#the ending of we have all blind with chozen and daniel… :-(

[cobra-wives]

@rosie-tyler

i gotta say — my rewatch of poto (2004) involved massive amounts of cage references in a villain’s tragic backstory flashbacks with a reluctant enabler of bad behavior, a best friend who really wishes you wouldn’t trust that evil guy, the color red as symbolism for bloodshed being spilt, the color white as symbolism for purity, and… mirror breaking motifs? oh yeah, and a swordfight in blue lighting between the main villain and the protagonist’s old connection from their younger days, who will fight for their honor or whatever.

[msfbgraves]

People need to stop and realize (and accept) that Cobra Kai is not written the way The Bear or Interview With the Vampire are. Those shows are actually written with skill, love, respect and rich understanding of their characters—something which CK dreadfully lacks.

The sad thing is that CK had huge potential in season 1 (minus the way Daniel was written several times because the writers hate him) to be an Emmy award winning and critically acclaimed show. But by the start of season 3, it was over.

I am not, and never have been a Johnny fan by any means, and I’m only here for Daniel, Chozen, and of course Terry (all 3 of whom are fucked up in the writing department already, especially the latter 2). Still, I will be shutting off my brain and watching it. And after it’s over, I will be resuming my Danzen and Silverusso fanfic reading.

But Nonnie, I want to complain about us not getting to have nice things! Now you mention it, was it all Netflix' fault? The dropoff in S3 is abysmal (pun intended). Or did they get, in their own words, 'so far up their ass they could see out of their own mouth'? (Also, why the crass language all the time? I could see Daniel dropping a jersey infused F-bomb once in a while, but his Mama taught him to be respectful and so did Mr. Miyagi...) I still think I am a reluctant fan of CK because there would be a balance between 'this is ludicrous' and 'this is accidently brilliant'. Who knows the last season may show us some of that but I feel like watching Game of Thrones in S5 desperately trying to convince myself it was still good, when we all know the show killed itself with the Red Wedding. The ludicrous reigns, and the brilliant? Um. Case in point: casual Youtubers are going: "Johnny and Daniel at each other's throats again? They should be over this." It's just, why can't we have nice things? If you can't tell good stories without constantly bringing in new villains you're a bad storyteller, and it feels awful when you've felt hoodwinked into something as an audience. I mean, at least Wednesday told me what it was from the first episode - bait with no respect for the characters, so I didn't have to waste my time on it. Now, though, going by the trailer, I'll have to slide off of a cliff with them because of how much I love Daniel LaRusso in spite of what they've done to him. Will I get to see Ralphie in a meaty part ever again? And where is the cutoff line? I pretend that Sherlock ended after series 2. I can't pretend that with CK because where would that leave Terry? And yet S5 is giving it too much credit! It's intermittent reinforcement with ever less reinforcement! Also all the 'teens' are nearing 30. I'm simply disappointed because sometimes you can smell that it could be better than it is if the writers weren't so blinded by their own desire to make the point that bullies deserve more empathy than victims and we should all try to be 50 year old boys with a child's understanding of what deserves status. Because an unkempt drunk who thinks of no one but himself and acts like a fifteen year old boy is superior to a family man who likes girl things, like fancy food and manners and not pissing on people's cars. And oh yeah, all people from Asia are magic. They can't simply be capable, they have to be exotic.

I think we deserve to complain about that.

[slightlystrangepsyche]

Cobra Kai, season 5 thoughts

I may have been watching this season with a brain injury and a migraine, which might be why I think it’s the best season ever. Maybe, if I dug deeper I’d find more flaws, but I don’t want to. I’ll start with the couple of gripes I had, and then prepare for me gushing. 

I really don’t like the drinking and driving. I guess Johnny doesn’t even think of beer as booze anymore, but we’re not in season 1 anymore. Johnny shouldn’t have empty coors cans in his van.

The underage drinking. Again, it’s been there since season 1, and the kids did deserve a party, I just don’t understand why the party needs alcohol. Not a good message to sent to the kids watching the show.

My last gripe was when they showed the ultrasound. That was at least a ten week old fetus. They talked about the baby’s legs. I really don’t mind the baby SL, and I don’t even mind all the characters being happy about it, I’m happy for them, but to portray such a new pregnancy as having a fully formed fetus does seem like pro-life propoganda, and dangerous misinformation. 

A gripe I’m in denial about is implying Silver to be Jewish because he used Shalom services to sweettalk a Topanga sensei into handing over the dojo to him. I’m still pissed they gave Johnny’s evil step-dad a Jewish surname, so I am choosing to believe Silver faked it, in order to get what he wanted. 

