#dynamics: kay and daniel

[nostalgicninjas]

Cobra Kai Dynamics: Tory Nichols and Samantha LaRusso

Things went too far. And if I’m being honest, it was my fault. I can’t believe what I did to your arm.

It’s not that bad, actually. It’s pretty much faded. A lot like this thing between us. Right?

Yeah. I really am sorry.

Me too.

[rosie-tyler]

[keen-eye]

something something great premise, bad writing…failure to adapt with the times…writers (white men) projecting their biases and fantasies and showing clear favoritism between 2 main characters…fans following suit…*

narrative not holding aggro “manly” man accountable for his actions…shut up, i’m right, screw you, get punched…but he had a shitty childhood…self-destructive, makes it everyone else’s problem…badass all american guy with a cool car, bitches, burgers, beer, and rock ‘n’ roll, baby…makes sexist and racist remarks, but he’s just a goofy guy…unbridled violence and refusal to mature are excused because he's an Action Hero…stuck in the 80s toxic masculinity mentality…apologizes, maybe means it, doesn’t change…alcoholism is hilarious…don’t let him around children…

less masculine man treated as a scapegoat...why is he whiny and annoying…giving but called entitled and selfish…stuck-up stick in the mud…polite, eats healthy food, likes a clean space, and knows how the internet works, ugh…samantha, danielle…don’t be a bitch/pussy about it…get emasculated, nerd…abused as well but learns to forgive…internalizes his rage and tries to be gentle…compassionate and sees the good in people…emotional intelligence, let’s talk this through…given female character treatment...held to a higher standard, judged more harshly...comfortable in his sexuality…vilified for holding justifiable resentment towards macho man…hate for character carries over to actor

oh and the homoerotic subtext (they break up every other episode)

and the target audience

dean & johnny are the anti-snowflake squad

[backinblack-80]

Controversial take, but I think at the end of Season 6, Daniel and Johnny really should go their separate ways, and Johnny 100% should not work for Daniel. Between getting the rates increased because he can and constantly talking about the 'right way' to do karate (which basically means his way), and even when Johnny conceeded on Eagle Fang (which I think he should have faught for more - yeah its a dumb name but Johnny built his dojo from nothing) it will never be enough for Daniel. And sure, Johnny isn't an angel by a long shot (although I am a Johnny apologist, so totally biased), but Daniel's brand of friendship is not healthy and probably a little toxic. Johnny should walk away and focus on his family.

[soupforsoup]

Yeah I'd love to make new and original content but unfortunately there's only so many ways that I can say how the opening scene in 1x07 where Daniel's training Robby in the home dojo makes me scream and cry and claw my eyes out

[andygo34]

Ship dynamics:

On the one hand, My fav💖:

-I love him. ❤

-He is always right (even when he is not).

-Perfect. ❤

-My comfort character.🫂

And on the other hand, this guy:

-I probably don't like him.

-I don't like it in any other ship other than with my favorite.

-I'm going to judge everything he does.

-He was just lucky to have chemistry with my fav.

[sorrowandchartreuse]

decades later and no character relationship has come close to mr miyagi and daniel's. there's no contest whatsoever. they're my downfall. my peak character dynamic. i have been searching and craving a pair like them since and no media has delivered. just... crying and screaming because they're so THEM and no one else has it.

[sensei-venus]

Working on some of the actors/actresses stuff but now I'm thinking of this.

@gemini-sensei, I have this idea about Poly!Alpha!GirlCock!Amanda Alpha!Daniel and Alpha!Johnny, where Omega!Chubby!Reader has already had the Twins Sam and Robby.

But now just a few years later finds herself pregnant once again, and has to explain to the others what's up, and how this time she knows it's Amanda’s pup.😈

[pinkgrapefloyd]

Frey & McGray Lawrusso AU where repressed bitchy argumentative Daniel gets transferred to work with Johnny (depression beard, terrible reputation, permanently getting into physical fights, off his tits on conspiracy theories)

are you seeing my vision

[hazel-eyedserpent]

Daniel reached down, and turned on the drinking fountain. He couldn’t remember what class he had next, but he knew it was hotter than hell here in California. The water didn’t make it past his lips for more than a few seconds, before there was a finger blocking the flow, and spraying it all over his mouth, and chin, before he had time to let go of the handle. It made him instantly back up, a little dazed at first. Though, it didn’t take him long to get his wits about him again, and he met fierce blue eyes laser focused on his own, and a paper being, placed in his hand. Unnervingly gentle for the alpha’s normal rough behavior.

