#the daft karate show
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Chapters: 1/2 Fandom: Cobra Kai (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Amanda LaRusso/Daniel LaRusso/Chozen Toguchi, Daniel LaRusso/Chozen Toguchi Characters: Chozen Toguchi, Amanda LaRusso, Daniel LaRusso Additional Tags: Post-Season/Series 05, POV Alternating, POV Chozen Toguchi, POV Amanda LaRusso, POV Daniel LaRusso, Guest starring! Sam and Anthony LaRusso! Robby and Miguel!, And a whole host of OCs from Okinawa, Discussion of The Karate Kid (1984), Discussion of The Karate Kid Part II (1986), Discussion of both historical and contemporary racism & xenophobia & militarism, as relevant to the above, Canonical Past Character Death, Past Mr Miyagi & Daniel LaRusso, Mr Miyagi's memory is a significant part of this, all the love for Mr Miyagi in this house, Canonical injury, Injury Recovery Series: Part 6 of acts unseen Summary:
and look about // all the stars are coming out - The Mountain Goats, 'Never Quite Free'
or: photographs, old and new
--
Returning to visit Okinawa sparks reflection on the past, and the future.
---
I initially hoped I’d have this whole fic done by today, back when it was ‘oh, just a relatively short and sweet epilogue’, but I did hit my revised goal of getting the first half done today, and given that the first half ended up being 12k I will sure take that win.
I'll aim to have the second half done this weekend, before I start watching s6, so... fingers crossed! Next time - the OBon festival! And Kumiko!
#acts unseen#squire's stuff#the daft karate show#daniel larusso#amanda larusso#chozen toguchi#damandazen#amandanzen#danzen#cobra kai
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about me. . .
Lillian, 23, she/her, panromantic asexual, pots, adhd, infp, 2w1
follower of Jesus, friend to bugs, obsessed with dinosaurs
aspiring author, fanfic writer, jewelry maker & paleoartist
what i’m typing. . .
REQUESTS
"silver fox”, terry silver x younger!reader [age gap] [mini series]
various preferences
ONE-SHOTS/MINI SERIES
“extending hospitality”, obi-wan kenobi x reader [part three] [mini series conclusion] ON HIATUS
“reflections of the heart”, severus snape x reader [mini series]
“the guilt of seven graves”, severus snape x reader [one-shot] [dark content warning]
"of gits and glowers", severus snape x reader [one-shot]
"down by the river", halsin x reader
"folk hero's plight", astarion x reader
links and resources. . .
main masterlist
imagines/preferences masterlist
request guidelines
my spotify (including character themed playlists and povs)
characters i obsess over. . .
alan grant, aragorn, astarion ancunín, august booth, beetlejuice, beorn, bofur, bruno madrigal, daniel larusso, daryl dixon, data soong, din djarin, dwalin, eddie munson, elrond, frodo baggins, george of the jungle, haldir, halsin, heimdall, jack sparrow, jareth, johnny lawrence, killian jones, loki, obi-wan kenobi, remus lupin, rick o'connell, rumplestiltskin/mr. gold, severus snape, silco, spencer shay, spock, tarrant hightopp, terry silver, thranduil, tyrion lannister
ariel, arya stark, brienne of tarth, danaerys targaryen, emma swan, frankie bernstein, jinx, karlach, katniss everdeen, leia organa, merida, mulan, natasha romanoff, regina mills, sansa stark, zelena
my fandoms. . .
TV/SERIES:
once upon a time, outlander, arcane, star trek (tos, aos, tng, voy, pic), stargate (sg-1, atlantis, universe), cobra kai, game of thrones, good omens, our flag means death, the last of us, the clone wars, the mandalorian, the book of boba fett, the falcon and the winter soldier, loki, avatar: the last airbender, the legend of korra, grace and frankie, the walking dead, the waltons, matlock, sherlock, icarly, 2000s nickelodeon/disney channel shows
MOVIES:
the hobbit, the lord of the rings, harry potter, the chronicles of narnia, star wars, star trek, marvel/mcu, jurassic park/world, pirates of the caribbean, the karate kid (I-III), labyrinth, hunt for the wilderpeople, sense and sensibility (1995), alice in wonderland (2010), finding neverland (2004), the phantom of the opera (2004), beetlejuice, the nightmare before christmas, the little mermaid, emperor’s new groove, tinker bell, and a gazillion more
BOOKS:
the hunger games, the hobbit, the lord of the rings, the true confessions of charlotte doyle, percy jackson series, the selection series, anything austen or brontë, and a lot of heckin’ good fanfiction
MUSIC/GENRES:
film scores/soundtracks, musicals, reggae, alternative/indie, celtic punk, celtic music, various independent instrumentals/composers, folk rock, 70s/80s rock, indie folk, pop, and a sprinkle of everything else (I listen to almost every genre, it just depends on what my soul needs in the moment! music is so cathartic, i’m almost always listening to it)
james newton howard, howard shore, bear mccreary, rachel portman, anne dudley, alexandre desplat, john powell, john williams, harry gregson-williams, mark isham, bob marley & the wailers, jack johnson, dave matthews band, red house painters, iron & wine, cat stevens, daft punk, adele, lord huron, fleetwood foxes, dodie, birdy, avril lavigne, priscilla ahn, AND SO MANY MORE! (i freaking love music)
if you want to know more or chat about any shared fandoms or inquire about unlisted fandoms or interests, just dm me!
#meet the author#meet the fanfic author#meet the writer#welcome to my blog#welcome to my tumblr#fandoms#fanfics#about me
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THE CELESTIAL JUKEBOX, PRESENT TENSE - 250 SONGS
Again, some of this is personal and sentimental, linked to time and place and experience.
50 Cent, “Many Men (Wish Death)”
100 gecs, “800db cloud”
10,000 Maniacs, “Candy Everybody Wants”
Bryan Adams, “Everything I Do”
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, “Spanish Flea”
America, “Sister Golden Hair”
Julie Andrews, “My Favorite Things”
Animal Collective, “Brother Sport”
Aphex Twin, “Tha”
Fiona Apple, “Extraordinary Machine”
Louis Armstrong, “What a Wonderful World”
Ash, “Shining Light”
Atlantic Starr, “Always”
Atlas Sound, “Washington School”
Autechre, “Vose In”
The B-52s, “Deadbeat Club”
Bananarama, “Cruel Summer”
The Beatles, “All My Loving”
Beck, “Girl”
Belle & Sebastian, “Seymour Stein”
Benoit & Sergio, “Boy Trouble”
Beyoncé, “Countdown”
Bikini Kill, “Alien She”
Bilal, “West Side Girl”
Bjork, “It’s Oh So Quiet”
Black Dice, “Pigs”
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, “Stop”
The Black-Eyed Peas, “Imma Be”
Blast Off Country Style, “Cutie Pie”
Blondie, “Heart of Glass”
The Bloodhound Gang, “Your Only Friends Are Make-Believe”
The Box Tops, “The Letter”
Brainiac, “I Am A Cracked Machine”
Michelle Branch, “Everywhere”
Laura Branigan, “Gloria”
The Breeders, “Off You”
Danny Brown, “Gremlins”
James Brown, “Get Up I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine”
Jackson Browne, “Somebody’s Baby”
Vanessa Carlton, “A Thousand Miles”
Harry Chapin, “Cat’s in the Cradle”
Tracy Chapman, “Fast Car”
The Carpenters, “Yesterday Once More”
Julian Casablancas and the Voidz, “Human Sadness”
The Chemical Brothers, “Free Yourself”
Chixdiggit!, “My Restaurant”
Cibo Matto, “Sunday, Pt. 1”
Ciara feat. Missy Elliott, “One, Two Step”
Clipse, “Dirty Money”
Jim Croce, “Operator”
Crosby, Stills, and Nash, “You Don’t Have To Cry”
Christopher Cross, “Ride Like the Wind”
Cryptacize, “Mythomania”
Crystal Castles, “Air War”
Culture Club, “Karma Chameleon”
Terrence Trent D’Arby, “Sign Your Name”
Daft Punk, “Around the World”
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, “Hold Tight”
Dead Kennedys, “Kill the Poor”
DeBarge, “The Rhythm of the Night”
Deerhoof, “+81”
Deerhunter, “Octet”
Depeche Mode, “Personal Jesus”
Dial, “Helium”
The Diplomats, “Dipset Anthem”
DMX, “Stop Being Greedy”
The Doobie Brothers, “Black Water”
Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg, “Nuthin’ But a G Thang”
The-Dream, “Love King”
Duran Duran, “Hungry Like The Wolf”
Bob Dylan, “Positively 4th Street”
The Eagles, “Lyin’ Eyes”
Eat Skull, “Cooking a Way to be Happy”
Elastica, “Connection”
The Everly Brothers, “All I Have to Do is Dream”
The Ben Folds Five, “The Battle of Who Could Care Less”
Eleanor Friedberger, “Stare at the Sun”
Eminem feat. Dido, “Stan”
Brian Eno, “Cindy Tells Me”
Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”
Extreme, “More Than Words”
The Fall, “Glam-Racket”
Roberta Flack, “Killing Me Softly With His Song”
Flipper, “Ha Ha Ha”
Dan Fogelberg, “Longer”
The Free Design, “The Proper Ornaments”
Fur, “Devil to the Lamb”
Garbage, “Only Happy When It Rains”
Judy Garland, “Over the Rainbow”
Kevin Gates, “Paper Chasers”
Ghostface Killah, “Shakey Dog”
Freddie Gibbs, “20 Karat Jesus”
Godspeed You! Black Emperor, “The Dead Flag Blues”
Gorillaz feat. De La Soul, “Feel Good Inc.”
Go Sailor, “I’m Still Crying”
Granddaddy, “A.M. 180”
Colleen Green, “I Want to Grow Up”
Green Day, “Basket Case”
Grimes, “REALITi”
Gucci Mane, “Break Ya Self (Brrrussia version)”
Guided By Voices, “Teenage FBI”
Harvey Danger, “Flagpole Sitta”
Helium, “XXX”
Keri Hilson, “Pretty Girl Rock”
Hole, “Malibu”
The Hollies, “All I Need Is The Air That I Breathe”
Michael Jackson, “Rock With You”
Jay-Z, “Hard Knock Life”
Henry Jacobs, “Guitar Lesson”
Jawbreaker, “Fireman”
Jeremih, “Oui”
Jewel, “Standing Still”
Jimmy Eat World, “Sweetness”
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl”
Scott Joplin, “The Entertainer”
Journey, “Don’t Stop Believin’”
Juelz Santana, “Mixin’ up the Medicine”
R. Kelly feat. T.I. & T-Pain, “I’m a Flirt (Remix)”
Kool and the Gang, “Celebration”
Lana Del Rey, “Off to the Races”
Lagwagon, “May 16”
The Libertines, “Horror Show”
Limp Bizkit, “Re-Arranged”
Lindstrom, “Where You Go I Go Too”
Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, “Lost in Emotion”
Lit, “My Own Worst Enemy”
The Lonely Island feat. T-Pain, “I’m on a Boat”
Lotus Plaza, “What Grows?”
