#sterek!fic

[sterekcollection]

"Be here in the morning just to hear me say" by hito (Sterek Fic Review)

Fan art by streamgiraph - not associated with this fic

be here in the morning just to hear me say by hito

Official Summary: Kinkmeme fill. When Scott ditches Stiles for Allison and the rest of the pack goes back to ignoring him as usual, Stiles decides to get a dog. A cat wouldn’t get along with the pack, but a puppy would have to, right? …Or not. Most definitely not. Who knew? (5,898 words)

My Take: Excellent - This was so cute! With puppy!

While I find the pack's behavior puzzling -- everyone taking a little puppy SO SERIOUSLY, and the Sterek stuff was actually kind of out of the blue -- once I suspended disbelief, I really enjoyed the story. Funny how they all take Stiles for granted until something grabs his affection and threatens their place in his life. It's just hilarious how threatened they are by the puppy. Some great lines. This story is evocative of a time (seasons 1 and 2) when Teen Wolf felt like fun.

For more slashy fanfic reviews, fan art and meta, please visit our Index of Works. Thanks!

[sterekcollection]

"The Hazards (and Benefits) of Channel-Surfing on Friday Nights" by herbeautifullie (Sterek Fic Review)

The Hazards (and Benefits) of Channel-Surfing on Friday Nights by herbeautifullie

Official Summary: He's watching TV over the edge of his laptop when Scott brings up the fact that he's still a lonely loser in his third year of college without a boyfriend which, while being completely true, is really fucking unappreciated. It sparks a desperate need to save what little manhood Stiles has and, before he knows it, he's blurting, "I totally have a boyfriend, dude. Shows how much you know." How was he supposed to know Scott would doubt him? It's not Stiles' fault that someone named Derek Hale really exists. It's also not his fault when his lie grows legs and runs so far he can't find it until it's too late – too late and standing right in front of him, gorgeous and annoyed and not at all the person Stiles made him up to be. Yeah, this could get bad. (12,175 words)

My Take: Good - this was definitely worth a read.

This was cute a cute story where Stiles pretends Derek is his boyfriend. I found I had to suspend my disbelief on a couple of points, but once I was able to do that, it was a fun story.

I think this story would have benefited from a little fleshing out, though. Events move forward at such a rapid pace, faster than I believed the characters would actually move. That said, I loved a lot of the character interactions. In particular, there was a great scene where Stiles meets Laura; and I also loved how Scott was so much in Stiles' corner that he got SO angry on Stiles' behalf. That was awesome. I love best bros forever!

Overall, it was a fast, entertaining read.

For more Sterek fanfic reviews, fan art and meta, please visit our Index of Works. Thanks!

[sterekcollection]

"Outlaw For My Love" by sullymygoodname (Sterek Fic Review)

Outlaw For My Love by Sullymygoodname

Original Summary: The sheriff suspects something going on between Stiles and Derek. Stiles is pretty adamant that that's ridiculous (little does he know that Derek might actually be interested). Meanwhile, there's a new monster in B-Hills, an old friend of the Stilinski family is back in town, and Derek is becoming a responsible adult. No, really. (39,599 words)

My Take: Excellent - my new fave mistaken!boyfriends story

I love when characters are treated with subtlety, when characterization and plot points are handled in an understated way that don’t hit readers over the head.

Derek in particular fits that bill perfectly. Stiles is semi-oblivious to his interest, largely because his interest is so subtle; but it’s clearly present as an undercurrent throughout the whole tale. As a result, I really enjoyed the nuances of their interactions. Which is why the "mistaken boyfriends" trope -- which is so easy to do wrong -- worked so well here. It was natural, not forced or plotty at all.

I do wish we could have gotten a better glimpse about WHAT Derek likes about Stiles (I want this out of 75% of the Sterek fics I read; everyone just seems to take it for granted that Derek will have epic love for Stiles). But as it is, we are left with a bevy of amusing scenes as someone, like the Sheriff, catches Stiles and Derek in seemingly compromising positions over and over. The scene in the hardware store was particularly hilarious; I still find myself chuckling over it.

I also really liked the side mystery. Its conclusion genuinely took me by surprise. I thought this novella felt like an episode of the real show (well, when the show was still good), with a serving of Sterek at the end. Awesome!

For more Sterek fanfic reviews, fan art and meta, please visit our Index of Works. Thanks!

[sterekcollection]

"Take Me With You" by menacherie (Sterek Fic Review)

Take Me With You by [Menacherie](/tagged/menacherie]

Official Summary: Derek is a lonely boy. At least, that’s what Derek’s dad said once, and Derek tends to agree with his father most of all. (4,820 words)

My Take: Good- this was definitely worth a read.

I thought this story was very interesting. It's more a character study of Derek than a Sterek fic (it's mostly pre-sterek, with the switch to the romance coming a bit too suddenly). We drift through Derek's head over the years from before the house fire to about Season 2 time-frame ... all in fewer than 5k words!

Note, you will definitely need to have seen at least the first two seasons of the show for it all to make sense. But assuming you have, this story fills in blanks left by the canon material, and does so in a thoughtful way.

For more Sterek fanfic reviews, fan art and meta, please visit our Index of Works. Thanks!

