#This is a draft from November 2022

[imredtee]

Understandable, have a great day

[spider-xan]

To this rule, Dr. Jekyll was no exception; and as he now sat on the opposite side of the fire—a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty, with something of a slyish cast perhaps, but every mark of capacity and kindness—you could see by his looks that he cherished for Mr. Utterson a sincere and warm affection.

I'm not sure how many people are aware of this, but there are two different versions of the bolded descriptor going around that depends on which edition you're reading, and while the difference seems minor, I would argue that it makes a significant difference in terms of the first impression we get of Jekyll and the themes that will be obvious by the end of the novella.

The edition I previously read has the line as 'something of a stylish cast', which would suggest that Jekyll is a man of refined taste who has a fashionable air about him and cares about his personal appearance; however, it reads oddly because it's supposed to be in opposition to the next part about him being kind, but stylishness isn't a negative trait that would preclude the capacity for good; it may give us insight into his character in the sense that he cares about his outward appearance and reputation, which will come into play later, but overall, the description taken as a whole has a very warm and positive vibe.

The edition that the Jekyll and Hyde Weekly updates are using has the 'something of a slyish cast' version, which immediately has connotations of sneakiness and cunning, and is in direct opposition to what follows - almost as if the narrator is reassuring the reader that yes, he looks shifty, but he's really a kind-hearted person; so off the bat, this is a description that reads as slightly more foreboding and introduces the idea of men having multitudes, albeit not in a split personality way so much as humans being neither wholly good nor entirely evil.

Both adjectives suit Jekyll's character, but it's interesting how vastly each one alters the first impression despite there only being a few letters' difference in spelling between the two words.

[stuntghoul]

getting nine inch nailed to the cross ✌🏻 ✌🏻 happy stigmata tuesday everyone

[megatraven]

vampire trying to break into your car but it cant without an invitation and youre all smug about it and you go "hah it's MY car i'll never give you an invitation" but then the vampire calls up its buddy at the dmv (the place drains a person, of course it's ran by vampires) and has the plates ran and, oh, it's not your car at all because you still owe $24k on it. so it grins and calls up ANOTHER buddy and she like runs the bank that gave you the loan for your car or whatever and it asks "can i have permission to enter the car" and she's like "yeah of course" and the door opens wide and there's nowhere else to go now so you die

[prowl-autism-extraordinaire]

whirl as a character is so interesting to me because he’s in intense ptsd-fueled fight or flight at all times. he isnt normal and his reactions arent normal because there is something wrong with him. he’s traumatized and has trauma disorder. so

[possuminnit]

SPINS AROUND OHH IM SO... Sorry I'm. okay., I made possuminnit back when my user was still catastrophiccate but I was really scared to talk about him because he was my little guy and I didn't want someone to look at him and go huh cool and snatch it out of my hands, since I am a little guy on the internet.. but I'm Soo glad I started posting about him because he's just my favorite thing and ohh I've gotten so many lovely friends since I started posting about him and living up to my url once I changed it to this.. thank you for loving my little guy :)<3

[notoriousdogooder]

i die but its ok bc eden knows taxidermy and its like I never left :)

[catgirlkirigiri]

Feral/anthro furry scale I constantly think about

Strictly feral. Animals with minimal anthropomorphic traits, such as speech and human emotion/expression/relationships. Societal structure is or is arguably close to what would be found in nature. These types of worlds often coexist with humans in some way. Some examples of category 1 media include Watership Down (books/movie/miniseries), Warrior Cats (books), and Wolves of the Beyond (books)

Feral. Animals with more anthropomorphic traits than feral but still not very much, such as the above traits as well as tool usage, and a small boost to dexterity. Societal structure begins to become more human than animal, with additions such as towns, farming, and even possibly domestication and clothing. These types of worlds often coexist with humans in some way. Some examples of category 2 media include Guardians of Ga’hoole (books/movie) and Swordbird (books)

