#theo raeken meta

[bisexualbuckleyy]

why theo’s actions in season 6 make the most sense if he’s in love with liam: a theo raeken meta

so this is my explanation for why i strongly believe that theo is in love with liam for at least the entirety of 6B, if not longer, and why his character arc makes the most sense if that is the case.

so obviously, throughout season 5, theo did not care about anyone from the mccall pack. he pretended to so that he could manipulate them, but he didn’t genuinely care about any of them. when tara drags him into hell, they all stand by and watch, so they don’t exactly part on great terms. when liam brings theo back in 6A, he’s very clearly been changed by his experiences in the skinwalker prison, and acts very differently than he had previously. he initially reacts with violence, but pretty quickly stops and even lets malia beat him up, showing that he feels some remorse for his actions, or at least feels that he still deserves to be punished for them.

theo’s actions right after he comes back are motivated solely out of a desire to stay alive, they only brought him back because they thought he could help, so he assumes that as soon as he couldn’t help they would just send him back, which is why he makes them break the sword. and after that, he doesn’t want to go back on his word and risk them just killing him anyways, so he helps them. however, this is when his actions begin to go beyond purely self serving.

the reason why he initially sticks with liam is because there’s literally no one else there, so it’s purely for the sake of survival. he even says “i’m on your side as long as it helps me” and straight up says that he would abandon liam to be taken/killed if it meant saving himself. however, he fairly quickly does the exact opposite, even after liam says that he would use theo as bait. theo fights the ghost riders alongside liam, and then makes sure that liam is out of harms way and risks his own life to protect him, “being the bait,” as he tells liam. you could argue that this is because theo thought liam had a better chance at saving the others, but their plan from the start was just to distract the ghost riders, so it would make more sense for it to be him trying to protect liam.

so the question is, why does he care? liam hasn’t demonstrated much of an interest in protecting him aside from saying that theo was his responsibility, even admitting that he wouldn’t protect theo or try to save him, and theo didn’t show much of an interest in protecting anyone else, but theo throws himself in the line of fire pretty quickly to protect liam. he even specifically says “i did all of this to keep you from being taken” when liam tells him about his plan to go into the wild hunt, flat out admitting that his actions were motivated solely by a desire to protect liam. if it was a platonic motivation or some sense of guilt, it would have made much more sense for him to be trying to protect scott or stiles, who he’d more directly hurt in season 5, but instead he’s focused on liam. therefore, it makes more sense for it to be romantically motivated, even if theo doesn’t fully understand his feelings at that point.

in 6B, his feelings become even more evident. logically, there wasn’t really a reason for theo to stay in beacon hills. he had a car, he could have skipped town and gone far away from everyone else, but he didn’t. the question is, why did he stay? you might say that it was because of scott, that he was angling for forgiveness or a pack, but he never really expresses any interest in forgiveness or becoming a part of the pack. and more importantly, he spends at least 80% of his screen time in 6B with liam. from the moment liam brings theo back from hell, theo pretty much attaches himself to liam, and almost every single significant scene theo has in season 6 is with liam. he has more scenes with liam than with any other character, and he seems to have a particular fixation on helping/protecting liam in 6B.

so why is that the case? if he was doing any of this for scott, it would have been much more evident, but he doesn’t seem to care much about getting scott’s forgiveness or becoming part of the pack. he also doesn’t show this level of dedication to any of the other pack members, at least until the end. if theo was doing any of this out of a sense of guilt or to seek forgiveness/redemption, he would have focused on scott or even malia, but likely not liam. therefore, this particular fixation on liam makes the most sense if theo had started developing feelings for liam after liam saved him from the skinwalker prison and broke the sword, and fell in love with him sometime before/during 6B. theo is a self-admitted survivalist, and him constantly risking his life and safety just to protect liam makes significantly more sense if there were romantic feelings involved.

[momentofmemory]

If you were going to add an episode to Teen Wolf, what would it be about?

Oh i so got u bestie; i have so many thoughts about a bonus episode in between Codominance and Sword and the Spirit (5x13 to 5x14)!! The overarching theme of the episode would be trust—how it's been broken, how it's been healed, who you choose to put your faith into (and why), etc.

A-Plot

Scott seeks out, finds, and confronts Deucalion, in response to discovering Theo is looking for him at the end of Codominance. I think you could still keep the tension of whether or not Deucalion is double crossing Scott or triple crossing Theo, and then that final showdown will feel less out of nowhere

The main people involved here would be Scott, Kira, and Stiles, as Kira processes what all happened with the skinwalkers, particularly re: her test, and gets some closure between her & Scott re: her fox

In order for it to make sense that she goes back to the skinwalkers after Codominance highlighted how much she doesn't want to be with them, this episode would have to do some groundwork of her realizing she wasn't in control when she killed the oni and "beat" the test. We see her break her sword in the next episode, so i think maybe she should try to use it again in this one—and fail. This provides some really interesting stakes for Eichen & Scott's faith in her

Also i think scira deserve a talk about scott lying to her, and feel like this could be related to the crater in his chest he also won't talk about. I think his trust in Eichen could really elevated if Scira had a scene where Scott tells her the truth about just how big her fox is, and he trusts her not only with that information, but that she can still do it

Also also Scott and Stiles actually talk about Scott dying for heaven's sake!!! We needed it so bad and I think this would be a good time for it, especially as Kira finds out about it for the first time. Then we get a sciles hug bc i said so

How their varied fears of the nogitsune vs kira's kitsune plays in very heavily here, too

Ahem so anyway this resolves with a tense scene between Scott & Deucalion where you're really not sure if you can trust him at all, and afterwards Scott is worried he's making a bad call—and Stiles says it's okay, because he doesn't trust Deucalion, he trusts Scott, and Kira follows him up by saying that either way, this time, the pack will be there to back him up.

