#he will always be shao kahn to me

[ntaras]

A mini analysis on Shao and Reiko’s relationship in mk12

note: i’d been wanting to write an analysis on their relationship for a while and cause i’ve been super busy a short analysis is what i could muster up. i think shao and reiko’s relationship is very fascinating and one of the (rare) highlights of mk12! here’s my take on them, or at least my very brief, summarized take on them (it’s like only 500 words)

Shao was a child of violence. He came from a military family and “though brilliant and eager,” it was not enough for his father. An angry father, and a child simply born with a body deemed weak. There is no denying that Shao’s training under his father was painful as his father “dismissed his son’s physicians and designed an extreme program to build his son’s strength and endurance.” Eventually, Shao became the perfect soldier- or perhaps, perfect to his father.

Reiko was a child of violence. He was captured during a war, and his family was slaughtered. He was only a boy, and he was alone, and he had to survive. He had to fight to live.

Upon being freed by Shao during a raid, Reiko attacked his captors. “Despite his youth and small size” Reiko “exacted bloody revenge.” Shao was “impressed by the boy’s spirit” and no wonder he was. A child who demonstrates strength ( I wouldn’t call a child killing their captors a child showing their “strength,” but it was strength/spirit in Shao’s eyes.) despite looking anything but strong. Shao saw himself in Reiko.

They are bonded through this violence of being born small, and as Reiko will now follow Shao’s teachings, Shao will continue the cycle of violence through the way he was raised by his own father. Shao will raise a strong boy into a stronger man.

To clarify, I am not using the cycle of violence in terms of abuse (which is what the correct term is about lol), because nothing says Shao is abusive towards Reiko. Shao had a violent upbringing, and when he saw Reiko killing his captors, he took him in because there was a connection through violence and size. The cycle of violence is continued because in the same way Shao’s father took the worst route in aiding Shao with his disability, Reiko was taught to embrace violence and war under Shao’s care despite it being what killed his family. The current war for Outworld will leave orphans behind, and how many will be from Reiko’s own hands? How many boys will want to kill Reiko, because he killed their families?

Reiko is undoubtedly loyal to Shao, and it is a loyalty out of love, similar to Kitana’s loyalty to Mileena. Though, you could question if Reiko’s loyalty to Shao sometimes goes against himself. During the dinner scene, Reiko raises his wine glass with everyone after Sindel’s speech and during Raiden’s speech. He doesn’t stay in his seat like Shao does. He only puts his glass down once Shao expresses contempt, and follows Shao as he leaves.

He is his father’s son, and he follows Shao no matter his true feelings- and his true feelings are to follow Shao. He has all the heart to be a good son, and utmost loyalty is being a good son, because how could your father be wrong when he taught you how to live?

As Shao loved Reiko like his son, Reiko is ready to fulfill his duty as son, and love trumps the fear of death.

“I’ve treated you like a beloved son.” “And I will follow you into the deepest valley.”

In Art of War Sun Tzu says, “Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest Valley."

Undoubtedly, Shao and Reiko are father and son, general and soldier.

[theemissuniverse]

ARE THEY SLAPPING YOUR ASS OR ARE THEY KISSING YOUR FOREHEAD? MK MALE CHARACTERS

SUMMARY : I think the title is self explanatory

A/N: I just thought it was funny lmao

WARNINGS : (MDNI) mentions of intimacy

MASTERLIST

MORTAL KOMBAT 1 CHARACTERS

Liu Kang is definitely kissing your forehead. He finds the simple kiss to be more intimate than anything. But if you’re into him slapping your ass, he’ll definitely do it. He just doesn’t understand how that’s a sign for affection. (It’s funny because he’s technically an Earthrealmer himself but he still does not understand mortal customs of showing affection.)

Kissing your forehead: “I love you so much, my love.”

Slapping your ass: “You’re playing with fire, love.”

