#and if they thought daniel had forgotten that it was because they were trying to write him as a strawman

[macchiatosdumptruck]

Full on believe that the writers made chozen go back to Okinawa before the whole Johnny and Daniel argument because they knew that Johnny wouldn’t even have been able to finsh that sentence about mr miyagi being a liar and theif if chozen was there because chozen would have kicked his ass right there wouldn’t even let Johnny get the sentence out

And I also believe that he definitely would have went after Tory and helped her calm down or calm everyone down and let them take a break and definitely he would have agreed with Daniel and Amanda about stopping the fight

Dude, I hadn't thought about it but you're not wrong.

Like. They (thought they) needed that conflict to happen. (For some reason) And it wasn't going to if they had given a shit about character growth. Chozen very much was a steadying presence between Daniel and Johnny. He was Daniel's ride or die. He wouldn't have let that stand. Not only because it was stupid to fight, but also due to the blatant disrespect tbh. He has shown clearly he stands up for Daniel and miyagi do above all else.

I feel like he got the same treatment a girlfriend gets? Oh, the plot would be simpler with them involved, get them out of there. And like, where in the world is Carmen Diaz because she has so been reduced to a lamp. (And would probably give him a piece of her mind, which she never used to be afraid to do in the first two seasons. But i guess if you're in a relationship with someone you're not allowed to disagree) Like, for a while he was "confused but got the spirit" about other cultures, but as with everything else to do with Johnny's character they seemed to walk that back for some reason?

Literally, Mr zabka. I am so sorry they did this to you. They nerfed you hard.

Re, the thief comment, I still can't believe that made it in the show. That's an entire new level of disrespect. I know I'm using that word a lot but it fits. It's not just shoddy writing or bad character development, but feels legitimately mean spirited as a sort of "take that" to the original trilogy and its themes.

Which they obviously had to take some offense to given they were still caught up on it 30 years later, enough to write their own fanfic about it from their own POV. But it seemed more fair and even in the first two seasons before a lot of, what seems like petty dislike, came out through the show. Which also happened to coincide with COVID and a new wave of fans who Didn't Get It. And I do think them taking away all of Johnny's development was a way of appeasing those "he's so cool because he's un PC" fans

I still can't get over how the show seemingly turned into the antithesis of the movies. How there was so much promise and character growth only to throw it away for a bigger budget, more fight scenes, and memes.

R.i.p Chozen. You got written off because you made too much sense. I'm sure there's a specific name for that type of trope, like fridging.

[vigilante-3073]

All Those Who Go Unnoticed

Evan Buckley x Female Reader

Summary: Evan Buckley has always been left behind and forgotten about. What happens when someone finally decides to stay?

TW: Mentions of neglect and self-deprecating thoughts, angst, friends to lovers.

Evan Buckley was born to serve a purpose that he could not fulfill. His parents only had another child in a futile attempt to save his older brother Daniel. After his brother had passed away, Buck's parents treated him like he was a waste of space. Everything he did was wrong and he couldn't seem to ever find himself in their good graces.

Buck relied on his older sister Maddie for years until she eventually left him behind to start a life of her own. Buck left home as soon as he could, but struggled to find himself for years. He bounced between jobs in search of something that could make him feel like he mattered.

Everything fell into place when he decided to become a firefighter.

Buck loved his job at the 118, he saved lives everyday with some of the most amazing people he had ever met. He found a family that valued him and treated him how he deserved to be treated. Despite having everything he had spent his life searching for, Buck still felt like nothing he did was good enough.

He could have been smarter. He could have been faster. He could have done more.

Buck had never told anyone how critical he could be of himself. It was something that he always dealt with, definitely a mindset created by his parents.

Buck always felt like he had to prove himself and show everyone that he had value. It was a never-ending quest that weighed on him heavily.

Y/N had quickly become Buck's best friend when he joined the 118 all those years ago. She was a firefighter-paramedic and she was great at her job. Y/N never doubted herself and Buck admired her tenacity, especially when people challenged her in the field.

Y/N and Buck hardly went a day without seeing each other. He felt like his day wasn't complete until he talked to her.

They were the kind of friends that could have a 4-hour long video call while doing chores around the house or spend all day just chatting about nothing in particular. They knew everything there was to know about each other and seemed to share a brain at times.

Buck had never felt seen until he met Y/N.

Y/N always brought him into conversations or found her way over to him when she could tell he was pulling back. Y/N knew about how hard Buck could be on himself, she could tell when he was overthinking and was able to pull him out of that mindset.

"You need to be kinder to yourself, Buck," Y/N had told him one night when he was alone in the locker room after a rough shift.

"I'll try," He had replied.

Buck thought about that interaction quite often, he was always beating himself up for things he had little control over and it needed to end.

It was a hard cycle to break, but he was trying, and he was trying because of her.

...

Buck watched Y/N talk animatedly to Hen and Karen about a book they had all been reading. They laughed loudly at something she said before Hen began sharing her own thoughts on the book.

Y/N looked over, locking eyes with Buck from across the yard and sending him a small wave with a smile. He waved back, watching her as she returned to her conversation.

Bobby took a seat at the patio table beside Buck, "So, when are you gonna ask her out?" He questioned.

Buck's eyebrows raised, "Oh, no, I was just-," He started, "Save the excuse, I can tell that you like her as more than a friend," Bobby said with a knowing smile.

Buck looked down at the table with a sigh, picking at the label on his beer bottle with his thumb nail, "She's way too good for me," Buck said.

"What makes you say that?" Bobby asked.

Buck shrugged, "She's amazing and I'm just me... I don't deserve her," He stated.

"Buck, you're a good guy but you need to know when to get out of your own way. Don't overthink it, just ask her out. I'm almost 100% sure she would say yes if you asked her out on a date," Bobby assured.

"Almost 100%?" Buck asked.

"99.9% sure," Bobby amended.

Buck looked over at her to find her making her way over to the cooler full of drinks. He stood up from his seat and made his way over to her.

"Hey," He greeted.

"Hey, I was wondering when you were gonna stop hiding away in the corner," Y/N teased.

"Can I ask you something?" Buck questioned, "Of course," Y/N replied.

"Um, you can totally tell me if I'm looking at this the wrong way, but is there something- I don't know... Is there something more than friendship between us?" He asked.

"Do you want there to be something more?" Y/N asked.

"I think I do," Buck answered hesitantly.

Relief washed over him when a smile broke out across her face, "I do too," She said.

"Oh my god, you have no idea how fast my heart is beating right now," Buck said, huffing out a soft laugh.

Y/N rested her hand on his chest, feeling his heart pound against her palm, "You really weren't kidding. Do you need to sit down?" She asked.

"No, I'm good. I just- Will you go out on a date with me?" He questioned, resting his hand over her's on his chest.

"Of course I'll go out with you, Buck," Y/N replied.

...

Y/N and Buck had been dating for almost a year, she had moved into his apartment and everything seemed amazing. Buck still felt like he was waiting for the day she found someone better and left him in the dust, but she chose him each and every day.

Buck had never felt like the center of attention, he always went above and beyond to be noticed, but it was effortless with Y/N. Buck felt like he was being seen after a lifetime of feeling invisible and it was the best feeling in the world. He couldn't think of a way to repay Y/N for bringing him to life again.

Until he did.

He sat at a table in the busy coffee shop, a mug of coffee sat on the table in front of him. Buck felt jittery and he had yet to take a single sip of the hot beverage, instead choosing to watch the door closely. Buck straightened up in his seat as Maddie made her way into the establishment. She walked through the tables before sitting down in the chair across from him.

"Where's Y/N? Is she not coming?" Maddie asked.

"Um, no, actually. I kinda needed some time to talk to you... Alone," Buck said hesitantly, grimacing at his own awkwardness.

Maddie gasped, "Are you going to propose to Y/N?" She asked.

Buck's face fell, "How did you know that? I didn't even say anything yet," He questioned.

"I just knew," Maddie grinned, "Aw, Buck, this is so exciting!" She said.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about it for a while now. I mean, with everything we've gone through this year, I don't want to spend anymore time not being together, y'know?" Buck questioned.

"I do," Maddie said.

"I think she's my person, Maddie," Buck admitted.

Maddie smiled, her eyes glossing over with happy tears, "She definitely is, Evan," She said.

"I was wondering if you had some time today to help me pick out a ring. I've looked around a little bit, but I'm kinda useless at this stuff," He said.

"Of course I'll help. Do you have any idea what kind of ring she may want?" Maddie asked.

"I think she likes the ones with the jewel that's shaped like an egg," Buck said slowly.

"This is going to be a very long and expensive day for you, little brother," Maddie sighed with a smile.

[formula-nyoom]

Rookie Reflections | LS2

Platonic! Logan Sargent x Rookie!Reader

Summary: Being the only new addition to the grid, it may seem intimidating to try and introduce yourself to the other drivers. Logan remembers exactly what it's like to be the new rookie and doesn't want a repeat of what happened to him to happen to anyone else.

A/N: Pronouns weren’t specified so I tried to keep this as gender neutral as possible. I still haven’t decided if I want to write in 2nd or 3rd person, it really depends on the fic/request. Previous reader inserts I have written have been done in 2nd person so I defaulted to that with this fic, but do let me know which one you prefer. Logan, my favorite driver, I’m glad my first request is for him. Also I have no hate towards Daniel, it just made a lot more sense to me for the reader to take his seat. 

Silly season didn’t come with a lot of shake ups like people expected it to. The only team to switch up their driver line up for the upcoming season was RB, with Daniel being replaced by the newest Formula 2 champion after not delivering the results Red Bull had wanted from him.

You had met Yuki for the first time during the car launch before pre-season testing, but with all the cameras, interviews, and excitement surrounding the new car launch, you were unable to find the time to properly get to know each other. You had hoped to get a chance to maybe sit down with Yuki and get to know your new teammate, but now in Bahrain with all the drivers in one place it seemed that all of them had already split off into their pre-established friend groups that had been built up over years of racing alongside each other, Yuki included. 

That’s the thing with being the only new driver for the season: All the other drivers already knew each other well enough that you felt too intimidated to approach any of them. Going to Formula 2 where you knew almost all the drivers to Formula 1 where you knew no one, it was like being the new kid at school. And that seemed even more evident during the pre-season photoshoot. 

Yuki still had some last bits of data to go over with his engineer so you arrived at the photoshoot without your teammate. While you did arrive early, most of the drivers were already there, either talking with each other or members of their team. A few gave you curious glances, maybe an awkward smile or two, but none felt the need to approach. Not wanting to risk bothering anyone, you decided to find a spot secluded from the various groups of people while you waited for either Yuki to show up or for the photoshoot to start. Maybe when the photographer started to position people for the photos, you could possibly strike up a conversation with whoever was placed near you. But for now, you felt content standing off to the side where no one would really approach you. Or so you thought.

Logan had forgotten something in the Williams garage, making him arrive at the photoshoot after Alex. And while he could have walked over to his teammate, who was currently chatting with George, he noticed you standing off to the side. You were away from everyone to where you wouldn’t get in the way as you scrolled through your phone.

Logan knows that move. He did it many times during his rookie season because of how out of place he felt. But he also wasn’t the only rookie during his season, unlike you who was the only new person to the grid. He can probably guess how nervous or out of place you may seem. Logan knows that feeling. He hates that feeling and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. 

Maybe that’s why he had decided to approach you. Or maybe it was because he didn’t have anyone else to talk to since Alex was busy talking to George, and Oscar was busy talking to Lando. Either way, he thought it was a good idea to introduce himself.

 “Hey,” Logan said, getting your attention. “You’re the new RB driver, right?”

Logan already knew the answer to that question, but he thought that was a better question to ask than pointing out the fact that you’re the new rookie. 

 “Yea, I am.” You said. Guess you were wrong about people not approaching you as you looked at the man standing before you.  

“I’m Logan.” He said, holding out his hand for you to shake. You already knew his name before he introduced himself. Hell, you knew all drivers names on the grid but that was another intimidating reason why you hadn’t tried to approach anyone. 

 “I’m (Y/N).” You said, shaking Logan’s hand. 

“So, are you excited for the upcoming season?” Logan asked. 

 “Yea. The car seems to be a good contender with the testing we’ve done so far. Hopefully I’ll be able to score some points by the end of the season.”

 “What makes you think you won’t get points at the beginning?” Logan asked.

“Well I am the rookie this season. I’m still getting used to the car, it’s a huge difference from the F2 car I was driving last year. Plus everyone else has been racing longer than I have. It's gonna take me a while to catch up.” You explained.

 “Oh come on, don’t doubt yourself this early. Trust me, it doesn’t help.” Logan said. You shrugged.

“I guess you’re right. I mean, I’m gonna try my best no matter what, but the highest I can see myself getting for the first race is P15.” You told him.

 “That’s a good start. “ Logan said. He smiled and you couldn’t help but smile as well. The two of you ended up talking about what you both did over the winter break and your expectations for the season until the photographer called for the photoshoot to start. You hadn’t even realized Yuki had arrived until the photographer positioned you two next to each other.

 “I saw you and Logan talking earlier. I hope it was a good conversation.” He whispered as you waited for the photographer to take a picture.

“He was just introducing himself. We talked about our expectations for the season.” You told him. Yuki smiled a bit.