The middle ground. Animals with anthropomorphic traits that are still clearly animals, such as the above traits as well as the capablitiy for bipedalism (think real-world bears) and human-like dexterity despite still having paws/talons/fins/etc. Societal structure is often now very similar to humanity, with additions such as all of the above as well as simple government systems and even possibly an economy. These types of worlds may coexist with humans in some way or may replace humanity. Some examples of category 3 media include No North (webcomic) and Roadside Romeo (movie)

Anthro. Animals with anthropomorphic traits that are beginning to be more human than wild animal though there is still significance to the characters being animals, such as the above traits as well as full bipedalism and overall more humanoid anatomy. Societal structure has now come to match that of our own world, with additions such as all of the above as well as complex government systems and room for multiple country-like entities that may interact. These types of worlds may coexist with humans in some way or may replace humanity. Some examples of category 4 media include Zootopia (Movie), The Bad Guys (Movie), and Kung Fu Panda (movies)

Strictly anthro. Animals that pretty much just take the place of humans with few, if any, animal traits. The stories and worlds of these characters would be almost completely unaffected if the characters were made human instead, and the furry nature of the characters is often used solely for marketability, a metaphor, or simply because they're easier for an artist to draw. These types of worlds often replace humanity. Some examples of category 5 media include Sing (movie) and Lackadaisy (webcomic)

[sylestial]

The stars speak to me in a language I do not know but do understand

[ionkent]

jayjon goncharov au

[juokkos]

something about people making places their own that i absolutely love. comic strips cut out of newspapers taped on the breakroom door at work. there's a hunk calendar from 2019 with a sticky note wishing you a nice work day ;) at the laptop charging station. the forklifts are covered in stickers and have names like bitch69, christ, and THE END taped on their fronts. the pallet truck in the receiving department is affectionately named tomppa. there are printed out quotes like "idiots try to maintain order, geniuses rule the chaos" and pictures of cute animals on the walls and sides of shelfs of the warehouse. the cardboard covers under the stairs are covered in drawings and doodles, and so are the construction paper covers of the cage trolleys <3

[yvesdot]

August 21-31. If I can just finish August and September and October today, I can reasonably end Dracula Daily on time with everyone else tomorrow...

2023 EDIT: LOL.

AUGUST 21

A shame my return to commentary is marked by this passage specifically. I just don't have much to say about Drac's receipt.

AUGUST 23

Just to remind everyone of what exactly I'm offering with this commentary, I'd like to take this moment to note another Victorian who referenced (Benjamin) Disraeli in his work: Lewis Carroll, whose text of Alice in Wonderland might reference Disraeli and accompanying artwork (by John Tenniel) almost certainly does. I'm no good study of historical politics nor even Alice; this is just something I've seen batted around to the point that I can't see the name "Disraeli" without thinking "Hatter."

To completely change topic, I'm curious about the bat symbolism throughout vampire lore. I know much of it is for the simple reason of nocturnality and bloodsucking, but somehow I feel as if there's so much more to pull from the animal metaphor than I have now. As always, beep me if you've got something!

AUGUST 24

Nurse follows HIPAA law rather than tell Mina that her husband has been talking about strange and fearsome women in the night. Based!

The wedding ring used to seal the horrors away... marriage abolishers would have a field day with this. Heck, the way Mina says she must stop writing to her friend because she must attend to Her Husband... the gears are racing in my mind. I apologize for not having much more substantive material to offer here, but it's all gears as of right now.

AUGUST 24 (LATE EDITION)

*No late edition this year (2023)! I'm working off the old segmentings, so I can catch up with the original missives.

I know there are more charitable readings, but it strikes me again and again how insistent Stoker is on Lucy's lack of knowledge of her own condition. This returns with Mina, too, so that the men have to not only treat but diagnose the concern, which is far from coincidental, in my opinion. Women don't know what's wrong with them-- even that something is wrong with them-- until men point it out, so therefore it is the solemn duty of men to always and forever be pointing out the problems of these perpetually malaised women. Ugh!

AUGUST 25

AUGUST 30

It's funny the way this could read as pregnancy in another context-- I wonder if that was purposeful, and whether it would've crossed people's minds at the time. We did just get Lucy's distress at not being able to romance more than one man...