B-Plot

I hate Eichen so bad but I think it would've helped if Lydia had had scenes with Valack when she's more cogent/given more agency—maybe something that clarifies what he was doing with Peter at the end of s4 and how that led to her?

I feel like this would have to be in a mindscape, same as she has with Meredith, so Lydia is able to respond coherently/isn't just a prop to talk at

This could also clarify some of Valack's goals/motivations more concretely and foreshadow Lydia's victory over him in Lie Ability

C-Plot

Instead of Theo telling Malia he'll help her at the end of Codominance, their arc would be drawn out over the episode. This would heighten the tension of her having to depend on him, while allowing her to wrestle more explicitly with whether or not she's looking so she can kill the Desert Wolf, or to save Deaton

At the same time Scott is reckoning with his death, Theo is reckoning with Scott's resurrection—prompted, perhaps, by Corey having realized Scott was scared of Theo in the tunnels, the same way Corey was scared of Scott

Misc

I'd love a scene with Liam & his Dad—a werewolf reveal, preferably, +Liam processing his choices re: Scott & Hayden with someone that loves him, but is removed enough from the situation to comment on Liam's responsibility

I could get a Deaton & Corinne scene, as a Treat<3

[lycoperdales]

Was Scott naive, or just the opposite?

This is of course referencing season 5 and Scott’s trust in Theo.

Personally, I never really saw it as a sign of naivety or stupidity that Scott trusted Theo. He saw a person that needed help, and decided it was his mission to help that person.

Of course it totally helped that Theo’s “bite story” was so similar to Scott’s; that he was taken advantage of and turned into something violent and out of control against his will by a terrible alpha. But I think it’s worth looking at the key differences that must’ve moved Scott.

Scott had Stiles, then Allison and Derek. After that he had Deaton, his mother, even Chris all helping him learn about the supernatural and most importantly, keeping him human. Theo had no one and Scott knows this.

There’s this song line from the Smiths that goes:

“it’s so easy to laugh, it’s so easy to hate, it takes guts to be gentle and kind”

and that’s the closest I will ever come to finding a verbal equivalent for the generosity and kindness that is portrayed in characters like Scott McCall.

He knows that he can be betrayed, he knows he can get hurt, but he does it anyways. Because it’s all worth it if he can help someone. And he did. So many characters changed for the better all because Scott reached out first, and when he got hurt he reached out again.

I think it’s such a beautiful and raw quality and it does something terrible to my soul when such a quality is perverted into stupidity or carelessness.

Trusting Theo was a conscious act, and no matter the outcome, that has to be commendable.

[thyfggfy]

Originally I wasn't planning on making a chapter about Theo Raeken . I've considered it , but then I was like "What the hell am I going to talk about?"

However , after some time , an interesting idea popped up in my head - "What if Theo uses clothes as tools for manipulation?"

So this would definitely be more of a theory than an actual analysis and I would surerely be pulling shit out of my ass so bear with me here.

What I mean by this qestion is that Theo seems to dress according to his current goal in mind . Basically dressing for success . Examples:

When he is confronting the Dread Doctors about Hayden or when he introduces himself to the McCall pack for the first time he wears a jacket that makes him look sharp , imposing , capable , worthy of acknowledgment

2. On his first day of school he wears the most basic outfit possible - jeans with a black hoodie which essentially screams "I am just an average guy. There is nothing to see here .No suspicious activity to witness at ALLLLLL"

3. When he convices Donovan to go after Stiles he wears a short sleeved button-up that makes him look smart , presentable , reasonable

4. When he tries to win Corey over on his side he wears a pink sweater which makes him look approachable , friendly ,soft even

5. During Lydia's rescue he is the only one from both packs to wear short sleevees which shows confidence , like he knows what he is doing even though he doesn't .

In season 6 he only has two goals : To survive and gain support from McCall's pack . That is why his outfits seem a lot more interchangeable . He is also homeless,but that is not important.

He wears a lot more layers and his outfits are meant serve one purpose only - provide protection

All of this might have been me just blabbering , but I think this can work as a concept.

Considering the fact that everything about Theo is just lies and deception to the point where you have to wonder if there is a genuine version of him or if that maybe in a weird twisted way that his most authentic version.

Parts : Jackson ; Derek ; Liam ; Mason ; Scott.1 ; Scott.2 ; Stiles.1 ; Stiles.2

[allhalesterekstilinski]

I want to talk about the Teen Wolf siblings, particularly their age differences.

Brett is a freshman in season 4. We don’t know how old Lori is, but later she says Brett only accepted the scholarship at Devenford if they would accept her as well. This means either Devenford includes some middle school as well as high school, Lori was smart enough to skip a grade or two, Brett and Lori are 9 months apart, or they’re twins. It’s also possible she’s a couple years younger and was only recently accepted, but since he bargained for her from the beginning, I don’t think it’s as likely.

Based on the short audio clips from “Motel California” it sounds like Boyd and Alicia were close in age, both pretty young, but when we see her body she looks a little older. I would assume he’s older since he was in charge of watching her.

Malia and Kylie were close in age based on the framed photo in her room. In “Ghosted” Kylie has mysteriously aged from about 7 to about 12. Though this is likely due to forgetting information and not caring enough to fact check their own work.

The same could be said for Theo and Tara. They seem to be close in age, but the actresses playing Tara look like different ages. I would guess in season 5 flashbacks she was 11 or 12 when Theo was 9, but in season 6 she looks 17.

Isaac is 16 in season 2 and Camden would have been 24. There is a discrepency unless I’m missing something. Since season 2 is early in the year I’m willing to bet Camden would be 25 later in the year. If Isaac is 16 and Camden would be 24, that’s an 8 year gap. But if he graduated in 2006, he was born in 1988 and is approximately 6 years older. There’s no concrete evidence of when either of their birthdays are, so perhaps Isaac’s birthday is before Camden’s and there’s a short period of time the gap is 7 years. The calendar puts his birthday in February.