 “Logan’s always been nice. I’m glad you’re getting to know some of the other drivers.”

~~~

“Come on Yuki, pick up!” You mumbled as the call went to voicemail again. After pre-season testing had wrapped up, you had finally managed to get to know Yuki by going out to get dinner together with the rest of the team. He had promised that the two of you would walk together through the paddock on the first day of the season, but after arriving at the entrance you saw no sign of your teammate. And the fact that he wasn’t answering his phone didn’t help either. But looking around towards all the cars pulling in towards the entrance, you did however see Logan arriving.

 “Logan!” You quickly walked over to him as he got closer to the entrance.

“Hey. What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be with your team?” He asked, noticing the lack of anyone from RB with you.

 “Well me and Yuki were supposed to walk in together, but I can’t find him anywhere and he’s not answering my calls.” You said. You looked past the turnstiles at the entrance to the paddock. “I don’t really want to walk in by myself.”

 “Do you want me to walk in with you?” Logan asked. You looked back at him.

“If it’s not too much to ask.” You said. Logan just shook his head and smiled.

 “It’s no bother.” He said. He gently ushered you towards the entrance and the two of you walked through. It was an understatement to say that you were nervous to greet the cheering fans that stood by the barriers with things to sign. But knowing that Logan was right next you signing things as well and taking pictures with fans made you less nervous. You even got to take some pictures with him and fans as well. 

 “If I wore all these friendship bracelets in the car, I think I would add an extra pound.” You joked as the two of you walked past the various team garages.

“Soon you’re gonna end up having a full storage closet at your house just full of stuff that fans have given you.” Logan said. You smiled at that idea.

 “Hopefully I won’t develop carpal tunnel from all the stuff I’m gonna have to sign over the year.” Good thing being a Formula 1 driver consists more of driving cars than signing things.” 

 “You say that now, but just wait until the RB merchandise team sits you down in a room filled with driver cards you have to sign. Your wrist is going to be so sore afterwards.” Logan said. You let out a chuckle. 

 “(Y/N)!” You turned to see Yuki, coming from the RB hospitality, running over to the two of you. “(Y/N), I’m so sorry. They put me in the press conference at the last minute. I had to come early.” Yuki explained.

 “It’s ok Yuki. Logan walked in with me.” You said. You turned back to Logan. “Thank you, by the way. I should probably go see my team.”

“Like I said, it was no bother. I’d be happy to walk the paddock with you anytime.” He said. “I’ll see you two on the track.”

He waved goodbye and then headed to the William’s garage as you headed with Yuki back to the RB hospitality to get ready for the upcoming practice sessions. 

~~~

“Ok (Y/N). We’ve been knocked out of Q1. You are P17.” Your race engineer said through the radio as the qualifying session ended and you slowed your car down for a cool down lap. 

 “Not the result I had hoped for, but it’s something I can improve upon. Did Yuki make it to Q2?” You asked, making your way into the pit lane.

 “Yes, Yuki did make it into Q2.” Your engineer said. 

“That’s good. Hope he can make it into Q3.” You pulled into your designated pitlane and flipped up your visor to let some air into your helmet as the pit crew pulled your car into the garage. 

After changing out of your race suit and fireproofs, you put on a pair of headphones and joined the crew in watching Q2. You were happy to see that Logan made it into Q2 as well, and was secretly hoping he would make it into Q3 along with Yuki. Both of them did good laps during Q2 but Yuki unfortunately was only able to place P11. Logan barely managed to get by into Q3, but couldn’t place any higher and ended up in front of your teammate, placing P10 for tomorrow’s race. After congratulating Yuki on his placement, you left the RB garage to go look for Logan to do the same thing. You didn’t have to look far, as the American driver was exiting the William’s garage as you approached.

“Hey, nice driving today!” You said, giving Logan’s shoulder a congratulatory pat. 

 “Thanks. I’m shocked I was able to make it into Q3. I thought I was going to get knocked out in Q2, I didn’t expect Lance to get his lap time deleted.” Logan said. “Where’d you place?”

 “P17. I wasn’t able to gain enough speed on my last lap to get myself to a higher placement.” You said. “But that’s ok. I just need to overtake the 7 cars in front of me to get to P10 and get into the points. How hard can that be?”

You laughed, your last sentence meaning to be a joke. Logan let out a small chuckle, but he was taking what you said seriously.

 “I think you can do it. But only do it after I’ve overtaken a couple cars myself. I’d also like to get some points during the race.” He said.