“Wanted to make sure you got it.” As soon as the shorter boy was upright, Johnny was in his space, backing him up towards the middle of the hall.

“What’s this for?” While the omega spoke, wiping his wet chin, and mouth, the blonde alpha began circling him like a shark.

“You gotta get your mommy to sign that. So you can be in the tournament with the big boys.” As the last sentence came out of the alpha’s mouth, they locked eyes once again, the taller boy coming back around to the front of him. Daniel looked back down at the paper, trying to make out the jumbled letters before the other boy started again.

“They gotta know where to send your body when I get finished with it.” And Daniel knew full well that it was supposed, to be a threat, but he felt a needy feeling rush through him all the same. He swallowed, trying to remedy his suddenly dry throat, and met the older boys eyes then, trying to not to seem as intimidated as he felt.

“Wait, I thought this was supposed to be no contact?” He asked, doing his best to come off nonchalant, and not the worst combination of nervous, embarrassed, and turned on, that he actually was. That’s when the alpha moved in, lowering his voice as he hovered in closer.

“Accidents happen.” Johnny didn’t let him drop eye contact for what felt like forever. Then, finally, the alpha started to walk away. Daniel knew he should let him go. Should just let Johnny go back to his cobra buddies, his crappy attitude, and his bullying. But something Mr. Miyagi told him still rattled around in his mind. ‘No such thing as a bad student. Only bad teacher.’ As he watched Johnny’s retreating form, he just had to know.

“Hey let me ask you a question.” He regrets it the moment the alpha whips around, hands on his hips with an impatient look. But he was in it now. No backing out.

“What pleasure you get from all this?” Pleasure?! Seriously?! That’s the only word you could think of?! He mentally chastised himself. A brief look of confusion flashed across the older boys face, replaced by the default look of irritation he always had around Daniel.

“All what?” The alpha demanded, clearly already ready to be done with this conversation. So the omega doubled down. It was near impossible to get the other boy alone, or at least without his goons around. This could be his only chance to know.

“Your big shot attitude! I mean, we both know you can kick my face in, so why do you still bother?” And yes, in hindsight, Daniel can see how his expression, and tone, would lead some to think he was only provoking the older boy. Including said older boy, who’s visible annoyance flipped switch quickly into rage. Honestly speaking though, he genuinely wanted to know. There seemed to be this cool, creative, smart, charismatic person under all that hateful energy. Part of him just wanted to know why the alpha hid it.

The other parts of Daniel tensed in anticipation, as Johnny effortlessly closed the distance between them in no more than five steps. The alpha seized him by the open sides of his flannel, yanking him forward, just enough to make him stand on his toes a bit. Why didn’t I just let him walk away?

“Maybe cause I like to, did ya ever think of that?!” Johnny shook him a little as he spoke, like he was trying to force the words into the omega’s brain. There was a very brief moment, where Daniel could swear he saw something resembling fear on the other boy’s face. Almost vulnerable. Then of course his own big mouth had to open again.

“Well, ya ever think your teacher might be wrong then?” Was it true? In Daniel’s mind absolutely. As far as he could see, John Kreese did nothing but take troubled kids, and turn them into bullies. However it seemed to sever yet another of the thin strands of the alpha’s patience with him, because in the next second he was slammed, back first into the concrete wall. Johnny kept one hand twisted in the fabric of his shirts, keeping the smaller boy pinned with ease. While the other hand pointed at him with sharp warning.