Kate said that growing up Chris always tried to make her look like the bad guy.  In 3B Chris says he was 18-years-old 24 years ago putting Chris’s birth year about 1969. Kate was born in 1983. That is a 14 year gap. Either she exaggerated or lied, which I would believe, or Chris was an incredibly shitty brother, which I would also believe. Could you imagine 17 year old Chris blaming 3 year old Kate for him coming home late one night or breaking their mom’s favorite vase?

We don’t know how old Gerard is. Alexander was 27 when he died. Alexander was 19/20 years older than Chris, so Gerard was probably in his early to mid twenties when Chris was born. A lot of actors’ ages coincide with their character’s approximate age. Michael Hogan was born in 1949, so if Gerard is around his age, he’s 20 years older than Chris and 34 years older than Kate. But then he would one year older than Alexander. Not impossible, but he is likely older.

Hayden is about 16 in season 5 because she can drive. The youngest a cop can be is 20, so at the very least Clark is 4 years older. It sounds like Clark had been her guardian for a while, so the gap is likely larger.

If we are going to believe the “In Memorium” video from MTV, Laura was born in 1982 and Peter was born in 1976. We never actually know how old Derek is. Jeff said his ID, putting his birthday in November 1988, was fake, but why? What is the significance of it being fake? It served no purpose and I think Jeff just wanted to fuck with us. Especially because it’s not canon in the show, he said it outside of the show. And if we believe the calendar that makes Derek a Christmas baby, why would he make himself only a month and a half older?

I’m going to assume Derek was “with” Kate leading up closely to the fire, meaning late 2004. If Derek was 16, or almost 16 if his birthday is Christmas, that would put his birthday in 1988. So in the pilot he’s 22. In the script he was meant to be 19 but then he was aged up because Jeff thought it was more important to traumatize him than find a way around it. In 3A Cora says she’s 17, which would put them at a 5 year gap. Laura is 6 years older than Derek and 11 years older than Cora. And if Cora was 11 by January of 2005, she was born in 1993.

I don’t know if this is canon or fanon that Talia raised Peter. Regardless, he is about 5 years older than Laura, 12 years older than Derek, and 17 years older than Cora. But Talia would have to be at the youngest 8 years older than Peter, and that’s if she had Laura at 13. In “Visionary” she appears to be about mid-forties. If this is within a year of the fire, then Peter is 26/27. The gap between Peter and Talia could range from 8 to 20 years.

I’m just so interested in these dynamics.

[teenwolf-meta]

We're excited to announce the return of Meta May Mondays! Throughout the month of May, we’re encouraging people to post meta. We have some themes suggested for each Monday in May below, but all meta that fits our guidelines is welcome! Generally, we are looking for canon-compliant meta based on good faith analysis of the show, of at least 100 words. 

If you’d like to play, remember to tag your post with #twmetamay or mention us @teenwolf-meta so we can reblog your work!

Suggested Themes:

May 6: Power. What does power mean to different characters? How do they become more powerful? Whose powers do you think are the most fun? What exactly is Josh's power based on? Tell us your thoughts!

May 13: Place. The high school, the Hale house, the Nemeton, the bowling alley--Beacon Hills has some fascinating places! Tell us your thoughts on the role of location in Teen Wolf, or explore more abstract concepts of place.

May 20: Pack. What does pack mean? How is it defined and negotiated? How do the packs differ from each other?

May 27: Pain. It keeps you human, or so some think, and if it's about surviving, isn't a little agony worth it? This day's theme is about exploring the nature and impact of pain, or what it means to take pain, or other thoughts you might have.

[equallyloyalandlethal]

One of our fave things is this fandom and ship is to say Liam is the sunshine to Theo being moonlight, and while I'm not one for overly saccharine comparisons like that, it's too accurate to not use.

Theo is the moon because of how he changes, waxing and waning, trying to find a place, but really only being able to to be seen when he's given light to reflect. there's a side that everyone knows is there but no one can get a look at without being invited in. people are scared of him because he's different, something is off about him because he's too quiet and too loud, too hard to find and too bright all at once. he's what people can't understand but are drawn to because ultimately he's a safehaven. what could they tell him that's worse than what he's lived? he is soft and careful, cradling the secrets he's given, or a fierce protector, twisting the shadows of leafless trees into monster hands chasing innocents through the forest.

Liam is the sun, but not just because of what he gives to others or how he is the one you can always count on to be there, loyal and dependable to a damn fault. no, not for the gentleness he can show, but for the dangers he could pose. people can't look straight at who he is deep down without turning away bc it messes with how they perceive him. sunlight is supposed to be so good and gentle, but he's so angry and scared, no wonder his temper flares and lashes out at the nearest thing, unleashing the power of a raging gas ball. he brings out the best in people around him, always giving, always trying to prove that he's the softest thing around since baby bunnies, but he can't help but hurt people when they try to pay too much attention to him.

together they are balanced. one let the other step out of the shadows, truly shining for the first time while in turn the moon gives the sun a break, offering a place to rest and let go of his stranglehold on the core of himself. they push each other in a take and give, encouraging the other to grow and settle into themselves.

[spikeface]

Thinking about the fact that, according to Jeff Davis, the Surgeon created the Pathologist and the Geneticist. Since that fact never showed up on the show I don’t usually deal with it, but it’s interesting to think about the impact that would have had on Theo’s conception of himself.

Because if the Doctors are three like souls who found each other, then Theo is pretty firmly outside of their little club, their failed protege turned errand boy. But if the Surgeon and Theo are the only actual people, while the Pathologist and the Geneticist are advanced automata, then I think Theo’s personal connection to the Surgeon would have been stronger, and might explain how he’s willing to push a bit despite his obvious fear of all three of them. It also puts Theo in an interesting dynamic with the Pathologist and the Geneticist, where he’s essentially competing with them to be the Surgeon’s best creation, a better doll than the other dolls.