 “Deal!” 

~~~

It was officially race day and your nerves seemed to be bouncing as fast as the cars that would be on track soon. You had felt confident throughout the week, being on the track and going over data with the team. But with the race starting in a couple hours, the fact that you were about to debut in your first Formula One race was starting to become very real. 

 “You squeeze that water bottle any tighter, it’s gonna explode.” You were brought out of your spiraling thoughts by Logan as he approached you from the side. Looking down, you did see that the water bottle you were holding was almost ready to burst from the steel grip you had on it.

 “Sorry, I’m just thinking about the race today.” You said, loosening your grip on the bottle.

 In a similar scenario to pre-season testing, the two of you were waiting to start the drivers parade.

 “It’s ok to be nervous about your first race. Every driver is.” He said.

“What if I crash the car?” You asked. Logan shook his head.

 “You won’t.”

“What if I can’t overtake any cars and finish last?”

 “You won’t finish last.”

“What if-”

 “Hey.” Logan placed his hands on your shoulders and made you look at him. “You’re going to be fine. You drove well during testing and practice. You can overtake the cars in front of you. And even if you finish last, so what? It’s your first race. You’re going to make mistakes and that’s ok.” Logan said. His hands on your shoulder and the speech he just gave you seemed to steel your nervous a bit as you took in what he said. 

 “Just try to have fun. Can you promise me that?” Logan asked. He held up his pinkie and you almost laughed at the childlike implications. But the serious look on Logan’s face stopped you.  You linked your pinkie with his and nodded.

 “I promise.”

The two of you ended up staying next to each other during the drivers parade, waving to fans as the truck drove by. Interviews were also happening during the parade, and with you being the new rookie, you had to be interviewed.

“So (Y/N), you're about to make your Formula 1 debut in your first Formula 1 race. How are you feeling?” The interviewer asked.

 “I’m both very nervous and very excited. I’m starting at the back of the grid, but I’m gonna try to do my best.” You said.

“I know, with being the newest addition to the grid, you may feel like you stand out. Besides your teammate Yuki, have there been any other drivers that you’ve gotten to know during pre-season testing or this weekend?”.

 “Logan actually introduced himself to me during pre-season testing and we’ve gotten to know each other a bit.” You told the interviewer. “It feels a bit intimidating being surrounded by these great drivers that I’ve always hoped to have a chance to drive alongside, so I’m really grateful to Logan for being someone on the grid that I can talk to and get to know, besides Yuki of course.”

 “Have you guys talked about anything in particular? Any expectations for your first race?”

“Logan actually gave me a really good pep talk before the drivers parade. It really helped calm my nerves down a bit. I’m gonna take Logan’s advice and try to have fun.” You said with a smile. The interviewer thanked you for your time and moved on to interview a different driver as you made your way back over to Logan. After waving to a bunch of fans, the parade concluded and you and the rest of the drivers got off the truck.

“What are you going to do during this race?” Logan asked you before the two of you departed to get ready for the race.

 “Have fun!” You said. 

“That’s right.” He gave your shoulder a reassuring pat and left for the William’s garage while you headed back to RB, your nerves seemingly having lessened. 

Logan’s pep talk seemed to be exactly what you needed. You ended up finishing the race in P11, just out of the points but only two spots behind Yuki. 

 “(Y/N) that was a fantastic first race! Well done!” Your engineer's voice came through the radio as you waved while driving around the track.

 “Oh my god! Thank you so much! That was so much fun! I couldn’t have done it without you or the team!” You said enthusiastically as you pulled into parc ferme. You sat in the car for a couple seconds, taking in the feeling of making it through your first Formula One race. Then, you took the wheel out and stepped out of the car.

Some of the pit crew workers gave you pats on the back or the shoulder, congratulating you on making it through your first race. As your eyes scanned the pit lane, looking for your team, they landed on the familiar America-decorated helmet of Logan.

 “Logan!” You called as you jogged over to him. His eyes lit up at your approach and met you halfway.

 “Nice one champ! P11 on debut!” He said, raising his hand for a high five before bringing you in for a brief congratulatory hug. 

 “I was so close to getting into points but I couldn’t catch up. You drove amazingly though! Congrats on P5!” You told him.

 “Hey, don’t put yourself down for being “just” out of the points. Next race, you and I are going to be in the top 10.” He said. “Did you have fun?”

 “Yea!” You exclaimed. Both your smiles seemed to grow.

“I told you! Come on, let’s go get weighed and you can tell me everything about the race.” Logan slung his arm over your shoulder as he led you over to the weigh stations. 

The two of you spent the rest of the night recounting each of your guys' events of the race, every overtake and every mistake either of you made. Eventually exhaustion started to hit both of you and the two of you decided to head back to your hotel rooms.

“Thank you.” You said to Logan as you stood infront of your room after Logan offered to walk you back.

 “For what?” He asked. 

“For introducing yourself to me during pre-season testing. I honestly didn’t think I would be able to get to know anyone on the grid this season. All the other drivers seem to know each other really well or are just really intimidating.” You said, fidgeting with your fingers for a bit before looking back up at him “But I’m really glad to say that you're the first friend I’ve made on the grid.”

Logan’s smile seemed to lower and you grew concerned. But he noticed this and quickly change his expression to reassurance.

 “I know how hard it is to make friends in this sport and I also know how isolating it can be. I didn’t want what happened in my rookie season to happen to you.” He told you. “I’m glad that you’re my friend too.”

You smiled, touched by what he said and happy that he considered you a friend as well. You held up your pinkie towards him.

 “Promise that we’ll both be in the points next race?”

He linked your pinkie with his and matched your smile.

 “I promise.”

[thef1diary]

Comfort In You | D. Ricciardo

Summary: your apprehension towards physical touch dwindles down as you spend time around Daniel.

Warnings: none just fluff

Pairing: daniel x fem!reader

wc: 2.3k

Note: after proofreading it I realized that there aren’t many dialogues, it’s more descriptive. I also didn’t include a reason why the reader doesn’t like physical touch so that can be up to you to interpret.

It started with fist bumps, that too after you had backed away from a hug when Daniel tried to pull you in. That was exactly why you had tried to avoid being around Daniel at all costs, to prevent any awkward encounters with him.

At least you were glad that he was drunk when it happened so there was a chance he wouldn't remember, perhaps that's why he tried to hug you when you were about to leave. He wouldn't have tried to do so if he was sober because he respected your personal space, however the same couldn't be said for drunk Daniel.

It was an unspoken agreement between you two, he knew from the first few days Max introduced you that you didn't like any sort of physical contact. Usually meeting a friend of a friend, he would shake their hand and then pull them in for a quick hug.

But when it came to being introduced to you, you had quickly shaken his hand and dropped it before he could even initiate a hug.

You baffled him, and while it wasn't a topic of concern for anyone else around you, it confused him a lot. Daniel thought that you didn't like being around him. However he was proven wrong when your eyes twinkled every time you spoke to him.

You always had a smile on your face whenever you were around him which should’ve made the subtle act of keeping to yourself go unnoticed. Daniel noticed everything.

He still had a nagging thought that you hated him, so one day he asked Max about it when they were walking through the paddock and was met with a laugh in response. "I told her that you would notice it," he told Daniel.

Daniel stopped walking, "what does that mean?" Max didn't think it was a big deal so he shrugged, "she just doesn't like physical touch, and I told her that if I introduced you two, that you would notice it." 

"So what, you warned her that I'm a big hugger?" Daniel laughed in poor attempt to hide how he was invested in knowing more about you. "Well you are, so yes I told her about it." They began walking again, or rather Max did and Daniel helplessly followed behind but didn't say anything.

"Why? Does it bother you?" Max asked as he looked back at Daniel. He shook his head, "no, I just thought she hated me."

At that, Max laughed, "you have no idea just how wrong you are," he patted Daniel's shoulder and walked away, leaving him behind with more questions than he initially had.

Daniel would’ve happily forgotten the little almost-hug but Max didn’t let him. The morning after it happened, he woke up to a string of texts from Max reminding him of his actions.

Now see, you didn’t think of it as a big deal because you knew Daniel. You noticed how he held back from randomly placing an arm around you or any other sort of contact, and with that kind of effort—especially after Max told you he was a hugger—you thought of it as a simple mistake.

Daniel on the other hand, he was losing his mind. He did the complete opposite of what he was supposed to do. His uncontrollable reeling thoughts caused him to blurt out an apology as soon as he saw you.

You surprised him, by laughing it off and telling him exactly what you thought of it—a simple mistake. But you surprised him even further by briefly patting his arm. It was such a brief touch that if he blinked, he wouldn’t have seen it nor felt it.

Lately, he hasn’t been blinking often around you. His gaze focuses on you anytime you enter a room. Even if there were other people trying to gain his attention, his was all on you.

As you walked away after giving him a reassuring smile, he didn’t look away until you were out of his sight. But you never left his mind. His other hand brushed against his arm where you touched him.

If anyone was looking at him, he would’ve been caught stupidly smiling to himself.

Daniel kept that little moment shared between you two a secret, even when Max tried to pester him about his cheery mood. Sure, Daniel usually had a smile on his face, so it didn’t look much different to anyone who didn’t know him well. However, Max knew him very well, so he could see the difference clearly.

There weren’t any drastic differences from that day, in fact it was like nothing had changed because you didn’t initiate any touches again.

Daniel felt like a man dying from heat in the desert, and your touch was like a cool drop of water. That one drop made him realize he needed more to quench his heart's desire.

His actions didn’t change around you. His mind was screaming at him to do something, but he never became clingy.

A few of your friends decided to plan another outing, and although you forgot some of the details, you remembered that Daniel would be there too. For some reason, that made you smile as you dressed for the evening.

Max had the stupidest brilliant idea to park away from all the other cars, the reason being, “do you know how many drunks crash their cars in the parking lot? I do not want my car to become a victim to that.”

That decision led to a good ten minute walk to your destination. Unfortunately, you didn’t dress for a walk in the cool evening weather. You wrapped your hands around yourself, which had become a habit so no one pointed it out.

But once you started rubbing your hands up and down your arms in an attempt to stay warm, Daniel’s eyes caught your movement. He was walking right next to you, and also noticed how you very subtlety inched closer to him to stay warm.

Your mind was focused on putting one foot in front of the other, as walking in heels wasn’t your forte, and you were very tempted to walk barefoot but decided otherwise.

Daniel was able to take off his jacket without alerting you. He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head at his own thoughts and placed the jacket on your shoulders.

Startled by the sudden warmth, you looked at him. He smiled like he usually does, then looked ahead nonchalantly. If he looked at you any longer, his eyes would plead you to keep the jacket on.

He felt your gaze watching him carefully, as if to analyze him but it was dark outside other than a few streetlights briefly illuminating his face.

You turned to look ahead as well, but a smile grew on your face before you could hold it back. Daniel looked at you through his peripheral vision, watching you tug his jacket a little tighter around yourself, enveloping in the warmth it created.

Once you reached your destination, his jacket wasn’t returned to him and he didn’t dare ask for it back. Even if your other friends kept pulling him away from you throughout the night, his distinctive scent on his jacket made it feel like he was right next to you.

Daniel kept himself from drinking because he would rather dig a hole and live in it than recreate the moment he tried to hug you because of his drunken stupidity.

By the time the night ended, all of your other friends had drank significantly more than you and Daniel. They complained about Max’s decision about parking far away but you didn’t dare correct them that it was a collective decision.

This led to just you and Daniel walking to get the car, because no one else wanted to walk for another ten minutes after the night they had.

It was significantly quieter outside than inside the building. You and Daniel didn’t speak, basking in the silence of the night.

You were walking closely but not close enough to touch. Daniel’s hand was itching to move an inch towards you so he could hold your hand. You didn’t pay attention, so you didn’t see how his hand clenched into a fist then unclenched indecisively.

Then you felt it, Daniel’s pinky linking with yours. Your first instinct was to move away, but you fought it and decided to look at him first. He was already looking at you, with a hopeful smile on his face.

You weren’t sure what expression your face formed but it couldn’t have been good because you felt Daniel move to pull his hand away.

Instinctively, you tightened the grip your pinky had on his to prevent him from moving away. This time, Daniel couldn’t hide the shock on his face. You only smiled in return, nudging slightly closer to him and threading your fingers between his.

Neither of you let go until you reached the car.

That night, you basked in each other’s presence but it wasn’t spoken of again. Although it did make you more comfortable around Daniel. There were a few side hugs exchanged which he would say was the biggest difference.

But now, instead of looking for the next opportunity to brush across your skin, he simply enjoys the moments you do, wanting them to last just a little longer.

It was race weekend again, and this time Daniel was happy to travel because you were right there with him. Well, so was Max, but he always there.

Daniel’s mood shifted while he was completing some media duties. He didn’t think he could long for you even more than he already was but you were so close, yet so far away from him.

All he wanted to do was to check on you as it was the first race you attended, but Max reassured him that he would take good care of you. After all, you knew Max before you met Daniel.

Daniel couldn’t figure out the right words to explain that he wanted to be the one showing you around.

Fortunately he would be able to see you in a while considering his schedule wasn’t as busy as it would be on race day.

He was in his driver’s room once he finally got some time to himself, choosing to take a quick shower before immediately falling on the couch from exhaustion. He closed his eyes for a few moments before picking up his phone to call you.

Daniel could’ve sent you a text but he preferred hearing your voice. However, before he could even type out a word, the door to his driver’s room opened.

Usually, he was very annoyed whenever anyone entered without knocking, but when he looked up and saw you, he forgot all about his annoyance.

“Hey, I was just about to call you,” he spoke, showing you his phone held in his hand but you didn’t utter a word. You closed the door behind you and walked closer.

He shifted, sitting up straighter so there was space for you to sit. You didn’t move even when he patted the seat next to him.

A wrinkle showed up in between his eyebrows as his face contorted into worry. You clasped your hands together, beginning to fidget, unsure of how to tell him what you wanted.

Daniel noticed your fidgeting and even though you didn’t do it often, he knew that whenever you did, there was something bothering you.

Once again, his hands itched to hold yours to make you stop fidgeting but he decided to ask you first, “what’s wrong?”

You sighed, dropping your hands to your side before hesitantly holding them out towards him, “hold me?”

It took Daniel a little too long to understand the two words that came out of your mouth. Taking the pause as denial, you dropped your hands and were about to mutter an apology.

However, before you could, Daniel lurched forwards and pulled you closer. It was so unexpected that you literally fell into his arms. “I will never say no to holding you,” he muttered in your ear and that’s when a tear spilled out of your eye.

Clinging on to his shirt, you hugged him tightly. His hands wrapped around your body, running up and down your back in a soothing manner.

He didn’t utter a word, feeling your chest rise and fall with each breath you took against his chest. As time passed, you remained in his arms and it felt so natural to both of you that neither of you questioned it.

It was evident that you were drifting off to sleep, so he didn’t move an inch, letting you sleep in his arms. Already exhausted from before, and now with you in his arms, he was close to falling asleep as well.

