#having to give up his friendship with lao

[failyaoi]

Simpler times

[ttrpg-smash-pass-vs]

Have you seen Dungeon Meshi? Laos is such a monsterfucker I can’t get over it. He asks one of his companions if it felt good to be caught by the tentacle-vine plant monster. He waxed poetic about how cool animal-hybrid monsters are. (I’m sorry if you don’t like a show or this feels irrelevant to your blog, but also I can’t tell my friends ‘hey I like this character because I also think it would feel good to be caught by the tentacle monster’)

Anyway he’s how I imagine this blog’s audience would approach an IRL dungeon expedition

Sorry to take this way too seriously, I mean no ill will. But I've been a MASSIVE fan of dungeon meshi for... oof, almost 7 years apparently, It's a perfect storm of everything I love with fantastic writing and characterization, and I don't think I could disagree with that more. I think you missed a primary running gag of the series. He keeps saying lines that, if anyone else said them would be sexual, but the people around him know he's just a super obsessed wildlife researcher. He does not want to fuck monsters, that's kinda the entire point. Like you need to understand that some biologists will happily and unnecessarily lick poison, get bitten, and pick up dangerous things without hesitation. It's not that they get off to poison play, it's that they love the topic so much that it's their life and they want to know every aspect. When he's zealously asking what it's like for the vine monster to grapple and stab you with seeds, he's saying that because he's just that into learning and wants the firsthand experience! He's here because he doesn't want to just read about his special interest, he wants to live it, be PART of the ecosystem!

...actually, incredibly relevant spoilers below for a monster later on (chapter 58-60, so likely end of this season or start of the next)

They later find straight-up succubi. Chilchuck talking about how they turn into your perfect match, you ALWAYS have to fight them as a pair or you're just screwed because of irresistible magic charming powers. One finds Laios alone...and he's completely unaffected, immediately chokes it and goes to kill it without any issue. The only hesitation is a bit of embarrassment that "Oh no, it misinterpreted my feelings as attraction, if the party finds this it'll lead to a HUGE misunderstanding. This could ruin my friendships, I need to immediately kill it and hide the body." That gives it enough time to convince him "hey, it's impossible to resist a succubus, so obviously I'm not a succubus right?" And it works because he knows that yes, nobody can resist a succubus charm. Except apparently him. Even trying again by combining his thoughts with his all time favorite monster didn't daze him like it did the others. It had to convince him that it could turn him INTO a monster, and that everyone else was ok with it too, to get him to hesitantly submit to being drained. They didn't have to reason with marcielle or chilchuck, but lust just didn't work with Laios, not as a person or as a monster. It's like how nobody gets panty shots except Senshi. it's a subversion joke. There are quite a few in this series, especially ones centered on Laios.

[iliketangerines]

Can you write a reader who’s like Twilight Sparkle from My little Pony. She looks like a normal human except that she’s rather tall for a woman ( around 6’9 ), can transform into either her half-Alicorn form with visible horn and wings or full-Alicorn form (Growing up watching MLP never realizing how OP Twilight would be in the MK verse so I hope you can write a reader that represents her energy)

Preferably with characters like Líu Kang; Rain; Raider; Bi-Han

friendship is magic

a/n: my god, i loved fluttershy when i was a little kid, my favorite of the mane six

pairing: liu kang x gn!reader

warnings: none :)

Liu Kang bows to you as you land at the Wu Shi Academy, dust billowing about your wings as they flap and steady your tall figure

you raise up your head, wiping off dust from your shoulders of your outfit, and raise your hands to bow to Lord Liu Kang

your horn slightly curves upward toward the sun, and your wings fold back tightly behind you and looks more like a feathered cape as you glide towards him

you tower over him, and Liu Kang holds out his arm for you to take so that he can guide you through the academy and to his defenders

taking his arm, you smile at him and ask how he has been in the years you have seen him, and he gives a light chuckles and says that he has been fine

he tells you why he has summoned you today, his earthrealm defenders refuse to get along and almost pick fights with each other every day

it ends with more injuries than needed or wanted, and it is starting to hinder the progress of training with how they spat

only Raiden and Kung Lao seem to have a good relationship

you nod and tilt your head and let out a hum, and you ask to see them, wondering where they are

the question is answered when you hear shouting coming up ahead, and Liu Kang grimaces, eyebrows furrowing and lips pursing into a worried line

he lets go of your arm to hurry forward, and you follow quickly after him and gasp at the sight

Kenshi has Johnny on the ground, tearing at his hair and screaming insults, while Johnny shouts back even more vile ones and grabs onto face to smash it backward

Raiden is trying to pull Kenshi off of Johnny, and Kung Lao is nowhere to be found on the training grounds

you hear a shout from behind you and turn around to find him, hands on his knees as he gasps for air, and he says that he’s been looking for Lord Liu Kang

turning to your side, Lord Liu Kang is no longer there and is by Raiden’s side and easily pulls the enraged Kenshi off of the beaten-up actor

Johnny just laughs, sitting up, but there is something venomous in his tone and his brows are turned into an angry twist

he goes to lunge for the snarling Kenshi, and you sigh and stop the actor in his tracks, your magic floating around him as you keep him restrained in his stop

the actor looks a little bewildered at the sight of something restraining him, and you clear your throat and look at them with a hard glare and downturned lips

Liu Kang looks incredibly guilty and puts down the dishes of all your favorite foods as he sits down at dinner time

the rest of the day had been eventful and quite frustrating as you heard the story from both ends of the story from Johnny and Kenshi

for now, you would put that to the side and focus on their relationship with Raiden and Kung Lao and strengthen those relationships first

you eat your food in practiced measured bites as you think about what to focus on what activities they could perform together the next day

Lord Liu Kang sits in silence as he eats, watching you think and pick up your food with your magic as you write down your ideas on a pen paper

also with magic

finally, you put down the pen and paper and pick up the chopsticks with your hands, citing to Liu Kang that this was most probably one of the more difficult challenges he had given you

Liu Kang apologizes, not realizing how deeply their emotions run about the issue, and you say that it’s fine and that you will solve it as you always have done

running a hand over your necklace, you eat in concentrated silence, still thinking of what to do next, until you finish your food and say that you must visit someone for an opinion

with that, you stand up and walk to the courtyard, and Liu Kang can hear wings beating in the distance as you fly away

he knows where you are going, and he follows behind, being sure to make his presence known with the sound of his fire crackling at his fists

but you don’t seem to mind and fly through the night sky, eventually landing down at an orchard, decorated with all different types of flowers and trees

you land, reaching your hand up and plucking an apple, weaving through the trunks and the flower beds until you make it to five engraved stones

setting down the apple in front of them, you sit down carefully, brushing the dead leaves out of the way and making sure there were no bugs that you were sitting on

then you sit in front of them and close your eyes, back stiff and straight, and Liu Kang sits besides you, looking at the headstones of your beloved friends

there is no sound as you sit, barely the audible sound of your breath in the air, and Liu Kang wonders if you’re talking to your friends

he wishes he could do the same, find his friends, have a resting place for them, and speak to them again

time passes, and finally, you open your eyes again and look over to Liu Kang at your side and say that you know that he misses his friends, that he sees so much of them in his recruits

Liu Kang nods, picking at the grass by his side, and you say that you miss your friends too, having unfathomable amounts of magic makes you live for eons while they only live for a short while

the god understands, he had waited for eons to see his friends, and he will miss them for an eternity when they pass away into obscurity

you press your lips together and stand up, offering a hand to help Liu Kang up, and he gladly takes it to stand up again

the sun is starting to come up along the horizon, but you don’t move to fly back to the academy

rather you place another hand over Liu Kang’s and say that you are his friend as well, and if he ever wants to talk, you will be here for him

Liu Kang nods, smiling at you softly, before reaching up to tuck a piece of hair behind your ear

you smile and with a great flap of your wings, head back to the Wu Shi Academy with him by your side

[bunniekittiee]

Cheater, Cheater, Raiden’s Eager

Pairings: Kung Lao x Fem. Reader, Raiden x Fem. Reader

A/N: Bi-Han won the poll, but I just could not stop myself from writing Kung Lao's fic. Shout out to @engie-main for giving me ideas on how I could approach this! You were a huge help! If some parts are poorly written or don’t make much sense, I apologize. I was in multiple different states of mind while writing this so it affected my writing too. I also suck at writing endings lol. But Happy New Year everyone! First fic of the year!!

Content Warning: A little angsty, cheating, physical cheating, NSFW, making out, oral (69)

Summary: Kung Lao has secretly been cheating behind his girlfriend’s back. After being exposed by Fujin, Y/N ends things for good. Raiden begins to fall for her, but his conflicts with Lao make them more estranged.

No one would have ever thought it would come to this. They seemed like they were endgame, enough to get married, have children, grow old together. At least, that is what Y/N thought. She never thought he would have done what he did. And she did not want to find out this way. It devastated her.

It was a group outing. Liu Kang wanted his champions to get together for a special dinner at Madame Bo's. Fujin, Raiden's sister, helped Y/N get ready for the date, as well as herself. They were the closest of friends, just like Raiden and Kung Lao. She introduced Kung Lao to Y/N originally, and the two hit it off from there.

She was happy to know that her best friend had found someone who loved and adored her, even if it was ill-mannered Kung Lao. He did have good attributes, she guessed. But Kung Lao was never her first pick for her best friend.

Raiden was used to having Y/N over often because of their friendship. He thought she was very pretty, maybe a little too good for Lao, but nonetheless he was happy for his best friend as well.

"Raiden!" Fujin yelled out of her room as she helped Y/N curl her hair. "Ten more minutes!"

Raiden sighed. He had been waiting for them to finish for over thirty minutes now. "We are going to be late."

Fujin peeked her head out of the room and glared at her brother. "Excuse me?"

Raiden looked away. "Nothing, sister."

"That's what I thought." she replied with her eyes narrowed, returning back to helping her best friend. Y/N giggled as Fujin smiled wide. She was quite the character.

They had finished up and left the room, making Raiden let out a small sigh. "I see that you are both finally ready."

Y/N smiled at Raiden while Fujin rolled her eyes. "Stop with the sassiness, I can't deal with it today."

Raiden raised a brow while he opened the front door for the two women. "Sassiness? I'm not anything."

"There you go again!" Fujin exclaimed as Y/N laughed. They interlocked arms together and talked on their way to Madame Bo's. Lao was going to meet them there with Johnny and Kenshi. She was excited to see her boyfriend. It had been some time since they had went out on a date, especially a group date.

After a few minutes of walking, they had arrived at Madame Bo's. It was quite busy, but as they scanned the room, they saw that the men were sitting at one of the bigger tables in the middle of the restaurant. Perfect.

Raiden led them to the table, and they sat in their respective spots, Y/N next to Kung Lao and Fujin sitting between Raiden and Y/N. Johnny tried to flirt with Fujin for a minute before she shut him down quickly. Raiden almost felt bad for the actor, but Kenshi thought it was hilarious.

Liu Kang arrived last, but he was very happy. When was he not? "I am happy to see that everyone made it tonight."

"A night out at Madame Bo's? We couldn’t turn that down." Lao said with a smirk. "Raiden's paying."

Raiden raised a brow. "I never said that."

"Raiden told me the same thing too." Fujin said with a wink while Raiden looked offended.

Liu chuckled. "I guess we will have to find out at the end of the night. Now let us begin dinner!"

A waitress came by and took everyone's drink orders. But not before she locked eyes with Kung Lao and almost looked nervous. Fujin noticed this, and she narrowed her eyes slightly. She did not want to say anything, maybe it was just a reaction the girl had to a table almost completely full of men. But why specifically Kung Lao?

Y/N was too caught up in Lao tickling her side to notice this, but Fujin brushed it off. She told herself to be on the lookout. For her best friend. Johnny had dared Raiden to electrocute the water tank full of fish near them which horrified him, but Liu thought it was funny. There was never a dull moment with his champions.

The drinks came to the table, the same waitress handing them out. When handing Lao's drink, she settled her hand on his shoulder before quickly pulling it away. This caught Y/N's attention.

"Do you know her?" She asked him, confusion written on her face.

"Yeah, she's my cousin." Lao said with his mouth full of an appetizer. "I thought I told you that?"

"No, you didn't." she replied back. She was never the jealous type of person, but she didn't like him keeping secrets from her. They were a team, what was the point of secrets? She told him everything. Ignoring the little splinters that went into her heart, Y/N continued munching on her food. Fujin had a bad feeling in her stomach. But she did not want to say anything. Maybe it was her mind playing tricks. She hoped it was.

Taking the last order, the waitress went back to the kitchen to get the chefs started on the orders. It would take a little bit of time, and Fujin felt nauseated. She excused herself to the bathroom where the same waitress caught her arm as soon as she was away from the table.

"Excuse me, how can I help you?" Fujin asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

The waitress chewed on her lip. "I must confess something as I do not know how to approach it."

Fujin's stomach did a somersault. "What is it?"

"Kung Lao and I have had relations with each other for the past six months." She said as Fujin's eyes widened. "He never told me he had a relationship. He never told me anything about her, and I feel so guilty knowing that she doesn’t know."

Fujin was beyond angry. Not at the woman, at Lao. He had betrayed her best friend. "I... I am at a little loss for words.”

The waitress nodded her head. “I understand. I think she needs to know. She is worth so much more than a cheating man.”

Fujin huffed. “She is. If I had known he would’ve did this to her, I would have never let him around her.”

"I am really sorry. If I had known he had a girlfriend, I would have never entertained him. He approached me first." She said sadly. "I feel horrible."

"He will get his karma, believe me." Fujin said. "I have to return to the table, but keep your eyes open."

The waitress and her both exchanged a head nod as Fujin went back to the table. They were laughing loudly and enjoying their time, not knowing that their nice outing was going to end badly. She would make sure Kung Lao regret ever committing adultery. She sat down again, and Raiden gave her a weird look.

She could not look at Kung Lao without her body filling with rage, but she kept quiet. Y/N was close to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. Fujin felt awful knowing that her best friend's world was about to come crashing down.

Their food arrived at their table, and the same waitress helped her coworkers put their food on the wooden table. She locked eyes with Lao before quickly averting her gaze. As soon as they left, Fujin cleared her throat. "I am amazed, Lao. I guess the waitress’ seem to know you around here."

"He said that's his cousin." Y/N replied with a small shrug.

Raiden was puzzled. "Cousin? You never told me you had a cousin that worked at the restaurant?"

"I swear I did." Kung Lao said with a small hint of annoyance. "Do you ever pay attention?"

"I thought your cousins have moved away from Fengjian?" Raiden said as he looked at Lao with confusion. The entire table went silent as they watched the situation unfold. "Lao, I don’t believe that is your cousin.”

Lao started to stress a bit, but he tried to keep it cool. "I think your memory is off, Raiden. And what do you know about my family?"

"I know enough to know that she isn't your cousin.” Raiden replied back with a frown. Johnny and Kenshi exchanged 'oh shit' looks before turning their attention back to the rest of the table.

Y/N looked at Lao. "Do you care to explain to me who she really is?"

"Babe, like I said, she's my cousin. Raiden's memory is off. And let's not do this in front of everyone." He forced an awkward smile at her.

Fujin was done. She immediately got up, eyes burning with anger and smoke practically coming out of her ears. "And to think I let her around you, you filthy dog.” Fujin’s face held malice. “You deceive all of us, especially your own lover!”

The restaurant was still bustling, but other tables were now watching the drama unfold at the middle table.

Bi-Han sighed angrily at one of the side tables, Kuai Liang and Tomas both looking up from their food to watch what was going to happen next. "I wanted a quiet night. Instead, we have to listen to Liu Kang's champions argue."

"But brother, it is about to get good." Kuai Liang replied as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Kung Lao is about to get exposed."

Bi-Han snapped his neck to the table. "I would do anything to watch that imbecile crumble."

"Fujin, can you keep it quiet?" Kung Lao hissed at her. "Stop being dramatic, I did nothing."

