#but man shang tsung was so fucking good in the story

[ntaras]

this is a little analysis on shang tsung/appreciation for how good of a villain he is

we all already know shang tsung is an amazing character (especially thanks to cary-hiroyuki tagawa) but his role in mk12 was genuinely the biggest highlight of the game (ignoring the very lame boss fight but we can’t blame him for that). despite how nearly everyone did not like the multi-universe plot twist, no one hated the fact that it was shang tsung from another timeline screwing everything up- because how can you hate that? as annoying as the reveal is, the set up for it was amazing.

for convenience sake i’m going to refer to alt-timeline shang tsung as aftermath!shang tsung and mk12 timeline shang tsung as shang tsung.

aftermath!shang tsung got what he wanted: power over everything and liu kang destroyed/corrupted. he was living in his paradise already, and didn’t need to do anything else to achieve the great evil he’s already become. but then he found out that liu kang was happy and at peace and he just couldn’t help himself. he just had to squirm his way into liu kang’s timeline and ruin everything. for what reason? none. he’s just petty like that. and he likes being petty like that. he wants to ruin liu kang’s chance at happiness. he wanted to corrupt everything liu kang built- and that included himself.

the ultimate thing aftermath!shang tsung could do was ruin liu kang by first corrupting himself- by corrupting shang tsung. and you know aftermath!shang tsung did not give a genuine care about shang tsung because he thinks himself better- and is better (as he calls shang tsung a lesser form of himself due to being made by liu kang and simply not being aftermath!shang tsung). his deceit makes shang tsung look as pathetic as he did at the start of the game, sulking in the rain in front of his trailer.

“if it’s revenge you want, have at it.�� and aftermath!shang tsung did as shang tsung said. aftermath!shang tsung wanted revenge against liu kang’s timeline because that timeline was a personal attack against aftermath!shang tsung. of course, he doesn’t succeed in ending that timeline, but he sure does succeed in fucking up any chance at peace in that timeline.

“if it’s restitution, there’s nothing left.” shang tsung says this in regards to the possibility of this “dissatisfied customer” coming to take back what shang tsung took away (money, a loved one’s life, etc.), but aftermath!shang tsung knows that it’s shang tsung that got everything taken away from him. through shang tsung’s pov, it’s him who deserves restitution as it was liu kang, his creator, responsible for holding him back/taking away the power he thought he deserved. and aftermath!shang tsung manipulates this desire for power and a want to escape the life he currently lives in shang tsung perfectly, by taking advantage of all the traits aftermath!shang tsung knows in himself so well.

shang tsung’s word in his official bio is “influence”, and aftermath!shang tsung elevates shang tsung to obtain some degree of influence, but you know who really influenced everything? aftermath!shang tsung.

the reveal that there’s someone better than shang tsung is so satisfying. to actually witness the shock of damashi’s reveal and the shocked “you’re me!” from shang tsung made me so giddy when i rewatched that scene. plus, how liu kang basically called shang tsung stupid (“you are a victim of deception” code for “you’re a dumbass”), and liu kang has that right because he knows how naive his shang tsung is compared to aftermath!shang tsung. it makes you realize that wow, shang tsung is so small compared to what he was before. and now he has this idea even further implanted in him that he deserves to usurp liu kang, and will become an even more deadly threat in this timeline as he tries to elevate himself to the level of treachery that aftermath!shang tsung was. it might take a while for him to get that level (who knows if he’ll even reach that level), but you know he’s going to grow himself into one of the most hostile forces to be born in liu kang’s timeline.

it’s really sad that we aren’t going to see aftermath!shang tsung again, but his presence was at least one of the best performances he gave.

[n3ptoonz]

'Anyone But You'

Pairing: Sub!Zero/GN!Reader (see what I did there)

Fandom: Mortal Kombat 1 (2023)

Warnings/tags: Smut, explicit. Rivals to lovers trope, very story and dialogue driven but there is smut at the end, handjob, Bi Han is a good boy, overstimulation, canon typical violence, Bi Han is a complex man in love, reader is a pyromancer, kinda proofread this took so long to write holy fuck

EDIT: I FREAKING FORGOT i was referencing THIS picture. starts wreaking havoc

Word count: 3.4k

"Just what I needed." Bi Han grumbled, his usual scowl apparent on his face at the sight of you approaching him. He always hated how much you were able to match his skills. Deep down, he might have respected that, but your attitude is what holds him from admitting it.

"Just what you wanted." you said, flashing a shit eating grin at the man in front of you. "Lord Liu Kang sure has his ways of bringing the gang back together."

"Another reason I can't stand him." he said, this time louder and shamelessly. He didn't even care if someone were to hear him nearby.

"What's the assignment for today? He hasn't given us an impossible task in a while-"

"He wants twelve of us to investigate Shang Tsung's laboratory experiments in Outworld and get samples. Problem is, it's heavily guarded by his minion freaks in and outside."

Despite him cutting you off mid-sentence, you just rolled your eyes and looked at the drawing he held up. He didn't make any eye contact with you until you took it from him.

"What are you doing?" he asked, voice filled with growing irritation. "Give it back."

"You weren't holding it right, so instead of asking you to flip it, I just took it. Quit your whining I'll hand it over once I get a good look at them."

He groaned, crossing his arms and waiting for you to finish. You really inspected their faces, impressed with how detailed they were.

"This isn't art class-"

"These are some really well drawn freaks of nature. Whoever did this captured their essence." you said, your tone genuine this time. This took Bi Han aback a bit, but not enough for you to notice. His eyebrows rested from his natural scowl upon hearing your indirect-direct compliment.

It was him who drew those atrocities with the finest ink from his late father's office, but he would never admit that. To be honest, he wasn't too fond of his own work and just passed it off as somebody else's from his clan.

He cleared his throat and took the paper back from your hands, "Yeah, yeah, just be ready to leave by sundown." he said, walking off to talk to the rest of the fighters in the group. When he took the paper, you noticed he had some black ink spots on the tips of his fingers, but you didn't bring it up. He's already constantly on edge so teasing him about something he actually put effort into was out of your forte.

It was nearing sundown and everyone was geared up including you. You grabbed your mask and choice of weapon, quickly putting on the all black uniform given since you all were heading out at night. Heading over to the table with the plans and formatting of the area, you could hear Bi Han discussing what's to come within the next 48 hours.

"This mission is going to be long, so listen closely. When we get there, we are to ambush the entrance to clear it of the guards occupying it. Then we wait to see if any alarms will set off before continuing into the corridor and clearing that too."

You listened to his plan, and to be honest, you didn't quite think going in with an aggressive approach would be effective.

"I feel like we should stakeout the front and sides to see the patrol patterns. If we just go in there setting shit off, surely we'd be fighting off an army of mutations, and who knows how long that would take."

Bi Han slowly raised his head, furrowing his brows. He always hated when you chimed in with something opposing his ideas, even if they almost always made sense.

"It would be easier to take them out when we get there. Plus, look at who we have on the team; our best twelve. I'm sure taking out some mindless freaks won't be hard." he said, glaring at you from the other side of the table. You placed your hands down and leaned forward, refusing to back down simply because he was in "in charge."

"Covering more of the area instead of running in blindly is more effective. We have 48 hours to get this done, what the hell are we storming the place for?"

"Because we have the reinforcements. Are you so incompetent that you question such a basic concept?"

"I think you forget, Bi Han, the last time we attempted to take down a semblance of organized criminals with just a few of us, not twelve--mind you--, a few of our people nearly got rag dolled to death. We had to retreat after taking a beating as soon as we arrived," you said, leaning in closer.

"It's ultimately up to you, but if you so much as get ran at by a gang of lab experiments, I won't be helping you."

Bi Han could only keep glaring at you behind his mask, the cryomancy in his veins creeping up as he gradually gets more aggravated. You were right, and that pissed him off, but he decided to leave that alone so the mission could just start already.

He watched the other members' reaction to you guys' interaction, and it looked like they agreed with you.

"Fine." he grumbled, "We keep watch to catch their patrol patterns, and attack once each group has established such. There's no need to report it since we'll be acting tonight. After that, we meet back here to report what we've found after looking around." he continued, pointing to a section of the laboratory.

"And make sure you take out everything you come across. Let out any prisoners too, but only after the fact so they don't get torn piece by piece by these abominations." you added, seeing Bi Han just nod and fully stand up, finalizing his statements and putting the plans in his pocket.

It didn't take long for you all to surround the general area, getting a closer look where the different parts of the lab would be. Albeit it didn't take forever in a night to get there, you and Bi Han had been bickering the whole time. Sometimes it was playful on your end, other times it was generally just annoying you how mean he was. If not for the rest of your members breaking it up, you'd have been arguing the whole way there.

Everyone else has split up for efficiency purposes...and to get away from you both.

You hid behind a tall bush that was easy to see through, watching for anyone and any thing that came by. Bi Han was nearby doing the same thing. You picked up on a couple of patterns that they patrolled in.

"I wonder if Shang Tsung is in there." you said to yourself, but loud enough for him to hear.

"He doesn't drop by at night. It's the whole reason we came at this time, don't you remember?" he said turning to you, his voice right back to his tone of irritation.

"Do you have to be an asshole all the time?" you turned to him and met his eyes focused on you behind his mask, "I wasn't even talking to you. Plus, I tune you out at any given opportunity."

He didn't respond immediately. Just slowly turned back without another word.

"You know, I'd be more willing to actually listen to you when you aren't calling me a moron."

"Maybe stop being a moron and I'll be a little more nice to you." he quickly replied, remaining away from your gaze.

You rolled your eyes and stood up, tightening the bandages over your knuckles.

"Why the hell do I even try with you? I too wonder just what Lord Liu Kang was thinking to put us together. Figure this shit out on your own." you said, getting low before moving to a different spot.

As Bi Han was about to respond, he noticed a suspiciously placed patch on the grass that you were approaching. In his mind, he figured you saw it already and wasn't going to say anything. You had gotten on his last nerve once again, so why would he help you?

You heard a faint voice calling out in the distance that was gradually coming closer. You looked in that direction since you recognized the voice; it was one of the guys running towards you and Bi Han and waving his arms.

"Trap! It's a trap!" he yelled, but he was still too far to hear. "Retreat!!"

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Before you could even process the sound you were hearing, the surrounding area was set off by mini land mines while the building stayed in tact. You were able to dodge the patch that went off, but the aftershock caused everyone to be blown back a long distance from the laboratory, which eventually knocked you out from impact.

-

"Ugh, where am...I...?" you leaned up, wincing from the pain on your back and legs. The air around you was dusty, hazy, and heavily polluted by whatever the hell was in that debris. You looked around and could really only see the ground and the trees as far as your vision went before it looked light gray again.

You got up with the strength left in your body, aiming to find someone, anyone. Wandering around for so long caused you to have to pay attention to a body wound from the adrenaline dying down. You checked it out and realized it wasn't so bad, so you used pyromancy to close it up for the time being. It hurt like a bitch, but it worked.

You made the emergency call sound for anyone on your team to hear, still nothing. You tried again, only to hear heavy breathing and curses following after it.

"God damn it!" you heard, immediately thinking it had to be...

"Bi Han?" you called out, still holding onto your side while you walked towards the voice with high caution. Silence filled the air. This stubborn fucker...

"I know it's you, hard ass." you said, walking just close enough to see Bi Han leaning on a tree while holding onto his side. You'd be more concerned if he didn't not answer you on purpose.

Upon seeing your face, he was clearly not in the mood for your presence, especially at his most vulnerable state. The man was beaten up and in genuine pain, unable to tend to his own wounds, let alone stand.

Once you stopped in front of him he just looked away. He was embarrassed to say the least. Everyone else is usually hurt and he had to watch over/take care of them. But this time his own rival stood before him, just as beat up but still able to walk around.

"Who were you expecting to be here?" you asked.

"Anyone but you." he replied, clenching his jaw.

