#the very bisexual part of me that wants women really does tussle with the side that wants men when Yeosang is mentioned

[hwamphwamp]

random bf!ateez texts // mingi

a/n: Hi! Posting this on mobile until I can get back to my laptop so I’m praying the layout doesn’t look all funky. Also trying to actually get the rest of the members out in the span of a few days as long as procrastination doesn’t kick my ass.

warnings: slightly suggestive, swearing, mentioning of literally taking a heart out and handing it to you but that was just me being a wee bit dramatic

seonghwa | hongjoong | yunho | yeosang | san | wooyoung | jongho

ateez masterlist | general masterlist

[variousqueerthings]

Daniel LaRusso: A Queer Feminine Fairytale Analysis Part Two of Three

Part 1

Part 3

6. Sexual Awakenings part 1: Love, Obsession, & Size Differences

[Insert that post talking about the creators making sure that Daniel’s antagonists were much bigger than him so that the audience would sympathise, spawning 10000 size kink fics]

I’m sure this won’t awaken anything in Daniel

Corporate wants you to find the difference between these two pictures

The hallmark of feminine fairytales tends to be growing into womanhood, with all those symbolic sexual under/overtones, searching for a prince, encountering monsters (or evil stepmothers), on the surface tending to be quite passive/reactive, but actually being about young girls and women getting out of their environment and choosing to tussle with those deep, dark desires – monsters. They’ve got to function within the limitations of power that they have – escaping an abusive situation through marriage, chasing forbidden desires under the guise of duress, asking questions about sexuality through things like symbolic plucking (flowers) or consumption (fruit) or pricking (needles), etc.

Daniel isn’t striking out to find his fortune or win a girl or a kingdom Like A Man, he’s not a threat to Silver, who – like Jareth in Labyrinth – is in control for almost the whole of the narrative, he’s not actually able to do much more than react until he makes the decision to stop training, and even then he’s immediately ganged up on and assaulted, needing to be saved by Miyagi while he stands and watches, bloodied and bruised. 

Daniel’s journey in the third movie is to be forced into an impossible situation, seduced by Silver, and then prove that whatever violence Silver did to him isn’t enough to destroy him. It is incredibly similar to Sarah’s in Labyrinth, who by the end declares: “you have no power over me,” and that’s her winning moment. Not strength, not wits, not a direct fight, (although Daniel does fight Barnes and gets beat up again – only winning in in the end by taking him by surprise, unlike in TKK1 or TKK2 where you could argue that he proves himself to be a capable physical opponent to Johnny and Chozen), but by declaring that whatever power was held over her is now void.

Daniel’s narrative isn’t satisfying in the same way, because the dynamic of Silver and Daniel only accidentally emulates this - it’s not an intention on the side of the film-makers.

When Miyagi tells Daniel that he has strong roots, when he tells him not to lose to fear and Daniel wins over Barnes (in an almost fairytale-esque set of events), on paper he’s defeated whatever hold Terry Silver has over him. In the film itself though, Daniel never defeats Silver (which will likely be confirmed once he returns in Season Four). Daniel cannot simply say “you have no power over me,” and see Silver shattered into glass shards. 

The film is a contradiction: It wants to be a masculine sports film, but it exists in the same realm as Goblin Kings seducing young girls with the promise of: “Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave.” Unlike Sarah, Daniel doesn’t claim the power that’s been promised to him on his own terms. His subtextually sexual awakening is so corrupted that all he can do is pretend it never happened.

Still, Daniel proves in the film that his strength is not in his fists. It’s in his praying to the bonsai tree that’s healed despite a violent boy brutally tearing it in two.

These looks on Daniel and Silver though?

So why does Silver become obsessed with him? What’s up with all those red outfits (that he doesn’t wear in Cobra Kai)? What does the temptation reveal about Daniel? How does it recontextualise TKK1 and TKK2? Is Daniel bisexual? (yes).

Ah, beach-Daniel, in your red hoodie and your cut-off jorts. Iconic hot-girl summer vibes. 

If you didn’t want me over-analysing this, you shouldn’t have put him in so many red outfits and then have this man leering at him like he wants to eat him alive.

Surface-level it’s not hard to read into a Dude Story: Masculine power fantasies are about strength in a very direct way. Fighting, control, suaveness – and if you’re not the most traditionally masculine of guys, asserting dominance through being a good lover or intelligent or overcoming that unmanliness in some way through beating the bully or convincing the hot girl to go out with you, levelling up in coolness. Being A Man. It’s not too dissimilar from Daniel’s arc in the first movie, if you watch it without taking later events into account, although Daniel is never interested in proving himself as a man, and more in making Miyagi proud. Still, he does win and gain respect, and arguably “get the girl,” although Ali’s interest in him was never dependent on the fight.