AUGUST 31

One thing about men is they will just not tell women any information because their stupid weak hearts would explode if they heard. Lucy can't know about her mother; her mother can't know about Lucy; good thing Arthur Holmwood is there to carry all these giant important facts in his brain or else everyone involved would surely perish.

You can see why I have little patience for this book.

General thoughts:

I haven't read much vampstuff as of late, or I would tell you about it here. I have a lot of different things I'm excited about and a good deal of recommendations since I began my commentary, but the only thing I've actually read between our last Dracula-related communication and this one is this article on how Dracula's appearance specifically comes from eugenicist ideas of what criminals look like. The linked article is horrifically uncritical of the theory, and even less interested in interrogating why the (white, Christian, crucially abstinent) vampires of Twilight are described another way. Well, there you are, I suppose; the state of vampire discourse in this world-- not to claim that I can do any better.

I am also disappointed (but not surprised?) to find that people are now reading Dracula as an abusive relationship story. To me this is like reading it as a story about the dangers of female independence-- you're playing right into Stoker's poorly writing hands. I mean, seriously, people; you see a racialized caricature sexually preying on women and you take it at face value? Just read Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson for the love of God.

And with that endorsement for a genuinely good book, our 2023 DracDaily annotations are on the road! Pop back in weekly for more thoughts from me ^__^ Thanks much to everyone who requested their return!

Alright fine after FOUR PEOPLE asked me about Dracula Daily I will in fact be participating if only to satisfy the masses. Instead of memes I am going to be talking about what’s going on subtextually and my varied vampire-as-metaphor thoughts. Also, I really do not like Dracula. Alright? Alright. See reblogs for later additions.

NAVIGATION:

May 7 (here) | May 8 | May 9 | May 11 | May 12 | May 15

May 16 | May 18 | May 19 | May 24 | May 25, 26 | May 28 | May 31

June 5 | June 18, 24, 25 | June 29, 30

July 1, 8, 18, 19, 20 | July 22, 24, 26-30

August 1-10 | August 11-20

May 7: In which Jonathan Harker is racist about books, and the Count declares his intent to fondle England.

Keep reading

[amischievouscat]

the urge to make a reference sheet for my fursona is crushing but art block is stronger

[nasa]

9 Out-of-This-World Moments for Space Communications & Navigation in 2023

How do astronauts and spacecraft communicate with Earth?

By using relay satellites and giant antennas around the globe! These tools are crucial to NASA’s space communications networks: the Near Space Network and the Deep Space Network, which bring back science and exploration data every day.

It’s been a great year for our space communications and navigation community, who work to maintain the networks and enhance NASA’s capabilities. Keep scrolling to learn more about our top nine moments.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, on the company's 29th commercial resupply services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 8:28 p.m. EST.

1. In November, we launched a laser communications payload, known as ILLUMA-T, to the International Space Station. Now, ILLUMA-T and the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) are exchanging data and officially complete NASA’s first two-way, end-to-end laser relay system. Laser communications can send more data at once than traditional radio wave systems – think upgrading from dial-up to fiber optic internet. ILLUMA-T and LCRD are chatting at 1.2 gigabits per second (Gbps). At that rate, you could download an average movie in under a minute.

NASA’s InSight lander captured this selfie on Mars on April 24, 2022, the 1,211th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

2. Data analyzed in 2023 from NASA’s retired InSight Mars lander provided new details about how fast the Red Planet rotates and how much it wobbles. Scientists leveraged InSight’s advanced radio technology, upgrades to the Deep Space Network, and radio signals to determine that Mars’ spin rate is increasing, while making the most precise measurements ever of Mars’ rotation.

TBIRD is demonstrating a direct-to-Earth laser communications link from low Earth orbit to a ground station on Earth.

3. We set a new high record! The TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) payload – also demonstrating laser communications like ILLUMA-T and LCRD – downlinked 4.8 terabytes of data at 200 Gbps in a single 5-minute pass. This is the highest data rate ever achieved by laser communications technology. To put it in perspective a single terabyte is the equivalent of about 500 hours of high-definition video.

