Stydia Through the Year

January 3 – Ghosted 6x06 5 – The Last Chimera 5x11 6 – Anchors 3x13 10 – Heartless 6x07 13 – More Bad than Good 3x14 20 – Galvanize 3x15 24 – Memory Found 6x09 26 – The Sword & the Spirit 5x14 31 – Riders on the Storm 6x10

February 2 – Amplification 5x15 9 – Lie Ability 5x16

March 8 – Apotheosis 5x20 10 – De-Void 3x22 24 – Divine Move 3x24

June 3 – Omega 2x01 & Tattoo 3x01 11 – Ice Pick 2x03 17 – Fireflies 3x03 18 – Abomination 2x04

July 1 – Frayed 3x05 8 – Motel California 3x06 13 – Condition Terminal 5x04 15 – Currents 3x07 20 – A Novel Approach 5x05 28 – Orphaned 4x06

August 6 – Battlefield 2x11 8 – Formality 1x11 12 – Alpha Pact 3x11 13 – Master Plan 2x12 18 – Perishable 4x09

September 8 – Smoke and Mirrors 4x12 24 – Wolves of War 6x20

November 15 – Memory Lost 6x01 22 – Superposition 6x02

December 6 – Relics 6x04 13 – Radio Silence 6x05

But you know how I'll feel? I'll be devastated. And if you die... I will literally go out of my freaking mind.

Hey, so after the TW movie came out, even though I have never and will never watch it, it kind of ruined stydia for me for a *long* time. But this week I accidentally read a sterek story (you know that annoying thing where it's tagged as gen and you only realise like 3/4 way though that this otherwise really good story is actually sterek 🤮) and it was actually a very good palate cleanser because now my faith in stydia is restored and those babes are my otp again 🥰

I’m glad! I hate thinking that the movie that doesn't exist could ruin Stydia for anyone. We waited too many years and have too many unforgettable moments to let a 2-hour mistake undo the magic that is and always will be Stydia.

I'll admit, I had my panic when the movie was first announced. But when it came out, I basically just closed my eyes, covered my ears, and held my nose until the frenzy died down (which thankfully, didn't take long😉). In the meantime, I continued with my WIP and stuck like glue to the Stiles and Lydia we know and love.

Thanks so much for sharing this! You may have found your way back to Stiles and Lydia in an unlikely place, but that's just further proof that true love for an otp—especially one as iconic as Stydia—can never really be lost 🧡💙

Have you listened to Taylor Swift’s new album? Sweet Nothing, Snow On the Beach, and even Mastermind are giving me Stydia vibes

Yes, I have, and I’m definitely getting some Stydia vibes from each of these songs. Like I said in this post, there are times when I’m convinced that Taylor is a Stydia fan. I mean…

Sweet Nothing – This little gem has those it's the end of the world but we still have each other vibes. And isn’t that kind of the heart of Stydia? The world could be crashing down around them, but they always find ways to hold on to each other. It’s so reflective of Stiles and the way he sees Lydia. How he never asks anything of her. He just loves her and her brilliant mind, and he lets her know it in every possible way. Lydia is in the lyrics too. The peace she finds in Stiles and in the connection they share. The way she finds a safe place in him and chooses to make it her home.

Snow on the Beach – This one has these super soft, gentle, Stydia through the years kind of vibes – how everything else fades out of view when they’re together, feeling something so pure with each other they can hardly speak of it. It also has some pretty strong 6a vibes. Lydia catching glimmers of Stiles – this undefined light – everywhere she goes, her memories of him slowly drifting back throughout the day and night. And who could forget their breathlessly awestruck reunion? Both of them fighting to get back to each other for so long that when it finally happens, it feels impossibly surreal—and beautiful. Ugh…I’m getting misty over the parallels!

On a personal note, there's the mention of the aurora borealis, which – even though it’s not a canon Stydia reference, has special meaning for me since I wrote the northern lights into Falling Slowly. And for those of you who don’t already know, Dylan O’Brien played the drums for this song so…automatic Stydia vibes there too.