Written for day 3 of @theoraekenapperciation - platonic relationships

[blackhholes]

Water Symbolism in Teen Wolf

The Symbolic Function of Water by Timothy Iles / Water Imagery in Seize the Day by Clinton W. Trowbridge / Water as a symbol of Transcendence and Renewal in Medieval Poetry by Virginia L. Morell

[kissyourdemons]

We don’t talk enough about the fact that Scott is indirectly responsible for Tracey and Josh’s deaths. Just because it was Theo’s claws that ended their lives doesn’t absolve Scott of his role making that happen.

Theo wanted a pack and killing it wasn’t part of his original plan. He only killed Tracy and Josh because Deucalion lied to him and told him it was how he could achieve his end goal of becoming an alpha. Scott’s thing has always been to find another way and yet this was the plan he went with? Granted, Scott didn’t know exactly what Deucalion would do, but what else did his expect from the demon wolf who slaughtered entire packs?

While, yes, Theo made the choice to act on Deucalion’s words, it doesn’t change Scott’s role in it all. Too many fics gloss over this and I just wish they didn’t. Scott’s humanity has always been a core value of his character, but that doesn’t only mean the nice parts. Yes, he’s very forgiving and trusting. But he also makes mistakes and those mistakes hurt the people around him. It’s a disservice to Scott’s character as well, because really, what’s more human than making the wrong judgement call that gets two teenaged killed at the hands of a child soldier?

[adrianfridge]

Teen Wolf is a werewolf soap opera horror that gradually changes into a gritty horror thriller. And I’d like to explore that in terms of its campiness.

For me, the campiness is determined by the personality of the villain. I’m going to focus on their theoretical willingness to put on the most flamboyant outfits, but that’s merely an illustration of their vibes.

Season 1 has Peter and Kate, who, if we’re being honest, would both go on stage wearing just the most glitter, feathers, and wig to have an epic lip syncing battle. There would be surprise outfit reveals and at least one would do a split. It would go down in history. 10/10 perfection

Season 2 has Matt and Gerard. Matt would only reluctantly put on an outfit, and it’d be something spandex to emulate the superhero comics he reads. Meanwhile Gerard would be eating up the frenzy that Kate and Peter left behind. His outfit would be more grand than both of them combined. He only pretends he’s retired while being the Final Boss of Drag Race. 9/10 some hesitation to cheer for an incel but grandpa can work those high heels

Season 3A has Jennifer and Deucalion. Jennifer is gothic rock opera chic. She’ll flip her hair while singing soprano in an obsidian gown. And Deucalion? He’s gone mad from losing to Gerard at Drag Race, and now he’s back for a rematch, this time with a BDSM-kink themed outfit to display he’s gone darkside. 8/10 trying a little hard but I can get behind it

Season 3B is the Nogitsune. It’s here when the show begins to get more serious, which I think is the wrong lesson the writing room took from its popularity. The Nogitsune has multiple outfit changes. It is kabuki theater. It is a troll dressed as Stiles while wearing the most bombastic display of practical special effects. There’s a smoke machine running underneath the robe that lights up with each step while a soundtrack plays. 100/10 Megamind would be proud

Season 4 is a mixed bag. It promises a rematch of Peter and Kate, but it doesn’t do either of them justice. Instead they’re pushed to the sideline in favor of a more traditional thriller Benefactor arc. The one highlight is the episode 4x07, Weaponized, which has The Chemist bringing back the pizazz (highly recommended; the episode is practically a one shot with everything you love from the early seasons). 5/10 averages to meh

Seasons 5-6 are entirely dedicated to seriousness.

Season 5A is Theo and the Dread Doctors. Theo is like if you took Matt and then squeezed out any joy. He’d refuse to dress up because he’d feel it’s beneath him. Meanwhile the Dread Doctors, who are already in full Steampunk attire, are doing nothing with it. As stiff as mannequins. All business, no play. They’re just here to get the job done and leave. 3/10 but has the potential

In season 5B we get Valack and the Beast, aka Sebastien. Valack, whose power is to disguise himself as other people, is the type to hate costumes. He’s going to wear an accurate reproduction of a medical professional, and he’s going to be annoying about it. Sebastien tries to be camp but it comes off like a parent incorrectly using lingo to try to be hip around their child. No one wants to see it. 1/10 please stop

Season 6A has… a literal Nazi. And the Ghost Riders, who only know how to walk a cat walk. They’d make great supermodels if their job wasn’t to make people forget they exist. 0/10 I want my money back

Season 6B is just straight up trying to be an allegory for modern day political discourse. There’s also the Anuk-Ite, a creepy-pasta knock-off of the greatest hits. You can’t even look at it without being turned to stone. -100/10 I’d rather fight a muskrat on twatter

Ultimately, my point is you lose much of the dramatic flair after season 3B. For many people, such as myself, it’s a disservice to why I started the show. But for other people it’s a good turn since they prefer the gritty realness. It ends up being one of the many reasons for the split in fandom over the direction of the show. And I can bet money that the movie is going to suck all the glamor out of the Nogitsune in favor of the same sort of straight-laced horror the later seasons embodied. Which is to say some people will love it, and it’s not going to be me or Megamind.

[mastermindlor]

On Theo Raeken and Manipulation

Introduction:

The purpose of this is to explore what manipulation really does and the effects it can have on people – especially young children. And, as should be no surprise to anyone, it is also an ode to Theo Raeken. A defense of Theo Raeken, if you will. I’ll be referencing three scholarly articles, one Tumblr post, and the show Teen Wolf (obviously). But, I will admit, most of this is speculative. I’m going to try hard to keep it to canon, but I know my bias is going to be in there. But instead of stating it as fact, I’ll ask open-ended questions you can feel free to fight with me about. But this really isn’t the post I intended on making. I intended to write a pure essay on defending Theo Raeken, but that’s been done before no one listens. I thought I’d switch it up and put my Psychology degree to good use, finally. Okay, that’s enough introduction. Let’s roll.

