#esp lawrussos ones

[youandthemountains]

Fave AU- I mean, I mostly force you all to read my AUs, but the one I never wrote more than a chapter of is how Johnny became a sex worker after high school, and continues to pick up clients here and there for decades after. It's great- people tell him what they want, he does it, he gets beer money. 👍

And then in the mid-2000s, this hot brunette chick catches his eye, and the next thing you know he's meeting her husband, his high school karate rival. He's game though-- he's so game, and they look rich, and it's been a bad month, and... Except they don't realize it's a business transaction, and Johnny kind of can't bring himself to tell them.

I appreciate your AUs so much!!

I especially appreciate all the ways the lawrussos come together in your AUs, this is such a fun concept to think about. Would love to hear how it plays out - I could see a version with Johnny thinking of himself as this lone wolf after the Cobras disperse, met with i-dont-care-about-the-house-i-want-you overwhelming Daniel who wants His People all together, and confident Amanda who's like well obviously we're all on the same page here and here's how this plays out bc that's generally how their business partnership has succeeded, and that works at first with them until it doesn't and they realize they actually do want to get on the same page anyway perhaps?

Does Amanda know who he is to Daniel ahead of them meeting? Is Amanda from money which is how they're rich & still working under other people, or would this be shortly after opening their first dealership together, maybe the first time they've tried something new in their relationship between the new business and new baby (or is this pre-Sam?)

[campgender]

Cobra Kai + Fleabag (images described in alt text and under the cut)

Image description: Eight screenshots from Cobra Kai overlaid with captions from Fleabag.

1: Young Johnny facedown on the mat at the All Valley tournament. Caption in yellow: This is a love story.

2: Johnny and Daniel getting out of the Challenger at Daniel's house. Caption in white: I like that you believe in a meaningless existence.

3: Johnny smiling tentatively at Daniel outside the Mexican restaurant. Caption in yellow: Don't make me an optimist, you will ruin my life.

4: Johnny and Daniel at the bar, Daniel taking a sip of water and Johnny looking down. Caption in white: Here's to peace.

5: Daniel staring openly at Johnny. Caption in white: And those who get in the way of it.

6: Daniel and Johnny staring at each other in the dealership after Daniel gives him the bonsai. Caption in white: And if I fall in love with you

7: Johnny breaking the stack of cinderblocks that are on fire. Caption in white: I won't burst into flames

8: Daniel staring down in the hospital elevator. Caption in white: But my life will be fucked. End image description.

[crimsonblackrose]

In part of my organizing and cleaning up everything I listened to all my voice mail and my friends left me a message on Christmas that I missed and they were like “We assume you’re baking” 🤣 and I was! 💀 I missed their call because I was decorating gingerbread karate dudes.

[spohkh]

hello i just read your latest on ao3 and as a lapsed catholic myself it was so so good!!!! very excited to read whatever you put out next and would love any lawrusso recs you’re willing to spare <3

WAH THANK U SO MUCH!!!! dude i am SO genuinely SO SO happy with the amount of lapsed catholics im getting comments from, which was ENTIRELY my hope. like any good catholic-raised gay, i LOVE working with the themes of catholicism, esp about the strange dissonance bw how inherently beautiful it is versus how fucked up i feel abt it, and TRULY writing from johnny lawrences pov, of all people, was SUCH a perfect medium to explore it from!! im just so happy its resonating w other people :')

ok lawrusso recs!

i am constantly thinking about last night i had a dream by shortcrust. it has so many lines of dialogue that have embedded into my brain. it's such a good alternate timeline of What Could've Been...

i JUST read as we fall into sequence by lostmagician and loved it

you may have all you want baby (but i got something you need) by potrix!!!

feather in the quiver by wingedhead!!!!!!!!!!!!!! im SUUUUUCH a sucker for text message stories and this one is SO SO GOOD! they're working on the sequel and im like DYINGGGG waiting for the updates

flame on, burn desire by nuvvanda is SO sweet

i'm a fan of just about anything narcissablaxk has written! (especially -- and this isn't technically lawrusso but work w me here IM PASSIONATE -- you're not the compliment type which is ruben from shootfighter (played by billy zabka) x chris from naked in new york (ralph macchio) ITS SO FUN ITS JUST A FUN TIME i havent seen shootfighter or niny and its just FUN...sadly a WIP which i NEVER rec wips but THIS ONE IS JUST THAT FUN!! please, look in the chris x ruben tag and you will Understand)

ok ill stop here!! i hope u get some good reads from this! and thank you SO SO much again for ur kind words!!! im working on my next lawrusso rn :') no idea when ill be posting it but be patient w me and watch this space! ❤️❤️

💕my karate kid fics!💕

[thorniest-rose]

im a bit late to the party but im very excited for your halloween prompts!! esp the vampire one, i just think your luscious, gothic style is going to pair SO well with that and its going to be SUMPTUOUS to read.

eeeep thank you so much!!! I might be a bit ambitious saying I want to write 10, unless they're very short, like a few hundred words each, because no way can I write 10 ficlets in a month + my ongoing tattooed Johnny ex-bf Lawrusso fic BUT I do have an idea that I'm writing for the vampire prompt, and I lovvvve it, I hope you do too! It's very old-school gothic in the style of Dracula but takes inspiration from The Lost Boys too, so it's a fun mix!

