#taughtranquility

[taughtdefense]

( $4.99 ! )

—

YOUR CALL HAS BEEN FORWARDED TO AN AUTOMATIC VOICE MESSAGE SYSTEM.

ETHAN WILSON, ROBBY KEENE, MIGUEL DIAZ, SAM LARUSSO, ELI MOSKOWITZ & TORY NICHOLS ARE NOT AVAILABLE.

AT THE TONE, PLEASE RECORD YOU MESSAGE. WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED RECORDING, YOU MAY HANG UP, OR PRESS ONE FOR MORE OPTIONS.

Core Six Edits ( 1 / ? ) / ft.: @taughtpain , @taughtmercy , @taughtranquility , @valleykarate's hawk & @taughtcruelty .

[taughtpain]

@taughtranquility liked for a season 6 starter

he's trying to keep it light, he and miguel are good now, he shouldn't ruin it by bringing up old problems. they don't have any beef anymore, he agrees with miguel, but the conversation he had with tory is leaving him feeling like he finally has a chance to make something good out of his life. everyone else was going off to college and this was the last chance they had to land on top. they can't afford to screw it up. second place two years in a row at some local tournament isn't going to cut it and unless he wants to go back to running the illegal shit he used to with cruz and trey he needs this captain position.

no one can blame him this time for being taken back when Miguel comes marching up to him talking about stanford. he had a future even if it ended up not being at an ivy league, this was it for robby. he takes a small step forward. he doesn't want this to turn into another brawl but he doesn't appreciate having college constantly rubbed in his face by people who thought they were better than him.

"so because I'm not going to college my life isn't worth changing?"

[taughtdefense-a]

A conversation between @taughtranquility / @recurrere / Miguel Diaz, & Ethan Wilson, circa 4x05. This is canon for Ethan & my Miguel. Just imagine Miguel is sitting next to instead of Jeremiah, & Ethan instead of Johnny. Nadia & myself may reblog. This is part two. | Part one is here.

Ethan shakes his head. His hands curl up into fists at his sides. "That’s just it, Miggy. I’m done caring. He’s a traitor of Miyagi-Do, like Nate said. If we hadn’t been friends prior to all of this, I don’t think I’d feel as half as angry as I do. He betrayed the trust I had in him, and ruined the friendship we had." He sighs softly, and his expression becomes more miserable as he continues speaking. "I should’ve never moved to the Valley in the first place. I wouldn’t be feeling like this. This was a mistake."

"Hey, no." Miguel interjects quickly. "Don’t think that. You’re only human. Burying your emotions like that isn’t healthy. And if it’s any consolation, I’m glad you moved here. I’m glad we met. You’re my best friend."

His words are filled with sincerity, and Ethan finally looks over at him. Miguel meets Ethan's eyes. "…That’s the thing about betrayal, Ethan. It never comes from the enemy." He murmurs, reaching over to take his hand in his own. Ethan's caught off guard to see that his expression is filled with sympathy. It’s like he knows something. Something he won’t - HE CAN’T, HE REFUSES TO! - admit aloud.

The next exhalation of breath feels like it's forced from his lungs. Ethan's completely stunned into silence. His best friend’s words play on an agonizing loop in his head.

BETRAYAL NEVER COMES FROM THE ENEMY.

[taughtmercy]

"When everyone believes you, what's that like?"

@taughtranquility liked for a starter

[controlsnature]

❛  don't even try and act friendly with me.  ❜

what happened to hi, how are you, my name is? "it's no act. i know you're playing house with sensei lawrence right now, but soon both of you will realize where your true home is." once a cobra, always a cobra.

[theircenter]

# theircenter. — lucienne bierce . an indie , private & selective original character , set in netflix's cobra kai , an advocate for & licensed cbt therapist for kids across the valley , including those in miyagi do, cobra kai & eagle fang . muse est. 7/6/24 , verse est. 7/7/24 . blog est. 7/8/24 . side blog to @taughtdefense .