7. Sexual Awakenings Part 2: Sexual Assault, Liberation, and Queerness

Feminine power fantasies are often about sex. Metaphorically. More accurately it’s “owning sexuality.” Even more accurately: “Freedom.” They also inhabit a fluid space in which empowerment through monstrous desires and non-consent can happen at the same time. And on top of that, many of these “fantasies” are actually being written by men, so whose fantasy is it really? A lot of them are based in oral traditions so presumably they were originally from the mouths of women, even if modern iterations (starting with Grimm’s collections) are filtered through cis men’s perspectives.

All of that being acknowledged: In Angela Carter’s “The Company Of Wolves,” Red Riding Hood unambiguously sleeps with the wolf. Belle discovers her freedom from expectations and unsuitable suitors (and in some versions, evil stepsisters) by falling in love with a Beast (the original novel was written by a woman, the 18th century Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve). Jareth informs Sarah of his obsessive devotion to her in Labyrinth. To lean into horror for a moment – Buffy is stalked and eventually has relationships with both Angel and Spike, Lucy in Coppola’s Dracula (which I have mixed feelings about) is raped by the werewolf and Mina is stalked by Dracula, The Creature Of The Black Lagoon kidnaps Kay (the lead’s girlfriend) – subverted in both The Shape Of Water in which Eliza forms a consensual relationship with the amphibious sea-god and in the short-lived horror series Swamp Thing, in which the connection is purposefully framed as seductive…

and in The Karate Kid Part Three Daniel LaRusso punches a board until his hands bleed because an attractive, older man tells him to and in this moment he gives in to what he (thinks he) wants.

Not all of those examples are equal. Some are consensual, some are hinted as abusive and/or stalkery, all of them have large age gaps, and a few are outright non-consensual.

But they’re all fantasies.

They’re all power-fantasies.

Except for Daniel, because he’s a man and the idea that being obsessed (lusted) over by an older man who keeps you in his thrall, specifically because you tickle his fancy for whatever reason, because you’re beautiful, breakable, different – could in any way be considered empowering is a difficult concept to wrap your head around. It doesn’t contain that “but I’m a good girl, I’d never go off the path and pluck flowers if a bad wolf told me to, honest,” societal context or the social context of rape culture. It’s closest comparison is closeted (perhaps even unknown until that point) queer identity.

There have recently been some comparisons of Daniel LaRusso to Bruce Bechdel in Funhome (and everyone who says that Ralph Macchio ought to play him in the upcoming movie: you’re right and I’m just not going to enjoy it as much without him). I’ve written a post about Sam being the heir to his legacy and trauma, specifically as a queercoded man. It’s not dissimilar to the plot of Funhome in a lot of ways.

The other interesting source that’s been going around in connection with Daniel is the essay “The Rape of James Bond,” which discusses the use of sexual assault as a plot device for women and not for men: “About one in every 33 men [in the US] is raped. … [your statistically average, real life man] … doesn’t have a horde of enemies explicitly dedicated to destroying him. He doesn’t routinely get abducted, and tied up. Facing a megalomaniac psychopath gloating over causing him pain […] is not the average man’s average day at the office.” That last bit is just a descriptor of Terry Silver, (although I take issue at the blasé use of psychopath).

The two part youtube essay  Sexual Assault of Men Played for Laughs posits that there is nothing more de-masculinising than the threat of sexual assault and therefore any narrative that features this “rightfully” must mock any man who has been a victim or who fears being a victim of sexual assault. It is feminising. There is nothing more humiliating – and therefore unheroic – than a man dealing with sexual assault.

So what do we feel when we see an attractive young man being put into a vulnerable position by an older man? A trope associated with female characters, a trope that is considered unpalatable for men (see reactions that happened when the hint of sexual assault was introduced in Skyfall).

Was it the fact that he was being threatened, or the fact that James’ next line is: “what makes you think this is my first time?”

Some thoughts added by @mimsyaf​ are around the idea of safety in how a lot of cis women might relate to this narrative through Daniel’s eyes. He’s not a woman, he has – societally – more power than a girl or woman would have, which makes this a different watch to, say, if Danielle were to go through the same narrative. Daniel doesn’t carry that baggage of rape culture, or of the male gaze that you might find in a similar scenario of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Christine in Phantom of the Opera (and once more the age differences between these characters and the men who love/lust over them are substantial), which makes the narrative “safer” to engage with.

I agree with that, although as a transmasc person I also come at it differently. I specifically like to headcanon Daniel as a trans guy and find his fraught interactions with masculinity through his own non-toxic lens relatable, as well as the way other boys and men react to it – also I think Terry Silver is hot. I know there are people who write Terry Silver with female OCs, which is also a form of empowerment.

On the flipside putting Daniel in this space runs a risk of fetishising him as a queer youth who is either Innocent and Pure, or a bisexual stereotype that deserves to be assaulted for not being a real man. After all, Real Straight Men don’t run the risk of sexual assault.

 Alas, the road to empowerment never did run smooth. 