Who is Theo Raeken?

If you don’t know, you should probably stop reading unless you really care about manipulation and its effects. I’m writing this assuming you know who Theo Raeken is and why he needs defended.

Definitions of Manipulation

All of this comes from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344540018_PSYCHOLOGICAL_ASPECTS_OF_MANIPULATION_WITHIN_AN_INTERPERSONAL_INTERACTION_MANIPULATIONS_AND_MANIPULATORS. They refer to different types of manipulation, and use other terms for it occasionally. They start by defining “influence during interaction” – a subtype of manipulation – from psychological dictionaries as “a process when an individual is changing the behavior of another person as well as his/her attitudes, intentions, ideas, as a result of the person’s activity.” Cause and effect changes occur in the person’s mind, such as psychological characteristics of the individual*, group norms, public opinion, et cetera. Psychological impact can be explicit or implicit, depending on whether the goals of the manipulator are communicated in advance and not hidden. This is clearly the case in season 5 – Theo knows all about the Dread Doctors’ plan – but whose to say it was always like this? You can assume perhaps it was, if he knew what he was doing it for when he took Tara’s heart. But just because they told him one thing doesn’t mean they told him everything – did he know of their master plan when he was 8/9/10 (I wish canon gave us an actual age)? We have no way of knowing this, so for the sake of this article we’re going with the assumption both occurred at different stages. But implicit (covert) psychological influence emphasizes its destructive characteristics. Meaning, manipulation, at its core, can be positive or negative, depending on what the person is being manipulated to do. But obviously Theo wasn’t selected to do benevolent things, so we can get a sense of implicit manipulation here.

There is a latent impact in manipulation that can make the victim susceptible to pursuing various goals and intentions of the initiator. I talked to Des (the wonderful @bendystrah) about this particular point. Once again, what we know about Theo’s childhood is very limited. We don’t know what all he did for the ten-ish years he was with them. We don’t know what all they did to him. We don’t know a lot. But this point is saying the victim can be persuaded into doing what the perpetrator wants, even if they’re not their own goals or intentions. I bring up this point for a reason. We all know in season 5 he was acting on his own free will most of the time (does he even have free will still? Or has it been totally warped and convoluted?), but we know little about what happened with Tara. We know how she died, and why she died, and who is responsible for her death (well, I’m about to refute that one actually). What we don’t know is if Theo woke up one morning and went, “Huh, I kinda want Tara’s heart actually.” You can hate Theo and claim he did, but again, we have zero evidence that points to the fact Theo was already an evil child. We all know he was being visited by the Dread Doctors before Tara’s death, so I think it’s pretty obvious they were the ones who wanted Tara’s heart to make Theo a genetic chimera. Why her heart? Why them? We don’t know that, but we do know their goals and intentions – to make Theo a genetic chimera – and they get Theo to do the dirty work for them for whatever reason. So, in this point, I am claiming it’s possible Theo was completely manipulated into doing this and didn’t have any intentions of ever doing it until he was visited by the Dread Doctors. I mean, this is literally laid out in 5x16, so I’m just talking to talk. If you aren’t insane like me and don’t remember every Theo scene in an episode by just its number, it’s where he’s talking to Stiles in the sewers.

STILES: The guy who murdered his own sister when he was nine?

THEO: Yeah, I was nine years old. I also believed a guy in a red suit came down the chimney to deliver presents. So when three people in leather masks showed up and said that my sister wanted me to have her heart, I believed them, too.

So we know what the goals and intentions of the Dread Doctors are. It’s not hard to assume Theo is telling the truth in this scene (for a number of different reasons, including why lie and it lines up nicely with our theory), and, if he is, it goes to show he was psychologically influenced into doing this.

Furthermore, manipulation is always negative. Even if the goals were altruistic – which they are clearly not here – the process of manipulation is a negative one. This doesn’t really tie into our thesis here, but it is important to note.

The object of manipulation is viewed “as a means of achieving one’s own goals . . . without taking into account the interests, will, desire of the other side.” Meaning: the Dread Doctors didn’t care what Theo wanted. He was not their equal. They didn’t sit around a table and gently ask Theo what his interests, will, and desire was. We’ll never know Theo’s true interests, will, and desire before it was warped* into something else.

Okay, this next point is a bit complicated and is giving me a little bit of a headache (and I’m also a little high, which is so fun to admit to in an essay). But basically, “the manipulative impact focused on personality structures is characterized by the actualization of an interpersonal conflict, when the recipient of the manipulation is held responsible for the choice made through suffering in doubt.” So let’s break that down. That’s basically saying, there’s an impact of manipulation in which the victim is held responsible for what they did while being manipulated and thus feels interpersonal conflict. And obviously Theo is. No one ever argues the point that he killed his sister. And I’m not claiming otherwise, so don’t come at me yet, but this definition is claiming the victim of the manipulation is not at fault for their actions, but the person manipulating them is. And, as a result of this, the victim has interpersonal conflict. I mean, do I even need to say it? Theo’s entire Hell is this interpersonal conflict. To continue, it is claimed that “this type of manipulation the exploitation of the personality, because here . . . the desire [is] to shift the responsibility for the committed actions to the recipient, while the manipulator gets the win.” Once again, this claims the victim is not responsible for their actions, but the perpetrator(s) of the manipulation is. Now is where it gets tricky, and starts to give me a headache. It is said in these cases “it is extremely important for the manipular to create an illusion of choice for the agent of influence” and “when a person is sure that he/she is acting of his/her own free will, he/she will do much more than when he/she knows that he/she is fulfilling someone else’s decisions imposed on him/her.” Okay. I took a break (finally) and now I’m back. Knuckles cracked and everything. So, what this is talking about is when the manipulator wants something but, for whatever reason, doesn’t want to do it themselves and thus use the victim as a conduit to carry out their crime. They make it feel like the victim’s idea, because this makes the victim more likely to do it. I talked to Des about this one too, and what conclusion I came to was how this could possibly – possibly, still no coming at me yet – be the case with Theo’s desire to kill Scott. We know Theo wants Scott dead for his powers. But do the Dread Doctors also want him dead? That, here, is the key question. Me and Des think yes, as having Scott out of the way would make their work easier. But they don’t care so much that they’ll do it themselves. But what if they, really, want Theo to kill Scott? We don’t know if they do or don’t, so we can’t say for sure either way. I’ve done a little research on this but can’t seem to find any solid conclusions on the matter (trust me when I say I looked). So this one isn’t really sturdy, but it’s an interesting theory that the Dread Doctors allowed Theo to feel like he was making his own choices when really he was just helping the Dread Doctors carry out their plans. Maybe they, too, wanted the chaos and discord within the Pack. Now, obviously bringing the Chimeras back wasn’t their goal – hello, why kill them, then? – but I believe they also could’ve stopped Theo had they wanted to. They could’ve stopped Theo from doing anything if they had wanted to. The fact that they didn’t doesn’t point to them being nice and chill and just letting Theo do what he wants. To me, this is more likely stemming from the fact that, somehow, this all fit into their master plan – or, at least, didn’t interfere with it. But, like I said, if they wanted to stop Theo from doing any of this, they could’ve. Which makes me wonder if Theo’s free will wasn’t as free as it appears.