❝ the kids of the valley need to know that there's adults out there who will stop at nothing to actually help them... & not through their fists, or by joining a karate dojo. ❞

carrd. | memes. | start here.

heavily affiliated with the self-titled mia & mads cinematic universe, including ( but certainly not limited to ): @teachescenter , @taughtcenter , @taughtdefense , @taughtpain , @taughtranquility , @taughtcruelty , @taughtmercy & @valleykarate .

[teachescenter]

# teachescenter. — olen bierce . an indie , private & selective original character , set in netflix's cobra kai , a confidant of the miyagi fang / eagle fang / miyagi fang karate dojos , & a sensei training students in the ways of miyagi do , & then miyagi fang . muse est. 7/6/24 , verse est. 7/7/24 . blog est. 7/7/24 . side blog to @taughtdefense .

❝ the valley is irreversibly broken because of your & daniel's inability to let go of the past, to prove that you're better than the other, that your way of fighting battles is correct. your son is in cobra kai because of his detestment towards you, & ethan is spiraling because of it. if you're so blind that you're unable to see that you're at least partly responsible for the utter chaos in the valley, then you're an even bigger dumbass than i originally thought you to be. ❞

❝ olen- ❞

❝ just stop. don't stand there & try to shove that nihilistic, self-aggrandizing, woe-is-me, attempt-at-martyr bullshit down my throat, johnny. it's unbecoming & disgustingly so far removed from the person we both know you are. to put it bluntly, your facade is an insult to the martyrs that history will actually remember. ❞

carrd. | memes. | start here.

heavily affiliated with the self-titled mia & mads cinematic universe, including ( but certainly not limited to ): @taughtcenter , @taughtdefense , @taughtpain , @taughtranquility , @taughtcruelty , @taughtmercy & @valleykarate .

[taughtcenter]

# taughtcenter. — uriah bierce . an indie , private & selective original character , set in netflix's cobra kai , a member of miyagi do, then eagle fang , then miyagi fang . muse est. 2023 , verse est. 7/7/24 . blog est. 7/7/24 . side blog to @taughtdefense .

❝ allow me take a stab in the dark, here, robby. you joined cobra kai for—& stop me if i'm wrong—power? control? boredom? all of the above, maybe? if any of that is true, i think that's utterly pathetic.

what we humans fail to grasp is that can control can sometimes be an illusion. there's always going to be struggles for control, for power. it's inevitable, just as wars amongst humans are. if you need proof, i want you to look at what your father & mr. larusso have done to the valley. i'll give you the benefit of the doubt. say you're not as moronic as i currently believe you to be. if this change to cobra kai is an attempt to prove to others that you're going against the fucking tide, then you've lost that war before it's even begun. ❞

carrd. | memes. | start here.

heavily affiliated with the self-titled mia & mads cinematic universe, including ( but certainly not limited to ): @teachescenter , @theircenter , @taughtdefense , @taughtpain , @taughtranquility , @taughtcruelty , @taughtmercy & @valleykarate .

[taughtdefense]

❝ i love you, eth. it's ruining my life. ❞

2x09. canon interaction. | drabble featuring @taughtranquility

moon’s big end-of-summer party has spiraled into disaster. ultimately, coming here is a bad idea—for various reasons. mostly, the tension between miyagi-do & cobra kai ruins any chance of enjoying the night. watching cobra kai students like tory & a handful of others flaunt their new confidence from kreese's teachings makes everything feel off. even though you, robby, & the others try to stick together, it’s hard to ignore the clear divide.

you keep an eye on sam & tory’s drinking game from beside robby, feeling your unease grow. sam is on her fifth or sixth shot now, her legs starting to wobble as she perches on one of the oak stools dragged out from the kitchen. every time she downs another drink, a part of you wants to step in, say something, but you know better. sam has a stubborn streak, especially when tory is involved. trying to stop her will only make things worse, & you don’t want sam to get mad at you.

tory eventually loses the game, her competitive streak flaring up as she stumbles off the stool. she mutters something under her breath about sam being a spoiled brat, but it’s too low for anyone else to hear. tory storms off to clean herself up, her crew—scarlett, paze, nova, stef, allison, rowan & cosima—quickly following behind her. you notice cosima hesitate for a moment, glancing back at robby before disappearing into the house, but you don’t press robby for more details despite your curiosity. you’d seen the tenseness between hawk & demetri, too, & that concerned you.