Raiden would very much want to slap your ass but he’s way too shy to do that with you so he’ll settle with kissing your forehead. Raiden has been caught staring at your ass several times and when you point it out to him, he smiles embarrassed and mumbles a “I’m sorry.” It is very rare Raiden will slap your ass and when he does it’s a soft but efficient smack.

Kissing your forehead: “How are you doing, beautiful?”

Slapping your ass: “Okay. I liked doing it. Stop asking me now.”

Johnny Cage is one hundred percent slapping your ass. Without question. 24/7. 365. All day. Every day. It’s literally his sign for affection. He doesn’t have a problem with kissing you on the forehead but that’s when he’s feeling more sappy.

Kissing your forehead: “Aw does my big baby want a kiss?”

Slapping your ass: “Whew! I’m never getting tired of that.”

Kung Lao is hitting you with a combo. He’ll definitely come up to you and give you the biggest kiss on the forehead before then slapping your ass. Sometimes it catches you off guard (even though it really shouldn’t at this point) and he’ll just laugh at you.

Kissing your forehead: “You look so good.”

Slapping your ass: “But this looks even better.”

Kenshi Takahashi is doing both. He loves touching all over your body. (Especially if he is blind.) So, he’ll settle for any type of touch that can show you his affection towards you. He wished he wasn’t blind though so when he does slap your ass he can see the recoil.

Kissing your forehead: “My love is always strong with you.”

Slapping your ass: “You’re so naughty.”

Bi-Han is not a physical person by any means. So, that means he’s really not doing either. If he’s in an emotional mood or if you’re in one, he’ll kiss your head. Sometimes on rare days when Bi-Han is in a playful mood, he’ll slap your ass playfully but he really doesn’t show his love through physical affection.

Kissing your forehead: “Do you need something?”

Slapping your ass: “Don’t get use to that.”

Syzoth does not understand the mortal custom of slapping your ass as a sign of affection but he quickly catches on. In fact, he likes it more than kissing your forehead but he’ll always save room for kissing your forehead. He likes to call them “love taps.”

Kissing your forehead: “What do you want to do today, my love?”

Slapping your ass: “You look so good when you bend over like that.”

MORTAL KOMBAT 11 CHARACTERS

Shao Kahn is most definitely slapping your ass without question. He loves it. He has to be careful when he does it though because his hands are far bigger than what you’re used to. Sometimes when you’re in an emotional mood, Shao Kahn will kiss you on the forehead but he mostly slaps your ass to show his affection.

Kissing your forehead: “You need to rest, my Empress.”

Slapping your ass: “All of this is mine.”

Hanzo Hasashi doesn’t really get the point of it at first but he does catch on rather quick. He’ll slap it through out the day and kiss your forehead and neck while doing it. But mainly when he does it, he’s trying to get intimate with you.

Kissing your forehead: “Nobody is more gorgeous than you.”

Slapping your ass: “Do you want to take this to the bedroom?”

Nightwolf is kissing your forehead. He doesn’t understand how slapping your ass is a sign of affection in the slightest. In fact, he’ll look at men weird for doing it to their significant others and you can’t help but laugh at his reaction every time. If you like it though, he’ll do it.

Kissing your forehead: “My love.”

Slapping your ass: “I still don’t understand why you’re into that.”

Kano will always do it with no shame. He doesn’t care if you’re in private or around people. He’s doing it. He loves watching you simply bend over and when you bend over, he’s right on top of you. He’ll kiss your forehead when he feels tired or sleepy though.

Kissing your forehead: “Goodmorning, love.”

Slapping your ass: “Damn, baby. Just how I like to start my day.”

MORTAL KOMBAT X CHARACTERS

Takeda Takahashi mainly likes slapping your ass but he’ll also kiss your forehead. Usually he’s very playful and just slaps it. Sometimes he’ll just slap it out of nowhere which catches you off guard. He’ll kiss your forehead though but it’s like a million kisses on the forehead.

Kissing your forehead: “You’re so pretty.”

Slapping your ass: “I can’t help that it’s staring at me.”