"That's no way to talk to someone who could help you. The other members are probably scattered somewhere looking for us and each other, but nowhere to be found." You paused in between sentences to see if he'd have anything to say, but he didn't budge not one bit. You noticed a deep gash on his arm and dried blood around where his ribcage would be under the uniform.

"Let's make this simple. We cut the rivalry bullshit so I can help you, or I can leave you to it while you likely just bleed out. Your call, Grandmaster." you watched his face twitch at the sound of his title. His mask not being on his face freaked you out sometimes since you could fully see his face and every expression on it.

"How could you help me?" he asked, putting emphasis on "you" as if it was impossible. You lifted your shirt halfway to show him the wound you patched up.

"I just sealed this with heat. It still hurts but at least it's not bleeding anymore. For yours it would probably take longer and a little more heat to seal but it's the better option." you said. The look on his face stilled in contemplation. He really couldn't stand the idea of being in debt to you.

"You know what, I can go, don't wanna piss you off-"

"No! Please...I need help. I need your help." he groaned out in pain when he leaned forward in desperation. You kneeled in front of him with a half smile.

"Don't utter a word of this." he said, slowly taking his shirt off to reveal the wound that stained his sculpture of a body. Lord have mercy...

"Wouldn't dream of it..." you said, moving closer next to him and getting to work. "I'll do your arm too."

You watched as he wanted to say something, but simply didn't. Like a lump was caught in his throat.

"You're welcome." you mumbled. You were so focused on his wound while simultaneously keeping your composure, you didn't notice the very, very slight blush forming on his cheeks. The feeling of your hot hands on his cold skin, and the look of pure concentration in your eyes had a different feeling coursing through his body.

He cleared his throat and looked off in the distance, a quiet, but genuine "thank you" finally coming from him.

-

It's been a couple weeks since. Everyone found their way back and managed to heal in due time. Since the mission was nowhere near successful, Liu Kang wanted you all to reside at the Lin Kuei temple to continue with altering plans after getting a thorough rest.

After helping out in the infirmary for a while, you realized Bi Han hadn't shown up so much outside of leading his clan in their daily routines. You left the room and looked around for him everywhere asking if anyone saw him recently. One of his clan members overheard you and let you know he mentioned he wasn't feeling well as of lately, so he's been going straight to his room after their sparring sessions.

You took it upon yourself to make a cup of tea, heating it with your own hands before heading over to his bedroom. The closer you got there, you could hear him talking out loud. He seemed to be babbling something over and over again before he realized he was getting loud. You stood outside his door and eavesdropped carefully, wondering just what the hell he was saying.

"Ah, fuck," he kept repeating everytime he exhaled, which just gradually became raspier and more strained.

After knocking two times it didn't take long for the sound of shuffling and him asking who it was outside of his door at this time to fill your ears. You sheepishly answered back, letting him know you brought tea since you heard he wasn't feeling well.

He quickly opened the door and pulled you in without a thought, closing it behind you before looking at you with an expression you've never seen before. This man looked stressed as all hell, but not the work kind; the faint pink on his face let you know it was a different kind of stress.

"Look what you did to me." he said, pointing to his face which was gradually getting hotter at the sight of you. He took the tea out of your hand and placed it on his dresser before grabbing one of your hands. "You need to fix this."

You couldn't help but smile mischievously at him. He was indirectly begging you to fulfill his needs, but you couldn't let him have it that easily.

"I'm confused, what are you asking of me exactly?" your feigned confusion only riled him up more and he was on the verge of being a sputtering mess.

"You-" he paused. "I...need you. Your touch."

"My touch?" you asked, walking closer to him and feeling his grip loosen just a little bit.

"The heat that comes from your hands. It...felt nice. And the way you looked at me that day has been occupying my mind since."

You tried not to show it on your face how in utter shock you were at his confession. He looked away before speaking again.

"Please." he whispered as he briefly closed his eyes. His quiet plea was louder than anything he's ever said to you in all the time you've known him.

With no time wasted, you grabbed his jaw and kissed him, feeling him stiffen from getting startled before melting into your touch (no pun intended).

Pushing him to sit on the bed, you had never seen a man like him just look so...submissive. And the fact that it was Bi Han, because of you, had you thinking your life was complete.

His bun came undone and let his hair flow free. You softly grabbed the back of his head and massaged his hair, letting him feel the heat emitting from your palms. With the other hand you undid his belt and there it was. His bare body before you, and his dick half flaccid.

One grab at the base nearly made him fall limp. Your warm hands caressing his hair and shaft was likely the trick to make him cum right here right now. It didn't take long for that feeling to swell up inside of him, making him harden way faster than he expected.

"Look at me." you demanded, watching his eyes flutter open. If his cheeks weren't a deep red before, they sure are now. The pace of your hand quickened, but not too much to watch the friction. "You're going to cum when I tell you to. Not beforehand, understood?"

As he nodded you could feel his breath hitching. You never tore your eyes away from his even upon hearing the sound of slick getting louder with every stroke.

"See? I knew you could be a good boy, Bi Han."

He grunted at his senses heightening to the sound of your voice, his name, and being called a good boy all in one. He couldn't hold out for much longer now.

"Please-" he whispered. Nothing like a cold glass of man begging in the afternoon.

"Please what?" you stopped your hand, squeezing around the tip. You reveled in the way it looked like he was about to cry real tears.

"Please- Ah, I'm so close-"

"What do you want me to do about that?"

"Move your hand, fuck-" he started to lose sense of his surroundings as soon as you lightly pulled on his hair. You finally gave in, the look on his face and the utter desperation on display made you hot all over (no pun intended)

You didn't expect a small cracking in his voice to appear. With this you only egged him on further to express just how good you make him feel.

"Cum."

And that is exactly what he did. The moment he started to get loud you covered his mouth with the hand that was in his hair. Did you ever think you'd hear Bi Han whimper and sniffle just from your warm hand gliding up and down his shaft? No, but it made everything that lead up to this point worth it.

You didn't stop stroking. You couldn't stop. His eyebrows were upturned and he looked like the perfect bottom bitch. If you told anybody about this, albeit you wouldn't dare, nobody would believe you. You had the Grandmaster of the Lin fucking Kuei under your palm, literally.

As he kept cumming from overstimulation, ice crept up to his elbows. It's like he lacked control from the amount of pleasure he received. He definitely needed this to say the least.

He finally calmed down, and you slowed your hand to a stop. Luckily he only got it on his abdomen and not his beloved robe otherwise you wouldn't hear the end of it.

You sat next to his tired form, looking at him from the side and tucking his hair behind his ear.

"You really put the 'sub' in Sub Zero." you said, reaching up to have him face you again. Hesitant at first, you leaned in and gave him a peck on the lips to see his reaction. He just stared at you, but this time his face was relaxed, not a frown line to be found. A smidge of a smile on his face.

"You're cleaning this up."

-

a/n: thanks for reading! my asks are open! <3

[moronkombat]

Hi sweetie!

I’m here to request, pretty please, some more hcs for babygirl Shang Tsung 💚

- his reaction to pregnancy or taking care of the reader while pregnant

- How would he react if someone hurt you

- Him being soft on daily basis (maybe calling reader sunshine or some other cute little things?🫣🥺)

Sorry if it’s too much, I just fucking can’t get him out of my head and I’m dying to read what more you got for him ✨

Thank you for this and for all the content you’ve been doing, it’s amazing and it’s making my days happier!

SFW/NSFW

Shang Tsung and his partner share each other's bodies regularly not necessarily because the two of you have a high sex drive but because it the way you two feel closest to each other

Fingers spread across the skin of your hips while lips are pressed to your own. They taste of dry saffron coated in the fruit of nectar. A swirl of what should not mix at all but here it blends perfectly

Honeyed words go whispered into your ear before teeth most sharp snag and pull

Your nails crawl for salvation along the ridge of a bending spine and a sigh so euphoric is birthed

There are many gatherings like these but never are they truly the same. No, Shang Tsung likes to keep his bedroom rendezvous every evolving

Leather, oh it so cold as it wraps around your shivering flesh, is a preferred choice of his

Night is too young and even into the morning it isn't enough. Shang Tsung is insufferably thorough but how can you complain when your lips and mouth used to moan and mewl for him?

When all has come to a still, those sweet words coated in silvery honey come to you. He means them all. You are his princess, you are the sunshine, you are his everything

Shang Tsung loves to call you his princess, his most precious sunshine and they never fail to make you smile

Pregnancy HCs

It should not come as a shock that you had gotten pregnant. Shang Tsung and you were not exactly careful and yet you both are surprised and apprehensive

Shang Tsung wears a brave smile and tells you it will all be alright and that adding a new addition to your duo will be a good change of pace

Deep down though, he has many doubts and worries about how he is supposed to be a father

There are more pressing matters, however, you need to have the best of care and he will find it for you

His preference is for you to stay relatively rested and not on your feet too much

He would make your room as comfortable as possible for you and try to furnish it with everything you could ever need

And still you find yourself leaving it to visit him in his study. He always appears surprised to see you and will quietly remind you that you need to be resting for both you and baby

You tell him that you miss him and wish the two of you could spend more time together or that he could maybe tell stories to the baby that grows inside you

Shang Tsung is...puzzled. It difficult for him to connect to a child he cannot yet hold or see but he can see how much this means to you

When he feels the first kick of your child upon his palm is when reality really hit him. He's going to be a father and where there was once trepidation there is now hope

You'll be sitting in his study while he works on something, he typically keeps you very close by now and he will occasionally reach over to you and lay his hand on your naval

There are no words spoken. He just smiles lightly before returning to what he was focusing on

It is not all bliss. Nothing could ever be so perfect. When you're hurt, when someone has brought pain upon you all that fear has returned

Any blemish that has been left on your skin that is usually so smooth sends him spiraling

There will be no easy end to those who have done this no matter how much you assure him that you are alright

He will replay them the favor but it there will be more. Much much more

Shang Tsung is a thorough man, after all

[laiosynth]

transfem kuai liang headcanon

hi. as a precursor to this whole post, i'm going to give the forwarning that i am absolutely batshit insane about this. if one could call an avid fan of something 'down the rabbit hole', then i am in the core of the fucking planet of this. i am thinking about her at all hours of the day. i have a several thousand WC braindump doc that i still need to elaborate on. with that said, if you're willing to give a look-see, jump down the rabbit hole with me as i give you the rundown.

i have many, many, many words about her. many of them. but i'll try to summarize my reasoning for this particular headcanon because it's actually much much deeper than the initial vibes.

THE DEEPER REASONING

kuai as a character seems really closed-off and disconnected. especially when we first meet him. he's duty first, no-nonsense. he's quiet. and then we get to know him more, and to know bi-han more, and there's this... sense of unease, somewhat? like bi-han, we can see that he is standing on firm foundations of his ideals. we know what he wants. we know who he is. he stays true to these ideals, even by betraying his brothers to join the side of shang tsung and quan chi. he is a character who knows what he wants and we can predict his actions based on it. on the other hand, in contrast, kuai liang seems almost... unstable, in a sense, and adrift. we only really get to know the fact that he valued his father's teachings. and bi-hans betrayal seems to throw him even more adrift.

and being adrift and unstable on his foundations is a trait i see VERY often in my own experience and in the experience of my transfem friends (and here we hit my biggest point on why i headcanon kuai liang as transfem-- the sheer number of parallels between his story and trans experiences).

when bi-han betrays the lin kuei, and in turn, kuai and smoke, kuai has no issues taking down SEVERAL fighters along with general shao-- and you can sense the rage that fuels it (yet another parallel with trans experience). that feeling of 'i put faith in you, i trusted you,', and in this case, 'i followed you, i am who i am because of you, i changed myself for you, and you repay me with this?'

it's unbelievable pain and anger and betrayal, and though he eventually calms enough that he goes back to his quiet, calculative self, it's earth-shaking. this parallels a lot of the feeling, in the trans experience, of the betrayal you feel when your loved ones, the ones you trusted, you changed yourself for, turn to transphobia and terf rhetoric. turn to the beliefs you know hurt people (earthrealm, or your trans friends) and hurt you, and make you their new target.

i'm sad we don't get much focus on kuai liang after that chapter of the story-- i'd pay good money to get an expansion of his story. we know at the very least that he goes on with smoke to form the shirai ryu, and train the young hanzo hasashi, but that tells us nothing, so i don't have a lot to work with. but that gives a lot of wiggle room when making guesses at his character.

reviewing what we know, i reiterate that parallels make kuai liang's character incredibly readable as trans-coded. and i will say now that i know nothing about him screams 'fem!', but i see his character as transfem because of other things-- once again, parallels. kuai liang, as a character, is very clearly honor-driven. he values, above all, his family. his lost father, his bonds with his brothers. his clan. and on top of that, none of his character reads... as 'man' to me. kuai just doesn't read as someone who identifies with a man to me. by that, i mean that he does not seem... comfortable or confident in his masculinity. and that disconnect, once again, is a DIRECT parallel to trans experiences.