[youandthemountains]

Karate Kid/Cobra Kai survey

No one tagged me but i wanted to do it bc i wanna talk cobra kai and nothing is true, everything is permitted, know yourself & follow no one etc. etc.

It's the year 2021 and you're obsessed with The Karate Kid. How are you feeling?:  it's cringe as hell but you know what!!! in @deputychairman's fine words, the cringe is the point!! i am so thankful i finally watched the karate kid trilogy, has been a net positive in my life!! love an earnest weirdo who tries and won't be bullied into submission!!! love making an effort to understand why people are the way they are!! also esp after watching the macchio torture porn movie with the oddly comforting 90s commercials, i do get why you get stuck on a past that made more sense to you even as it makes you progressively more incapable of engaging with the world as it is now.

Did you grow up with TKK or are you new to the series?:  I had heard of it, and heard of Miyagi-isms but had never watched it bc honestly I associate 80s movies with my brother and his girlfriend insisting I watch a ~classic~ and being bored out of my mind. But I wish I had watched this one then!

We gotta do the basics. Favorite character:  Lol well, I think this comes as a surprise to no one, but Daniel, Mr. Miyagi, and Kumiko

Favorite ship:  Lawrusso! Although I've enjoyed reading well-written version of Daniel/anyone, it all depends on the writer. I feel weird about ~shipping the youths but I think Samtory & Sam/Aisha & Aisha/Tory are all delightful. Also Daniel/Johnny/Amanda has got some of the best writers in the fandom writing for them.

Underrated character: OH where to start - Kumiko my beloved, Chozen (sorry I'm a stubborn Chozen stan I have no idea when and how this happened I just think there's so much unused potential there), Miguel (I feel like he gets lost in all the other characters storylines, like he's a vehicle for everyone else's stories while his own storylines just kind of sputter out), Chris (he switched sides and is one of the only characters who was never comfortable with the instinctual aggression at Cobra Kai and pretty immediately apologized but he gets like no story? classic), depending on which fandom we're talking about, Aisha, Sam and Tory (but honestly they're great characters and people really and truly find any excuse to hate a teen girl. Yasmine and Moon I get because they're really non-entities as characters, they literally just exist to be the Mean Girls and then wrestled into submission as the Hot Girlfriends.) Shannon - I feel like she gets constantly dunked on or written as this evil party girl, but I think she's interesting! Robby clearly loves and trusts her despite how tumultuous it was growing up with her and she did absolutely mistreat him through neglect, but when help was offered to her via rehab she took it and made an active effort to engage and try and apologized for her mistakes and embraced change. I think that's really hard to do and really admirable, and I love that she still kept her feistiness and sense of humor throughout.

Underrated ship (don’t say therapy, lol):  Underrated ships are my raison d'etre! Some of my favorite non-lawrusso Daniel ships:

Daniel/Chozen - my white whale, I know he had sexual relations with that man. I just know it.

Daniel/Kumiko - not super underrated but they're the most tender star-crossed missed connection, I really think they're the kind of love where you're comforted just knowing that there exists someone in the world that really knows you

Danielle/Ali - thanks to @iamtheremin's fics, I'm eternally craving the lesbian karate kid. god. icon.

Daniel/Jimmy - fully thanks to @klovenhooves writing it beautifully, the concept of them as tennis partners progressively drawn to each other lives in my head rent-free

Johnny/Daniel/Shannon - also thanks to @idontknowkaratebutiknowcrazy's great writing and WHAT a threesome. Gives you an absolutlely delightful peek at what Johnny/Shannon were like and they combine the full force of their Party Blondes on an unsuspecting Daniel. incredible.

Daniel/Ruben - thanks to @ted-imgoingmad's fascinating new fic, just unbearably heartbreakingly gentle with a Daniel that's trapped in a different toxic relationship

Samtory - thanks to lesbianbean's incredible series!!! Honestly I had not thought of it before but then she went all galaxy brain on us and woof. and then of course @cobra-sigh just made it better and better

Wax On, Wax Off or Sweep the Leg?:  sweep the leg just because I'm stronger with my legs than my arms.

Which of Daniel’s dumb little outfits is your favorite?:  he's a fashion icon, how's a girl supposed to pick just one. the powder blue ruffled prom suit is just, absolute king shit. the black tank top & hachimaki with the shirt tied around his waist? butch icon. the soft comfy sweatpants from KK3? it's what he deserves.

Character from the films you most want to return, who’s not Terry Silver: Mostly everyone's come back already haven't they? so, Jessica and Mike Barnes. oooh Freddy Fernandez - I'm curious about the only guy who was kinda friends with Daniel.

Scene that lives in your head rent-free: from Cobra Kai? bloody unhinged Daniel shooting Johnny a wide-eyed look just before murdering his abuser and the little nod he gives Daniel back, and also the way Daniel's soften and when Johnny joins forces with him against Kreese.

