Rectober: Teen Wolf *Long* Fic - Lost Boys Don't Cry by CranApplePye (Scott & Stiles)
I didn't get a chance to read many fics this month, and I have a long bookmarked lists of fics I want to read soon...But there was one fic I read at the beginning of this month that blew my socks off. I couldn't stop reading this story, and I was so sad when I finally reached the end, so, for one last "Rectober" rec, I obviously had to sing its praises.
This reccing challenge has been fun, and I'll definitely have to try and rec fic and art more often in the future.
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Title:Lost Boys Don't Cry
Author: CranApplePye
Characters/Pairing(s) Scott & Stiles mostly
Word Count: +150k
Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence
Summary: Stiles and Scott wake up in a dark, unfamiliar tunnel after a rescue mission gone wrong, and that's only the beginning of their problems. Trapped in a labyrinth filled with deadly mysteries, their only hope of making it back home is to cooperate with the very people who landed them in this mess. Unfortunately, their unscrupulous captors have their own agenda, including plans that make maliciously good use of the young werewolf's rapid healing and the human boy's uncanny skill at solving puzzles.
While the rest of the pack struggles to figure out what has become of them, Scott and Stiles struggle to survive in a harsh reality where all they have is their determination, and each other. Pushed to the edge of endurance, there is nothing they wouldn't do for one another and no sacrifice they wouldn't make if it means the other's survival; but everything may not be as it seems. What does their situation have to do with their unique connection to the Nemeton, or the events that took place in Mexico? Are they fighting their way towards salvation, or a darkness deeper than any that can be imagined?
Why I loved it: Action adventure set in a trans-dimensional booby-trapped labyrinth with an extremely heavy dose of hurt Stiles and hurt Scott taking care of one another? Uh, hells to the yes, please. This was one of those stories that I immediately downloaded after reading, just to make sure I'd have a copy to re-read in the future. And it was so much fun that I *know* I will be re-reading it. A part of me feels I should point out that there are quite a few OCs (villains mostly), but the story flowed so smoothly, that it didn't actually *feel* like I was reading a story with so many original characters. CranApplePye did a perfect job of capturing what we love about Stiles and Scott while setting up a novel-length story that was worthy of being sold in bookstores. And it was such a pleasure to read a story where Scott played as big a part as Stiles. I mean, I adore Stiles (I write for him way too often) but usually in fics Stiles either a.) goes all badass magic!Stiles to save his pack or b.) is the whump cushion. I like both of these options, but it's refreshing to pull others into the mix. In this story Stiles and Scott are both whump cushions and they're both badass in very in-character ways, and they take care of each other during a traumatic situation in ways only best friends could manage. So, yeah, not to boss you around, but if any bit of that sounds fun to you, go read the friggin' story already!
Excerpt:
Several men emerged into the room on their right. Heavy-duty flashlights cast thick, twisting black shadows and lit up the inside of the large chamber with an almost painful brilliance that left the two teens no chance of escaping unseen.
Stiles winced, throwing a hand up to shield his eyes as the beams of the flashlights snapped immediately in their direction, training on them like a search light. That wasn't the only thing pointing at them. The click of weapons being drawn and safeties snapped off echoed audibly in the stone chamber as several wary, unfamiliar voices shouted for them to freeze.
Running blindly looked like it would be a really good way to get shot, so Stiles obeyed. He squinted against the glare, able to make out little other than the vague shapes of men pointing distinctly heavy looking weaponry in their direction.
Beside him, Scott had one arm up to shield his face, his head turned down towards the ground as if in pain as his sensitive eyes struggled to adjust to the abrupt shift in illumination. The young alpha's claws had dropped instinctively in response to the sudden threat. Seeing that, Stiles immediately started trying to sidle in front of him, automatically seeking to hide his friend from view in case he'd wolfed out completely. He edged sideways until another harsh warning to freeze forced him to fall still and abandon the attempt.
The lights lowered a little as the newcomers approached, and Stiles was finally able to make out the man in the lead. A man with salt and pepper hair, a weathered face and a discolored scar that looked like a spider web crawling up the lower part of his jaw.