the whole night feels like a disaster waiting to happen. you have no desire to be caught in the middle of it.

after making sure sam isn’t drinking anything else for the moment, you slip outside for some air. while the others continue partying inside, you find yourself in the backyard, trying to take a breather. the yard is a mess—solo cups & beer cans litter the grass, plates of half-eaten food abandoned on the patio. the sticky late-august air clings to your skin, making you feel like you’re drowning in humidity.

you barely glance at your phone when it buzzes in your pocket. the night is supposed to be fun, but it feels more like a battlefield. you don’t even need to turn around when you hear the familiar footsteps behind you.

"eth."

miguel’s voice is quiet but sharp, cutting through the night. you sigh, already knowing where this is going. the tension between you has been building for a while now—ever since kreese started filling miguel’s head with all of that "no mercy" shit.

you turn to face him, your heart sinking at the sight of the tightness in his jaw, the frustration in his eyes. "miguel."

he takes a step closer, his hands shoved into his pockets. "what are you doing out here? the party’s inside."

you shrug, adjusting your green earplugs. "needed some air. it’s a lot in there. loud, too."

"yeah, well, it’s a party, & our dojos are enemies," he says, his tone dismissive. "what’d you expect?"

you narrow your eyes, watching the way his shoulders are tense, like he’s holding back. miguel wasn’t like this before—not with you. but ever since cobra kai & that sensei kreese came into the picture, something has changed. he isn’t just your best friend anymore; he’s something harder, colder. you don’t like it, who he’s become. you miss your best friend.

"look, i don’t want to do this," you say, running a hand through your hair. "i know things are different now, but we’re still friends, miguel."

his jaw tightens, & he looks away, scoffing. "friends? you’re fully committed to miyagi-do now. we’re not on the same side anymore."

the words sting more than you expect. "i didn’t choose this. you did."

miguel’s eyes snap back to yours, his frustration evident. "yeah, well, maybe i made the right choice. robby sure as hell didn’t."

hearing him bring up robby makes your blood boil. you have no idea what he’s talking about—robby hasn’t made any wrong choices, especially not when it comes to sticking with miyagi-do. "what the hell’s that supposed to mean?"

miguel’s jaw clenches, his voice sharp. "it means he’s gonna get himself hurt again. he’s too soft, eth. all that balance & peace crap—it won’t save him when someone knocks him down, & you know it. he’s setting himself up to fail, just like johnny did."

you feel the heat rising in your chest, your frustration spiking. "robby’s not weak." your voice is firm, even though your chest tightens. "he’s been through more than you could even imagine. you don’t know him like i do. all you see with him is your hatred, whatever tensions are between you two & johnny, & then you two & sam." & me.

miguel scoffs again, rolling his eyes. "oh, right. because he’s all about peace & balance, right? that’s not gonna help him when he gets knocked down again."

you feel your temper rising, but you force yourself to stay calm. "robby doesn’t deserve to be your enemy, miguel. you just can’t see that because you’re too wrapped up in all this 'no mercy' crap your new weird fucking sensei has been funneling to you."

miguel’s eyes darken, his fists clenching at his sides. "don’t act like you’re better than me or cobra kai just because you’re with miyagi-do. zealotry isn't a good look on anyone, but especially not you, eth. robby’s not some saint."