MORTAL KOMBAT 9 CHARACTERS

Cyrax likes to slap your ass but it’s quick and it’s more of a form of goodbye. But when you’re intimate, be prepared to get it smacked repeatedly. He’ll kiss your forehead as a sorry for maybe how hard he’s smacking it but he really likes to.

Kissing your forehead: “Did I do it too rough?”

Slapping your ass: “God, you look so good.”

[freyito]

ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋᴏᴍʙᴀᴛ ʙᴏʏꜱ ᴅᴏ

so sorry for the little mini hiatus! im finally allllll moved in and i think all i really needed was like. a clean space. refreshed my mind a bit, lol. can't promise i'll have a steady schedule cause im still working on my inbox, just dont wanna get anything done (after this) til i've finished my new masterlists... anyways! ideas been in my head forever, need to get it off my chest NOW

cw: gn reader, just fluff, not proofread

⎯ Liu Kang

Liu Kang will come up with poetry ON THE SPOT. It's crazy scary how quick he is with it. He chooses something about you and just runs with it. How your eyes are just the most enticing color in the sunlight, just how beautiful you are in kombat...

⎯ Bi-Han

Bi-Han will place little notes around the house or on things he knows you use often. He'll place one on the cover of the book your currently reading, or even within the pages. Little love notes, mainly motivating you, praising you... but he'll write a simple 'I love you', too.

⎯ Kuai Liang

Specifically whenever it's colder, Kuai willpull you in for a hug, and make his body temperature increase. He'll do it under different circumstances sometimes, even to tease you. He likes to keep you close as his temperature steadily rises. Perfect for cold nights.

⎯ Johnny Cage

Footsies. Anytime you two are sitting across from each other, either at the dinner table, or at some fancy restaurant, Johnny's always tapping at your shins, your knee, anything. Brings you closer, in a way.

⎯ Kenshi Takahashi

Kenshi has a habit of placing his hand on your head, whenever he feels like it. He'll play with your hair, or scratch at your scalp. He likes the texture, but he also just enjoys messing with you a little bit.

⎯ Kung Lao

Tickling you. Always and forever. Kung Lao will take the most inopportune moments to taze your sides, find those soft bits of flesh that make you giggle in just the right way.

⎯ Raiden

Raiden will do the little heart thing with his hands (or fingers) from across the room when he can't be with you. Eventually, he'll even try to do it with his lightning. It's an uncontrollable variable, and it takes him so LONG to get ahold of it. But, when he finally gets it, he's all giddy.

⎯ Zeffeero

As much as Rain groans and complains that his magic shouldn't be used for mundane things or fun, sometimes he'll form water into little hearts or stars. All for you. But he'll do it away from you, and kind of side-eye you, to make sure your watching.

⎯ Tomas Vrbada

Smoke has a tendency to sway whenever you two hug. Specifically when it's a longer hug. He just finds the motion comforting! He'll hum a little as he does this, too. That hum starts small, but then it catches on, he'll hum the same tune to you before you fall asleep.

⎯ Baraka

Point. Why? Baraka doesn't know. But he kinda likes your reaction. You two have a little game where he'll point, and you'll pop up and look around, do the whole "who, me?" thing. It's like a displacement behavior for him. Secretly, he kind of just wants to place his whole hand on your face like a basketball. He won't. Too risky.

⎯ Geras

Since Geras is still kind of unfamiliar with mortal love, he'll bring you little vials of sand. Kind of like bottles of shelves you'd find in a souvenir shop? He also most definitely asks Liu Kang for help throughout your relationship. So, normally, you get sent little (they're not little actually, they're like 5-page essays) love letters via Liu Kang.

⎯ Syzoth

Syzoth will flick his tongue over your cheek unintentionally. He swears! He's not doing it on purpose! You'll be lying down, or just close in general, and boom! There's the tongue!