Silver has always been such a comic book villain, and anybody who knows the KK lore knows him like that, but I think this season did a good job of showing the audience why other people don’t instantly see Silver as a villain. We know his philanthropy and civil demeanour to be an act, but innocent characters don’t, and are constantly blind-sided by him.

I really loved Amanda’s arc this season. It was logical, because this isn’t the Daniel she married, but she doesn’t know the full story of why he’s acting like this. The audience does. And having Jessica be her cousin, and to help her know the history, once she’s in the loop she can understand and support Daniel. 

I think this season is the best season at exploring trauma and how it affects people differently, especially the adults who never talked about it, versus the kids who have learned how to communicate, although some traumas can’t be addressed until they’ve been processed. 

Freaking Stingray has always been my least favourite character. His need to befriend the children, throwing parties with alcohol just to buy their friendship, always irked me. But they way he could only explain what happened, using D&D, it really broke my heart.

This season had the best balance of comedy, character moments and trauma. It was so funny. 

And the more people I see hating on the baby SL, the more I like it. And the idea what the series might end with a big Jarmen wedding. We’ve seen Carmen drink bad orange juice, just because Johnny gave it to her. We’ve seen Carmen be territorial when Shannon was by Johnny’s apartment. The fact that the Top Gun fantasy was Carmen’s and not Johnny’s was a funny reveal, but in character and I’m glad she’s getting what she wants. 

Robby does deserve to be bitter, but that’s not who he is. He is such a good kid, a good man. And he has a lot of love to give, love that he wasn’t able to share growing up, so I can see him doting on a younger sibling. Miguel too. He learned his father was not a good man, but he’s not his dad. He can be an amazing big brother. 

After everything, I just want the characters to be happy, and I know a baby is a cliché way to make everything better, but I don’t think it’s out of character. And I don’t think it implies that childrenless characters are evil, because Chosen certainly isn’t. I can see why people could take that as a takeaway, but not mine.

I do think the show is still trying too hard to be straight, when it is clearly a karate polycule. Having Chozen still pine for Kumiko so he’s not the fifth wheel just screams “no homo” but I don’t care. Kumiko is welcome in the karate polycule. I’m sure Amanda and Carmen would welcome her, just like Amanda invited Ali before, much to Johnny and Daniel’s horror. 

There are so many aspects of season 5 that I just love. At first I was disappointed we didn’t get more Kreese, but I really hope we spend season 6 doing that, and ending it with a cliché wedding or birth scene, where Johnny finally is too happy in the present, and excited for the future, to be haunted by the past. 

My heart sank when I thought Daniel was actually going to help Kreese get out of jail by hooking him up with his lawyer. And the thing is, season 1 Daniel might have done that, regardless of the trauma it clearly caused Johnny. So that reveal, makes my heart soar. 

And as much as I hate Kreese, I really love Martin Kove, and I thought it was really clever how they used young!Kreese for the fight scenes. 

There are so many more things I could rave about. I really enjoyed the balance between the adults drama and the kids, which I haven’t in past seasons. I love all the characters, and am so glad to see them come together. 

The children this season have been much smarter than the adults, which is hilarious, but I do hope to see more communication between the two generations. Anthony deserves to have an adult to confide in, and Johnny clearly wanted to reach out to Devon but couldn’t. 

I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface on this rant about season 5, because there was so much, but it was never too much, and I thought 90% of it was amazing. 

EDIT: I’m not even pissed that Daniel used violence to defeat Silver, or that Johnny got Miguel and Robby to brawl before they could finally talk about what happened. I know it seems contrary to previous seasons, that this season is saying “violence can sometimes be necessary, or cathartic, or funny” but I do think it’s a question of balance. (I still don’t think Daniel breaking Anthony’s tablet last season was funny though). 

[unfoldingmoments]

COBRA KAI

Here are some of my fav Cobra Kai Quotes Love this Netflix Series, there are more we can learn than just a Karate. Friendship, Relationship, Life Changing, Second Chance, Opportunity, Comeback, Love, Forgiveness, Meditation, Balance, and many more.

Can't wait for the S6 !

---

Robby: Why'd you hold back?

Miguel: I didn't get into karate to hurt people. I did it to be a badass and find balance.

Robby: Yeah, I understand that.

Miguel: Last time we fought like this, why didn't you hold back?

Robby: I just wanted to finish the fight. I mean, not life-like that, but I just... I had tunnel vision, and I got so angry that I just, I barely knew where we were. I'd take it back in a second if I could. I mean I was the cause of the worse moment of your life, and if it's any consolation, it was the worst moment of my life too.