Lower Dens, “Candy”
Courtney Love, “I’ll Do Anything”
Love As Laughter, “Idol Worship”
M.I.A, “Bamboo Banga”
Madonna, “Hung Up”
Madlib, “Mystic Bounce”
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, “Ramp of Death”
The Mamas and the Papas, “California Dreamin’”
John Mayer, “New Light”
Meek Mill, “Dreams and Nightmares Intro”
Men at Work, “Safety Dance”
George Michael, “Faith”
The Modern Lovers, “I’m Straight”
Modest Mouse, “Heart Cooks Brain”
The Moldy Peaches, “Nothing Came Out”
Chris Montez, “The More I See You”
Alanis Morissette, “Head Over Feet”
Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat, “Lucky”
MXPX, “Party, My House, Be There”
My Bloody Valentine, “You Never Should”
Nas, “The World Is Yours”
Johnny Nash, “I Can See Clearly Now”
Neu!, “Hallogallo”
New Order, “Subculture”
New Pornographers, “The Laws Have Changed”
Wayne Newton, “Danke Schoen”
Harry Nilsson, “Jump into the Fire”
Nine Inch Nails, “Wish”
Nirvana, “About a Girl”
The Notorious B.I.G., “Warning”
Maura O’Connell, “Summerfly”
The Orb, “Little Fluffy Clouds”
Panda Bear, “Mr Noah”
Pavement, “Harness Your Hopes (BBC Evening Session)”
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)”
Liz Phair, “Shane”
Pinhead Gunpowder, “I Am An Elephant”
The Platters, “Only You (And You Alone)”
The Pointer Sisters, “Jump”
Michael Praetorius, “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen”
Elvis Presley, “A Little Less Conversation”
Primal Scream, “Keep Your Dreams”
The Prodigy, “Breathe”
Propaghandi, “Anti-Manifesto”
Brian Protheroe, “Pinball”
Psychic Graveyard, “No”
Public Enemy, “Fight The Power”
Aileen Quinn, “Tomorrow”
Radiohead, “A Wolf at the Door”
Gerry Rafferty, “Right Down the Line”
Bonnie Raitt, “Something to Talk About”
The Ramones, “Chain Saw”
Otis Redding, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, “In Motion”
Lou Reed and Metallica, “Junior Dad”
Rihanna feat. Jay-Z, “Umbrella”
Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, “Islands in the Stream”
The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil”
Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram, “Somewhere Out There”
Rosemary Krust, “Private Amber”
Diana Ross, “Theme From Mahogany”
Roxy Music, “More Than This”
A Savage, “Eyeballs”
The Shangri-Las, “Leader of the Pack”
Shanice, “I Love Your Smile”
Ed Sheeran, “Thinking Out Loud”
Sightings, “Yellow”
The Silver Jews, “Blue Arrangements”
Alan Silvestri, “The Back to the Future theme”
Paul Simon, “Kodachrome”
Ashlee Simpson, “Pieces of Me”
Slade, “Cum On Feel the Noize”
The Smashing Pumpkins, “Here’s to the Atom Bomb (New Wave version)”
The Soft Pink Truth, “Do They Owe Us A Living?”
Sonic Youth, “Jams Run Free”
Jordan Sparks and Chris Brown, “No Air”
Spoon, “The Mystery Zone”
Starving Weirdos, “Land Lines”
Stereolab, “Plastic Mile”
The Strokes, “12:51”
Swell Maps, “Let’s Build A Car”
Taylor Swift, “Style”
Stylophonic, “R U Experienced”
Jazmine Sullivan, “Mascara”
Suicidal Tendencies, “Institutionalized”
Taco, “Puttin’ on the Ritz”
James Taylor, “You’ve Got a Friend”
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”
Throwing Muses, “Not Too Soon”
TLC, “Baby-Baby-Baby”
Tortoise, “Djed”
The Toys, “A Lover’s Concerto”
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, “Summer Nights”
A Tribe Called Quest, “Can I Kick It?”
UB40, “Red Red Wine”
Joe Walsh, “Life’s Been Good”
Scott Weiland, “Paralysis”
Steely Dan, “Do It Again”
Stiff Little Fingers, “Suspect Device”
Stylophonic, “RU Experienced?”
T.I., “What You Know”
Mary Timony, “Blood Tree”
that dog., “I’m Gonna See You”
The Tymes, “So Much In Love”
Ultimate Painting, “Out in the Cold”
The Unicorns, “Child Star”
The Velvet Underground, “The Gift”
Waka Flocka Flame, “Hard in da Paint”
Ween, “Even If You Don’t”
Weezer, “Endless Bummer”
Kanye West, “Devil in a New Dress (G.O.O.D. Fridays version)”
WHAM!, “Wake Me Up (Before You Go-Go)”
White Hassle, “Oh, What a Feeling”
Matthew Wilder, “Break My Stride”
Bill Withers, “Lean on Me”
Wolf Eyes, “Human Animal”
Stevie Wonder, “My Cherie Amour”
Wye Oak, “Siamese”
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Maps”
Yo La Tengo, “My Heart’s Reflection”
Zaimph, “Removing Bits of History”
The Zombies, “Time of the Season”
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Karate Kid/Cobra Kai survey
tagged by @youandthemountains
I don’t think I’ve ever been tagged in a fandom thing so this is exciting!
It's the year 2021 and you're obsessed with The Karate Kid. How are you feeling?: Confused and concerned but it’s been a comfort.
Did you grow up with TKK or are you new to the series?: I watched it but I wasn’t like “THIS IS FUCKING JAM!!” like with Back to the Future.
We gotta do the basics. Favorite character: Daniel and Mr. Miyagi!
Favorite ship: Lawrusso and Daniel/Kumiko.
Underrated character: Hmmm, even though he’s the main CK kid, I’m gonna say Miguel because his tag is never qwhite as poppin as Other Characters which I’m not surprised about.
Underrated ship (don’t say therapy, lol): I’m not really invested in the ships outside of the two I mentioned T B H.
Wax On, Wax Off or Sweep the Leg?: Sweep the Leg.
Which of Daniel’s dumb little outfits is your favorite?: His light blue sleeveless shirt and big jeans.
Character from the films you most want to return, who’s not Terry Silver: I just want more Kumiko and Chozen.
Scene that lives in your head rent-free:
From CK - No one ever talks about it but I constantly think about Johnny not knowing what “the spectrum” meant and telling Eli he should get off of it. I think about it almost every day. He’s SO dumb 😭😭
From TKK - “MACARONI AND CHEESE? EYYY YOU KNOW WHAT I LYK!!”
Will Anthony LaRusso ever be relevant?: Of course not! You can tell the writers realized they made a mistake lol. Sorry to the actor but I would be okay if they didn’t acknowledge Anthony at all next season.
You live in The Valley and are forced into the karate gang war. Which dojo do you join?: Miyagi-Fang!!!
What’s your training montage song?: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by Daft Punk
It’s the crossover event of the century! Which TV show are you combining with Cobra Kai for an hour-long Saturday night special?:
How to Get Away with Murder. Daniel and Johnny are gonna need some advice soon lmao.
Tagging anyone who wants to do it!
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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Cobra Kai (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Daniel LaRusso & Chozen Toguchi, Amanda LaRusso/Daniel LaRusso, Amanda LaRusso & Chozen Toguchi, LaRusso Family Characters: Chozen Toguchi, Daniel LaRusso, Amanda LaRusso Additional Tags: Post-Episode s05e05 Extreme Measures (Cobra Kai), Canonical injury, Hospitals, .... hey it's at least as medically accurate as canon?, Brief mention of past character death, Recovery, Sharing a Bed, POV Chozen Toguchi, POV Amanda LaRusso, Missing Scene, trust and bonding through both Intense Shit and mundane domesticity! Series: Part 2 of acts unseen Summary:
if you ever feel the pain is far too big a deal // I say with pride I’ll be on your side - Pet Shop Boys, 'Here'
Chozen recovers Daniel from Ray's apartment; Amanda makes her way back home.
They may not know how to fix things now, but they are by Daniel's side.
They will find a way.
#acts unseen#squire's stuff#r: if it means anything#the daft karate show#cobra kai#chozen toguchi#daniel larusso#amanda larusso#cobra kai s5#cobra kai extreme measures#cobra kai fic
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tags passed peer review! thank you!
also @youandthemountains YOUR tags
#man again about body language. and also what they don't know about how they've changed over the years#something particularly poignant about their one moment their lives crossed being a few days thirty years ago#and it still being so formative that it can build this synchrony even here#before the ruse drops
thank you for giving me an excuse to ramble because like. god of course that moment is so formative for chozen! not only is it the moment he could have died, but he in the moment chose ‘die’ and he says, as an adult, that he was suicidal for some time after that. how long do you think that moment was in his brain as the moment he should have died
Everybody is making friends, you don't deserve any less.
Cobra Kai 03x05
#hi im squire and as m can attest. i think a lot about chozen backstory.#i was already before we started s5 and now we're 6 eps in and i.#sure am feeling some kind of way about the tiny details we get#chozen is just. a lot. im fine about it. i love him.#and also like??#chozen and daniel are just. handshake meme over so much and such fascinating foils with the rest and they expect me to be normal about it?#dont get me started#r: if it means anything#the daft karate show
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Sam Waller Interview
Sam Waller co-runs, the UK based Central Library, “a shop in the North West of England that sells zines, DVDs and other interesting bits and pieces.” He’s also part of the current resurgence of quality independent BMX media with his Red Steps magazine. In addition to that he finds the time to contribute to Challenger with his quarterly column, ‘Notes From A Fancy Island’ and of course, ride. And, when you talk to Sam, you can tell that riding reigns supreme.
Sam and I email back and forth fairly often because of the column but also about other random stuff like old spots, concrete skateparks, music, etc. It’s fun to email with Sam so I figured it would also be fun to ask Sam some more in-depth questions. Hit the link below for the full interview.
All photos by Gaz Hunt. Thanks, Gaz!
I know you live in Manchester, England now but where did you grow up and what is your BMX origin story? I grew up in the complete middle of nowhere in a place called Colton in the south of the Lake District. Whilst the countryside in film and television is often shown as a tranquil, quaint place, the reality is a fair bit different, and Colton in particular seemed like a hotbed for strange stuff going on. Only recently a large farmhouse was burned down by a wild woman who owned loads of pigs. She was exiled from the county, but the pigs remained to cause havoc.
Anyway, my older brother has played guitar since he was six or seven, but as I was a useless at it and couldn’t get my hands to move properly, I felt obliged to find a similar all-encompassing past-time.
I was mad on Formula 1 racing for a while (thoughts go out to the Schumacher family), and I went to a karate lesson once (a hobby quickly scrapped after the whole hour was spent being taught how to bow honourably), but up until the age of 12 or 13 it just felt like I was dawdling about.
All of this changed when, for some reason I’m not entirely sure of, me and my friends decided to make some jumps and drops and stuff to ride on our mountain bikes in some woods near a dual carriageway.
One of my friends knew some older lads from nearby who had proper bikes and Little Devil hoodies, so I think they must have planted the seed of raditude with him, but I think at that time I was just happy to be out the house and not playing Tekken 2. We later found out that the woodland we’d chosen was a popular dogging site frequented by truck drivers (I'm not sure if 'dogging' exists in America - maybe look it up), and quickly moved our spades and everything into another forest. By that point the damage was done and my mind was snagged.
After a bit of bouncing about on a mountain bike, I then splashed out on a second hand Standard that someone had painted post-box red, affixed some stunt nubs and never looked back (or lookbacked, for that matter).
The nearby town of Ulverston had a pretty big riding and skating scene, but thinking now about us lot trying to lay down ‘street style’ in this small historic market town, we may as well have been the Jamaican bobsleigh team — the rough ledges were strictly for stalls, and the closest thing to a flatbank was a grass verge round the back of a Texaco garage.
