Kenny Was My Self Insert, And I Smiled When Mike Complimented Kenny After He Caught The Chicken. Missed

Kitana and Jade: Thoughts and Opinions

These are my thoughts and opinions on Mortal Kombat that a bunch of people probably won't care about, but I thought I should post them here. Now I will be using past games as reference, even though every character's interpretation/counterpart is different, they still play part to the canon storyline.

[Warning: I'm gonna bash the hell out of these characters]

These two are annoying. Up from mk9 to mk11, I think deep down I never really liked these two but found them cool based on design. But they always got on my nerves somehow. The first would be their hypocrisy.

They both like to point out the flaws of other characters while completely ignoring their own, such as pride and ego. It's also the way they talk to other characters. Now I know there's a difference between story mode and intros, but they show a lot about the characters. They both have a habit of looking down on Earthrealmers, and if they evolved from that then it's undermining them. Well, they do that with everyone, but still. Sonya beat both of them by herself in mk9 story mode, and still they have an attitude where they underestimate people like her.

I'm very certain Jade is racist towards people who are not Edenian, and insensitive towards the practices and history of others.

In mk9 she calls Baraka a dog after defeating him, and in one of her intros with Jacqui it's revealed she said something terrible. Then again, Jade says a lot of terrible things.

----

"I apologise for offending, Jacqueline." - Jade

"And you should study Earthrealms history." - Jacqui

"And you should be more forgiving." - Jade

Me: *Offended in black* This looks like Jade's way of saying 'be the bigger person', which is basically a way of saying 'excuse my actions and put up with me'. I don't trust people that do this because they know they are in the wrong but don't want to acknowledge it, and would rather go about their life guilt free so they would make the situation not look like a big deal.

Also, did anyone else notice that Jade and Jacqui are both darker skinned characters whose name begins with a 'J' and wear green in this game? Not important, but thought it was interesting.

----

"In the future you're dead, I'm a revenant." - Jade

"I prefer my fate to yours." - Baraka

"I must agree, Baraka." - Jade

Huh? You like being enslaved, Jade?

----

"You never could accept me." - Skarlet

"Your lust for power sickens me." - Jade

"Or perhaps it's because I'm not Edenian." - Skarlet

To be fair this is just Skarlet's assumption, but I figure she wouldn't say this unless she experienced Jade's discriminating attitude. I'm going to assume Skarlet grew up with them just as Jade grew up with Kitana.

----

"The unholy abomination." - Jade

"Greets the boot licking sychophant." - Mileena

"For Kitana Kahn, you will die." - Jade

Touched a nerve, Jade?

----

"Double date with Liu Kang and Kitana?" - Kung Lao

"In your dreams, Kung Lao." - Jade

"A simple no would've sufficed." - Kung Lao

I'm with Kung Lao on this one, she was unnecessarily mean to him here.

----

"How does Liu Kang suffer your foolishness?" - Jade

"Deep down, I amuse him." - Kung Lao

"Outworlders don't share this humour." - Jade

I thought you were Edenian, Jade. Also, I just don't like the way she's speaking to him. She's such a bully.

----

"You were Shao Kahn's favourite assassin." - Kung Lao

"I was his deadliest." - Jade

"How many Shaolin did you kill?" - Kung Lao

Kung Lao asking the important questions here. Jade seems to respond with pride, just sickening. Don't get me wrong, Kung Lao has his own share of problematic, but I feel for him.

----

With Kitana... I think it's more of an internalised racism to some degree. I know the basics of Kitana's upbringing, Shao Kahn raised her as his own but also turned her into an assassin (technically abuse), she believed she is the princess of Outworld. And then all of a sudden she finds out what happened to her mother and that Shao Kahn is not her actual dad and stuff- yeah, you get the idea. What I'm trying to point out is that Kitana must've not known about her Edenian heritage, or at least was not told much about it, assuming she grew up knowing about Sindel being her mother.

She grew up an Outworlder, and it's even shown in her ending. Shao Kahn was her father figure for the long majority of her life and she must've shared a lot (not all) of his views, like Earthrealmers being beneath them and how they view other species. For example, their racism towards Tarkatans. Just because she made a partnership with Baraka doesn't mean it changes the way she views their race.