“Watch your mouth runt. Or I’m gonna-“ The world around them rippled, and Johnny just, stopped. The alpha stared at him for a long moment, before leaning in. Daniel instinctively bared his throat, and the alpha took the opportunity. Pressing his nose into the place where the omega’s newly developed mating gland was, and taking a long, deep breath. The rush of it sent tingles down the younger boy’s spine. That hand, that hadn’t been holding him in place, was now caging him in against the wall.

Daniel’s eyes fluttered, as the alpha continued to inhale his scent. He glanced down the empty hallway wait, weren’t there people there a second ago?, just as the older boy pulled back. Except, he wasn’t a boy. When Daniel finally looked at him again, it was the aged, still unfairly gorgeous face of his Johnny.

“I always knew LaRusso. Think I didn’t catch your scent on the beach that night?” Johnny gave him that smile, that says without a word that the alpha had something planned. The hand that had been twisted in his shirt, was now flat on his own, now adult chest.

“And you know what? Daniel? I think that’s what you wanted.” Johnny had moved in to whisper those words into the younger man’s ear. Like it was a secret. Just for them. Then teeth dragged gently a the spot just under his ear.

“Fuck…Johnny…” He moaned, attempting to roll his body into the hand that was lazily exploring it. The chuckle those words got from the alpha, vibrated through Daniel’s entire being.

“In your dreams..…”

“LaRusso?” Suddenly Daniel sat up, blinking his brain back into the real world. The real world, right. Where he was definitely sitting in the passenger seat of his former karate rival’s car, and just woke up from a sex dream. Centered around, said former karate rival. Daniel looks down in his lap, quickly covering the obvious state of his arousal, with both hands. He couldn’t even look at the other man from the shame of it.

“Th-thanks for the ride home Johnny, I-I really appreciate it.” He said, yanking on the door handle to find it, definitely still locked.

[demetriandelibinaryboyfriends]

Johnny & Miguel My Beloveds, Daniel & Robby My Beloveds

romance is lame and overrated i love mentor/mentee relationships in fiction and especially when theyre sort of fucked up

[nostalgicninjas]

Cobra Kai Dynamics: Miguel Diaz and Samantha LaRusso

I gotta go. But I’ll see you out there rooting for me, right?

I’m always rooting for you, Sam.

[superectojazzmage]

Just back from Alien Romulus and hoooo boy oh boy. Review/analysis.

Easily the best Alien movie since the first two, which isn't saying much, yeah, but it is legit a really cool and well-made movie, competing with Late Night With The Devil, Longlegs, and Cuckoo for title of my favorite horror movie this year.

In a lot of ways it's about harvesting the few good ideas from the post-2 movies that were squandered and doing them right, plus getting the series back to it's healthier roots, kinda the movie equivalent of someone doing physical therapy to get back in the saddle after an injury. This means it's not quite brand new ground like some may hope for and I've heard some people feel it gets a little derivative at points because of it. I can kinda agree and certainly understand that criticism, but I feel it does what it's aiming for really well and sets things up for future works to go in even crazier directions. Furthermore, it takes a lot of time to try and weld together the disparate post-2 movies in a way that brings the series back to a little coherency.

The atmosphere is really intense and cool, swinging between lovecraftian dread and build-up and high-energy chaos. The aesthetics and special effects are gorgeous, taking full advantage of the progress that technology has made since 2 plus really digging in to the used cassette future vibe of the older films. The characters are likable and actually intelligent (or at least understandable) in behavior like in the first two movies, so you care about what's happening to them instead of just waiting for them to get munched. The action and kills were really cool and creative, the cinematography in general was off-kilter in an awesome way - there's a definite attempt to make the movie feel claustrophobic and intimate. Fede Alvarez did a fantastic job in general, I'd love to see him do more with the series.

It REALLY cranks up the series' psychosexual, freudian, and sexual assault subtext, arguably to a point where it's just plain text. So if you're sensitive to stuff like that or if this is your first go at Alien, be warned for that.

More specific notes go under the header for spoilers. Highly recommend you go in as blind as you can.

Andy and Rain were wonderful leads, their dynamic was fantastic and Calie Spaeny and David Jonsson both turned in great performances. I direly hope they join the first two films' casts as "major" characters for the series going forward.