What were some of your biggest inspirations as a kid and what about now? I always think about how the 16 year old me would probably make fun of some of the things I'm into now. Is that the case with you at all? Apart from the receding hairline and the slight increase in responsibilities, I think I’ve stayed pretty much exactly the same since I was 16. Back then I think my favourite film was probably Natural Born Killers, and my favourite album was maybe something like Bad Moon Rising by Sonic Youth. Whilst I’ve maybe expanded my interests a little, I’ve pretty much been in a rut since then.
I’m not into memes or internet humour in the slightest, but I remember someone once showing me a video of a wrestling fan in America crying and shouting, “It’s still real to me, dammit.” That’s how I feel about a lot of things I was into back then. A lot of people who I went to school with moved on from being into music and films and pissing around on bikes, whilst I’m still snagged on it all, listening to The Minutemen and wearing check shirts. It’s pretty stupid really.
What's The Fancy Island? Good question. Just next to Strangeways prison and only a mere stone’s throw from Manchester’s slick centre, lies a true rat-pit of questionable activity. I’ve seen loads of stuff happen here, such as an aggressive man chase a prostitute with a two-by-four and a creep lying in an alley trying to lure small boys into his lair.
In amongst all this, there’s loads of naff wholesale shops that sell everything from low-end Halloween costumes to fake Air Jordans made out of cardboard and fuzzy felt. All these shops have mad names like EEZZEE and Vibe Centre.
Getting to the point now, coming up with titles for things is pretty difficult, so a few years ago when I was cobbling together a zine, I nicked the name Urban Mist from one of these shops, and then, when I went to set up a Tumblr during the carefree pre-Instragram era, I nabbed ‘Fancy Island’ from a similar establishment.
I think Fancy Island has closed down now, but it’s no doubt been replaced with yet another shop with a daft name selling cheap batteries and t-shirts with swear words on the front.
Whilst I’m explaining names, I’ll state that Red Steps is a classic spot in Manchester that I ride past on my way to work every day. It boasts a rusty, needle-thin flatrail, a few small stair-sets (that are indeed red) and a large flow of gormless students to crash into. I’m not too sure why I named a magazine after it, but it just struck me as a funny name for a spot and I was struggling to think of anything else.
One thing I struggle with is balancing how to take BMX seriously while balancing a sense of humor about it as well; i.e. it's pretty goofy but is also this amazing vehicle for new experiences, ideas, and a pretty incredible community. Do you ever think about this? Like with most things in life (except crucial necessities like eating and breathing), riding bikes is pretty stupid and abstract if you try and think about it too hard. That said, I don’t see why bike riding should look goofy (apart from actual goofy-footed grinding - as a self-confessed goofy grinder myself I’ve got a lot of time for George D, Ralph and Dave McDermott) — riding is loads better than pretty much all other activities, but it’s constantly being made to look daft, when it could so easily look dope.
I think to stay juiced and not turn sour, you’ve got to completely ignore most things going on with riding and stick firmly to the bits that you like. I treat riding like music or films or anything else. In the same way I don’t go to the cinema to watch big summer blockbusters, I don’t spend my free time watching Corey Martinez edits or endless hours of footage from some zany mega-comp.
I’m a simple man. As far as riding is concerned, I like smith grinds, bottles of Heineken, Galaxy chocolate, black and white photos, sitting on benches and talking complete nonsense. The rest of it is irrelevant to me.
I constantly hear/read people complain about the lack of BMX magazines but there's so much cool stuff being printed right now. We've discussed this in email a bit but it seems weird that people are complaining. It's almost like people just have an idea of what they think a magazine should be and if it doesn't have look or read a certain way they are just confused. How do you feel about all of this? A solid group of people do buy things and support these independent projects and whatnot, but I think it’ll take a while for the loud-mouthed Instagram warlords to come to terms with the fact that the new magazines around might have different names to the ones they used to subscribe to 15 years ago. I suppose it’s maybe easier to talk about the lack of magazines out there than actually go to the effort of seeking them out, but having said that, it’s not exactly hard to find stuff these days.
I remember years ago hunting down anything beyond Dig or Ride was an absolute hassle involving a lot of e-mail mither and blind faith - but now with yourself, Berks St. and 90East stocking interesting stuff in America, me and Clarky doing Central Library over here and the newly formulated Wiretap down under, it’s easier than ever for anyone to get their hands on zines and DVDs and all that.
The new stuff that’s coming out now is ten times better than Dig or Ride ever were anyway. Endless contest reports and dull bike checks have fallen by the wayside, and I haven’t seen a photo of Jimmy Levan’s zebra-print leggings in years. Things are really looking up.
What do you do for work? Thoughts on pursuing money via BMX and also what's the best job you've ever had? By day I work in an office writing stuff for a clothes shop. As you can imagine, trying to come up with an interesting way to talk about the 659th blue shirt you’ve seen this week can get a bit tough, but I can’t complain too much really. The office is fairly warm and there’s a kettle in the kitchen.
As for pursuing ‘serious wonga’ via riding, I’m one step ahead of you. Central Library has just received big investment from Duncan Bannatyne and Deborah Meaden (of Dragon’s Den fame), meaning we’re finally able to stock all those bizarre Caramac-coloured tyres that real bike shops seem to stock. We’re also expanding our print line to offer crime fiction and the Goosebumps novels. My main aim in life is to become one of those creepy industry characters who spends their time sniffing around young and naïve talent in the hopes of flogging a few ‘dad caps’.
My finest job was probably working for my dad in the family trade of dry stone walling (which explains my surname). I’m not sure if dry stone walls exist in America, but they’re those fairly humble looking stone walls you see dividing up the fields and forests around the English countryside.
Anyway, building them isn’t too bad as far as manual labour goes. When it’s raining and you’re miles up some hill wallowing in the mud lugging big stones around with nothing more for lunch than a chicken and mushroom Pot Noodle and a Penguin biscuit, then it’s a little miserable – but on a good day when the sun is shining and you’re working with ‘good stone’, it’s hard to beat.
The best days were when my dad would fall asleep just a few minutes before the end of the lunch hour, basically extending the break for at least another 45 minutes. Thinking about this job now, I’m not sure why I ever gave it up.
Do you have any other hobbies besides riding? Yeah, but I’d say the lines were pretty blurred. This is maybe a pretty boring answer, but I suppose riding lends itself to other hobbies pretty well. I might be wrong, but I don’t think keen swimmers or budding javelin-throwers get into photography or making videos in quite the same way. It’s sort of like the ‘pillars of hip-hop’ or something – riding, taking pictures, messing round with video stuff and generally snooping around all fits together nicely (or at least it does in my peppered mind).
It’s not like I’m slipping on my Etnies t-shirt for my weekly two hour power sesh and then the next night I’m wearing some short-shorts down at the climbing wall. Even when I’m on holiday with my wife, I’m still just snooping around the same way - we’re not buying tickets for some naff rollercoaster or dining out at exclusive restaurants with Abe Froman.
Are you able to take time off of riding and not feel like you're missing out or feel guilty? I have one friend who really goes in on the guilt tripping if I don't ride. Related: You said you like sitting on benches. Can you do that on a nice day? At the age of 28, I’d like to feel like I can just about deal with a few missed sessions. Obviously I still need a comprehensive run down of spots seshed and feats accomplished when I’m away, but it’d be mad if I was out all the time. The human body can’t handle that much raditude.
Fear of things going un-photographed does creep in sometimes, but Clarky will have filmed it anyway, and Gaz and Wozzy are better photographers than me, so if they’re about then hopefully someone caught the action.
Moving onto the subject of benches, these babies really come into play during my dinner break at work. I get on fine with everyone there, but when the clock strikes twelve I’m not going to be sat in the office spilling reheated chilli over my keyboard… I’m straight out into the city centre on full sit-off mode – hopefully getting into some daft conversation with one of Manchester’s many vagabonds.
A few months ago I was sat in town when I was approached by a fairly scruffy gentleman who was bleeding loads from his forehead after someone kneed him in the skull. The rest of my lunch break was spent trying to sort him out a bit. One meal deal, some wet wipes and a pack of king-skins later, he seemed alright. You don’t get these hijinks sat inside all day.
I was just thumbing through the new Red Steps (nice job) and I just realized how much I enjoy your interviews -- what is it that you like about interviews? Not trying to stroke the ego here but you are really good at it... Cheers. Any ego strokes are much appreciated. This maybe sounds a bit daft, but I want to know everything. This is probably evident to the people who know me, but I’m a complete mither, completely hassling everyone with questions all the time.
This pesky nature extends into everything, meaning that I spend a lot of time reading a lot of interviews about the things that I’m into. I buy a lot of old copies of magazines like Wire, Ray Gun and Sidewalk on eBay, and even though the interviews contained within those pages might have been conducted in the corner of a pub maybe 25 years ago, they’re still worth reading today.
A proper interview with a little intro and some photos laid out nicely on a page… it’s mint – it’s a finished thing – sort of like a well-edited video or something. I know a lot of people are into ‘podcasts’ these days, and that’s fair enough, but to me – they’re not complete enough. I don’t want to hear people say ‘um’ and ‘err’ all the time, and I want something sick to look at (and by that, I don’t mean a load of pundits sat around a table with headphones on).
I’m going to rattle on here whilst I’ve got the chance. Anyone reading this who gets the opportunity to answer questions for an interview, a ‘bike check’ or anything else…don’t just write a lazy sentence for each answer – go mad. Tell some funny stories. Or if you’ve got nothing to say, just make something up. No one cares about how responsive your headtube angle is or how you ‘usually just cut the bars down’. This could be your only chance to air your thoughts into the wider world, and you’re going on about what PSI you put in your tyres? COME ON PLEASE TRY HARDER YOU BORING GIMPS.
(above) Spread from Sam’s zine, Latvia Photos. (below) Cover of Sam’s zine, Around Town.
You also make photo zines/books not related to riding. Do you have any high art aspirations with this stuff? No real aspirations I’m afraid. Wine gives me bad heartburn, so I generally try and swerve anything resembling a gallery opening schmooze-off. As I was sort of saying before, making photo zines is just an extension of everything else. I like taking photographs, so it makes sense to put them together. It’s all pretty small-time really – it’s not like I’m getting thousands printed.
To be honest, it’s all a complete faff that I could easily avoid by not bothering and just sitting around watching American power-dramas, but it’s good to have stuff to look back on – even if it’s just a 40 page zine that nine people will see.
Crouching under a tattered old curtain processing rolls of film every night whilst being mithered by my cat isn’t particularly glamorous and I’d imagine there are probably easier ways to get cosy with the artistic elite.
What's your favorite slang word? Going back to my walling days, my dad uses some pretty intriguing slang terms. Unlike inner-city slang, which will usually be documented in music or useless BBC3 comedies, these more rustic words don’t get much recognition. I don't use these terms myself, but I certainly respect them. Here’s a few choice cuts…
“A few skins on the job” – a large workforce “Keitel” – a fairly humble work-jacket “Bait” – lunch “Bray it – hit it “Kessen” – when an unclipped sheep falls over onto its back and can’t get up due to its weight. This happens more often than you’d think.
You can buy scoop up a copy of Sam’s magazine, Red Steps, in the Challenger web shop here, look at the online shop, The Central Library, that Sam runs with Clarky here, and check out some of his other photo zines/books here.