---

Daniel: Every time I try to fight for what's right, somebody gets hurt. I can't fail these kids again.

Robby: You didn't fail me. You know when you first met me, I was a messed up kid. But you gave me a job, and a home, and a purpose. You can't just give up.

---

“Two cobras in the jungle. One kills the strongest lion, the other kills a crippled monkey. Which cobra do you want to be?” -Johnny Lawrence

“If I’m extra hard on you, it’s because you have the ability to be better than me.” -Johnny Lawrence

 “Many of us used to be enemies. But rivalries don’t need to last forever.” -Daniel LaRusso

“When negative feelings overwhelm you, look for the good within yourself.” -Daniel LaRusso

“There’s no honor in being merciless.” -Miguel Diaz

“Cobra Kai is about strength – if you’re not strong on the inside, then you can’t be strong on the outside.” -Johnny Lawrence

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a loser, a nerd, or a freak, the only thing that matters is that you become badass.” -Johnny Lawrence

“Everybody’s got a sob story. Doesn’t give you the right to be a bully.” -Samantha LaRusso

“If you have hate in your heart, then you have already lost.” -Daniel LaRusso

“I may not always win, but I never back out of a fight.” -Johnny Lawrence

“Pain does not exist in this dojo!” -Johnny Lawrence

“In the real world, you can’t expect people to do what they’re supposed to do.” -Johnny Lawrence

“Put good into the world and good will come back to you.” -Kumiko

“Well, respect’s a two-way street. You respect my style of karate?” -Johnny Lawrence

“You do the right thing cause it’s the right thing to do.” -Daniel LaRusso

“Sometimes the scars you can’t see are the ones that hurt the most.” -Samantha LaRusso

“I wasn’t taught the difference between mercy and honor and I paid for it.” -Johnny Lawrence

 “You know what they say, there’s no such thing as a bad student.” -Johnny Lawrence

“I’m a teenager who makes mistakes.” -Sam LaRusso

“Some kids need a little aggression.” -Johnny Lawrence

“Alone we are nothing, but if we work together, we have a shot.” -Samantha LaRusso

“You want something, you’ll have to crawl across the floor, use your damn teeth if you have to.” -Johnny Lawrence

“It may not seem brave, but sometimes, avoiding conflict is one of the most heroic things you can do.” -Daniel LaRusso

“If your enemy insists on war, then you take away their ability to wage it.” -Chozen Toguchi

“If we can’t get over the past, the fighting will never end. We have to confront our enemies. This rivalry has to stop. One way or another.” -Samantha LaRusso

“I’ve got one year to make it all work, and that’s what I’m gonna do – make it work, all of it…” -Johnny Lawrence

“Life isn’t always fair. Sometimes the world can be cruel. That’s why you have to learn to be cruel yourselves.” -John Kreese

“I still live with the fear. We all do on some level. I just try to not let it ever win.” -Daniel LaRusso

“Sometimes it’s good to visit the past to know where you are now, but you can’t live in the past.” -Ali Mills

“You’re a sensei. It’s who you are. If you can’t see that, you’re blind.” -Miguel Diaz

“Karate is not a phase, it’s a way of life. You can leave it for a while, but it never leaves you.” -John Kreese

“Man who work for passion always richer than man who work for money.” -Daniel LaRusso

“You may know the moves, but none of that matters unless you have balance.” -Daniel LaRusso

“Never underestimate your enemy, even if you think they’re weaker than you, you have to stay one step ahead of them, that’s the only way to guarantee the victory.” -John Kreese

“You and I, this… we aren’t done.” -Daniel LaRusso

“To beat the enemy, it helps to know the enemy’s playbook.” -Robby Keene

“We may have taken some losses. But it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish.” -Robby Keene

The human response to danger is fight or flight, but an eagle’s response is fight and flight. – Johnny

When an eagle’s hungry, it doesn’t hesitate. If you want to be an eagle, you first have to learn how to fly. – Johnny

Instead of using your speed to run away from your enemies, use it to run at them. – Robby

My path wasn’t a straight line. And yours is still being written. – Daniel

[danwhobrowses]

Why ‘The Karate Kid Part II’ Deserves More Respect

So guess what film I finished watching today? Of course, the Karate Kid franchise is considered iconic mainly for its first entry; Wax on Wax off, Skeleton fights, Sweep the Leg and the Crane Kick all cemented its legacy that allowed Cobra Kai to also be such a success. But imagine my shock when the approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes for Part II is 45% - 21% lower than the Jaden Smith ‘The Karate Kung Fu Kid’ version (and Part III is scored 15%, which is also super harsh but hard to debate outside of the magnificence of Terry Silver). Originally this was just gonna be a general post of how much I enjoyed retreading Part II, but upon seeing that score I had to give it my ‘Deserves More Respect’ posts.