The effects to make Daniel Betts look like Ian Holms were quite possibly the one and only time the special effects failed. It looks very wonky, which is sad because Betts does a really good job copying Holms' mannerisms for Ash while still making Rook feel like a distinct character.

In addition to the usual themes of sexual unease, genetics, and parenthood, this movie adds in some really interesting themes of familial legacy, the rise of new generations, foundations, etc.. Andy and Rain are like Romulus and Remus of myth, orphaned and left to fend for themselves but growing into founders of a new age - both in-story with their carrying the XX121 substance and evidence of Weyland-Yutani's misdeeds to Yvaga and out-of-story with them being the protagonists of a new era for Alien. Likewise, the Offspring is the first example of an entirely new species, neither human nor alien but taking from the lineages of both through Kay and Big Chap, a Romulus-like founder of it's breed that will later bear fruit in Resurrection with the Ripley clone and Newborn.

I'm really not kidding when I say above that the psychosexual undercurrents are taken to the extreme here. This movie basically sees the ways the original film subtly pin-pricked at those themes, says "fuck that", and deliberately rubs it in your face in a way designed to make sure you can't ignore it. It wants you to be grossed out and to squirm in your chair and it knows exactly how to make it happen.

Alvarez noted in the lead-up to release that he took a lot of influence from Isolation and you can definitely see that in how he depicts the Xenomorphs and the general aura of the film. He further described it as a kind of halfway point between the first and second movies and you can also see that; it has the Lovecraft-style tension and horror of the first, balanced with the energy and action of the second, and it does a really good job finding a middle ground between Ridley Scott and James Cameron's styles while also doing it's own dance.

I mentioned way back at the start how the movie basically harvests the good ideas from 3, Resurrection, Prometheus, and Covenant and gives them the room they deserve while dumping the bad. It does that in both terms of themes/style and continuity/lore. Concepts that those movies bungled like xeno-human hybridism, the black goo, genetic engineering as a focus, and so on are done here more creatively and competently. Themes that those films tried and failed to tackle are handled with significantly more grace. It has the atmosphere and characterization of 3 but none of it's baggage and needlessly depressive tone. It has the body horror and weirdness of Resurrection without taking it to the zany, embarrassing areas that movie went. The effects and creativity of Prometheus and Covenant without any of their awful writing and clumsy messages. Alvarez takes on kind of an Al Ewing-esque "repairman" writing style here.

The Xenomorphs are absolutely deranged in behavior compared to most portrayals, attacking like either cruel sadists or raging chimps and rarely bothering to take hosts. I'm not sure if such a reading was intended, but I got the vibe that the idea is Xenos raised without a queen or hive grow to be basically sociopathic like how real world predatory animals grown without parental figures become feral and dysfunctional. Which would also explain a lot about how the Xeno in the original movie, Big Chap, acts there.

The Offspring's design is fucking wicked and I love it.

One of my few major criticisms is that Big Chap died off-screen instead of getting more to do. What was the point of having him be alive at the start if he wasn't gonna be used beyond a backstory point to set up the main story?

All in all, a very impressive effort and a great return to form for the series that I recommend highly.

[boundless11]

Anonymous this is for you- your Ask-I had drafted a post but I have no idea what happened to it.

The imbalance in Cobra Kai’s portrayal of characters is one of the most significant flaws in its storytelling. The trauma experienced by the LaRussos, particularly Daniel and Sam, is often overlooked or downplayed, while other characters are given far more narrative sympathy. For instance, Daniel is still clearly haunted by his experiences with Terry Silver, which is why he’s so strongly opposed to Cobra Kai and what it represents. However, the show often frames him as overly rigid or out of touch, failing to fully explore the lasting impact Silver had on his life. Instead, Daniel is depicted as someone who just doesn’t “understand” Johnny’s intentions, further fueling the tension between them. This dynamic is especially frustrating because much of the conflict in the earlier seasons stems from miscommunication—whether it’s between Sam and Miguel, Robbie and Johnny, or Johnny and Daniel themselves.