That however, was not possible as Max walked into Daniel’s driver’s room like he owned the place. Daniel groaned out loud but stopped once you shifted around in his grasp.

Fortunately, Max didn’t utter a word as he entered and paused in his tracks once he saw you and Daniel. His jaw quite literally dropped open, pointing at you and then him.

“What’s going on?” Max whispered, looking at the dried tear marks on your cheeks but then spotted the small smile on your face as you slept.

“I wish I knew but whatever it is, I don’t mind at all, as long as I get to have her like this,” Daniel responded while looking at you, then he looked up at Max who was beaming at him.

“What?” Max shook his head, “nothing, I was here to ask if you want to join us for dinner but I think you are happy here.”

Daniel nodded, “I am,” he watched Max close the door after he left and rested his head in the crook of your neck, sighing deeply.

You didn’t hold back anymore, there was no reason to. You had found comfort in Daniel and he found comfort in you, that’s all that mattered.

[lovelytsunoda]

vermont // daniel ricciardo

summary: the ski trip sounded all well and good in theory. except for the fact that she would rather be in the chalet than on the slopes. so when she gets stuck on a ski lift and starts to hyperventilate, danny is the one to calm her down.

pairing: daniel ricciardo x female!reader

warnings: anxiety attack, fear of heights/vertigo, best wingwoman chloe, delusional and oblivious scotty, use of ‘pretty girl’, it feels kind of rushed and I don’t know how I feel about the ending-

she should have told chloe to come on the trip without her. she should have admitted she’s never been skiing before. but when she tried, scotty convinced her to come along anyways, because as far as the aussie was concerned “anybody can learn, it’s easy!”.

and yet, here she was, staring at the ski suit laid out on her double bed, rethinking every life choice she’d ever made leading up to this point.

her hands rubbed the fabric of her maroon turtleneck, teasing her bottom lip between her teeth.

god, this was such and awful idea.

there was a knock on her door, chloe’s voice carrying through. “y/n! are you ready yet? we’re heading down to the slopes!”

“coming out in just a second!” she called, hastily pulling the jacket over her clothes.

____

it was a nice enough day outside: the sun was bright, and the air warmer than expected for vermont in early december, a thick dusting of snow on the slopes as she tromped ungracefully over to the ski rental, where scotty and chloe were waiting with lance and his girlfriend marilou.

"there she is!" scotty shouts. "ready to put your skis on?"

"hang on, don't we have to wait for someone? we're missing a few people." she said nervously, trying desperately to put off the inevitable, even though she had promised chloe that she would at least try to get out of her shell this weekend

marilou nodded. "just daniel. knowing him, he's slept in and forgotten the plan, or he got distracted on his way out."

ah, yes. daniel ricciardo.

the man who made her heart skip three beats, the one person in their small, small friend group who always somehow managed to calm her down, remind her that the world wasn't so bad or scary and that everything would be okay in the end.

“well, we can’t start without the life of the party!” she said it too quickly, no doubt her nerves were showing.

there were so many winter activities they could have picked. so why skiing? why the one thing she’d sworn she’d never ever ever do?

“don’t need to wait guys!” when the sound of daniel ricciardos aussie drawl carried across the wind, she squeezed her eyes shut, resisting the urge to scream an expletive. “I’m right here, sorry I’m late!”

chloe shot her a sympathetic glance as the boys fist bumped each other and the crew turned in the direction of the ski lift.

“you’ll do fine!” the canadian encouraged, looping her arm around her best friend. “skiing is easy, it’s all downhill!”

y/n narrows her eyes. “it’s the not knowing how to balance or steer and accidentally crashing into things I’m better off not crashing into.”

chloe laughed, shaking her head as she patted y/n's shoulder. "don't think like that! just come and enjoy the outdoors with us!"

but despite it all, despite the friendly energy of the trip, the good vibes all around, she couldn't help but feel like she was intruding on a couple's trip: chloe and scotty, lance and marilou. daniel and . . . wait, he came alone too, didn't he?

but she didn't have time to think about it before she was strapped in to a pair of ski's, scotty's hands at her back to push her down the training hill.

it only took like....twenty tries before she figured it out, her skis sailing through the snow like butter as she finally managed to stay upright for the third run in a row. she was really getting the hang of it, she thought, pride swelling in her chest.

"nice job, y/n!" daniel shouted, having just come down one of the hills next to her smaller, beginner hill. "you're a natural!"

at the sound of praise dripping from daniel's lips, she felt her face go pink, and she was certain that it wasn't just from the cold, and that there was something more to it.

"oh, well, i've been practicing a lot. i feel kind of bad, actually, for monopolizing all of scotty's time. keeping him away from his wife and all that." she coughed to clear her throat, one gloved hand smoothing her hair back under the pom-pom toque she was wearing on top of her head.

daniel laughed. a big, hearty laugh that sent butterflies afloat in her chest, the kind of infectious laughter that could bring a smile to anybody's face.

"why don't you come up to the other hill with me, and we try you on something a little bigger?"

she turned her head in the direction daniel was gesturing, and she felt her stomach drop to the floor. "no way, not a chance. that's too high, my dude. what if is break my neck?"

scotty skidded to a stop in front of her, moving to look at the mountain. “no, no, that’s a good starter mountain is you want to move up to something bigger! go for it!”

while daniel cheered, y/n groaned, cursing inwardly.

beside her, lance laughed “you’ll have to move up to a bigger hill eventually, y/n. it’s okay to be scared.”

“I’m not scared!” okay, maybe she was. just a little bit.

the group headed towards the ski lifts, filing in in sets of two, each pair heading for a different level hill. scotty and chloe headed for one of the most advanced, marilou and lance heading for a hill that was somewhere in the middle.

and that meant that is she wanted company on her hill, she would be stuck with daniel.

“after you, milady.” daniel chuckled, gesturing to the ski carriage, allowing her to slide in first, the aussie settling next to her.

the bar snapped down, the lift beginning on its way to take the skiers up the mountain. from this high up, the view across the slopes was actually quite nice: evergreens dusted in snow, ant-sized people in bright coats making their way down mountains.

until she stopped looking eye level, and found her eyes drifting downwards, stomach slammed instantly with vertigo.

yep, she was never doing that again.

“you okay?” daniel asked, concerned when he watched her scrunch her face up, eyes screwed shut.

“yep, yep. just trying not to look down.” she was gripping the chest bar so tightly that she was certain her knuckles were white underneath her gloves.

daniel frowned, reaching for her hand. “it’s okay to be scared of heights. is this why you didn’t want to come up the mountain?”

“maybe. that, and the fear of making a fool out of myself.” She was tight lipped as she answered, still keeping her eyes closed.

but now, she only felt like her heart would beat out if her chest because of the hand on top of hers, not the fall to the ground.

“we’re almost at the top, and then your skis will be on solid ground again.”

she slowly opened her eyes. “thank you.”

over the hum of the lift, she heard a groaning, and then a snap. the ski lift stuttered to a stop, and she couldn’t stop the terrified shriek that left her parted lips, one gloved hand reaching to squeeze the life out of daniels arm.

“hey, hey!” daniel shouted, trying to be heard over other panicked skiers. “look at me, look at me. can you do that?”

her chest was getting tight, body frozen with fear. she couldn’t open her eyes, limbs made of lead as she clung to the man next to her in the lift

“I-I don’t think I can, danny.”

“yeah you can. just focus on me, not the way the carriage is moving, and not what’s below you.” his voice was soothing, grounding. enough that she was able to turn her head slightly and open her eyes to face him.

“see, that wasn’t so hard, was it, pretty girl?”

“no.” her voice was stil shaky as she stared into daniels eyes, feeling suddenly like he could see every part of her. every secret, every long held and unspoken truth.

and she liked it.

“just keep your breathing steady, and we will be out of here before you know it.” his voice started level and calm, his breath curling up into mist in the air.

“promise me?”

daniel leaned in, his soft lips warm against her forehead. the simple action, not quite a kiss but not that innocent either, set her skin ablaze in pink again, warmth spreading through her frozen appendages, from the tip of her nose to the ends of her fingertips.

“I promise.” daniel assured her, his gloved thumb rubbing reassuring circles on her skin.

she wasn’t sure how long they had been sitting like that when the lift whirred to life again, the carriage shakily confusing it’s ascent up the hill. realizing that the lift was moving again, she pulled away from danny, averting her eyes, looking anywhere except the man who had just held her so tenderly.

she shook her head, pulling her ski goggles back down over her eyes. “sorry, I don’t know where that came from.”

“don’t apologize, pretty girl.” daniel said softly. “you were scared. and I liked knowing that I could make you feel better. I care about you, y/n. as more than a friend.”

she paused, pulling her goggles back up. “you do?”

daniel beamed. “of course I do, and I’d love to get to know you better.”

“buy me a hot chocolate if I make it down the hill one piece?” she suggested, gently placing a hand on his forearm.

the lift reached the top of the hill, the bar raising and allowing the pair to slide off the metal chair, Danny’s hand in hers as he took the lead, guiding her towards the slope.

“and if I make it to the bottom first, you have to kiss me.” danny wagered, a mischevious look in his eyes as he flicked his goggles down.

y/n laughed, inching towards the slope like bambi on ice, all shaky legs and flailing limbs. “i think I ’ll take you up on that, ricciardo!”

TAGS:

@magnummagnussen @libraryofloveletters @thatsdemko @lorarri @userlando @silverstonesainz @cartierre @love4lando @sidcrosbyspuck @silversainz

[theemporium]

Daniel and Sunshine having an argument and Sunshine is acting up 👀

idk why I’ve decided to write this with a headache but it’s been written anyways!! thank you for requesting!🫶🏽

.

The argument in itself was stupid.

You both were just tired after a long day at the factory. You were hungry and snappier than usual, and Daniel was done with your attitude. Which, in turn, just pissed you off even more.

“Are you seriously giving me the silent treatment?”

You didn’t say anything, focused on rummaging through the kitchen counters as you tried to prepare to cook dinner.

“This is immature, Sunshine.”

You slammed the cutting board onto the kitchen counter, not even glancing at him as you turned to walk towards the fridge.

“Really? This is how we are doing it?”

You grabbed a few ingredients, turning to place them on the counter. But by that point, Daniel had enough.

He had enough of your silent treatment. He had enough of your pissy mood. He had enough of you acting like he wasn’t standing right there.

He had enough of your attitude.

You couldn’t help the gasp that escaped your lips when you felt him press up against you, his hand on each side of you on the counter, practically caging you in. You cleared your throat slightly, reaching for one of the vegetables you had laid out as you continued to ignore him.

“That the way you’re gonna be, baby?” He murmured, his voice low and gravelly—just the way he knew you liked it.

He raised one hand to move your hair to the side, pushing it over one shoulder before he leaned down to press a soft kiss at the base of your neck.

“Don’t like it when you ignore me, Sunshine,” he murmured, his beard brushing against your skin as you tried to resist the shiver it sent down your spine. “Don’t like it when my good girl starts acting like a brat.”

You let out a sigh when his hands rested on your waist, squeezing you softly as he continued to kiss along your neck.

“Is that what you wanted?” He whispered as his lips brushed against your ear.

You swallowed, the dinner prep long forgotten as you leaned into his touch.

“Just acting up because you wanted me to fuck the attitude out of you, hm?” He continued, his fingers brushing along the hem of your shirt before his hands slid under the fabric.

“Danny,” you sighed out.

“Say it,” he gritted out, his hands splayed across your stomach. “Say it, Sunshine.”

“Want you to fuck me,” you murmured as you turned your head to the side, trying to catch his lips with your own but he quickly moved back.

“Not gonna be that easy,” he grinned down at you, a look that told you that you were in for it.

“Danny,” you whined.

“Don’t give me that look,” he grumbled, his fingers squishing your cheeks as his nose nudged against yours. “Should’ve thought about that before you started acting like a brat, huh? On your knees, Sunshine. Gonna show you what silent treatment gets you.”

.

[livefastdriveyoung]

This is not the essay I promised, but a thought that I had: This is an opinion, these are my thoughts, please do your own research.

Just because a team principal seems to care and support the driver you like, it does not mean that they are a good team principal or that the way they treat others is still not problematic.

Do I like that Chr*stian H*rner called Zak Brown out for the fact that Daniel Ricciardo came back to Red Bull looking malnourished and badly cared for? Do I like that he hates Jos Verstappen to the point he was banned for a while?

Sure.

Is he the same TP who crushed Alex, Pierre, and is doing the same to Checo right now?

Yup.

Do I like that Toto Wolff has an interest in the next generation of the sport? That he knows that there is more to F1 then people who are currently on the grid?

You bet.

Do I think that his relationship with Kimi now, with George when he was in the academy, is questionable and should be under scrutiny? Do I think that he was so focused on recreating Max Verstappen and winning again that he failed to realize that a multi-world champion was trying to fix the team with him?

Absolutely.

Do I like that Andrea Stella can acknowledge that his drivers are half the reason for their success? Do I think he cares?

Of course.

Do I think he is in Zak's pocket, so in it that he is often forgotten as the TP? Do I think that he is so afraid to stand up and say 'we were wrong today' more often than not? Do I think he was afraid to acknowledge how fucked the team orders were?

Damn right.

Do I think that James Vowles has worked his way up through a major team and taken the helm of a sinking ship and seemingly steered it back from the edge? That his promises of a strong 2026 are possible?

Yeah, I do.

Do I think that the way he could talk down about another human being to anyone who will listen, the fact that he was so willing to get another driver, his PARTNER questioned what the hell was going on, is incredibly toxic and weird?

Yes.

This is not a perfect sport. There is toxicity from the very bottom, with the fans, all the way up to the guys who run the teams.

Don't pretend that anyone, and I mean anyone, is innocent. This sport is mean, it is unforgiving, and it starts at the top.

[chaiiitime]

It Happened One Summer Night

Summary : A broken car. A sleepy little village. It was a scary feeling to see all the excuses you made to hate each other slowly crumble away. Wild curls. Inked skin. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to let go.

Pairing : Daniel Ricciardo x OC!Fem

Warning : Sexual themes, 18+

Masterlist | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Adriana knew exactly where she was as she slowly woke up.

A light breeze was ruffling the lace curtains at the window, the sun creating intricate patterns on the floor as it shone through. 

The space next to her was rumpled and empty. Daniel had already woken up, which meant she also had to get up.  

At the back of her mind, Adriana knew they had a lot to do if they wanted to reach Jerez any time soon, but she felt so heavy, her body languid against the cotton sheets.  She turned around, burrowing into Daniel’s custom-made travel pillow, the material soft against her cheek.  It smelled of rain and forest, so unlike what she would have expected.  

She thought back to his apology of last night.  She had to give it to him — it took a lot of self-awareness to admit to being wrong.  

She threw off the covers, padding barefoot to the bathroom, looking at herself in the little mirror above the sink. She cringed, covering her face with her hands as she remembered the way she’d all but exploded at Daniel in the car. She never lost her cool like that — she’d always been the calm and collected older sister. So she didn’t know why she’d acted like that with Daniel. 

Maybe, she had to accept she was the one who had created the resentment that was brewing between them. She was the one who had been cold and rude the first time they’d met when Daniel had been nothing but nice.  Even if he’d been overly flirty. She’d looked at him and  judged him just because he had reminded her of her ex. She’d accused him of being arrogant and self-serving, but yet, he hadn’t once made any recriminations against her when she was the one responsible for essentially stranding them.  He hadn’t made any snide comments. Instead, he’d been — very understanding. 

She needed to apologise to him. That was the only right thing to do. 

She pulled on the white shirt and linen shorts she’d picked out last night. The material was creased and the Spanish humidity had turned her hair in a frizzy mess. She wished she had packed one of her power suits and her favourite pair of Louboutins — because God knew she needed the armour if she was going to be apologising to Daniel.  