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Since I’ve been putting it off due to lingering sicky feels, etc.
Here’s the far too long and far too unedited and written at 4am vacation rundown NO ONE ASKED FOR! (huzzah!)
So, yeah. I arrived at the new Amtrak station in the city which is a major upgrade from the trailer park reject of station the old one was. Way roomier. Could use a coffee stand or something but yeah. Improvement. Had to go underground under the tracks and back up to get to the very cold surface, it must suck in the winter.
About an hour, hour and a half into the trip I quickly realized that a.) all I wanted to do was sleep, and b.) that my throat was burning. I assumed this was due to the absurdly cold, non-stop dry ass air conditioning, but no. This bitch got sick for her entire trip. On the plus side I had the seats to myself for the majority of the trip, but still. I barely watched any CR or anything because I was miserable the entire time. Ya don’t wanna be miserable for 10+ hours on a train.
Got to Boston, to @conniecorleone‘s frightening apartment stairs. My bag was way too heavy and she troopered through taking it up them for me without dying. So if you ever need a tank in battle, call Rachel.
Hung out a little. Ordered some Five Guys. Watched a couple episodes of the first season of American Horror Story. I get the appeal but also never needed to see Dermot Mulroney’s ass.
Rach was busy with work stuff a lot early in the week, not helped by some dumbass school shooting threat the week before and kept apologizing while still going above and beyond as a hostess while I just felt guilty for getting snot on her sheets.
Day two I colored a bit. I can do a wicked water gradient with erasable colored pencils, for the record. Hung out. Relaxed. Used a lot of Zicam and Advil. Then we were on way to The Middle East for her conehead space boyfriend.
We waited like, an hour? In the chilly mist outside? The show started like AN HOUR LATE after that. The venue was nice but man, the mood was getting close to dead at points, especially since, again, FUCKIN SICK. But Planet Booty came on and while, a little on the bordering too raunchy side, put on a fucking amazing live show. Dylan has an absurd amount of energy that should be bottled and sold, but if it were it might result in the orgypocalypse. I saw a youtube comment that said he’s ‘very touchy lol’ and truer words never spoken. That man will grind on you and sing directly in your earlobe with his tongue if you are front row and happily, I was not. Yet somehow I still ended up with his sweat on my sweater sleeve thanks to someone being a dumbass and high fiving him after their set and not being able to handle the consequences. Ahem.
THEN TWRP TOOK LIKE ANOTHER GODDAMN HALF HOUR???
But I FORGIVE THEM because they were GREAT and played Daft Punk’s Celebrate in honor of motherfuckin Canadian Thanksgiving so... fine... I guess. My only complaint is they didn’t do The Perfect Product even though I get that’s probably a weird thing to do live. Also minimal keytar and Sung almost decapitated himself but you know... it happens. They DID do Tactile Sensation though which is a fucking jam. And Atomic Karate, ofc. And Meouch broke his fucking bass string which is like? Fucking hardcore? He came down like a foot away from us at one point. It was dope. They’re amazing live and have no right to be for dudes in ridiculous robot costumes playing synth in the year 2018 and rolling around stage on a hoverboard. Sadly I brought minimal memory cardage this year and didn’t get a lot of good video of them.
Afterwards, despite *someone* almost passing out, we hung out in the merch lines and did NOT accidentally cut ahead this time. I got a free signed poster because it was my birthday vacation ayyyyy and bought a couple EPs and the Together Through Time album. Then hopped over the PB’s line and got two hugs from Dylan who hung out and talked to/hugged/got selfies with every single person who got into line there and just? Good dude. Pure dude. Awful stache but... thumbs up human being. I got their Naked album and we headed out back to the apartment and some delivered Dominos (which was the only good Dominos I’ve ever had in my life.)
Day three I accidentally slept until like 4pm. Literally what else did we do that day? I cannot remember for the life of me. We might have went to Dunkin at like 9pm and she showed me a weird omnipotent plastic ear hanging on an electric wire? Was that this day? I have no fucking idea. Her Netflix and supply of Puffs tissues were my best friends this trip okay.
Day four she went to class and I relaxed and intended to walk to the mall. Unfortunately, my sick bleh hit and I didn’t feel up to going until about ten minutes before she got back. So we ended up heading over there together. I made her try Baja Blast, as is customary in my nation, and got her to try some green matte lipstick. Success. I was highkey hoping they would have a Build-A-Bear in the joint but they didn’t. They did have a Newbury though, that had the six-inch Roadhog pop which I’ve had a hard time finding locally, so I said fuck it and bought it.
That night was MST3k live! The theater was old as dirt. The kind of old as dirt where the flooring is bowing in. They had real strict rules on cameras and shit, which I get for the sake of spoilers but c’mon.... c’mon. Their merch sucked unfortunately though, so I didn’t waste any money on anything (for some reason they had 2017 tour stuff? It’s... not 2017?). The show itself was good, though I was wondering before it started how sick they must get of doing the same movie in different towns almost every other night. Pretty quickly realized oh, yeah, a lot of this show was likely pre-riffed. They did pull a kid from the stage at one point so he could guest riff off a script from Joel, which I’m thinking was a clever little insert fraction of the riff they did live between segments. I could be wrong, but on that front, it felt a little cheap. But it was still fun to see the boys and the bots live and have jokes cracked about not being able to afford the villains for the tour. And The Brain itself was........ I don’t know what I was expecting but..... it sure was.... something. The novelty was worth it and I will still gladly marry Crow T. Robot.
We went across the street to a little pub stop that was I think called Rock Bottom after that and got some much needed late night food. For some reason my brain was like “man, I could go for chicken fried steak right now” and don’t you know IT WAS ON THE FUCKIN MENU? WITH GARLIC CHEDDER MASHED POTATOES? Boston, much like with wings, does not know what country gravy is, but it was still everything I fucking wanted and did not expect to find, so A+. Also I was wearing a dress with shorts underneath it and stuck to the goddamn stool. Such is life.
Day five was rainy and miserable. I tagged along to university with Rach and it sucked, honestly. Being on a campus makes me feel awkward and the whole still being sick thing didn’t help. I ended up taking a walk way around the block to a Starbucks and getting the worst fucking frap I’ve ever paid too much money for. Went back around. Sat in the library. Felt even shittier. Started googling food places. Yard House wasn’t far but I didn’t want to deal with crossing a lot of traffic, especially if the rain started back up (it did, with a vengeance). So I ended up back around the block at some Olive Garden-esque fake Italian place with not an Italian in sight called Bertucci’s for some bland chicken-less fettuchini alfredo (because, as I’d reasoned with myself, I had chicken three times the day before). It was dimly lit, I had a booth to myself, and the water had the sweet skullet and braided beard combo I had liveblogged. People kept complimenting my tattoo. It was nice and no one seemed overly bothered that I was clearly killing time until I spent probably way too long in the restroom after trying to look alive. I tipped the dude ten bucks and left in the pouring rain with my umbrella.
From her school we took the world’s longest Uber to Parts Fucking Unknown in awful traffic and rain to find a Double Tree where @freakishlytallaustralian‘s parents were staying for a hot minute during their brief little US tour on their way to Europe. I’ve never met Mandi in person, but I’ve now met her parents who say she’s gotten to know a good bloke. She looks exactly like her mom. They were sweet. Anxious but sweet. And I am a freak who doesn’t talk and was sick trying to seem presentable at the bare minimum capacity.
Back ~home~ we ordered some JP Licks ice cream (BROWNIE BROWNIE BATTER!!! BROWNIE. BROWNIE. BATTER.), I watched CR and some stupid videos on the internet with her. Got some sleep. Sort of. Barely.
Despite Matt Mercer nearly succeeding at lulling me to sleep and eating my dreams, it didn’t happen, and I could not get comfortable for the life of me. The “coughing every five seconds in bed” started this night and was not having mercy. So I opted out of another day of hanging around campus to try and get some more rest. It didn’t really work, but I did eventually get a solid three hours or so, so it was something.
As the day progressed it was onward to the Science Museum to meet Ron the T-Rex. There was a wedding happening. How appropriate, for Bravier funko pops to have come along on the day of a blessed union. Coincidence? I think not. A turtle kept falling off a branch when he was trying to nap. There was some space stuff. It wasn’t great. But I got a little stuffed dinosaur and that’s Important.
From there we hit up the same movie theater we went to the year before and saw Bad Times At The El Royale. Do recommend. Chris Hemsworth as a Charles Manson was not something I ever thought I’d see, and I still don’t understand it, but it rather predictably works for me, so we’ll leave it at that. Good movie, good performances, good pacing and editing that could have easily not been. See it, it’s fun. Not perfect, but fun.
It was COLD AS BALLS after the movie and neither of us brought jackets or sweaters, so the walk to the train station and back ~home~ was a chilly one. We stopped in, got some warmth, and headed down the road past her old place to a bar. If we didn’t appreciate TWRP and PB enough already, the band she had to pay cover for us to get in for just to pick up food were about 8 upper middle aged men playing every instrument in the book. Afropunk, they said. No, we said. Offkey, we said. This place was dark as shit and loud as shit but you know what? They KNEW WHAT REAL, HOT CHICKEN WINGS WERE and for that, I am appreciative dammit.
Went back, got some more Dominos, and was finally introduced to John Mulaney’s (or two of) comedy specials. He’s genius and I *understand* it now, tumblr. I get it. We ate way too much and did my laundry.
The week had come and gone way too soon and I felt robbed of my good time by how shitty I felt. Hopping on the train the next day (after a godawful uber ride) was just as depressing as the time before. And even though I didn’t feel as miserable as the trip there, and once again had a window seat to myself, I found myself curled up against my hoodie crying trying to fall asleep again knowing I was already headed back home.
Once the initial depression passed, the trip wasn’t bad. The iced latte was good. The Albany stop not as confusing the second time around. The WiFi kept me company. Eventually my aunt texted me asking if I wanted to hit up Stevie T’s on the way home because they were 24hr and neither of us had eaten all night. It was a plan. Get off, get food, come home, faceplant on my own big comfy bed, vow to deal with my dad’s drama in the morning and call it a night.
Then *that* happened. Yeah. Last year? Every stop, regardless of time of night, they made announcements. They came by, checked the marker above your seat, and if you were due off at the next stop told you it was coming up, would help with luggage if needed, and directed you to the correct door to exit the train. This year? Nothing. They decided to stop making announcements right before the Rochester stop, and no one came by in our car to tell us where to get off. Stopped, myself and the other person due off at that stop, a late-teens girl, went to the door at the front of our car where every other stop had gotten off before us. We assumed since no one said differently, and no attendants were around, that must be it. We were idiots. Because by the time we realized hey, they’re not going to open this door and we should go to the far other end of the train, it was already moving again en route to Buffalo.