Raiden let out an exasperated sigh. That was the worst thing he could tell Fujin.

Fujin clenched her jaw. "The waitress herself told me that you and her have been sleeping with each other for six months. While Y/N has been oblivious to it!”

Liu Kang covered his mouth with his hand while Johnny's mouth was agape. Kenshi’s eyebrows had risen in shock. Kung Lao mentally cursed. "She's lying to you! We have never crossed paths with each other."

Y/N turned to Kung Lao slowly. "Then explain the shoulder touching and the eye contact Lao. You were practically undressing her with your eyes!"

Raiden shook his head at his friend. "All those times you told me to tell Y/N you were out buying her gifts; you were seeing your "cousin"?" he said in disbelief. "I covered for you thinking you were doing something nice for her!"

All eyes were now on Kung Lao who was metaphorically backed into a corner. The group stared at him, waiting for an answer. "It is all a misunderstanding, I promise you!"

Y/N shook her head. "I don't believe you, Lao."

"You're going to trust Fujin's and some harlot's word over mine? I thought you trusted me." Lao said angrily at Y/N.

Fujina gasped as the waitress walked up to Kung Lao and slapped him in the face. "How dare you! You came to me first and flirted with me! It is you that is the harlot." She walked off as Lao held his stinging cheek with his hand.

Bi-Han held in the laugh that was stuck in his chest. Watching Lao being exposed after each and every lie he told was hilarious. However, Kuai Liang and Tomas felt horrible for Y/N who sat there looking defeated. Heartbroken.

But that was an understatement for what she felt. Her whole world was ripped away from her. And Kung Lao continued to bury himself in a deeper hole with every lie he told. Everyone at the table knew that he was making it worse for himself.

"Enough!" Liu Kang exclaimed, his white eyes narrowing. "Kung Lao, you are not helping your situation with every lie you tell. Be truthful, especially to your significant other."

Kung Lao sighed, looking at Y/N. "Let’s talk outside of here. Not when everyone is staring at us.”

Figuring he was right, they both got up from their seats and went outside, all eyes on them as they exited the establishment. Madame Bo was observing from afar of the events unfolding between Kung Lao and his lover.

“Tell me the truth, Lao! It is what I deserve.” Y/N told him as soon as they were outside. The night sky’s stars were twinkling at them, but there was nothing to twinkle about.

Kung Lao chewed on his lip. “I love you very much and-”

“No you do not.” She interrupted him. “Do not give me the sob story. Tell me the truth now.” She crossed her arms and looked up at him.

“I did it because I was tired of waiting for you.” Lao said as he fidgeted with his hat. “You are very adamant about keeping your innocence until marriage, and that’s nice. But when you’re with someone like me, it’s not ideal.”

Suffocation. Her entire body felt like it was being suffocated. Lao always said he didn't mind waiting for her. But she guessed that was another lie of his. She wondered how many other lies he had told her.

“I am so sorry, Y/N. I want to be with you. And only you.”

She scoffed. “I can hardly believe that. If you wanted me, you would have never made this mistake. We are over, Kung Lao.” She said as she turned away to go back inside the restaurant to grab Fujin. She just wanted to go home. She did not want to be out anymore.

As soon as Y/N entered the restaurant, Fujin hopped to her feet and bid farewell to the men who only watched as both women left. It was Fujin’s duty to be there for her.

Kung Lao entered the restaurant as well, sitting down at the table again looking at his plate miserably. Madame Bo came by the table and smacked Kung Lao in the head with a wad of newspaper. "You have made a grave mistake, Kung Lao. I thought you were better than that. I guess I thought wrong." He did not like the disappointment that radiated off of his friends, especially Madame Bo. She was like a mother figure to him.

Finishing dinner would have been like pulling teeth. The air was filled with tension and awkwardness as Johnny eyed Lao with resentment. He as well liked Y/N. He thought she was a sweetheart. And Lao absolutely destroyed her trust. Liu Kang told his champions that he would pay for dinner, giving Raiden a look as he glanced at him. The Thunder God caught this look and grabbed Kung Lao to lead him out of the restaurant. Johnny and Kenshi thanked Liu Kang and trailed after the two men.

“Tell us the truth, Lao. We are away from everyone else. We want the truth.” Raiden reiterated to his friend. He gave him a hardened look that Lao avoided.

Lao frowned. "I just couldn’t wait any longer for her. She was… always adamant on keeping her innocence until marriage. I love her, I really do, but I couldn't keep waiting. I was having difficulty."

"Woah, brother." Johnny said as he made a face. "You don't ever insult a girl and her virginity. And you don’t ever lead her on like that.”

Kenshi shook his head. “That isn’t an excuse. You should have known from the beginning that she was taking things slow. And if it wasn’t for you, you should have not gotten together with her.”

Raiden was bewildered. Every time he saw them together, they were happy. Lao looked happy, in love with her. Yet he was unfaithful most of their relationship. This was not like the Lao he knew and was close to. Raiden felt like he was looking at a stranger. "Lao, I can't believe you. I thought you were better than this. I expected you to be better."

Kung Lao's eyes began to water, and Raiden started to feel guilty. "Lao?" The hat-man started to cry, but he quickly wiped his tears away. "I know I messed up. I know I did, but I don't know what I can do to make it right."

Raiden sighed quietly. "There isn't much you can do, Lao. You can't make it right, sadly. I'm sorry." Despite what Raiden was feeling, he had to be there for his friend. Just like Fujin had to be there for Y/N.

The other men comforted Lao, putting their own feelings to the side about the situation. They knew he made the biggest mistake of his life, but they had to stay neutral.

Fujin held Y/N's hair back as she threw up the contents of her stomach into the toilet. What was supposed to be a nice outing turned into her worst nightmare. She felt horrible for her friend. She was inconsolable.

After Fujin helped her wash her mouth out and get ready for bed, she laid in Fujin’s bed. Tonight, she would stay with her, she did not want to be alone. Not when her heart felt like it was going to stop beating. She cried into Fujin’s shoulder, and she rubbed Y/N's back gently. She was beyond angry at Kung Lao, but she knew she had to be there for her friend. She needed her.

Raiden arrived home a bit later than usual, and he noticed Fujin sitting at the table with a cup of tea, mind wandering. "Is Y/N okay? How is she feeling?"

Startled, Fujin slightly jumped. "I apologize, I was deep in thought." She sighed. "She's not taking it the best. She was throwing up and had a panic attack. It is a miracle that she is even asleep right now."

Raiden frowned. "I am sorry to hear that. I cannot believe Kung Lao and his actions. It feels like an intense nightmare." He sat down near Fujin. "His reasoning is unforgivable."

"His existence is unforgivable. Y/N gave him everything, she was always too good for him." Fujin looked like she wanted to say more, but she didn't.

Raiden quirked an eyebrow. "You look like you have more to say."

Fujin sipped her tea. "I always thought that you and Y/N would have ended up together."

Raiden's brown eyes widened. "You have?"

She nodded. "I had hoped that you both would have. I would have rather seen her with you than Kung Lao. I always had a feeling he would cause heartache, but we cannot help who we love."

"Wow, I never would have thought that you would have wanted us together." Raiden was bewildered. "I have always thought she was pretty."

Fujin chuckled. "Well, give her some time before you go and try to romance her. She is going to be heartbroken for a long while. But she will come around again."

It was a long while before Y/N was ready to go back into the dating world. Kung Lao’s actions had completely warped her sense of trustworthiness with others, and she felt very insecure. Like she wasn’t enough. She wouldn’t be enough for the next man who came into her life. She was afraid of the same thing happening once more to her.

She spent a lot of time with Fujin and Raiden. Her best friend made sure she was distracted from her intense thoughts, as well as check on her mental health. Whether it was girl outings, sit-downs, tea times, or sitting at home, Fujin made sure Y/N’s heartbreak would not worsen.

As disappointed as Raiden was in Kung Lao, he was still his best friend. He had to interact with him on a day-to-day basis at the academy, and he couldn’t let personal problems interfere with his work. Even if Kung Lao allowed it to affect his.

His moods were dampened, he started to sleep less, he never ate frequently, and when training, he never seemed focused. He was beginning to lose his touch in his work. And Liu Kang had begun to notice.

“Raiden, come, I must discuss something important with you.” Liu Kang said as he approached Raiden who was in the middle of meditating. Raiden got up from the ground, walking with Liu Kang to somewhere away from the others.

“I have seen Kung Lao’s performance declining since that night at Madame Bo’s.” Liu said as his white eyes were staring into Raiden’s soul. “If he cannot focus, I will have to send him home until he improves.”

Raiden sighed. “I understand, Lord Liu Kang. He has not handled his breakup well.”

Liu Kang nodded. “I understand. Tough situations like that require lots of time to process and move on. I would hate to send him home and have him depart from us for the time being. But his actions may cause liabilities on missions. And we cannot afford that.”

Raiden understood where Liu Kang was coming from. He had a lot to lose, especially if he were to lose his champions. They were a part of protecting Earthrealm, they could not lose their lives because Kung Lao could not put his own self-brought issues to the side.

"I completely understand, Lord Liu Kang." Raiden said, bowing to the Fire God. "I will talk to Kung Lao and get through to him as much as I can."

Liu put a hand on Raiden's shoulder. "Thank you, Raiden. And one more thing,” Raiden looked at him as he said this. “When you plan on romancing Y/N, be sure to not take her to Madame Bo’s. It will remind her of the unforgivable.”

Raiden’s cheeks tinged pink as he stuttered. “Yes, Lord Liu Kang.” He walked back outside as Liu chuckled.

Liu sighed happily to himself with a small smile on his face. Raiden deserved to be happy, as they always were in every timeline. It was only different because Kung Lao had changed the course of events. But Raiden would never know that.

Raiden walked back to where his friends were. Kung Lao was sitting on one of the benches while Johnny and Kenshi sandwiched him. They looked concerned for him. Raiden quickened his pace. "Lao, are you okay?"

Lao sniffled as he harshly wiped his tears off his face. "No, I am not. I miss her. I don't know why I hurt her."

Raiden gave Johnny and Kenshi a look that signaled them to give them their space. Raiden would fill them in later. As they walked away, Raiden sat down next to him. "We all make mistakes that change our lives. But we cannot be stuck on them. It is unhealthy."

"Does she ever talk about me? Does she ever think about me?" Lao turned to Raiden, tears streaking down his face, his eyes red. "Does she still love me, Raiden?"

Raiden stared back at his friend. He did not want to tell Lao the truth. He often overheard her and Fujin's conversations in their home, and she did not harbor any feelings for him. She was recovering from it. Raiden stayed quiet, but Lao was not having it.

"Tell me now, Raiden. You are my best friend. Even if it hurts, I need to know. For my own sake." Lao was desperate.

He frowned. "From what I hear, she does not. I am very sorry, Lao. I wish it was different." Raiden felt horribly for his friend. Although he created it for himself, he still could not help but feel bad.

Eyes watering once again, Kung Lao blinked to prevent them from spilling. He sighed quietly, nodding his head. Their relationship was never going to be repaired. Kung Lao never had another chance. He stayed silent as he was afraid if he were to speak, he would never be able to stop crying. He avoided Raiden's gaze and stared off into the distance.

"You need to put your focus and energy into your training and work. It will help distract you." Raiden was trying to be as encouraging as possible. "I know it takes time, but you will feel better."

Lao did not reply back to Raiden which made him feel like he was being ignored. But he did not let him annoy him. He knew Lao needed more time. So, he sat there quietly until it was time to resume their training. Another day, Raiden would attempt to talk to his friend.

Walking back to his home, Raiden felt relieved as he approached the front door. He was exhausted and ready to relax. He had a long, draining day at the academy, and all he wanted was rest. Entering inside, he spotted Y/N in the kitchen. Fujin was not with her.

"Where's Fujin?" Raiden asked her when he went to the kitchen. She smiled. "Well, hello to you too, Raiden."

Raiden's cheeks flushed. "I apologize for not greeting you."

She giggled. "Don't apologize, I'm only kidding. Fujin's bathing, so I am passing the time. Would you like some tea?"

"Yes please," Raiden replied with a small sigh. "I've had a very excruciatingly long day."

She poured Raiden a cup of tea as they sat down at the table together. She was the closest to Fujin, but she and Raiden could still hold conversations fairly well. Even if the main topic of discussion was not in her life anymore. "Tell me about your day. I am all ears."

Raiden told her about his day as she listened intently to him. He felt his stresses begin to lift off as he breathed in the steam from his cup and talked. She nodded her head at him here and there and kept eye contact. Raiden noticed how bright her eyes were. How beautiful they were.

"And I am emotionally drained from comforting Kung Lao. He is my best friend, and I will always be there for him. But he is jeopardizing his place at the academy." Raiden continued. His eyes widened slightly as he realized his mistake. "I am so sorry. I do not mean to bring him up, especially to you."

She waved her hand with a small chuckle. "Kung Lao is a man from the past. I am in a new chapter of life. I can handle him being brought up in conversations."

Raiden nodded and decided it was best to not tell her what Lao had said. He was not her concern anymore, and Raiden never wanted to make her feel guilty for her choices. He knew that Lao deserved it.

"More tea?" she asked him as she began to get up. Raiden nodded and thanked her. Her smile seemed to enlarge. Raiden returned the smile. As she walked away, he was in his thoughts again. He thought about what Liu Kang said. He felt like a bad friend if he were to ask her out. Kung Lao was his best friend ever since their childhood. And here he was, thinking about asking his ex-girlfriend out.

But Lao made a huge mistake. One that could never be fixed. So Raiden was okay, right?

That’s what he thought but he wasn’t so sure anymore. He wondered if he should talk to Kung Lao first, but Raiden knew he would be even more devastated. Maybe it was not the right time-

“Raiden? Are you okay?” She asked him, eyebrows furrowed as she gently held his hands. Raiden noticed and immediately turned red, almost jumping in his seat.

“Yes yes, I am okay. Thank you. I was deep in thought.” He said as he tried to contain himself. They were still holding hands.

She giggled. “Fujin does the same thing. You are both definitely related.”

“Of course we’re related.” Fujin interrupted, making both of them jump and Y/N unlock her hands from Raiden’s. Fujin’s eyes twinkled as she made eye contact with her friend before turning to Raiden. “I hope your day was well, brother.”

“Could be better but I am thankful for another day.” Raiden replied as he tried to contain his blush.

“So darn humble it’s almost irritating.” Fujin said as she brushed her hair.

Raiden finished his tea and began to get up. “I have a few things to do. I will see you both later.” He nodded his head at Y/N and shuffled away. Once Fujin knew he was out of earshot, she snuffled at her friend. “Didn’t mean to interrupt your hand-holding.”

Her friend groaned and lightly pushed Fujin as she made her away over to her. “You are horrible.”

“What’s next, you two creating a family out here? Goodness.” She joked as her friend turned tomato red and hid her face. “Rather it be Raiden than anyone else.”

“Yes yes, I know. Don’t go into any more detail.” She said as she sat down on a seat.

Fujin only smiled. She would much rather it be Raiden any day over Kung Lao or Raiden’s other friends. She knew her brother was good. The absolute best. She trusted him with her best friend.

Another day of training. Raiden was happy to live another day, but he felt like he was stagnant. Just a little bit. He did not feel as enthusiastic in his training, but he knew he needed to be. He had to set a good example for the others, as well as prove his potential to Liu Kang. And he needed to talk to Kung Lao.

Kung Lao was hitting the punching bag when Raiden entered one of the rooms. He was focused despite blood seeping through the bandages on his hands. Raiden figured he was taking his anger out.

“Lao, I need to talk to you.” Raiden said as he approached him.

Lao’s eyes averted to Raiden, and he stopped for a moment. “Can it wait? I’m a little busy here.”

Ignoring his attitude, Raiden continued. “No. It can’t wait.”

Lao sighed. “If you’re going to give me another speech about how I need to get over my relationship and focus, then keep it to yourself. I’ve heard it enough.”