It's like the American presidents altering the laws for black people all the while thinking of them as certain stereotypes or using them for their own benefit instead of just normal people. The racism towards Tarkatans is quite common, Sheeva says to Baraka's face "Tarkatans are all mouth and no ears." not "You are all mouth and no ears." She targeted Tarkatans specifically. [I might rant about this in another post, but I'm just using it as an example here.]

Kitana believes that just because she is merciful that she has not inherited his cruelty, but I very much think she did (his cruelty, I mean). In comparison Kitana just happens to be very graceful about it, or just has more of a mean girl approach rather than an evil overlord.

----

"I never liked guns." - Kitana

"Oh, they make you nervous, Princess?" - Erron Black

"They are highly uncivilised." - Kitana

Kitana tell that to Sonya, Cassie, Jax and Jacqui. You didn't say anything to them, but you're gonna say it to someone you're unfamiliar with. 

----

"You soil every room you enter." - Kitana

"Bloke's gotta mark his territory." - Kano

"Even Barakas more civilised." - Kitana

Why drag Baraka into this?

----

"Power corrupts us all." - Spawn

"I won't let it corrupt me." - Kitana

"I've seen this cycle too many times." - Spawn

It's doomed to happen, and seeing as to who her father figure is...

----

"This empire is beyond redemption." - Spawn

"Reform takes time." - Kitana

Meanwhile, children suffer." - Spawn

----

"Bring the Matoka to Outworld." - Kitana

"We are not refugees, Princess." - Nightwolf

"Pride blinds you to opportunities." - Kitana

Outworld is way more terrible than America, it looks like. Why did she think the Matoka would fair better in Outworld? Its also the way that she says it and the expression on her face, she's so condescending.

----

"Do you still bear a grudge?" - Kitana

"I beat you, so you tell me." - Sonya

"Beat me? I let you win." - Kitana

That smug smile on her face... Yeah, keep telling yourself that Kitana. 

----

"You are not the original." - Kitana

"First came my brother, Bi Han." - Sub Zero

"Did you inherit his evil legacy?" - Kitana

Projecting much?

----

"You've been harsh with Kung Lao." - Liu Kang

"There's no point in coddling him." - Kitana

"It was not your place." - Liu Kang

You know it's bad if Liu Kang is stepping in to tell her off.

----

"Liu Kang is committed to me." - Kitana the first

"I actually prefer his friend." - Kitana the second

"Kung Lao is not in our league." - Kitana the first

That same smugness. She's just like Sindel, wanting the 'strongest' man. Notice how she uses the word 'league'.

----

"Shao Kahn wants you dead." - Skarlet

"And you won't be the one to do it." - Kitana

"Always belittling me, Kitana." - Skarlet

I bet Kitana and Jade bullied her, I would not be surprised if they did.

----

So yeah, I don't like these two. Understand they were making her character either more realistic or a version of her that made sense with her whole upbringing and stuff,but I don't like these two and just wanted to vent out their bad qualities.

Self inserting myself into Cyrax rn

I want him to talk down on me too.

I want him to look at me menacingly too.

I wanna be on thin ice too. I want him to get close to my face too.

He was defo jealous about Kuai here.

Havik Rant + Wasted Plotential and Theory

Warning: This is a long post, so read if you have the time.

I love Havik in the 3d era, and I guess it's because there's so little of him that sets him up for mystery, but I mainly love his face. The way half his face is ridden of flesh and his eyes glow as if he's some kind of Skeletor adjacent creature. I always look at him and go "How did it get to this point?", but in a way where I'm laughing about it, 'cause what did bro do to his face?

I hope Titan Havik will be a great break from the cartoonish evil that is Shao Kahn, Shang Tsung, Quan Chi and the others. (Don't get me wrong with Shang Tsung, I love him, but his belief system is equivalent to a power ranger villain. He's basically Valtor if he was successful. I'm not talking about MK1 Shang btw.)

I also can't picture Havik working with or for villains like Shao Kahn, Shang Tsung, and Shinnok. Havik wants to spread chaos, yes, but I don't think he views this as enslavement and feeding off misery. Another thing I'd like to note is his voice and delivery, courtesy of George C. Cole. Havik is calm, patient and almost kind. Shao Kahn actively sounds dominant, Shang Tsung is calm but cruel and impatient, with Quan Chi being condescending.