This article also mentions how authority is a particularly sound influence, but I will also explore a similar topic later on so I won’t bother with it now.

*This definition refers to the fact manipulation can cause changes in the psychological characteristics. Now, as a later source mentions, we will never know the full story of Theo’s childhood. All we know is what the show tells us, which isn’t a lot. But we can assume he wasn’t, like, one of those “evil children” who were just “born that way.” Because Scott or Stiles would’ve mentioned that, if he’d gone around killing animals or something. You can argue they didn’t know, but we also have literally zero evidence that he did do anything like that, so it’s a weird assumption to make. He had asthma, and played Little League, and no one ever mentions anything blaringly wrong with his early childhood. What I’m getting at here is a change in psychological characteristics. Maybe Theo was evil before, and that’s why the Dread Doctors targeted him. Or maybe he wasn’t, and went through actual psychological changes in his characteristics which caused him to act differently than he ever would have had he not been put on this path.

*In season 5, his interests, will, and desire are having a Pack and having power. These are his intentions and goals. First of all, I want to note that none of his goals are “murder.” Does murder fall into his plan? Absolutely. He’s clearly very much okay with it. But it’s not like his motivations are as shallow as “killing is fun!” He has reasons to kill Tracy and Josh, and reasons for wanting Scott dead. You can argue what he did to Scott was the worst thing he did, because he killed him out of emotion, not gaining anything from it. I know I’m basically saying premeditated murder is better, but that’s not what I mean. I just mean it isn’t like he originally set out to kill people for a good time. Killing people just happened to be the way to get what he wanted. Furthermore, who knows what his intentions would’ve been had he not lived the life he did? His intentions were formed as reactions. Wanting a Pack was a response to, well, not having one. And wanting power was a response to having none. If he’d been able to live a normal life, there’s no reason to assume he would’ve ever had aspirations like that.

Who is Manipulated?

Everything in this section comes from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8905186/. This article, actually, does not explore the heading at all. It explores radicalization in a religious sense in prisoners who were manipulated. But, the data in the article made it worth using for our purposes here. Starting with the fact “that the process of radicalization follows several phases, during which the recruiters indoctrinate and prepare young people for the use of violence.” And that sentence is what this section is really about: youth. This section will demonstrate how crucial of a factor age is, and what that says about Theo.

“According to this model, recruiters identify their targets in vulnerable contexts.” What this means is that the victim is usually already vulnerable in the eyes of the manipulator. Now, we don’t know why the Dread Doctors chose Theo. We know, like, three things about his early childhood, and none of those three things are even his age. But one of the three things is that he had asthma. Okay, you say, so did Scott. Well, maybe the Dread Doctors were looking for someone who had asthma and also a sibling. That sounds unlikely, but I’m simply illustrating the point that it is a possible weakness he had in his health, making him potentially already vulnerable. Or maybe he had shitty parents. Or maybe he had great parents. We don’t know anything else about his childhood. So we can’t really confirm this point, but what’s important is that we can also not deny it.

Next, “the first phase is psychological submission (emotional radicalization), whereby the young person loses their autonomy and becomes dependent.” Well, this is pretty obvious. The Dread Doctors took Theo away from his parents, and thus he became entirely dependent on them. What else is an 8/9/10 year old supposed to do? He has to depend on them, he has no other options. He can’t just depend on himself, because how is an 8/9/10 year old supposed to have or make money? How’s he supposed to eat? Where is he supposed to sleep? So, yeah, he’s dependent. But, this is also “achieved by using persuasive and aggressive communication strategies, such as social isolation and inducing confusion between reality and fantasy.” We definitely can check the social isolation. Now’s where one of the Tumblr articles comes in. In this post (https://demonzdust.tumblr.com/post/178486817906/part-i-introduction-theo-before-the-dread) the author states that, “We know that the Dread Doctors kidnap and experiment on people while they are still conscious. We also know that they are capable of inducing hallucinations. They can do all of this unbeknownst to others. That leaves them with a lot of tools to shape a young Theo into what they wanted.” I reference this post because it says what I wanted to say better and more succinctly than I could. Especially the part regarding the hallucinations, and how that ties into the article’s point about inducing confusion between reality and fantasy. Like we’ve said, we don’t know what all the Dread Doctors did to Theo. But it’s entirely possible they confused his reality and fantasy, at least for a period of time.