We found ourselves in the dining booths by the cafe car while the staff made vague remarks and the conductor acted like it wasn’t his problem. My aunt on the phone talked to the Rochester station, we tried to claim I didn’t even have a reservation until about two other people looked up my ticket. They said it was up to the conductor to get us a cab home, he laughed at us, claimed to know nothing about any of that, and asked if were were going to buy the bus tickets the other girl was looking up. The bus for 3am, in downtown Buffalo, nowhere near the station. When we got off the staff at the Depew station was a lot more sympathetic, and said since nothing else was being offered he would put us on the next train back home, but since it was a Sunday morning there was no train to Rochester until roughly 7:45am. It was about 1:30 at this point. I felt awful for encouraging the other girl not to pay for two ubers and a bus ticket with the only alternative being offered to sit alone in an empty, unstaffed station in the middle of the night for hours. And between the situation, being tired and still sick, and dealing with my aunt calling hotels only to get put on hold and lose the room she was trying to reserve - I put my bags in a corner, found the restroom, and had a panic attack. I don’t know why, but those tend to be stupid like that. It’s not even like I was scared, or confused, or that worried myself. I started out very ‘whatever, I’ll just get a room or stay in the station, I’m pissed but whatever’. But something about the constant calls and texts and my battery nearing 0 had me stressed and I was crying like a bitch. I just wanted to fucking sleep, and I knew that wouldn’t happen in a train station with nothing but some benches, a restroom, and a vending machine.
Rach suggested an alternative I felt guilty about taking but ended up going for: Get to her parents house just outside Buffalo, get their spare key, and sleep on their couch while they’re out of town with their blessing. So I called an Uber, and the first one passed me by, with the gps fucking up and saying I should be picked up ON THE TRAIN TRACKS. The second guy was smart enough to come to the cab pickup out front and was really cool. He said he was just thankful I wasn’t a fucked up drunk college party kid and the first all night. He didn’t comment on how I probably definitely looked like I’d just been broken up with in the world’s worst romcom. It was over 20 bucks and I tipped him the max. Found my way inside, set up the couch, and continued my momentarily on hold panic until I eventually passed out. My Aunt came to pick me up in the morning, I got carsick, we had mediocre diner breakfast and what’s after that isn’t news worth talking about. Isn’t it bad enough the tail end of the trip took up like a third of this post?
All in all... it felt like a disaster. I’m not gonna lie. In weird ways the stars aligned that TWRP would end up on Conan the night of their show and have to reschedule to the day I came to town, but I paid for it with otherwise bad timing and my body deciding against me having a good time. Fun was had, don’t get me wrong. The good was good and any chance to get away from... this, is appreciated, but it just seemed like everything went awry.
Mucho thanks to @conniecorleone again, for letting me crash on the futon and be my usual bland self, even blander while ill, and also buying me expensive cold syrup and a-many ubers.
We’ll see if Massachusetts and I ever cross paths again.
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#<- yes! something about this and what you've described before about him trusting Chozen to be his guardrail#when he's not feeling himself#he's just consistently actually feels secure allowing himself to be imperfect with him via @youandthemountains aaahhhh yes!! the trust... it’s so good. there’s a lot going into that willingness and security in being imperfect and vulnerability but i really feel like chozen deciding to be vulnerable about his past just. really was something that stuck with daniel and affected the tenor of their whole relationship from there.
Daniel LaRusso & Chozen Toguchi
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Cobra Kai Season 3 Review
Well this is definitely one way to start the new year
New Season, New Dojo, and the third season of Cobra Kai was definitely something I wanted to binge right away and y’all gonna hear about it.
Spoilers for Cobra Kai Season 3, watch it because it’s definitely good
So yes, I did enjoy it. I mean it’d be hard not to at this point, Cobra Kai remains one of my favourite spinoff shows ever. It’s not without its flaws, or cheese, but when it’s great it’s great and that’s how we’re gonna run it down.
To start, let’s get the downs out of the way first
What wasn’t so great
Circumstances by misinterpretation It’s a general peeve of mine in movies and shows when conflict is made because characters don’t talk to each other properly or they take what someone says another way. In Cobra Kai’s case this annoyed me the most with Miguel and Tory’s conversation in Episode 6, Tory had a chance to be a much more conflicted character but they made her revert to being ‘all angry’ because she thought that Miguel said she was crazy, there’s also Robby in Episode 8 - who himself is in no position to act like he wasn’t snaking in on Sam back at Season 1 - who decides by one look that Sam and Miguel are back together and then angry at her for not letting him punch Miguel. I get that kids will take things the wrong way a lot but sometimes it’s just a lack of creativity, forced conflict and all just to push more characters into Cobra Kai.
Wherefore art thou, characters? Aisha in the last 2 seasons was frankly a symbol of how to work Cobra Kai’s mantra in a healthy manner. So it stung plenty even before Season 3′s trailers to know that Aisha would not be reprising her role. It was a bit of a crude write-off and I have no idea why we wouldn’t have brought her in, she could’ve left Cobra Kai but also struggle to stop Sam’s aggression or even helped Miguel’s rehab. Likewise being without Stingray did remove a lot of comedy elements, they weren’t pivotal losses but considering we brought back minor characters like Brucks, Anthony (who is in like 1 scene, lost a lot of weight though so good on him), Cousin Louie, Sid, Trey, Cruz, Armand and Yasmin does make you ask questions. In the same vein, we didn’t really introduce anyone new, that girl Tory beat looked like she could’ve been decent and we could’ve had more new characters enter via Johnny’s new dojo but it’s not a big deal.
Johnny is a 2 Time Champion too, why do people forget that? Daniel may have the fame, but Johnny was also a 2-Time All Valley U18 Champion, so when the all valley guy goes to Daniel saying ‘we need the two time champ’ it’s a bit annoying, because Johnny is that guy too.
Johnny’s Choice Right so Elizabeth Shue is hot and Ali is ‘the Ali’ but Vanessa Rubio/Carmen is hot too, there is a connection there not only via Miguel but a genuine attraction is still there too. Basically going on a date with Ali the day after sleeping with Carmen was that cliché daft move and it kinda undoes a lot of Johnny’s character progress over the last 2 seasons to be his own man, rather than a reflection of who he was. I mean yeah we got him to realise it right at the end but he was still going in for the kiss and you can’t undo that.
Sam vs Tory While I’ll get into the Sam progression in the good parts, but the feud of Sam and Tory never has clicked with me. I know it was the whole love quadrangle thing but it just feels like in Season 3 they were forcing it a bit much so Sam could have a Karate Kid 3 moment but Tory is not Mike Barnes the Badboy of Karate. She’s an angry girl but it just feels a bit weak to continue with this feud, especially when it’s because...uh...yeah. I mean it can’t be about Miguel anymore, it needed a lot more substance to be a worthwhile feud.
Daniel the Saviour I wanted Johnny and Daniel to team up and beat Kreese, not Daniel beating up Kreese to save Johnny. It was the problem I had with Season 2′s main fight where the Miyagi-Do lot had all the major wins in the school fight, Cobra Kai is not Daniel’s show, it’s Johnny’s, and it just grinded me the wrong way that the big moment that would finally unite the two together was off the back of Daniel defeating Kreese alone, especially since this is the second fight Johnny has had with Kreese interrupted before he could get the win himself.
Thankfully that’s practically all I have, and none of these kill the enjoyment at all, it’s just that if I was reviewing the script, these would be my editor’s notes. So let’s gush about the great stuff
What was BADASS about it Just to preface, this is not all in ranking, some of it just leads into other points and stuff.
The Cobra-fication of John Kreese The Kreese flashback was very well-done in showing the audience how Kreese became the man he is. There’s of course the multiple swerves which we will get to but we almost humanized Kreese at times especially when using it to keep Tory on the side of Cobra Kai. Kreese in present day too is just, so good. Easily one of the best villains in tv right now, he’s like a supervillain in the real world: conniving, slimy and manipulative, and unlike Johnny and Daniel he has awareness outside the 80s vacuum, as shown when he gets to Amanda too. Kreese will forever be the top villain of the franchise, and every episode he’s in he shows it. I also like to say I like how Cobra Kai’s origins are the other side of the coin to Miyagi Do’s. Both developed from a martial art in a foreign land, brought back to the homeland of the learner, the only difference is that Cobra Kai was born in war and never learned peace, while Miyagi Do was born in peace and had to adapt in war, this can also be the key factor on what could save Cobra Kai: adopting and adapting in peace, but Kreese is never gonna allow that because of how emotionally numb his regret, guilt and torture has shaped him to be like.
Terry Silver is coming back! When I saw the ponytailed soldier not get named I was a tad annoyed, shouting ‘just admit it’s Terry Silver!’ but boy did they swerve me XD Turns out Terry Silver was ‘Twigs’ all along. Not only that but the finale implies that he will return to back up Kreese in Season 4...he better still have that ponytail.
Miguel and Johnny return to their roots While ‘Eagle Fang’ is intentionally a ridiculous name, Johnny going back to zero allowed Johnny to restore not only his character but his paternal bond with Miguel on his road to physiotherapy. The moments of recovery - while a little fast tracked - felt earned and it also restored Miguel to his kinder and softer self, even to the point where Daniel feels comfortable around him to chat and get along with. Overall it’s good to root for the main characters, and between the shenaniganry of Johnny’s obscure methods and Miguel basically training Johnny to be a normal human being leads to some entertaining moments and some nicer character moments, especially when Miguel starts calling Johnny out on his bullshit.
The many faces of Trauma The theme of this season seems to be dealing with trauma, which of course works in line with the show theme of confronting the past. Sam dealt with trauma the most having suffered PTSD from the whole school fight and it was a good display of how the fear can paralyse you. While it does feel a little weird given how she won that fight it was definitely something to give her character. There was also the confrontation of Miguel’s injury by Sam, Tory, Johnny and Miguel himself, Johnny and Daniel’s downfall in the wake of their dojo war, Hawk and Demetri having to re-encounter Kyler, baggage came for every character and they had to handle it in different ways; Sam particularly went from being very aggressive to compensate before returning to focus after having to confront her fear of Tory.
The New Quiver To add to the long list of Kreese’s manipulations, Kreese decided to overhaul his class with people he better liked, which called for the return of Kyler as well as increasing the aggression of Tory and Hawk. His final masterstroke being twisting Robby’s mind and turning him to Cobra Kai, setting up our primary antagonists for Season 4.
Good Character Redemption Several characters get the chance to redeem themselves in Season 3. While some don’t take that opportunity, the ones we do get are Yasmin, Cousin Louie, Chozen and Hawk. Yasmin’s one was a little undeserved I think, but being less of a bitch isn’t a bad thing, Cousin Louie’s was small but his dedication to family was on positive display now rather than his over the top insufferableness in Season 1, we’ll get to Chozen in a minute because it’s Hawk’s redemption that gets the most impact. While he definitely doesn’t deserve instantaneous forgiveness for his actions in this and the past season, seeing Hawk finally wake up and realise that Kreese is using him and that his change has gone too far was a fantastic moment, I wasn’t even sure he would do it until I saw it myself, finally Eli is back.
Amanda falls down the 80s Rabbit Hole One of the common compliments of Daniel’s wife Amanda is that she seems to be the only sane person in the middle of this karate war. She at least tries to keep Daniel grounded to the real world things, but the incident at the Golf n Stuff completely turned Amanda to confront Kreese. So now Amanda is all in, because she’s had to deal with Kreese’s trickery and manipulations, while we will grieve the loss of Amanda being the ‘Straight Man’, it’s cool that she’s now in this whirlpool of Karate 80s Supremacy Wars.
Ali with an Eye for Psychology Elizabeth Shue’s return as Ali provided us with a lovely episode and a bit where Johnny and Daniel got to relive some of their greatest and worst hits over the first Karate Kid film. While I say making Ali not to blame for the break up with Daniel is a bit pandering the fact that she bridges Daniel and Johnny to be civil with each other is poetic, given how she’s technically the lynchpin of their entire rivalry. While I may not have liked how close Johnny was to making moves on her, getting the reconciliation through Ali was a nice touch and does complete that arc.