In the small glimpses that I've seen Havik through the later games (before MK1) he seems like a pretty chill guy. Now get this, Chaos is his way of life because that's the world he comes from. Chaos is basically the equivalent of freedom, so Havik wants to share that freedom. In Deceptions Konquest mode he describes water in a way you only expect from a scholar with a love and sense for nature, and I interpreted this as him believing everything should go naturally. In a Christian perspective, humans are naturally evil, and it's in our nature to be attracted to wicked things. Havik wants us to embrace who we are, and our deep desires.

In Noob Saibot's MK9 ending he meets Havik and shares an 'understanding' with him. Havik helps him with taking over the Netherealm before saying goodbye and returning to the Chaosrealm, no back stabbing or anything. Next there's Joker's ending in MK11, and we all know how Joker is. But there's also Mileena (before NRS let fans bully them into making her dlc), whose bloodlust is fuelled by her Tarkatan blood, a trait she cannot help because it's instinctual. Finally, in MK: Deception's Konquest mode he agrees to train Shujinko if Shujinko helps him in return, and he does but in his own way. Experience instead of practice. Havik doesn't come off as evil but chaotic neutral.

Wasted Plotential

I try not to complain about anything these days because I know NRS are gonna disappoint us anyways, but if I was to really complain about things then I'll start with the storymode, and with the previous games.

MKX could've just been about Sub Zero and Scorpion finding out about Quan Chi and stopping Shinnok. How? Idk, Johnny uses the amulet to trap Shinnok, the Special Forces find Sektor's files and reveal them to Scorpion, who gets his revenge and yada yada. Helps them free Sub Zero and Jax, blah blah.

Scorpion defeating Shinnok is more believable since he's stronger and cooler (sorry Johnny), and has more familiarity with the Neatherealm. (What was the point of building up Johnny just to nerf him in MK11?)

Johnny and Sonya get divorced earlier on because of their differing views on the world (and parenting), so Cassie becomes a UFC fighter or a pro wrestler (as a reference to Johnny's quote in his MK9 chapter about possibly winning a belt in the tournament). I remember coming up with an idea where Jacqui leaves the Special Forces and gets trained by the Shirai-Ryu, but saw an AU fanart design where she was trained by the Lin Kuei, which sounds so much better since it separates her from Takeda. Jacqui shares strong ideals with her father but his overbearing reluctance caused her to be more rebellious and find another way to defend Earthrealm without him possibly intercepting. Instead of being a Jax variant she shares more similarity to Human Cyrax (technology + ninjutsu assassination), and that can introduce a little beef with Frost and have them both deliver lines that feel more personal since they have the same teacher, but have different morals that make them butt heads. Johnny ends up leading the Kombat kids with the Wu Shi instead of the Special Forces, edging Sonya to check on Cassie more often by trying to be involved with their missions. (During MK9 Johnny was glued to Raiden's side and his focus was more on the tournament than on Sonya. After Cyrax defeats him it's Raiden that checks on him.) Instead of Cassie saving the day, have Scorpion save the day because Shinnok is Quan Chi's master, and Scorpion needs to fix his mess. Also because Scorpion would have better control with his powers and has more experience.

The next game can introduce Havik, with the chaos happening in small ways at first, like trees slowly decaying and technology acting against them. Havik is a lesser evil than Shao Kahn, Quan Chi and Shinnok, but he's nothing Scorpion or Sub Zero have handled before since he's less predictable and isn't paranoid about someone threatening his power. Bro just wants to spread some joy and laughter (sarcasm). I'm pretty sure Havik wouldn't even have an army, and I doubt his minions will be anything like the aggressive jobbers that are seen in Outworld. With Shao Kahn it's power and being served, but with Havik it would be everyone serves each other, meaning they will inflict pain on each other and themselves = This game can be about the heroes and villains turning on themselves, by being more honest and less co-operative.

The Special Forces start being wary of the Wu Shi, Sonya interrogates Dark Raiden on information he could be withholding about the realms, Raiden counters back with how she is trying to enlist the Kombat kids behind his back when they are already content with their current positions.