She smoothed out the creases as much as she could and gave up on trying to tame her hair. Time to face the day. 

Daniel was right — she’d been sitting on her high horse all this time and it was time to get down before she face-planted on the ground. 

~

Adriana drifted down the hallway, following the voices coming from the back of the house — a mixture of broken English and Spanish, intercepted with the unmistakable sound of Daniel’s honking laughter. 

The hallway opened into the kitchen. 

It looked like it had been plucked right out one of the old telenovelas Adriana’s grandmother used to watch — the uneven terracotta floor made dull with wear, the little pots of herb lining the window sill and the big old farmhouse table at the centre of the room, its wood scarred with age.  

There was a rickety old door that opened into the yard and from where she stood, Adriana could see the clothes gently swaying on the clothesline. A flock of chickens were running freely in the yard, some of them pecking at the scattered seeds near the doorway. 

Daniel was sitting at the table, gesturing wildly with his hands, Cayetana appearing enthralled with whatever he was trying to say, the pot she had bubbling away on the old-fashioned stove completely forgotten. 

“Ah!” Cayetana exclaimed, spotting her in the doorway. “Bueno Dias! Come in, come in.” She gestured for her to take a seat at the table.

Adriana gratefully accepted the cup of coffee Cayetana handed her, murmuring her thanks as she took a sip. The coffee was sweet and milky — just how one should take their coffee when on holiday. 

“Tu novio es tan encantador.” Your boyfriend is so charming.

Adriana had to hide her smile behind her cup at the way the older lady was blushing as she literally batted her eyelashes at Daniel. 

Of course, he would have worked that charm on her already. 

She’d been very careful not to look at him as she had sat down. She peeked at him now, and was surprised to see him looking at her with hooded eyes. He looked well-rested and fresh. He’d somehow shaved in the morning without waking her up and all that delicious stubble was gone. 

Pity that. 

“Slept well?” He asked as he took a sip of his coffee, the delicate cup looking positively tiny in his large hand. 

“Uhmm.” She nodded non-committedly as she buttered up a piece of bread. She hadn’t slept well at all. She’d been excruciatingly aware of him next to her all through the night, the heat of his body singeing her skin even with the pillow between them. And from the smirk on his face, he seemed to know it. 

Daniel had to bite back a smile as Adriana diligently avoided his question. He was a very light sleeper and he knew she had spent most of the night tossing and turning. It gave him a kind of perverse satisfaction to know she wasn’t as immune to him as she liked to pretend. Oh, he knew that whatever tiny bit of attraction she had for him was liberally mixed with contempt for him, but he’d found a little crack in her facade and he was going to drill till it all but crumbled. 

“So,” Cayetana wiped her hands on her apron as she sat down. “How did you two — “ she gestured between the two of them, her English faltering “— meet?”

Adriana cleared her throat, attempting to sound matter-of-factly, “We met through mutual friends.” 

She was pretty proud of herself for coming up with that on the spot. It was simple and sweet — easier that way for her and Daniel to keep their stories straight. 

“Come on, baby —“ 

Adriana shot Daniel a look. What was he doing now? He had a mischievous glint in his eyes as he leaned back in his chair and draped his arm over the back of her chair.

 “Tell Cayetana how we truly met.”

“Actually —“ He turned to Cayetana who was looking at them expectantly. “We met at a friend’s party. Adriana saw me across the room and of course, fell in love with me at first sight.”He smiled, looking all bashful as he pointed to his face. “I mean, who can resist all this beauty?”

“I wasn’t really on the market for a relationship at the time, but you know —“ His arm was around her shoulders now, “— she kept chasing me and I finally succumbed.” He tipped his head towards her, giving her a little squeeze on the shoulder. “Isn’t that right, pookie?” 

Adriana flashed him a sardonic smile, her goodwill to apologise forgotten for now. 

Two could play this game. 

She leaned forward, whispering conspiratorially in Spanish to Cayetana. “He was unemployed when I first met him, you know.” 

He indeed truly had been unemployed. 

“All this beauty —“ Adriana motioned to her own face, “but up here —“ she said, tapping her temple, “he’s not exactly the brightest bulb, bless him. But what do you do? Love doesn’t judge and all of that. He just needed someone to believe in him and look where we are now!” She looked up at him, giving his arm that was still around her shoulders a tiny squeeze. “Isn’t that right, pookie?”

His eyes were teasing as they looked down at her, his lips quirked up in a tiny smile.“I hope you’ve been telling our host what a spectacular boyfriend I am.” He said with the kind of easy-going lightness that only he could pull off. 

Their gazes held for a moment and just like in the movies, Adriana’s heart stuttered. 

“Ay you two!” Cayetana broke the moment between them, Adriana blushing as she looked away. “This is how my Miguel and I were when we were younger. Always teasing one another!” 

~

DANIEL INSTANTLY KNEW they were in trouble as he watched Adriana’s expression fall at whatever the mechanic was telling her. Miguel had gone with the village mechanic to retrieve their car early in the morning and he’d dropped them off at the mechanic’s workshop before he’d gone off. 

Adriana thanked the man and turned around. She was gnawing at her bottom lip, the worry clear on her face. 

“He said that the branch has badly damaged the underside of the car.  He’ll need to replace parts but —“ She let out a harsh sigh, “He doesn’t have them handy, so he’ll need to order them from the next town over and he’ll only get them, maybe tomorrow.”

She turned around, walking out. Daniel followed her out, bringing his hands up to shield his eyes from the bright sun. 

“What are we going to do?” Adriana sounded dejected. “There is no way we’ll make it to the wedding in time now.” She said, her voice wobbling slightly. 

“Hey, it’s ok —“ Daniel hoped she was not about to cry because he didn’t know what he would do if she did. “We’ll work something out.” He didn’t even sound convincing to himself. 

“Like what?” She asked despairingly.

“Uhhh…” Daniel scratched the back of his head as he tried to come up with something.  Anything. “We could hire another car?” He said, lifting his shoulders and motioning towards the workshop, “and pay someone to go drop this car off at the nearest car rental office once it’s repaired.”

“Look where we are!” Adriana gestured. The mechanic’s workshop opened onto a dusty street, a lone scooter leaning against the wall opposite. “I don’t think we’re going to find a rental agency in this place! This might as well be a ghost village!”  

She kind of had a point there, Daniel acquiesced to himself with a shrug. The village was pretty remote, bordered as it was by the sea on one side and the mountains on the other. There was only one way in and one way out, and at one point in time, the little village used to be only accessible by sea — a fact that the locals seemed to be proud of, but which also meant it wasn’t exactly hopping with tourists, even during summertime.

“I am sure we’ll find something.” He said softly, patiently. If someone ever asked Daniel what his biggest flaw was, it was definitely being overly optimistic even in the shittiest of circumstances. “Come on.”

With a sigh, Adriana followed him down the pebbled street that winded down towards the coast. She wished she had his glass-half-full attitude because then, maybe she would have at least been able to appreciate the quaintness of the little white-washed houses lining the streets, with their colourful shutters and the riot of wild bougainvilleas climbing over their walls. 

They passed under the archway of an old building, Daniel turning to watch her carefully pick her way down the roughly-hewn steps to the village square. Little cafés and shops sprawled out in a semi-arc around the square, an old fountain lazily splashing water in the centre.  Right across the street, the Mediterranean Sea stretched out to the horizon, little fisherman boats bobbing on the surface. 

There were only a few people milling around the square, which was as busy as it got, Adriana guessed. They went into the first shop they saw. The old man behind the counter had no idea where or if they could hire a car. And it was the same with the shop next door, and the shop next to it. 

Frustrated, Adriana crossed the street. There was a ledge that ran along the road, with steps leading down to the beach.  The mid-day sun reflected off the pristine surface of the water, almost blinding her. She sat down on the ledge and tipped her head back, trying to release the tension in her neck. 

It was going to be fine, she repeated to herself. Okay, even if they were not going to make it to the rehearsal dinner, they might still make it for the ceremony. 

And things could have been worse. 

They could have been stranded in far worse places than this little village. It was the sort of place where everyone knew everyone, where people lived off the land and sea, where the days simply stretched out and slowed down. 

It was the sort of place where people came to find themselves. Or to find love. 

She could see the spire of the village church in the distance, shining like a beacon against the backdrop of the Pyrenees mountains, vibrant green vegetation softening the harshness of its rocky facade. 

Little houses with terracotta roof-tiles dotted the foothills — Adriana could only guess that the view from up there must be spectacular. The little road by the square sinewed along the coast, dropping out of sight around a bend. Further out in the distance, she could see rocky bluffs stretching out to the sea, the waves gently lapping at the rocks. 

“Here.” 

Adriana looked up. Daniel was standing over her, a bottle of water in his hand. She gratefully accepted it, murmuring her thanks as she took a sip.

“Listen,” Daniel cleared his throat as he sat down next to her. “I know this is all very frustrating and you’re worried you’ll not make it in time for the wedding, but —“ He picked at the label on his bottle with his nails, the paper crumpling easily with the condensation. “I promise you, I’ll get you there on time. Hopefully the car is ready before Friday and I promise you, we’ll be there before the welcome dinner.”

As he’d come out of the shop and seen Adriana sitting so forlornly on the ledge, Daniel had realised he didn’t like seeing her so defeated. He preferred it when she was throwing darts at him with her words. So, it gave him a rush of pleasure when she smiled and gave him a tiny nod. Then, that rush of pleasure didn’t feel that pleasurable anymore, because it left him wanting more, left him wanting to see her smile a bit brighter and that was a road he didn’t want to go down.

“I think we should find a hotel for the rest of our stay here.” He said as he wiped the condensation from the bottle on his shorts. “Miguel and Cayetana have been nice enough to put us up for one night, but we can’t exactly stay there for longer than that.”

He started to get up but Adriana caught his elbow, stopping him. He looked back, perplexed. There was a little furrow between his brows and Adriana itched to reach out and smooth it.

It was her turn to be nervous now. 

“I —“ Her tongue timidly flicked out to wet her lips. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and tipped her head up to meet his eyes. “I wanted to apologise. I was rude to you the first time we met. And, and …”

Adriana stuttered, her breath catching for one moment. Serious-faced Daniel was intimidating — his eyes so dark, the bump on the bridge of his nose standing in stark relief against the sharp planes of his face. His lips were pressed in a tight line, but even that couldn’t entirely disguise the fullness of his bottom lip. 

“I shouldn’t have exploded on you the way I did in the car. The things I said were uncalled for.”

He was quiet for a moment and then he softly murmured,“I’m sorry too.” 

He still had that intent look on his face as he stepped closer to her, crowding her in, the clean earthy smell of him washing over her. “Whether you were rude to me or not, I shouldn’t have said what I said. I’m sorry for hurting you.”

Adriana nodded, ducking her head for a moment to gather herself. “It’s okay. Let’s just pretend we’re starting over — clean slate, yes?”

Daniel surprised her by sticking his hand out. “Hi, I’m Daniel. My friends call me Dan, Danny or you can call me whatever you want. I’m not picky.” 

“What?” Adriana asked in confusion as she stared at his outstretched hand. 

“Well,” Daniel shrugged, his hand still outstretched towards her. “You said you wanted to start over. So I’m re-introducing myself.”

Bemused, Adriana placed her hand in his, his long fingers wrapping around her wrist, his warmth engulfing her. “I’m Adriana. Just Adriana.” She said wryly.

“Well, just Adriana —“ He flashed her that damn smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”

She couldn’t help it but laugh — not a wry snicker or a bemused chuckle but an actual full-out laugh that lit her whole face, the sound surprisingly innocent and childish to Daniel. 

~

CAYETANA WOULDN’T HEAR anything about them finding another place to stay. Instead, she fed them lunch, even if they weren’t particularly lunch people.

Daniel had gone out to explore the village and when he’d asked if she wanted to come, Adriana had used the excuse of catching up on her work emails to stay back at the house.

She’d scrolled through her inbox and promptly gave up to sit on the window sill in their room. It felt like one of those lazy afternoons during the summer holidays, back when she was a kid. 

Cayetana and Miguel’s house was higher up on the piedmont and from the window, Adriana could see the little houses and winding pebbled roads as they cascaded towards the coast. The sea looked irresistibly blue from up here and Adriana could almost feel the salt on her skin, the little sting in her eyes if she would dip her face under the surface of the water. 

Fuck it, she was going down there. She hurriedly threw a few things in her beach bag — a towel, some sunscreen and that novel she’d been meaning to read for ages. It wasn’t difficult to find her way back to the village square, because all the roads seemed to lead towards the sea anyway. She went down the steps to the beach and of course, Daniel was there. 

He’d somehow ended up playing football with a group of kids. He lifted a hand when he saw her. She waved back, settling down on her beach towel not too far from where they were playing. She tried to get into her book but her eyes kept being drawn to Daniel. 

She envied the way he seemed to throw himself into every new interaction without inhibition, soaking up everything in that moment, like there was nowhere else he’d rather be. She watched as he let himself be tackled by the kids, laughing as one of them stole the ball from him. He threw his hands up, pretending to be upset before running after the kids, making them laugh at his antics. She wondered if the kids knew who he was. He hadn’t once played the ‘I’m famous’ card, which was unexpected, and yet the more she got to know him, the more she realised Daniel was Daniel — utterly charming, utterly confusing. 

“Hey” Daniel dropped down next to her on the towel, their shoulders almost touching as he laid back on his elbows. He sprawled his legs out in front of him, his shorts riding up to expose the tattoos on his thigh. The colours intrigued her and Adriana wanted to reach out and explore them. 

“Done playing?” She asked. 

“Yeah nah. Can’t keep up with those hooligans.” He joked, his accent coming on strong. He was smiling and he looked achingly adorable with his dimples and his curls sticking slightly to his sweaty forehead. 

Daniel had to tip his head back to look at her from where he was lying. He loved the way her curls framed her face, all wild and loose — it hinted at all that fiery passion she kept hidden beneath her cool surface. He wished he knew enough about Greek mythology, because then he would have been able to compare her beauty — or attitude — to one of the goddesses. His eyes darted to the beauty mark just above her lips and the desire to dapple his tongue there, taste the salt on her skin stole over him. 

“Good book?” He asked. 

“Hmm”

That little hmm was so self-contained, it drove Daniel mad. He wanted to know everything about her, what her favourite movie was, what her favourite colour was, what made her tick. He wanted to burrow beneath her skin and see who the real Adriana was. He hated that, in that moment, she made him feel unsure of himself, made him feel like the Daniel with the unruly Afro and crooked teeth trying to impress a girl in high school. 

“Want to go for a walk?” His voice was almost rough when he asked her. He could see for a moment she was about to refuse, then she surprised him as she nodded. So they got up, Daniel bending down to pick up the towel, shaking the sand from it, folding it carefully and handing it to her. 

~

SHOES AND SANDALS discarded, toes sinking into the sand, they walked till the sounds of the village became faint, till the little houses and shops along the coast gave way to the rocky cliffs of the Costa Brava. 

Daniel kept a steady stream of consciousness between them — it was impossible to not be charmed by him, to not laugh at his silly little quips. It was revealing to look at the world through his eyes, how he noticed things Adriana wouldn’t otherwise have, how he had her guessing whether the tidbits he was telling her about the sea were actually facts or stuff he had made up. 

Adriana wanted to make him laugh too. She felt like a little girl desperate to impress her crush, but she couldn’t come up with anything remotely funny. So instead, she kept the shells he’d been handing her softly cradled in her palms, letting herself bask in his — magnetism. 