Mastermind – For one thing, the title reminds me of episode 2x12 (Master Plan) – an episode which has one of the most touching Stydia moments in their unforgettable development. For another, there’s the whole concept of Stiles with his undying affection for Lydia and his ten-year plan to get her to fall in love with him. (The one which he was willing to stretch to fifteen but didn’t have to 😉) There is also the line: And the touch of a hand lit the fuse… which reminds me how much grew from the first two times Stydia held hands – first at the formal and then when they were ice skating, and how both of those times, Lydia was the one who initiated it. How about the fact that Stydia literally just need to be in the same room and magic begins to happen?

One more common thread – there is nothing accidental about Stydia. In a few short years, they went through the gauntlet. They survived high school in Beacon Hills. They overcame alphas…and nogitsune…and more hospital stays than anyone should have in a lifetime...and oh yeah, being separated by supernaturally imposed divergences in space and time. They went in and out of relationships that weren’t right for them, followed their hearts and chose each other. The divine move of two masterminds, indeed!

Well, that was probably more of a response than you bargained for! Thanks for giving me another reason to ramble about Stydia🧡💙

Do you have any headcanons for stiles and Lydia’s relationship between the ghost riders and the end of senior year? I love imagining them as a couple around school, and how they interact with each other when they’re new in their relationship.

Do I have headcanons? Probably more than are healthy for any one person to have. I can’t help it. I also love thinking about Stydia, during this time in particular... Those first few days when they are both so relieved and awestruck and just so damned happy to finally be together. The two of them transitioning into this new part of their life together – not just as the problem-solving, genius power couple of Beacon Hills, but as a proper romantic couple as well. It’s delicious! There is trauma to deal with (of course) but also so much potential for cuteness...and awkwardness, and like deeply profound, intensely passionate moments too. This is probably one of the most remarkable and precious times in either of their lives. No supernatural drama. Just them and a whole lot of Love and maybe some stardust sprinkled on top. So yeah, I’ve imagined detailed headcanons about a bunch of things: their first night after the Wild Hunt, if/when Lydia says I love you, their second first date, etc... (all of which you can read here if you are so inclined). But since you mentioned their school life, I’ll try to stay on point.

Okay, so I think the time from when Stiles returns until the end of the school year is relatively brief. A week? Maybe two? Nevertheless, I’m sure we could squeeze in a few all of these...

Stiles drives Lydia to school in the Jeep every morning. Because it’s part of their story. It’s been with them from their very first date...all the way to the unforgettable moment when Stiles first told Lydia he loves her. Every time they climb inside, they remember that and so much more. They’ve shared meals in there, lost and caught up on sleep in there, laughed and cried in there. Their fingers have touched across the console countless times. Even when Stiles was gone and Lydia’s memories were stripped away, she always knew the Jeep belonged to him. They were in different dimensions, but they spoke to each other on its radio. This Jeep is sacred to them both. Always will be. And hey, they need moments like this – moments anchored by routine, the two of them doing something as mundane as driving to school each day. It helps them feel like normal teens. It helps them feel safe again.

As for how they interact throughout the day, there’s a saying: Everything changes, everything stays the same. I think that pretty accurately sums up the nature of Stydia’s relationship during this time, especially at school. They still share those secret looks and shy, only for you smiles. They still spend free periods together and sit together at lunch. They still meet by their lockers between classes and at the end of the day. But there’s a subtle shift too. They are a couple now, and while I think they keep their public displays of affection relatively low key, they definitely aren’t trying to hide their relationship either. They stand closer than they used to and hold eye contact for longer than they ever allowed themselves to do in the past. When their arms or hands or fingers graze, it’s intentional, and they don’t move away. They walk to class – slower now, so they can spend every possible second together. Whenever they pass the locker room, they pause for a few extra seconds.