"& you are? you say that i'm a zealot because of my allegiance to miyagi-do, but have you looked in a mirror recently? pot, meet fucking kettle." you fire back, tone cold. "at least we chose something that doesn’t turn kids into fucking monsters who don’t give a shit about who they hurt. as long as they get what they want out of it, & damn the rest of us, right?" you snap, stepping closer. "he chose something better, something that’s not about hurting people to assert a twisted sense of violent dominance. or did your new mentality make you somehow magically forget what you did to him in the all valley?"

miguel’s breath hitches, his expression shifting. you see something break in his eyes—a crack in the anger he's been holding onto. his voice lowers, softer now, almost trembling. "you think i don’t know that?" he shakes his head, as if trying to shake off the weight. "i... i know. it’s just..." his gaze drops to the ground, & then he looks at you with a raw intensity. "i can’t stop thinking about you. i love you, eth. it’s ruining my life."

you freeze entirely, your heart & stomach lurching violently for entirely different reasons. the air is stolen from your lungs.

what the fuck. ...what the fuck?

before you can process anything he says, miguel steps closer, his hands trembling slightly as he reaches for you. his fingers wrap gently around your wrist, the touch soft but deliberate. "eth..."

& then, with a quiet breath, he leans in. his lips brush against yours, tentative & slow, like he’s unsure, like he’s asking for permission without saying a word.

it’s soft—softer than you ever thought miguel could be. for a moment, you stand frozen, caught in the gentle pressure of the kiss. it doesn’t feel desperate or intense, but it catches you off guard all the same.

as your eyes flutter shut, your mind immediately conjures an image of someone else—robby. it’s not miguel’s, but robby’s lips you imagine instead, the way you’ve thought about kissing him so many times. robby’s hands, robby’s warmth. everything about this moment feels wrong because the person kissing you isn’t him.

as quickly as the kiss starts, you pull away, your heart pounding. your breath catches in your throat, but all you can think about is the guilt swirling inside you. "miguel, i—"

he steps back, just as shocked as you, his breath coming in short, sharp bursts. "eth—"

but you shake your head, the words finally catching up to you. "i can’t. i’m sorry. i don’t feel that way."

the words hang heavy in the thick night air. miguel’s face falls, a flash of pain crossing his features before he masks it, his expression hardening once more.

"right," he mutters, his voice sharp, & it almost makes you wince. "of course. robby."

you don’t deny it. how could you? robby is the one of the only people in this world who has been there through everything, the one who stands by your side, who believes in you when others don’t. he makes you better, believes you can be more than the monster your Creators have always wanted you to be.

"yeah," you whisper, your voice barely audible. "robby."

miguel takes another step back, his expression unreadable now as he closes himself off from you, which hurts. the tension between you feels unbearable, like a weight pressing down on your chest. without another word, he turns & walks away, back towards the house, leaving you standing there, the sound of the party faint in the distance.

you inhale shakily, then let out the breath, smoothing down your flannel with slightly trembling hands. your thoughts are spinning almost as quickly as your heart is currently racing. you need to talk to robby.

[taughtpain]

📱

What ringtone my muse has set for yours: back in black - acdc

What my muse thinks of the way yours texts: it's fine, he thinks it's a little boring is all

How quickly my muse responds to your texts: pretty average for him. he's not running to answer but he's not going to wait to reply if his phone is in his hand

How often our muses text: pretty often in group chats but i don't think they text too often solo

How often our muses call: never. robby forgot what he set his ringtone as

Does my muse purposefully miss calls from yours: sometimes, he will text him asking why he called though

Last text sent from my muse to yours: I'm changing all of my dad's ringtones to I'm just ken from barbie. i need you to stall him.

What contact photo my muse has set for yours: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/8d/7d/67/8d7d67399785253509a7d374b64c69c4.jpg

[taughtdefense-a]

A conversation between @taughtranquility / @recurrere / Miguel Diaz, & Ethan Wilson, circa 4x05. This is canon for Ethan & my Miguel. Just imagine Miguel is sitting next to Ethan instead of Jeremiah, & Ethan instead of Johnny. Nadia & myself may reblog. This is part one. | Part two is here.

Miguel sits down next to Ethan, looking at the taller boy in concern. Ethan has his earplugs in his ears, but his sunglasses are off for the moment. The case is sitting on the ground next to him. They're both sitting outside of Miguel's apartment, with their backs pressed against the wall next to the Diaz's apartment door. After causing two incidences, Ethan had abruptly abandoned Miyagi-Do practice early in a hurry. Miguel took it upon himself to go after his best friend, to make sure he was okay. It's something Ethan silently appreciates. He'd have done the same for Miguel, or Icarus, or Hawk.

