, blushing as he let his gaze drop. “How’s your leg?”
“I’ll probably live,” Theo said cheerfully. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked his truck. Liam stepped back as he opened the door and climbed in with a groan. “Do me a favour though?”
“What?” Liam asked.
“Make sure you bring my board with you when you watch me sleep tonight,” Theo said. He smirked as Liam’s eyes widened, spluttering a denial, red in the face. All Liam could hear as Theo sped off was the squeal of tires and his peals of laughter.
“Fucking Stiles,” Liam muttered as he turned to go and retrieve Theo’s skateboard.
During a particularly stressful shift, Theo takes Liam to the roof to let off some steam during a break. They didn't count on anybody else being up there.
[Explicit | 3.8k | No Warnings | WIP]
electric souls by xTarmanderx
Theo Raeken is a popular DJ in California. He's used to the nightlife and the crowd that comes with it, happy with the way it is. Until one night a pair of blue eyes steps into his booth and shakes his world up.
[Mature | 6.5k | No Warnings | WIP]
I Like Pulling You by DarkAngelGirl13
Liam gets pulled over by a cop that he knows. The cop has been pulling him three times a month for sexual favors to let him off.
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The officer looked at Liam slightly annoyed knowing he was breathing out sarcasm instead of being polite to him. He always found a reason to pull Liam over for even the smallest infractions. He knew just how hot tempered Liam could get if he snapped. He had witnessed it before and knew how far he could go with it. There was also the fact that it annoyed Liam when he made him pull over. He never found him at the same place or time for that matter. He didn’t want Liam to get used to a time or place so he would avoid it. He had gotten him once in the parking lot of the police station. Liam had been waiting on his husband to come out for lunch. That really had been fun seeing the look on Liam’s face. He’d given him a ticket for idling with just one passenger in the truck.
[Explicit | 6.3k | No Warnings | Complete]
A Taste of Sin by TheorianDG
Liam accompanies Mason and Corey to Sinema to celebrate their victory over the Ghost Riders, things take a turn when Theo shows up demanding Liam's attention.
[Explicit | 2.3k | No Warnings | Complete]
You Smell Good, Little Wolf by bashfulcreature
Liam is nearly at the end of the wagon when someone catches his eye. A stranger, probably a few years older than him, is watching him with sparkling eyes and a tiny smirk. Suddenly, Liam can’t breathe because holy fuck that guy is gorgeous, with his chiseled jawline and his lips that look so fucking kissable and Liam is sure he looks like he’s drooling. The stranger is blatantly checking him out, bright green eyes slowly dragging down Liam’s chest and then back up to meet his with a growing smirk.
Liam is aware that he’s not bad looking- he’s noticed that people at school stare at him a little too hard and sometimes they even smell like arousal, but he honestly feels like nothing compared to the stranger in front of him.
[Explicit | 17.6k | No Warnings | Complete]
Letting Off Steam by ExtraSteps, Snaeken
Liam is stressed. Finals are on the horizon and he's going a bit insane. An early morning work out at the local gym helps deal with some of the mounting anxiety, but then Theo is there and more than happy to help relieve some tension. If they can just stay quiet and not get caught, then Liam will be quite happy indeed.
[Explicit | 3.7k | No Warnings | Complete]
Forbearance by InsaneAndHappyAboutIt
In a desperate attempt to stop Liam from killing while in a blind rage, Theo does the only thing which comes to mind. He kisses the wolf and it works but naturally, things only get more complicated from there....
Welcome to another profile on Behind the Screens, giving you personal insight on who your favorite creators are and what they do when they aren’t wowing you with their creative ability.
Happy Thursday! How is everyone doing today? I know your day is about to get even better since we have the pleasure of learning more about Callum, also known in our circles as Snaeken. Many of you might know him as the writer of the story that broke our (and his) hearts, Empty Hands, Closed Doors. But, he is the amazingness of that story and much, much more. Let’s dive in.
Hey Callum! Let’s do this thing. So, quick introduction, using a sentence, where the word count is either equal to or less than the number of letters in your two favorite Teen Wolf episode names.
Motel California + Strange Frequencies = 33: Local man likes pop-punk music and tattoos, but does not look like he would like pop-punk music and tattoos. Has also been known to use reading as a method of procrastination.
Oooh, Motel California is one of my ultimates too! What do you like best about both of them?
I know it was kind of a ‘filler episode’ but I loved Motel California. Like it started off funny with Allison and Lydia following the school bus, and then it became angsty as all hell with Stiles’ whole, ‘You’re my brother’ speech to Scott.
As for Strange Frequencies, the hospital roof scene is everything. Before Thiam took over my life, I loved Steo (still do, actually), and I point-blank refuse to believe there was anything platonic or heterosexual about that encounter. I mean, pinning each other to the fence? Stiles glancing down at Theo’s lips? Come on!
Agreed! To me, Teen Wolf always shined during those filler episodes, where they dug into the humanity of the characters. And, ahhh Steo...*Insert nostalgic sigh* So, being a multi-shipper, how did you find your way to the Thiam fandom? What about them drew you in?