Stiles’s hand is still perpetually hovering at Lydia’s back. But now it’s at her low back instead of her shoulder blade. Maybe he makes contact more often than he used to, and maybe she leans into it too. It feels good. His touch steadies her. Sometimes he tucks flyaway strands of hair behind her ear before whispering things to her. He lets his thumb linger on the pulse in her neck so he can feel it racing for him. Sometimes he sneaks kisses on her cheek that make her blush. That’s right. Lydia blushes now. Far more than she ever did in the past. Because of Stiles. Sometimes he puts his arm around her and talks right against her temple. She still purses her lips to conceal her smile – but not when it’s just the two of them. Then, she can’t help from breaking into a beautiful, goofy grin. It happens more times than she cares to count.

Lydia looks at Stiles. A lot. Sometimes, she still can’t believe he is really there, that they’re finally together. She’s been waiting for this – not just since he was taken from her, even before then – nearly a year. Now it’s happened. Now she gets to love him. More and more, she realizes just how much she likes taking care of him. She buys him his favorite drink at lunch. She always has a pen at the ready because he always manages to lose his. Maybe she fixes the collars of his flannel when they get caught under the strap of his backpack. And Stiles likes to take care of Lydia too. He shares his French fries with her and carries her books. When they are huddled in a quiet corner of the library, he makes sure she never gets the chair with the wobbly leg. If she asks to borrow his hoodie, he smiles his adorable, crooked smile and wraps her up in it, dropping a kiss on her forehead for good measure.

After an entire day of whirling around each other like two satellites, they go home together, usually to Stiles’s house. That’s when more magic happens. They shut the door behind them, and they get to be the Stiles and Lydia they have always been with each other. Except, you know... now they also have in-depth make out sessions on his bed or even the floor. Stiles talks to Lydia in between kisses. Sometimes he rambles, which makes her giggle. More often than not, he’ll say something so simple, so downright pure and sincere that tears start leaking from the corners of her eyes. She keeps kissing him though. She wants to kiss him forever. Sometimes they stay in bed and read together. Sometimes they relocate to the couch in the living room to watch tv. They make dinner, always saving a plate for Noah. They need these moments too. The more normal, the better.

Later on, Lydia helps Stiles catch up on some of the schoolwork he missed. There is no question he will graduate – on time and with honors – but it’s a good excuse to spend more time together. When he gets distracted, she writes sweet messages in the margins of his notebooks so he can find them later on. She gets nervous every time she is about to tell Stiles that she loves him. Right before the words leave her lips, her stomach does a somersault, but she says them anyway. And the look on his face when she does makes the nerves turn to butterflies. She can’t wait to say them again.

If/when it’s time to go home, Stiles drives really slow. Lydia’s eyes never leave his face. She doesn’t want to glance out the window and see how close they are to her house. They walk to her front door together. They never say good-bye. They only say see you tomorrow. Stiles texts Lydia the minute he gets back home, so she knows he is safe.

Every night, they go to sleep counting the minutes until their next reunion. Lydia wears Stiles's jersey or one of his flannels to bed. He has one of her hair ties looped around his wrist and her photo on the nightstand, always within arm’s reach. And because their lives are never completely without angst, sometimes they have nightmares. Stiles about being back in that desolate train station. Lydia about Stiles being taken from her. They wake up breathless and sweaty and aching for the solace that only the other can provide.

If they’re fortunate enough to already be spending the night together, they hold on to each other. Stiles’s embrace is particularly tight, but Lydia doesn’t mind. She likes being able to feel his heartbeat and breaths. She tells him so, and he gives her one of his upside-down smiles. Then he kisses her mouth until neither of them can remember why they were scared anymore. Sometimes kissing is enough. Sometimes it turns into more.

If they’re apart when they have nightmares, they don’t hesitate to call each other – no matter the time. If they can’t sneak out to be together, they stay on the phone, whispering secrets in the dark. But most of the time, they find a way to meet. At first, they don’t speak. They just hug. The same way they did on the night Stiles came home. Lydia with her chin on his shoulder. Stiles with his face buried in her hair. They stay like that until they feel better. Then they sit under the stars, holding hands. They talk until sunrise, telling each other all the things they couldn’t in the past three months. They don’t even miss the hours of sleep. Nothing compares to how much they missed each other.

So uh... Those are just a few things. Off the top of my head😅 Because clearly, I haven't had time to think too deeply about any of this.