[sterekcollection]

"Operation: Stileswatch" by antpower (Sterek Fic Review)

Operation: Stileswatch by antpower

Official Summary: After the nogitsune is defeated, Derek follows Stiles around to make sure he's okay. Deputy Parrish has also been put on Stileswatch by the Sheriff. Derek doesn't think it sounds overly dramatic to say that back in school, Parrish had been his arch nemesis, and he can't forget how Parrish had usually gotten the best of him. Derek just wants to protect Stiles, that's all, and if he starts to have feelings along the way, well that's nobody else's business. And if Parrish starts to have Stiles-related feelings too, well, Derek's determined not to lose so easily this time. (25,795 words)

My Take: Excellent - this story was laugh-out-loud funny

Set after Stiles' possession by the Nogitsune but ignoring the actual end of Season 3B, this story has the pack on "Operation: Stileswatch." Everyone takes turn watching over Stiles, with Derek taking particular interest -- especially when Parrish starts showing interest in Stiles.

The first thing you have to realize about this story: it's silly. While the premise is totally believable (the gang watching over Stiles, the Sheriff assigning one of his deputies to do so as well), the way it plays out isn't really. Derek is out-of-character, albeit adorable. And the girls staging a romantic intervention with him? Cute but not believable.

But once you buy into the silly fun of the story, it's enormously entertaining. I kept chuckling aloud as I read (to the point that I earned myself a couple of strange looks at the gym).

I was a bit worried how the romantic triangle would conclude. I liked all three characters involved and didn't want anyone to get hurt. The author handled this point very well. It's clear that one of Stiles' suitors sheer depth of feeling isn't as, well, deep as the other's (bet you can guess which one); and furthermore, there's kind of a nice plot twist involving Parrish at the end that made me go, "aww..."

So if you like funny fics, or jealous!Derek fics, this one is perfect.

For more Sterek fanfic reviews, fan art and meta, please visit our Index of Works. Thanks!

[sterekcollection]

"The One Where Derek Is Courting And Stiles Fears The Zombie/Werewolf Apocalypse" (Sterek Fic Review)

The One Where Derek Is Courting And Stiles Fears The Zombie/Werewolf Apocalypse by im_not_a_lizard

Official Summary: Written for this prompt: Awkward courtship funtimes! Derek is courting Stiles in the way that all male animals go about impressing their mates. Giving them practical (if weird, like, Derek gives Stiles 10kg of steak) gifts, making a nice home (he starts renovating the old Hale house), weird shit like that. Stiles is oblivious, and Scott keeps sort of helplessly hinting at what Derek is doing to little effect. Make me giggle and squeal into my pillow anon. (8,318 words)

My Take: Good - definitely worth a read.

Fairly hilarious. Though you kind of have to suspend your disbelief in some ways, because about half of the things Derek does would require him to be stupid not to realize they're going to freak Stiles out. But once you get past that, it's a great story where Derek is courting Stiles in increasingly funny and outlandish ways, and Stiles remains totally oblivious.

It's kind of like this and this, two funny pieces of Sterek fanart.

That said, this story desperately needed to establish for me -- even just a line or two -- why Derek is doing this. I mean, it doesn't even tell us if Derek just thinks Stiles smells good, much less whatever other ways in which he might be attracted to Stiles, and I kind of needed that to be able to buy into his ridiculous efforts to woo Stiles.

For more Sterek fanfic reviews, fan art and meta, please visit our Index of Works. Thanks!

[sterekcollection]

"A Heart Is A Heavy Burden" by Lielabell (Sterek Fic Review)

Fan art by kickingshoes for this fic

A Heart Is A Heavy Burden by lielabell

Official Summary: In Which Stiles: is accosted by unhappy witches, becomes friends with fire demons, is rescued by darkly handsome wizards, discovers hidden inner depths, is introduced to princes, and finds true love. Though not necessarily in that order. (Or the Howl’s Moving Castle AU fusion fic you never knew you wanted but are delighted to have.) (41,242 words)

My Take: Great - this lovely story overflows with charm.

What a delightful story! And a well-handled crossover.

If you're familiar with "Howl's Moving Castle," you'll know that the book by Diana Wynne Jones and the movie adaptation by Studio Ghibli are both beautiful works; and also that, although they tell the same basic story, they diverge in some important ways.

Lielabell has deftly bridged the gap between both movie and book versions and "Teen Wolf." We are left with a fast-paced, engaging story that puts Stiles into the role of the Witch of the Waste's victim, cursed into a creaky, elderly body. His only hope is the powerful wizard Hale.

Aside from masterfully adapting the original story, the author has managed to keep all of the charm and whimsy of the original version alive in this one, making it a pleasure to read. Most of the Teen Wolf characters fit into the story remarkably well, including Jackson as the Fire Demon and Kate as the Witch of the Waste. (A few others feel a bit more shoehorned in, like Scott, but they detracted nothing from the fun experience of reading.) The pacing of the story was perfect, and its length was perfectly fit to the depth of story being told.

I did feel the romance was under-served. This is a your-mileage-may-vary kind of thing, because the emphasis of the original story is not romance so much as adventure; and if you're looking for the same thing here, you'll find it. But I read this stuff for Sterek, and I didn't buy into their relationship at all. They got together solely because that's what they were supposed to do. At no point did I believe they were really in love; for that matter, I couldn't even begin to tell you why the Derek of this story was interested in Stiles (but then, this is also an issue I personally have with 85% of Sterek fics I read; it's always taken for granted that of course Derek will experience epic love for Stiles).

By the way, if it's not clear, I also highly recommend the original "Howl's Moving Castle" -- both movie and book versions -- if you haven't already experienced them.

I'm sure you'll also agree that the art for this fic is absolutely gorgeous; I think it may be one of my favorite Sterek pieces ever. You can find more curated art from kickingshoes here. Her tumblr is here

For more slash fanfic and original m/m romance reviews, plus slashy art, please visit our Index of Works. Thanks!