A 34-meter (112-foot) wide antenna at Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex near Canberra, Australia.

4. This year we celebrated the Deep Space Network’s 60th anniversary. This international array of antennas located at three complexes in California, Spain, and Australia allow us to communicate with spacecraft at the Moon and beyond. Learn more about the Deep Space Network’s legacy and future advancements.

An illustration of the LunaNet architecture. LunaNet will bring internet-like services to the Moon.

5. We are bringing humans to the Moon with Artemis missions. During expeditions, astronauts exploring the surface are going to need internet-like capabilities to talk to mission control, understand their routes, and ensure overall safety. The space comm and nav group is working with international partners and commercial companies to develop LunaNet, and in 2023, the team released Draft LunaNet Specification Version 5, furthering development.

The High-Rate Delay Tolerant Networking node launched to the International Space Station in November and will act as a high-speed path for data.

6. In addition to laser communications, ILLUMA-T on the International Space Station is also demonstrating high-rate delay/disruption tolerant networking (HDTN). The networking node is showcasing a high-speed data path and a store-and-forward technique. HDTN ensures data reaches its final destination and isn’t lost on its path due to a disruption or delay, which are frequent in the space environment.

The Communications Services Project (CSP) partners with commercial industry to provide networking options for future spaceflight missions.

7. The space comm and nav team is embracing the growing aerospace industry by partnering with commercial companies to provide multiple networking options for science and exploration missions. Throughout 2023, our commercialization groups engaged with over 110 companies through events, one-on-one meetings, forums, conferences, and more. Over the next decade, NASA plans to transition near-Earth services from government assets to commercial infrastructure.

Middle and high school students solve a coding experiment during NASA's Office of STEM Engagement App Development Challenge. 

8. Every year, NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement sponsors the App Development Challenge, wherein middle and high school students must solve a coding challenge. This year, student groups coded an application to visualize the Moon’s South Pole region and display information for navigating the Moon’s surface. Our space communications and navigation experts judged and interviewed students about their projects and the top teams visited NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston!

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars upward after liftoff at the pad at 3:27 a.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 26, from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida carrying NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 crew members to the International Space Station. Aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft are NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov.

9. The Near Space Network supported 19 launches in 2023! Launches included Commercial Crew flights to the International Space Station, science mission launches like XRISM and the SuperBIT balloon, and many more. Once in orbit, these satellites use Near Space Network antennas and relays to send their critical data to Earth. In 2023, the Near Space Network provided over 10 million minutes of communications support to missions in space.

Here’s to another year connecting Earth and space.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[almostgenerallyalways]

mamas (don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys)

Pairing: Jake Seresin x fem!reader Category: angst / fluff / run-on sentences Word count: 3,1k CW: language, I’ve been to Texas once okay forgive me, divorce Author’s note: this was supposed to be a holiday fic but I got stuck on it and almost abandoned it, but here it is rescued from my drafts, shoutout to all the amazing tgm fic writers your writing truly astounds me

Summary: Every year around the holidays, you hear from your ex. This year when you don’t respond, he decides to show up at your door. 

2022

Jake UT  [November 23, 2022 at 10:24 PM]

Hey stranger

Visiting my mom for Thanksgiving

How’ve you been?

You ignore the message. How you’ve been in the last twelve months is not something you feel up to discussing with him.

You spend the next weeks dealing with crisis after crisis at work, leaning into the chaos like you have been all year. Your personal life? Garbage fire. Reconfiguring your entire pump setup two weeks before going to production, because the DoC slapped an import ban on one of your key suppliers in China? You’re on top of it.

But then, the week before Christmas, another message comes in:

Jake UT  [December 17th, 2022 at 3:47 PM]

Hey

In town for the holidays

Would love to see you if you’re free

Brett welcome too, of course

A pang in your chest, but curiosity gets the better of you, so you text back:

Thanksgiving and Christmas? Judy must be thrilled.