Similarly, the show has a tendency to diminish Sam’s trauma while elevating Tory’s struggles. Her hardships—such as her unstable home life, her mother’s illness and her predatory landlord—are rightfully explored in a way that makes her a sympathetic character. However, Sam’s equally harrowing experiences are rarely given the same attention. She was physically attacked by her, witnessed Miguel being kicked off a balcony and struggled with anxiety and PTSD. Yet, when Sam lashes out or stands up for herself, she is quickly labeled as “problematic” or “lacking understanding.” For example, when Sam organised a car wash to raise money for Miguel’s surgery, Cobra Kai members hijacked the funds—a cruel act that was brushed off as just another “cool” move by Cobra Kai. Later, when Sam fights back against Cobra Kai and tensions escalate, she is unfairly blamed for Dimitri’s broken arm, even though it was Hawk who broke it, egged on by Tory.

Season 3 particularly highlights the show’s mishandling of trauma. While Tory is given depth and understanding for her actions, Sam is often vilified or dismissed. The same can be said for the show’s framing of Cobra Kai overall: their morally questionable actions are excused as part of their “edgy” nature, while Miyagi-Do and the LaRussos are held to impossibly high standards. This imbalance is frustrating for viewers who grew up with the clear moral lines of The Karate Kid. While morally gray characters can add complexity, Cobra Kai takes it too far, often undermining the heroes and giving too much leeway to the villains.

At its core, the original Karate Kid story was about good versus bad, with clear lessons about standing up to bullies. By muddying these waters, the show risks alienating fans who appreciated those distinctions. The LaRussos, particularly Sam and Daniel, deserve a more balanced portrayal—one that acknowledges their struggles and humanity rather than constantly casting them in a negative light for reacting to the challenges they face.

[filmfliiicks]

I don’t understand why some Cobra Kai fans fight so hard against Robby being hard done by because of the Johnny and Miguel dynamic.

The fact of the matter is (and what we’ve seen time and time again):

Johnny and Miguel have a better relationship that has been well developed by the writers.

Miguel comes first for Johnny aka missing the visit in juvie.

Any scenes with just Johnny and Robby centre on Miguel or centre on there being conflict between them.

Johnny went to Mexico for Miguel but couldn’t go down the street to get Robby from Cobra Kai.

Robby had to reach out to Johnny at the end of season 4.

Johnny didn’t lift a finger to patch up their relationship during season 4. He cared more about Daniel and Miguel’s relationship then the fact his son was sleeping in a dojo and under the care of a man who once tried to kill him.

We’ve never seen Johnny be actively protective towards Robby. We see this in season 3 when he attacks Kreese at Cobra Kai after seeing Miguel hurt.

Like Johnny and Miguel fans are winning! We all know that!

“It started with them, it has to end with them.” “Their relationship is the heart of the show!”

It’s just the lack of acknowledgment that Johnny is a neglectful parent and that his relationship with Robby is horrendously developed that annoys me

[theomencometh]

actually the dynamics between the teen core 4 in cobra kai is insane. what do you mean sam was both miguel and robby's first love and first heartbreak. what do you mean robby and sam are very much their fathers' children and legacies and that comes with a long, complicated history and expectations that no one else could understand. what do you mean tory is cobra kai's most steadfast student but daniel's first two students can't get her out of their head for multiple seasons. what do you mean miguel got the version of robby's dad that he never did. what do you mean robby paralyzed miguel and now they're going to have a shared sibling. what do you mean sam used to have nightmares about tory and now she rescues her in group brawls. what do you mean miguel cheated on tory with sam and tory was so upset that she started an all-out school brawl over it. what do you mean miguel continuously targeted robby's hurt shoulder in their first all valley and now steps in to defend him in fights. what do you mean robby left cobra kai and tory didn't come with him and tory broke her hand punching through stone when sensei kim tried to use him against her. what do you mean sam larusso is the one who actually brought tory into the fold and then they didn't talk to each other for months. what do you mean the four of them had the awkwardest double date ever that ended in them teaming up in a fight against a kid and robby's friend from juvie. what do you mean!!!!!!!