They reached an outcrop of rocks that looked like they had been randomly stacked one over the other by nature. They climbed over the rocks, Daniel holding both of their shoes, patiently guiding her where to place her feet, sometimes holding her hand to steady her over some of the sharper edges. She was still holding his hand when they made it to the other side — her a bit out of breath and Daniel barely winded. 

Adriana was breathless. “Oh my god, this is —“

“Beautiful.” Daniel said, his eyes roving across the horizon to land on her face. 

It was truly beautiful. 

The rocky bluffs curved out to the sea, creating this secluded cove detached from the rest of the world. The water here was so clear, the waves lapping languidly against the rocks, becoming a deeper blue further away from shore. It felt like Daniel and her had the whole ocean to themselves. 

“Want to go for a swim?” Daniel asked. He grabbed his shirt by the neck, pulling it off. Adriana’s pulse flared as she took him in. 

His body was compact, all sleek muscles stacked over more sleek muscles — his body just a machine designed for him to go the fastest he could in a race car. 

“You go ahead.” She felt self-conscious to strip  down to the modest black one-piece she had on underneath her linen shirt. Daniel hesitated for a moment, looking like he was about to convince her to join him, then he shrugged, giving her a mock salute, all dimples and smiles as he turned around and walked towards the water. 

Adriana watched him go, intrigued by the play of muscles on his back. She watched as he swam further out, his strong arms gracefully cutting through the water. She watched until he was a speck on the horizon, then she quickly discarded her shirt and shorts. She slowly stepped into the water, first to her calves, then her knees, letting her body get used to the temperature. Then, when the water was up to her waist, she ducked down, quickly setting out into an easy freestyle stroke. She swam a bit further out, feeling a kind of joyous freedom she hadn’t felt in a long time. 

She flipped onto her back, letting herself be buoyed by the sea, letting the water flow through her fingers and seep to the roots of her hair. The sun pressed intriguing shadows on her closed eyelids and for one brief moment, there was nothing but the silence of the rushing water in her ears. 

Suddenly, she felt a tickling sensation on the heel of her feet and before she could react, there was something warm clasping her around the ankle. She went under, the salt stinging her eyes and nose as she came back up. 

“Daniel!” She sputtered as she heard him laugh before she could even see him. 

As soon as he had hit the water, Daniel had felt his muscles loosening with each stroke, the usual aches and pains from constantly pulling Gs easing. 

He’d always had a somewhat odd relationship with the sea for a Perth boy, thanks to his mother instilling a healthy fear of sharks into him. He had only started feeling more comfortable in the water when he’d started spending time in LA. So, he’d been pretty relaxed when he had seen Adriana get into the water. All he could see from where he had been were flashes of golden limbs, but he’d been bewitched by her graceful movements. 

He’d swam closer, enticed by the curves peeking out of the water.  Like the sailors from the old tales, falling into the lure of the siren’s song.  

He laughed now at the indignation on Adriana’s face. 

“Oh you bastard!” She said as she splashed him. Daniel splashed her back, worried this might anger her more. Instead, she laughed, splashing him with renewed vigour, creating a lot of waves but none of them really having that sucker-punched effect on him. She was still laughing as he caught her by the waist, her hands automatically slipping around his neck. 

The water lapped around them, pressing their bodies together, their legs tangling together, her smooth ones rubbing against his hair-roughened ones. They were so close together that Adriana could see the grain of his stubble, how the water clung to it. Each breath that she took pressed her breasts even tighter against his chest. His eyes looked like molten honey in the afternoon sunlight, filled with temptation. 

Daniel looked down at her, the dark of her pupils had almost consumed the green of her eyes. He could see her lips quivering, that peak of her pink tongue driving him crazy. He leaned in, his breath barely a whisper against her skin. 

Adriana felt the press of his mouth against her skin just where her pulse fluttered at the base of her neck, almost like a sigh. He trailed sweet deadly kisses to the corner of her mouth, stopping there just for a moment before he nipped at her bottom lip. His tongue laved the sting away, then swiped into her mouth, tangling with hers. She moaned as Daniel deepened the kiss, desire stealing over the both of them. His hands flexed on her waist, moving over the curve of her hips to her warm bare thighs, hooking them up and around his waist. 

Adriana could feel him right there, pressing into the soft core of her. She didn’t stop to think — somehow this felt right, the feel of his warm skin under her hands, the rough rasp of his tongue against hers, the prickly sensation of his stubble against her skin. 

Daniel cradled her against him, their hips rocking to the rhythm set by his tongue as he consumed her mouth. His hands moved almost reverently over the flare of her hips, his thumbs rubbing slow circles over her hip bones. He was so hard in his shorts, he desperately wanted to sink further into her softness, wanted to grind into her, wanted to feel her wet heat around him. 

They broke apart, breaths choppy, a line of spit connecting them. It broke as Daniel tipped his head back, droplets of water running down the slope of his thick neck, the muscles bunching. 

“Fuck.” His voice was guttural as he tried to catch his breath, his throat convulsing. 

Adriana couldn’t resist it. She leaned into him, her teeth scraping over his Adam’s apple, her tongue snaking down to delve into the divot at the base of his throat.  She traced the constellation of freckles on the side of his neck up to his ear with the tip of her tongue, giving him a mischievous smile as she tugged on his earlobe with her teeth, sucking it into her mouth. 

She caught the hot glint in his eyes as his hand went to the nape of her neck, his long fingers twining into the wet strands of her hair and tugging her head back. His mouth came down on hers, but this time around, she didn’t give him control so easily. She reached out, cupping his face, slowing the kiss. She played with him like he had with her earlier, biting his bottom lip, sliding her tongue lazily along his. 

Daniel was done being toyed with. He growled low in his throat, his mouth leaving hers to lick and kiss his way to the tantalising valley of her cleavage. He nipped at the swell of her breasts spilling over her bathing suit, pulling the straps down her shoulders, following the path with his mouth. Adriana gasped as he gave a sharp tug, her breasts coming free from the cups of her bathing suit, her nipples puckering as they touched the water. 

Daniel had a smug smile on his face as he boosted her up, bringing her tits almost at eye-level with him. There was nowhere to hide now. With the straps of her bathing suit around her arms restricting her movements, all Adriana could do was hold onto his shoulders as Daniel lowered his head. He dragged his tongue over one taut nipple, his other hand coming up to plump her other breast, his thumb brushing over the other tight peak. 

Adriana fisted one hand in his curls as Daniel sucked one nipple into the wet heat of his mouth, teasing, taunting, taking his fill as his teeth scraped over the sensitive nub. Each tight pull of his mouth felt like an echo at the pulsing core of her, making her slicker and wetter. She tightened her legs around his torso, her body undulating desperately against him in search of that fragment that felt slightly out of reach.

The desperate sounds that fell from her lips spurred Daniel on. Head thrown back, lips parted, her carefully composed veneer stripped away and abandoned — there hadn’t been a more beautiful sight to him. The fact that he had managed to turn her into this wrecked mess, that he could play her like a fiddle — it  filled him with a heady rush of satisfaction, one he usually only got after winning a race. He was so high from that feeling, he could come from that alone. 

He slipped his hand between their bodies, finding and pressing into her secret spot. In that moment, he wished there was no barrier between them because he wanted to know if she was bare down there or if there were dark curls shiny from her own wetness that would hide her from his view.   

Her breath hitched for a moment and Daniel felt the sting of ruptured skin as she let go. Wave after wave, Adriana came. She tried to muffle the sounds she was making, but it felt like they were reverberating off the cliffs around them. 

And Daniel revered in each desperate gasp of his name.

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[itssomeonetofightfor]

Father/Son Themes in Cobra Kai

I have always been a passive social media reader, but this season made me want to write about this show, or on a platorm, EVER, forgive my innaptitude to accompany arguments with appropiate gifs. I'll learn, I hope.

The most compelling thing that came out of The Karate Kid was the relationship between Miyagi and Daniel. His teachings, their struggles, their love. Cobra Kai followed suit, however, they seem to have forgotten it throughout the seasons...

I have loved the experience of seeing what our beloved OG characters have been up to. From oblivious drunken (maybe not the oblivious anymore :)), hard to hold a job, troubled by his past Johnny to a renewed man with a passion for the only type of karate he knew in his life,encountering a lonely bullied kid which leads him to search for his own identity again after being let down by the only father figure he ever respected in his life after the abandonment of his father. (Even though he followed suit and abandoned his own son)

On the other side, we have his rival Daniel, THE Karate kid, who is now a fulfilled family man who has learned nothing but love, determination and balance from a man that stepped into a mentour role in his life after the loss of his father. He still feels the loss of purpose until he encounters a lonely kid ( said rivals abandoned son) in need of guidance and balance.

This was a beautifully written dance the first 3 seasons. The "nerd" in need of toughening and the "criminal" in need of guidance. They were paralled perfectly. Miguel was Daniel if he had been taught Cobra Kai and Robby was Johnny if he had been taught Miyagi Do.

Both fall in the gray because they can't let go of their independent grudges and they both fail their kids because of it. Johnny fails not only Robby who he OFTEN forgets is his biological kid ( on the exception of mentioning it to Miguel, but in reality doing nothing to redeem it) but also Miguel as he tries to redeem his past by leading him into the no mercy way.

Daniel on the other hand goes off the deep end with his PTSD and kicks Robby out not once but TWICE of his life for simple misunderstandings. This was compelling because I always thought the writers were aware of their parallels, both kids and adults.

After the school fight, both Senseis start to fall apart in consequence. Both riddled with guilt. Johnny goes the drunken crazy route only to be told off by his pupil for showing mercy and Daniel cast off by Robby as he is heading to juvie. It's a whirlwind that takes our heroes in separate and tough directions. What a challenge for a writer, what a beautiful predicament. Miguel gets his due, love and effort here, but Robby starts to get forgotten, at least by his own father, until it is too late. Daniel tries, but after abandoning Robby twice I get the distance and lack of trust.

In season 4, even though I love the season, you see these links start to fall apart. I love the karate drama like no other, however...it started to get tiresome, the bickering, the not learning, the abandoning..still I thought it was leading somewhere great, until it had to be Robby to be the one to make the first significant move to have a relationship with his father in spite of his father not giving a shit if he went to his loathed mentor, at least Daniel still cared. Miguel found it overwhelming to think he was not a son to Johnny that he fled in search of identity.

Season 5 is where they start going of the rails within this theme. Which forgive me , but is intrinsical to the lore. I wept when Robby went back to Daniel , one of my favourites in the series and never to be seen again thus far.The show has apparently forgotten there was once a bond there.

I loved the moment Johnny found Miguel after his father turned out a dissapointment. Most of all I enjoyed finally father and son time between Johnny and Robby even if tainted by a deceitful trip for Miguel. I get it, he's trying.

But otherwise, the plot turned into their endless bickering and ridicuoslusness.

In Season 6, fuck their mentorship roles, away goes the depth of their bonds. They are so worried about other things that the most significant moments that made this show great are spent elsewhere. Daniel might as well be a stranger to poor Robby at this point and to Johnny as well..he alludes to it but I have not seen anything to back it up. Even though his son is having a hell of it. Miguel and Johnny are in this, weird on and off I'm your son, love me more that your biological son merry go round ..and are probably the only ones given any closure. I love the fights and drama. But I do wish they went back to the father and son thematic that made this franchise so compelling.

[readingwiththestars]

₊˚⊹♡ THE GRANDEST GAME

["Riddles are for people who enjoy playing,” .... “Do you consider yourself playful, Mr. Hawthorne?”]

| ✮ 4 stars |

THOUGHTS ° ᡣ𐭩 . ° . [!!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!] this is very long guys sorry

ok so *cracks knuckles* lets talk about tgg

!!warning i'm finishing this like four days after i read tgg so i might've forgotten things because reading until 2am and remembering what i read is apparently a hard thing for me to do!!

first of all.... JLB, you and i need to have a chat because that ending was not okay. you literally just left us with no answers. seriously. what the hell????? and while i wanna kick my feet and scream because we got two kisses and then you had to go ahead and ruin it in the span of two or three pages and give us that shitty ending.

i would like to point out one question i had through out the book, which was why was grayson playing? what was the point of that???? like seriously was there an actual need for him to play or was it just jameson, avery, xander and nash fucking with him? whatever it was it didn't make sense and just felt like jlb was trying to shove lyra and grayson into forced proximity so they could interact.

speaking of thatttt i love graysonlyra and rohansav (more thoughts on sav later) the banter the looks the touches the everything i love it sm omg AND AVERYJAMESON!!!!!!! THE CRUMBS WE WERE GETTING MADE ME SO HAPPY OMG!!! I CAN DIE HAPPY!!

i will say i feel jlb really did pull out all the stops for this book the different levels of everyone's connection and knowledge of how to solve the riddles/puzzles (i was literally CLUELESS) like how does one make all that connect. the level of detail was insane connecting books and characters together just weaving some kind of intricate web of characters.

and at first i did feel like the game felt really short but i think that was just my 2am dumbass brain forgetting this is only the first part of the game lol. i did kinda hope there would be more like running around and trying to solve things on the actual island not stuck in a house though but who knows whats happening in the next book soooo

it did get very confusing there with calla (who is fucking INSANE BY THE WAY!!! SHE TORTURED KNOX??? WTF????) and the whole calla lily thing with lyra and odette was confusing af. so its like calla (the person) has a connection with knox and brady and then a calla lily has a connection with odette and lyra (also kinda gray cause he knows abt it i guess)

and and and and im a die hard gigislate shipper (and brady daniels hater) so im praying that we get an enemies to lovers with gigi and slater where he's forced to be mean/hate or wtv because of *gags* eve and then its like oop no im breaking you out of here idc what eve thinks because i only care abt you. ESPCIALLY because gigi was talking abt how no ones ever looked at her the way jameson looks at avery throughout the book (SOMEBODY HIRE ME FR)

OK THATS ENOUGH RAMBLING ITS TIME TO FOR THE CHARACTERS

CHARACTERS ° ᡣ𐭩 . ° .

lyra - ok i love her. she was such a good strong character it was so much fun to read about her interactions (with grayson 😏) she was actual so wife material but idk why i felt like i wasnt allll that into her character too much like i love her but didn't really feel connected with her?? idk she was a very good fmc to read about tho!! but i do wanna know about miles end and her whole connection with her dead dad (who btw is an ass who tf kills themself in front of a FOUR YEAR OLD???) and whoever's stalking here (honestly i had a whole ass thing thinking its ALL PROBABLY EVE LIKE SHE WOULDA DONE THAT MUCH RESEARCH OR SOMETHING or maybe eve was js there for gigi) but now i think it might've been something to do with alice. who knows honestly

gigi - this is my time to shineeeeee. if gigi has zero fans i am dead (and slater bc im delusional like that) i love gigi so much omg. she's my no 1 girl i love her. my girl just needs someone to love her fr she talks through out the book about how she wants to be looked at with so much love (she thought it was brady BUT NO EW) i loved reading from her perspective abt how she just wanted to prove that she was good enough to be in the game AND SHE IS!!! im still bitter about her getting kicked out of the game - AND IM NOT EVEN GONNA TOUCH ON THE WHOLE KIDNAPPING AT THE END (GIGISLATE ENEMIES TO LOVERS WHEN????)

rohan - marry me. thats it. honestly just marry me. u need to work on ur nicknames tho- it was super interesting to read about his way of think and the whole labyrinth thingy lol. there wasn't too much more about his backstory tho WHICH IM SO INVESTED IN FR. WHAT DO YOU MEAN HIS FIRST MEMORY IS DROWNING????