You’ve met Jake’s mom all of one time, ten years ago, but she made a lasting impression. Fiercely protective of her only son, she’d been wary of you at first (you were, in order of importance: Too non-Texan, too vegetarian, and too focused on trying to rescue an almost-due group project for your sustainable water management class in which no one was pulling their weight).

And yet, over the Thanksgiving weekend you’d spent at Jake’s mother’s house in Colton, she’d slowly warmed up to you. You’d asked her endless questions about her job as a project manager at Austin-Bergstrom, and she’d poured you half glasses of wine (still exotic, to you, back then) at the kitchen island, shooing Jake back into the living room.

She’d even called you, after you guys broke up, to say she was sorry to hear it, and to tell you to call her up any time you needed someone to talk to. You’d tried your best to keep your voice even, not to break down in tears for the seventh time that day, and never called her again.

* * *

“Dude. Put your phone away for two minutes.”

Jake looks up apologetically at his friend, and pockets the device. “Sorry. Just expecting a text.”

Sandeep holds out his bottle of Lone Star, and Jake clinks it with his own. “It’s good to see you, man. Sorry I wasn’t around at Thanksgiving, we were visiting Jed’s family in NC. I didn’t expect you to be back so soon.”

Jake takes a swig of his beer, the cold liquid feeling like a balm to his throat. “Yeah, well. It’s been a big year, work-wise, so they owed me one. I wanted to spend some extra time with my mom.”

Bringing up his drink to toast again, Sandeep says: “Here’s to you, bud. And to getting that permanent assignment in California. At least we knew where to send our holiday card this year.”

Condensation drips down the neck of his bottle, and Jake spins it slowly in his hand, stopping himself from peeling off the label. He feels on edge, unmoored, despite this 6th Street dive bar being as familiar to him as the back of his own hand.

Sandeep’s got his number. “Seeing anyone else while you’re in town? I don’t know, Myers?”

Jake doesn’t look up, but feels his cheeks heat up fractionally.

His friend takes another swig of his beer. “I guess I should stop calling her Myers. You know, with the divorce and all.”

The bottle escapes Jake’s grip, and amber liquid sloshes across the table, into Sandeep’s lap. “Shit, Seresin! Grab some napkins, will you?”

* * *

 2012

 You’d always known there was an expiration date on this thing with Jake, which is why you’d been reluctant to meet his mom to begin with.

You wanted fundamentally different things. He, the Navy: Adventure, excitement, a chance to serve his country. You: Stability. A family. A place where you belonged.

Both of you: an opportunity to prove yourself.

It’s civil, as far as breakups go.

“You always knew I wanted to fly.” He says, over breakfast at Magnolia Café. There’s a hard set to his jaw that makes you soften in contrast, because of course you do, everyone who’s ever been near Jake Seresin for longer than ten minutes knows he’s always wanted to fly.

From your first date he told you about how Judy used to park him in her office at the airport when her summer childcare fell through; little Jake happily spending the day watching commercial jets taxiing and taking off in quick succession.

How her coworkers, the civilian engineers who’d stayed on after Bergstrom Air Force Base was decommissioned and commercialized, would regale him with stories about generations of F-4 Phantoms. Or the British Airways Concorde, one of only twenty of the ill-fated aircraft ever made, bringing the Queen to Austin in a little yellow hat. The Reconnaissance Air Meet bringing in the best fighter pilots from across all divisions of the military and abroad, to compete and show off their skills.

Jake would listen to them with stars in his eyes.

You pick at your migas, your appetite gone. “I know, Jake. I would never stop you.”

But you look at him, and you know your face mirrors his determination. “But I can’t come with you, Jake. I can’t start my career following you around from camp to base year to year. I’m forty-thousand dollars in debt getting this degree, and I need to follow my own plan.”

You haven’t moved in together, though Jake spends most of his nights at your tiny off-campus apartment, where you’ve made him countless cups of black coffee trying to fuel weekend study sessions. Where he would come in past midnight, back from the late shift at his part-time job at the H-E-B, and bury his face in your neck, waking you up even though you’d been asleep for hours. Where you would hold his sleeping head to your chest, his deep breathing somehow felt inside of you, and run your fingers up and down the bare skin of his back, trying to memorize him.