Daniel’s Okinawa Adventure The Okinawa portion was probably the second best highlight of the season. I’ve stated enough my love of Part II in previous posts but the nostalgia really hit it right. The return of Kumiko was absolutely beautiful (side for a moment where it kinda looked like she and Daniel were reconnecting, because as I said I like Amanda too so there’s conflicting feelings there) and her reading Miyagi’s letters was extremely emotional. The return of Chozen was great too, I was waiting for the part that he broke his stoicism and they picked a perfect moment for it, Chozen showed a lot more humility as an adult especially that lowkey note that he may’ve considered suicide. Also being happy to train Daniel the pressure point tactics and being relieved by Daniel’s forgiveness was nice to see. And it all comes around with Yuna, the girl Daniel saved from a typhoon, who fixes their sales dealership and thus Daniel’s company, thanks mostly to Kumiko. Overall, the Okinawa portion is great and Kumiko is great too.
WE FINALLY GOT DANIEL AND JOHNNY WORKING TOGETHER I almost put the LaRusso house fight as a down point because it didn’t reach the same heights as the school fight, but I had yet to see what the actual final fight of the season was and ho boy. We had already done the ‘false hope’ episode of Daniel and Johnny working together early in the season when they were chasing after Robbie, so having the ‘break bread’ moment near the end meant there was nothing to stop them to continue working together. Daniel getting the final fight aside - I think the roles should’ve been reversed and we saw Daniel’s reaction to his house and Miyagi’s picture being destroyed, go for Kreese, see Robby and then Johnny for the save for what he did to Miguel - the final third of the last episode was like a straight up video game in the best way. Got that character twist in Johnny seeing Robby drink the Kool-Aid before going straight for the boss fight, and it is like a video game boss fight: Stage 1 of health in the back room, Stage 2 of health in the main dojo having changed tactics and having to fight the side grunt then Stage 3 of Health outside the Dojo with Daniel. It’s all very well done and culminates in the setup for Season 4, Daniel and Johnny working together, the All Valley stage to determine whether Cobra Kai continues or if it disbands forever, that’s the way to end it.
What to hope for in Season 4? Season 4 can go either way because we don’t know if Season 5 will happen. If it does I do see Robby taking the All Valley to keep Cobra Kai alive, while we do have rivalries in Miguel/Robby, Sam/Tory, Hawk/Kyler it does seem like we just need a couple more rivals to get through, we’ll also see if we can set up feuds for Daniel and Silver so he cannot interrupt the Johnny/Kreese rivalry again - I think Johnny is owed that win. Expect to see Tory and Robby get together as the ‘from the block’ power couple and Daniel and Johnny to have some growing pains. I do wonder what their alliance name will be, I am very curious because they dangled it over us, I wonder if it’ll just be something simple like ‘Karate Kid Dojo’ but we’ll only find out next year.
Notwithstanding is the return of Twigs the Ponytail Silver, but I do wonder if Mike Barnes the Badboy of Karate will show up, alongside Jessica (Part 3′s kinda but not Love Interest) and Julie (from the Next Karate Kid). You have to wonder where Johnny and Carmen’s relationship will go to, I want to hope that Johnny doesn’t screw it up considering that like Amanda to Daniel she keeps him quite grounded. I also hope for more mending with Hawk, not only with the Miyagi-Do but with Johnny himself, because there is a lot of Johnny in Hawk. I wanna hope that there’s a chance for Tory and Robby to see sense but unless it’s the final season I would not hold my breath.
In the end the best thing to look forward to is that it will be awesome, given that it was greenlit a year in advance and continues to be a wave of nostalgic joy. Season 3 kicked off 2021 in a good way, striking first, striking hard and giving fans no mercy...but in a good way.
#karate kid#Karate Kid 2#karate kid part II#karate kid 3#karate kid part III#daniel larusso#Johnny Lawrence#Cobra Kai#cobra kai season 3#John Kreese#terry silver#miguel diaz#robby keene#samantha larusso#tory with a y#tory nichols#ali with an i#ali mills#hawk#eli moskowitz#demetri cobra kai#xolo mariduena#Mary Mouser#Peyton List#martin kove#Ralph Macchio#billy zabka#elizabeth shue#tamlyn tomita#kumiko
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sourgrapelaffytaffy replied to your post: .
scrooge would be like mr miyagi in karate kid. like having fenton learn defensive moves by doing seemingly boring chores
Fenton not even realizing what Scrooge is teaching him tho like ‘Mr. McDuck this is highly inappropriate-’ ‘JUS DO IT YE’ DAFT IDIOT’ ‘Alright Alright-’
and then later when Scrooge shows him the fruits of his training Fenton’s left looking at his hands and arms like ‘wait what just happened’
#sourgrapelaffytaffy#'OOC; Out Of Duck Hell'#scrooge mcduck: teaching his stupid pure son another lesson
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The Most Influential Artist Of The Decade: Pt.1 of An Overly Detailed Investigation Into Travi$ Scott
Drake, J. Cole, Wale, Kid Cudi. These were supposed to be the hands down leaders of hip-hop leading into the 2010′s. All these artists could rap, came with great production, full bodies of work, and had layers of emotion and relatability that the previous decade had little to none of. Kendrick and Big K.R.I.T. were barely on the radar, and Tyler The Creator dropping on Christmas of 2009 with his debut didn’t give much time for the “Leader Of The New School” title to fall onto him. Cole was with Jay-Z, Drake was with Lil Wayne, Kid Cudi was with Kanye, and Wale wasn’t quite with Rick Ross yet but it was over the horizon. Everything went according to plan for a few years. Drake’s 2010 label debut (”Thank Me Later”) came with chart topping hits, and his 2011 effort (”Take Care”) took him to a new level. Wale kept busy post 2009′s “Attention Deficit”. “More About Nothing” was astounding and 2011 brought us MMG’s “Self Made Vol. 1″ and Wale’s sophomore effort (his best major label release then and now) “Ambition”.
J. Cole’s “Friday Night Lights” came, and with that one of the greatest mixtapes of all time, in 2010 amid frustrations with Roc Nation from withholding his eventual major debut “Cole World: Sideline Story”, which would come out in 2011. Then there was Kid Cudi, the GOOD Music signee and Kanye protege who in 2008 & 2009 dropped two game changing project, but with 2010 came his best and darkest work. The second instalment of the Man On The Moon series, “Man On The Moon II: The Legend Of Mr. Rager”. This was a project that on it’s own is a creative masterpiece, but with it’s themes of depression and addiction came a look into darker subject matter than was once openly talked about in mainstream hip-hop. The world painted by Kid Cudi on “The Legend Of Mr. Rager” is one Travi$ Scott played in and became one with. 2012 was the year the world came to know Travi$ Scott, and it was on an album that was seen at the time to be the true coming out party for another Kanye protege. In many ways “Cruel Summer” was the album that best described that era as far as artists involved. 2 Chainz, fresh of “Based On A T.R.U. Story” had the midas touch. Kanye was riding high of “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” and “Watch The Throne”, and a remix of Chief Keef’s “Dont Like” (when at the time Keef was the Drill Movement and hip-hop’s golden child). Surrounded by these stars was where Big Sean rose from behind the curtain to show up The Throne on the song of the year in “Clique” and everyone else who he was featured with. Sean was nothing more than a punchline heavy Detroit star who rode into the blogs hearts off his “Finally Famous” mixtapes and into Hip-Hop Folklore after allegations of Kanye using Sean as a ghostwriter on “Graduation”. Yet “Cruel Summer” was his showcase. Also on that album featured co-production on 3 tracks from a young Travi$ and a leading track called “Sin City” which was a beautiful glimpse into what Scott’s sound was. Along with that Travi$ scored a large majority of the Cruel Summer film, and began work on Kanye’s next solo project which was yet to be known of.
Talk was little, yet it was there, for the Houston native post-Summer. 2013 came an with it Travi$ was a member of probably the greatest XXL Freshman Class of all time, being featured alongside Joey Bada$$, Action Bronson, ScHoolboy Q, and a slew of other future All-Stars. Even then Travi$ was a bit on an enigma and seen as one of the lower ranking members of the class. Shortly after the cover was revealed and the impressive freestyles were sent to the internet to see, Travi$ was featured on 2 tracks from another one of his mentors compilation’s T.I. and his Grand Hustle crew’s “G.D.O.D.”. These songs again flew under the radar, but a few weeks later “Owl Pharaoh” came. It received solid reviews, but the overall feel was Travi$ was a producer who rapped sometimes. The world had started to pigeon-hole him the same way they did Kanye over a decade earlier. Speaking of Kanye a few months later he came out with a lil project that deserves an article of it’s own, and has received a million of them since it’s release. “Yeezus” came and with it a million think pieces about electronic and industrial music in hip-hop, and the inspiration for such an album. Again, in the smaller corners of the internet, rumours began about how Kanye had used another one of his proteges extensively, and uncredited, on a solo album. Travi$ has spoken in before about being involved on every track that came from “Yeezus”, yet if you check the credits his name is there only three times.
Now a counter to this theory is that “Travi$ was not, and may still not be, at a level to which he could created the production on “Yeezus””. Which is true, but involvement is involvement none the less, and with credits being given to so many other people, does it hurt to add Travi$’ name to the mix? With names like Daft Punk, Mike Dean, Arca, Hudson Mohawke, Sinjin Hawke, and Gesaffelstein coming in from the electronic world to aid Kanye on his creative left turn, how much could Travi$ really have done? Again, Travi$ has been pushed to the back of the crowd, forced to watch others shine. In the coming months Travi$ went on to meet a very crucial person in his development musically. Yet a month later another big light shined down on Scott in the form of Jay-Z’s “Crown” from his July 2013 release “Magna Carta Holy Grail”. It showed again Travi$’ hallmark sound to a wide audience, an album with a demographic Travi$ has heavily criticized, and had also criticized him. And the critiques would not get any better. A chance show in South Carolina led to a friendship with another hip-hop enigma named Young Thug. Thug was at the time riding off the wave of his breakout mixtape, “1017 Thug”, and had been slowly evolving since his earliest project. His rapping style was becoming close to the sound we know it as today, but he seemed out of place on a lot of his production. The beats were still very much of the generation before him, an Atlanta trap sound that was more “Flockaveli” then “Culture”. As their friendship brewed hype for a collaboration was rising across blogs across the internet. After much silence from Travi$ on the musical spectrum, in July of 2014 a collaboration with Big Sean and Indie rockers The 1975 was released, revealing an even more menacing sounding Travi$ and production style. That coming August “Days Before Rodeo” was released, and with it came a new sound that wasn’t seen very much beforehand. Travi$ had immersed himself with Atlanta’s best up and coming producers and underground rap stars like FKi, OZ, PeeWee Longway, friend Young Thug and an a newly buzzing Atlanta producer named Metro Boomin.
Metro had major placements with artists like Future, YG, and Migos, which were enough to get a buzz going for him. This was at a time for Metro before he produced all over Future’s “Monster”, before his albums with 21 Savage and NAV. His biggest songs were Future’s now Gold selling singles “I Won” and “Karate Chop” and co-production on iLoveMakonnen’s “Tuesday”. Metro was bred under the same school where guys like Mike Will Made-It, Zaytoven, Southside, Sonny Digital and TM-88 came from. The underground Atlanta and mixtape scene surrounding sites like Datpiff and LiveMixtapes was the playground at one point for all these beatmakers, and now Metro was on top of that same game. It has been debated whether the sound of “Days Before Rodeo” was just Metro Boomin’s skill meeting Travi$’ resources, or if it was Travi$ just finally coming into his desired sound.
