So now that I've actually watched Teen Wolf...

[giandujakiss]

... shut up ...

I'm struck by the dramatic difference between the fic and the show, and, in particular, the way it's different.

I guess the fic was mostly written at the end of S1, and the really noticeable thing about it is an ongoing "families-we-choose" sort of vibe. In most of the fic, all of the teens (plus Derek) end up as "pack" - they may snark and bicker but they are, essentially, a family. The romances have to do with shuffling around roles within the pack, to the extent there's adventure and physical danger it comes from outside threats. Even the Argents - a family of humans who hunt werewolves - have agreed to tolerate the situation and allow their daughter to become a human member of the pack.

On the show, however, there's no sense of family/pack at all. Instead, especially as Season 2 develops, the story is about Scott - a werewolf who doesn't want to be part of a pack - caught between extreme warring factions, i.e., the Argents and Derek. There is no hint that "pack" - or even Derek - are good things; Derek is less murderous than the Argents but he's not necessarily heroic and the show itself seems to valorize Scott for his determination to stay independent of a pack/family structure.

Basically, it just reinforces for me that fandom values are not the same as mainstream media values.

Also, I was surprised at how little Derek and Stiles interact. Considering that seems to be the main 'ship.

Comments

[cathexys]

nods. I read most of the fic the days the second season started, but I think I'm drawn to the family vibe so that I kinda read it on to the show the way fandom did? with and without them so to speak.

But then i basically watch the show mostly fwding the eps that Scott's in.... *hides face*

I actually started watching being surprised why Derek and Stiles, but I think they fit certain fannish archetypes and their dynamic fits in ways that are appealing. I initially expected it to be Scott/Stiles except...Scott's so annoying and he's so hung up on Allison, that'd be hard?

[giandujakiss]

Yeah, I think that's exactly it about Derek and Stiles - they fit certain archetypes, and the fic is molded around that rather than their actual characterizations.

[cathexys]

Yes and no. I think that the show itself already borrows from these archetypes, so it's not that surprising that fanon and canon can work together nicely (self conscious overexcited nerdy witty ADD teen anyone? Someone on my flist called him Seth 2.0 )

But yes, fandom definitely has taken small parts of the show and created its own narrative :) And y'know what? I kinda like a lot of it better than what I'm seeing on screen (did I mention I don't like Scott??? :)

[giandujakiss]

Yeah, the show is not exactly original, but Stiles is way more defiant and less scared of Derek than in fic, and I think more obnoxious to him, and Derek is a lot less heroic (I think to make room for Scott as a hero).

And no, I don't think anyone likes Scott :-).

[cathexys]

Yeah, that's true. But then that's what we do, right? Make the sassy defiant more so and the heroic noble too :)

I'm just annoyed bc I thought there was a new ep tonight...now i have to wait til tomorrow (and my 14 year old won't let me live down that i'm watching MTV!!! :)