It is an off-chance, but if you haven’t watched this film there will be spoilers within, I encourage you to watch it before reading, and maybe watch it again if you have so it’s fresh in the mind

Let’s start with a controversial point shall we? There are several parts where Part II is actually better than the original. Now I know! There’s a lot about the original which is iconic, but nostalgia does blind you to other shortcomings and while it’s easy to sell the first part because of its mystique, a sequel has the added pressure of rising above and developing on old and new themes set by the predecessor. The Premise In case you decided against refreshing your memory. Karate Kid Part II starts with a recap of Part I, a bit of content that was meant to be Part I’s final scene (in the script, not for filming) and then a timeskip. Ali with an i is gone - brutally dumping Daniel for some Football Player before Senior Prom and after crashing his car, Daniel’s mother is in Fresno for work and Miyagi has received a letter from his home Okinawa in news of his father’s fading health. The stage is set for Daniel and the audience to learn more about the iconic Mr. Miyagi and the life he left behind. Okay, so there is bad in this film Part II deserves respect, but it’s not perfect. It definitely gets messy near the end with Daniel’s antagonist Chozen, he mainly took beats from Johnny Lawrence in physically confronting Daniel when he could with a bunch of no-named goons and he fought pretty similarly to Johnny in catch counters and leg strikes. The opening recap did take a lot of time too, while the ending remained somewhat abrupt having just beaten up Chozen to embrace Kumiko (who had a delayed recovery after being punched once). While not bad, a fair amount of retreaded content felt like downgrades of the original; Chozen and Sato lacked the charisma of Johnny and Kreese, the crane kick was far more impressive than the drum technique and the Tournament setting was grander than the O-Bon festival. But, there are Iconic Moments in this film too Part I may have the Crane Kick and the Skeletons and the Training and Sweep the Leg. But people may forget that Part II had awesome moments too.

Like Daniel chopping through 6 Sheets of Ice! If that isn’t one hell of a power play I don’t know what is. It is a moment genuinely impressive in and outside of the 80s cheese universe of Karate Kid, and it gets referenced in Season 2 of Cobra Kai.

Also referenced in Season 2 is Miyagi vs Kreese. While this is the intended ending for Part I, it certainly acted better at the start of Part II, especially given that is foreshadows the situation Daniel finds himself in at the end of the movie. This moment is equally iconic as it completely encapsulates the character of both senseis - Kreese the confident brute brought to a sniveling mouse when size and power failed him and Miyagi the cool-headed and vastly more intelligent fighter still with the cheeky prankster lightness to him as he honks the scared shitless Kreese on the nose. Perfect.

While I did want to cite the Tea Ceremony as well I think the more iconic moment for Part II had to be Miyagi chopping the log during the storm. The storm itself is a very well-done scene which unmasks several characters in the face of adversity. True tension, worry and stakes are sold as the village are in danger of the cruel whims of nature, an act which is all too real for Sato when the house he’s in collapses on him in the calm before his scheduled deathmatch with Miyagi. Not only is this again some great foreshadowing by the rule of three (Daniel asking if Miyagi can chop a log like Sato is doing with a banner and then Miyagi and Sato meeting and seeing Sato fail to chop a log) it proves a pivotal point where Sato turns from aggrieved antagonist to repenting ally. A great show of power and friendship as Miyagi metaphorically breaks the rift between their friendship that weighs Sato down. Okay, we hear you, but how is it better? I do have to preface that I do still love Part I, I have to because in pointing out where Part II is better I have to pick at Part I’s faults. While the ending is messy Part II definitely has much better pacing, until the skeletons scene Part I doesn’t really pick up because it has to set up, Part II while it does recap doesn’t need to worry about it. Giving Miyagi the main plot was definitely Part II’s strongest suit. Part I profited from Miyagi being the ‘mysterious old teacher’ but learning a lot more about his humanity and history was engrossing and it allowed positive development for Miyagi and Daniel, especially their bond as a surrogate father and son when Daniel personally goes out of his way to support Miyagi on a very personal matter. The main characters maintain their charm as well, still a lovely array of life lessons in Part II more than just finding balance, Miyagi teaches Daniel through words and action on taking time to breathe, to refocus when imbalanced, to forgive rather than to harbour hate, mercy, selflessness and humbleness