(To Be Continued)
#travis scott#kanye west#kanye#trap#good#days before rodeo#days before birds#rodeo#young thug#metro#metro boomin#hiphop#mike will made it#futur#future#wale#drake#j cole#lil uzi vert#xxxtentacion#soundcloud#lil pump#common#mike dean#production#zaytoven#nav
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aaaaahhhhhhhhhh thank you!!
like. sato’s role in chozen’s childhood/young adulthood, especially knowing sato was not only a mentor but was specifically raising him from a young age. just. <waves hands at most of sato in of kk2> <waves hands at teen chozen being set as sato’s psuedo-enforcer in kk2> and like. who is making this like. 8 year old kid punch sand with a group of adult trainees. i keep coming back to this because what the fuck. that is not something that avoiding should be associated with ‘cowardice’ or ‘shame’ that is solidly ‘wow why was i told to do that as a child and shamed for avoiding hurting my tiny child hands. wtf.’
but like?? assuming sato did stay on the path we see him getting back on at the end of kk2 - and i think that makes sense based on what we know, i trust that what chozen’s saying here about his uncle helping pull him back is based in the reality - then like, that’s chozen’s experience of him for his whole adult life, likely for at least a couple decades, of course it’s hard to reconcile that with the negative parts of sato’s role in his childhood/young adulthood! of course it is! especially since sato was important to his recovery!
and like, on that thread, i feel like in a way chozen could have a lot of empathy for the story of kk3 daniel wanting to trust terry silver as the new face of cobra kai because, well, even in a very different situation trusting someone saying ‘this is different now, this is turning over a new leaf’ worked out for him in trusting his uncle to help him back up and on a better path post-kk2. but i don’t know that chozen now really conceptualizes it that way - with it being his uncle turning over a new leaf - at all based on how he reacts here. if i had to guess, i’d guess he’s got a story in his head where his uncle was a tough, honorable man through and through the whole time, and sure he made some mistakes, but that was a long time ago and those mistakes were reconciled, and the real problem was that chozen was a cowardly kid and a bad teen, and his uncle was the reason he got on the path to redemption. (and if he thinks too much about his uncle’s mistakes, isn’t he being disrespectful of that help his uncle gave him, being disrespectful of the man who raised him? the answer is of course ‘no’ but that’s not how he’s going to think about it)
(me @ the show please please have chozen talk more about sato. i want to know if i’m right about this. hey. hey show. please.)
i just. i hope looking at these kids now, especially the ones being fucked up by cobra kai, can give chozen - and daniel, who’s already more along the way here - some perspective as an adult on the influence of grown mentors and the fact that like, that dynamic doesn’t have to be uniquely and solely horrible to be acknowledged as harmful, and help him along the way to extending the same understanding and grace to his past self that he would and does to these kids. (and like. going back to this scene, i’d really like to see/write daniel, who was there for kk2 and has at least a snippet of the context, follow up on this and like. as someone chozen trusts, help him acknowledge that no, he is being serious about the ‘you were doing what your teacher taught you’ and that that should be given weight and can be without that cancelling out anything else sato did or wholly absolving/denying chozen’s agency as a teen and growth since.)
anyway! that was a lot of rambling. this has been: thoughts on chozen backstory and how he conceptualizes it with squire.
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Okay, now coming with something that’s more Fun
Um, what’s their shipname fellas? Because they literally have a confession in the rain, like please. <333
#and this is what im like without even having finished the season!#chozen toguchi#also YES the lack of taking any of this for granted#r: if it means anything#the daft karate show
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Anybody in adoption au telling momma May that they're not straight
“anybody” B)
from the Let Us Love series
~1500 words
read on AO3
Eleven-year-old Jemma paces back and forth in the livingroom, her breathing measured, her hands wringing. She thought about justtelling May first, or telling Fitz, but she wants this out in the open. It’seasiest to just rip it off like a bandaid.
“Is it something bad?” Skye asks nervously, sat between Mayand Fitz on the couch. Antoine is sitting in the recliner, rocking it back andforth.
“No,” Jemma quickly says, then stops, winces, and keepspacing. “I mean, I- I don’t think so.”
“Whatever it is,” May says, “we’ll deal with it as a family.”
“I don’t know if it’s something to be ‘dealt with’ per se.”
“Okay—”
“It’s just- I’m just a little nervous, that’s all.”
“Spit it out, Jem,”Skye whines, sliding down into a slump. “Fairly OddParents is about to come on.”
Fitz smacks her lightly. “Sh-She can take her time.”
Jemma shoots him a grateful smile, and then stops pacing,facing them all. “Okay. Okay, well, see—” She lets out a small huff, gives a decisivenod, and then continues, “There’s this girl I like.”
She’s met with blank stares, and she shakes her head andstarts again.
“I mean- Really like.” She motions with her hands. “Like like.”
“Oh,” May says.
Jemma continues before anyone can say any more, “And it hasn’tjust been a one-time thing. It’s happened before, this isn’t just an isolatedincident or anything. I put the evidence together and I came to the conclusionthat I like girls.”
“So—” May starts.
“So you’re gay?” Antoine asks.
“No,” Jemma says. “I like boys, too. I’m- um—” She puffsherself up a bit, ready to take whatever might come. “I’m bi.”
“What’s that mean?” Fitz asks, his brows scrunching together.
“Well—”” Jemmastarts, in that tone that means she’s about to start rambling.
“It means you like boys and girls,” May cuts her off before shecan begin. “Thank you for telling us, Jemma. I know this must’ve been reallyscary for you, and I’m proud that you shared it with us. And—”
“Wait, wait—” Fitz holds up his hands, face still screwed upin confusion. “You can like b-boys andgirls?”
Jemma rolls her eyes. “Of course, Fitz, don’t be daft.”
“Well I- I thought you had to- um- I don’t know. Ch-Choose,or something.”
Jemma opens her mouth, but May is the one who speaks. “Whydid you think that?”
Fitz gapes for a moment, then shrugs. “Vinnie from school s-saidit meant I don’t like girls.”
“What doesn’t?” May asks.
“Th-That … I’ve got a crush on a boy,” Fitz mumbles, headducked.
Jemma’s face lights up. “You like a boy?”
“M-Maybe,” Fitz says, face bright red.
“Who?” Jemma and Antoine ask at the same time.
Fitz whispers something, and they all lean in.
“What?” Jemma asks.
“Mack,” Fitz says a little louder.
Antoine beams. “Aw man, that’s great. Good choice, he’s agood guy.”
“But you like girls too?” Jemma asks.
Fitz shrugs a little, looking down at his fingers as he tugsat them. “W-Well … I don’t know. This i-is my first crush.”
“You don’t have to know yet,” May says. “You’re still young,you have a lot of time to figure this out.”
“Jemma’s got it figured out,” Fitz mutters a littleruefully.
May shakes her head. “You can’t compare yourself to otherpeople with this. Everyone’s different, and everyone’s experience is going tobe different. You might figure it out soon, or in a few years, or when you’reolder. Or you might never put a label on it. And that’d all be okay. This is areally personal thing, and how you approach it is up to you.”
“So, uh …” Antoine raises a hand to scratch over his short,tight curls. “Would this be a good time to tell everyone that I have aboyfriend?”
May has done a good job keeping her face fairly neutral, butno one else has. Jemma is beaming, and Fitz’s eyes have gone wide.
“Who?” Jemma almost yells.
Antoine grins. “Luke from karate class.”
“Isn’t he the one that f-flipped you?” Fitz asks.
“Yeah, but I talked to him about it afterwards and he’scool. He asked me at his birthday party.”
Jemma claps. “Have you been on a date?”
“We stand together in class.”
Jemma considers, and then shrugs. “I suppose that counts.”
As if one, all of their gazes find Skye, waiting for anothershoe to drop.
She doesn’t look at them, just sits, slumped, with her armscrossed, staring at the blank TV screen.
“It’s a new episode.”
“What?” Jemma asks.
“Fairly OddParents,” Skye states glumly. “It’s a newepisode. It’s probably already started.”
May holds in a laugh. “Would you like to watch it now, Skye?”
Skye nods.
“Okay. We can table the rest of this discussion for a laterdate.”
Skye bounds for the remote, and as she turns it on Fitzlooks over to May nervously.
“So you’re …” His mouth twists. “You’re- like- okay? Withall of this?”
Jemma thinks there’s something hidden in May’s smile, butMay just says, “Believe me, I am,” and leaves it at that.
-
Pride in their town is small. Tiny. More a gathering of afew families than anything else. They’ll start at the public library, marchdown 10th Avenue, then down Main Street, and finish the short marchat Shipley Do-Nuts.
Jemma is practically buzzing with excitement as May fills upthe meter for the van in the lot near the library. Fitz has a nervous air abouthim, which doesn’t seem helped at all by the fact that Jemma holds his hand thewhole walk there. Antoine has picked out an outfit of a pink t-shirt, blueslacks, and a purple bandana, just for the occasion. Skye is just glum thatthere won’t be any floats.
It’s maybe about 35 people that show up for the march, butthey’re sporting flags, signs, and colorful clothing. There are only a fewother kids, but that doesn’t seem to deter any of May’s. Jemma bounds up to thecrowd, grinning widely. A few of the adults turn as she approaches, one ofwhich May knew would be there.
“Well, if it isn’t Melinda May.”
May smiles, because it’s been long enough that there aren’tany more hurt feelings here.
“Victoria.”
The kids look between them, silent.
“You know, I’d heard you’d adopted a brood, but I didn’tquite believe it.”
Jemma sticks out her hand primly. “I’m Jemma. One of thebrood.”
Victoria laughs as she shakes it. “Very nice to meet you,Jemma. Are you here to support your mom?”
Jemma turns and blinks back at her owlishly, eyes wide andcurious. But May just smiles.
“Here to support them,” she says.
Victoria looks a little surprised, but she doesn’t commenton it. “Do you guys want some pins? We have extras.”
“That would be lovely, thank you,” Jemma says.
Jemma and Antoine take two of the bi flag pins and pin themon their shirts. Fitz turns them down, hovering near the back. Skye takes alook at the selection and immediately chooses the rainbow one, grinning widely.
Victoria picks one up and holds it out for May. Onlysomewhat reluctantly, May takes it and pins it to her shirt.
The march starts, and Antoine pushes Fitz to the front ofthe crowd. Fitz seems shy at first, but eventually starts waving to cars thathonk. Skye and Jemma hang in the back with May, Skye clinging to her hand, butseeming to have a good time. Jemma takes a peek at the pin May wears, and Maywould swear there’s an extra spring in her step.
“So,” Jemma says.
“What?” May asks, fondly cautious.
“The axe. It means lesbian, right?”
May nods. “That’s right.”
“Okay.” Jemma tries to stifle her grin, unsuccessfully. “Cool.”
The march is short. It’s more symbolic than anything, and achance for the small community to get together. The lunch at Shipley’s lastslonger than the actual parade, and May is proud that the kids all seem to beemboldened by the whole event. Fitz is even talking to one of the otherchildren, a happy blush on his cheeks.
May has to carry Skye back, though she’s really too old tobe being carried, and it means May will probably have to use her cane tomorrow.But Skye’d had more donuts than May probably should’ve let her have, and she’sfast asleep by the time they make it back to the van.