One of the things I really liked about Teen Wolf was that the non-straight characters and relationships (the canon ones, anyway) were so normalised. So as season 6 progressed and Theo and Liam became closer, in my head there was just a constant loop of, “Please let them get together, please let them get together, please let them…” and so on.
As for the actual fandom aspect, though; I’ve been part of various fandoms over the years, but I’ve always really taken a back seat, watching from the sidelines. When the toxicity rose to the surface though, that’s when I would tend to pull away and just enjoy the thing myself, because fandoms so often shift to negativity and hatred. From what I’ve seen of the Thiam fandom so far though, I can honestly say I’ve never met and befriended such a high number of kind, wonderful people who don’t have a bad word to say about each other.
Our fandom does seem to have that community spirit where it’s common to know more than someone’s username. What’s one thing about you or your life that we’d be surprised to know about?
I’m actually a pretty reserved person, and before joining the group chat I hated voice chatting with people. (Also for anyone who watched Tagan’s youtube livestream: I was Theo. Surprise!)
Lately, there’s been exclamations from our pack about Thiam bleeding into their real lives (for example, seeing their relationship in every movie/song or experiencing story plots in real life, etc.), have you felt this sensation recently? If so, in what ways?
Oh, I’ve been doing that for a loooong time before joining the Thiam fandom. It doesn’t matter what I’m watching or reading, I’ll think of ways to adapt them into fic (very few of them actually develop beyond ideas though, haha). I’m also constantly looking at song titles and lyrics, thinking about how I can incorporate them into fic. I don’t think I’ve actually mentioned this anywhere, but ‘We’re Not Kings of Anything’ is a slightly adapted lyric from ‘Alive Like Me - Our Time Down Here’, and ‘Empty Hands, Closed Doors.’ is a mashup of various song titles by ‘Sabella.
Now, that we’ve gotten to know you, ready to jump into your writing? If your creative process was a person, what type would they be? What would they do? Wear? Listen to? How do they handle conflict?
Snaeken the Creator is a soft and squishy character who’s easily discouraged, but is slowly and surely thickening their skin. They procrastinate a lot. Like, a lot a lot. They’ll spend longer picking music to write to than they will actually writing, it’s a bit of a problem, really. They could be likened to a kid in a candy store, so overwhelmed by all the amazing choices that they struggle to settle on anything. Or even a crow, always trailing after the next shiny, new thing instead of nurturing the pile of shiny things they already have.
Haha, you are not alone in the music-selection process. Besides music, how do you get into the headspace for writing, whether it be angst, fluff, etc?
Up until now, writing has been a very sporadic thing for me (although I really want to change this), so I don’t really have a specific method. I do spend a lot of time in my head though, so it can just be a case of delving deeper and seeing if I can dig up any ideas that fit together.
It’s no secret Empty Hands, Closed Doors is an Angst masterpiece. What’s the saddest, most-gut wrenching thing you’ve seen or written?
Yep, there were more than a few upset readers when I finally posted ‘Empty Hands, Closed Doors.’ That’s definitely the saddest thing I’ve published. I may have a probably abandoned WIP that beats it in terms of pure, unadulterated angst though; a while back I plotted out and started writing a Matteusz-centric Class AU, in which Charlie and Quill aren’t around to help him so he ends up homeless. Basically one awful thing after another happens to him and I still feel horrible about it because it just became angst for the sake of angst. Basically I want to give Matteusz the biggest hug and protect him from the world.
Feel up to showing off those skills? I’m gonna give you a completely joyous, totally pure moment and I challenge you to make it as angsty as you can? (*Rubs palms together*)
Scenario: A child getting a puppy for the Holidays
Liam and Theo stood side by side with exceptionally fond smiles on their faces, watching as their kids tore into their Christmas presents. The boy moved on to a decent-sized cardboard box, giving it an inquisitive shake before moving to untie the ribbon that sealed it shut.
“Li,” Theo whispered, “Where’s the thing?”
“The what?” Liam asked, eyebrows furrowed.
“The puppy. Where is it?”
“It’s right there, he’s opening it.”
“What? It can’t be. Where are the air holes?”
Their daughter has joined their son now, intrigued by the mystery box addressed to both of them.
Liam’s eyes widen in horror. “Oh shit.”
“Jesus, tell me you fucking didn’t.”
They share a horrified look and lunge for the box, trying to get it away from their son. They’re too late. The ribbon untied, their son removes the lid from the box, and he and his sister look inside. Then they start to scream.
Bwahahahaha. Perfect! Hold up. Let me stop cackling...So, even though you’re famous for your angst, your story, “We’re Not Kings of Anything,” actually has a John Hughes-esque, Coming of Age Romantic feel to it. With all the supernatural terrors running through Beacon Hills, it’s easy to forget these are just kids, trying to enjoy their teenage, pre-adulting years. How would you insert that same youthful energy into these few scenarios?