"Hey, Eth."

Ethan doesn't mind the nickname; Miguel is one of the people who can use it whenever he wants. Emma, Talia, Hawk, Charlie & Sam are the others. His parents, too, obviously. Ethan even gave Robby permission to use the nickname, too. Ethan has no interest in being within a ten mile radius of his ex-best friend anymore.

"...Hey." Is what Ethan mumbles instead. His voice is weak.

"Are you okay?"

The brunet scoffs lightly, crossing his arms over his chest. Like a light switch, his look of guilt is replaced with frustration. "Christ." He grumbles in exasperation, dragging a hand down his face. "Everyone keeps asking me that. I’m okay. Really."

"You don’t have to do that, dude." Miguel begins quietly.

"Do what?" Ethan responds, keeping his tone flat, pretending like he doesn't know what Miguel is referring to. He's not stupid. Miguel knows he isn't. Still, though, the other boy sighs softly. This version of Ethan isn't the same one Miguel knows like the back of his hand. Understandably, he's concerned. Sometimes, he wishes his best friend didn't close himself off, like he's doing right now. Distance himself emotionally. It's something Miguel noticed he's been doing a lot, lately. It's some type of defense mechanism.

"Lie to me, so I don’t have to worry about you. You lashed out at Sensei LaRusso, dude. You hurt Icarus during sparring, too. Even though neither of those things are something you’d ever do if you weren’t hurting. I'm just... All of us are worried about you."

"I’ll apologize to both of them later." He laughs weakly, pushing a hand through his hair. The laugh sounds more like a sob. Miguel's heart breaks in his chest. He didn't realize how badly Ethan was hurting until this very second. He had a feeling that it was bad, but he didn't understand. It makes him angry. Angry at Robby, angry at Cobra Kai, & Kreese, & that new Sensei, Terry Silver. "I didn’t mean to hurt Icarus." Ethan whispers, his voice so small and so unlike him. It makes Miguel want to hug him. "I just seem to keep fucking up."

Ethan sighs heavily, looking away from Miguel. His shoulders tremble with a sob he forces back. Miguel flinches. "I hate myself for getting so attached to people so quickly. I fucking hate the karate war. It’s only making everything worse."

"Icarus will be fine." He responds gently, placing a hand on Ethan's shoulder. Ethan still doesn't look at Miguel. "He’s tough. Emma & Charlie already forgave you for accidentally hurting their husband, I just know it. I'm sure he did, too. And you’re hurting. It’s normal for someone to lash out like that when they’re hurting. ...Robby hurt you by joining Cobra Kai, didn't he?"

Ethan's next exhale dies somewhere in his chest, & he still refuses to make eye contact with Miguel, who doesn't look away from him. It looks like Ethan's been sucker-punched in the gut. He reaches up to fiddle absentmindedly with the earplugs in his ears. Miguel knows that that's a nervous habit. "...Yeah. I told him I was in his corner, and… and then he just spits in my face. Like that didn’t mean anything to him. Like… I don’t know. Like I... like I don’t mean anything to him." There are tears in Ethan’s eyes. He doesn’t blink them away. "…I fucking hate him."

Oh. ...Oh.

Miguel doesn't look away from Ethan, simply absorbing his words. As soon as he says he hates Robby, it seems like something clicks in his head - like a missing puzzle piece finally found its home. Ethan doesn't want to read his mind, fearing that the truth will crush him, so he doesn't. He gently bumps Ethan’s shoulder with his arm. The other boy doesn't look over at him, but he does blink rapidly, trying to make the tears go away by sheer force of will. It doesn't work. A few tears slip down Ethan's face. He makes no move to wipe them away.

"I don’t think you really mean that." Miguel murmurs, keeping his tone as soothing as he can manage. "And I don’t think Robby's fully himself, anymore. It’s something Cobra Kai does. It turns you into some dark, empty version of yourself. Look at what I did to Robby during the first All Valley. During the school fight, too." Ethan sighs softly, grimacing. He remembers both incidents vividly. Sometimes he wishes he didn't. Miguel still feels so incredibly guilty over that. "If I could take everything back, I would. I know that he & I haven’t ever seen eye to eye with each other, but… you can’t give up on him. I won't let you."