Raiden was never one to ever get angry. He seemed to have had that part of him somewhat turned off. Or maybe it was dormant. But as of now, he was irritated. “No, I wasn’t going to do that. Can you please talk to me?”

“Just because Liu Kang gave you an amulet does not mean I have to listen to you.” Kung Lao replied.

“I want to take Y/N out for dinner.” Raiden said as he stared at his friend. “I am telling you so you are not blindsided.”

Kung Lao stopped for a second and scoffed. “What a friend you are, taking my ex-girlfriend who I am not over, out to dinner. What else do you want to take from me, Raiden?”

“We are going as friends. Nothing more than that.” Raiden retorted back.

“As friends? We both know you want to date her. How long has that been going on for? Did you want to date her while I was with her?” Kung Lao started to get into Raiden’s face. “Tell me, Raiden. What is it?”

“So what, Kung Lao? You made the mistake of cheating. You knew what you were doing.” Raiden argued, his eyes narrowing and his body language beginning to shift. “Do not try to turn this around on me and make it my fault. I was never interested when you were with her. She was your girlfriend until you decided that you could not wait for her.”

“So what? So what?” Lao’s voice was rising. “You came to tell me about taking her out. You know I am not over her. You know I am still struggling getting over her. And yet, here you are, already trying to take my place. What more do you want from me, Raiden?”

“None of that is my fault. I am sorry that you are not over her. I am sorry that you are struggling. But you made the mistake of cheating. Not me, Fujin, or Y/N. You made that mistake.” Raiden stared into his eyes. “If you never cheated, this would have never happened. And you know that.”

Kung Lao stayed quiet and began to wail on the punching bag. Raiden stepped out of the room and began to walk to another training area in the academy. He was frustrated. But this wouldn’t stop him from asking her out. He liked her, and why would he let Kung Lao get in the way? He was the one who made the mistake. Not Raiden.

Palms sweaty, Raiden fumbled with the front door of his home. He knew Fujin and Y/N would be here. He wanted to ask her. He was too irritated with Kung Lao to reason if it was a good idea or not.

He entered his home with a small sigh, and his eyes caught the women sitting and enjoying a cup of tea together. She recognized his footsteps and turned around with a sweet smile. “Hey Raiden!”

Raiden smiled back. At least someone was happy to see him. “Hey Y/N! How’s your day been?”

She got up from her chair to prepare a cup of tea for Raiden. He never asked her to, but she knew him well. That warmed his heart. “It’s been okay. I am ready for a relaxing break.”

Fujin nodded. “Has Kung Lao been giving you issues?”

Raiden gave her a ‘be quiet’ look that Y/N did not notice as she was busy. “No, he has not.”

Fujin frowned. “I don’t believe that. If he even thinks about being an imbecile to you, I will choke him out.”

Raiden knew she would definitely do it, and Lao would not win against her. Fujin was incredibly strong. And Raiden realized this when she put him in a chokehold and made him eat dirt because he ate the last few pieces of her chocolate. Raiden learned two very valuable lessons that day. Never touch a woman’s food, especially when she is on her period. And that you have to floss very well to get the dirt out of every crevice of your teeth.

“I know, sister. You don’t need to save me. I can handle my own.” Raiden replied. “As much as I appreciate it.”

“Liu Kang may not appreciate you and Kung Lao getting into physical fights with animosity. But he cannot say much when it is me. I’m not a part of the academy.”

“She’s essentially saying that Kung Lao can mess around and find out what happens when he angers Fujin.” Y/N said as she put tea in front of Raiden. Raiden thanked her and chuckled. Fujin nodded with a mischievous smile. “He will not stand a chance.”

“He shouldn’t be an issue.” Raiden sighed as he did not want to think about his work. “He is prideful, but it can crumble easily. That’s how he’s always been.”

Y/N giggled. “It is funny to hear you talk about your closest friend.”

“Well, it is the truth.” Raiden said with a small smile. Her giggles made him warm. “At the end of the day, he is still my friend.”

Fujin, being quite the observer she is, noticed how radiant both Raiden and her best friend were. Eyes flicking between the both of them, Fujin made up her mind. “Oh my goodness! I forgot to help Madame Bo with food shopping!” Fujin scrambled for her satchel and began to run out the door. “I’ll see you both later!”

Raiden was puzzled, but he had a feeling Fujin did it so he could ask her out. She always worked in mysterious ways.

“I wonder what that’s all about.” Y/N said, just as confused as Raiden.

“I have no clue. But I wanted to ask you something.” Raiden said as he took the leap of faith. Raiden was never that confident, but right now he was feeling it. He wanted to ask her now so he could either wallow in his own pity or celebrate his victory.

She looked at him with her bright eyes that made Raiden feel tingly. She waited for his question.

“I know it may be too soon, but I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date. Somewhere of your liking.” Raiden’s palms were sweaty.

She was taken aback. A date with Raiden? He and Kung Lao were friends, and here Raiden was asking her out. But Lao was not a factor in her life anymore. She would not make decisions based on his feelings or thoughts. He betrayed her and made her feel unworthy. That was something she could not forgive.

And she would be a liar if she said she wasn’t interested in Raiden. While dating Lao, she never found Raiden attractive, but he was always sweet. But after, Raiden unlocked something in her. His eyes held much love and kindness. His hands were so gentle and warm. He was inviting. His lips looked so soft, and she always had the urge to kiss him. He was so sweet. So loving. Always positive.

Despite being a virgin, her sex drive had always been a bit low. But with Raiden, she felt it increase. There were many sleepless nights that she had to take care of herself because the thoughts of Raiden made her desiring. With Lao, she wanted their relationship to go slow. But with Raiden she wanted to give him her all.

Raiden saw her space out, and he began to feel extremely nervous. Maybe he said the wrong thing? Maybe she isn’t interested? Was it too soon? He was overthinking it. “Well?” He asked her. He was ready to be rejected.

“I would love to go, Raiden.” She replied softly, snapping out of her trance. “I must confess something.”

He nodded his head at her. Was it what he hoped for?

She let out a small sigh. “I have fallen for you. I am enamored by you. I don’t want to go on a date as friends, I want to go as lovers.” Now it was her turn to be nervous.

The Thunder God was about to combust on the spot. His chest fluttered, his thoughts were everywhere at once, and butterflies had invaded his stomach. She felt the same way too. “I would like to go as lovers too.” He replied with a small tinge of pink on his cheeks.

She smiled at him again. “Then it’s a date. I would like to go out to the carnival. If that’s okay with you.”

Raiden smiled back. “I would love to. When do you want to go?”

Bashfully grinning, she giggled. “Tonight, if that’s not too soon.”

“Absolutely! We will go tonight.” Raiden gently grabbed her hands and held them. They were soft. He wanted to kiss her hands, but he refrained from doing so. She held his hands as well, and she stared into his brown eyes. They seemed more beautiful than usual. Their excitement consumed them as eventually she left to get ready in her home. Raiden felt himself become giddy as the time grew nearer. Fujin had come back eventually, and Raiden filled her in. She clapped her hands and smiled, congratulating her brother while also threatening him. Just as Fujin menaced Lao, she would do the same to Raiden. Even if they were related.

Looking himself over in the mirror one last time, Raiden let out a nervous breath. Fujin stood nearby. “Don’t be nervous. You’ve known her for almost your entire life.”

“I know,” he replied as he fidgeted with his hands. “But I can’t help my nervousness. I must leave soon so I can buy her flowers.”

Fujin grinned. “How sweet. Have fun, brother. And be safe. If anything gets crazy, I will be there.” Her face turned serious. “Especially if it’s Kung Lao giving you issues.”

“Liu Kang gave me an amulet forged by the Elder Gods. And yet, you are worried that Lao will challenge me.” Raiden said with his head tilting slightly.

“I know you can handle yourself, Raiden. But as family, it is my job to protect you as well.” Fujin glanced at one of the clocks. “You must be on your way! Have fun! Tell Y/N I said hi!” Fujin practically shoved Raiden out of the house.

Raiden shook his head with a small chuckle and made his way to one of the shops to buy her flowers. He knew her favorites already from Lao dragging him along, as well as Fujin’s suggestions. Raiden went the extra mile to find some lace and ribbon to tie a bow around the flowers. He was so extra in every way possible, but he did it out of the kindness of his heart. He wanted to leave a long-lasting impression.

Approaching the door to her home, he knocked. He felt the butterflies creep back into his stomach, but it all went away when she opened the door. She looked gorgeous. Her hair was done to perfection, her makeup accentuated her features, and her outfit complimented her well. Raiden could not help his awe. “You look stunning.”

She smiled with a small blush dusting her cheeks. “Thank you, Raiden. You look handsome yourself.”

He handed the flowers to her, and she gasped. “These are so beautiful! And the bow-” Her fingers gently curled around the fabric. “Oh Raiden! You are so thoughtful. Let me put these in a vase before we leave! You can come in as well.” She moved quickly back inside of her home, and Raiden stepped inside. It was cozy, but it felt… lonely. He knew she lived here alone. That was why she had often stayed at his and Fujin’s home. He felt guilty that she had to come home to an empty home.

But before it could get to him more, she reappeared back in front of him. “Shall we go?”

He pulled out of his thoughts and smiled. “Yes, we shall.” They left her home and began to make their way to the carnival. He was excited but still felt the nerves pool in his lower stomach.

She talked excitedly on their walk, stars shining in her eyes. He could listen to her talk for hours. Raiden wondered how Lao could ever betray such a beautiful, sweet woman like Y/N. Lao had to have been on some sort of psychedelic herb to even think about betraying her.

But if Lao didn’t make that mistake, Raiden wouldn’t be here with her. It worked out in his favor.

As they approached, they could see and hear the crowds of people enjoying the carnival. They stood at the many tents to win prizes for their loved ones. Raiden felt like a little kid again.

Suddenly, he felt his hand being grabbed by Y/N. “That one! Let’s go to that one.” It did not register right away that she was holding his hand until he was being dragged along to the tent. He felt a small smile on his lips. She was so cute. After paying a small fee, her and Raiden both began to play the game. Raiden, being great at almost everything, beat her at it. She giggled at him as he picked a fairly large stuffed animal out. But it wasn’t for him.

He held a large dragon stuffed animal in his arms and gave it to Y/N. She squealed with excitement as she took it from him, giving him a hug as she did so. “Awww! Raiden, you are so sweet!”

He hugged her back and chuckled. “Anything for you. Now let’s get to the other games!”

They had lost a few games but also won a few as well. Whatever prizes he won, they went to her. And whatever prizes she won, they went to Raiden. Eventually, they had to buy a basket to carry their prizes because of how many they had. There were moments where Raiden felt that he wanted to kiss her, but he never made the move to do so. He didn’t want to scare her off.

Sharing one of the fried foods off to the side, they ate and talked. They were in their own little world. That was, until someone had decided to show up.

“Going as friends? You are a liar, Raiden.” Kung Lao said as he frowned. His eyes flickered to his ex-girlfriend who narrowed her eyes at him.

“It’s none of your concern, Lao. Leave us be.” Raiden replied back. He did not want to be cold towards his friend, but he didn’t want him to ruin his date.

“How odd is it that after we break up, you go and flirt your way into my friend group.” Lao turned his attention to Y/N.

Wiping at her mouth, she rolled her eyes. “I did not flirt my way into your friend group. I am on a date with Raiden. I haven’t went out with anyone else. What is the big deal?”

“Big deal? Big deal?” Kung Lao exclaimed in frustration. “We break up, and you are over here on a date with MY best friend! Do you realize how weird and hurtful that is? Knowing that my best friend also has a piece of you too.”

“Lao st-”

“You are not my boyfriend anymore!” She snapped, eyes burning with anger. “I broke up with you because you cheated on me! You cheated on me our entire relationship, Kung Lao. And you are hurt that I’m on a date with Raiden?” She scoffed at him as he looked at her with shock.

“Don’t you see how much I love you? How much miss you?” Lao argued back. “I have been miserable, and I know you know that. I want you back. I don’t want our story to end now.”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “How much do you really miss me? If you loved me from the start, you would have never cheated. I was hurt knowing that you could not wait for me. I was hurt knowing that you picked another woman over me. After I have supported you and loved you.”

“Don’t you realize that I can be better?” He grabbed her by the shoulders, and Raiden wanted to step in, but he knew that she would handle it herself. There was nothing he could do. “We can start on a fresh clean slate. We can make it work, Y/N. I can’t bear to continue my life without you.”

“You are not a factor in my life anymore, Kung Lao. And it will stay that way.” She said with a small sigh as she removed his hands off of her. “We can never restart. I will never forgive you for what you have done to me. Let me enjoy my date with Raiden, and you get back to doing whatever you were before you decided to rudely interrupt our time.”

She grabbed Raiden’s hand and pulled him away from Lao who stood there with tears glistening in his eyes and his fists shaking with anger and sadness. She was holding his hand. Raiden had taken his place. It should have been him, not Raiden. He watched them disappear into the crowd. His heart hurt so badly. There was nothing he could change. Absolutely nothing.

They pulled themselves away from the carnival and into a more quiet spot. Her eyebrows were scrunched in frustration. “I cannot believe him. Interrupting our peaceful date like that. I am so sorry, Raiden.”

Raiden rested his hand on her lower back. “Don’t apologize. You did what had to be done. I have enjoyed my time with you very much.”

He saw her lips curl into a grin. “I enjoyed my time too. And look at all the stuff we won!”

She lingered on her words for a second, and Raiden tilted his head at her to continue. “I was just thinking that… we go back to your house. And drink some tea. Unwind, you know?”

Interlocking their hands, Raiden nodded. “Of course. That sounds amazing right now.”

It was a little quiet on the walk to Raiden and Fujin’s home. The wind began to stir, making her shiver. Raiden wrapped an arm around her to keep her warm and close to him. Even though he was nervous and wondering if he was making the right moves. He did not want to scare her off or make her feel like it was moving too fast. But she leaned in towards his touch and let him pull her close to his body.

Arriving to his home, he opened the door and ushered her inside. Fujin was snacking on something that Raiden had no clue what it was. “Hey! You are both back early.” She tilted her head at them slightly.

Y/N sighed as she set the stuffed animals down that they had won. “It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed my time. And then Kung Lao decided to interfere.”

Fujin’s face hardened. She set her wrapper down carefully. “And what did he have to say?”

“He gave a whole speech about how I was on a date with his best friend and how much he loves and misses me. You know, the usual speech a cheater will say after their significant other leaves.” She sat down at a chair with one of the stuffed animals hugged close to her. Raiden sat on the other side of her.

“Of course he did. He’s dramatic. He’s lucky it’s just Raiden you’re on a date with. Imagine if you went with Liu Kang.” Fujin laughed.

“What’s wrong with me?” Raiden asked jokingly. “I think I’m equivalent to Liu Kang.”

“Have you seen Liu’s body?” Fujin said sarcastically. “He was literally carved by the Elder Gods.”

“Well, I would rather it be Raiden.” Y/N interjected while squeezing his hand. “He was carved by a Fire God.”

Fujin groaned. “By the Gods, not the sappiness. You guys have made me feel so ooey gooey that I’m going to Madame Bo’s. Goodbye!” As she was making her exit, she gave Y/N one last look and winked. She blushed a bit before her and Raiden settled together in each other’s presence.

The tension was strong as they were watching TV. Raiden’s hand was settled around her shoulders while she cuddled close to him. Her mind began to wander as her thoughts about Raiden started to turn sexual. She wanted to run her hands all along his body. She wanted to feel him against her. She wanted his lips on her.

Feeling her excitement, she rubbed her legs together to create some friction. She did not want to ruin their date with her horny thoughts.

“Are you cold? I can get you a blanket.” Raiden asked her as he noticed her moving around. He didn’t ask her if she needed a blanket. He felt rude.

“No, I’m okay. Thank you, Raiden.” She said as her cheeks tinged pink. At least he was a little innocent about it.

They returned their attention back to the movie, but her thoughts were still running astray. Thoughts about Raiden using his fingers on her. His mouth on her. The excitement was too much for her. She needed him now, but she knew that he was not in the mood. She didn’t want to pressure him into doing something he didn’t want to do.