“never put passion before principle. Even if win, you lose.” - Mr. Miyagi

The scenes involving Miyagi and his father were some of the most deep and emotive of the series up until Cobra Kai, some still haven’t been topped such as Miyagi’s dad’s first words to his son or when Daniel talked about when his father died.  And say what you will about Chozen, he does have a lot of Johnny vibes but a lot of the character we believed was Johnny due to nostalgia goggles was more fitting of Chozen’s manner. The story did a great job in making sure Chozen was always an asshole, at times Johnny did at least display honour and grace but Chozen was always sore about stuff and quick to claim dishonour even when he was in the wrong. Contrary to Johnny it’s more about his family than it is about a girl, which allowed a lot more freedom in the plot. Whether you felt Elizabeth Shue’s Ali with an i was prettier than Tamlyn Tomita’s Kumiko is up to personal preference, but the messy-haired Kumiko definitely had a slightly improved presence in Part II than Ali did, with actual focus on her own feelings outside of attraction to Daniel, her ambition to become a dancer directly linking to the O-Bon Festival - which in turn related to the Drum technique - as well as the delicately beautiful Tea Ceremony scene and actually contributing to the final fight (granted Ali wouldn’t be allowed to). Also Daniel didn’t try to eat her face which is a general improvement to the romantic subplot, extra applause has to go to Tomita here too because this was legitimately her first role - Shue had her second so that’s impressive too - and both women had good careers going forward. The increased stakes definitely worked in the favour of Part II as well, as sequel culture is forced to do, but by moving to Okinawa (actually filmed in Hawaii) we opened the door to better suit Miyagi’s world while keeping Daniel the fish out of water. I can’t speak too much for appropriation because there is still kinda some ‘white saviour’ undertones but I didn’t feel like Japan was treated negatively in this light, its culture of the O-Bon Festival and the Tea Ceremony was treated with the utmost respect and explained without pandering, the flute music had definitely stepped up its game for the soundtrack as did the imagery. Can also appreciate that Daniel does go for the Crane kick when fighting Chozen but is parried. Added hat tip has to go to costuming too. A lot of costumes would have to have distinct Kamon such as Sato’s twin fish and Miyagi’s bonsai on a lot of their clothing

Between Sato and Miyagi the colours of their clothes often code their emotions towards each other, with Sato usually in grey and Miyagi in white or cream, when Sato and Miyagi prepare for death they are in black and when Sato wants forgiveness he moves to a lighter shade. While Part I also used black and white to differ Johnny and Daniel, Part II put Chozen and Daniel in the more Japanese-themed Red and Blue. While both men wear red, blue and whites at time, Chozen’s clothes almost devolve from the white he debuts in as his darker side comes out before flat out embracing yellow after his chance to prove his honour in the storm is refused (and he’s in white then), while Daniel often moves to Red or red tones even in his blue shirt. Kumiko also moves from white to blue, sometimes even purple, in set up to the final fight to have the primary colours stand out in the colourful crowd of the O-Bon festival, but even in the blue Kumiko had red to pair her connection with Daniel. Also her Yukata at the festival is just stunning, the Great Wave off Kanagawa print is a nice touch.

Anything else we should know? It might not be much else about the film itself I can tell you, but I do appreciate something I’m starting to call ‘The Rocky Connection’ when it comes to Karate Kid. Like Part I’s ‘You’re the Best (Around)’ was shortlisted for Rocky III, Part II’s song ‘Glory of Love’ was shortlisted for Rocky IV’s theme, losing to ‘Hearts on Fire’, Bill Conti also chose to score this film instead of Rocky IV. I like to pair this with Daniel’s Rocky-esque character, he has that same kind of swagger but a lot more naive and childlike. Martin Kove also gets a nod because those bleeding hands were legit, he had an accident on-set and the footage was kept for the final cut. Tamlyn Tomita wasn’t the only film debut for Part II, B.D. Wong of...well, several famous roles including but not limited to Shang in the animated Mulan, Dr. Wu in the Jurassic Park franchise, Hugo Strange in Gotham and many more, also had his debut here in a minor speaking role when he’s handing out flyers for the dance party to Kumiko and Daniel before the Ice Chopping Scene. So, why does it deserve respect A film that adds to a beloved character in a respectful fashion without having really any god awful moments does not deserve a 4.5/10 rating. It may not have as emphatic an ending or as great a villain but it has a captivating plot and a good pace, better stakes and much more emotionally driven and responsive scenes. A lot of effort and dedication went into this film to explore new dimensions of the main characters in a fashion which was enjoyable and at times heartwarming. And characters are given human moments, even Miyagi confesses himself not to be perfect and it keeps each character grounded. Even to this day parts of Part II are remembered fondly rather than the campness that Part III had outside of Terry Silver and his magnificent ponytail, the fondness also continues to reflect in Cobra Kai with homages and fan theories of Daniel going to Okinawa again and even re-encountering Chozen. Not to mention it grossed $113m on a $13m budget and got nominated for a Best Original Song Oscar (losing to Top Gun) Part II was a good and enjoyable film which deserves far more credit than to be rated this low, for that it deserves respect.

