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A review by a_reader_obsessed
(Sacred) In the Ordinary by Idyll
4.0
4.5 Stars
This was definitely different.
I've got to give kudos to the author on this because for me, this was a well thought out story about the gang ten years from now. It was detailed and meticulous and the pack is stronger than ever. They have learned a lot, gone through a lot, and are wiser and seasoned to handle pretty much anything that's thrown their way. To ensure their safety they have hatched and slowly implemented a grand scheme/plan of total integration of themselves in all areas of importance that I found absolutely ingenious.
On top of that setup, this was also really about showing how much the pack has changed. They are a well oiled machine with Derek at the helm and Stiles as his second. They love each other, protect each other, help and comfort each other. They are definitely exclusive, insular and codependent and they know it, and they don't give a rat's ass who doesn't like it. You get to witness their lives and how they attack everyday problems, as well as supernatural crises.
This veers a bit off from canon but one can easily let some things go and embrace others. For me there was a particularly shocking pairing that I couldn't wrap my head around and still don't. Also the Sheriff is surprisingly in denial about a lot of things and that was eyebrow raising since I haven't come across that before.
What I appreciated the most was the mature setting because we don't see it that often. They're no longer teenagers. They've gone to college and have had relationships and now have careers and are thinking about having babies. Most impressive to me was Stiles. There's no magic but he's a grown man, a leader, who's shown he's not just a mere weak human, and is ruthless in protecting those under his care. There's obvious weight and responsibility to that and I liked it.
Several have scoffed that this is not a romance but I beg to differ. It's true that the small amount of smex that does occur doesn't happen til the end and there is no pining or cluelessness or angst in that area. Instead I felt the whole story was romantic. Granted it is in no way overt. At the core and throughout this fic is Derek and Stiles. It's about their partnership and bond and reliance on one another. They are a cohesive unit that runs the pack together. Their connection is so strong and so in sync; they know each other inside and out and I thought it was amazing to witness.
Of course I was disappointed that the obvious inevitability of these two didn't happen at the start and continue throughout. You have to suspend belief that in and amongst all the puppy piles, the platonic intimacy, and nurturing and supporting and caring and petting, that Stiles and Derek took this long to actually realize and voice their feelings. In fact it's quite a shocker it didn't happen sooner but I thought the author explained the reasoning behind that very well.
So I guess this is my longwinded argument that if you're ok with very little smexiness (I know most of us aren't, including myself) and are looking for a different but no less poignant and smart take on their epic love, then this does a pretty darn impressive job of that. Well… to me it did.
"So much of Stiles' life is intertwined with Derek's in ways it isn't with the rest of the pack. They carry each other's secrets and yes, their hidden fears and buried worries, their flaws and cracks… he knows that he wasn't on this trip alone; they took it together, him and Derek, one moment, gesture, word at a time."
This was definitely different.
I've got to give kudos to the author on this because for me, this was a well thought out story about the gang ten years from now. It was detailed and meticulous and the pack is stronger than ever. They have learned a lot, gone through a lot, and are wiser and seasoned to handle pretty much anything that's thrown their way. To ensure their safety they have hatched and slowly implemented a grand scheme/plan of total integration of themselves in all areas of importance that I found absolutely ingenious.
On top of that setup, this was also really about showing how much the pack has changed. They are a well oiled machine with Derek at the helm and Stiles as his second. They love each other, protect each other, help and comfort each other. They are definitely exclusive, insular and codependent and they know it, and they don't give a rat's ass who doesn't like it. You get to witness their lives and how they attack everyday problems, as well as supernatural crises.
This veers a bit off from canon but one can easily let some things go and embrace others. For me there was a particularly shocking pairing that I couldn't wrap my head around and still don't. Also the Sheriff is surprisingly in denial about a lot of things and that was eyebrow raising since I haven't come across that before.
What I appreciated the most was the mature setting because we don't see it that often. They're no longer teenagers. They've gone to college and have had relationships and now have careers and are thinking about having babies. Most impressive to me was Stiles. There's no magic but he's a grown man, a leader, who's shown he's not just a mere weak human, and is ruthless in protecting those under his care. There's obvious weight and responsibility to that and I liked it.
Several have scoffed that this is not a romance but I beg to differ. It's true that the small amount of smex that does occur doesn't happen til the end and there is no pining or cluelessness or angst in that area. Instead I felt the whole story was romantic. Granted it is in no way overt. At the core and throughout this fic is Derek and Stiles. It's about their partnership and bond and reliance on one another. They are a cohesive unit that runs the pack together. Their connection is so strong and so in sync; they know each other inside and out and I thought it was amazing to witness.
Of course I was disappointed that the obvious inevitability of these two didn't happen at the start and continue throughout. You have to suspend belief that in and amongst all the puppy piles, the platonic intimacy, and nurturing and supporting and caring and petting, that Stiles and Derek took this long to actually realize and voice their feelings. In fact it's quite a shocker it didn't happen sooner but I thought the author explained the reasoning behind that very well.
So I guess this is my longwinded argument that if you're ok with very little smexiness (I know most of us aren't, including myself) and are looking for a different but no less poignant and smart take on their epic love, then this does a pretty darn impressive job of that. Well… to me it did.
"So much of Stiles' life is intertwined with Derek's in ways it isn't with the rest of the pack. They carry each other's secrets and yes, their hidden fears and buried worries, their flaws and cracks… he knows that he wasn't on this trip alone; they took it together, him and Derek, one moment, gesture, word at a time."