Raiden knew something was going on. She was spacing out a lot, and he wondered what she was thinking about. It was just them at the house. Fujin was gone and would be gone for a while.

“You are quiet. Is there something bothering you?” He asked her. He hoped he didn’t do anything wrong.

She jumped slightly. “Oh, of course not! I am just in my thoughts, I’m sorry.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what are you thinking about?”

She started to feel embarrassed. She didn’t want to tell Raiden her thoughts. Especially when they were perverted about him. “It’s nothing really.”

“You can tell me anything.” He said to her as he gentle squeezed her hand. They were close in proximity, his face inching forward to hers. Her eyes flickered down to his lips and back to his eyes, and she realized what she had done at the very last second. He definitely caught her.

Raiden gently grabbed her face with one hand and guided her towards him, connecting his lips with her and giving her a gentle kiss. It started off with small kisses, kisses that were so sweet it almost gave her a sugar rush. His other hand settled on the back of her neck to pull her closer to him. It almost felt like electricity. She kissed him back, desperately wanting to feel his love, but she didn’t want to rush it. As much as she wanted her release.

He was just winging it. He had hardly any experience, and he had gotten advice mainly from Johnny who had a lot more experience than him and Kung Lao combined. Johnny was the one who told Raiden where to touch and what to do that would drive a woman crazy. That was how he described it.

“Let’s take this to the bedroom.” Raiden whispered as he pulled away from her. He picked her up, making her squeal as she wrapped her legs around his torso. He gave her kisses as he walked to his room, kicking the door open and setting her down onto his bed gently. He continued to kiss her, peppering kisses down her jawline and onto her neck. He moved her hair to the side so he had full access to her neck. Kissing and licking different spots, she moaned quietly while she tangled her fingers in Raiden’s hair. She started to undo the bun that it was in, so she could see him at his full glory. His black hair trickled down his shoulders, the smell of shampoo and fresh rosemary hitting her senses. She ran her hands through his hair, making Raiden hum in content. It was comfortable. He felt like he belonged in her arms.

He took his shirt off, making her do the same for herself. Raiden resumed kissing her collarbone as he wrapped his fingers around the clasp of her bra, looking at her for permission. With a nod of her head, he unclasped it and let her breasts fall freely. He kissed lower, gently licking and sucking on her soft skin. She moaned with every move he made. He made her feel good. Better than Lao ever did. He focused more on himself where Raiden was not selfish.

She felt up his body as he continued to kiss lower and lower, reaching the waistband of her skirt. Looking up once again for permission, she enthusiastically nodded her head quickly. He wrapped his fingers around the waistband and slipped them off, face to face with her aching core. Her panties were soaked, a large wet spot making it obvious. He smiled to himself.

He slid off her underwear and threw them across the room, moving himself closer to her. She was beautiful in ever way possible. He wondered how Lao could ever love another woman when she was the greatest. Giving a long lick, he eyed her as her face scrunched up in pleasure. He pushed her thighs up around his shoulders and dove his face into her sopping wet pussy. He ate like it was his last meal of a lifetime. She moaned louder, her hand tangled in his black locks as he tongued her clit. Sucking, licking, nibbling very softly, he drove her insane. She felt the warm knot tying in her stomach.

She pushed his head away rather quickly. Her wetness and his saliva was smeared across his mouth and chin. Wiping some of it away, he furrowed his brows. “Did I hurt you? Are you okay?”

“I have an idea.” She replied as she noticed his hard-on pressed against his underwear. Her mouth watered at what he would taste like. “Lay down.” She moved over where Raiden could lay down comfortably. She removed his boxers, letting his cock spring freely. The tip was wet with pre-cum.

Moving her body on top of his, but in the opposite direction, Raiden understood what she was trying to do. He felt himself become more excited as her pussy was in his face. He settled his arms around her ass and dove back into his meal. Meanwhile, she kitten-licked his tip, teasing him before taking him completely in her mouth. He groaned quietly, sending the vibrations through her. All that was echoing in the room were groans and moans, along with wet sloppy noises from their mouths.

The pleasure continued to build within one another. Almost like bounded souls, they felt their release coming onto them around the same time. Raiden tried not to thrust his hips despite how good her mouth felt.

Sucking on her clit, she squealed in pleasure as she took Raiden completely in her mouth, entirely engulfed in the warmness of her throat. She continued to moan, rutting against his mouth. Raiden’s stomach knot released, and his mind was frazzled in pleasure while her throat took all of his cum. She swallowed as her eyes rolled into the back of her head while she released in Raiden’s mouth.

Minds frazzled with pleasure, she moved off of him and laid next to him. Both of them were panting quietly as they stared at the ceiling. “Wow… that was… amazing.” She said as she glanced at him.

“It was. That felt so good.” He responded, brushing his hair away from his face.

They sat in a comfortable silence before Raiden got up. He started to put on his underwear. “I’ll make us some tea. Especially to ease your throat. I’m sure it is a little bruised.” He slipped on a shirt and grabbed one for Y/N. She slipped it on after she put on her panties, his shirt oversized on her in the cutest ways possible. He smiled sweetly. “You look adorable.”

“You think?” She asked with a giggle. “I probably look like a hot mess.”

“You are beautiful no matter what.” He replied as he went to the kitchen to heat up water for tea. She followed behind him, her legs slightly shaking from the position she was in. While waiting, she leaned against him.

“I really enjoyed today. I would like to have many more days like this.” She said quietly.

“As do I.” He said while leaning against her as well. He kissed the top of her head. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable with anything. We can take it as slow as you want.”

“I understand. I would like to take it slow as well. But with what we just did, we definitely did the opposite.” She grinned.

He blushed. “I apologize for that. I’m sorry if I coaxed you into anything.”

“You worry wort,” she laughed. “You didn’t coax me into anything. We both enjoyed ourselves.”

He chuckled. Pouring their cups of tea, they settled back into his room. They cuddled underneath his bed sheets, her head resting on his chest. She listened to his heartbeat. Eventually, it put her to sleep. It was too comforting.

Raiden fell asleep soon after, but not before thinking about the night. He wanted many more nights like this. With her. He knew that he would have a lot of explaining and arguments with Kung Lao, but nothing could separate him from his love. Things worked out for the best, in his benefit.

But what mattered the most was that he had her. And she had him. It was meant to be.

[shellswritesstuff]

hi, hear me out. johnny with a s/o he meets at wu shi? like they are also a part of the earthrealm gang. THANK YOU!

(YES. OKAY OKAY I SEE THE VISION. I loooove the idea of reader being part of the main group, if you want more lmk,, id love to expand on this.)

Johnny Cage/Reader - Wu Shi Romance (HCS!) (SFW.)

𖦹 When you first arrived at the Wu Shi Academy, you felt at peace. A bit hopeful for the fights to come. You were eager to meet your teammates, those who would take on such a task to defend Earthrealm must be great people.

𖦹 You were right! For the most part...

Kung Lao, Kenshi, and Raiden were all here on their own volition. Their own personal missions and reasons for being here were noble, and you respected them. A friendship would soon blossom.

𖦹 And then there was Johnny Cage. Movie star, model, self-proclaimed 'sexy pants.' Being from Earthrealm, you knew exactly who he was. You've heard quite a bit too.. some things worse than others. 𖦹 You were a fan! Johnny's movies were some of your favorites, and now you get to meet the guy. You were excited to train in the same place as him, maybe even learn a thing or two!

𖦹 All of this was true... until he opened his mouth.

"Well hello there, pretty lady." Johnny waltzed up to you with what was either confidence or stupidity. (You'd soon come to know it was a mix of both.) "I know you're new here and all.." He raised his left arm, flexing for you.

"So, if you're ever in need of a sparring partner.." A mental note to kick his ass was taken. "...I'd be a luckiest man in the academy to get my hands on you."

This guy cant be for real right? The only way this could get any worse is if he... WINK! There it is. 𖦹 For next few months, you'd be training under Liu Kang. Spending just about all of your time with the team. (If you want more about their relationship developing lmk! I'm planning on making a drabble or maybe a slow burn!)

At first, Johnny's flirting was non-stop. Jabs between training sessions, compliments via passed notes during the monk's lectures, you name it - he's tried it. Though, his antics never failed to make you smile. It was harmless, and on days where you couldn't bare even your own company.. he was surpisingly... docile. (As well as he could be.)

𖦹 "I'm not feeling it today, Cage." You let out a huge sigh, adjusting your wrist wraps. "I'd give anything to have slept in. It's not my day, as I bet you can see." That morning, Liu Kang had you all run around Wu Shi, only stopping to do various fights. You'd felt sick from the moment you woke up, if you can call little sleep you've had rest.

Johnny had caught up to your speed, running beside you. He had said some pun about how we're 'running' out of time before the tournament. You'd at least cringe and maybe even laugh, but he only got a huff in reply. You thought he'd poke you some more, add to the impending migraine coming your way. Much to your surprise, he just ran faster.

"OH!" He collapsed to the ground, catching the attention of a few passing monks. "OH THE HUMANITY! I THINK I MAY HAVE.." Johnny winked at you before grasping his side. "PULLED A HAMMY! THIS.. THIS IS IT FOR ME.. OH IF ONLY SOMEONE WOULD HELP ME." He reached out his hand for dramatic effect as people surrounded him.

The training drill was swiftly cancelled for the day.

After dinner that night, you found yourself at 'injured' Johnny's door.

"Knock knock." You made your presence known as you slid open the sliding door. "Feeling better after pulling that hammy?" Johnny sat up with ease, meeting your gaze as you leaned against the partition. "Learned that in Hollywood?"

"Who said I can't act, huh?" He grinned, pretending to shove dust off his sleeves. "More importantly, are you feeling better?"

𖦹 From that day on, you two would gradually grow closer. Sitting next to each other for breakfast and dinner, and even partnering up for sparring. He'd still insist on going easy on you, but after a few ass kicking later, Johnny would learn not to underestimate you.

(I have SOOO much to say, so I'll make this a two parter! Thank you soooo much for reading and my ask box is open!!)

[kisses4lao]

no bc i’ve been daydreaming about raiden and kung lao for weeks now pls feed me or i will go insane i am in love with them (btw if u do poly kung lao and raiden will reader get a cool hat too?)

You bet your sweet ass y/n is getting a cool hat.

This is y/ns cool hat. If you don't like it go fuck yourself

Tw/cw: sorry babe the hats stay on during sex. Poly kung lao and Raiden x reader relationship, AFAB reader, praise, piv, threesome, hcs of how they'd fuck it's cute, sfw hcs mixed in there too, I ain't writing allat ‼️‼️‼️

Not proofread fuck you

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sfw

They'd both be such caring lovers but in their own way. Like, if they both had a free night they'd take you out to dinner. They see your relationship as much more than sexual and they have frequent conversations about it too.

What I mean by that is when they're on missions together, they'll just talk about you. Make conversation about how amazing you are to them. Truth be told, you brought their friendship much closer

A few months after you guys decided to be in a poly relationship, you all decided to move in together

Kung Lao and Raiden would often try and sleep in as much as possible, hoping you'd wake up on your own before they'd have to leave for training

The way you guys would usually sleep together is Kung Lao would sleep behind you, arms around your waist, while Raiden would sleep in front of you, hugging into your chest

You'd often cook for them because they'd get home late. Everytime you did, they'd be so grateful, saying praise after praise about how amazing you are and how much they love your cooking

If you ended up passing out before they got home, they'd both dress you in pajamas and just go to bed like normal

Sometimes though, Liu Kang would give them days off from training, and when he does, they both spend all their time with you

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nsfw

Because of Raiden being the chosen protector of earthrealm, Kung Lao would often times come back earlier than he did

Because of this, Kung Lao would have to satisfy your needs by himself

Him and Raiden have pretty high libidos, however, Raiden is much more shy about it. While Kung Lao is upfront and initiates most of the time, Raiden is scared mainly just to touch you

He doesn't have much control over his electro abilities and so he's scared he may use them on you. After some time though, mainly after you're all in the same house, he starts to trust himself more

He's still shy about initiating sex, though. Most of the time he feels like he's bugging you

Kung Lao is horny all the time. He'll take you anywhere, anytime. His pace is usually medium to fast with a lot of passion. He loves hugging and kissing you during sex and he loves hearing you

Raiden is the same way, though he likes to go at a medium pace. He likes to draw out both of your orgasms so it feels more rewarding in the end. His hands usually stroke the inside of your thighs as he lets light sparks of electricity come out

On the rare occasion Raiden gets home early, he immediately wants to make love to you. He'll find you in the house somewhere, usually in your shared room reading, and he'll sit at the end of the bed begging you to let him pleasure you

This is usually what happens with Kung Lao too, except he just puts your book down and starts kissing you while placing himself between your thighs

Because both of them have very similar styles on how they make love, they often try their hardest to tag team

When they do, your pleasure is more important than anything else. They'd do anything for you in these moments. They like trying out different positions but they usually just do double penetration in the same hole

They spend a lot of time preparing you for this as to not hurt you. Raiden usually eats you out while Kung Lao plays with your nipples and sings praises

When they do finally penetrate, it's a very slow pace. They're both talking you though it and telling you how good you're doing, Raiden massaging your thighs while Kung Lao kisses your neck and shoulders, resting his hand on your tummy

These moments are extremely important to Kung Lao and Raiden. They find everything about you so amazing and being able to share that with each other enhances the experience. Even after sex with just one of them they talk about it to each other. They just want to make you feel good and hope you're okay

Their aftercare is also extremely gentle. Raiden will usually do the cleaning as Kung Lao gets food and water for all of you

Most of the time you guys usually take showers or baths together. One of them holds you still while the other one cleans you. Most of the time after these threesomes, you're extremely tired and can barely hold yourself up. They think it's cute and they sometimes cuddle you in the bath as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/n: I need them biblically

[theemissuniverse]

“COMFORT” RAIDEN X COMEDIC RELIEF FEM!READER

SUMMARY : You have problems and you need to let your best friend Raiden know at 3 in the morning. (Takes place before MK1 story mode)

WARNINGS : mentions of abuse and talk of Raiden’s dick

A/N : Something short. I don’t have the luxury to do something big rn

MASTERLIST 1 , MASTERLIST 2

Today was a terrible night for you. A very terrible one. So many things had gone wrong so you went to the only person’s house you could go to. Your best friend Raiden.

It was 3 in the morning. You never used the door. Never. So you did what you always did. You went to Raiden’s bedroom window and opened it.

You slid in but it was dark. You ended up falling on your face in the process.

Raiden woke up like it was the end of his life. He gasped awake and rubbed his sleepy eyes. When he had seen you on the floor, he sighed. “(Y/N). It’s…” He looked over to his alarm. “3 in the morning.”

“I know how to tell time, Raiden!” You said, still not getting up from the ground.

Raiden got out of the bed. He was only in his boxers. He went to help you to your feet and shut the window. “If this is about how to make Ramen noodles again then-“

“No! Jesus Raiden. Not everything is about the glorious taste of Ramen noodles.” You said irritated at him. “I’ve had a terrible day.”

Raiden gave you a look. “Terrible day? We just started the day!”

You took the liberty to flick his forehead. Raiden mumbled a grunt as he felt it. “You know what I meant you bafoon!” You took in a deep breath before starting to tell the story. “So basically-“ You had stopped in mid sentence, admiring Raiden.

Raiden was always an attractive guy to you. (You had the smallest crush on him but that wasn’t the point.) You were used to seeing him shirtless but you had now seen Raiden’s dick print and it was very obvious. “Put some pants on. You’re turning me on a little.”

He shook his head and went to the dresser. He grabbed some pants to put on before turning to look at you. “(Y/N). I love you but I am very tired so please just tell me why today is the end of your life.”

You watched as Raiden started to put the pants on with a sigh. “Fine. Grouchy aren’t we? So, my mom is trying to get me engaged to Eric.”

Raiden’s eyes widen. “Eric?!”