⎯ Havik

Havik does that thing where he'll pull you in with one arm around your shoulder and one on the side of your head, and shake you gently. He'll make a little "rah" sound, it's a whole thing. Sometimes he's just over-whelmed with the urge to do that.

⎯ Shao Kahn

Sometimes, whenever Shao passes by you, he'll take you by your hand, and spin you. He'll chuckle and go back to what he was doing. But sometimes, it turns into full blown dancing.

⎯ Shang Tsung

Shang loves passing winks to you. He'll do it when he's too busy, he doesn't even use it to imply something. He'll do that super corny thing where he over-exaggerates his face and winks at you a LOT.

⎯ Reiko

Whether Reiko's just sparring, or in a genuine match, he'll always dedicate it to you. Even if you're not there. He'll whisper something for you under his breath, then beat the shit out of his opponent. He also loves bragging about his achievements to you. Only you. A soldier MUST have some humility.

⎯ Takeda Takahashi

Takeda loves saying your name in a real stupid sing-song voice. Dragging it out, horribly, in such a cheesy manor. He'll bring his voice up all high pitch and even bring his hands up to his face.

⎯ Erron Black

As much as Erron tries to be smooth with it, he kinda fails at hiding the fact that he's doing this for you. He exaggerates his accent, he'll quote all sorts of westerns, and just play reaaaaal hard into the Cowboy part for you.

© freyito, 2023 | masterlist | queue | kofi DO NOT REPOST AS YOUR OWN OR USE FOR AI/AI CHATBOTS.

[thy-lover]

"YOU'LL LOVE ME IF I SAY YOU CAN" - Mortal Kombat Characters.

SUMMARY - Mortal Kombat Characters are Fuck Buddies with the Reader(Gender Neutral and Slightly a Villain) who is their ENEMY, In a Brief Moment of Clarity They Realize What They've Done....for the Millionth time

CHARACTERS - Shao Kahn, Johnny Cage, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Noob Saibot, Jax, Kano, Baraka

WARNINGS - Minors Do Not Interact, Sexually Explicit Descriptions, Foul Language, Spousal Manipulation, What Could Be Considered as Phone Sex, Death Threats

.

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𝔰𝔥𝔞𝔬 𝔨𝔞𝔥𝔫 -

➺ There he sat, on the side of his bed with but a thin white blanket across his lap covering his Manhood. Scratches alongside his back, across his arms, as if he's been clawed at by a wild animal.

➺ Half Moon fingernail prints on the side of his thighs, and bites along his neck. A spent cock between his thighs.

➺ Maybe it was the Sex, maybe it was seeing you walk into the Palace without a care in the world. Spitting on his concubines knowing you could play the great Shao Kahn for a fuckin fiddle. Yeah, it was the sex.

➺ It was the Romanticization of spearing his cock into the enemy that prevented him from taking your head and placing it on a pike. It was the way you fucked him, you fucked him, that made him want more. You were wild, fighting him, testing his restraint, or perhaps encouraging no restraint whatsoever.

➺ Only You. A "Pathetic" Earthrealmer who was a part of the Special Forces and Part Time Leader of a Secret Organization that wished to demolish Outworld. Could make him cum like you did. Not Sindel, not anyone, no one could force him to cum over and over like you.

➺ He was Outworlds Protector...wasn't he? Could he fool himself into believing crawling on top of you every night and fucking you till he could fuck no more, was in a way saving Outworld by possibly preventing the inevitable? No, he couldn't. He could only do as the bad guy does and pretend like this was part of the plan. Like he was the one using you.

➺ Even more so, as you stood up from the bed and began to clean yourself of the cum dripping down your legs and chest. Every time you stood up to leave he could see his handiwork. A fair share of bruises that he gave you from such animalistic sex. With his cum he marked you, with the bruise around your neck he claimed you, with that bite mark on your shoulder you were his. Damn anyone from his council who stood against it, damn anyone who found out. You were not his dirty secret you were his trophy.