From TKK - Daniel sitting next to Mr. Miyagi and comforting him after Mr. Miyagi's father died and giving him the most upset, sympathetic, and loving look in the whole series while Mr. Miyagi silently tears up. I love them so much

Will Anthony LaRusso ever be relevant?:  Lmfao I fully think the writers have completely forgotten he exists. Did they cast a different actor for him in s3 or did he just grow and look totally different?

You live in The Valley and are forced into the karate gang war. Which dojo do you join?:  No gang wars! I join Topanga and the love and peace kid. We've already learned the gang wars never actually solve anything, just kick the can down the road!!

What’s your training montage song?:  I cannot think of any hype songs at all right now

It’s the crossover event of the century! Which TV show are you combining with Cobra Kai for an hour-long Saturday night special?:

uhh Leverage because that's what I've been watching. They're tipped off about the corrupt DA in Encino and eventually find out about this gang war funded by DynaTox and join forces. Let's go steal a high school karate tournament!

Tagging: @firstaudrina @keybladeofsteel @issa-wasteland @deputychairman @miyagifangdo @leohtebewunden @jknip2 @bobakick @childishzombiejellyfish @mindlessbehavior2011 @likethegardensofbabylonn @banzai-larusso @jenpsaki @anicety @shewritesdirty @dancinbutterfly @padraigendragon

[youandthemountains]

1, 9, 17 - dealer's choice for the fandom(s) you pick

oh we're going FULL THROTTLE salt, huh. I have object impermanence wrt interests sometimes so this is going to be cobra kai sorry

also this got obnoxiously long bc I'm feeling chatty this morning, absolutely understand if you don't wanna read all that lmao

1. What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?

Look I think anything can be approached in an interesting and compelling way. I'm also a big fan of like, absolutely wild out-of-the-blue ship concepts. So it's really more particular relationship dynamics that I don't get - for instance, I get the appeal of liking Lawrusso obv and I personally like it similarly to fenders (lol this will be popular /s) -

Okay actually as a tangent - you know that post roasting the reasons people are into various tropes that says like, you're into enemies to lovers because you're into the fantasy of someone seeing you at your worst and loving you anyway? I think that's cool and enjoyable too but for me, what draws me to it is the fantasy of resolution, of achieving solidarity i guess, of discovering a core commonality between what felt like insurmountable differences. It's about walls and the fantasy of reciprocity in someone knowing exactly how to find the fracture point and you instinctively hitting theirs.

Anyway the point is, that's what I enjoy, so I don't personally get when the dynamic is more like, the relationship is fulfilled when Put-Upon Real Man Johnny gets Daniel to submit and all of the unpleasantness could have been avoided if he had just realized his place at the start. I just dislike it on a lot of levels, I personally think it's a disservice to both characters, but I get that the power fantasy can be the draw for people. I also think Johnny's interesting because of how garbage he can be while we still root for him lmao, so I don't get the draw of turning everything he does into, for example, a sign of how much he ~respects women or whatever when it's like, I mean that just reads as pretty classic sexism/homophobia etc. to me (which can be fun and funny to play with but personally don't feel the draw of just playing it straight) but idk. I'm also an ~awful feminazi I guess, so.

Oh also don't get some of the teen ships but they're teens so I do also believe it bc teens can be dumb and horny, I also don't get romantic endgame Silver / Daniel bc of the same reasons I don't get that particular Johnny / Daniel dynamic, but I also fully believe that Silver / Daniel happened, and ykw, kinda enjoy reading it when it's played as fucked up and awful. I'm not into most of the Cobra ships, I just dislike shitty men that hype each other up, and boys' clubs in general, and prefer not to dive into their psyches, see evil misandrist disclaimer. I also laughed at how hard the show tries to make them into Actually Good Chivalrous Old Boys, See They Will Start A Bar Fight for the Honor of a Black Woman. the transparency of it all esp considering they get the most ethnic looking guy to play the sleazebag as per usual. convenient. love props.

9, Most disliked character(s)? Why?

Kreese not even bc of the villainy but bc I want him to shut up about the war!!!!

17. Instead of XYZ happening, I would have made ABC happen…

Hard to say since the show's not finished yet so we don't really know for sure what they're doing with all the arcs. I would make all of Kreese's backstory unreliable narration though, give Johnny like, one working class white dude to beat up bc I get uneasy sitting through his fights sometimes, give Miguel a longer recovery from his coma & broken back??? maybe one that'd contribute to slowly jolting Johnny into an awareness of how treating himself like shit hurts the people he loves who emulate him too idk, help him really be hit by the awareness that he isn't alone and that's both a gift and a responsibility, also as a parallel to tkk Daniel and Miyagi since the show loves that. Also, I'd like to see more of Robby and Shannon's relationship and Shannon in general outside of Johnny's perspective of her.

Also jfc either don't have characters of color or stop making them some of the only characters who act as pure antagonists without any attempt made into seeing where they're coming from like literally every other character including the weird child abusing karate teachers get.