Eric was your abusive ex boyfriend and the only reason why the abuse stopped was because Raiden had physically stopped him. (As Raiden was skilled in fighting and Eric barely knew how to throw a punch.)

He could not believe your mother would do this.

It also stung a little because well, Raiden did have feelings for you. How could he not? You, (besides Kung Lao) were his longest friend he knew.

The chemistry the two of you had was immaculate but Raiden would not ruin a friendship for the sake of a relationship.

“Absolutely not. Why would she even say that?”

“Because Eric has been coming to her house and is telling her a completely different story. He’s trying to say that he was never abusive to me and that you and I are lying about everything.”

Raiden was actually enraged and it took a lot for Raiden to get mad. A lot. “He’s not going to get away with this.”

You saw Raiden about to leave the room but you grabbed onto the hem of his pants and pulled him towards you. “Freeze Radar.” You made him face to you. “Number one…you don’t have a shirt on. Number two…beating him up like you did last time isn’t going to change anything. He won’t leave me alone either.”

You face palmed at the last thing that came out your mouth. You didn’t mean for that to happen.

When you said that, Raiden turned to give you a look. “What do you mean by he won’t leave you alone?” You didn’t speak and Raiden gently grabbed your arm. “(Y/N), I thought we told each other everything.”

You sighed. “We do. I just didn’t want you to worry.” You looked down, not meeting his eyes. “He won’t stop coming by my house. And he’s breaking in all the time.”

Raiden could not believe you could keep something like that from him. “You shouldn’t have kept that from me. You’re not going back there.” Raiden sat on the bed and brought you to sit down next to him. “You can stay here.”

“I can’t just uproot your life just because mine is suckish.”

“Well, I’m not taking no for an answer.”

“What about The Great Kung Lao.” You said dramatically with your hands in the air.

Kung Lao was Raiden’s best friend and roommate but he was sure that he wouldn’t care that you would stay with them. (In all honesty, he might even encourage it.) “It will be fine. Trust me.” You had an unsure look on your face. Raiden placed his hand on your thigh. “Hey. Name a single time that I let you down.”

It was true. Raiden never let you down. Not once, not ever. So, you sighed. “My cat is coming with me I hope you know.”

“Of course I know.”

Raiden kissed your cheek. His eyes met yours and he stared at them with what felt like hours. You did the same. It was like the two of you both had a mutual understanding.

His left hand cupped your cheek while your right hand cupped his. The two of you just kept getting lost in each others eyes.

“Raiden?”

“Yeah, (Y/N)?”

“Put a shirt on. You’re turning me on.”

Raiden chuckled a little. His lips gently grazed yours but he did not kiss you. “I turn you on all the time, pretty.”

[moronkombat]

Can I request Yandere Kung Lao confronting reader after discovering her feelings for his best friend – Raiden. Not even their bond from childhood will stop Kung Lao from hurting Raiden for stealing the affections of the reader.

tw: yandere, afab pronouns

Kung Lao's eyes had only ever been for her. She is so sweet, so playful and fun. Yes, he's always found himself rather drawn to this one. The first time he has seen her, where had she been? Oh yes, just passing through the fields, bringing water to the farmers...Oh so pretty she looked and Kung Lao quite liked pretty things.

She perfect for him, made for him. The gods themselves must have crafted her to be the woman of his life. There could be no one else, there will only be her. Kung Lao is perfect. She is perfect. They are perfect together.

So swift to befriend her, she soon invaded he and Raiden's duo. Neither minded this and both welcomed her into a friendship. Friendship...no Kung Lao would have more. She made for him, he would not be denied his birthright.

Though things seem to be...complicated. Raiden's eyes seem to light up when she smiles. His cheeks become painted roses when her hand touches Raiden's shoulder. Kung Lao's own eyes would narrow and devious thoughts created themselves in thoughts. Surely, they would remain there, just in the shadows in his head?

No. It not only Raiden's eyes that seemed to glow. Her eyes...so soft she gazes at Raiden. So sweetly she speaks to him. Why do her words fumble when he speaks to her? Why do her cheeks bloom red when Raiden walks next to her?

Poison. The poison in Kung Lao's head boils. He watches...he watches...Two friends wanting to become something more? No, how dare they. Kung Lao watches them as their friendship morphs into what should belong to him. He stalks their friendship. Raiden asking her to meet just him. Oh? Did his best friend really think Kung Lao wouldn't find out? So foolish.

Kung Lao gazes from a place neither of them can see. Raiden stands across from her, he's blushing, he's rubbing the back of his neck. There she is, looking hopeful and happy. That smile she gives Raiden should be for Kung Lao.

Words of confessions are given. Raiden fancies her and wishes to court her. Her eyes light up the sky at Raiden's words. Kung Lao festers with rage that swallow him alive as he watches Raiden hold her hands and kiss her cheek. Madness becomes the young man who watches in the dark, what is meant for him is being so horribly stolen.

He goes slinked away, face so mangled by the injustice he had witnessed. She such a naughty girl for thinking she could ever be with anyone else. So so naughty...

She walks into her home, sighing so light and soft. Her smile still lingers and there's a hum that carries in the air as she whimsically relishes in Raiden's confession. Palms collide together and the silence in the air is brutally torn apart.

"Well, that was quite something" Kung Lao claps, eyes unblinking and smile wide.

Her eyes once so beaming now so shocked. She looks to him, questioning and wondering. Kung Lao smiles even wider then and steps closer to her.

"That was really cute to watch, y'know? Raiden really seems to like you, huh?" He stands right before her, the wall just waiting to press against her back. She is trapped.

"Kung Lao?" How lovely his name sounds when she says it like this. "What are you doing here? What are you talking about?"

His finger jabs at her forehead, while he laughs playfully. Yet, his expression something much more sinister than teasing. "Did you forget already? Come on now. It just happened!"

Eyes dart around and her head just shakes and she opens her mouth to speak again but Kung Lao shushes her, his head tilting and eyes smiling coy.

"Raiden wants you and him to get closer, yeah? That's real sweet." Those words he spat laced in vile venom. " That'd really be something but...there's kinda a problem about that."

He watches as her gaze searches for an escape and this sprinkles shivers all along Kung Lao's spine. There is no escape. He is her only chance. "See the thing is, I don't think Raiden's gonna be around much longer for you to be able to share your feelings for him but of course you don't have any feelings for him, right?"

"What are you-"

"Because you see, the thing is, if you did have feelings for Raiden...well, I'd have to kill him." Kung Lao's close eyed smile prevents him from seeing the pure horror upon her face but he imagines it looks so pretty.

"I can't have Raiden keeping us apart. You and I belong together, don't you see? Of course you do, you're smart! So, there's no way you'd have feelings for Raiden. You only have feelings for me."

She stares, her world crumbling apart with each breath Kung Lao provides. Frozen in place, she cannot dare to move. Not even when Kung Lao pinches her cheek too hard for it to be purely playful.

"So you'll go and tell Raiden to back off, right? You'll tell him you're already in a relationship with me. You'll do that, hm? Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to him after all. You're a good girl. You'll do what I say because you wouldn't want to piss me off, right?"

The pinch at her cheek becomes a sting and she lets out a wince, a cry and Kung Lao smiles at this new music. "That's a good girl. You're all mine. Just for me."

[scaryspears]

MKX's Kung Lao an essay

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[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 🤘

[meepispeepis]

The Storm Before the Calm

~Ok, I'm finally getting on that MK1 cringe! Got ALOT of inspiration from these lovely creators and their combined arts of "oops, Kung Lao's dead again" works. And the brainworm is demanding that I finally put this into writing so, here we are! Once again, huge shoutout to these lovely artists who gave me the inspiration and please do check them out!~

@helsensm // @novicedraws // @randyzorra // @d3rpydoods

~Before we continue just wanted to put some mild context to ensure this makes sense. This isn't part of some long-winded series, so you might as well think you've flipped open a book and started reading in the middle of the story. Fire God Liu Kang starts getting deja vu as certain coincidences and events start playing out that are too eerily similar to how things played out during the MK9 game (Raiden getting a message from his future self and trying to interpret in time what that message meant to save the future - long story short: nearly everyone died and no one came out alright :D). All roads were seemingly leading to Kung Lao dying in his timeline and Liu Kang struggled on how to cope and deal with this. On one hand, he did not want his friend-…His new teacher…To die, especially since he tried so hard to tailor make this timeline to ensure everyone got a happy ending.

Yet, at the same time, he refused to stoop down to Kronika's level and start altering the timeline until it was his "perfect" utopia. However, his fears and suspicion about the situation become even more realized when Raiden gets gravely injured and the only thing that prevented him from kneeling over was the thunder amulet infused with his person (and some other magical shit, idk). From this, Raiden gains his iconic white hair, and this gives Liu Kang a heart attack. To make a long story short, Kung Lao ends up dying at the hands of the villains (In this short story, it's assumed that Shang Tsung is wholly responsible or had a hand in his death), Raiden is going through the stages of grief, but he's going down the same dark path as the previous Raiden, now becoming Dark Raiden. And Liu Kang has to finally interfere.~

Still confused? Too late, now on to the story! Next Characters: Raiden, Kenshi, Johnny Cage, Liu Kang, Shang Tsung, Mentions Kung Lao, Raiden's Sister (named her Fuji :D)

Word Count - 6,094 Ships: Raiden/Kung Lao - Hints of Kenshi/Johnny Cage

Warnings: Canon Typical Violence (but with less blood), Character Death

It was over.

It was done.

They stopped Shang Tsung and his nefarious plot; it was over. This was the part where everyone patted each other on the back, did a whole hoopla about "the power of friendship saved the day," locked up the villain, and went home. But maybe that time was lost a long time ago. Ever since…

Ever since Kung Lao died.

Aside from Johnny, Kung Lao always knew how to lift everyone's spirits, that didn't involve excessive Hollywood references that most of them didn't get. His self-confidence and pride always seemed to ooze onto everyone else. If Lao says he can do it, then so can we! It hurt everyone when he was unceremoniously slain by General Shao and Shang Tsung, a clean cut to his neck with his own weapon. And you know, it wasn't until that day that Liu Kang was gravely reminded that these men never had to experience death in such a manner. Each of them knew how to fight, added to the additional training they got with the monks at the Wu Shi Academy. But Liu Kang never taught them how to kill, to maim, to perform the one act no ordinary person should ever have to do.

When Kung Lao died, it shocked everyone. The only one seemingly keeping themselves together was Kenshi. Coming from his Yakuza background, he has done plenty of dirty that he wasn't proud of. But Johnny? Liu Kang still remembers the reviving actor's disbelief, trying his damndest to do all he could for Kung Lao, even pleading with Liu Kang on what to do. But perhaps the one person who was hurt the most that day was Raiden. They were friends, childhood friends…lovers, even…Liu Kang can never scrub away the scene of Raiden being the first to notice his friend wasn't getting up (he was the closest to the body) and slowly descending to hold his boyfriend tightly. Raiden blocked out the world at that moment; the rest of the crew had to step in and finish the fight while Raiden grieved over his friend.

And things were never the same after that.

It was over.

It was done.

Kenshi and Johnny already shackled the unconscious Shang Tsung and started tending to their wounds. There was silence between them as they repaired themselves, barely making glances to the other. It wasn't until Kenshi spoke up, pointing out that Johnny was wrapping the bandage wrong and took the reigns in patching the star up. Johnny didn't put up a fuss. In a small way, he's kinda glad Kenshi said something. To break the silence and bring back that camaraderie they once had before. Feeling Kenshi touch him again, a wave of memories started flooding back to Johnny. The days when the 4 of them (Johnny, Kenshi, Kung Lao, Raiden) were always in each other's spaces. Arms thrown over each other's shoulders, whenever they were in a goofy mood; they were always leaning against the one nearest to them. That intimacy, he misses it.

"There," Kenshi softly says, completing the last patch on Johnny to ensure it wouldn't get infected.

Johnny couldn't help but return a sad smile and nod, "Thanks, Kenshi."

Then the silence began again as they both sat in silence, waiting for Raiden and Liu Kang to return once they were done with what Johnny called "the super laser beam like in that one Marvel™ movie." When they heard the sound of roiling thunder, that was their cue that the other pair had returned. Kenshi was the first to look up to see Raiden floating high above them, with black clouds shadowing him. It was a near-terrifying sight. His glowing eyes and hair, the crackles of lightning sparking off him, and the foreign look of godly contempt that was plastered on his face. Doesn't help too, that they each learned some time ago who Raiden was before Liu Kang altered the timeline. With this display of power, Raiden might as well be a god.

"Hey, Raiden, no need to worry! We had this one in the bag." Johnny gestures over to Shang Tsung, still enjoying his dirt nap. "He'll be going away for good once we figure out what our version of Arkham Asylum should be for the bastard."

Kenshi scoffs and shakes his head slightly, but it wasn't one out of annoyance. He knows what Johnny is trying to do, lightening the mood.

Raiden, however, does not reciprocate; remaining still as a statue in the air. Kenshi stares back at Raiden, anxious about what the thunder go-his friend, was thinking.

"…Hey, Raid-bro, we were told there was a chance of blue sunny skies when coming out here. Care to move the dark clouds out the way?" Johnny tries again with being jovial, but Kenshi can hear the hint of anxious tension in his tone.

After another long silence, Raiden finally descends, but where he was going was toward Shang Tsung. Johnny and Kenshi rise from their seated area as they closely watch Raiden slowly meeting the ground. By the time Raiden reached the surface, almost as if on cue, Shang Tsung started to stir awake, perhaps thanks to the constant thunder cracking in the area. Shang Tsung was already a beaten mess, with dried blood and dirt caked on his freckled face. His brown eyes meet with Raiden's glowing white eyes, and he has the gall to smirk at him. The prisoner readjusts himself, sitting straight up as he leaned against a tree.

"Love what you did with your hair, Raiden." Of fucking course, Shang had to go there.

Kenshi and Johnny both do their best to not flinch and cringe upon hearing that, knowing full well that it struck a nerve with Raiden, even if the farm boy wasn't showing it.

And as if Shang was further egg-ing Raiden on, he starts looking around, as if he's expecting someone to be here, but they happened to be missing. "Now, where is that pompous, hat-throwing circus act you often dragged along with you? Called in sick?"

"That's enough, Shang Tsung. Don't let us muffle you too." Johnny was the first to speak on everyone's behalf, his rising anger apparent as he growled.

Shang ignored Johnny, his eyes still trained on Raiden, meeting him eye-to-eye. "Oh~, don't beat yourself up for his departure, Raiden. You can rest easy that he died a prideful fool who didn't know when too much was enough."

"Hey, shut the fuck up!"

There was a one-sided back & forth, Shang Tsung constantly taunting the quiet Raiden while Johnny was trying to get Shang Tsung to stop talking. Eventually, Johnny starts grabbing the sorcerer by his ruffed-up shirt and tries intimidating him into keeping his mouth shut.

There are benefits to being half-blind and wearing a blindfold. Kenshi has been looking head, seemingly staring into nothing and nowhere, but the sight that Sento gave him allowed him to keep his peripherals on Raiden. Watching him closely to ensure that he doesn't do anything stupid. And Kenshi would be right to watch Raiden because the younger man started to approach the arguing pair.

Kenshi steps in front of Raiden, "Whatever you're thinking, don't."

"Get out of my way, Kenshi," Raiden's voice was like a coming storm, eager to wreak havoc on anyone and anything that stood in its way.

Kenshi had to choose his words wisely, one wrong move or phrase and he will erupt. They've seen it happen more than once. "Please, at least let us wait for Liu Kang before-"

"Ha! Still letting that proclaimed Fire God lead you around on a leash, Raiden?"

Kenshi now physically cringes before making a sharp turn toward Johnny, "Shut him up!" Kenshi can see sparks crackling of Raiden and he further obscures his view of Shang Tsung. "Raiden, he's trying to get into your head. Don't let him!"