➺ You looked fucked in such a delicious way of the term. When you put your clothes on and rearranged your appearance you all but smirked at him in the reflection of his mirror. Shao Kahn would never admit pain. He couldn't, he could never allow himself to be hurt not by you not by anyone. But every time you entered his lair, you hurt him with every kiss, it hurt him, broke him harder than any sword any scratch could ever.

➺ "See ya tomorrow." You said walking over to Shao Kahn and kissing his cheek. "Don't come back." Shao Kahn said not moving to kiss you, how many times had he said that very phrase? "I do what I want. If you don't want me coming back here to fuck you, then I'll come back here to take your throne."

➺ "I loved you....I love you....I'll kill to have you, I'll konquer the world to keep you."

𝔧𝔬𝔥𝔫𝔫𝔶 𝔠𝔞𝔤𝔢 -

➺ Hollywood has always been known to do some sketchy shit but this took the cake. He had sex, or he was having sex or he's been having sex with the same asshole that wiped out half of the Special Forces and damn near killed his own Daughter.

➺ This is why Johnny is laying in this lousy motel room, in fuck knows where. Naked a cigarette hanging from his lips, shit he didn't even smoke! Laying in this bed his eyes subconsciously searching for a blanket to cover his Manhood but to no avail.

➺ Why you? How could you have this power over Johnny Cage? The man who was never that sensible but never in the right mind betrays his friends by sleeping with the enemy.

➺ Even if there were a blanket his mind was too busy forcing his eyes to look back at the doorway where you stood naked staring at your reflection and wiping his cum off your body before slowly getting dressed.

➺ sometimes Johnny wanted to know why he was even here, there wasn't even really a solid reason why every night he snuck around paparazzi, and lied to Cassie and everyone who ever cared for him about where he was going on every night.

➺ But every time he got an anonymous call on his cell and every time he answered and heard your beautiful voice, he would bite his lip, palm his cock through his pants and write down the address to the new hotel to meet at.

➺ All he knew was that when you push him against the door, kiss down his neck. When he grabs your hips. When you push him on the bed and ride him like you'd die tomorrow, was secretly what he lived for.

➺ You made him lose control, you made him bury his head in the pillows like a virgin who's never been fucked, and you made him howl so loud the people next door banged their fists against the wall.

➺ You leave the bathroom and stand next to Johnny, your hand trailing from his calf to his inner thigh, so terribly close to his spent cock that he was so close to being hard again "Buh-bye Johnny boy, I'll be seeing you." You teased. "When?" Johnny asked his head low in shame. Your hands squeezed his thigh, embedding your nails in the muscular flesh "Whenever I fuckin want to."

➺ "I need you....even if you can't be mine."

𝔰𝔠𝔬𝔯𝔭𝔦𝔬𝔫 -

➺ You were his wife's killer...well not exactly actually, you just helped Quan Chi. By selling out the whereabouts of his wife all for a pretty sack of gold which made you smile when Quan Chi handed it to you. You sat upon a hill, tossing the gold sack in your hand, watching the Shirai Ryu burn.

➺ You were supposed to be dead, as dead as his dead wife, he would have made sure of that. Scorpion would have bought front-row tickets to see you roasting in the Netherrealm, but that wasn't the case.

➺ Instead of watching life drain from your eyes, he watched you sit up on the Shikifuton, your lips swollen, your eyes weary and dark. Instead of seeing your skin burn by the Netherrealm flame, he watched your skin currently flush a light pink, you were nude, bare for him. And he was nude, bare for you.

➺ Every night he prayed that whatever elder god who cared for him would cover his dead wife's eyes so that when he joined her in the death, he would not have to experience Harumi's shameful gaze. So that his dead children would not turn their backs to their father.

➺ He wouldn't blame them if they did. How could he? He wouldn't feel so guilty if he had the strength to kill you. But to raise his hands to you would feel wrong....he would feel like he was hurting his lover. But you were not his lover so how could he feel guilty for killing you? There was no love when you entered his home every night.

