"Will to Follow Through" by owlpostagain
Title: Will to Follow Through
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairing: Derek/Stiles
Categories: First time, friendship
Length: Epic (42,411)
Warnings: None
Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: AO3
Podficcer on LJ: N/A
Podficcer Website: AO3
Review: This story lingers lovingly over a stage that a lot of Derek/Stiles fics skip right over -- Stiles's transition from being in love with/ignored by Lydia and barely tolerating Derek, to being friends with Lydia and having feelings for Derek. Right after the end of season two, Stiles (still physically and emotionally bruised from his encounter with Gerard) realizes two important things. First, that since Jackson and Allison have both left town, Lydia could use a good friend . . . or more. And second, that maybe things would run more smoothly if Scott and Derek actually communicated with each other. Naturally, he sees himself as the solution to both of these problems. But as Scott increasingly begins to ignore him in favor of hanging out with Isaac, Stiles realizes that he is not so much stepping into the empty space left in Lydia's life, as she and Danny are filling the void in his.
Although I love the developing romance between Derek and Stiles (I'm a sucker for hurt/comfort and trust issues with these characters, and owlpostagain delivers those things in spades), it's actually the friendships that really draw me into this story. Stiles feels authentically 16 to me in this story, in a way that he rarely does in fanfiction. And the author captured how quickly friendships can change, especially in the teenage years. The developing friendship between Stiles, Lydia, and Danny is a refreshing counterpoint to the supernatural drama going on in the rest of the story, and it works well to highlight Stiles's developing attraction to Derek.
Make sure to also check out the podfic! I listened to it today while packing, and absolutely loved it. Beryllinthranox has crisp pronunciation and brings just the right amount of emotion to the performance.
Will to Follow Through
[podfic] Will to Follow Through
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairing: Derek/Stiles
Categories: First time, friendship
Length: Epic (42,411)
Warnings: None
Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: AO3
Podficcer on LJ: N/A
Podficcer Website: AO3
Review: This story lingers lovingly over a stage that a lot of Derek/Stiles fics skip right over -- Stiles's transition from being in love with/ignored by Lydia and barely tolerating Derek, to being friends with Lydia and having feelings for Derek. Right after the end of season two, Stiles (still physically and emotionally bruised from his encounter with Gerard) realizes two important things. First, that since Jackson and Allison have both left town, Lydia could use a good friend . . . or more. And second, that maybe things would run more smoothly if Scott and Derek actually communicated with each other. Naturally, he sees himself as the solution to both of these problems. But as Scott increasingly begins to ignore him in favor of hanging out with Isaac, Stiles realizes that he is not so much stepping into the empty space left in Lydia's life, as she and Danny are filling the void in his.
Although I love the developing romance between Derek and Stiles (I'm a sucker for hurt/comfort and trust issues with these characters, and owlpostagain delivers those things in spades), it's actually the friendships that really draw me into this story. Stiles feels authentically 16 to me in this story, in a way that he rarely does in fanfiction. And the author captured how quickly friendships can change, especially in the teenage years. The developing friendship between Stiles, Lydia, and Danny is a refreshing counterpoint to the supernatural drama going on in the rest of the story, and it works well to highlight Stiles's developing attraction to Derek.
Make sure to also check out the podfic! I listened to it today while packing, and absolutely loved it. Beryllinthranox has crisp pronunciation and brings just the right amount of emotion to the performance.
Will to Follow Through
[podfic] Will to Follow Through