Frost has stolen Sektor's body parts from the Special Forces, and plans to cyberise herself with them. Jacqui and Cassie are sent to stop Frost's cyber initiation plans. Cassie defeats Frost, but Jacqui has the need to rehabilitate her, which sets her at odds with Cassie who doesn't believe Frost is worthy of it, and that they must follow Raiden's orders.

Noob Saibot is working under revenant Liu Kang, but just like his MK9 ending, he starts plotting against him and the other revenants. Noob confronts Hanzo about his loyalty to Quan Chi, and how Hanzo worked with him even after Noob was killed. Noob's revenge is forcing Hanzo to shift between himself and Scorpion, ensuring that the Lin Kuei and Shirai-Ryu will never have peace with Hanzo continuously reliving the past and trying to kill Sub Zero.

Kung Lao reports that the head of Shinnok is missing, and Liu Kang accuses Kung Lao of having something to do with it, and so the revenants turn on themselves. A civil war begins in Neatherealm.

Hotaru meets up with the heroes and tells them that Havik is behind their plight, and offers Seidos help if Earthrealm helps them with the resistance in Seido. Kung Jin and Takeda are sent to aid and they witness the injustice and lunacy of Seidos rules. Kung Jin being Kung Jin speaks against this, and Hotaru has a problem with it, Takeda tries his best to keep the peace. Kung Jin defeats Darrius, Dairou and whatever. Although Hotaru keeps his word about the help thing, he is overbearing when it comes to the rules and their strategy, even getting in the way of the Special Forces.

Skarlet teams up with Tanya to find Mileena's soul (Because why not?They're sisters). Ermac doesn't have it, so they must find it through the Neatherealm. They meet Noob, who admits that he consumed it, but points out the location of the Flesh Pits for a calling of clues. Skarlet combines her power with Noob's to give life to the clones encased in glass (blood + shadow). The clones unleash chaos throughout Outworld, but Skarlet is not finished in her revenge.

Johnny reveals to Dairou that Darrius is behind his family's murder, and sets him free to let him get revenge. Sonya argues that he's made a terrible mistake, but Johnny says that she let Kano live and how that keeps screwing everyone over.

Johnny decides to get a drink at a bar, and Havik will show up, calm and collected. Johnny compliments his costume, and Havik expresses that his fake-ness is an interesting weapon.

I don't know what else.

Theory

I think Havik's hero equivalent would be Johnny Cage, which is where he would come in as the hero instead of defeating a former elder god. Havik isn't Godlike, I'd say his power level is identical to Edenian/Outworld, and if Sonya can handle defeating Kitana and Jade at the same time, then Johnny can handle his own against Havik. Just like Havik, Johnny has a separation from the other heroes concerning his traits and/or beliefs, even sometimes clashing with Cassie, who is always noted to be much like him in personality. Johnny has an easy going attitude that pisses off just about everyone around him, to the point . I think he would be the first to pick up on the odd energy surrounding everyone.

First off he likes to give everyone a nickname, much to their displeasure. Very adamant on giving them those names, but Havik would arguably (probably) be more accepting. I'm quite certain that Havik's name is a title given to him or a name he's made up himself. There are some fans who speculate that he doesn't even have a name given at birth and made up 'Havik' to be his name, suggesting that the name is somewhat earned through experience.

Chaosrealm doesn't have a real name, like Edenia and Seido, it's simply called Chaosrealm. They don't have a name for themselves, simply a representation of what they embody.

"Grandmaster Blueberry Ice, eh?"

"Only Johnny Cage may use that name and live."

Johnny's humour is fuelled by his insensitivity, even while fighting on the side of good he is self-serving, superficial and has a self confidence that almost everyone is eager to stomp on (he's basically a normal person). Even when he clearly doesn't mean to be insensitive (speaking the truth or what's on his mind), people still get offended by what he's said and express some form of aggression. Hell, Bi Han kicked the hell out of him just for touching his arm in MK1.

Now I'm going to get really technical here: In MK11 Skarlet was present and you could tell she was a stand-in for Mileena, which is shown in her sibling rivalry with Kitana. Now let's say Joker was a stand-in for Havik, and in his ending he voices his displeasure about the roster "But these nincompoops? They didn't really get me. Not even that pretty boy, Ninja Mine. Goodnight, sweet Prince!" meaning Joker saw some potential in Johnny Cage. Saw something that suggested that they are similar.