Now we get more into the actual article, which is about religious radicalization. But we’re going to spin this into a Theo context. “Finally, in the third phase of violent disinhibition and legitimization (violent radicalization), the recruit validates the use of violence by associating with the mistreatment and oppression allegedly suffered by their new group, identifies the enemy, and shifts responsibility by making an attack essential to improving their situation.” Okay, that was a lot of words. Let’s break it down. In short, for there to be violent radicalization, setting a clear enemy and making the victim feel like attacking that enemy is the only way to improve their situation must be present. This goes back to my earlier point about the Dread Doctors and possibly wanting Scott dead/chaos and discord in the Pack. Did the Dread Doctors convince him this Pack consisting of his old friends was the enemy? Did they make him think they needed to be disbanded for Theo to get his own Pack and the power he’s craving? We don’t know. We can’t say yes, but we also can’t say no.

Next is where we get into the youth aspect of this section. Youth is noted as “a particularly relevant stage in the radicalization process.” We know Theo is young. As young as 8 when this started, and around 18 during season 5. This article talks about 20-28 being young, so Theo would fall into the category of being extremely young. If youth is a relevant age in radicalizing 20-28 year olds, what exactly does it do to someone who might be 8 years old? The article continues by stating, “Age could be considered a risk factor for radicalization.” Which just means that Theo had a risk factor already before ever being visited by the Dread Doctors. Why? Why is being young more of a risk factor? Well, I’m glad you asked, because I have answers. 

The experience of more extreme and variable emotions

Greater threat/stress sensitivity

Commitment with violence

Basically, young people experience more extreme and variable emotions due to “deficits in both emotional regulation and emotion reactivity (sensitivity).” This also applies to the second point, and why threat/stress sensitivity is greater. Now, the last part is more for adolescents than a child. But it states that the youth are more likely to engage in risky behaviors and commit more violence than other age groups. Now, these are not reasons Theo is the way he is. Everyone is a child/adolescent at some point. But these are risk factors, and they could have played a role in making Theo more susceptible to manipulation and violence.

Barely Even Human

Yeah, I know it was cruel to name this section that. But it fits. Everything in this section comes from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-manipulation/. This article defines manipulation as “radical programming or reprogramming of all or most of an agent’s beliefs, desires, and other mental states.” The thought is that “that manipulative influences bypass the target’s capacity for rational deliberation.” This is implying that the Dread Doctors and their manipulation of Theo could’ve bypassed his ability to really think about the choices he was making. This has long-lasting implications. If we believe this to be true, it is possible that the Theo we see simply doesn’t have a “capacity for rational deliberation.” Meaning, he acts in irrational ways, or ways that look irrational to others but seem rational to  him because he lacks the ability to purposefully and calculatingly make decisions. Instead, he acts in a way that meets his most basic survival needs. And what does a wolf need? A Pack. And what does someone who has been manipulated for a decade need? Power. He needs a Pack and power, and thus those are his goals. Are they rationally deliberated goals? We don’t know, but this article suggests the possibility that the answer is no.

“Manipulation is commonly used aggressively, as a way to harm the manipulator’s target, or at least to benefit the manipulator at the target’s expense.” This point doesn’t have a lot to do with the points I’m making in this essay, but it does make me sad for Theo.

“Another natural way to account for the wrongness of manipulation would be to claim that it violates, undermines, or is otherwise antithetical to the target’s personal autonomy.” This is, more or less, what we talked about earlier. That Theo may never have made any of the decisions he made if not for the Dread Doctors. This implies none of this was done out of his own personal desire to do so, and that it may very well be things he never would have done otherwise. The article goes onto further state that, “It is natural to regard [manipulation] as interfering with autonomous decision-making. The idea that manipulation is wrong because it undermines autonomous choice is implicit in discussions of manipulation as a potential invalidator of consent.” Meaning, Theo’s consent wasn’t important during the time he spent with the Dread Doctors. The Dread Doctors didn’t take it into consideration. This doesn’t mean he actively did things he didn’t consent to doing, but it does bring up the possibility for further discussion.

Lastly, this article states that, “In this view, manipulation involves treating the target as a device to be operated rather than an agent to be reasoned with.” We already know the Dread Doctors viewed Theo as an object. Whether he could be a success or a failure. They never cared about him as a person, merely as a tool to do things they couldn’t/didn’t want to do. If you view Theo this way – as a device to be operated – it takes away some of the blame placed upon him for his actions. He was wound up and made to go, simply put.

Conclusions

TL;DR: Manipulation is bad. Don’t do it. Theo was manipulated, and primed to be so because of his status as a youth. In this essay, we explored his actions and the possibilities behind why they occurred. Our conclusions are that it’s entirely possible he was completely manipulated by the Dread Doctors and thus acted as a puppet whilst they pulled the strings.

If you disagree with anything I said, let me know. But not just in a “screw you you’re stupid” way. Let’s have an actual conversation.

I hope you enjoyed this at least a little bit, or learned something from this. This is Kay, signing off (for now . . . ).

xoxo, kay

[lycoperdales]

I think I’ve realised why a lot of the fandom don’t really like or understand Scott.

It took rewatching the show so many times for me to see that the show doesn’t really like to focus on what motivate Scott’s decisions as they do for others.

You are aware of Stiles insecurities in season 5a because you see him waking up from nightmares, you hear him talk about how the nogitsune made him feel inherently evil and guilty. You also know that during the late stages of his mother’s dementia, she blamed him for her condition. This makes him scared to tell the truth about Donovan’s death.

You understand Theo’s fear in season 6 because you saw him go through a hell loop in which he was repeatedly killed brutally and violently for a crime he was manipulated into doing (because yes, it was revealed that he was manipulated). You also feel bad for him because of his homelessness and loneliness.

But Scott’s anger towards Derek for biting teenagers was hardly explained at all.

Scott wanting to constantly save people that he doesn’t even know is only implied for a few seconds.