You’re twenty-two, you tell yourself. This is not the end of the world.

So you see him off at the front door, a box of his things clutched to his chest, and you force yourself to be strong. “You better be,” and you try to smile up at him, but you’re not sure you’re doing a convincing job, “You better be the best goddamn pilot the Navy has ever seen, Jake.”

For a second, he looks like he wants to say something, but then he just puts down the box, and pulls you into a last embrace. You sink into it, the fundamentally safe feeling of his arms around you, then make yourself pull away after a minute, pretending you don’t see the wet stains on his shirt.

Later you look at all the spaces in your apartment he is now conspicuously absent from (no dog-eared volume of Game of Thrones on the nightstand, no boots by the door), and it hits you then; the crevasse he’s left in your life. It may run deeper than you thought.

* * *

Jake had gone to Officer Candidate School in Rhode Island, then designator-specific training in Pensacola, Florida, and done his best not to think about you.

It helped that his days were intense and exhausting. It helped that, on liberty weekends, girls would flock to him and his friends in bars.

It helped to be several states away from you.

It helped to be living his dream.

* * *

There is a bit of a backslide, that first Thanksgiving after, where you both think it can’t hurt to see each other for one drink, for old time’s sake, which ends in him taking you up against the door in your new apartment, your legs wrapped around his waist because he does not have the willpower or presence of mind to figure out the way to your bedroom.

He knows it was a mistake, at about five AM the next day, when the blue light of morning starts streaming through a gap in the curtains, illuminating your tousled hair fanned out over the pillow, the steady rise and fall of your chest so familiar to him he could cry.

Untangling himself from you hurts, and he does perhaps the most cowardly thing he ever will: he sneaks out before you wake up. But next week he’s shipping out, and the thought of the same dead-end conversation over coffee made just the way he likes it is unbearable, so he makes himself walk away.

Somehow it’s worse, the second time around.

* * *

You’d met someone else, like he’d known you would. He sees the engagement announcement on Facebook, browsing on his phone between drills, and likes the post. It’s the third year he’s been away, and he’s at TOPGUN by then, so he has a lot on his mind. He has a girlfriend, even, a local: cute as a button, beats him savagely at pool.

It doesn’t fully hit him until the first time he sees you with your then-fiancé, at a little holiday reunion of college friends. He sees you with that ring on your finger, another man’s arm around your shoulders, and he gets an acute sense of the alternate reality that could’ve been his.

It feels a little like losing altitude too fast.

Your initial reception of him is understandably frosty, but you seem too genuinely happy to hold a grudge. By the third round, when he sidles up to you at the bar, you give him a quick hug, looking up at him with a smile that squeezes his heart: “I’m so proud of you, Jake.”

He nods, not quite trusting himself to speak, and pulls you back in, just for a moment, tucking your head under his chin. You smell like apple and magnolia, like nights spent with his nose pressed into your back.

You don’t invite him to the wedding, and he’s all too glad not to have to make up an excuse not to go.

* * *

Things settle, after that. Jake gets deployed and reassigned, breaks up with his girlfriend and eventually gets another. You get promoted to senior engineer, then project lead. You see each other, not every year but close enough, sometimes with your husband there, sometimes without.

He braces himself for the next Facebook post; that you’re pregnant, but it never comes. Over time, even that seems to lose some of its potential emotional impact on him.  

Until three weeks ago, when you don’t text him back.

* * *

 2022

 You kick your shoes off in the entryway, then head into the kitchen to pour a glass of water. Before you can reach the tap, the doorbell rings, and for a second you think somehow, some way, your terrible Bumble date has followed you home.

Grabbing the biggest kitchen knife you own off the magnet strip over the sink, just in case, you creep back to the door, barefoot, to press your face up to the peephole.

You don’t really expect to see the guy you just left, the ice in your glass not even melted before you were thinking up excuses to get out of there, but you sure as fuck don’t expect to see Jake either.