Johnny Cage's humour aside, there has to be something else.

Now let's get into Johnny's MK9 ending: Johnny starts to have spasms where a burst of energy would escape him and destroy everything around him, so he is sent to Seido to learn how to better control it.

Next, to Havik and Johnny's Armageddon endings: Johnny becomes enlightened, freed from vanity and leaves the acting business. What seemed like the joys of life before became meaningless to him, and wanted no part in the shallow lifestyle. Then there's Havik, whose dream for chaos becomes absolute.

(As a bonus let's compare Johnny's ending to Hotaru's, where everyone was forced to bow to Hotaru or be changed into someone they're not. Havik gets the worst end of it by being turned into Hotaru's 2nd in command. What's even funnier is that in the Armageddon intro I can spot Hotaru as the one who impaled Li Mei, but Li Mei is on the side of good while Hotaru is suspiciously on the opposite, despite being against the forces of evil. Why would he be on the same side as Havik when they are enemies? I would also like to point out that Johnny was fighting Darrius, a man resisting the Order of Seido.)

I already wrote something similar to this in another post I made like a year ago, but I'm gonna say this anyway. Johnny found out by himself that all the luxuries and fame that he sought in life weren't worth it. In his MK11 ending he ends up going on adventures with Cassie after coming to this realisation, choosing a life where he can always spend time with those he loves, not ruling over the world or being a dictator. There's chaos within Johnny, but there is a want or need for peace and stability.

Johnny should've been the one that was super pissed about being in a death tournament. Up until that point Johnny has never killed anyone, yet suddenly is expected to in exchange for his own life. How does he, a Hollyweird actor, fit into all this? He got tricked into this yet was able to adapt. He's fine with it, or pretends to be, handling it better than everyone else around. The "Sure, let's go and ruin someone else's life." quote from MK9 always runs through my head when I think about his dedication to defending Earthrealm and trusting Raiden.

When the tournament took place Johnny didn't really know Raiden personally, but Johnny trusted him. Johnny had no reason to be loyal to Raiden, yet he was, unlike Liu Kang who ended up losing faith and rebelling. Johnny has all the recipes to let his ego get to him and potentially betray Raiden, but he never does so.

If Havik and Johnny were to have anything in common, I would say it's a strong sense of faith in what they believe in. Johnny fights for the betterment of Earthrealm, Havik fights for havoc.

I'm very certain that even though Johnny changed over the years, the people around him still hold a dislike towards him to some degree. My first candidates for this are Sonya and Jax.

Read this if you can be bothered: [No matter what, Jax cannot stand Johnny, even at an age where they're more familiar with each other.]

Sonya and Jax are basically the order to Johnny's chaos. Being around them has also influenced (turned) him into someone he wasn't, which was a self hating Special Forces aid (What are is credentials?). It was Hotaru's Armageddon ending but slower.

The reason I haven't listed Kuai Liang is because... I think Kuai Liang has a bit of a friendship with Johnny. He's fond of him, but he won't admit it. He even helps Johnny in sending the Kombat kids into a fake mission with the Lin Kuei.

Cheerleader Miles Morales?

I'm obsessed with cheerleading. My Spidersona is Spider Cheer, I just suck at drawing so I can't draw her, which means I can't show you guys. But I was thinking of writing a fanfic where Miles ends up on the Visions cheer team due to his spidey sense alerting him to catch one of the flyers from hitting the ground. What do you guys think?

MKX's Kung Lao an essay

Notes: I originally wrote this in youtube comment section and decided to post it here. Watch Cynical Warlock's Rewriting Kung Lao video, its super interesting.

Kung Lao seemed pretty badass in MKX, and I'm talking about the old man version that's not seen in the storymode. I first interpreted MKX version of Lao appeared more humble and secure, no longer needing to prove himself as Liu Kang's equal. He even gave me the impression that he could be a mentor figure, appearance wise, whereas Old Liu Kang didn't give me that same vibe. Also, Kung Lao has a special hat that he uses as a weapon... How does he not outshine Liu Kang?

We do see his hat origin in MK1, so we can assume that it's similar to the past timelines on why he uses it. With that being said, he's great at coming up with random weapons, and very effective ones too. In another timeline he might be a weapons specialist, maybe even a maker. He even has another version of the hat that looks like daggers have been glued onto it, which we see in the game (I think it was a variant), and that might have been his first hat before he made a perfected version.