"Well, well, look what we have here," the man said in an unpleasantly amused tone, recognizing the two teens at the same moment they recognized him.
Stiles felt his stomach lurch.
This reccing challenge has been fun, and I'll definitely have to try and rec fic and art more often in the future.
banner by capitu
Title:Lost Boys Don't Cry
Author: CranApplePye
Characters/Pairing(s) Scott & Stiles mostly
Word Count: +150k
Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence
Summary: Stiles and Scott wake up in a dark, unfamiliar tunnel after a rescue mission gone wrong, and that's only the beginning of their problems. Trapped in a labyrinth filled with deadly mysteries, their only hope of making it back home is to cooperate with the very people who landed them in this mess. Unfortunately, their unscrupulous captors have their own agenda, including plans that make maliciously good use of the young werewolf's rapid healing and the human boy's uncanny skill at solving puzzles.
While the rest of the pack struggles to figure out what has become of them, Scott and Stiles struggle to survive in a harsh reality where all they have is their determination, and each other. Pushed to the edge of endurance, there is nothing they wouldn't do for one another and no sacrifice they wouldn't make if it means the other's survival; but everything may not be as it seems. What does their situation have to do with their unique connection to the Nemeton, or the events that took place in Mexico? Are they fighting their way towards salvation, or a darkness deeper than any that can be imagined?
Why I loved it: Action adventure set in a trans-dimensional booby-trapped labyrinth with an extremely heavy dose of hurt Stiles and hurt Scott taking care of one another? Uh, hells to the yes, please. This was one of those stories that I immediately downloaded after reading, just to make sure I'd have a copy to re-read in the future. And it was so much fun that I *know* I will be re-reading it. A part of me feels I should point out that there are quite a few OCs (villains mostly), but the story flowed so smoothly, that it didn't actually *feel* like I was reading a story with so many original characters. CranApplePye did a perfect job of capturing what we love about Stiles and Scott while setting up a novel-length story that was worthy of being sold in bookstores. And it was such a pleasure to read a story where Scott played as big a part as Stiles. I mean, I adore Stiles (I write for him way too often) but usually in fics Stiles either a.) goes all badass magic!Stiles to save his pack or b.) is the whump cushion. I like both of these options, but it's refreshing to pull others into the mix. In this story Stiles and Scott are both whump cushions and they're both badass in very in-character ways, and they take care of each other during a traumatic situation in ways only best friends could manage. So, yeah, not to boss you around, but if any bit of that sounds fun to you, go read the friggin' story already!
Excerpt:
Several men emerged into the room on their right. Heavy-duty flashlights cast thick, twisting black shadows and lit up the inside of the large chamber with an almost painful brilliance that left the two teens no chance of escaping unseen.
Stiles winced, throwing a hand up to shield his eyes as the beams of the flashlights snapped immediately in their direction, training on them like a search light. That wasn't the only thing pointing at them. The click of weapons being drawn and safeties snapped off echoed audibly in the stone chamber as several wary, unfamiliar voices shouted for them to freeze.
Running blindly looked like it would be a really good way to get shot, so Stiles obeyed. He squinted against the glare, able to make out little other than the vague shapes of men pointing distinctly heavy looking weaponry in their direction.
Beside him, Scott had one arm up to shield his face, his head turned down towards the ground as if in pain as his sensitive eyes struggled to adjust to the abrupt shift in illumination. The young alpha's claws had dropped instinctively in response to the sudden threat. Seeing that, Stiles immediately started trying to sidle in front of him, automatically seeking to hide his friend from view in case he'd wolfed out completely. He edged sideways until another harsh warning to freeze forced him to fall still and abandon the attempt.
The lights lowered a little as the newcomers approached, and Stiles was finally able to make out the man in the lead. A man with salt and pepper hair, a weathered face and a discolored scar that looked like a spider web crawling up the lower part of his jaw.
"Well, well, look what we have here," the man said in an unpleasantly amused tone, recognizing the two teens at the same moment they recognized him.
Stiles felt his stomach lurch.