The comparisons between the way Daniel is treated by the text and how female characters are often treated in texts are undoubtedly there. Through Ralph Macchio and TIG’s casting and the direction and acting, but also within the text itself. 

It might not be with the same purpose as Neo’s symbolically trans journey, but it puts the whole narrative that Daniel’s going through from TKK1 under a different light than if there had only been one movie that ended on a triumphant sports win and a girlfriend.

Johnny’s masculinity and the use of tears as liberation, now that’s a whole other analysis….

[dingusandsmartypants]

Do you have any thoughts/headcanons on if Steve came out to the party and co? I was trying to look but my mobile internet is awful today. I imagine Joyce would be the first (if not only) adult of the group he'd tell, probably because of Will but other than that idk

I headcanon Steve as bi (probably in part because I myself am bi 😜), so that’s what these will be specific to, but if you had another sexuality in mind just pop me another ask and I’ll give you headcanons specific to that sexuality! 😊___________________________________________

Until this point, only Nancy knew that he was bi. He’d come out to her a few months after they started dating, and she was very supportive and understanding; not giving into the popular belief that bisexual people are gonna cheat on you because “they want it all”.

Since he and Nancy broke up, he’s been feeling weird about not having anyone around who knows this very important, but very private thing about him. He can’t tell his parents – they wouldn’t understand. At best they’d say “it’s just a phase” at worst, they might throw him out. So he goes to the only adult who he know will understand: Joyce Byers.

One day when he’s over at the Byers’ place helping out, and the kids and they’re occupied with D&D, Steve goes into the kitchen where Joyce is cooking dinner. “…Can I help?” he asks, and she gives him a big smile. “I’d love some help.”

They work in silence for a while before Steve works up the courage to say, “Mrs. Byers… can I talk to you about something?”

“Of course, sweetie. Anything. What is it?”

He begins to tell her that he likes women AND men, and that Joyce is the only adult he’s told about this – and the only other person who knows is Nancy. His voice quivers a couple times because he’s so nervous, and when he’s finished he lets out a relieved breath, glad he finally told someone.

Joyce doesn’t say anything until Steve is done talking, and then turns to him with a smile and gives him a tight hug. Over the past few months this boy has become like a third son to her, and she’s glad he felt safe enough with her to tell her something so personal and important. Will hasn’t officially come out to her yet, but she hopes that when he does it’ll be like this.

Steve hugs her back, slightly surprised at how well she’d received this information. He knew she wouldn’t be mad, but he didn’t realize she’d be THIS supportive.

She makes him promise that whoever he ends up dating, male or female, he has to bring them to dinner so she can meet them. He agrees, the biggest smile he’s ever had plastered on his face, and hugs her again with a slightly tearful “Thank you.”______________________

After telling Joyce, he feels much more confident in telling the kids.

He doesn’t sit them all down at once to tell them, it just kind of happens naturally.

Max is the first one he tells one day when he’s driving her to school. He mentions it casually and she shrugs a little. “Hey,” she says, “Whoever you find, they’re gonna be really lucky.” This earns a slightly embarrassed smile from the teen, and no more is said about it.

Dustin is the second to find out one day when Steve is helping him with something at Dustin’s place, he mentions it. Dustin gives him a slightly confused look, “…But you were dating Nancy…?”

“Well yeah, I like both. Guys AND girls.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“…So you have, like, twice the people to potentially date?”

“I mean, yeah. If you wanna put it that way.”

“…Lucky.”

This earns a laugh from Steve, who tussles the kid’s hair.

Lucas, Will, Mike, and El find out when Steve is babysitting the whole party. Their playing a board game when Steve brings it up.

Mike looks a little surprised and then slightly shy because he hasn’t come out to anyone about his own bisexuality yet. …Maybe he’ll tell Steve, now that he knows he’d understand.

El is a little confused, so Steve explains it to her. Once she understands she gives him a nod and a smile.

Will gives him the biggest smile, just like Joyce had, and says “That’s really cool.” Getting a smile and a “Thanks, kid,” in response.

Lucas is slightly skeptical at first, wondering if a person really can be attracted to more than one gender, but after hearing Steve explain it to El, he understands and is super supportive. ____________________

As for Hopper, he finds out when El tells him by accident. She didn’t realize she wasn’t supposed to tell anybody and apologizes to Steve as soon as she realizes she was supposed to keep it a secret. Steve, of course, tells her it’s okay and that he knows she didn’t mean to divulge his secret, and that he should’ve made it more clear to her that it was a secret.

Hopper is skeptical at first, thinking the kid must just be confused and would eventually pick a side. But after El explains it to him the way Steve had to her, and after Joyce talks to him about it, he understands. He doesn’t talk to Steve about it, but he’s also not surprised when Steve brings his new boyfriend home from college over thanksgiving break to come to the Byers’ for thanksgiving dinner.