THE FUN STUFF

ok now that i've gotten that out of my system i can tell you about the more fun headcanons i have around her heheh

uses she/he pronouns

smoke gave her a golden scorpion-shaped hair claw and she uses it ALL THE TIME.

she likes to wear eyeliner in everyday life and do fancy eyeliner for battle

he and smoke have bonding time while smoke braids her hair. she very frequently falls asleep during braiding time.

smoke is also her biggest supporter, but hanzo is very frequently fighting for the title.

i will be adding more as i think about it. this is all for today. i hope you enjoyed this post. ok byeeeee

[sinimake]

MK1 is such a bizarre experience bc on one hand some characters have benefited a lot from the "universe reset" (Baraka, Reptile, even arguably Shao who is less than a muahahaha conquer villain but someone who actually seems to care about his realm?). Others kind of raise interesting questions, like Shang Tsung : is he doomed to be bad or can he be good for a change? (In the story he choses to become a snake-oil salesman before joining the imperial family + there is an Union of Light Shang Tsung so him being good is a thing that could happen).

But then, instead of using that full reset NRS just leaves some things the same? Like. It's a reset. In 2023/2023. That was the perfect moment for implementing some (maybe not lots) changes. Perhaps starting making Johnny canonically bi? Just a small ripple towards a bigger change? Instead of getting stuck in same old ways?

YOW EXACTLY

Things i loved about Mk1 change:

Mileena and Kitana sibling relationship

Rain's character design

Tanya and Mileena!!!!

Sindel being badass empress and outworld thriving in peace under her reign

Baraka and Syzoth on the good side!!

Kenshi's yakuza past

Geras and Liu Kang's friendship! Liu Kang actually treating Geras as his equal 🥺 and Geras being so loyal to him 😫😭

Shang Tsung's zitsy behavior

Lin Kuei brothers 🥺

What i hate:

Hanzo being a kid and essentially everything about him being handed to Kuai Liang

Kung Lao being the second best again

Raiden and Kitana romance

Mileena and Tanya having the barest screen time

Controversial opinionated rant down below

I hated that they essentially just switched Liu Kang and Raiden's places. I started MK1 right after MK11 that i was furious to see Raiden chosen as the champion (IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MY BOY KUNG LAO LET HIM SHINE ISTG) and then flirting with Kitana with Liu Kang's exact line (I hope we meet again under different circumstances)??? Tf??

I understand that some plot elements are too good to change but character romances? Don't replace one side of the pairing, then try to serve it to the audience again! Reboot should give us more variety of character designs, stories, dynamics, and relationships. Give us the genderbent, queer, poc characters BC YOU'RE NOT EVEN SACRIFICING ANYTHING when we literally have infinite alternative timelines you can recall classics from. For example, we have our human Raiden and old man titan Raiden. We can do variety. I wanna see female Fujin, i wanna see Scorpion Harumi and fighter Suchin, i want actual deserved queer representation in Kung Jin, and i. wanna. see. canon Johnshi!

My hypothesis is that NRS is gonna bring in mk children through dimensional travel so that they don't need to age up our current characters. I'm saying this to push my point further that we don't need to repeat romance plotlines (dont come at me. I have bais just as you have bais for ur fav old pairings)

Listen, i loved Sonya and Johnny in previous games, her and Cassie were a huge part of Johnny's character arc, but since Johnny is already maturing by the end of mk1, i don't see a point in Cageblade anymore (very controversial but it's my blog so i will yap as much as i want) We are not erasing anything by possibly making Johnny queer. Johnny and Sonya can be married in different timeline and Cassie is still their child. If anything, we are enriching the character, expanding the universe. Really, I don't wanna buy the exact same game story in different graphics. I don't want to see Suchin die again just to serve Kenshi and Takeda's dynamic.

And don't even get me started again on heteronormality of the game. We have 6 realms that have diverse variety of biological and sociological configurations AND YOU'RE TELLING ME THEY ARE ALL HETEROSEXUAL?? NRS is a fucking pussy for not having enough queer representation. They think they can give us vague "blink, you will miss it" moments and move on. There are so many high selling good games with good lgbtq characters. Literal 2023's the game of the year, BG3 is so fucking gay that it's off to space and you're telling me that NRS is just going 🥺👉👈 but our fans 🥺👉👈

Anyways, NRS can eat shit and Johnshi for the president 🤘

[itsohh]

Popstar MK1 Intros

A/N: Now I've finished off Electra Heart heres some intros set after it. This focus's on popstar reader being in costume when they come to fight + them still being in their relationship with Johnny.

Fighters: Johnny Cage, Kenshi Takahashi, Smoke, Liu Kang, Shang Tsung

Warnings: None

Intros Part 1 Electra Heart

Johnny: Oh ho-ho-ho gotta say babe that is a great look on you. I always said that the big screen never captured how truly hot I am but I think it also applies to you.

You: Eyes up here Johnathan. I'm not a doll for you to gawk at.

Johnny: Oh fuck that's hot.

-

Johnny: After this can I eat-

You: Not another word.

-

Johnny: Ooo you're so dominant in character, should wear that to bed. I might even leave a little bit on you at the end of the night.

You: Hmp.

-

You: Wait-wait-wait. Ah fuck lemme take these heel's off I can't keep fighting in costume. This was made to sing in no fight.

Johnny: Hey, hey if your feet are hurting go for it. There's no rush, I can wait. Last thing I want is you hurting.

-

Johnny: Have you written any songs about me perhaps?

You: Oh this is kind of embarrassing, but try an album.

-

Kenshi: Flashy.

You: And impractical.

-

Kenshi: When I see you like this it really makes me realize how much you and Johnny are a match made in heaven.

You: Kenshi you're literally blind.

Kenshi: I think any blind man can see how bright the sequins are on that dress.

-

Kenshi: Why the name Nightingale?

You: It's a long story.

-

Kenshi: You always say your stage self is a character you play but I've yet to hear any difference.

You: That's ‘cause that shits embarrassing off stage. I can get away with Johnny because… I mean look at him.

-

Kenshi: Johnny said you wrote an album about him. He hasn't shut up about it.

You: Yeah might have dropped the ball confessing that one.

-

Smoke: Woah I can't believe your- woah.

You: I'm surprised you're familiar with my work actually.

Smoke: Of course, it's a bit of a guilty pleasure but I loved your second album.

-

You: You know if you're ever free your welcome to tag along to one of my concerts and hit up backstage or front row whatever you prefer.

Smoke: Really?

You: Anytime! I always let my friends hang out.

-

Smoke: Your outfit is more stunning in person than I could have possibly imagined.

You: Yeah but the glitter gets everywhere.

-

Smoke: I remember your fourth album got scrapped, how come?

You: My fucking manager rejected it. Too off brand.

-

Smoke: Johnny's always talking about bad managers, have you tried talking to him about your situation.

You: ...I haven't. My manager isn't terrible but maybe I should.

-

You: The timeline you come from, was I like this?

Liu Kang: Admittedly I didn't know you very well.

-

You: Were we not friends in your timeline? Is that why titan me didn't answer your summon?

Liu Kang: You died man years prior, you were forced to come back only to see Johnny mourning his second wife.

-

You: So me and Johnny have always been together?

Liu Kang: That I don't know.

You: Am I destined to die again? So that Johnny can remarry?

Liu Kang: That is not what I have planned for you.

-

Liu Kang: In my timeline you were always in costume. You fought dressed like this all the time.

You: Fuck that. I can barely get through one fight in these shoes.

-

You: Why change up my destiny? Why not make Johnny happy with his second wife?

Liu Kang: I didn't decide on who you should love. I might have put you in the right place at the right time but that was all you.

-

Shang Tsung: Well well, this is certainly a change.

You: Don't worry, you're still the king of costumes you fucking snake.

Shang Tsung: You wound me dear.

-

Shang Tsung: It's a shame you chose to work with these imbeciles-

You: Don't even bother trying to manipulate me. I've been in Hollywood long enough.

-

You: At least I'll look good, at least I'll look good-

Shang Tsung: What are you mumbling? Don't be afraid to speak up. I don't bite- hard.

You: THESE HEELS MIGHT HURT BUT AT LEAST ILL LOOK GOOD BEATING YOUR ASS

-

Shang Tsung: It's curious the way your people worship you, for music alone…

You: You could always give it up and come a musician instead of the whole ‘murdering everyone with souls’ thing you do.

Shang Tsung: Hahaha, you truly are an entertainer aren't you?

-

You: Let's get this over and done with.

Shang Tsung: So eager to meet your demise?

You: Had a long concert today- kinda wanna go nap.

[mrstsung]

My rankings for shang tsungs.

These are just my opinions.

💚🐍💚🐍💚🐍💚🐍💚🐍💚🐍💚🐍💚🐍💚

1995 shang tsung: come on guys. How can you be a mk fam and not like him?! He's the og. The shang tsung. Everyone literally imitates his shang after this movie. Not even joking. But yeah top tier for a reason.

Mk11 shang tsung: the closest 2nd his cary reprisal of the character in mk11. Good lord we will never get that ever again! He wa sso damn good in that game. The story being mid as it was,he was worth it all. Unf i love him sm

Mortal kombat legends shang tsung: underrated as fuuuuuuck! Like if the script didn't suck and they gave him more time and didn't cheapen him out. He would've been the best shang tsung in animation. Honestly,im so damn mad man! Them jammies. I want them.

Mortal kombat conquest shang tsung: also underrated. This shang had everything against him and he still kicked ass and was boss as fuck! Pulled no punches. And yet all the punches.

Mortal kombat 9 shang tsung: classic. How can you not love him. He's lower on the list because he dies so damn stupidly. Ugh.

Mortal kombat 21 movie shang tsung: cool shang. But not nearly as good as he could be. But he's higher because he at least is intimidating like shang. And has the charisma and charm still.

Mk12/mk1 shang tsung: *sigh* low tier only because the story sucks and his narrative in the story sucks. He should've been given a better narrative. If he had some intimidation factor to him. If alan lee was given more than crumbs. Maybe maybe he would've been higher. Shang is smarmy yes but not "THAT" smarmy. Like he has grace still,it feels like a joke and not actually something interesting added to the table enough. Alan i love you but no. I feel like he needs to not copycat mk11 shang aka cary hiroyuki tagawa. And honestly try to be his own shang tsung HONESTLY. I dont feel his shang being genuine enough to believe it. But also he's still cute so he's lucky. But i still can't place him high because his shang hasn't earned it. And honestly it's hard to replace cary. He set the standards sooooo high for me. So any other shang is good just always missing something. But then again,the writers suck. So not his fault. Still there can be hope....maybe....if nrs and wb like quit being weenies.