➺ You did not come into his home to love or make love with him. You came to his home to fuck your brains out. To pin him down, to play with his cock till his cum coated his stomach. To engage in the dirtiest sex and do things Harumi dared not to.

➺ Even now as you stood up, your legs shaking ever so slightly, cum dripping down them, his cum. Every night after you had your fun, he wanted you on your stomach face buried in the pillows fucking you till he came in you more times than he could count. He fooled himself into believing if he did that he would have power over you, but he was wrong. His real purpose for doing that was to claim you as his, though that's what you let him think.

➺ How much lust could you get out of pleasure, before that lust and that pleasure turn to guilt and shame? How could he lie to himself and say that this was the way to gain power over you? Every time that he spilled his seed within you was a bitter deep betrayal to the Shirai Ryu.

➺ When you gave him a dissatisfied glance, not because you were displeased by his performance, as a matter of fact, he gets better at fucking you every night you come back, but dissatisfied because you could hear his thoughts. Not his thoughts about Harumi or his child, no you knew about that so fuck that noise, no you're talking about the thoughts he didn't want to admit the thoughts that made you annoyed "Bye." You said coldly, he hated that, he hated this, he hated you but he hated that blank tone most of all. He watched you leave not saying a word he couldn't bring himself to

➺ "I can change you into something that can be loved."

𝔰𝔲𝔟-𝔷𝔢𝔯𝔬

➺ You helped Quan Chi create his monster of a brother Noob Saibot. And something which isn't a secret not even now and not even then, was that your eyes now aimed to take the Lin Kuei

➺ Sub-Zero is the leader of this clan, he swore an oath to protect and serve the Lin Kuei, and should anything, anyone pose any kind of threat to the clan whatever that threat might be was to be exterminated. Unfortunately, he was the threat. Every time you decided to waltz into the Lin Kuei compound and were granted entrance you posed a threat. And every time you pulled him into your arms he became a threat. For his weakness for the pleasure you could provide put the Lin Keui in constant danger.

➺ He was so pathetic when he was in your arms. With every rough touch you set upon his body, came a guttural groan. You were feral to him. You were festering upon him like a flame. Burning him with every kiss.

➺ He was so....unused to this. A virgin when you first had him. He was unmarried and never married previously. Sex was never a thought in his mind and love came 5th in the Lin Kuei. In the Lin Kuei love was given to you by your parents, not a spouse or a lover.

➺ How could he allow something like this to go on, how could his weakness allow him to let the person who was partially responsible for turning his brother into a revenant take his virginity, and for the next few months allow you to continue this sexual relationship. For months now.

➺ At some point, he encountered his brother Noob Saibot and after the fight, while Noob was about to teleport away he taunted his brother on precisely how he had you first, and that you'd never be his.

➺ Perhaps the sibling rivalry was still there or maybe he was serious. Either way Sub-Zero made it a point to no longer hesitate when having sex with you. Learning all too quickly to fuck you like a pro. He should have killed you all those times you crawled through his window, pushing him against a nearby wall and biting his neck. He should have strangled you the moment you wrapped your own hands around his neck and squeezed it lightly. He should have froze you in time the moment your warm hand grabbed his cock.

➺ Sometimes he wishes you would have killed him to stop or prevent the inevitable shame he brought upon the Lin Kuei by loving a partner who did not love him or the Lin Kuei back. Instead wanted to help Frost take over.

➺ His hands held your hips far more gently than he should have and that began to piss you off. He held you with his eyes with adoration, the first and only body he knows more about than his own. Every scar, every mark, every blemish, and every bit of beauty he held in his hands when he touched you. You growled, grabbed his hand, and pushed them off you, in a swift movement you pushed off of him, Sub-Zero watched with blind fondness as you grabbed your clothes and threw them on "Just stop!" You shouted rushing to the door and slamming it shut behind you. Sub-Zero was lost in a puppy love sort of trance. Could he never love you? Could your heart and his pride never allow it?

➺ "Could you ever allow yourself to obsess over me, as I am obsessed with you?"