"He knew, you know? Liu Kang? For someone who altered the timeline to fit his "perfect vision," a lot of strange coincidences have been happening as of late. I mean, I became a sorcerer when I was supposed to be a beggar. And you were a simple farm boy. But look at you now, a master of the storms and the skies," Shang Tsung side-eyes Raiden deviously, "He must've known that Kung Lao was going to die."

"Get out of my way!" the air starts to pick up, his hair and clothes ruffling in the wind, and more lightning static bounces off Raiden.

"Ok, time for your muzzle, dog," Johnny approaches with a mask-like device meant to silence individuals who wear it. As he tries to place the mask on Shang Tsung, the sorcerer hits him square in the dick (a technique he has learned to adopt later down the line thanks to the foolish actor), causing Johnny to have the wind knocked out of him as he backs away a couple steps. "N-not cool, man! Not cool!"

But this landed Shang Tsung a couple more minutes. "He could've prevented it, Raiden. Kung Lao may have died at the General's hands, but you know who truly caused his demise? Liu Kang could've stopped it all from happening. He went through all the effort to neuter you and me. Because of his biases over a timeline that no longer exists! He claims that he "doesn't interfere with affairs" because he wants us to become masters of our own fates, but we were never in control of it to begin with. Liu Kang decided for himself what we should be; all I did was defy his logic and plan."

"JOHNNY!" Kenshi shouts as he tries to hold Raiden back, the young man now struggling to get past the blind swordsman.

"I'm working on it!" Johnny replies as he hurries back to Shang Tsung with the mask.

"I SAID GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!" Raiden screams.

He can feel it. He can feel the amulet infused into his body responding to his anger, his grief, and his drive for vengeance. The condensed storms locked away in that amulet desire to give Raiden that release. Kenshi grunts as he starts feeling shocks ripple through him while holding tight onto Raiden.

"RAIDEN DON'T LISTEN TO HIM; YOU'RE BETTER THAN THIS!"

"Liu Kang could've saved your friend, Raiden. You know this as much as I do. He has the power to do so; he simply didn't use it. All under the idea of restraint. That's what makes you and I so powerful. We're not afraid to take the power we're given and use it to its nigh limits. The one who you should be angry at is the man who calls himself a friend to you."

Finally, Johnny wraps the mask around Shang Tsung, silencing him until it's eventually removed. But the damage was done. It wasn't until now that Johnny noticed that Liu Kang still hadn't arrived.

"Where's Liu? Kenshi, where's Liu!" Johnny says as he anxiously watches the struggle between Raiden and Kenshi.

Kenshi doesn't get a moment to entertain an answer as Raiden yells at the top of his lungs, a bust of electrifying energy emitting from him, from the amulet, knocking both Earthrealm warriors back a considerable distance. The pair lang roughly on the soil in an audible groan as they jerk and hiss at the shocking ripples still assaulting their bodies. Kenshi was the first to slightly recover, but it must've been some time before he regained his senses because when Kenshi frantically looked for where Raiden had gone, he saw the thunder wielder punching Shang Tsung to a bloody pulp.

"Raiden, ugh! Raiden, stop!" It hurts for Kenshi to get up, but he ushers all the strength he still has and rushes over to Raiden.

Kenshi rips Raiden off of Shang Tsung and doesn't bother to look the sorcerer over (that's what he gets for running his mouth), keeping his attention wholly on his friend (and his hand on the hilt of Sento).

"Raiden, we've been over this. Please, don-"

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!!"

Kenshi isn't given a moment to calm the man down as bolts of lightning come arcing towards the swordsman. Kenshi dodges out of the way, unsheathing Sento in the process; the line of shocking energy completely decimates a nearby tree. The time for words was over; now it's time to, in Johnny's words, bring out the "Hulk Buster."

Raiden raises his hand to the grey skies above, capturing lightning in his hand before hurling various sparks at Kenshi. The swordsman goes on the defensive, dodging and ducking behind cover, trying to avoid actively harming Raiden. But the more he placed distance between him and Raiden, the more Kenshi was bobbing and weaving past his thunderous attacks. Kenshi would be mildly saved as Johnny surprises Raiden by grabbing him from behind and trying to restrain him.

"Raiden, pull it together, man! We don't want to hurt you!" Johnny struggles to say, the shocks of lightning constantly snapping at him.

Kenshi rushes out of hiding and builds up momentum, hoping to get one good, non-lethal, strike in to knock Raiden out.

"Where the hell are you, Liu Kang..." Kenshi muttered to himself, slightly out of breath as he was exerting all his power into running and reaching Raiden as soon as possible. "Johnny! Hold him down, just a bit longer!"

"I'm-ACK, FUCK!" Johnny shouts as he feels another shock of electricity course through him, "I'M FUCKING TRYING!"

Raiden was howling like an animal, trying to shock Johnny off him. Lightning bolts were falling out of the sky as it struck the grounds around them, destroying everything it touched. It was almost like the lightning strikes were even chasing Kenshi as every bolt of lightning was always some inches away from hitting the swordsman.

He was close, almost there, just a bit more.

Raiden finally throws Johnny off him, elbowing him sharply in his face. Conjuring every bit of power of the storm, Raiden fried Johnny. The pained screams from the actor nearly shake Kenshi to his core.

"JOHNNY!!" Kenshi screams.

Raiden notices the swordsman approaching and disrupts his abuse of his friend to focus on Kenshi, redirecting the powerful blast and hurling it at the blind swordsman. Guided by Sento, Kenshi locks himself in a blocked battle with Raiden's powerful lightning attack, locked in a Harry Potter wand duel as Sento protects Kenshi from the attack. The mystical powers of Sento was able to withstand the ever-present assault, but Raiden was unhinged, not withholding the full potential of the thunder amulet. Then the impossible happens.

Sento cracks.

Kenshi quickly rolls out of the way and tries to get to safety before Raiden completely breaks Sento. But Raiden saw this coming, using his other hand to conjure a whip-like lightning bolt at Kenshi, lassoing him and dragging him to the ground, before giving the swordsman a devastating shock.

"Raiden!"

For once, the farm boy actually stops his assault. Leaving Kenshi and Johnny unconscious after constantly being shocked to near death. Raiden looked behind him, and there he was.

Liu Kang.

The Fire God stares at the scene in utter shock, eyes darting between the sizzling Johnny and equally as cooked Kenshi. Raiden, eyes & hair slowly dimming in brightness, keeps his eyes trained on Liu Kang.

'He could've prevented it, Raiden - Liu Kang could've stopped it all from happening - Liu Kang could've saved your friend, Raiden. You know this as much as I do.'

Shang Tsung's words echo in Raiden's head.

"...Did you know he was going to die?" Raiden, for the first time, speaks coherently. Possessing the soft voice that he's known for.

"What? Raiden, what hap-"

"ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION!" In that same instance, Raiden's voice booms like thunder (even the skies above respond, crackling thunder in the distance with his anger), his white hair and eyes glowing brightly. "YOU KNEW KUNG LAO WAS GOING TO DIE, DIDN'T YOU!!" Raiden points his electrifying finger at Liu Kang accusingly.

Liu Kang's mouth opens and shuts before he finally answers Raiden. "...Certain circumstances and events that transpired hinted that Kung Lao could die. But not once did I know for certain that Kung Lao would meet his untimely death."

There's a long, silent pause between the two; only the roaring wind breaks the stillness. Liu Kang dares to break his eyes away from Raiden, looking for the one Kenshi and Johnny were supposed to contain, Shang Tsung. It looked like in the scuffle, he used that opportunity to get away, his hairpin lying on the ground dirtied with blood and dirt. Whatever Shang Tsung said to Raiden, it riled the former thunder god. Liu Kang kicks himself for being unconscious for so long. The device he and Raiden went to disable knocked the wind out of him and rendered Liu Kang out of commission for a moment. When he awakened on the vacant platform the device was on, Raiden was gone.

Liu Kang looks back at Raiden, the man's head now facing the ground, fists balled. The next thing that comes out of Raiden's mouth breaks the Fire Gods' heart.

"Why did you let him die," his voice cracks, and Liu can hear the tears Raiden shed.

"Raiden...I..."

"Even if you didn't know fully that Kung Lao would die, why didn't you tell us! Why didn't you save him? Or let us help you save him!" Raiden sobs, his knees feeling weak.

"...I did all I could, Raiden. I tried to protect him...But I couldn't shelter him. I had to trust that Kung Lao would make the choices necessary to follow his own path. I wasn't going to take that choice from him."

"How would he know what path to take if YOU NEVER TELL HIM WHERE IT WILL LEAD HIM!!!" Another sound of roiling thunder, lighting sparking off Raiden as he snaps his head toward Liu Kang. "You could've told him, us, what could've happened! You could've stopped this!"

"I did not want to burden you with the knowledge I knew and felt!" Liu Kang raises his voice, not to match his anger, but because the winds were picking up and the thunder was practically deafening him. "I didn't want you or him to spend every waking moment; questioning each move you took, each decision you made! I wanted both of you to become masters of your own fate!"

'He claims that he "doesn't interfere with affairs" because he wants us to become masters of our own fates, but we were never in control of it to begin with. Liu Kang decided for himself what we should be.'

"No...NO!!" Raiden shouts as he slings a lightning bolt at Liu Kang. A shot the Fire God effortlessly dodges.

"Raiden, please!"

"YOU CREATED THIS TIMELINE. THIS NEW UNIVERSE! YOU COULD'VE PREVENTED THIS! YOU HAVE THE POWER TO, I KNOW YOU DO!"

Another reckless throw of a lightning bolt, scorching a nearby tree as Liu Kang steps out of the line of fire. "Raiden, please, you have to understa-"

"I LOVED HIM, LIU KANG! WITH ALL MY HEART, I LOVED HIM!!! AND YOU TOOK HIM FROM ME! YOU DID THIS TO ME!!"

Raiden rips open his shirt, revealing the amulet fused with his person, a permanent reminder of the trauma everyone endured...That he endured...

"BRING HIM BACK! BRING HIM BACK TO ME!" Raiden's feet crackle with electrifying power as he lunges towards him, performing a move Liu Kang knows far too well as Raiden flies at him like a speeding torpedo, locking Liu Kang as they both collide into various trees.

Liu Kang grunts as their movement is halted by a large rock, but he's not given a moment of reprieve as Raiden starts socking him in the face multiple times. Screaming phrases that Liu Kang could not focus enough to bear their meaning. He's then thrown about in a large circle, and when Raiden releases his grip, Liu Kang goes flying again.

Liu Kang crash lands into a nearby lake. It takes him some time to gather his strength to swim out of the waters. He coughs and spits out blood, Raiden isn't holding back, the powers of the amulet having provided him with strength and vigor. But he was still mortal. Liu Kang can take a beating, but one wrong move and a bit of force; and Liu could kill Raiden. Liu Kang assesses his surroundings, mainly looking for where Raiden has gone or where Raiden could potentially come from.

Fortunately, Raiden's rageful cries gave him away as he came crashing down like a speeding bullet from the sky toward Liu Kang. Hoping to catch him in a flying kick maneuver. Liu Kang was able to block the attack, the force of the kick skidding them both further from the lake that Kang emerged from. There is a back-and-forth between the skilled fighters as each attack is swiftly blocked by the other. Well, more like Liu Kang was the one being swift. Raiden was filled with hatred and rage, his attacks were more akin to a wild animal attacking and defending itself.

Liu Kang had to hold back. Unlike Kenshi, who somewhat matched his power level, one wrong flaming fist and Raiden could be K.O-ed to his grave.

"Raiden, I am not your enemy. Everything I did for Kung Lao, I've always had you in mind! Whatever Shang Tsung told you-"

"Oh yeah, go ahead!" Raiden opened his palms and bent his fingers, colliding his hands on each opposite side of Liu Kang's head, sending shocks of electricity to his head and disorienting the Fire God as his ears started to ring. "Blame it all on Shang Tsung! Blame every single problem and inconvenience on the fucking sorcerer! Because gods forbid you take any responsibility for yourself and own up to the fuck up THAT YOU MADE!"

Raiden grabs Liu Kang in a crushing hug and sends both of them flying in the sky, high enough for Raiden to send a highly concentrated bolt of lighting onto Liu Kang; Raiden being able to withstand such powerful energies. Liu Kang screams in anguish as he's tased ten times over, and then thrown back to the earth below. Liu Kang leaves a crater where he landed and for a moment, doesn't move from his spot.

It took every fiber of his being and willpower to slowly get himself back on his feet. Liu Kang didn't even have to look to know that Raiden was behind him. Between gasps, coughs, and hacking up blood, Liu Kang tries to plead with Raiden.

"...Raiden...I don't want to hurt you...I know you're...Grieving. He meant everything to you as you did to him...But Kung Lao wouldn't want us to fight. Not like this..."

There was a long pause, yet again.

"Don't you dare tell me what Kung Lao would've wanted. You don't get to speak for him or anyone, like you always do!"

"Raiden-"

"You think you know what Kung Lao would've wanted when you knew nothing about him. Not like I did. Do you want to know what Kung Lao would've wanted? You want to hear it from someone WHO ACTUALLY FUCKING KNOWS HIM!?! Let me tell you!"

Raiden forcefully turns Liu Kang to face him before clocking him in the face.

"Kung Lao would've wanted to know how he was going to die so that he could prevent it!"

Another crack.

"He would've thanked you for trusting him with this knowledge so that he could come back home with me in peace!"

Another crack, blood staining his knuckles.

"HE WOULD'VE WANTED TO LIVE WITH ME. SPEND THE REST OF HIS LIFE WITH ME! HIS FUCKING BOYFRIEND!"

Another crack after Liu Kang weakly tries to block his other fist attack.

"HE WOULD'VE WANTED TO DIE PEACEFULLY. WITH ME BY HIS SIDE! NOT IN A FUCKING REALM THAT HE DOESN'T BELONG TO, FACING DOWN A HORNED-FACED FUCKER AND THAT DAMNABLE SORCERER! TO ONLY DIE BECAUSE THEY USED HIS WEAPON AGAINST HIM! LEAVING HIM TO BLEED ON THE DIRT!"

Another crack, an uppercut that sends Liu Kang stumbling back some feet.

Liu Kang spits out another glob of blood mixed with saliva. "We all can't choose how we die, Raiden."

"Yet, you chose for him to die there."

Something within Liu Kang snaps, anger was boiling. "Kung Lao chose to not listen to me when I asked him to not interfere, Raiden!" Liu Kang tries to hold back the poison he truly wanted to emit.

One too many times has he heard this. How Liu Kang was the reason Tarkat exists. How it's his fault that Kitana and Mileena's mother was dead. How it was his fault that Shang Tsung and Quan Chi were in deplorable working and living conditions. How it's his fault that Reptile and Smoke lost their loved ones. How it's his fault that events and circumstances that did not go in their favor, even if it was out of everyone's hands, was HIS FAULT.

He was tired of it. Tired of explaining his reason for not keeping the position as the Keeper of Time. Tired of defending himself against the actions and motives that others have. Tired of expressing how while he may have remade this timeline and altered events, he never once had it planned to control the lives of mortals; leaving their motives and fates in their own hands and suffering the consequences of doing so.

Red and blue flames start to erupt from his arms where his draconic tattoos were printed, his eyes giving off a godly glow.

"I already told you why I withheld that information from him. I wanted him to have peace. Both of you, to have peace." Liu Kang tries his best to keep his calmly attitude as he picks himself up.

"And how do you know he wouldn't be at peace if he at least knew what was coming!?!" Raiden spits back at him

"And how would you?"

Even with his soothing voice, he definitely struck a cord with Raiden as he goes for a swing at Liu Kang. This time, Liu Kang grabs his fist and twists it, not enough to break the bone, but to cause painful strain.

Raiden shouted in mild pain as he tried to swing his other free hand at Liu Kang. Similarly, Liu blocks the attack, grabbing his wrist and unintentionally burning him slightly.

"Raiden, I'm not going to say this again. Stop this." Liu Kang looks Raiden dead in the eyes. Despite his calm face, there was a silent roaring flame behind his features. The kind of look that screams "I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you give me reason to."