I think if MKX had better writing, then Kung Lao could've been brought back from the dead (like Sub Zero, Scorpion & Jax) and become another mentor figure to the combat kids instead of just being another yes man revenant who obey's revenant Liu Kang.

Both Liu Kang and Kung Lao were playable in MKX, they could've at least brought one of them back. Since they made Liu Kang king of the Neatherrealm, it would have to be Kung Lao.

Just as Sub Zero has a sort of friendship with Johnny, Kung Lao could be the same, separating him from Liu Kang on who they keep close to them. Personality wise, he's less harsh and strict than Liu Kang, and is more friendly, so I can picture him and Johnny having a friendship.

He can teach the combat kids that weapons can be formed from anything, basically ensuring that no one becomes a copy paste of their parents (Cassie & Jacqui), and has something unique about them, like having knives in their shoes and doing capoeira to cut the opponent or something (idk).

Just like Johnny, he isn't treated or spoken to very nicely by Sonya and some others because they keep mistaking his current self to his past self. He doesn't like it when people do this (I certainly wouldn't), but he is mostly civil with cutting remarks every now and then. Think of it as visiting a toxic family you've been in low contact with, and they occasionally make jokes and jabs about you copying your golden child sibling, and how you'll never be like them or escape their shadow. Even though you stand up for yourself, you're still seen as being bitter and jealous.

Another reason why I think Johnny and Kung Lao have a shot at friendship is because Johnny doesn't mention Liu Kang once, or anything linked to the past, or even his personality. Kung Lao is also said to "smile too much" according to Ferra, meaning he has a tendency to smile when he's about to face off with an opponent. Remind you of someone we know?

Here's how he can be introduced: The combat kids have a mission, however, the combat kids cannot go with weapons, at least weapons that are seen. In this au Johnny is with the Wu Shi instead of the Special Forces (as seen in my Havik post), so he sends the combat kids (mainly Cassie and Jacqui) to meet Kung Lao. The combat kids find out that Kung Lao, while still maintaining his teachings, has left the Shaolin and works as a weapons maker in some random town or city in China, and lives in solitude (a metaphor for no longer seeking the validation of others). Instead of giving the weapons straight up, he tests every single one of them. He ends up letting them have the weapons of course, and watches them go on their day.

MK11 made him so cocky to the point he was a Johnny Cage clone, and Kung Lao never struck me as the cocky type during MK9. It was actually Liu Kang that came off as egotistical to me, and the fact that he rebels against Raiden kind of proves that. Liu Kang went against a literal god. There's even an ending that shows he will be corrupt if he replaced Raiden. Earthrealm's champion, ladies and gentlemen.

I never viewed Kung Lao as cocky, so his MK11 version was a complete 180, and the fact that NRS continued that into MK1 disappointed me. Kung Lao is impulsive, but not always. He is capable of being reserved and calculating. While Kung Lao is also quite ruthless, Liu Kang is the hot headed one that refuses to listen to reason at times.

People make all kinds of jokes about Kung Lao and him getting his neck snapped, when Shao Kahn went about it cowardly. I'll elaborate by saying Shao Kahn snuck up on him, it wasn't face to face. In the words of Kendrick Lamar, "when I catch flight, it's gon' be direct". Shao Kahn is Drake in this situation, sneak dissing. When people make fun of Kung Lao's neck snap they're technically meat riding Shao Kahn.

Terry Silver + Daniel theory (essay)

(The only reason I actually watched Cobra Kai was for Terry Silver and the other chaos)

I believe Terry Silver is the real reason Daniel wanted Cobra Kai's extinction. Daniel was bullied by Johnny, but being bullied was nothing compared to what Terry did to him.

Daniel was being stalked, harassed and assaulted. To learn that Terry was the mastermind behind all of it must've been very frightening for him. From the very beginning, Terry's character is rooted in deception. Terry introduces himself as Kreese's old friend, but also portrays himself as someone Daniel can trust. He 'saves' Daniel from Mike Barnes. Meanwhile, he's breaking and entering into Mr Miyagi's home (while Daniel and Miyagi are there, that's bold), and shows up at the club while Daniel was hanging out with Jessica.