The door feels heavier than usual as you slowly slide it open, or maybe you’re just a little stunned. The night air hits your skin, and you can make out the sound of dogs barking in the distance.

For a long moment, Jake just looks at you, but then he says: “What were you planning on doing with that, sweetheart?”

You follow the jut of his chin down the line of your arm, and contemplate the knife for a second, Jake’s sudden appearance having made you forget all about it.

“I thought someone might have followed me here.”

“Ah.” He says, a spark in his eyes, clearly suppressing a smile. “If you were going to defend yourself in hand-to-hand combat, a knife is a terrible choice. I could give you some tips, though.”

Putting the damn thing down on your entryway console, you turn back to look at him. It’s not cold, exactly, in December in South Central Austin, but he looks underdressed: a long-sleeved light grey t-shirt, hands shoved in the pockets of a faded pair of jeans.

He looks good, you can’t deny it: he’s always had an immediate effect on you.

Jake, your somewhat gangly, sweet college boyfriend had it. Jake, ten years of military training later: older, filled out, fine crinkly lines starting to appear at the corners of his eyes (helped along by the California sun and God knows what far-off places), irrevocably still does.

You shake your head, trying to clear your thoughts. “What are you doing here, Jake?”

At that, his expression sobers, and he looks at you for a long moment before he says:

“You didn’t tell me.”

* * *

Fucking Sandeep, you think, rubbing the back of your hand across your eyes, because that fucker has not been subtle with the hints lately, tutting like a Victorian matron while you pass the time evaluating your Bumble matches with his husband during Monday night football’s ad breaks.

The granite of your kitchen countertop feels reassuringly cool beneath your thighs, and you take a deep breath, keeping your eyes on the tile below:

“I wasn’t ready.”

Jake huffs, or so you assume by the little sound that escapes him, as you determinedly face only his sneakers: “It’s been a year. You sure told everyone else we know.”

That makes your head snap up, emotion rising in your chest in a way you don’t like, have always had to tamp down when it comes to him, these last ten years. “Fuck off, Jake. You know it’s different when it comes to you.”

He leans back against the fridge, arms folded, just slightly lifting his right eyebrow at you in that irritating way of his: “I could’ve been there for you.”

Fuck it, you think, all cards on the table then. “I was heartbroken, and embarrassed, and trying to figure out how to exist on my own again after being married for five years to someone who didn’t turn out to be who I thought he was, Jake. Sorry my first impulse wasn’t to come cry on my hometown hero ex-boyfriend’s shoulder.”

His eyes soften, and he pushes off the fridge to come stand next to you, running his fingers over the edge of the countertop. “I’m sorry,” he says, voice quieter than a moment ago. “I’m being a dick. It’s just, you have to know, I would’ve been there for you.”

He pauses for a second, takes a deep breath: “It’s always been different when it comes to you too, sweetheart.”

You start to shake, a little, or maybe it’s your imagination. But your voice wavers as you say his name, everything about your tone a warning: “Jake.”

He closes his eyes, shakes his head: “Our timing sucked, and I don’t regret our decision from back then. I’m proud of who I’ve become in the last ten years, and I’m proud of you. You think I don’t keep up with what you’re doing? The articles you’ve published?”

This stuns you, momentarily. “No, Jake Seresin. If I’m completely honest, I didn’t think you gave a shit about the latest advances in Texas drought management.”

Just being near him, the familiar smell of him bringing up memories you’ve had years to unsuccessfully repress, is overpowering.

He makes it worse by turning to you, face so goddamn heartbreakingly earnest as he says: “I couldn’t give you what you deserved, ten years ago, but I always told myself, if I was ever in a position to…” He swallows. “I tried to forget about it when you got married, I tried to root for you and Brett, I swear.”

His hand settles next to your thigh, not quite touching, and your hand comes down on its own accord to cover his. He straightens almost imperceptibly, uses his other palm to wipe a tear that’s made its way down your cheek.

Cupping your face, he draws a deep breath. “I have a permanent assignment now, in San Diego. I know it’s…”

“Jake.” You interrupt, squeezing your eyes shut, grabbing the hem of his shirt. “I’m not remotely the same person I was back then.”