savannah - girboss fr. she could step on me and i'd say thank you. its really interesting to me how (obviously) she's been manipulated by eve and it'll be super interesting to see how jlb will play out her whole revenge plan. she's extremely driven which is admirable and a good characters (she's literally like a female grayson imo - which also reminds me of that one scene where she goes "i am grayson hawthornes sister" which made me smile so big fr)

there are so many characters oml

knox - ok so my buddy boy knox. broski, brozilla, broville, brother from another mother, u need a hug? i didn't really like him in the beginning tbh he was a moody lil girl working through his issues. but after a while when he warmed to gigi it was nice to see the softer side to him (which tbh wasnt for very long until oop trauma dumpppp) but seriously oml knox baby the scar???? imma find calla fr (jlb cant write new characters also why complicate the shit out of everything and have a calla lily be relevant to lyra and also have calla be a person???) i did like how sweet/soft he was with gigi when she fell though that warmed my heart.

odette - iconic grandma shit tbh. she was third wheeling the entire time and at some points actually seemed like she was shipping them but then two seconds later she was warning them? saying no? idk the whole 'seizure' thing seems faker than eve's lies. and the fact she instantly gave brady the watch after gigi said no. like um what about knox? idk if thats js my brady hate coming through here though so yeah idk if i trust her or not (bet everyone is working for eve except for gigi, lyra and rohan)

grayson - marry me. love me. choose me. pls. i'd do ANYTHING. my simping for this man aside. IT WAS SO GODDAMN REFRESHING TO SEE A HEALING GRAYSON. like yes. it made me so happy to see him admit he was wrong but also know that its okay to be wrong skdjhaasd. this is so short because i love him and cant write proper thoughts about him fr.

brady - *cracks even more knuckles* brady daniels....... you know i've always wanted to know what it'd be like to write a hate paragraph. i guess im finding out now. i hate him. literally. i have unbridled hate for this man - who by the way still shocks me that he's only 20 he acts like he saw the fucking first world war. its one of the reasons i never liked him like he sooo took advantage of gigi's smartness and kindness like HE DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING during the game gigi carried the entire team and when she refused to take odette's watch and then him instantly taking it. ICKKKK don't even mention how he lied abt his mom like dude just admit it you knew you were fucking cooked in that fight and the only way you could win was by lying. AND WHAT ABOUT THE WHOLE BOMBSHELL ABOUT HOW (i cant remember his name but the dude who raised knox, calla and brady) died??? and then being a little shit and dropping gigi's heart. like we get it u dumbass man child u think you're clever cause u can speak so many languages and read even more but NO. i was onto you, i never trusted your crusty old man ass. like he even touched gigi without her permission (on the stomach) which so gross to me, the dogshit under my shoe can do better than you brady. seriously. i hate him. i'm the leader and founder of the I HATE BRADY DANIELS CLUB. so thats at least something to sate my anger. help this got so long 😭

QUOTES ° ᡣ𐭩 . ° . [i'm putting like two because this already wayyyyy to long for anyone to actually bother reading.]

"you will come back to me, or i will make you come back to me." - grayson

"Beside Avery, Jameson was looking at her like she was the sun and the moon and the stars and eternity, all rolled into one." - gigi

"give me your eyes sweetheart." - grayson

if you're here at the end of this *APPLAUSE* i commend you on getting through that kilometre of my shit thoughts. have a piece of cake 🍰

[lisbeth-kk]

May Prompts (30) Journey

The Luckiest Girl in the World (chapter 30)

Summary: Rosie struggles a bit during her pregnancy. Thinking about her own mother only makes her nauseous, and not because of morning sickness. A solution is found and nature does the rest.

Thirty Years Old

Of course, we were at Baker Street the first time the baby kicked. Not surprising since we lived there, it was the occasion rather, Timothy’s birthday.  Dad and Papa came up from Sussex to celebrate with us, and the moment I hugged Dad, a violent kick made me wince.

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” Dad asked worried.

“The baby,” I whispered. “It kicked. For the first time.”

Dad beamed at me, as if it was his presence that elicited this action. Papa looked proudly at him, and I just knew that this baby would be spoiled beyond belief. My parents were already besotted. Not that Marie and Daniel were less excited, but they’d been through this four times already.

***

The evidence of my pregnancy with my growing belly, didn’t stop me from marvelling in the craziness of it all. Every now and again the thought hit me: you’re having a baby!

Another thing that haunted me occasionally was the thought of my mother. How had she felt about being pregnant with a man that abandoned her? Not that I blamed Dad one bit. She had almost killed Papa, which still made me nauseous, and it stung my heart. Sometimes I was filled with rage aimed at the woman who I’d been inside for nine months. Other times, I pondered if she’d planned it all to end like it did. To save Papa’s life, sacrificing herself. The thoughts were fruitless of course, and for my own sanity, I managed to stop before I was overwhelmed with the need to know.

There was no secret that both my parents had gone to therapy before and after the Eurus business, and Dad suggested that I try it too, to get some tools to cope when the emotions got the better of me. I did, and it helped.

***

Nature is a wonderful thing. After months of discomfort and hours of agony in labour, all was forgotten once our little girl was laid on my chest. She was perfect, obviously. Brown strands of hair and dark eyes, the colour not yet established. The midwife took at photo of the three of us to send to our families in due course. 

“Best not wait too long, or Sherlock might talk Greg into giving him access, the hour be damned,” Timothy quipped.

I sighed and kissed the wonder who slept peacefully, wrapped in soft blankets.

Once the nurse had cleaned me up and I got a room, I fed my daughter, which was an overwhelming experience, and I cried through the whole event. Timothy was a calming presence and burped her when she made it clear that she was full, thank you very much.

“Call them,” Timothy urged.

***

I was anxiously waiting for my first visitors the next day. The day before, or night actually, Papa had insisted on asking uncle Myc to send a car down to Sussex to pick them up and bring them to London asap since the last train had departed hours earlier. Both me and Dad called him childish, and he finally settled on visiting after breakfast the following day.

Papa was almost lost for words when he realised that we’d named our daughter after them. It took Dad a bit longer to grasp it, and they were both teary-eyed and quite soppy when they greeted Joanna Shirley for the first time. She clearly had a thing for Papa’s voice, just like I’d always had, because when she started to wail, he talked her through it, and she looked up at him with wide eyes.

Seeing Dad holding my daughter, while Papa encircled Dad’s shoulders, made me tear up again. I was so happy for that little person who had such wonderful people in her life, to spoil her rotten, but also to teach her obscure things, comfort her and support her for as long as they could. It was like seeing my own childhood unfold in front of me. The first years I didn’t remember, and I couldn’t wait to experience that, not to mention adding my uncles into the equation. 

Speaking of…

***

The day I was released from the hospital, Timothy was oddly jittery when I asked if he’d made the last preparations for my return home with an infant.

“Of course,” he assured me.

He was a terrible liar, just like Dad.

It turned out that the forces of nature, which was The Fab Four, had taken matters into their own hands. Timothy had been in charge of making tea and ordering takeaway, while two men, I think you can guess who, did the physical work, while the brothers directed and supervised the remaking of my old room into an extraordinary nursery.

The white walls had been painted sunny yellow; the cot was the one we’d already received from my uncles, a pale green armchair stood in the corner, a bee plushie and Ted were placed on top of the duvet, and a white rug lay on the floor. Bee-patterned curtains, and my own bee-blanket, an oak bookshelf filled with my old books and some new ones, made the room feel welcoming.

“You’re all insane!” I scolded the proud foursome.

“Indeed,” uncle Myc agreed. “Nothing but the best is good enough for my grandniece.”

“And our granddaughter,” Dad and Papa said in unison.

Uncle Greg rolled his eyes at them, but he was unable to hide his pride and the love he felt for his abnormal family.

Also available on AO3

This whole chapter is a journey of its own, but also part of a bigger one, which has been a joy to share with you all.

@calaisreno @totallysilvergirl @keirgreeneyes @raina-at @helloliriels

More tags in the replies

[safelycapricious]

i wish the goblin king would take you away

lil ficlet of young maddie and baby buck and jareth the goblin king. un edited. might add more to it later.

She hadn’t meant to, was the thing.

Or she had, but not in a real way. She was angry and frustrated and he kept crying and she knew, she did know, that it wasn’t his fault that Daniel had died. But Daniel had still died.

And he wouldn’t stop crying.

And she was trying, she was, she’d fed him and changed him and he was still crying.

So she’d said it, because she was angry and frustrated and the girl who had stolen her best friend because they had the same name had lent her a book and —

She hadn’t thought something would actually happen.

But there standing in the middle of the nursery was a man. Or not a man. But an adult, at least. Or adult sized and shaped.

And he’d taken her brother.

She screamed at him, she flailed, she kicked him. “Give him back give him back give him back!” and when she’d finally cried herself out he’d gathered her close.

“You lot are getting younger and younger, I rather expected it to go the other way,” he says, softly enough that she doesn’t think she’s supposed to hear.

“Please,” she says, voice still thick with tears, “he’s my brother. He’s the only brother I have, now, and I love him. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it, I love him, please let me have him.”

“Just a child yourself, really,” he says, and then he tips her face up towards his with long fingers that look like bones out of the corner of her eyes but look normal when they’re in front of her. He dabs at her cheek with a handkerchief. And she’s had that done to her before, and it’s always rough and it hurts, but this doesn’t. It’s soft as a kitten. “Where are your parents, child?”

“M’not telling you that,” she says, but the truth is she doesn’t know. They just said they were heading out and she thought a babysitter would show up for Evan but no one did and she realized they must’ve forgotten to call one and —

“My dear,” he chuckles and lightning cracks, “I am Jareth, King of the Goblins, don’t try to keep secrets from me.”

She scowls at him and pushes away, standing up. “And I’m Maddie Buckley and I want my brother back!”

He stays seated and rests his chin in his hand. His other hand suddenly holds three glittering globes, and they begin to rotate and spin. “I can give you anything you want, are you sure that’s what you most desire?”

And, well, no. It’s not. So she puts her hands on her hips and says. “I want both my brothers back!” Because that’s what she most wants. Anything else is stupid.

The balls break in a shatter of glitter and she covers her eyes and when she uncovers her eyes he’s not there anymore.

She hears “far too young” float in through the open window, and when she spins around there’s movement in the crib and —

She sticks her hand through the bars, since that’s faster then trying to get the chair to get in the top, and her little brother wraps his hand around her finger and it’s just the one little brother but that’s fine — well it’s not fine, she wished but —

It’s better than nothing.

And when she pulls him out of the crib, because he’s definitely sleeping in her room tonight, just in case, she notices that he’s got a bit of glitter stuck to his face, by his eye and on his eyebrow, and when she tries to use a washcloth to get it to go away it doesn’t, it sticks stubbornly.

She hopes their parents don’t get upset at her about it, but she gives up and carries him to her room, and makes a pillow barrier and puts her chair under the door and locks the window and sleeps.

And when she wakes up the glitter is gone, but it’s left behind a mark.

Neither of their parents notice.

By the time she’s eighteen, she’s sure the whole thing was a stress dream she had, brought on by the lightning and the crying, and it’s not like they have any photos of Evan when he was born to see him without the fairy kiss above his eye.

[graciegoeskrazy]

do u think i have forgotten

george daniel + xcx!stepdaughter!reader

warnings: none?

a/n: HI WERE BACK WITH A GEORGE REQUEST. requested by a friend of mine who requested to stay anonymous! you know who u are and i hope u enjoy!!! been getting a HEFTY amount of george requests. not that i’m complaining i absolutely LOVE them and im really happy with how they are turning out! thank u for all the love your giving me. it makes me smile so so so much and i appreciate it more than u know. 💞

reader is about 12

Once school got out your mom was always standing in front of the school waiting to pick you up. When you got outside of the front doors you scanned the courtyard for her but didn’t see her. You did, however, see a man leaning against a light pole smoking and scrolling on his phone. You went up to him and playfully tapped him on his shoulder, trying to scare him a little. “Excuse me, sir.” George looked up at you. “This is a smoke-free campus.” You said jokingly.

He smiled before replying. “Oh, sorry. My daughter takes 10 whole minutes to pack up her school bag and I got bored.”

“Ha.” You said, rolling your eyes. He smiled and stomped the cig out.

You crossed your arms and furrowed your brows “What are you doing here?”

He leaned against the pole. “Change of plans. Momma has to stay at the studio late tonight.”

“Good! You and I can eat at the place I love but mom hates for dinner.” You started walking towards the parking lot but he put an arm out and stopped you. “Actually…I was thinking we stop somewhere first.” you tilted your head and he did the same. “Ice cream?” He asked and shrugged.

You smiled. “What’s gotten into you, Mr. Daniel?”

He smiled and wrapped an arm around you as you both walked to the car.

…

You and George sat down at a small outside table. You had ordered your usual and George had to stop eating for a moment to look at you and how fast you were eating.

“That good?” He asked.

“Fuck, yes.” You said.

“Hey! Language!” he lightly hit your arm.

“Where’d you think I learned it from?” You said, rolling your eyes.

“Fair.”

After a second he spoke up again. “How was school.”

“Boring.” You said shrugging.

“You always say that.”

“Because it is. It’s middle school what did you expect.”

He shrugged. “Nothing new or exciting?”

“There’s a school dance coming up? It’s not exciting though. It’s more annoying than anything.”

He looked up at you. “Annoying? Why?”

“Because every single girl in my class is obsessing over what they’re wearing or who their date is gonna be and it's fucking annoying.”

“Why?”

“I don't know. I just don’t understand it.”

“Understand what? Love?” He asked, chuckling.

“Yes! It’s so frustrating. Like, you’re twelve, calm the fuck down.”

He smiled. “You’ll understand when you’re older.”

You looked up at him. “I hope not.”

After a second of comfortable silence, George went for it. “So…I was thinking about something.”

“That’s dangerous.”

“Ha.” He said, rolling his eyes.

You smiled. “What is it?” You asked.

“It’s…complicated.”

“What is?”

“What I need to ask you.” His demeanor changed which shocked you.

“Is it serious?” You asked

“Very.” He said, flaring his brows.

“Well, now you’re scarring me.” You took another lick of your ice cream.

“Just…well...Would you rather me tell you or show you?”

You thought for a second, then, “...Heads of tails?”

“Heads.”

“Show me.” You said.

George reached in his coat pocket pulled out a ring box and put it in the center of the table without saying another word. You stopped eating and stared at it for a few moments before finally speaking.

“Is that what I think it is?” You whispered.

George cleared his throat before speaking. “Usually the groom asks the bride’s parents for permission but, you seem more important to ask.”

You but your ice cream to the side. George continued. “Y/n…I love your mom. And I know you’re young and you don’t fully understand it yet but…this feeling of love that I have…It’s telling me that I love your mom so much that I need to spend the rest of my life with her.” A tear fell down your face. George kept going. “And yeah, sure, I can marry her and spend the rest of my life with her and do whatever the fuck I want, but I can’t do it knowing you wouldn't want me to.”

He sighed.“If you don’t want me to do it. I won’t. It’s as simple as that-”

Your brows furrowed and you looked up at him. Choking on your tears as you spoke. “Woah, you can’t make me make that decision-”

“It won't matter. Because either way I’m here to stay. We both know that. You saying yes just makes it official.” he took your hand from across the table.

“Love, we spent so long and worked so hard to get where we are today. Years ago you wouldn't even look my way and now you can’t live without telling me every mundane detail about your day or updating me on the latest thing Taylor Swift has done. The last thing I want to do is ruin what we have.”

You whipped your tears but it didn’t matter because more and more just kept coming. “Does that mean you’d be my dad?” He squeezed your hand and smiled.

“You’ve always been my daughter, y/n. It doesn't matter if it’s on paper, or by marriage, or by blood…you are mine.”

You took away your hand, sat up, and whipped your tears.

“Took you long enough man.”

[hwangjins00]

Johnny Lawrence and the self-fulfilling prophecy

so i've been thinking about this for a while and also because s6p1 just came out but i think that johnny is one of the best examples of a self-fulfilling prophecy in ck.