When Daniel tells Terry that he no longer wants any lessons once he realises what it's doing to him, Terry becomes chillingly cold. Daniel saw glimpses of this Terry during their training together, but now the mask has completely gone off. I cannot imagine how terrified Daniel must've felt.

Let's add Mike Barnes to the equation. Imagine some random boy shows up at your home and the store you're trying to build, vadalising property with his lackies, and beating you and your friend up, threatening you. You find out that your mentor and this boy were working with each other this entire time. To make things worse, you've been told that someone died. And then that person shows up and jump scares you.

It's pretty terrifying when you think about it.

Yes, Daniel was bullied by Johnny Lawrence, and it was bad. Being bullied isn't something people can easily move on from, especially with the different kinds of bullying people have experienced (physical, verbal ect.) On the other hand, being stalked is the sort of thing that makes you look over your shoulder for the rest of your life. Being deceived gives you trust issues. Daniel's problem wasn't Johnny Lawrence, it was Cobra Kai. Daniel found out that the reason Johnny was the way he was was because of Kreese. Not to mention, Kreese strangled Johnny in a fit of rage and smacked another student.

Going back to the 3rd film, Cobra Kai's teachings turned Daniel into someone he wasn't. Before Daniel was trained by Mr Miyagi he was a relatively decent person. Yes, he had a bad temper, but only because he was being provoked into behaving like that. We saw in the first film that Daniel's idea of revenge was sprinkling some water onto Johnny, which was nothing compared to what Johnny and his friends did to Daniel. When Daniel punched that guy at the club he immediately felt terrible, and tried to do the right thing. He went out of his way to call the police station so that he could apologise to the guy. He didn't enjoy what he did, he doesn't enjoy harming other people. Daniel's a hothead, but he's not a monster.

Fast forward to years later, and we see why Cobra Kai is bad. We saw it with Miguel. Yes, it teaches you confidence and what not, but it also teaches you to embrace your bad traits. With Johnny as the teacher it's not so bad, but when Kreese comes into the picture it's 10x worse. Hawk vandalised Miyagi-do. Tory started the school fight. They came to the LaRusso house to fight everyone there. (I haven't gotten over the fact that they threw a kid through a window).

Cobra Kai teaches you to become a bad person.

Terry Silver makes his return. The expression on Daniel's face isn't the same one he had when he re-meets Johnny. Terry gives Daniel a sincere apology, but Daniel rejects it. First of all, Terry shows up with Kreese, with the same hairstyle he had years ago. The fact that he showed up at all while there's a karate tournament that Daniel is involved in couldn't mean anything good.

The way Terry reacts to the rejection is concerning. It was as if he was entitled to it. If not entitled, then he expected his apology to be accepted. Like Mike's apology. Chozen's apology. Johnny's apology?

I firmly believe Daniel's rejection was the motive behind Terry's actions. Daniel tried to end Cobra Kai, only for Terry to come along and try to turn it into his legacy. Terry shows up to charity events that Daniel is involved in, and tries to break his marriage bit by bit.

Terry is obsessed with Daniel.

Both as a mentor and potentially something else. We know that Terry is a very capable mentor, as we've seen with his relationship with Kenny. It's kind of hinted that Terry himself was bullied, and we see glimpses of this in the war flashbacks. He's called 'Twig', and he didn't like that name. Mean nicknames are a version of name calling if you ask me.

Terry probably saw himself in Daniel, and felt like he could've shared a connection with Daniel were it not for the whole revenge thing. "There was always a little Cobra Kai in you." Whether he was correct doesn't matter, but the fact that he said it does.

Cobra Kai's philosophy is rooted in its origins. Master Kim used it to defend himself from Japanese soldiers during ww2. Knowing what the Japanese did during those times, I can see why he developed the whole "Strike first. Strike hard. No mercy."

Unlike Miyagi-do, which preaches inner peace and being a better version of yourself to defend yourself and others, Cobra Kai is the opposite. They turn your weakness (or gets rid of) into a weapon for destruction. To harm others before they can think of harming you. To intimidate other people so that they can never be comfortable. Cobra Kai is rooted in suffering. It's rooted in being angry at the world. The bullied becoming the bully.