[captain-ed-tucker]

The True Maniac Cont.

What do you mean?"

"Why are so you desperate to join Neberdine?"

"I am addicted to one of your drugs that is undergoing a closed trial, and I really, really need it badly."

She smiles sadly and emphatically and responds

"As long as it doesn't hurt anybody, I see no harm in it."

The next week, the intercom calls out

"Daniel LaRusso for the ULP Phase III intake exam at room four."

I'm ushered off to a plain, sterile room, everything here is so fucking sterile, it drives me nuts, I hate this place so much, I wonder why I even spent so much money in the first place. Soon I'm strapped up to a machine that is reading my heart rate, my oxygen rate, my blood pressure and everything that can be measured, it all feels so unnecessary, apparently, this is what they call a polygraph test and is used to test defense mechanisms. The first picture is a bottle of pills and I respond

"Happy. Super happy."

The woman reminds me

"Take your time, no need to rush."

The next picture shows a family and I can only imagine what I once had, before I lost it all and I reply

"Empty."

Another picture is of a inkblot picture, a father and a son and I reply

"A father and a son...making faces at each other."

The protocor reminds me

"Try to describe with a feeling."

I merely reply

"Alone"

And she then says "I want you to now turn your attention to me as I ask you this final question."

I can hear the clicking and whirring as the needle moves up and down steadily and suddenly a buzzer sounds and a red light is illuminated and she then says

"The test is complete, you may now return to the waiting area."

I'm mad, mad as hell and I yell

"This is fucking bullshit! You rigged it! What was the question?"

The protocor leads me out as I scream

"This is bullshit and you know it! PATRICIA LUGO!"

The woman turns around and begins

"No no no! No more favors! I have bosses around! Go!"

I'm mad all right and I add

"You promised to funnel me through!"

"I got you through the consideration for the intake! You failed the exam, now it's out of my hands! Go! My bosses are watching!"

I know it's a low blow, that I'm sweeping her leg and I have to strike first, to strike hard and to show no mercy and here goes:

"Patricia I know where your daughter is, her name is Usnavy and she goes to Hunter College and I know a man with a white van who will kidnap her."

For a second, a panicking look flashes on her face and she adds

"You are kidding!"

"Nope! I'm just goal oriented."

And she taps her fingers onto the table top before raising her hands in surrender and adding

"Just five minutes, please don't hurt my daughter."

I storm off and sit down and before I know it, I see Johnny Lawrence, oh fuck, well then. He looks tired as hell and hasn't slept for years at all, his hair is graying and turning white, his golden locks are almost gone, he has changed dramatically since I beat him at the tournament. He looks just as stunned as I am but niether of us says anything as Patricia comes over and hands me the number 7 badge and I'm in! Yes! Yes! Yes! I'm in and all I have to do is take the drugs and get cured...maybe. Soon the head Nurse Carl leads us and scans our badges and leads us to the elevator and lucky me and Johnny, we are the Odd numbered candidates, fun. Real fun.

End of part four

Oh...great, you have got to be shitting me all over again! Not only is LaRusso there, he is in the same experiment as I am and in the same fucking group. I'm number one so I stand at the front and I recive my Neberdine uniform and shoes as Carl reads aloud the rules and they are tough and I groan as my bags are checked and handed back to me. I then shove them in the drawer below the hexagon shaped pod where I am assigned to sleep, it's labeled "One" and I get in and get dressed, I look like a mental patient from the days of when I had been hospitalized in a psychiatric ward, I saw you there and you took amusement at my situation and grinned as I screamed and cursed out nurses while strapped down in a gurney all by myself, screaming for my mom as my step dad Sid insisted I was crazy, that I was mental, and that it was a fitting ending for me.

LaRusso glared daggers at me and suddenly York strode by and added

"That man is your handler. Follow him, he will help you save the world."

"York, what the fuck are you talking about? LaRusso is the same guy I bullied back in high school, not to mention the fact that he beat me in the tournament!"

York walked back and snapped

"You wanna save the world?"

I nod, my body is shaking as he adds

"Then stop this nonsense of the perpetual rival, it will help you nowhere! Understood?"

I nod and I reply

"I am tired of being the chosen one York."

"Well guess what Johnny Lawrence, you don't have a fucking choice! You are destined to save this world, whether you like it or not!"