[taughtmercy]

“ i will never regret us, because you taught me i could love and be loved without the fear of loss. ”

The meaning is common - coming from him it is. Miguel doesn't shy away from telling you how he feels, not since his first couple of months in Cobra Kai. To be cared for by him is to constantly feel his love and his warmth, it's why the disappearance act at the last All Valley had hit her so hard. You never truly know something until you've felt its absence.

She holds him close to her heart and guards the love between them closely as if he'd suddenly up and leave again. Sam forgave him, but it's harder to forget. She hates how hard it is to forget.

The words are more profound than usual, but she might have to remind him about how little she cares about poetry her English assigned reading and Taylor Swift's lyrics are about the closest she gets to it.

"I don't think I could regret you even if I tried." He'd been her first real boyfriend, she doesn't mind not being able to forget that part. She'd never want to forget him. "You taught me to care about things again before you I thought my life would be over if the right people didn't like me." He made her who she is now.

[stokesviolence]

# stokesviolence. — auryn repulsa . an indie , private & selective original character , set in netflix's cobra kai . muse is a member of cobra kai, one of the first handful of students . muse est. 2/8/23 , verse & blog est. 1/29/24 . side-blog to @taughtdefense .

❝ WOLF IN THE VALLEY / WOLF AT YOUR DOOR. ❞

carrd tbt. | prompts. | start here.

heavily affiliated with @taughtdefense , @taughtpain , @taughtranquility , @taughtcruelty , @taughtmercy , @taughtequipoise , @teachesdiscipline , @valleykarate , @tormentsethan , @cosmichunts , @vipersunion & @claimedvalley .

( note: auryn is never going to be portrayed as a healthy individual. he is Messed Up. there will be zero happy or genuine romantic shipping found here. only pure, toxic romance/obsession/manipulation. )

[tormentsethan]

# tormentsethan. — five preston wilson. an indie , private & selective original character , set in netflix's cobra kai . muse est. 4/21/22 , verse & blog est. 1/10/24. side blog to @taughtdefense .

❝ love is a gangrenous limb, ethan. ❞

carrd tbt. | prompts. | start here.

heavily affiliated with @taughtdefense , @taughtcruelty , @taughtpain , @taughtmercy , @taughtranquility , @taughtcruelty , @taughtequipoise , @taughtwar , @weaponizesecrets , @taughtstrength , @taughtcutthroat , @vipersunion , @taughtanger , @taughtlegacy , @teachesdiscipline , @teachesacrobatics , @valleykarate & @claimedvalley across all verses .

[taughtanger]

# taughtanger. — paisley ‘paze’ knapp. an indie , private & selective original character set in netflix's cobra kai . muse & blog est. 1/8/24 . side blog to @taughtcruelty .

❝ To win, I’ll do whatever I have to. Life takes a swing at me, I’ll hit back harder. ❞

carrd tbt. | prompts. | start here.

heavily affiliated with @taughtcruelty , @taughtfear , @taughteagle , @taughtdefense , @taughtpain , @taughtmercy , @taughtranquility , @taughtequipoise , @taughtwar , @taughtstrength , @taughtcutthroat , @vipersunion , @taughtlegacy , @teachesdiscipline & @teachesacrobatics across all verses .

[cosmicompassion]

# cosmicompassion . — Cheong Hea-Sook, aka Light . indie, private, highly selective & fandomless cosmic horror original character, based around original/affiliated lore. muse & blog est. 12/26/23. understood & loved by mia ( she/hers, 24, usa est. )

heavily affiliated with @cosmichunted / @taughtdefense, @cosmicruelty , @cosmicerebral , @cosmictormented , @sunabsconded , @cosmicursed , @taughtpain , @taughtmercy , @taughtcruelty , @taughtranquility , @vipersunion , @valleykarate , & all of mine & mads' blogs across all verses .

carrd tbt. | prompts. | start here.