In season 4, Scott, by Kira’s sword, experienced a scenario in which no matter what he did, he ended up killing Liam. What was that? I didn’t even understand it until a parallel experience (Theo’s) was created that I was like “Ah. Scott created his own personal circle of hell to punish himself for doing something that he didn’t even do.”

This was such a monumental aspect to add depth to his character but it was just never mentioned again.

And my guess as to why this is his biggest fear?

Because a year ago he was transformed into an angry thing with claws, fangs and a taste for blood. He was controlled to want to kill the people he loved and almost did it. Then after he learned control, he was constantly told that it was now in his nature to kill and him NOT WANTING PEOPLE DEAD was regarded as naive.

And not even a season later after this hellscape, his biggest fear is realised. He is forcibly stripped from his control, again.

While I’m here I want to address the statement I made earlier about what motivates him to save people at his own expense.

Do you remember after the pack read the book about dread doctors and they started unlocking memories? At first I’ll admit I thought Scott’s was so stupid, “The rest of the pack remembered such gruesome things and Scott is just remembering his dog die?? What the hell??”

But then I read an explanation online on what the memory was. Apparently his dog died saving his life.

Now I know why Scott works at the clinic, now I know why he is studying so hard to be a vet, now I know why he constantly pushed himself to stop others from getting hurt (crossing the mountain ash barrier, trying to fight the dread doctors even though he could barely breathe).

All of these decisions had such a pure motive that I had to find out by literally searching “Scott memory explanation season 5 teen wolf”

[rosalinesurvived]

Teen Wolf’s Mason Hewitt-while mainly a side character-undergoes a character arc which subtly conveys to the audience about the deconstruction of goodness and purity-perceived, internal, or real within him; both on a morality scale: such as his eventual murders of innocents and his acceptance of “with the bad guys Corey Bryant” but also on a deeply personal scale, as he is revealed to be the Beast–thus fully entering the world of supernaturals, something considered to be cruel and evil within his pack after being the only human within it-and hosts Sebastian Valet in his mind. Furthermore, the reveal of his absorption of his twin at conception, thus being a genetic chimera after they were considered by him to be a bad guys implicates him inside and shatters his code of morality as he previously states he would rather die than be with the bad guys and yet is revealed to be a so called “bad guy” proving to the audience that his arc is largely centred around the meaning of morality, and humanity and goodness, and yet also the darkening of a person however unwillingly. In this essay I will–

[allhalesterekstilinski]

For a show that revolves around the lunar cycle, no one did any research. It's easy to google. I know it's a fictional show where anything can happen and I think I'm the only person this really bothers, but I'm still going to complain about it.

Everything is so jumbled in this show, if I miss a full moon, let me know and I'll add my two cents.

Here is my source.

Season 1

According to TW (ATTW): The wolf moon is right after school starts for the semester. It's on a Friday.

Reality: The wolf moon was January 19th. It was a Wednesday.

ATTW: The snow moon was sometime after February 7th since that is when "Night School" took place and the full moon was in "Lunatic." February 7th was a Wednesday since the radio DJ said the school was closed Thursday and Friday and today is Monday, so the 12th.

Reality: The snow moon was February 18th. This was a Friday. February 7th was a Monday and the 12th would be Saturday.

Season 2

ATTW: There is a full moon in "Shape Shifted."

Reality: This would not be possible since there is very little space between the last and the next full moon.

ATTW: The worm moon is on Lydia's birthday.

Reality: This would make Lydia's birthday March 19th. It was a Saturday.

Season 3

ATTW: The sturgeon moon took place during "Chaos Rising" and "Fireflies."

Reality: This would have been August 13th and 14th. I have reason to believe it was August since California schools typically start then. The 13th and 14th was Saturday and Sunday, despite the fact there was school during both episodes.

ATTW: In "The Girl Who Knew Too Much" Allison says this, "So it's my fault that you've been lying to me for the past two months?" Placing the rest of 3A in October. And during "Lunar Ellipse" there was a lunar eclipse.

Reality: The hunter's moon was October 11th. The only total lunar eclipses in 2011 were in June and December. And no partial solar eclipses were in October, either.

ATTW: The news article about Malia says the accident took place on September 17, 2005.

Reality: The harvest moon was September 18th.

Season 4

ATTW: The wolf moon takes place shortly after Liam is bitten ("Muted" and "The Benefactor"). The full moon is also seen in "117" when Kate loses control at the gas station.

Reality: The wolf moon was January 9th. It was a Monday, which doesn't make sense since the previous episode (when Liam was bit) they had been at school. It could not have been in "117" and "The Benefactor." You could argue "117" wasn't the full moon and Kate was just struggling, but she has no problem shifting into the werejaguar at will in "The Divine Move."

Season 5

ATTW: Scott chains up Liam because he's having trouble with the full moon. This is also the day right before school starts.

Reality: There were two full moons in August 2012. The sturgeon moon was August 1st and was a Wednesday. Perhaps a little early for school to start, but not totally impossible. The blue moon was August 31st and was a Friday. We can likely rule this one out as the beginning of season five.

ATTW: At the end of 5A, they reference the super moon.

Reality: The only super moon in 2012 was in May.

I'm not sure when the end of 5A is, but the following full moons include Saturday September 29th, Monday October 29th, Wednesday November 28th, and Friday December 28th. I doubt 5A lasted from early August to anything later than October.

Season 6

ATTW: In "After Images" Brett and Lori die and Liam is exposed as a werewolf on the full moon.

Reality: This date is likely Tuesday August 20th.

[teenwolf-meta]

The third suggested theme for Meta May Mondays is Pack!

What does pack mean? How is it defined and negotiated? How do the packs differ from each other?

Throughout the month of May, we’re encouraging people to post meta. We have some themes suggested for each Monday in May below, but all meta that fits our guidelines is welcome! Generally, we are looking for canon-compliant meta based on good faith analysis of the show, of at least 100 words. 

If you’d like to play, remember to tag your post with #twmetamay or mention us @teenwolf-meta so we can reblog your work!