Og comics shang tsung(aka the crappiest version imho and for good reason): the og comics were before anything established so it gets forgiven for that. But it's not very kosher so....yeah. bottom tier. Entertaining,yes. Good? No. However....it is mk history,and is important to know your roots. So still important to read.

Honorable mentions: mk legacy shang tsung. Honestly deserves a spot because it's refreshing and cary once again reprising his role. But i can't have a full analysis yet. I have to watch his version there in full,tho i heard it wasn't good till he showed up so....i dunno maybe I'll try to find the episodes with him in it and see for sure. But bald shang is interesting af to me. Another honorable mention is defenders of the realm shang tsung. Ah the cheesy cartoon. A guilty pleasure of mine. Mk shouldn't be a kiddie cartoon but it did. But ironically it had more love put into the character development than any of the games every did. Especially sonya. Weird af. But welcomed. Shang tsung was exactly what you'd expect,bad guy got beat up. And only in like 2 or 3 episodes. Lol. But eh,it is what it is. He was fun.

That was my tier list. Now i didn't go into detail too much as it's late here. But this was also for fun too.

[arttrampbelle]

Shang tsung doesn't need to be a "good guy" to be sympathetic or do nice or "good" deeds.

Y'all should understand that not everyone needs to be a hero to be redeemed.

That's some bullshit propaganda that y'all tend to fall for.

It's like that feeling of "if you pray to jesus,all you're sins in OUR eyes will be forgiven" type indoctrinated shit. Like no shade thrown,even as someone who is spiritual myself. I find people thinking that a villain in a story should become a hero in order to be redeemed,kinda suspicious.

Shang tsung,to me,has ALWAYS BEEN NUANCED. And already had benevolent qualities and traits. Y'all just only see one damn part of it because the writers suck at showing them properly.

Not to mention if a character isn't obnoxiously nice or mean,y'all don't pay attention to them.

It's like most of mk fans I've noticed,at least as of late. Feels like I'm talking to 3yr olds in media literacy.

So no. Shang tsung needs to be a NEUTRAL CHARACTER. not good,not evil,just self serving and even quite helpful as a tournament master as he is supposed to fucking be.

He is supposed to be that "keep your friends close,keep you enemies closer" type. He is the "the enemy of my enemies are my friends" type. He's scary intelligent,cunning,a master martial artist,a brilliant alchemist,and one badass mofo you do not wanna cross.

But most of all,he is courteous,a gracious host on his island,and his punishments are as great as his rewards. He does keep his end of the bargain,but he also gets compensation.

If anything you need to worry about earthrealms warriors more than him. Half of them now(due to piss poor writing) are hiding behind heroic deeds and false statements of peace yet they have unclean hands too.

With Shang tsung you know what you are dealing with,it's on the table. If you cant read the obvious,you are indeed a foolish one.

No matter what iteration of shang tsung you have. One thing is clear,made clear,and that is when you deal with him. You deal with the devil so to speak.

So if you're not smart nor prepared. That's on your ass honey. Not his. Do not blame him for your stupidity.

But if you know how to play the game,play chess with the serpent. And know these archetypes. Then you may have a better shot. But that's all on you.

Either way,in your favor or not. Do not blame him for telling you exactly what is needed to be said,not what you wanna hear. Honeyed words or not,there's always a sliver of truth and bitter pill of truth in his words. And he's good at making either people hate his guts or bow and worship him.

THAT IS WHY HE'S DANGEROUS. not because of magic,or experiments and other trival bullshit.

Nah.

It's because shang tsung is good at talking. Good at trades and making you believe whatever is what he wants you to see.

Even if it may go against him. He wants you to fuck up,get angry at him,attack,be unbalanced,so he can fuck your shit right up!

Holy shit this mans whole ass moveset is zoning and keeping you in a certain place in the stage even!

It's part of his whole damb character.

I could go on and on. But do not blame to serpent for telling you information for questions you ask him. You're the one who chose to bite his apple of enlightenment and knowledge so to speak.

Which is why the gods,titans,etc want these kombatants,warriors to be stupid. So they are easy to control,to get what they want.

Like it's glaringly obvious that mortal kombats story has these type of tropes and symbolism in it. But people are too blind,for various reasons. To see it.

I could get deep. It's a videogame,i know. It is what it is.

But the more i look at mk12/mk1 shang tsung. The more i feel its a missed opportunity to showcase these themes better for him.

Like holy shit dude. Shang tsung pointing out the hypocrisy of the gods. And whispers in our earthrealm warriors ears. And maybe convincing a few to join his side. Or even better. Our heroes,kung lao and mortal raiden to question liu kang and not blindly follow like fucking idiots. Sure just trust this dude right? Bruh.

Shang tsung is the only one with a brain once again. And i hate them making everyone else so stupid to make him seem better in the shithole plot of theirs. If you can call it a plot.

It burns me,that it's a waste of potential.

But i digress.

Anyways. Shang tsung,way more than an evil conjurer of tricks my dudes. Waaaaaay fucking more.

[cienie-isengardu]

Mortal Kombat 1 goes out of its way to make Bi-Han as unlikable as possible. We are not meant to think that he had a point at all, and that he is 100% in the wrong, and that's not even going into his betrayal and murder by inaction. Not only that, he is also making a complete 180 from his previous timeline counterparts. Before, he was a traditionalist and technophobe. Now, he is going against tradition, and is embracing technology. Why do you think NRS made these decisions?

In all honest, I don’t have any reasonable idea why NRS would even want to mess up Bi-Han so badly in the first place, especially since

A) the Sub-Zero brotherhood is part of the lore since second game came out (1993) and literally three decades have passed since that day 

B) Mileena, Tanya, Reiko, Baraka, Syzoth, Rain and arguably Sindel get much better treatment despite their previously well established ties to the villainous side of the story while alive Bi-Han was, game-wise, barely explored by narrative

and above everything else, C) Bi-Han’s death is one of the most impactful deaths in MK lore, as it greatly influenced the history and character development of both Kuai Liang and Hanzo Hasashi while also introduced another emotional conflict between younger Sub-Zero and Noob Saibot - and for this to work, Bi-Han and Kuai Liang’s brotherhood needed to be something special in the first place. 

Assassin Bi-Han not necessarily needed to be a good man to be a good brother but there is enough tie-in material to get the point he was not inherently evil (if anything, the pathological upbringing he was forced in is to be blamed). I’m glad MK1!Sub-Zero wasn’t killed yet I still wonder how the hell NRS decided to not take advantage of brotherhood that is one of major foundations of the fan-favorite Kuai Liang’s character and instead twisted not only Bi-Han but also Kuai Liang & Hanzo Hasashi into the new take that is frankly, frustrating at best for a long-time fans of Sub-Zero brothers and Lin Kuei. All NRS needed to do was to give us literally a few minutes of  the Lin Kuei brothers’ close bond, then devastate us with Bi-Han’s death, then devastate Kuai Liang & Smoke’s life by bringing evil Noob Saibot and that would be a solid ground for upcoming games for years, instead of shattered brotherhood that so far lead to nowhere, as Bi-Han was sidelines right away after the supposed “plot twist” and all interesting points about Lin Kuei’s servitude comes mainly from intro dialogues because story mode seems afraid to acknowledge Sub-Zero’s frustration on the main. 

I suspect the studio's choice may be about balancing the events and family drama, as bitter brotherhood vs sweet sisterhood, but really, it feels so unfair and frustrating it was done at such Sub-Zero’s expense, especially as MK1!Bi-Han seems to me like a weird mix of Frost & Noob more than his original character even was. What is ironic, considering the fact that original Bi-Han was a Lin Kuei that wanted (and would do so, if he killed Shang Tsung) to retire from assassin life and the oldest Mortal Kombat comics presented him as pretty honorable man that even saved the Earthrealm at the cost of his own life. 

But sure, let’s fuck up the Lin Kuei, it is not like previous games let them have anything nice for too long anyway.

[ggswaywardgifrepository]

Man am I in my thoughts on Khaos Reigns. Spoilers, obviously. And fair warning that I disliked far more than I liked about it.

I appreciate how much attention Bi-Han was given in the narrative. However, overall, I think he was terribly written. I’m just not interested in projecting meaning and depth onto his behavior anymore. I did, and still do, see his time and behavior as Sub-Zero during the main game as more subjective than how he behaved at all in Khaos Reigns. Pre and post being Noob’d.

I’m a pretty big base game Bi-Han apologist, and can apply meaning to some of his choices. DLC Bi-Han, though… I apologize and make excuses for main game Bi-Han; I want the writers to apologize TO Khaos Reigns Bi-Han.

I’m still pleased he was so important to the plot but the character was still shafted. And that’s a pretty impressive feat. But he is just a balls to the wall asshole through Khaos Reigns, and I’m just struggling to find the reason for it. Like, his base game beefs had some merit. I guess the best I can come up with is that he’s shed the last of his restraint by the time, especially once he’s transformed.

His one—ONE—truly selfless act ended up being him going through the portal after Havik. He acknowledges that something happening to Geras will be disastrous and does what needs to be done. It’s unfortunate it was so overwhelmed by shitty things happening to him, or him just choosing to do terrible things. Who’da thunk it that that would be the smartest and most sensible thing Bi-Han did in the whole story?

Well written characters don’t drag us by the feet from plot point to plot point. A lot of this came off as shallow, rushed, inorganic.

Bi-Han being the one to defeat Titan Havik was satisfying, but Liu Kang suddenly caring about what killing a Titan would do their timeline? Like we didn’t just wreck Titan Shang Tsung’s shit??? Even if Titan Havik was potentially connected to more timelines, Johnny, Rain, and Tanya proved that even in the most fucked of timelines goodness existed. He surely damned decent people in Titan Shang Tsung’s timeline, too. He couldn’t be any surer there was no one but his minions left, right?

IDFK. One of many inconsistencies in this new timeline’s story.

Noob’s time as Havik’s henchman was pathetically short, too. And the person who drops his henchman self isn’t Kuai Liang? Or even Sektor? He doesn’t even have a real fight against Scorpion? Because Scorpion didn’t get a chapter and it wasn’t worked into Noob’s chapter. (He was shameless and aggressive enough it honestly could’ve been.)

Don’t get me wrong, I really liked Empress Tanya, but the single playable character per chapter structure really, really hurt this installment. There were multiple instances where the wrong character got the playable fight against the enemy onscreen/impeding the heroes’ progress.

The tower endings for both Sektor and Noob also seem to shit on Liu Kang’s plan to keep Bi-Han safe while he attempts to restore him fully. And that pisses me off. Because the thing that gave me hope about this whole charade was that we’d finally get a Bi-Han redemption story. He may spend the rest of his days disfigured for what Havik did to him, which is fine, but his spirit would be pure. He’d feel remorse and care to redeem himself. It may still happen; I know tower endings aren’t 100% canon, but there tend to be snippets there.

I can only hope that Sektor becoming involved with Quan Chi leads to Sareena being a part of the story and a key factor in Bi-Han’s redemption.

I honestly thought all of his restoration, or the hints thereof, were going to be part of the ending. I expected him to consciously choose to fight against Havik before Liu Kang “restored his mind”. (If that is what Liu Kang considers Bi-Han with his mind resorted roflmao).

Smoke was robbed, as were several characters who deserved to play a larger role (Kitana, for one). Did Tomas even have a single line? I truly can’t remember, he was there so little.

I’m annoyed that Emperor Rain and Empress Tanya were written better as a couple than Tanya and Mileena, because the series is sorely lacking in queer representation. They’re it at this point and they’re sadly, canonically, a kinda boring and neglected ship.

Cyrax is adorable and I loved her. I know some people don’t like her voice or her look, and I’m still lukewarm about the genderswap, but I really liked her. I think her characterization was closest to its roots of any of the DLC characters.

Boy was I wrong about Sektor. I liked her but the trailer cleverly implied she was more of a team good guy player than she is. She openly cooperated with the good guys but it was entirely motivated by her loyalty and personal affection for Bi-Han.