Weakness is not allowed.

We saw this with Kenny. He went to Cobra Kai, and Kreese was anything but welcoming. Kenny had to prove himself before he could be trained. Even Robby was a little doubtful. Kenny is a mirror to Daniel. Terry's 'second chance'. Kenny wanted to learn self defense, but that turned into getting his lick back. Making Anthony's life a living hell. That could've become Daniel if it weren't for Miyagi and the fact that Daniel didn't enjoy hurting people.

I think that's what made Terry's mentorship with Kenny special. Kenny gave into the darkness, but Daniel rejected it. Daniel is the puppet who broke free.

I believe that's why Terry wanted (expected) his apology to be accepted. It not only showed that he became 'better', but it meant he still had some control over Daniel. After so many years (decades), Terry still refers to Daniel as 'Danny boy'. It implies that he still thinks he can easily access Daniel, or still shares an 'intimate' relationship even though they haven't seen each other for decades.

Terry was a competent teacher. If you remove the Cobra Kai cruelty and brainwashing, I think he would've been great. Yes, he came to the All Valley to become a sensei once again, but we all know he returned for the love of the game (Daniel). As stated before, Terry got upset from the fact that Daniel was forgiving everyone but him. Whenever he saw Daniel with anyone he would stare in rage. He was always pleased to show up unannounced to surprise Daniel.

We all know he hasn't changed, but going out of your way to wreak havoc just because someone rejected your apology is crazy work.

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Baby Zuko: My parents had a baby! Mama kissed Daddy and the fairies told the stork! And the stork left a diamond under the fire lily petals! And the diamond turned into a baby!

Baby Sokka: My parents had a baby too. They had sex.

Bellatrix, Andromeda, Narcissa headcanons

Bellatrix has always been a little not alright, but never anything too severe. Most would say she was a bully, but so was Sirius based on whatever stories she heard about him in passing.

Bellatrix didn't get along well with Sirius, but she hoped he would clean himself up soon. He would deny it, but they were very much alike. He could be rehabilitated.

However, that started to change once Andromeda was burnt off. All for that muggle. Bellatrix hoped it was worth it, for Andros' sake. Sirius was burnt off in a blink, and Bella could do nothing but focus on herself.

Then Regulus died. This time it was different. Regulus was her dearest, and most precious baby cousin. Gone just like that.

If Bellatrix didn't get to have her loved ones, then neither did mudbloods. That included anyone that supported them.

Andromeda couldn't stand crazies. If she stayed in this family any longer she would become it.

The constant comparisons. The high expectations. The fake smiles, and high alertness.

She hated it. She could never trust anyone, knowing they were after something. If one couldn't go to Bella, they'd go to Andro. She was the backup plan, and always the backup. 2nd in command. Should anything happen to Bellatrix, Andromeda knew what to do.

Backhanded compliments. Gossiping behind her back. The hateful obsession with muggles. Mudbloods have never done anything to her, so there was no need to hunt them.

Ted wasn't just any old Hufflepuff. If that had truly been the case, she would've married a bloody Macmillan. Ted's kindness was influenced by his survival mode.

His kindness was always genuine, but his eyes were watchful, patient of any slight of hand. A peaceful life would be nice. So nice. She really could just disappear.

Narcissa absolutely had to be seen. She wanted to shine bright too. Unfortunately, she was her mother's daughter. Birthed for her mother to dote on, while Bellatrix and Andromeda were raised to be the perfect heiress'. Narcissa couldn't be the same, but she would show everyone that she was perfect. She would prove it. And prove it she did. She chose her husband wisely, and she played her cards correctly.

Narcissa Black is a clueless blonde? So be it. She would teach others to never underestimate her. Whether it was the personality she presented, or what was on her mind, it shall never be questioned again.

Although it was cruel, she took pride in it. While she missed her sisters dearly, it was great knowing she was the one who survived. Narcissa knew it was stupid to get the mark, and she knew the toxicity given to her was a sign of jealousy. She completed what both of them couldn't do. She handled what both of them couldn't handle.

Any influence she spread was through her husband. Her dearest lover and tool.

This time when family or anyone of importance saw her, there was hope. Admiration. She was seen and not heard, just the way that she liked it.

Bring It On (2000) Background Cheerleaders (Part 1)