He moves to stand in front of you now, and you draw him in between your thighs. Suddenly it seems imperative that you feel him, that he holds you.

Dipping his head to yours, you can hear the smile in his voice, watery, tentative: “Then let me get to know you again. Get to know me again.” He leans one hand on the counter, the other tracing your cheekbone. “No pressure. I’m totally very cool about this. Whatever you want.”

You laugh, a little choked up through tears, but genuine. It feels liberating. “What if I say yes? How does this work?”

His smile broadens, eyes crinkling at the corners, and he’s so goddamn close, nudging your nose with his. “Come visit me, for a start. I’ll show you the sights.”

You draw him in a little closer still, legs wrapping around his waist, one hand finding its way into his close-cropped hair, and you could cry for how familiar he still feels after all these years.

But when you close the gap between your lips and his, it’s like coming home and yet not at all: he’s different and rougher and sharper and it floods you with emotion, something big and terrifying and old and new.

He leans into the kiss, grinning, cards his fingers through your hair before he moves to cover your chin, your brow, the space next to your ear with kisses, and you remember this with a jolt to your heart – how singularly intense it is to be the focus of Jake Seresin, like the strength of the sun is aimed at you, how he never does anything by halves.

You take his chin in your hand, kiss him again for good measure, before saying, into the stubble of his jaw: “One visit. No pressure.”

The grin he gives you in return could power half this city: “One visit. No pressure.”

He dips his head to yours again, kissing the skin behind your ear as he tells you: “Southern California has a lot of drought problems, you know. I’ve actually been reading some really scary articles about it.”

.

.

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i hope you enjoyed :):) - if you liked this I hope you’ll check out some of my other work:

where the wild things are (rooster x reader)

cross my heart (hangman x reader) masterlist

[hockeyshmockey]

Little White Chapel - Daniel Ricciardo

summary: in which Daniel does the damn thing. Daniel Ricciardo x reader

warnings: none! Does include my OC from familial ties briefly :)

January 2023

location monaco

liked by gerrihaliwell, maxverstapppen and 1,230,289 others

ynusername 5 years after we met in the city we both called home, he asked me to be his forever 🤭

view comments

maxverstappen called this about 5 years ago

maxverstappen in all seriousness im happy for you both!

user SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP

landonorris mom and dad officially 🫶🏻

chloestroll this will be the party of the century

Isaricciardo no bc I’m so excited you’re finally going to be my sister

march 2023

twitter

f1gridgoss

photo posted on yn’s story of her and Daniel in Lake Como… wedding venue touring perhaps??

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honeybadger4l

No bc an Italian wedding is so them fr

july 2023

liked by maxverstappen, redbullracing, and 969,482 others

tagged ynbestfriend, ynsister, chloestroll, isaricciardo, michellericciardo

ynusername last fling before the bling

view comments

daniellericciardo that’s me done partying for 20 years

user no bc I know this was wild

chloestroll I’m not sure how I’m still standing

scottyjames it’s bc I’m holding you up

maxverstappen please don’t ever take my wife out again

November 2023

liked by littlewhitechapel, carmenmundt and 1,528,294 others

Location Las Vegas

Tagged danielricciardo

yourusername we did the damn thing

view 295,280 comments

user JQNDOSJW

maxverstappen so happy for you guys

maxverstappen also no I didn’t know this was happening when I mentioned Daniel during grill the grid

liked by christianhorner, lewishamilton and 1,928,389 others

tagged yourusername

danielricciardo fea 💒

view 528,290 comments

landonorris so happy you chose me as your best man🥰

maxverstappen yeah right

scottyjames you’re both delusional

yourusername it was actually @ christianhorner , soz

Sebastianvettel so happy for your Daniel, I know you’ll both be very happy!

user I’m crying almost the whole grid was there😭

user and most of the team principles 😭😭

user Daniel married and back racing with a potential future with RBR? He really said fuck 2022

I’ve had this idea in the drafts for months this is so fun