I nod again and he is gone, and when I turn around, LaRusso's jaw drops and shakes his head before adding

"You're a fucking nutjob, you know that Johnny."

I roll my eyes, like hes the one to speak at all considering the fact that he came here, to this Neberdine bulding of all places. I sigh and soon we sit down and they make us watch a video on how our trial will proceed. According to the video, I will first take the A pill, the A pill represents Agonia, this pill will pull my core traumas to the surface and with the help of the headset, I'll be able to see the powerful dreams, but nobody can see them but me and the scientists, it is meant to be safe as well.

The second pill is the B pill, this is the behavioral pill which will pull and twist and destroy my defense mechanisms and shine a light on the blind spots and expose me for who I am to me, that sounds like a tough stage to go through.

The Confrexa stage will force me to confront myself as a whole and move on and become a better human being and find radical acceptance for what I've been through, and soon the cheery, tinny music ends and Dr. Muramoto from the video and he smiles polietly as he asks

"Any questions from the video?"

I and LaRusso and a handful of other subjects raise their hands and he nods and smiles broadly and adds

"Good."

After the question and answer session, us odds are up, the evens are being provided their pre weight meals. Oh jesus spare me the sad bullsit and don't give me your sad ass face! You never cared about me at all! You never did care about me Kreese, you fucking choked me and nearly killed me for shits sake! And of all people to hallucinate, I have to hallucinate you! Fuck you Kreese! This is why I'm at the experiment! To get rid of you at all costs! By the way, TAKE A SHIT OR SOMETHING! STOP STARING AT ME! All right, I don't have time for this, I have to get on one of the dentist office looking chairs and I know I have to wait before I'm activated, what if its during the session, soon the nurse puts on a pulse ox finger tracker and I get a pill, one of them warns LaRusso to wait for Dr. Muramoto to give the signal and a heavy upper chest apron is placed on my chest, Carl explained that it was to protect me from nominal residue and it looks like one of the aprons I wore when taking an X Ray for my broken arm when I was still in Cobra Kai as a student, suddenly the doctor says

"Subjects, you may now ingest your pills."

The others swallow their pills and drink the water that comes in another cup, but I don't do that, I quickly thumb the pill to the side as the machine activates and I close my eyes and I see random colors flashing before my very eyes, they are terrifyingly blood red and everyone is quietly asleep, trying to see their traumatic experiences. I now regret what I have done, coming here was a risk and I regret taking that risk so much, it hurts deeply within. You are still fucking smirking and smiling, wearing your pathetic gi that isn't worthy of being worn on you at all. You clearly should go the fuck away Kreese, all you have been is a burden, I thought you could be the father figure Sid never was, except you proved me wrong, you used me and you wanted me to hurt LaRusso, you wanted Bobby to fucking hurt LaRusso in a way that could've destroyed his knee! Suddenly I see LaRusso's face crumple up and a tear rolls down his cheek and he grips the arm rests and I feel a pang of sympathy, I now understand how much destruction I have caused and it is ugly as hell, I should be the one paying the price, not him, never him.

End of Part five

I was at the middle of the line, wanting to throttle Johnny for fucking joining the same study as me but there was literally nothing I could do, not unless I wanted to be shamed constantly for the rest of my life. Japanese people had a way of carrying their family honor as if their life depended on it. I literally had personal experience with that becuase of the death battles I had with Chozen. That is a story I would rather not go further into detail.

Soon I sat down in one of the chairs that resembled a dentist chair  and they placed a heavy apron on me, the head set was clicked into place and I was handed the A pill...what I had been searching for...it was here in my hands and just as I was about to swallow it, Nurse Carl warned me

"Don't take it. Wait for the signal."

I quickly hold the pill in its little cup before me as my hands shake from desire...from want...from the addiction to these A pills that were ruining me. I wanted to ruin myself, I wanted to self destruct in a spectacular way.

The doctor soon said "Subjects, you may now ingest your pills."

And I quickly swallowed the pill and drank the mini cup full of water handed to me by an orderly and the humming of the machines roared and I was back in there.

LaRusso impatiently stood nearby, tapping his foot as his mother and father were filling up the gas tank and talking, none of their conversations intrested the young boy much, he leaned his chin on the dashboard of the car and yawned slightly, he looked over and saw his father pay for the gas and his mother sat in the back row of the car as she protested

"You do realize Daniel is still very short and small right Albert?"

Albert rolled his eyes and snapped

"Oh shut up woman! Let me raise my son! He wants to sit in the front? Let him! He wants to enjoy some fresh air for fucks sake!"

Lucille shot back

"Oh and like you know how to raise a teenage boy! Why, I'm glad I filed for divorce from your stinky ass you piece of shit!"