Yet, Raiden did not listen. He headbutts Liu Kang successfully, forcing Liu Kang back with a bleeding nose. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. In a fit of rage, Liu Kang yells as he punches Raiden square in the face. He didn't use his full godly strength, but it sent Raiden flying through multiple trees before slamming against one tree trunk. Liu Kang huffs and puffs, the anger slowly dying down and the realization of what he did quickly coming to him.

"Raiden!" Liu cries as he rushes as fast as he can to the former thunder god.

When he found his body, Liu Kang feared the worst. It happened as the old Raiden said. They were always destined to fight, to kill each other, and Liu Kang couldn't avoid it in this timeline. But the moment he heard Raiden's labored breaths, Liu Kang felt an overwhelming relief wash over him.

"Raiden! Raiden, I'm so sorry! I didn't- I didn't mean to," Liu Kang was stumbling over his words as he held Raiden upright, unsure of how serious his wounds were.

Raiden was going through the shock of it, breathing not only labored but in quick succession. Liu Kang tried to help Raiden match his breathing, to calm him down from the pain and shock.

"Are you," Raiden swallows between shaking breaths and stuttering speech, "Are you going to l-let me die? Like you did Lao?"

Liu Kang meets Raiden eye to eye. Raiden was bleeding from his head, streams of red running down his face with twigs and sticks entangled in his white hair. He's never going to let this go. Whatever Shang Tsung told him, it infected him like a parasite. As long as Raiden lived and breathed, Kung Lao's death will always be Liu's fault.

...Unless...

Liu Kang huffs, he never thought he would have to do this again, not since Shujinko. Liu Kang positions Raiden as comfortably as possible as one would be leaning against a tree with multiple broken bones and aching muscles.

"No, I want to grant you peace. I know that you don't want to hear this...But Kung Lao would've wanted you to find peace with his departure."

Liu Kang starts building up flames that run up his arms, performing the many monastic dances he learned from the previous timeline and the current. As the flames roared, they soon floated to Raiden and encompassed him. They never burned him. Raiden tries to crawl away from the dancing flames, believing them to char him to a crisp.

"Kung Lao would've wanted you to look fondly on your friendship and love, and seek to replicate that love with others. He would've wanted you to live happily, even if he wasn't there to provide you with that happiness."

"L-Liu Kang, what are you-wait...No!" Raiden's eyes start to water as he can feel his memories slipping. Not just the ones with Kung Lao, but everything before Liu Kang found him. His previous adventures in Outworld, in the Netherealm, in Chaosrealm, his ventures with his closest friends...The first time Kung Lao told him the three words, "I love you." Everything. "Liu Kang, no! Don't, please don't!"

Liu Kang, almost coldly, ignores Raiden's pleas as he takes it all away. Reverting Raiden back to the simple farm boy from Fengjian who simply wanted to protect and guide his village.

"...You are right, Raiden," Liu Kang says between paused breaths, trying to hold back tears as he committed the deed. "It is my fault. I shouldn't have thought that I could groom you or Kung Lao to become protectors of Earthrealm like you were before. I shouldn't have taken you away from your family, your friends, and your home in hopes of raising you to become grand warriors. I have placed your loved ones and you in so much danger...All because I clung onto a life that no longer exists...I'm sorry."

With that said, Raiden passes out from his injuries as Liu Kang finished the last of the memory wipe. Liu Kang stares at Raiden's slumbering body, and he can't help but scream and cry.

Finally allowing himself to grieve ever since that fateful day.

-

Fuji finished up the last of the clothes just in time when dinner was ready. She was having a hot pot this night, filled with various greens, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, radishes, and various mushrooms. All placed into a chicken broth seasoned further with a tomato and pork bone soup base. Fuji sits at the table with a bowl full of the soup and she does her best to not look across the table...Where her brother Raiden would be...

Raiden told her a long time ago that he was placed in a very powerful position and hard at work with Mr. Kang. He brings back money and unique souvenirs with questionable origins. And he always makes sure to visit her occasionally when he's coming back to Fengjian.

But this was one of the many occasions where the house felt too big, even with their elderly mother and father sleeping in the other room. She missed having her older brother around, for the longest time, he was her only friend. Her closest friend. I mean, sure, they were siblings, and they had their "sibling moments," but with him gone, she never felt more alone. But her being alone wasn't the main problem for Fuji, it was Raiden's sudden silence.

Ever since Kung Lao's passing, Raiden hasn't been returning her calls, answering her letters, or even visiting the family. Doesn't help, too, that none of his friends live in Fengjian, and aside from Kung Lao and Johnny's number (she's never calling that man, btw), she can't even reach them to know what's up with her brother. It's gotten to the point where she has saved up some money to take a week's vacation to the U.S. where her brother is currently working (or so Raiden told her).

Before Fuji knew it, she was already done with her bowl (2 bowls actually) and she saved the leftovers for her parents when they awaken. As she was washing up the dishes, she hears a knock at the door. Hmm? Who could be visiting her at this hour?

…Could it be!

"Give me a moment!" Fuji says hurriedly as she dries her hands; making her way to the front door. A tiny bit of hope fills the young woman. Could this be Raiden? After so long!

She swings open the door, hope and glee plastered on her face, but it quickly turns to confusion and worry. "…Liu Kang…Raiden!?!"

Outside was Liu Kang carrying a bandaged and mostly healed Raiden. "I'm sorry to come at such a late hour, Fuji. May I come in."

"What happened to my brother!?! Did someone mug him? Was he attacked?" Fuji ushers Liu Kang to enter the home and shows him to Raiden's old room, still possessing his old belongings even before he left.

Despite her questions, Liu Kang did not answer her. She asks again and again about her brother's condition, who did this to him, and why, but she is met with silence. She watches Liu Kang gently place Raiden on his old bed, and just as he came unexpectedly, Liu proceeded to walk back outside.

"W-wait! Liu Kang, please, tell me what happened! Who hurt my brother! Why did this happen-" Fuji tries to stop Liu Kang by grabbing at his wrist, but she saw something that shocked him.

Liu Kang's eyes were red as if he was crying not too long ago.

"…What happened…"

There's a long pause between them. All that Liu Kang does is slightly tilt his head toward her, his white eyes meeting hers, before saying, "I'm sorry, Fuji. Your brother has been relieved from his service…And this will be the last time we will see each other."

And just like that, Liu Kang left. Fuji watched Liu Kang leave, fading away in the horizon, with more questions than answers.

"Ugh…My head."

Fuji nearly scares herself when she hears Raiden in the other room and moving about. She rushes back to him and helps support her brother when she sees that he is still unsteady.

"Raiden! Liu Kang, your boss from the States dropped you off, and you're bandaged, and unconscious, and Liu wouldn't tell me why you were like this and-"

"whoa, whoa, Fuji, slow down! Start over, who's Liu Kang again?"

Fuji pauses. "…Liu Kang…Your boss…"

"Fuji, I have no idea who that man is," Raiden hisses in pain as his muscles start to ache again. It's only now that he realizes that he was bandaged badly. "Did he do this?"

"I-I don't know. I thought…I thought you would tell me…"

"Well, I don't know who I angered to get this treatment, but if this Liu Kang fellow helped me back home, I'm surely appreciative. I'll have to lay back down. Can you get me a hot towel, please?"

Fuji helped her brother back to bed and gave him his requested towel, but she found herself staying in his room for the entire night as if she were a child again. She couldn't sleep as she was plagued with questions about what happened to Raiden. Better yet, the line of work that he was in that he got this terrible treatment. And unfortunately, she might never get those answers again. Raiden doesn't remember anything in the past couple of years, even seemingly forgotten about Kung Lao's death and funeral. His memories were missing and he couldn't give a reliable answer to what happened in his life past the day that he went into Madam Bo's restaurant after a bet with Kung Lao.

Even worse, she can't ask Liu Kang. Because just as he promised and foretold, they never saw Liu Kang again. - ~Holy shit this was longer than I anticipated. Also, I do not like Liu Kang's memories loss powers, but will I use it for the sake of angst? You fucking know I will bby! This is my pseudo-first fan work for an official fandom and I hope everyone liked it. Once again, a lot of this was inspired thanks to the lovely artists who contributed to the "oops, Kung Lao dies again" AU and I want to thank them for jumpstarting this silly little AU in this silly little game about beheading people with your bare hands. Sorry if there were some grammatical and spelling errors, was working on this throughout the evening and past midnight (quite literally 4:26 where I'm at lmao). I might make a sequel to this because I'm getting ideas of Kung Lao returning, but not as he used to be (Revenants in MK1, ayo?)~ UPDATE! I have now officially made a writer's blog so that this doesn't get lost in my clustered main blog! Any future installments about this and other writing pieces will go to this blog! @420thewritersroom

[junkanimate]

EHY I'VE BEEN READING A LOT OF FANFICTIONS LATELY

I know, who would have guess?? Anyway I wanted to send some appreciation all around to some of the fanfics I've read, because writers need some more appreciation in general.

so, in no particular order:

✨Here's a list of fanfics I've read/I'm reading that I think they're pretty good✨

Solid Stone Turns To Clay by @randyzorra - MK fic

A solid Johnshi fic set in a pirate au, I'm absolutely obsessed with it. It's a beautiful slow burn, where Johnny is a disgraced bounty hunter who's trying to regain his fame by stealing The Shadow, legendary cursed ship. Ship that so happens to have a certain someone as her captain. Honestly not only I love the romance, but also the friendship between Johnny and Kung Lao and Johnny and Baraka.

Beware that this fic is tagged as explicit, so check the tags carefully

Back There by houndhead - MK fic

Ehy, have you ever thought that Raiden wasn't there when the others went to Outworld to find Shang Tsung? Yeah what if they never told him what happened back there because of good ol' classic trauma? I'm in love with this concept and houndhead explores it in a very interesting way, showing us how each character would act after experiencing what happened at the lab. I also really love how the characters interact with each other, in the last chapter Tanya and Tomas are just perfect.

Raise The Blade (Make The Change) by cherrycola94 - MK fic

A very fun Johnshi fic that's written a little bit like a script, it has some added scene set before the game, some exploration of the canon through a Johnshi lense, ad finally it continues as a post canon, with a very fun story. While I was reading it I could see in my head the scene perfectly, like it was actually a movie. The second chapter has an AMAZING SCENE, like I was so in love that I have a wip of that scene. I should come back and finish it honestly. The new chapter had exactly the kind of scene I was craving for recently, I'm so happy they wrote it!

But I lowered my sword when you held me and swore (you'd stay, stay, stay) by @necromanticzz - MK fic

It's a johnshi fic with a Kenshi pov, where Kenshi has so many walls up doesn't want any help but Johnny just seems to be able to go through them without any problems. Honestly I also advice the other fic necromanticzz wrote about them, the way Kenshi gets chracterized in both of them is just *chef's kiss* perfect, beautiful, amazing. The two fics are just my favourite in the way Kenshi is written, applause all around, love it.

Koffee Shop Kombat by @loujitsushotsoup - MK fic

Because a classic coffee shop au is always needed. We have multiple ships, different writing styles between chaptes, changing with which character's pov we are following, and I love the creativity that was put in it. You maybe saw this post where I drew one of the scenes in this fic, so YOU KNOW that I mean it when i say that I love this fic. And I'm a big sucker for coffee shops as a setting, really love them in real life as well.

Cole's Chilli Recipe by @before-time-had-a-name - Ninjago fic

Another fic where I drew one of the scenes and it's because it deserves it. It's a lostshipping fic, very sweet, very cozy, honestly Cole and Geo make me incredibly emotional everytime and this fic also straight up picked me up and squashed me. I saw in some of the reblogs on my post that people went to check out the fic and I'm so happy about it because they deserve his work to be checked out. And honestly if I can give her more spotlight I will take the chance. Go check out this fic, it's very cool.

Here Comes Casey Jones by Invader_Sam - TMNT MM fic

Very sweet rasey fic that takes place post movie, with the turtles going to highschool and Raph meeting for the first time Casey Jones. What can I say? I just really love Rasey, and I love they're both clearly crushing on each other but they're not really saying it. And the fact that there's no unecessary teenage angst, they just really like each other, and I love that for them ❤

Think Of It As War Paint by less_depresso_more_espresso - TMNT 2012 fic

Another Rasey one, short and sweet, where both of them honestly are giving so much gender in my humble opinion. It's hard to explaning it without just saying all the fic, so we could say it's about them just chilling on a roof.

A Garden Across Our Collarbone by PittedPeaches - LMK fic

I think everyone and their mom already know this fic, and if you don't it would be my honor to talk to you about it. This for me is THE spicynoodle fic, it was one year of my life and honestly at the end of it I cried. This is a soulmate au, where demons sometimes have soulmates, and when that happen it's like they share skin, so they can write stuff on their body and it will appeared on the skin of their soulmate. It mostly starts like a rewriting of seson 1-2-3 by Red son's pov with this new dynamic, and then it becomes a new original timeline. The way this fic is everything to me, every chapter was an incredible experience, I fell in love with this fic at every chapter. So many beautiful scenes, written so beautifully, as I said this fic was 1 YEAR of my life. It was also a very difficult year, and I'm honestly so happy that this fic was there for that time of my life.

Desde el Principio by ShippingMyWorld - Nicktoons United fic

Okay idk If you saw me reblogging a bunch of Nicktoons fanart like two days ago, but just so you know I'm totally going into the rabbit hole of this fandom and I will be lost for a while. Now, this is a Danny Fenton/Manny Rivera fic, the tag has only two fics and both of them are from this writer.

I wish I had this commitment in my life, to just being THE ONLY one creating a specific content for something and still having the motivation of doing it

I read this fic last night, I finished it at 5 a.m. and I do not regret it at all, this was amazing

I actually recommend reading both fics because they are very good, I'm giving a shout out to this one because I think it's the one that made the biggest impact to me personally. ShippingMyWorld you did it, you converted me, I ship this now.

And that's the list, thank you so much to every fanfic writers that give us such amazing art everyday, you're the backbone of fandom!

[cream0fwheat1998]

Our girl pt1.

Kung LaoxFem!ReaderxRaiden (MK1) *They live in a city area for this one, but it's unspecified, they drive*

Part 2

Summary: After living with Kung Lao and Raiden for sometime, the men propositioned you for naughty night with both of them. Out of fear that it'd ruin your friendship with them you declined. They'll have you anyway.

Warnings:CNC(ish), dark/yandere(ish), penis stuff, vagaina stuff, threesome, softdom/hardom, aftercare.

-They love you and you love them. You just don't love them in the same way.

Raiden

-Raiden and you discuss books you've recently read; you enjoy taking nature walks which are often cut-short when Kung Lao decides he's had enough of the heat.

-You like cleaning with him; you both crafted a fair schedule for how chores will be done around your shared apartment.

-You both beamed at seeing Kung Lao whine while he mopped or swept your living area.

Kung Lao

Kung Lao and you were competitive at video games. He'd boast when he won and pretends that he let you win if he loses.

-You both debated politics while Raiden preferred to stay away from those conversations; Kung Lao was much more intelligent than people perceive him to be.

-The one thing Kung Lao truly had with you that you didn't share with Raiden is your late-night drives.

-Due to Raiden's late night shifts, Kung Lao had you to himself from 6-12 most nights; a fact Raiden pretends not to be bothered by.

-Kung Lao practically drags you to his car and drives you through the city while you talk about sweet things like your favorite memories or life plans.

-Kung Lao would hold his breath, hoping that he and Raiden's names would pop-up in your future plans. Sometimes they did just not in the way he'd hope.

-You'd say things like, "I'd love to meet your future wife or children one day" or "I hope we keep in touch after I move out". -It made him roll his eyes how blind you were to his and Raidens affection for you.

-You were too sweet & clueless for your own good; this is why you needed to stay with them so they could protect you from bad guys. -Both men had made a pact to share you, however, should you prefer one over the other, they'd respect it.