It was extremely refreshing to see Harumi, period. She not only lived but was portrayed as a competent and sympathetic character. One of very few things the DLC did well with.

Several of the skins are fantastic. I love Khaos Takeda, Kitana, and Mileena. Khaos Shang Tsung is awful though. Absolutely hated his look for all 12 seconds he was there.

Overall, though, the DLC was a massive disappointment. It cost $$$, only lasted a couple of hours, and there was no post credits scene to give me anything to look forward to and make the underwhelming story experience more palatable.

And if you loved it, congrats. If you have all the “this is actually a lot deeper because” metas and headcanons, go you. I’m happy for you. I wanted to like this enough to at least try to rationalize what I didn’t like. I really thought I would.

[puissantveil]

Live reaction to MK1 Story Mode, part Banquet (CW: alcohol and alcohol jokes)

Huh. Kitana's sitting at the head of her table (flanked by Johnny and Raiden, I might add) while Mileena is sitting off next to Rain. Kitana's probably the one who's fun at parties.

Regarding the food, I see...little rolls of bread, apples, a pomegranate, some sort of roasted fowl, and red wine. Wait, is Kung Lao still with the Shaolin? Buddhism forbids drinking alcohol.

WTF Kung Lao, don't just fucking tear a leg off the bird like a caveman, ask nicely. See, even Shao and Reiko are disgusted by your lack of table manners. The burp is the icing on the cake.

Kitana's cute as balls I adore her with those soft, slightly crooked lips and beautiful eyes, she's almost too cute to sexualize. Almost.

There's something super familiar about Rain's face, but I can't put my finger on it.

SHIT SHIT FUCK FUCK MILEENA NO OH GOD THE HUMANITY

It looks like some pretty gnarly reflux, but we all know what it really is

Rain stone cold does not give a fuck lol, what a great friend /s

you are not fine Mileena, you look like you're trying not to lose your shit while listening to the Klarvins* in the hah-tub

that Black-looking guy is wearing one of those little rounded caps. They're called kufi and are worn in many different parts of the African continent.

The twins are about ten thousand. Things have only been chill for one thousand. The royal house may have seen a lot more shit than I previously thought.

"My husband Jerrod believed that the future of our realms lay together" kinda like all the times you and Liu Kang lay together ayyyyyy

Kitana is actively interested in what Mama Sindel has to say. Which, tbh, is more than I can say for my parents sometimes.

"letting no secrets tear our bonds asunder" oho i see what you did there

"more that joins us than divides us" He's talking about the wine. The love of booze transcends realms.

C'mon Shao, he's trying to be nice. Don't try to undermine him.

"Earthrealmers are devoid of all-" Dammit Sindel, now we'll never know what we're missing.

"Perhaps I've enjoyed too much of this excellent wine." Nah man that's bullshit, you 100% meant what you were going to say.

Sindel is always a delight to watch. Yes, I am referring to her face and her boobs.

More fruit. Lots of apples and some passionfruit, to go with bananas and pomegranates earlier seen.

Sorcerer? You mean like Shang Tsung?

We've got a clash of ideals here: independence and integrity vs. peace and goodwill.

Excellent close-up of Sindel's disapproving face. Looks like something out of a movie, which I like.

Ending with Kitana and Mileena coming to see Sindel. I've watched this scene before and have a lot to say about it.

Sindel is so fucking good in this game, my god. Someone make a "Sindel not fucking around for x minutes and y seconds" please.

*Roger and Virginia Klarvin, played by Will Ferrell and Rachel Dratch respectively, are the subject of a series of SNL skits, wherein some poor sap has to listen to their flowery accounts of their sexcapades.

[themetaisawesome]

MK12 has been out for a while now, but I'll throw spoilers under the cut anyway. Long story short, I did not care for the last third of the story. Longer story below the cut.

I was pretty engaged in the first two acts, or at least the first half.

Shang Tsung's new backstory is great, a con-man elevated by "Damashi" with promises of power and greatness. Sorcery combined with alchemy and a claw weapon reminiscent of Scarecrow is top notch. Plus, Alan Yee channels Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's smarmy deviousness excellently.

Glad Kronika is never coming back

Kung Lao's intro chapter was fine. I like the new status quo with him and human Raiden. Madame Bo is fun (hope she becomes a kameo). The Lin Kuei test was good.

Human Raiden is serviceable but boring.

Johnny is a mixed bag. On the one hand, he gets some of the funniest lines of the game and the Johnshi bits were excellent. The development of their friendship was top notch. On the other hand, he leans way too heavily into the younger Johnny we saw in the 2nd timeline. When Cristina was introduced I was like, "Whoa! Johnny has a new love interest? What's the story there?" But after she leaves, they don't do anything with her. They get divorced off screen, and I feel like that hurts Johnny's story. Some of his intro dialogues are borderline "fuck my ex-wife" sitcom level shit. He has one where he threatens Nitara if she goes near her, but that's it. There honestly seems to be something there with Cristina that the writers overlooked. She fell in love with Johnny before the fame, when he was John Carlton. It would've worked as the setup for a real arc for Johnny, where he has to learn that there's more to life and himself than the action movie star. It would serve as a nice echo of his development between MK9 and MKX. I'll be honest, as much as I like BladeCage, I wanted Johnny and Cristina to work things out.

While we're on the subject of intro dialogues, does the frequent use of the words male and female rub anyone else the wrong way? Maybe it's because our world is plagued by transphobes and their bullshit rhetoric, but I do not trust when those words replace man and woman in sentences where they shouldn't be. It makes dialogue sound less organic.

Baraka and Repile as heroes? Ashrah's return? Syzoth/Ashrah? Perfect. Amazing. No notes (except for a major one that I'll get to in a minute).

While I agree that Kitana was a bit underutilized, she still works. Love her.

Also loved how they used Mileena in the story, and she has some pretty good intros. So glad we got to see her with the heroes and on good terms with her family. Mitanya/Tanleena is also a very cute ship.

Li Mei was fine. She has a great new moveset. ACAB tho

Does anyone else think it's weird that they changed Quan Chi from an actual demon to a person of color, and then gave his white skin an origin story? His role in the story works, though he and his titan counterpart become second fiddles to Shang Tsung in the second half of the game. Sean Krishnan gives a good performance, but I do miss Ronald Banks.

Oh, General Shao. How the mighty have fallen. While Ike Amidi is a good actor, that voice does not work for Shao. It works for characters like Atrocitus because it's a very brutish voice. It lacks subtlety. There were times it was okay in MK11, but they doubled down in 12 and it does not work. General Shao gets one or two moments where I believed this was an accomplished war hero who genuinely believes what he's doing is right, but they are few and far between. The truth is, I don't think Netherrealm Games respects Shao Kahn, and that's a shame.

While we're on the subject of voices, let's get to Sub-Zero. While Kaiji Tang works for a character like Sanemi, it really doesn't work for Bi-Han. There is not a hint of subtlety in his try-hard edgelord presence.

Kuai Liang as Scorpion is... okay. Liu Kang really did give him Hanzo's moves, outfit, powers, name, wife, and position, and then made him a young Hanzo's mentor. Daisuke Tsuji was a great choice to play him, tho.

Glad Smoke is back and that's he voiced by Yuri Lowenthal, but there isn't a whole lot there. He's almost as boring as Raiden.

So, I know Jerrod being a part of Ermac has been a thing since MK9 and Netherrealm is finally doing something with the concept, but I don't care for it. It's not bad, and it works in the story, but I feel that giving Ermac the soul of a major character detracts from him being his own character. Ermac stops being Ermac and instead becomes a second life for Jerrod.

Pretty boy Havik and his hair still makes me laugh.

Darrius sure does exist.

The less said about Nitara Fox the better.

Glad Motaro and Sareena returned. Goro still seems way too short.

The writers did well with Sindel, making her a noble queen but one who holds grudges and has a temper is many steps above Twindel. Shame she died tho.

Liu Kang gets a B- for this new timeline. Matthew King continues to nail it out of the park with his performance, the Fire God has some spectacular fatalities, and there's a lot of interesting stuff in this new status quo. There's just a lot to nitpick with the third timeline.

So, my main gripe with the story starts at the Titan Shang Tsung reveal. The reveal itself is perfect. Aftermath's alternate ending being canon in another timeline and using him as the villain behind the scenes is an idea worthy of two chef's kisses.

However, it's to this story's detriment. He usurps the narrative significance of the current timeline's villains and their plot. Had they saved Titan Shang Tsung for the very end and as the antagonist for the next game, it would allow better focus on our current timeline villains and given more heroes screentime. Baraka, Ashrah, and Reptile disappear half-way through the game. Mileena and Sindel get to shine (before the latter becomes the sole heroic casualty), but the rest of our heroes only get a handful of moments. This is especially bad because from chapters Kenshi to Syzoth, the group dynamic was so strong that I missed this team working together during the second half of the game.

While there is something commendable in going so big as Armageddon 2.0, the fusion fighters feels gimicky and the Titanic Deadly Alliance just feels... eh. Honestly, most of the minions don't feel like they come from the same timeline as the Dark Raiden and Twindel that we fought earlier.

And then the Deadly Alliance just gets beaten. The diner scene that follows feels weaker because A, not all of our heroes are there, and B, Geras' warning that Liu Kang will have to sacrifice the life he's grown accustomed to doesn't pan out because he can just hang out with them any time he wants. If "the realms are in good hands" is meant to tie back in to that "sacrifice", then it falls flat because it doesn't connect.

Then there's the end credits teaser, which is a dud. What makes Titan Havik any more threatening than the other two titans that we just defeated? If Titan Havik is a teaser for an Invasions event, whatever. If he's set up for MK13, then every criticism

But if they were dead set on having Armageddon 2.0 in MK12 and if they wanted to set up the next game, Titan Havik wasn't the one to go with. You know who they should've had step through that portal?

The return of the OG Shao Kahn empowered by Blaze would've knocked the socks off of everyone. It establishes that the Midway timeline still exists (even if everyone is dead in it), puts Shao Kahn back in a place of honor, and would be WAY more hype for MK13.

Anyway, those are my many thoughts.

[generalasshattery]

MK Movie Thoughts and Reflections

It’s been a few days since I watched it, and it’s all had time to settle in my brain. Who wants a tangent?

So, I guess I should start with the like biggest issue. Cole. Like I get he was only put in the movie because the studio insisted, and I feel like a little bit of the resentment for having to do that is obvious by just how bland a character he is. If they had to have him, they could’ve at least made him a little more fun to watch. Like, you had the opportunity to make a new Mortal Kombat character, some of the most deliciously and wonderfully over the top and charismatic fighting game characters out there... like why didn’t they make any effort to justify his existence on screen? Want to give us an everyman that can be used to introduce the world to the public? Do it, make him an audience proxy. Use some wit and charm to make people feel like he represents how they’d act in that scenario. I’ve seen this done to absolutely beautiful effect, my favorite example is actually a short horror film on YouTube called Downstairs. Lean into the batshit insanity you’re introducing in the form of mortal kombat. This role is historically handled by Johnny Cage, but he’s a celebrity rich boy, how would Joe down the block honestly handle this shit? Would he be stressed the fuck out and anxious? Or riding high getting to live out an ultimate power fantasy? That’s what would’ve been fun to explore with a new character IMO.