And they are at it again, arguing and yelling as my dad is driving, now that right there is a bad combination, as the yelling continues at a fever pitch, LaRusso yells at both of em

"Niether of you are even realizing you both suck at being parents!"

And at that moment, the car swerved into the left lane of a two lane road and the sixteen wheeler smashes into the tiny car and sends it flying over the cliff, throwing out Daniel and Lucille, while Albert is unconscious and he remains in the car, being crushed to death and the car soon ignites and burns him to death as well. The smoke plume is dense and black as nothing is left of the shattered remains of the family car. Niether Daniel, nor Lucille know it, but Albert is dead.

In the control booth where the scientists are working and grabbing data and studying it,

Dr. Fujita notices something unusual about number six's data output.

Dr. Mantleray asks her

"How are the subjects."

"Doing well. However, I see data anomalies from One and Six. Number One may not have ingested the pill at all, he isn't putting out any data. As for Six, it seems as though he has been here before, like he knows the grooves to the narrative. Strange..."

Soon Dr. Fujita adds

"Ten seconds till re entry."

And as the red light fades to a harsh white glow above them, she adds

"Welcome back subjects, welcome back."

Johnny and the rest of the odds were eating when Nurse Carl added

"One, five and six, Dr. Muramoto wants to see you."

Number five groaned and muttered

"Oh shit."

Johnny asked him

"What's wrong."

"What's wrong? Whats wrong is that we have been flagged, means that they saw something in our numbers they don't like! They call you up and talk to you before they kick you out, it doesn't matter what you say."

"And you know this becuase?"

"I have been doing this for decades, you can do it too if you can work the system like I do, I do at least thirty or forty a year. Pretty good money too."

Johnny also adds

"You're the man who pointed out the bombs on my form..."

"Yep that's me."

Johnny leaned back as Daniel sat down in a room filled with TV screens filling the side of one room and cameras ready to film his damn face, he was anxious and fearful. He sat down in the chair and Dr. Fujimori asked him "How do you feel?"

"Tired, like I just want to cry a lot."

Fujimori handed him a tissue box but LaRusso didn't touch it as Fujimori continued

"Describe your reality."

"My reality is that I'm depressed and that I don't matter."

Soon it was time for Johnny Lawrence to talk and he sat down before the scientist and the man asked him

"How do you feel?"

"Empty."

"Describe your reality."

"My reality is that I don't matter. That whatever I do, I always get pushback. And in the end, I get criticized."

"Why don't I ask you the most important question? What do you think is wrong with you?"

"You know the movie It's a Wonderful Life?"

"Yes."

"If that happened to me, there would be no difference in the world."

The scientist took the notes and then smiled and before adding

"Mr. One, our data output concludes you were not under fully. Care you explain?"

Johnny was terrified, so this was what it was like to be on trial for your life, to be unable to form words, much less sentences to try and defend oneself from certain death.

End of part six

I trembled in my chair as the scientist continued

"What was the core trauma you experienced when you took the A pill?"

"You mean...like the worst day of my life?"

"Your core trauma please."

I sighed as I remembered that incident, of course. The memories of it all flooded me, the reason why we had to hold another engagement party becuase of what I had done at the first engagement party. That day I was more depressed and I wished someone would listen to me for once. But that day, my younger brother was the star of the show, it was his day since he finally wooed Adelade, the woman I had been pining over secretly. That day, he was beaming and his blushing fiancee was giggling, everyone was smoking Cuban cigars and gimlets were being handed out, everyone was happy, everyone was celebrating his engagement except for me. All I wanted was happiness and at this moment, I felt like there were no reasons in the world to live anymore.

My brother took the mic and began to sing Sting, whaveter that meant. He was clearly in love with her as he sang.

He was a pretty damn good singer too, everyone loved him, he was the golden boy. Me? I was just some unwanted stepchild, a waste of space, waste of breath, waste of carbon, waste of time, waste of energy. I was all that and more, I should never have been born in the first place.

Maybe if I had never been born, my mom would have had a better life, you would have your perfect karate champion that would have beaten Daniel. I wish I had never been born and that was a desire that was never stronger than at this time right now.

I was a pathetic human being that was irredeemable of anything I had done, I was not worth the effort you put into me, nor the energy, nor the time, not even the passion, you were right Sensei, I am a loser and I always will be a loser, I stood over the ledge, they say suicide is for cowards, they don't know better.

They are cowards themselves becuase they have never tried to meet death like I did. I jumped off the ledge, falling, falling, and plop...I opened my eyes and I realized...I was alive, I landed on the plastic roof overlooking the party as my step mom screamed.