SO we've seen multiple times that johnny's been told he ruins people, by danial, robby, shannon, and carmen, even terry. And i'm not gonna disregard his actions, i agree that he has done a lot of stuff that negatively affected himself and those around him, not limited to becoming a functioning alcoholic, teaching kids aggression, drunk fights, being an absentee father, etc

BUT we also see him try a lot of times to get his act together and do better for the people around him, such as teaching miguel mercy, cleaning up his apartment and trying to limit drinking for carmen, and trying to get along with daniel for the sake of his students, but he's still criticized even for trying his best, the only character to consistently have been on his side through his highs and lows has been miguel.

out of all the characters the one who refuses to see johnny's change the most is probably daniel, and this is NOT a daniel hate post, i love daniel and he's one of my favourite kk and ck characters but that doesn't disregard the fact that he tends to have knee-jerk reactions and gets unbalanced easily when it comes to johnny. A lot of the characterization in the show can be attributed to writing choices but i'm going to try my best to not make that my main focus.

alright lets start!

when johnny first opens up his dojo its partly because of the anger he feels towards daniel for succeeding in life but mainly because he doesn't want miguel to keep getting beat on and miguel probably reminds him of himself before he met kreese. Daniel is the one to come to johnny and tell him to close cobra kai and this is completely valid seeing as how daniel's experiences with cobra kai were in his youth, however its also been 30 years and its reasonable to assume that johnny isnt still a high school bully. He tells miguel that if he doesnt leave the dojo he'll end up 'just like' johnny. Right off the bat we have someone insinuating that johnny is a terrible role model. Then when daniel starts training robby and discovers robby's homelife he goes to talk to johnny just to immediately turn on him the second he sees kreese, he doesn't talk to johnny to clear up the situation and he doesn't tell him about his son, and yes johnny has been a shitty dad but he deserves to know that his kid is going to be living with someone else (i honestly thought it was crazy that daniel never mentioned that he had johnny's SON IN HIS HOUSE??)

when robby takes sam to johnny's apartment when she was drunk daniel literally kicked down his door and got into a physical fight with johnny because he couldn't believe that johnny was being considered a safe space for his son to bring his crush to in order to sober up and wouldn't listen to johnny rationally asking him to calm down. and S6 SPOILERS but i think that out of the two of them johnny was trying much harder to be accomodating to daniel, he gave up the name cobra kai and eagle fang for miyagi do, worked kata into his teaching and geniunely tried to not be so hard headed and quick to fight. He tried to get a job (daniel making him switch from using karate as a job was honestly crazy, that was literally how he was paying bills and putting food on the table, johnny asking to be paid for his time and effort wasnt an insane ask especially considering that daniel owns multiple dealerships and chozen comes from a rich family as well, johnny is the only one that actually needed the dojo as a way to make money) and just overall be there, im not saying hes a great dad right away but its obvious that he's trying to be there for both miguel and robby without making either one of the boys feeling forgotten. (ex, telling them both he's proud win or lose, tying robby's headband, listening to miguel's college essay)

HOWEVER, it seems that no matter what he does, johnny is almost never seen positively by anyone other than miguel and devon. daniel switches up on him instantly (he drops people at the first sight of their flaws, as soon as johnny takes even a single step backwards instead of acting rationally and looking at the situation + offering support he tells johnny he'll never change and drops him immediately, he did the same thing with robby and doing that to a teenager dependent on you for food and shelter is honestly crazy), carmen has been pretty much sidelined due to the baby (i have THOUGHTS on this), kreese is his only supporter and he was literally tripping balls and snapped hallucination johnny's neck like a stale breadstick so johnny doesnt really have much in the way of a good support system

now for those that have somehow stuck around lol lets get to the actual point (i realized here that i literally just blabbed for so long without making my point lmfao)

a self-fulfilling prophecy is essentially: you become what you are told. if i told you everyday that you will never amount to more than what you are right now, ive 'prophesied' your future and to self-fulfil it you would just stop trying because you know that nothing you do will ever change my mind.

in a similar vein i believe that deep down johnny DOES believe that no matter what he does or how hard he tries he'll never be able to move past the image of him thats already been made up in peoples minds (society for all it talks about rehabilitation does not tend to actually support those who want to rehabilitate- more thoughts below) and so he goes through a constant cycle of disappointing those around him again and again because no one believes he can be any better and he's internalized that, i honestly have soo many thoughts about johnny's character in kk1 and ck and i would love to chat with anyone interested about it

re: society and rehab

so people talk the good talk about how rehabilitation is important and necessary, in the show daniel is able to form good friendships with both chozen and mike who were arguably much worse than johnny was to him (chozen fought in a literal DEATH MATCH against him and mike harassed him, dangled him off a cliff, forced him to compete in a rigged match where he pretty much just whaled on him on the mat), why was daniel able to forgive these guys but not johnny? my theory is that its because to him chozen and mike have their lives together and have also properly apologized for their actions (JJ&H im still waiting on that johnny apology where we address the 'you're alright larusso' line) meanwhile johnny has obviously gone downhill since HS, but daniel never takes his attempts to get it together seriously and along with a lot of the toxic ideals put into him by kreese, johnny doesn't take his rehabilitation seriously either, he can't afford rehab for his alcohol dependency (plus rehab isnt viewed positively by him either) and he doesnt have a very steady support system so that makes it even more difficult. unlike daniel he's never had a positive father figure in his life which makes it difficult for him to act as a father without fear of becoming kreese, i just wish that the show would take johnny's journey to becoming the man he wants more seriously

[lincourtian]

Daniel diary, about "him(?)"

Sometimes, I feel a screaming sensation in my chest, one of those larger than ourselves, one of those unbearable ones, and to be honest, I think I have lived and constantly live dangerously close to this sensation. It mutates, changes, becomes bigger, smaller, and sometimes ceases to exist, the bitterest and most detestable part of me, because it comes at a time when everything seems to improve, when my mind was ready to give me a chance, to prove myself to myself.

Days and days, where my mouth fills with a bitter taste, a latent need, and an uncontrollable desire, as if all the answers to my incessant pain were in alcohol, tobacco, or something else. As if I were an addict, an addict without even having tried enough in this feeling, I feel in the purest abstinence. I don't quite know why, but it calls me, as if it were an old friend, a forgotten memory that I am not allowed to remember, one I hadn't seen or felt for a long time, and now the longing knocked at the door, for someone I don't even know who they are, or if they are really someone, and as if this someone had decided the most opportune moment, they decided to penetrate my mind, bringing me the purest and absolute despair by not remembering them or the cause of this feeling.

I thought addiction came intrinsically linked to their supposed existence, I thought, for some time, long moments, that tasting it might make it part of something within me, or that it might make me remember part of my interior, deteriorating me internally, while vaguely bringing a possible relief, as if it and its addiction walked side by side, and that they could walk side by side with me. With a false frustrated hope, it had the same effect on me as a sedative.

I know that the reason for all this chaos is also mainly linked to them, that I try to find the answer also in them, but everything becomes difficult when you don't even know if they, if it is even a "they," exist.

This was a text written by me, I thought about how Daniel must have felt after meeting Louis and Armand in the 70s. I thought about the idea of falling in love with someone you don't remember. It's just a small thing.

[greta-van-rose]

Middle of the Night🌙(Part 1)// J.T.K

Pairing ; Jake Kiszka x reader

series

Trope - Friends to Lovers (slow burn with angst)

A/N; I had the idea so i'm doing it... also I'm a college student and will try and update as much as I can !!

Warnings: Alcohol consumption (that's all I can think of)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You've been best friends with the twins since second grade. Josh had sat with you inside during recess because you had forgotten your homework at home; he had actually gotten himself in trouble by talking back to the teacher and swears that he did it on purpose. "No one should be punished for an honest mistake, she was being ridiculous!" and a beautiful friendship had bloomed.

It feels like that was just yesterday, and all of a sudden you were getting ready to graduate. Twins still by your side along with their siblings and his youngest brothers best friend Daniel.

Currently sitting in the Kiszka's backyard beside the fire. As a "Last Hoorah" Josh said when he presented the idea.

"How does it feel knowing Monday you will officially be done with the grand 'Frankenmuth High'" Sam questioned with a huff taking the seat next to you.  Arm slung around your shoulders drink in the other hand alcohol very apparent on his breath. "All I have to say is good riddance" you reply slight giggle while you slightly lean into him to keep him steady. 

"Awh come on sunshine, it wasn't all that bad" Josh jokes standing in front of you two. "yeah yeah Joshua, now if I can be excused I want another drink" You say holding up an empty cup "Come on love, you can't leave me" Sam groans reaching out to you as you got up, you had a hunch he has a crush on you, it's very sweet but Sam is a heavy flirt, all the Kiszka boy's are. "Let the poor girl be Sam" Josh steps in sitting next to Sam. "I'll wait for you my love!" Sam dramatically shouts for everyone in a 5 mile radius to hear. You giggle walking past a group of people sitting around Jake, sharing stories of the year.

The relationship you had with Jake was different from Josh and Sam. Recently it's taken a turn for the worse. There's been some weird tension that came out of nowhere. He doesn't call you by any of the sweet nicknames him and his twin had given you growing up, any sort of physical touch gone, even glances your way during class that turned into making stupid faces from across the room trying to make the other person laugh had disappeared. You had decided to distance yourself from him, assuming he had a girlfriend and didn't want to cross an boundaries, which you respected but also thought he cared enough to acknowledge your existence or give an explanation.

Making your way into the kitchen to make another drink and grab Sam a bottle of water, you hear the back door open and close, choosing to ignore whoever just came in a continue with your drink.

"Sammy boy is really putting the moves there on ya" you hear from behind you, recognizing the voice as Jake's you tense up a bit. "He sure is, everyone in a 5 mile radius can hear him" he chuckles and comes to stand by you. "Can't blame the kid" is all he says grabbing the drink you had just made and turning around, you lightly grab his arm-feeling him tense "that's mine Kiszka, make your own. And what do you mean by that?" You say facing his back.

He finally faces you, eyes scanning your face. Having a war within himself, he has something he wants to say but he just won't.

After what feels like a lifetime of silence, he shakes his head muttering "nothing" and walking outside. Being left there dumbfounded, you have no idea what to do. You finally choose to follow him back outside and getting some kind of explanation. You must have sat there for longer than you thought because by the time you got to the fire Jake had his arm around another girl and didn't even look your way.

Deciding to let it go no matter the heaviness you felt in your chest, you walk back over to Sam Josh and Danny who were trying to "go find bigfoot". "My love has returned!" Sam cheers running to you "Glad you missed me Sammy" chuckling as you return the hug. "You seem sad what's wrong" he rushes out looking at your face. Josh shot a look in your direction with a raised eyebrow, sending him a look of 'i'll tell you later' while returning back to Sammy "I just missed you and couldn't stand to be away from you any longer" squishing his face and releasing the hug. " "Alright lover boy let's go to bed" Josh tries to drag him in the house. "No I can not deny my girl of my presence" he fights coming back to you,"I'll be here when you get up you need to lay down" He reluctantly gives in after I pinky promised to be here until he gets up in the morning.

Danny went inside with Sam, during this fiasco all the other people were gone from the fire and you assume they had all left, but no sign of Jake. Josh waves you over to the fire "come on talk to me" he pats your back as you take a seat next to him.

Josh was your person. He could read you like a book and knew exactly how to be there for you. He is your number one, but you hadn't talked to him about the Jake situation. You didn't want to put him in an awkward position.

So you sat there in silence for a minute debating if you wanted to let it all out. "You know you can talk to me right, about anything or anyone. I'm always here for you." He reassures sensing the state you're in. "Even if it's someone you share DNA with." you mutter. "Even if it's someone I share DNA with."

Letting out a sigh you begin, as you talk the angrier and more hurt you get. Alcohol amplifying said emotions, you feel a tear run down your face. "Hold on sunshine" Josh interrupts looking at your face wiping the tears, "not to make you feel bad, but why didn't you tell me any of this. I could have helped or talked to him." he seems hurt. "I didn't want to put you in a bad spot, things were fine just different between us but after tonight I don't know what that means or if I pushed a boundary. I don't want to upset him but I feel like that's all I've been doing and I don't know how." As you wiped your face from the excess tears, Jake was walking towards the fire from the front of the house.

Laying Directly next to you, was his acoustic guitar. Dammit. You quickly wiped your face to make sure it was dry. Just then making eye contact with him, his face flashed with concern and looked like he wanted to comfort. Yet, he grabbed his guitar and said goodnight.

As he walked in the house you turned to Josh "I know exactly what it is" Josh then looked at you with a smile. "How can you be smiling, and how do you know any of that, has he talked to you about this?" your mind is now racing, "I will not be the one to tell you but, I will go confirm it with dear Jacob, but listen to me when I tell you this. You have nothing to worry about because I know how you feel as well" He squeezes your shoulder as he stands up reaching out his hand for you to grab.

"You Kiszka's just hate giving explanations apparently. You stand your ground and don't grab his hand. “Please just trust me on this."He grabs your hand from your lap and pulls you up "On the other hand, you're going to lay down and go to sleep."

You both walk to the house, parting ways as he goes upstairs and you go to sleep in the living room. After grabbing the blankets and pillows you look at the clock and see it's only 1:00 a.m. As you go to lay down, you're still in jeans and didn't plan on staying the night so you didn't grab any clothes. You could go in Ronnie's room and use her's, but felt bad invading her space, so you opted for Josh.

As you're about to knock on the door it swings open, revealing Jake, not wanting to give him a chance to say anything "I didn't plan on staying the night so I was just coming up to ask Josh for some clothes to sleep in." You say slightly avoiding eye contact. "Oh, he's cleaning up outside. I'll grab you some" he motions for you to come in and sit on the bed.

You take a seat on Josh's bed as Jake grabs you clothes from his drawers. He hands you a pair of sweatpants, a faded 'Terry Reid' shirt that looked older than he was, and a 'Frankenmuth High Soccer' hoodie with Kiszka #8 on the back. You mutter a thank you and get up to walk out of the room. Suddenly Jake's gentle grip is felt on your wrist; stopping you in your tracks.

"Goodnight" He finally said and let your wrist go.

You go to the bathroom across the hall to change into the clothes and process whatever it was that just happened. After changing and brushing your teeth you head downstairs to sleep on the couch.

"You know Ronnie's at her friend's house for the night, you don't have to sleep on the couch" Jake says coming around the corner with two glasses of water in his hands. 

“I'm okay with the couch, I don’t want to invade her space” you reply, adjusting the blankets and pillows on the couch before laying down, trying to avoid looking at him. “Suit yourself then. Here's water” he said, shrugging and setting the glass on the coffee table. Muttering a quiet “thank you” as you hear him go up the stairs. Sighing trying not to think about the situation with you and Jacob, you can't help but hear Josh’s words echoing in your head as you drift off to sleep.

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