1. A Puppy Pack TW Spin-Off. What would be your very first and last scene of the pilot episode?
The opening scene could be Corey and Mason, my precious beans, away at college together and generally trying to enjoy life. They’re on a date, nothing fancy, maybe just having dinner somewhere. Then a supernatural creature attacks and Mason just yells an exasperated, “Every single time we try and go on a date, this shit happens!”
The final scene could be the pack, new and old, reuniting in Beacon Hills to try and work out what’s getting the other supernatural creatures riled up this time.
2. A Thiam Double date with any other ship from the show. Which couple would you choose as their counterparts? What would they do?
Mini golf with Sterek would be pretty hilarious, because it would start out amicably but you know it wouldn’t take long before punches start getting thrown. Stiles would definitely claim the others are using their supernatural powers to cheat, even though they’re all doing just as badly as him.
3. Why not throw yourself in the plot too? A Breakfast Club detention situation with five characters who would give you the wildest, most satisfying day. Also, who’d be your teacher?
I’d have to go with Stiles, Jackson, Danny, Liam and Theo, purely because the sass levels would be absolutely insane. Danny would try to be the voice of reason, but you just know all the pretty boys around him could manipulate him into messing with the IT system. As for the teacher, Coach Finstock would definitely be the easiest to rile up, but I think it’d be more satisfying to stress out Mr Harris.
Lol, those are hilarious. Poor Morey. They really can’t get a break to be adorable and cute! Since we’ve started veering towards tropes and situations, is there one trope you love to read that the Thiam fandom hasn’t produced yet?
I read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi novels, so I’d absolutely love to see a well-executed fic like this. Bonus points if homophobia isn’t involved whatsoever, since more often than not it tends to be a theme, if non-cishet characters are included at all. If this sort of thing already exists then someone should totally link me!
Hmm, we’ll have to be on the lookout for one! Do you also create art or write outside of the Thiam fandom? Original Fiction? Original Artwork? Other Fandoms?
So writing is the only art form that I have any modicum of talent in, and it’s definitely a dream of mine to become a published author one day. I’ve got a bad habit of being embarrassed by -and therefore deleting- my old writing, but I’ve got fics uploaded for the Class and Skam fandoms on my ao3. As far as any of my lengthier WIPs are concerned, they all tend to be AUs anyway. For those I tend to use the characters as visual bases, rather than them necessarily being the same character in a different setting. For example, Theo in Safety of the Dark is a completely different person to Theo in the show.
Ok, last question before our last question, haha! One surprising opportunity to come from this segment is the chance to grow from the life experience and perspectives of someone different than us. Let’s pretend this is Karate Kid. You are our sensei and us your pupils, can you impart any life/writing wisdom?
If you get enjoyment from something that doesn’t hurt others, then try to enjoy it without embarrassment or shame. Despite how simple it sounds, it can be such a difficult thing to do; I’m more than willing to admit it’s something I struggle with. It’s so easy to get caught up in the comments and judgements other people make about your interests, whether they’re passive or malicious. It can be scary to open yourself to that, but I promise you will be so much happier if you can allow yourself to like things both privately and publicly.
Writing-wise, the best piece of advice I can offer is to write for yourself first. Write because the plot interests you, because you want to see how the characters and their relationships develop, because it’s something you would want to read. Accepting prompts and taking suggestions is great; hopefully, it doesn’t sound like I’m bashing that. However, if you’re trying to people-please, or if you’re not fully invested in what you’re writing, it shows. This is pretty similar to the life advice, but again, do it for yourself. You’ll enjoy it so much more if you do.
Dude, I don’t know about anyone else, but I needed that. Thank you. It was a perfect note to wrap on. Before we go, what’s next for you? Do you have any major plans? Life or Creating-wise? And, is there anything else you’d like to add? The podium is yours.
I’m not sure about life, that seems to be relatively static at the moment. As for creatively though, I want to try and get serious about writing. For a long time (literally years) I’ve been falling victim to the ‘perfect first draft’ and getting discouraged when something doesn’t turn out exactly how I pictured it first try. The main goal for this year is to finish a multi-chaptered fic, even if it kills me.
I would just like to again commend the parts of the fandom I’ve seen for being so inclusive and accepting of people, and that hopefully we’ll all be able to keep it up!
Perfect! Thanks Callum! And with that, Behind the Screens presents Callum to you. If you haven’t already, definitely check out his AO3 and Tumblr for your daily dose of Fluff and Angst, all linked below. You can always keep the conversation going: respond to his thoughts, ask more questions, or just swing by for a chat with him at anytime. (He, as well as most of the BTS artists, also frequent Discord, if that’s more your pace!)
Tumblr: Snaeken
AO3: Snaeken
Ask Box: Snaeken Ask
Finally, a colossal thank you goes out to him for being so open to share his life and creative talent with us! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I hope everyone is staying warm and Thiam-filled today. We will see you next week!
Have a Thiam Creator you fan over, from any platform (AO3, Tumblr, Wattpad, Instagram, FFN, etc)? Definitely drop us their names. Bonus points if you include any questions you’re dying to ask them.
Likewise, if you as the creator, would like to be a part of the Behind the Screens series, give us a shout too! We’d love to get to know you, as well.
