Ignite and Extinguish

by kaljara

Seraphina Sinclair came back to Beacon Hills with every intention to stay in the shadows. But after a year of things going (semi) smoothly, she is thrust back into the supernatural when she meets the McCall pack. And with an alpha pack and a deadly killer on the loose, Sera must come to terms with the fire and betrayal in her past in order to save a future she never imagined. S3A

24. An Update for 2023

Hello!

It's been a decade since I first posted the prologue of Ignite and Extinguish, and it's not an exaggeration to say that working on this story between the ages of 15-17 changed my life for the better. I ended up getting involved on tumblr and making friends within the Teen Wolf community at a time when I was really lonely in my teenage years, and I can't thank everyone enough for treating me with so much kindness, and my writing with so much enthusiasm.

Since I first published this fanfic, I've wanted to release a version that was polished—with more succinct writing and actual editing. As a teenager, I rarely had internet or even computer access at home, so I often had to wait until I stayed at my grandma's house so I could use her computer to write and update my fanfics. Because of that, I didn't have time to edit my work. Ignite and Extinguish (2013) was messy, redundant, and basically unedited, but I view it with nostalgia and pride. Despite all its flaws, it's still the longest piece of writing that I've finished.

Receiving feedback on Ignite gave me the confidence I needed to get my undergraduate degree in English. That confidence carried over to who I am now: someone from a tiny rural town who is finishing my graduate degree in the big city that I always dreamed about as a child.

Even after a decade, this work still receives follows and favorites, and I can't thank you all enough for your continued support. So as my summer project, I decided that I was going to make an updated version of Ignite and Extinguish that's fully edited and less redundant. The improved project is now complete, so I'll be updating the fic on and AO3 once or twice a week. Some details will be changed (I created an OC named Liam before Liam Dunbar was introduced in the show, so his name is now Cassian, etc.), but I wanted to keep the writing style as similar to my 16-year-old self's writing style as possible.

I'm also kaljara on AO3 if you're interested to see how my writing style has changed and what I've been working on in the past decade!

When I was fifteen, I had a dream about a little girl escaping the Hale fire, and that idea turned into Ignite and Extinguish. I'm so happy that I can update Sera's story in the way that it deserves. I hope you'll enjoy the improved iteration, Ignite and Extinguish (2023)!

All my love,

Harley