𝔫𝔬𝔬𝔟 𝔰𝔞𝔦𝔟𝔬𝔱/𝔟𝔦-𝔥𝔞𝔫 -

➺ He tried to resist your temptation. He tried for the sake of the Lin Kuei to resist you, you were named Quan Chi's Left Hand, often called The Temptor. However, this was different, at least it was different for Bi-Han. You saw the dark ideas that plagued his head, saw his thoughts, and used him against him.

➺ Bi-Han could resist no more. The Lin Kuei felt more like a trap than a clan as the days went on. Bi-Han felt no love and no support from his dead parents' memory or his clan members. He felt nothing but he felt you. He felt your beating heart against the back of his spine. He felt the hand that explored his abs, he felt the hand that wrapped around his cock pumping it with a tight fist.

➺ Bi-Han felt your lips against his neck biting and licking the wound, he heard the sweet whispers in your voice every time you told him to surrender. You told him to surrender his strength, surrender his loyalty to the Lin Kuei, and surrender his identity to your master Quan Chi. But before he surrendered all that, he should surrender himself to you.

➺ Before Bi-Han became Noob Saibot he was mad for you. You had Bi-Han at your feet. You were giving him this intense feeling of something that compensated for the lack of affection he was given. You turned his strength for the Lin Kuei against him. And in turn, gave him the strength to go AWOL on the Lin Kuei.

➺ During those days you knew where to find Bi-Han. He was in your bed for months. He was not exactly a virgin, he had some experience when he and another Lin Kuei member attempted to have sex but unfortunately only ended in both of them being scared out of their wits. You however showed him what you wanted and sometimes waited patiently for him to give it to you.

➺ All was fine for the few months he left your chambers until an encounter with a vengeful scorpion left him to fall into the abyss. And Quan Chi saw an opportunity to use his necromancy for an interesting pet project.

➺ Noob Saibot was born and he felt nothing. Except for an odd feeling in his chest when he saw you walk by alongside Quan Chi. Your eyes were empty, and it was as if Noob Saibot finally realized the game you played with his past self Bi-Han. You looked at him without interest. Like you got what you wanted from him and didn't care to have more. Didn't care for him. You got what you wanted Bi-Hans identity for Quan Chi so he could massacre The Shirai Ryu and pin it on Bi-Han.

➺ You were his enemy for all intents and purposes. Only he had not expected a sliver of Bi-Hans conscious to remain. At night when Noob Saibot attempted to meditate he could hear screams. Not screams of pain. And in the darkness of his imagination he watched himself and Saibot fuck you in his head. Saibot held you to him as Noob used you to chase his high.

➺ He craved you. He needed you to give in to him. He wanted to surrender to you as Bi-Han has. But now, now you've changed you see him as a nuisance and when he managed to catch you before a fight he asked that exact question "You avoid us. Death is unavoidable. So why try to fight it?" He asked twirling his scythe. "Bi-Han loved me because I manipulated him to do so. I sense something in your soul, something that feels something for me, that I did not put there intentionally."

➺ "Life could not dwell in my heart, so the image of you will do just as well."

𝔧𝔞𝔵 -

➺ An enemy of Sonya's was an enemy of his. That's what he told himself when he first met you. The moment your eyes landed on him there was a villainous smirk that crossed your lips. You were Kano's Mad Dog and Jax also hated Kano. Only Jax couldn't bring himself to hate you. Not when your lips looked so pretty on his cock.

➺ Why you? Why Kano's Mad Dog. The sex was just so good. There were days when Jax wanted to fuck you nice and proper, then there were days, usually after he found out the terrible deeds you've done on the news, where he just wanted to fuck you till you couldn't move.

➺ After Jacqui left the house, in came you. You saved him from the sad depressive loneliness that was his home. He put away the beer more than usual so that he was sober when you dropped by and when you eventually find the spare key he attempts to hide and enters his home, scaring him half to death when you enter his bed while he sleeps.