With that out of the way, I’m not going to belabor all the things I didn’t enjoy. Because well, it’s obvious. Jobbers irritate me, like what the fuck was that they did with Reiko? Did not like. Killing a clearly post burns Kabal in a fire? Like that just upset me. And all the weird lore building choices were just that... fucking weird. They do not need to be super heroes. They do not need to awaken super powers. Tech based abilities make it more interesting against the more supernaturally influenced characters. Genre bending has always been a feature and not a bug in MK. The game was supposed to be a Jean Claude Van Damme game, it was supposed to be all these different genres of movies coming together to fight the Van Damme, in a manor of speaking. Taking away the absolutely fun part of the story where special ops, a celebrity, and monks team up with a god to fight ninjas, a sorcerer, criminal empires, and monsters, is like missing the forest for the trees with the franchise. And I just can’t even go into Shang Tsung. I just can’t. I like Chin Han, he plays assholes very well, but Shang Tsung is a special kind of asshole. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa just set the bar so high with how much intellectualism he brings to the lines. He can drop them in such a smart sounding way that it makes you feel like he’s three steps ahead of you. There’s something so obviously manipulative and toying in his vibe (god the best part of MK11 is him, I’ll fight people on this, he fucking stole that shit for me) that it makes him feel instantly threatening. Immediately you know this is a man you Should Not Fuck with. I need that from Shang Tsung, or I don’t even really feel like you should bother bringing him to screen.

But despite all that, I did actually enjoy the experience of watching the movie, admittedly because I expected not to like any of it, so there were quite a few pleasant surprises. The gore and fight scenes were so perfectly stylized with the excessive blood and choreography, showing off the characters fatalities and famous moves... yes feed me that fan service. Feed it to me.

And while I don’t love all the casting (Reiko and Shang Tsung for example), some of it was pure perfection. Kano, Jax and Sonya? Story was... A Choice but loved the actors and what they brought to the characters. Also, like Lui Kang being cast with just the prettiest actor made me very happy. Pretty boy Lui Kang can hang, especially with his belt/slash floating in the wind. I was here for that.

Holy god damn hell, Joe Taslim, what the fuck dude? You made all my Bi-Han fantasies and dreams a reality. Like god damn, I could feel the depth he was bringing to the role even if the script didn’t let him explore it. I seriously hope we get so much more from him because got damn. I was so pleased with his performance. Holy shit not to mention the ice effects, his Katara moment of stopping the rain and then wrecking the shit out of a street is the kind of raw destructive power that canon has always hinted he has but hasn’t really shown us. He’s so often relegated to being a jobber, and MK is so especially bad at telling you a character is powerful but not showing it. Oh boy the movie showed it. Not just him either, I felt a real sense of power from a few players, and that was deeply satisfying.

Also like Kabal? For as much as his death pissed me off, damn did they nail his vibe. I think we’d all rather have good guy Kabal (which would’ve been a more interesting story with Kano on both sides the fence [and I DO NOT have the energy to write the dissertation I have for that weird ass choice]) but I really thought they got the bad guy him just right. Side note: My sister watched it with me and just adored him, she loved his fight scenes and kept asking me who he was and telling me how damn cool he seemed. And I do agree. His fighting scene was so damn good. The way they handle his choreography and effects made him look every bit the intimidating opponent he is, even if he didn’t actually win. Very good work there.

Hanzo has some promise here, but man did they cock tease us with those trailers. Didn’t even toss a handy j for our troubles. I will say, assuming they do make another film (and that is a big assumption) I am cautiously optimistic about where it could be heading. The actor really didn’t get enough time to explore the part, but Scorpion has the potential to be fascinating and I feel like him and Sub Zero getting their own film properly could really give me some satisfying story telling in Mortal Kombat’s biggest rivalry.

Over all? Not super satisfying for the dedicated fans. Wouldn’t really recommend it if you don’t Stan Bi-Han specifically. But if you set your expectations as low as possible, you may find some fun in it the way I did.

[shaolin-spin-doctor]

a Very Heated Battle of The Realms review

No spoilers:

It was bad. Really bad.

Scorpion's Revenge wasn't a masterpiece by any means, but it was good enough to get me hyped for this movie. Eye-catching style, outstanding animation and an interesting enough story to get you hooked despite its overall lack of depth - if the first installment could have all these things, surely the sequel would improve on them and be even better, right? Right????

Wrong.

This movie sucks. Sure, the first few minutes are entertaining, if pretty uninspired, CageBlade is cute, and the Subzero / Scorpion subplot in and of itself is actually pretty decent, but it fails in pretty much every other aspect - most of the characters are barely even... well, characters, the plot feels all over the place, the fights are short and uninteresting, the animation is lackluster... And the ending. Oh my god, the ending. I want to know who in their right mind looked at that and said "yep, seems about right!". The rest of the movie had been whatever-ish, but it completely lost me at that point. Some Annihilation level bullshit, I'm telling you.

All in all... Only watch this movie if you want some background noise, are drunk with a couple of friends, want to see some mindless violence for an hour and 20 minutes, or are a subscorp shipper and can ignore everything else in favor of their scenes. If you aren't in any of those categories, please spare yourself the headache and don't even look at it. Forget it exists. It's not worth it, not one bit.

As a side note that has nothing to do with the base movie itself, if you're a Spanish speaker and are thinking of watching the Latin American dub... Don't. Please don't. The audio mixing is disgusting and whoever directed the voice actors didn't even try, so everyone's bored and unenthusiastic all the time and it really just makes an already unimpressive experience worse. If you really need to watch this, do it in English for your own sake.

Spoilers:

LISTEN. I swear this has nothing to do with Lao getting murdered. Y'all know I was fully prepared for it to happen, and was not surprised at all when his was the most brutal death in the entire movie. In fact, I was actually kind of excited (sad, too. but still excited), since the whole thing up until that point had been a complete drag and I was sincerely hoping we'd get some actual action from it. Sadly, it was not the case, and instead Liu Kang got a Dragon Ball Super level powerup... and whatever the FUCK the ending was. Legitimately, I screamed when he turned into a dragon - I wanted it to happen, but in a BADASS way, like the games, y'know? Instead we got... that, and I think my father said it best when he described his presence as a "dying asthmatic shrimp". aND SHINNOK?? WHAT THE FUCK?? I fully believed his appearance was gonna be setup for a subsequent movie, ESPECIALLY when Shao Kahn grabbed Kitana - i thought he was gonna kill her at first, and then we'd have the main group of revenants (sans Liu Kang) for Shinnok to call upon, and I was kind of hopeful that perhaps they would explore them better in the future and give us the Legends version of mkx or something like that - but he ended up just. being a Big Evil Monster. His defeat was so stupid, too?? Idek man I can't even begin to describe how dumb and nonsensical and pathetic the whole ending was. Legitimately one of the worst endings for any movie I've ever seen in my entire life, not even kidding.

L/iutana came out of NOWHERE. I adore this ship with my life, but it was so poorly set up i was left absolutely flabbergasted when they kissed. What the fuck? Cageblade was okay because of the setup in the previous movie and the little development the two had in this one, but L/iutana was just. God. Legitimately. If you aren't even going to bother writing a romance in a slightly believable way or give it any development, why bother writing it at all????

Speaking of Liu, I don't know about you, but I didn't connect with him at all here???? See, he's supposed to be the protagonist, but he gets barely any development and his spotlight is constantly being stolen by Scorpion and Subzero. Yes, I know he's just as flat in the original games and he's only began developing his own personality fairly recently, but you had so much potential for him, both as a person and with the potential lore attached to him. Why did the Tarkatans kill his family? Why did he get a random powerup and managed to lift Shang Tsung's "curse" (which, by the way, was completely pointless), which only Raiden was supposed to be able to heal? The only thing I liked about him was his chemistry with Raiden, who is also one of the only few highlights of this movie for me, and everything else... Nothing, really. Hell, he doesn't even talk to Kung Lao ONCE. For a man he's supposed to consider his brother, you'd think they'd have at least a single scene of them together - at least as a way to display their bond, if the writers really didn't want to give them any real character traits aside from "good guys with pure hearts" - but no. That's partly why Lao's death didn't carry any weight - yes, it didn't lead to anything, but it hadn't been set up at all, either. Same with Stryker. He was just a guy who happened to get involved, said two lines, and then died. He had no real relationship with anyone in the group, so his death was completely unimportant, and really, if he had just vanished, just like those rain clouds that appeared to soak Liu after Raiden's death for like 2 seconds before going away without a trace right in the next sequence, I probably wouldn't have even noticed.

Really, he, Lao and Smoke might as well have been cut, and it wouldn't have made any difference. It's sad.

All in all... I didn't like this movie at all, except for a very few things here and there. I know it's supposed to be Mortal Kombat, and people are always gonna defend it by saying the story doesn't matter, but... Why shouldn't it? Why can't we have a good Mortal Kombat story with better thought out plotlines and characters? And if we can't have that, why can't we at least have coherent fights? This movie had a lot of potential, and it was just tossed out the window. I'll be salty about this for a while.

[averytiredbitch]

Mortal Kombat 11 Michiko vs Canon intro fight dialogues pt 2

CW: PTSD mention  Michiko, Reiki, Nozomi, and Krow are my OCs. Reiki is genderfluid and goes by she/him pronouns.

here you go @deepinthefog here is the rest of the dialogues 

please read below the cut

Michiko: Just how sharp are your teeth Baraka?

Baraka: Sharp enough to tear through your bones.

Michiko: I’d like to see you try.

Michiko: So how long have tarkatans been around?

Baraka: Long before either of your kind.

Michiko: That’s not what the books in Fuyuka’s temple say.

Michiko: You may have blades, Baraka, but I have saws!

Baraka: But aren’t you scared of-

Michiko: werenotgonnatalkaboutthat!

---

Michiko: Cassie….Cage is it?

Cassie: The one and only!

Michiko: Oh good! Thought I had the wrong Cassie for a minute there.

Michiko: Did you and your dad really come up with “ship names” for Reiki and I?

Cassie: Yup! I propose the idea of… FireFox!

Michiko: .. oh by the gods.

Michiko: I heard someone’s got a little crush on a certain ice gal.

Cassie: Who told you I liked Frost?

Michiko: You did!

---

Michiko: For the last time. I. am not. From. the Netherrealm!

Cetrion: But wasn’t your mother a corrupted Nymph?

Michiko: Both my parents were corrupted and none of them are from the Netherrealm.

Michiko: Were you one of the Gods responsible for the massacre of the Karasugawas?

Cetrion: No, but I know of the Gods who were.

Michiko: Names. Now!

Michiko: Why are you crying?

Cetrion: I can sense great pain in you young one

Michiko: please don’t read any further…

---

Michiko: Did you seriously try to stab my fiancé!?

D’vorah: She tried burning the hive

Michiko: You keep your hive the fuck away from her!

Michiko: Are you seriously trying to say that you’re the one responsible for the massacre of the Karasugawas?

D’vorah: And this one will finish the job!

Michiko: Nice try D’vorah, but I know bugs hate fire.

Michiko: You hate fire, but do you like ice?

D’vorah: This one would like it to see a demonstration.

Michiko: Then you’re gonna get one!

---

Michiko: I have found something other than buzzsaws that I hate

Erron: And would that be, Michiko?

Michiko: Guns! Why are they so loud!?

Michiko: For the last time, I did not lie about what happened between me and Bi Han.

Erron: I was told y'all hooked up at the tournament.

Michiko: What idiot told you that?

Michiko: How much did my brother pay you?

Erron: He paid me half a million to bring ya home.

Michiko: So how much would I need to pay you to drop this hunt?

---

Michiko: I’m sorry, you want me to what!?

Frost: Take me with you and Reiki!

Michiko: Are you really willing to leave everything behind?

-

Michiko: Alright kid, rule number one, no keeping secrets

Frost: What if I just don’t want to talk about something?

Michiko: I can respect that.

-

Michiko: I need to know exactly what my brother and Bi Han have said about me.

Frost: All good things.

Michiko: I think you and I have two very different version of good things.

---

Michiko: Step aside Fujin.

Fujin: Whatever Cetrion told you, was a lie!

Michiko: I’VE SEEN THE DAMAGE DONE BY YOUR BROTHER AND THAT FIRE GOD!

-

Michiko: Do you still think I can achieve humanity Fujin?

Fujin: You were raised as one, so yes.

Michiko: Oh was I?