-But it seemed no matter the gifts, the subtle gestures and affections did not reach you.

-Raiden had to calm Kung Lao down one night after you had brushed off the idea that you and him could be lovers; you took it as a joke, laughed in his face then went to bed.

-As Kung Lao went off on how it seems you look down on him, you treat him like a little brother rather than a grown man thats the same age as you. Raiden grabbed his childhood friends' shoulders to bring him back to reality.

-Raiden was afraid that Kung Lao would scare you off with his secret temper so they decided they'd lay it bare one night. They'd tell you their exact feelings since you don't get their hints; let them show you the lovers they can be.

-And when they did that, you blushed and stared at the ground.

-Tired of you twirling your fingers and not giving them an exact answer ; Kung Lao lifts your chin and forces eye-contact with you.

-You rejected their offer. You stuttered out that both men were very special to you; you'd never forget them or their friendship but you felt that sex would cheapen your relationship with them.

-You didn't want to have a fling or be a conquest and you assumed this 'transaction' would get in way of the pure feelings you had for them.

-With that you left and stayed at another friends house for a couple of days; embarrassed about the entire conversation.

-Raiden and Kung Lao were speechless….and mad. They weren't entirely mad at you but you were now being difficult.

-They decided that they needed to show you even if you weren't accepting of it. You would be theirs, it's for your own good.

Tonights the Night.

-You came home to what you thought was an empty apartment; assuming both of the guys were gone for the day.

-You tossed your bag and phone to the side and decided to strip from your work clothes; you always did this when the boys weren't home.

-Little did you know that the roommates you'd genuinely come to love and appreciate were waiting to pounce.

-God, they loved your mismatched socks and underwear.

-They loved your spirit and the cute smile you made and they wanted it all to themselves.

-From their hiding spot, they saw you bend over to pick something you dropped.

-The flesh of your plump ass directly staring at them; Raiden had to grab Kung Lao from pouncing on you right then.

-Raiden became undone seeing the way your chest bounced around from the movement. The plushness of your mounds invited him in.

-Both men started their count down before go time.

-1…..2…..3!

[deadbydad]

What if Mortal Kombat...Was Turned Into A Show?

Look, I know that they already did something like this, but let's be honest it sucked.

The lore in Mortal Kombat is so interesting yet confusing, and I feel like that's what makes that game so special. And I think that, if done right, it could be made into a show and do well!

But I don't mean that the show needs to like show the whole plot or storyline because we've already seen that. Instead I want to see episodes about different characters and/or their relationship with other characters.

Here's a list of the characters I would like to see get an episode about them:

Kung Jin - He's one of the most underrated characters and it doesn't help with the fact that he was literally in only one game, and even in that one he didn't have that much of a chance to develop his character a lot. He's one of the first confirmed gay characters in the game series, and that's great we love to see great LGBT representation in games. In an episode I want to see more about his past, his parents and who they were and what happened to them, and especially his relationship with Kung Lao. I also want to see his relationship grow stronger with the other Kombat Kids Cassie Cage, Takahashi Takeda, and Jacqui Briggs. We hear about this character yet I feel like he has so much more potential and they could prove that with an episode just about him and how he develops.

Takahashi Takeda & Takahashi Kenshi - One of the father and son duo's, I feel like Kenshi gets way too much hate for doing something to protect Takeda from getting hurt or even killed like his mother did. Any father would do that for their family and their child. At first when Kenshi comes back to see his son after Hanzo Hisashi trained him as a Shirai Ryu warrior, Takeda hates him and says that Kenshi had no right to walk back into his life just to be a proud dad, but after Hanzo explains why Kenshi did it, Takeda tries to forgive him and give his father a second chance. And he does, later on in the game we see that they have a great father and son relationship. I want to see how that happened and how that developed in an episode. It definatly wasn't talked about enough in the game and I feel like in a show it would be better explained.

Hanzo Hisashi & Takahashi Takeda - Hanzo Hisashi had taken in Takeda when Kenshi asked him to take care of his son and train him until he was strong enough to fight. Hanzo did, and it seemed that Hanzo and Takeda had developed a father son relationship in some shape or form. Again, this wasn't really shown how it happened, and I feel like it would be greatly explained better in an episode instead of in a game.

Cassie Cage & Jacqui Briggs - Cassie and Jacqui are best friend that grew up together due to their parents, Sonya Blade and Jax Briggs, being close friends for many years. Not a whole lot of how their friendship began and formed was shown on MKX or MKXI, which is a shame. I feel like it would be interesting to see how these two grew up together and became friends over the many years they've known each other.

The Kombat Kids - Cassie Cage, Kung Jin, Takahashi Takeda, and Jacqui Briggs are the next generation of fighters and defenders against Shinnok. And basically the whole MKX game we see these four get to know each other and become closer. But that's it, we really don't know what happened between the four of them except that Jacqui and Takeda are married or engaged, but other than that we don't know exactly what happened to this group. It seems like they're all still friends which is a good thing but I feel like that an episode could be a great way to explain what happened and give us more details.

Kung Lao & Kung Jin - Okay NetherRealm make up your damn minds because in MKX it says that Kung Jin is Kung Lao's cousin but in MK11 it says that he is Kung Lao's nephew. Why make that change I have no clue, but that's besides the point on why I think these two deserve in episode of their own. The episode could show stuff that we haven't seen clearly in the games and stuff that we've heard through dialogue intros. The episode could show us them training or sparring, getting to know one another as family and hell maybe they'll fucking help each other with their damn egos, but that's what I love about these two to be honest. Not much is said about these two's relationship with one another and that is a damn shame if you ask me.

Kotal Khan & Jade - This couple really came out of nowhere, and the game did give us like a small hint about these two and how their relationship started, but it still just came out of nowhere. NetherRealm Studios could explain this and how these two got together and the whole back story of these two with an episode and it would be better explained than in a video game.

Johnny Cage & Cassie Cage - I love this father and daughter duo so much, but I want to see an episode about these two. Maybe how they're both dealing with Sonya's death and how they're navigating that together as a family, maybe Johnny helping Cassie with how to handle and use the green magic that they have, or maybe even just how Johnny is feeling about seeing his daughter growing up and how he deals with that too.

Kuai Liang and Bi-Han - I want to see an episode about these two growing up together, so badly. I want to really see how these two brothers interacted with each other before everything went to shit. I just want to see that. No like sad shit, I've seen enough of that, I want happy memories.

[kassiekole22]

My Thoughts On The MK1 Story Mode

Ok! So I wanted to wait to post my thoughts on the game until after it released, so now that it is, I'm gonna spill my thoughts on all the characters!

Starting with the Earthrealmers!

Liu Kang: I LOVE his new design and I love him as a God even more than I expected! Also, him and Kitana reuniting?! AHHHHHHHHH!!! I legit had tears in my eyes when they kissed! It was such a bittersweet moment and I hope we get more of them together in the future. I'm so happy that he got his power as titan back because it just seems more right. Giving it up seemed kinda wrong. So I'm hoping it stays like that.

Raiden: He's SUCH a sweetheart and I adore him! I was surprised that Kung Lao wasn't his champion but I guess it's understandable, since he still seems in over his head. 😂 But I am very happy that he got to be champion instead. And I was SO surprised to see the old Raiden model make a return as well! I'm glad they didn't change him because that would've made no sense. 😅

Kung Lao: Ah, what can I say about good ol' Kung Lao? I honestly loved him a lot more in this game than any of the others. He seemed to have a lot more comedy moments in this one, which I really loved. I literally almost died laughing when he burped in front of General Shao and Reiko and disgusted them. 🤣

Johnny: Funny? Check! Smart ass? Check! Self-absorbed? Check! Literally the same Johnny as before and I love that! I loved his friendship development with Kenshi and it was truly something I never knew I needed. And also, him filming with his phone 90% of the time was so fucking funny and him somehow owning Cassie's drone was oddly heartwarming. 🩷

Kenshi: I knew Mileena was going to blind him in that scene! I was so sad that it happened again, despite expecting it. When he asked Baraka to tell him about his life to take his mind off of the pain, my heart broke for him. 🥺 But him discovering Sento has powers to help him was so cool to watch! I really love how they did his story in this game. And again, he and Johnny were a duo I never knew I needed.

Sub-Zero: I don't know whether I love this guy or hate him! 🤣 Honestly, his grumpy attitude makes me want to bug the shit out of him and piss him off more. 😂 And I'm not sure if he ever smiles. But it is so interesting to see Bi-Han as Sub-Zero again and I am quite happy with the results. That doesn't mean I forgive him for what he did though. 😑

Scorpion: When I heard that Bi-Han was Sub-Zero, I was worried that Kuai Laing wouldn't be coming back. So I'm happy to see him back again. But I still don't know how I feel about him replacing Hanzo. Honestly, Hanzo will always be Scorpion to me. I was upset to see that he lived a hard life on the streets before Smoke found him. At least if Hanzo wasn't Scorpion anymore, give him a good and happy life. 🥺 But I feel like Kuai Laing should be his own character. Maybe I'll whip up a name and design for him later. And also, Kuai Laing is married to Harumi?! What the fuck?!

Smoke: I did not expect him to be as sweet as he is! Like, what?! He had been through so much it makes my heart hurt! And the way Bi-Han treated him made me so sad! I'm glad that he at least has Kuai Laing to be a big brother figure to him still. Because after all, where there's smoke, there's fire. 🧡🩶

Syzoth: What a fucking cinnamon roll! Seriously! I was PRAYING he would be a good guy and not some villan's henchman again and I got exactly what I wanted and more! I already knew about his family being captured, but I had no idea it was his wife and son! He is literally this timeline's Scorpion and it breaks my heart! 🥺 At least he had a better outcome though. I hope we get to see more of him like this in the future. Also, I knew him and Baraka would be friends but I had no clue they had so much in common! Another duo I never knew I needed!

Baraka: I never thought I'd actually like Baraka, let alone feel so sorry for him! Tarkatans are diseased people? Seriously?! What the FUCK, Liu Kang?! 😭 I'd still bet money on that man who attacks Shang Tsung in the beginning being Baraka. It just all adds up. Shang mentioned his potion being able to treat tarkat and then he shows up, amgry that he lied about it being able to cure his daughter? Ok, TOTALLY him! But maybe he can help Syzoth through his grief of his dead wife and son and they can tackle Shang Tsung together once Mileena doesn't need him anymore?

Ashrah: She is literally such an angel! Fun fact about me: I used to be an Ashrah main when I would play Armageddon when I was a kid. 🤭 I hated her new design at first but now I love it! And that easter egg about her hat was perfect! 😂 Also, I didn't expect to like her personality nearly as much as she did. I mean, when Johnny told her that she is welcome to join them in Earthrealm and she said "I've never had a home. That would be wonderful." my heart literally fucking melted! 🥺💖

Sindel: We FINALLY get good Sindel back and they take her away?! WHY?! 😭 Was I the only one who actually cried when she died? Like, they made her so likable in this game. *Sighs* They giveth and taketh away. 🙄

Mileena: I am SO happy that they kept her as a good character and that she isn't always Tarkatan! I wasn't sure how I'd like her being Outworld's empress because I thought for sure she would be evil, so seeing that she was actually kind and not a blood thirsty monster made me super happy! Also, I've been waiting YEARS to see her and Kitana have an actual sisterly bond and it finally happened! Couldn't be happier with her in this game. 💖 Also, her being so fascinated by Johnny's drone was so fucking adorable. 😂

Kitana: This was probably my most favorite Kitana yet! I was shocked that she wasn't made Empress but I actually like her as Mileena's #1 supporter and protector. And she's in charge of Outworld's armies? BADASS!!! And her reaction to Johnny being shocked by her age was so cute. Wait a minute... Who's sick idea was it to sit Kitanna beside Johnny anyway?! 🤨😑

Li Mei: I LOVE this Li Mei! Seriously, couldn't have done her better! Her design is perfect, her story was very good and she did so well to redeem herself. I never would have guessed that her and Sindel were close friends. But I love that! Now if only Sindel didn't die and we got more of that friendship— 😒

Tanya: Her relationship with Mileena was so cute and God, I need more of it! 😫 Also, I really misjudged her. I thought for SURE she would be a villain!

Rain: I don't have too much to say about him other than I liked his design and I seen him being a villain coming. 😅

Reiko: Pretty cool design and I actually liked him more than I thought I would. I'd like to learn more of his story in future games as well. (Also, Syzoth randomly mocking him in the intro dialogues was too fucking funny! 🤣)

General Shao: No words other than he is a dick and I can't take him seriously after that edited picture of him wearing makeup I seen on Reddit. 🤣

Nitara: What the fuck was that?!?! I mean, her design was ok. (Except for that cone-head hairdo. 😂) But Megan Fox did fucking AWFUL voicing her! I was so shocked because Megan is an actress and from what I've heard about her, she does pretty well. But I literally couldn't focus on any scenes with her in them because of how bad she was. How could they do our girl dirty like this?! 😭

Havik: Pretty cool but he makes me squeamish. I don't know why. 😆

Shang Tsung: I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! GO DIE! 🤬🤬🤬 It's crazy because I've always kinda liked Shang Tsung because he was always such a good villain but after that whole Syzoth thing, I despise the bastard. 😂 But I can't believe Shang from the old timeline disguised himself as Kronika to fuck over himself in Liu's timline! 🤣 Also, the new deadly alliance?! Let's gooooooooo! I LOVE all the old game references, especially the Armageddon one!

Quan Chi: I LOVE his new design! His eyes were so creepy and unsettling which was perfect! It's weird because even though I knew he was in the DLC pack, I didn't expect him to be actually IN the game. 😂 Probably, my most favorite Quan Chi so far.

Ermac: JARROD TOOK CONTROL OF HIM?!?! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?! God, when he got reunited with Sindel and the girls, I almost cried! That was such a beautiful reunion! 🥺 And Sindel is now a part of him too? This is crazy!

Geras: I'm glad he is on the good side. They kind of made him seem a bit against Liu Kang in the trailer for him so I was worried. But I love this upgrade, both appearance and personality wise. He seems like a kind soul. 😌

Honorable mentions: Madam Bo! What an absolute badass! I'm PRAYING for her to be a playable character in the future! 🙏🏻 Also, the alternate timeline characters?! That was SICK! And some of them were SO funny too! I mean Klockodle? Stung Lao? John Kahner? Janet Cage? THAT FUCKING SONYA/KANO ABOMINATION!!! 😭🤣 And I'm also declaring that since there are many alternate timelines, everybody's fanfics are canon! 😤

Anyway, yeah, we have waited years for this game—four, if I'm correct—and honestly, it was worth the wait. I can't wait to actually play it! 😌💖

[donsgraveyard]

Liu Kang hcs? (Pre or post timeline reboot or even like the 95 movie if that’s a guy u have thoughts on)

urghh Liu has a special place in my heart .. most of these are previous TL Liu

He was a super shy kid and didn’t like to socialize with anyone. He’d always hide behind Raiden’s legs or Fujin would sit on the side with Liu to keep him company when little Liu would watch other monk kids play instead of joining them

Liu has a huge appetite, he loves eating food. His fav is fish cooked like anyway possible it’s just so yummy to him.. Liu doesn’t usually indulge is appetite tho cause when he does, people point out how much he’s eating and he gets embarrassed

He used to over train himself as a teenager and Lao would try to point it out and give Liu a break but he’d insist he keep going. He only stopped when Raiden confronted Liu about it because he was the reason Liu would train so much- Liu over thought and blew Raiden’s expectations for him way out of proportion and didn’t wanna fail. But he learned it’s ok to rest and take breaks and now he actively tries to relax

When Liu gets flustered he’s quite literally hot to the touch, he burns up from his fire cause he feels embarrassed or flustered… Kitana burnt her tongue once or twice giving Liu a kiss….

pretty sure everyone head canons this, but that thought about Liu looking on fondly at Raiden and Lao’s friendship in the new era reminding him of how he and Lao used to be so close makes him really emotional….

Uh I can’t think of many others at this time but I hope you enjoy these!!