The ride home is quiet, but peacefully so. Skye sleeps thewhole way, and Antoine nudges her awake when they get home, and helps her outof her booster seat (which she says she’s getting too old for).
The keys clatter onto the kitchen table where May drops themas they step inside, and she’s about to turn and ask what they’d all like fordinner when a pair of arms wraps around her waist.
Jemma is clinging to her, face pressed against May’s spine.
“Thanks for bringing us,” she says, and then Antoine joinsin on the hug, then Fitz, and finally a groggy Skye.
May smiles, and wonders how she got so lucky.
“Anytime.”
#aosficnet#jemma simmons#melinda may#leo fitz#antoine triplett#daisy johnson#aos#let us love series#IM DRUNK WITH POWER GUYS#I CAN MAKE ANYONE GAY JUST TRY TO STOP ME#i mean#dont actually try to stop me because im having too much fun#but anyway you can take this as canon or not i dont care#its not gonna come up in canon again#also you get brownie points if you can tell me which city this takes place in!!!!!#finally picked somewhere for them to live#8 stories in lmao#'thats a little late leah'#u kno what#gosh its really late i'll prob reblog this again in the morning fair warning#enjoy!!!!#Anonymous
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Errata.........
Don't recall when I was thrown into the world, does anyone? My first memory was in some kind of mansion where the sun filtered through a round stained glass window. A big man with a messy beard, wisping out like excremental cotton candy from his face stood over me. I saw a couple of fools, my parents looking up at me as I floated into the air. I was levitating, but the big fat Doktor just looked straight ahead, so ends this little wash of recall. I was around three years old in the house. I was at a neighbours house when a toy gun clipped my fingers and the metal took a chunk of skin out. I did not cry. The old neighbours; man and wife, laughed about how tough I was, and then giggled when I began to black out. For some reason I hated these people, I hurled a rock at their car when they were driving to go see a parade, put a big dent in the door. My mom spanked me so hard I saw my feet fly in the air. Sometimes I would walk around the neighbourhood and not remember leaving the house, ringing doorbells and running away. My Mom got tired of this and put me in preschool, sometimes sick, where I would barf until one of the teachers covered it up with sand. There was one teacher who was an evil looking woman with eyes like the demoness Lilith, Adam's first devil-wife. She and another woman gave me a ride home, but I don't remember ever getting home actually, I don't remember where I ended up on that ride. One day I was wandering around the neighborhood again, and I peeked through a mail-slot in a door and I saw a room with velvet red drapes. I saw an altar with an inverted pentagram, with candles which were not lit. The Chalice, The Bell, The Sword, I knew what these were but I had no words for them, I had somehow been in that house but I did not recall ever going there. Weird things happen when your only three, in some ways you are already old. I saw too the vast room filled with hooded figures! A giant Jackal-Headed statue black as night around 200 feet tall, was flanked by braziers wafting clouds of incense. Beneath the vast altar was a huge pit with low burning fires. The small sacrifices were hurled like soccer-balls; soaring through the air into the flaming pit. Pitiful cries and screams of torment were heard. In this way the forgotten ones of the maternity wards were given a manifest destiny. I was scared, but a priest told me that I "need not fear in that my hourglass had red sand." After my parents split up I ended up in a big house, bigger than the one before. I found crucifixes made out of wood and for some reason I liked to turn them upside-down and break them into peace signs, but the sides would not hold and would fall on the ground. I then found my sisters old barbies and scraped the boobs off of them against the wall so they would be flat chested. I was around 8 years old when this happened. When I was nine I developed a craving for wanting to drink human blood. My friends would cut themselves and let me drink their blood. Their parents found out about this and called my folks, and my folks were alarmed by this disturbed behavior. They took me back to the Doktor with the wispy beard that looked like cotton candy made out of shit. The Doktor told my parents that their was nothing wrong with me, just going through a weird phase. This Doktor pretended to talk with a German accent, but I knew he was faking!! He knew that I knew, and gave me a mean look. He had dead eyes. I was a teenager and an occult shop opened up where I lived. It was run by a real fortunate son, he seemed very fortunate which was strange in that the shop was not doing that well. I started doing a lot of acid in those days, and would practice black magick rites in the makeshift temple in the back. Once I did a ceremony to summon the 7 Crown Princes of Hell. Only Belial showed up, he materialized in the incense outside of the magic circle. He gave me two visions: The first one was of a witch cackling and stirring a giant cauldron, on a very dark night. The second was of a naked man taking in a giant beam of celestial fire; drinking it into his face, with his arms outstretched and his legs parted in a standing embrace. I still don't know what this signified. At the occult shop one day I also met a company man. I was 26 and it was a very bad year. Too much debauchery had caught up with me, as well as other things. I spent some time in nuthouse, but a nice shrink helped me recover. He gave me Dilantin and Centrax at the same time, it kept me in a mellow mood. After I got outta stir I moved in with a very weird madlady who indeed was legion. She was a lot of people in one person, and I did not like any of them and they did not like me. Except for two exceptions: I liked the little kid that came out as her sometimes, and the old medicine woman. The little girl told me all about the company, and how they like to turn one person into a whole bunch of people; and tell them to do things with the same body. Its a hobby of theirs, a game, maybe even a joke, but its a killing joke. I thought the story she told me was about as daft as a flying doughnut. After awhile I believed it but she was such a bitch I could not stand her and moved out. I did not care about all the spy stories, or politics at all. I was an occultist! She said she knew more about the Occult than I did. She was lying. The last thing she said was this: "Your just like all the bad people, because you think that life is meaningless!" Whatever. I was 31, and I met up again with the fortunate son in VEGAZ; another cult scene, but not too hairy. He was a big dip-waffle who tried to use me and did. But he needed me, as he was in the market for a MAGUZ. No modesty is not one of my traits. I cannot afford to let it be, due to the fact that I am a collossal failure. I learned to put myself in really great trance states and bring down demons into my body. I could still maintain control though, and could kick them out at any time. We called down voodoo loa, devils and demons as cute as the conqueror worm. We hurled astral shit through the vortex; flinging it at the enemies of the fortunate son. One of his enemies succumbed to the sorcery; a woman had an asthma attack and died. The enemy coven thought that our magick did this, and the girl's mother called the fortunate one and cursed him on the phone. The fortunate one got freaked out and sent flowers to her funeral, thus denying that he cursed her and denying the devils that slew a-one in his name. Like Peter denying the Savior the curse rebounded on Fortuno's head and his life turned into shit. I got sick of him using me, so I cursed him as well. I would drink bottles of rum and evoke the Petro Loa and dance around the altar, flinging hateful laughter and raging curses upon his worthless ass. It seemed to make things worse for him which delighted me. At this time too I met this guy who was a big fat liar who said his uncle invented Ritz crackers. He said he was related to a big-band leader with a big beat. He told me that he was levitated high up over the ocean and floated into a cave on a summit of the Na Pali Coast in Kwaii. When he got floated into the cave he met a Kahuna Shaman who instructed him in the delicacies of Sumerian Sorcery. This guy's mind was as fried-out as a toasted jaybird in a torched forest. And damn it, he made friends with another one of those people who was a bunch of people in one body! A girl who was a martial arts and weapons expert, on top of everything else! She knew about the fat liar's uncle and his big beat band: "Booker M.K. & The Ultras." One day she was flipping out and Fatso panicked and brought me down there. I told her that a mandala was one image, yet it had many facets, many in one, and one in many was still one. Finally she mellowed out. I was really scared, because she had a black belt in Karate and was a weapons expert, I on the other hand was a wuss who had only shot a B.B. gun at age 12. She was real nice to me and said that she would protect me from enemies, but Fatso got between us and kept her away. At that time I was just getting through day by day, and did not care. Although I did once bring down spirits that came through my body and cracked the inside of a crystal that I held in my hands. So goes it. Amused and bemused; this story is a tragedy in a laugh, and a laugh with a crying face. I found out later that Doktor Shit-Beard ate some Uranium 235 and bought the farm; ded of cancer. That's the funny part, so you can laugh now!! But you know, when the Romans sacked Jerusalem and routed the Second Temple in Palestine, they killed a lot of Hebrews and impaled babies on their swords. But the thing is, is that this has never stopped. There are many walking wounded amongst you, who are locked in gulags with invisible walls, tormented by translucent tech. hands, mocked by unseen voices. There are mindless masses and complicit Doktors who will just call all this madness. Perhaps this is why I thanked God, when I had that dream about the world being destroyed by nuclear weapons. I got out my last praise indeed; right at the moment where I lost all my atoms.
http://www.my-journal.com/jrn/md__1/jrn__24539/dt__1473750000
Welcome us nearly, inside soft floors of music. Through dope-heads dark recovered, through isles of the twisted.
Within Theatres of Perdition, we will sojourn after, to greet the dancing incubus, admire strange relations.
Unearth the Corpse of Incest Death, so we can have a festival. Weep silent pagan forests, and blaspheme all the saviours.
Let us dance around the Mayfires, and ride the maddened vine, climb secret goddess mountains, and drink the horn’ed wine.
Let’s dig up all the graveyards, reclaim relics of the doomed, assemble laughing, sacred skeletons, build temples to the Moon.
Let us know nocturnal days, lost transparent hours, sleep magic silver waves, encompass nights of flowers.
Let us weep the winsome madness, of those beyond the realms, of Space’s indifferent irony, that Time’s chalice overwhelms.
To pour primeval vision, upon partakers of the strange, who consume the droughts of clarity, the gods have doth deranged.
Let’s speak of the unspeakable, say wild atrocious things, let’s talk of God’s own truth, and the falsehood that it brings.
A Creator that’s a Liar? The Whole that is a sham? We’ll leave the dead to sleeping, the living remain Damned!
#darkart#mkultra#hypnosis#occultism#darkwave#nordic black metal#poets on tumblr#acid fascism#nihilism#horror
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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Cobra Kai (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Daniel LaRusso & Chozen Toguchi Characters: Chozen Toguchi, Daniel LaRusso Additional Tags: End of Season 4, Pre-Season/Series 05, POV Chozen Toguchi, Discussion of The Karate Kid Part II (1986), Discussion of The Karate Kid Part III (1989), Discussions of canonical abuse, Canon-Typical Rationalizing/Blaming oneself for experience of past abuse, Mention of Past Canonical Character Death, Missing Scene Series: Part 1 of acts unseen Summary:
walk by faith // tell no (one) what you've seen - The Mountain Goats, 'Never Quite Free'
Daniel picks up Chozen from the airport, and tells him about Cobra Kai... and Silver.
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If Daniel’s told anyone about what happened with Silver it’s Chozen, I will not die on this hill but I will write fic on it
I started writing this and a few other fics for this series after watching it with @philcoulsonismyhero about a year ago, they've mostly been sitting as WIPs for a while before the imminent arrival of s6 prompted me to try and finish the lot of them. They’re all a loosely-connected set of fics focused on Chozen and Daniel around and after S5 - I'm aiming to have the next one up Sunday!
If you enjoy the adventures of ‘two men in a car are wildly in denial about how badly certain adults in their lives fucked them up as teenagers and the relative shares of responsibility for said fuck ups’, kudos and comments are all appreciated XD
#acts useen#squire's stuff#r: if it means anything#the daft karate show#cobra kai#cobra kai s5#chozen toguchi#daniel larusso
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