-

Michiko: Ok but like, do you know any Elder God that would bless Reiki and I?

Fujin: Michiko, they've been slaughtered by Cetrion.

Michiko: …. Oh. Damnit!

---

Michiko: Hey, how old would you say I look?

Geras: Without the knowledge of your origins, I say 31.

Michiko: You’re actually right.

-

Michiko: What does a demon benefit from a titan?

Geras: What did the Nymphs do for the Gods?

Michiko: Everything, with nothing in return.

-

Michiko: if there is no assurance for Reiki’s safety then I cannot work for Kronika

Geras: What if I told you, she could return your bloodline to you?

Michiko: I could not live with myself if Reiki were to die.

---

Michiko: How do you plan a wedding?

Jacqui: still working on that myself

Michiko: ah damn. Good luck though.

-

Michiko: Do you have any more relationship tips?

Jacqui: Boundaries and communication are key.

Michiko: We got the boundaries covered

-

Michiko: Normally I wouldn’t say this, but your arm enhamencents are cool!

Jacqui: What do you mean, normally?

Michiko: Have you seen what happened to the Lin Kuei?

---

Michiko: Where did you find all that information from

Jade: In a hidden temple on Shang Tsung’s Island

Michiko: So that’s where it is. I’ll have to inform Nozomi.

-

Michiko: So, why did you want to know if I worked for Quan Chi or not?

Jade: To see if you were friend or foe. 

Michiko: I think you Mama Nozomi would get along.

-

Michiko: Ok, look, I’m not gonna beat in Hanzo’s head with your staff.

Jade: Then who’s head are you going to beat in?

Michiko: Sektor’s.

---

Michiko: What’s the worst form of therapy one could get?

Jax: Electric shock the-Michiko?

Michiko: I didn’t mean to I didn’t mean to I didn’t mean to I didn’t mean to I didn’t mean

-

Michiko: If you must know, my brother, Sektor, used to call me little birdie

Jax: Oh, is that still a good thing?

Michiko: Yeah it is. But you’re not telling him that!

-

Michiko: How’d you lose your arms?

Jax: It’s a long three part story.

Michiko: I have time.

---

Michiko: I never said you were cooler, I just don’t argue with children.

Johnny: You’re one to talk, kid!

Michiko: Fight me old man!

-

Michiko: So, what nickname should I give you?

Johnny: How about, Mr. Cool guy? No no! Superstar!

Michiko: I got it! How about, foolish star!

-

Michiko: Here you go!

Johnny: What is it?

Michiko: an invite to mine and Reiki’s wedding.

---

Michiko: The difference between life essence and souls is, you can live without one. Kabal: Which one?

Michiko: Would you like to find out?

-

Michiko: Just how fast are you?

Kabal: Faster than the speed of light.

Michiko: I would be impressed if I knew how fast that was.

-

Michiko: Your speed, my snow drift, let’s go! Kabal: When and Where?

Michiko: Right here! Right now!

---

Michiko: I’m sorry, my brother paid you HOW MUCH!?

Kano: Poor blokes desperate to get ya home.

Michiko: My home is with Reiki!

-

Michiko: Um, Kano, I’m not gonna bring you the medallion

Kano: Not like anyone would know you’ve gone back.

Michiko: That thing almost broke and I died the last time I touched it. So no!

-

Michiko: Look, if Reiki gets hurt, deals off

Kano: Look, Shang Tsung just need a bit of Reiki’s fire and we’ll be good to go

Michiko: Ok deal’s definitely off! When the hell was he involved?

---

Michiko: So you were adopted too?

Kitana: In my circumstances, unfortunately.

Michiko: Ouch! I feel that.

-

Michiko: Hey, who told you that I was called a princess?

Kitana: Noob Saibot.

Michiko: Oh of course he- wait what!?

-

Michiko: Reiki and I appreciate your refuge

Kitana: Must you go already Michiko?

Michiko: Until the hunt stops, Reiki and I must travel.

---

Michiko: Hey Kollector! Here’s your coin!

Kollector: I’ll teach you to throw ice balls!

Michiko: And I’ll teach you to try and mess with my mate!

-

Michiko: If you should know, I am a balance of both

Kollecter: I would still like my wage

Michiko: Ha! Fat chance!

-

Michiko: I would never be ally to those who hurt my Reiki

Kollector: She’s a seer and a Nymph! Do you not know the value she is worth?

Michiko: She’s my fiance! 

---

Michiko: So you and Jade had history?

Kotal Kahn: It’s a long story.

Michiko: I don’t think there’s much story there.

-

Michiko: Give this to Kitana for me

Kotal Kahn: Why can’t you do it?

Michiko: I just learned a shadow is now after me, so I gotta dip.

-

Michiko: Heard you got defeated in the Snow Forest

Kotal Kahn: Sub-Zero and his Lin Kuei outclassed my legion

Michiko: Be lucky you encountered him, and not me

---

Michiko: You’re not standing in my way

Kung Lao: I can’t let you attack the temple of elements

Michiko: I have an appointment with two Gods, SO MOVE IT!

-

Michiko: If you have see my brother, turn him away

Kung Lao: Now why would I do that? He has to pay for Shaolin lives!

Michiko: Turn him away before he picks up on mine and Reiki’s trail!

-

Michiko: I wish I would’ve met Bo’ Rai Cho sooner

Kung Lao: I’m just still surprised that you managed to out drink him.

Michiko: That’s because he gave me regular alcohol instead of demon elixir. 

---

Michiko: If you don’t move I will kill you

Liu Kang: Michiko, the monks, they can-

Michilko: I DON’T CARE, MOVE!

-

Michiko: Reiki’s fire is hotter than yours!

Liu Kang: A fire hotter than dragon’s fire?

Michiko: Hotter and deadlier!

-

Michiko: How does Bo’ Rai Cho hold that much alcohol?

Liu Kang: How did you not get drunk at all?

Michiko: I’m a demon. Regular alcohol doesn’t affect me

---

Michiko: You, Tanya, Reiki and me, double date!

Mileena: Ooh yes!

Michiko: Sweet! Tonight at 8?

-

Michiko: Bi Han and I never dated. We were just close before I died.

Mileena: He said you two made a promise.

Michiko: A promise that no longer means anything to me.

-

Michiko: Hey, thanks for not calling me a nymph in a mocking way

Mileena: Thanks for not calling me an ugly monster.

Michiko: That’s it. We’re friends and you’re gonna tell me everything bothering you

---

Michiko: I have had it! Move or die!

Nightwolf: I cannot not let you attack the gods!

Michiko: MY ONLY ISSUE IS WITH RAIDEN AND THE FIRE GOD!

-

Michiko: I don’t need your pity, and I don’t need your counsel!

Nightwolf: If you would let the Great Spirit help-

Michiko: Help me or hinder me from the truth?

-

Michiko: I hate that place and would rather it burn like my old home once did

Nightwolf: You would rather have innocents suffer over your anger?

Michiko: Why don’t you take the hourglass, go back about 31 years, and tell the two gods that!

---

Michiko: Keep the fuck away from Reiki!

Noob Saibot: I’m just trying to protect you!

Michiko: Protect me from what?

-

Michiko: You best keep my name out of your goddamn mouth, Bi Han!

Noob Saibot: You and I made a promise! It is best to honor that!

Michiko: That promise and our friendship was a mistake!

-

Michiko: I’m only letting you help cause Nozomi’s making me.

Noob Saibot: Oh she’s definitely Quan Chi’s daughter.

Michiko: Hey! We don’t say his name around her, got it?

---

Michiko: I want to tell you a little story.

Raiden: This should be interesting.

Michiko: It's a story of how two angry, petty, benevolent gods destroyed a bloodline and a village, leaving only one little girl to suffer the aftermath.

-

Michiko: You know of the lost realms?

Raiden: Someone I called my family was from one of those realms.

Michiko: It wouldn’t happen to be Krow of Hinpar would it?

-

Michiko: I’m not going to kill you! I just want my family back!

Raiden: I can’t do that-

Michiko: YOU OFFERED TO BRING BACK THE SHIRAI RYU! WHAT MAKES BRINGING BACK THE BLOODLINE YOU DESTROYED ANY DIFFERENT!?

-

Michiko: You’ve dealt with a cryomancer, but have you dealt with an ice demon?

Rain: What’s the difference?

Michiko: THERE ARE SEVERAL!

-

Michiko: I’m not buying that you want me as your ally for one minute.

Rain: If I made you my servant, Nozomi would kill me.

Michiko: Ok, that I can believe.

-

Michiko: in case no one told you, I don’t worship. I work with

Rain: You best treat Nozomi like the Goddess she is you imp!

Michiko: Hey! Watch it with that word!

---

Michiko: Don’t try to stop me Hasashi!

Scorpion: I’ve lost my family too Michiko. This is not the way to go about it.

Michiko: You at least got to know them before they died!

-

Michiko: You weren’t entirely wrong about it being of a Nymph, but why did you guess that?

Scorpion: Because Reiki is of Nymph origins too, and your ice matches his fire.

Michiko: I… I haven’t thought of it that way.

-

Michiko: Hasashi, look, I appreciate your offer, but I can’t accept.

Scorpion: Reiki grew up in the Shirai Ryu! You’d fit right in!

Michiko: I have my daughter to consider too, Hanzo.

---

Michiko: Unbind my thoughts from Sektor’s now!

Shang Tsung: And if I refuse?

Michiko: You won’t live to take another soul.

-

Michiko: I will bring my family back! And you can’t stop me!

Shang Tsung: Why would I want to stop you? I find your in vain efforts amusing.

Michiko: You’re lying! The Karasugawas will be restored!

-

Michiko: Have you found my soul yet, Tsung?

Shang Tsung: Don’t you dare mock me, you pompous little imp!

Michiko: THAT’S IT! NO MORE MS. NICE DEMON!

---

Michiko: No Nymph nor demon would ever serve you

Shao Kahn: You and your Nymph wife will do so imp! Michiko: HE IS MY MATE AND YOU’RE A DEAD MAN!

-

Michiko: I may not consume souls. But I do eat life essence

Shao Kahn: What’s the difference?

Michiko: I’ll show you!

-

Michiko: Let me use your hammer

Shao Kahn: Ah! And why would I let a weak puny mortal touch my hammer?

Michiko: I’ll freeze you in a block of ice and kick you into the void if you don’t give me the hammer.

---

Michiko: I don’t care how much the Lin Kuei needs me, I’m not going back!

Sheeva: You would abandon your home? Your friends?

Michiko: They can handle themselves! 

-

Michiko: Thanks for the training lessons

Sheeva: You certainly do not hold back

Michiko: Fight to the death or die fighting!

-

Michiko: Have you ever had a lover you fought for?

Sheeva: A queen I failed to protect

Michiko: I’m sure she holds no ill will towards you Sheeva

---

Michiko: Hey don’t worry, I’m not gonna take your screaming title.

Sindel: You can keep it!

Michiko: Aww, not even a friendly competition?

-

Michiko: Kitana Kahn of Outworld says she’d like to see you sometime

Sindel: That is wonderful to hear.

Michiko: I also know of a four armed queen that would like your company too

-

Michiko: Hey, you should go talk to Sheeva sometime

Sindel: But would she want to see me?

Michiko: I know she misses you more than anything.

---

Michiko: Sorry Skarlet, my blood’s not compatible.

Skarlet: I need no type. Just blood

Michiko: Ah, so you’re a type O.

-

Michiko: Wait, you’re of nymph origin too?

Skarlet: Blood nymphs.

Michiko: Huh, you really don’t hear about them a lot.

-

Michiko: You and Nozomi have really cool blood-bending!

Skarlet: You know of another blood bender?

Michiko: Nozomi is the best there is!

---

Michiko: You better back down Blade!

Sonya: Your God hunt ends here Karasugawa!

Michiko: Raiden got your future self killed! Why do you defend him?

-

Michiko: I will not repeat myself. I’m not going back.

Sonya: But Grandmaster Sub-Zero has specifically requested your help.

Michiko: He of all people should know why I cannot go back.

-

Michiko: How do I make my own legacy if I don’t want kids?

Sonya: You inspire others to be like you.

Michiko: I am the worst demon to follow. It’s not going to work.

---

Michiko: I can’t help you Kuai, I just can’t.

Sub-Zero: I know our last encounter with Sektor was shocking, bu-

Michiko: I didn’t mean to I didn’t mean to I didn’t mean to I didn’t mean to I didn’t mean

-

Michiko: Will you please get your brother off my back!

Sub-Zero: Michiko, you know Bi Han won’t listen to me.

Michiko: Not even as the Grandmaster?

-

Michiko: Where I was and where I will go is none of your concern Liang

Sub-Zero: Michiko please. Don’t leave me in the dark.

Michiko: It is best nobody knows.

---

Michiko: WHY CAN’T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE!?

Sektor: WHY YOU CAN’T COME BACK HOME!?

Michiko: You.. You really don’t understand do you?

-

Michiko: I won’t come back, but I will invite you to my wedding

Sektor: Thank you sister.

Michiko: Don’t push your luck.

-

Michiko: Was the binding of our minds really “fathers” idea

Sektor: Not entirely..

Michiko: I KNEW IT!

---

Michiko: When do you plan on marrying Sektor?

Cyrax: Sometime in the summer.

Michiko: Very specific Mykel.

-

Michiko: So.. how’s life as a cyborg going?

Cyrax: Awful.

Michiko: Thanks for the update!

-

Michiko: Hey, where’s past you?

Cyrax: Probably trying to flirt with Shi in the worst ways possible

Michiko: As if you don’t do that now.

---

Michiko: Hey, I may be leaving for good, but I promise you I-

Smoke: Wait, you’re leaving for good!?

Michiko: Tomas I have made it clear so many times that I do not like this place.

-

Michiko: Would you like to come to my wedding?

Smoke: Like to? I have to! I’m your bridesmaid.

Michiko: umm… that’s going to Frost.. 

-

Michiko: Hydro been over training you too, huh?

Smoke: Speak for yourself Karasugawa!

Michiko: At least he has a reason to do so with me.

---

Michiko: Can we take a break?

Hydro: Not until you master your ice

Michiko: I’VE MASTERED IT FOR NEARLY A DECADE NOW!

- 

Michiko: Look, I appreciate your concern Bo Hai, but please don’t worry

Hydro: What if Reiki snaps and loses control of her fire? Michiko: That’s the beautiful thing about her, she’s not a monster like me.

-

Michiko: Where have you been all this time?

Hydro: Hunting your killers down.

Michiko: But, Hydro, I died in the tunnels below the temple.

---

Michiko: Ok, 1, didn’t realize you were flirting with me, and 2, I’m engaged

Sareena: Demons and Nymphs never work well together.

Michiko: I’M A NYMPH TOO!

-

Michiko: Your efforts are but in vain Vixen!

Sareena: Don’t you have the fox-like animal form?

Michiko: That’s not the point!

-

Michiko: You said there were other ways to release my pent of rage?

Sareena: Yes..

Michiko: Can any of them help me take down two gods?

[thunderdilf]

What your MK OTP says about you

(based on ships I enjoy and/or have seen in passing)

[feel free to rebagel and add—ship hate will mean insta-blockage, for whatever that’s worth! I’m using the ship names I’ve krafted, and ballparking with others. I hope they give ye a giggle. If your ship isn’t here, PLEASE add it! I just went from memory. I love y’all.]

Caged Heat (Liu/Johnny): you’re here for a good time, not a long time—you like good tiddies and the word “angorny” means something to you. There is passion in both kombat and throwing someone’s luggage off a dock. Sparks, I tells ya.

Sonya/Johnny: you appreciate pegging and Cassie Cage (who doesn’t?). You like the story of a jerk with a heart of gold showing his true colors to a woman who is NOT easily impressed—and who also tops.

Shaolin Rowdy Boys (Liu/Lao): you’re here for a good time, not a long time… literally—you crave childhood friends to unexpected lovers and secret banging in temple broom closets! You see the value of a best friend who’ll go to bat for you, even against a 10,000 year old turboprincess, or maybe you ARE that friend.

Jadetana (Jade/Kitana): Kitana bottoms for NO man, but for Jade, she’d do anything. You love that dynamic of unswerving loyalty which secretly hides deep, abiding admiration and maybe a little lust—or a lot! Who knows what freaky shit Edenian gals can get up to in their private time? You. YOU know and may The Elder Gods™ bless you for producing kontent.

Thermodynamic Equilibrium (subscorp): old guy love is just the ticket—you crave the maturity of years, but you don’t want it boring; someone is getting speared because the love is more intense with age. Kombat to lovemaking is your kryptonite.

Warring Exes (Shang Tsung/Raiden): old guy love, but make it fashion—opulence meets chastity in a clash for the ages; you want an emotional roller coaster of “what if” and “why not”, where a mortal may teach a god to love himself, and love being loved… or perhaps not. Tragedy abounds. There’s enemies to lovers and then there’s this roller coaster. Do you really want good things for Raiden? Debatable.

Faraday Cage (Johnny/Raiden): old guy love, again, but this time it’s two dads finding comfort in a time when they need it most—you REALLY just want good things for Raiden and honestly, who doesn’t? Johnny is, decidedly, a good thing and you’ve decided that nicknames like “1.21 gigawatts” and “electric slide” are acceptable forms of foreplay. 

Cassie/Raiden: Faraday Cage 2: Electric Boogaloo—you might be a spite shipper (rock on) or you just dig visible age gap (because you know that every ship including Raiden or Fujin is EXTREME age gap) and you just want Cassie and Raiden to have nice things.

Jacqueda (Jacqui/Takeda): you watched them grow over the course of X and you were smitten. You’re convinced love really can bloom on the battlefield and kombat spouses appeal to you. The idea of Jacqui throwing down with Scorpion for Takeda’s hand appeals to you as well. Same.

Liutana (Liu Kang/Kitana): all those voice lines and character endings mean something to you—in fact, you may have cried; they’ve been fiddling about since 1995, goddammit, you just want good things for them! Is that so much to ask? I say make it happen.

Royal Pain (Shao Kahn/Sindel): the term “power couple” means something OTHERWORLDLY to you—you took one look at this terrible twosome and went “get me a freak like that” but no one was sure which one you meant and that was okay with you. You’re enamored with their grisly Gomez/Morticia aesthetic. They are awful and you LOVE it. Good on you!

Windwolf (Nightwolf/Fujin): you played Aftermath. ‘Nuff said. JK I’m never done. You love the dynamic of middle-aged person and deity falling in love, which is bizarrely specific, but you’ve found your niche goddammit and you’re going to fill it. You appreciate the koncept of the “god” not always being on top of things, or put-together and the idea of a mortal comforting such a being titillates you. The way Nightwolf stands, holding his belt buckle is, you’re convinced, what sold Fujin; it’s also what sold YOU. 

Windserpent (Shang Tsung/Fujin): you played Aftermath and while you didn’t think of it at the time, you’ve seen some REALLY nice art and batted the idea around a while and then settled on “yes this is for me”. The appeal is in the danger, from both sides—a nigh-immortal soul sorcerer and a god. Perhaps you crave a redemption arc, or a corruption arc; either way, this ship has serious potential and you intend to exploit it. How Shang Tsung of you.

Honor among thieves (Erron Black/Kung Jin): you dig age gap, unironic cowboys, and the idea of a couple of people who haven’t always been on the right side of the law finding themselves and their points of strength in the Kourt of an Outworld emperor. 

Kotal/Jade: you only needed a few cutscenes to tell you that these two are MADLY in love; what we lacked in pure kontent (after all, the game didn’t CENTER on them), they made up for in passionate exchanges. You appreciate the dynamic of respect between them and pegging is NEVER off the table.

Kano/Raiden: the aesthetic of filth-meets-purity appeals to you something fierce. The dynamic is unique and you love the potential for a redemption/corruption arc(s?). 

Shang Tsung/Kano: you saw the club scene in MK95 and you went “yes they’re boning”. Whether there is actual affection or not varies with your mood. You love the idea of disaster gay and refined gay coming together to make something dastardly. 

Bi-Hanzo (Bi-Han/Scorpion): you crave old wounds and aches and angst, drowning in memories of what never could have been, and regrets of what might have been prevented. This is an angst fest and it is YOUR cup of tea; drink that shit down, my friend, no sugar, no cream. Have at it.

Sonya/Jax: team mom and dad aesthetic appeals to you on a spiritual level. Someone’s gotta be in charge of this chicken shit outfit. AMERICA.

The Storm (Fujin/Raiden): your aesthetic includes the difficulty of a mortal’s inability to truly connect with and understand immortals and immortals finding themselves and each other in that realization. These entities who have existed since the beginning of all things understand each other better than anyone else could. Shine on.

Sindel/Raiden: this is team parents aesthetic on ‘roids. You’re probably a fan of the brainwashed Sindel theory and you’re of the opinion that only the love of a god is remotely worthy of the ultimate scream queen. Honestly, you’re probably right. Body worship is on your list of goals, right alongside worthy equals in a relationship—kinky. That being said, pegging is always a possibility.

Mileena/Scorpion: your aesthetic is danger—but alongside that is “lost souls finding love” and “shared burdens of infinite AGONY”. You dig angst and the potential for star-crossed lovers, meeting each other’s eyes across the arena of kombat. The idea of Scorpion as a consort (Kahnsort?) for Mileena might also appeal to you.

Rain/Mileena: the song “hatefuck” by the Bravery is probably your jam. You know there’s little love lost between these two, but perhaps kombat will bare their souls in such a way that they find some redeeming quality in the other—and the sex is VICIOUS. That’s what you’re looking for and by The Elder Gods™ you’ve found it.

Fanblade (Kitana/Sonya): you saw MK95 and went “I can fix this”. Kombat futch meets ancient warrior princess futch—this feels like hardcore xenabrielle vibes with a side of GORE because it’s mortal kombat, let’s be real. You feel as if Kitana would be foolish not to claim Sonya as her lover after watching her snap Kano’s neck with her thighs. You would be right.

Taleena (Tanya/Mileena): rebel, rebel—we love a good usurpation, don’t we? Power struggles are hot, both politically and in bed. Your kinks include overthrowing the bourgeoisie (even though you ARE the bourgeoisie) and seizing the means of production (meaning the flesh pits, probably). 

Shaiden (Shinnok/Raiden): your motto is fight and fuck—or enemies to lovers, for the more refined shipper. Maybe you prefer enemies AND lovers. Go hard or go home, I say.

Nightwolf/Erron Black: old guy love, but make it reformed criminal. The appeal here is that, very likely, someone has to convince someone else that he really IS out of the woods, to show him his true worth, and maybe give him some time off from the violent grind of kombat life.

Kablam (Kabal/Erron Black): black dragon buddies! In the depths of mercenary work, there isn’t time for love, not really, so you want to see these two assholes find some semblance of peace and pleasure amidst illicit activities. Whether or not Kano knows depends on what kind of quickie sex appeals most to you.

Jacquass (Cassie/Jacqui): military lesbians, friends to lovers, BFFs, this ship has it all. You’re in love with the idea of a couple of people who grew up together, suffered and fought and bled together, stumbling away from a battlefield, carrying each other and finding that perhaps they can keep carrying the other, maybe forever.

Kotal/Erron: The idea of watching someone go from bad to the bone, to actually CARING about something other than himself thrills and excites you. That kind of loyalty can’t be bought, even though you keep pretending that’s all it is. Very tsundere.

Kano/Kabal: “he’s a lowlife, piece of shit scumbag; you’re gunna love ‘im.” Nuff said.