➺ He wakes up with you silently beside or on top of him. He knows what you want, before you even speak, which is usually good because he hates you and more often than not doesn't want you to say anything, as all you usually have to say is something cocky.

➺ After the fact he usually lays down staring at the ceiling with labored breathing, ashamed of what he had done. What if Sonya finds out? What if Jacqui finds out?

➺ Fortunately for you and unfortunately for him the moment you roll over and begin to play with his Manhood all his worries disappear if but for a short while. And his mind fills with thoughts of you. Of your body. Of your sweet voice praising him for giving it to you rough.

➺ With Vera he was always gentle with her, always asking her if he was doing too much, if she was comfortable in this position. He was always so...careful not wanting to hurt her. And Vera was always, always gentle with him. He made love with Vera. But with You, it was rough, it was harsh, you praised him for being almost brutal with his pace and growled at him when he even dared try to be all sweet soft, and loving. You were wild and he was in denial what an interesting match.

➺ When you left more often than not it was in silence because you were never good at goodbyes and you never cared if he had wanted you to say something anything to break the uncomfortable silence because, in the end, you got what you wanted from the Special Forces lap dog. And it always made you just a bit annoyed with him when he looked at you like...like that. Like you were fuckin Vera Incarnate.

➺ When you put on your clothes you sit on the bed. Jax sat on a small table in his room pouring a whiskey and finishing a cigar "You're acting like you expect something more from me." You said coldly. "I do. Y'know, you don't sneak into someone's house and fuck the owner every night if you don't feel something-" "I DON'T FEEL ANYTHING!" You shouted swiftly leaving his room in a flash.

➺ "You're an exotic animal that can't be tied down and won't let any too close. But everything can be tamed."

𝔨𝔞𝔫𝔬 -

➺ The Australian asshole was not new to being Devious and using sex to get what he wanted. He was much like you in a way, only compared to you, you at least had morals to the very least. Kano knew the weak were more susceptible to being used and the strong are most susceptible to abusing the weak he knew this and he lived by it in a silent sort of way.

➺ You were Red Dragon, he was Black Dragon, arch enemies. The only problem is that you both decided to go undercover as Special Forces agents at the same time. Tension grew between you too as you had to play the good neighbor policy not trying to blow your cover.

➺ Kano however was rather lazy with it. Special Forces were starting to look into him but luckily he began to get chummy with Sonya and Sonya was starting to like him during a meeting, You and Kano sat across from each other at the table listening to the debriefing Sonya was giving. Sonya was talking about the Red Dragon and Kano said something that nearly gave up your identity had you not kicked his leg so very hard under that table causing him to yelp.

➺ Let's just say that the very moment he realized your legs were in reach of his crotch had him getting a bit wild.

➺ What started as a game of very risque footsie led to him visiting your room in the barracks and leading you away. Once you defected from the Special Forces and left it wasn't long before Kano decided to do the same only foolishly entering a Mortal Kombat Tournament.

➺ A few days after Kano's initial freedom he sought you out, first as a peace treaty and almost immediately turning into sex as Kano was a rather insatiable man. He knew that no one in the Black Dragon would agree with this, hell, if he were any more foolish he would use this to his gain, killing you and taking over the Red Dragon. Only he liked it too much. He liked you too much and it began messing with his head.

➺ His urges began to become obsessed over you. You were dangerous, he liked dangerous. You fucked him like he would fuck someone who wasn't worth shit. You took your pleasure from him disregarding his needs.

➺ No. No, he couldn't blackmail you he couldn't hurt you. He needed you to satisfy him like only you do. He wasn't one to question why he was so desperately in need of you, he didn't ask why, or how, or what because he was fine with being obsessed with you he's fine. With it. You are his drug and he was perfectly fine with being addicted. No need to wonder or worry. What could anyone really expect Kano's unethical and morally incorrect.

➺ You pushed yourself up off the bar counter as the hard oak rubbed way too harshly on your bare back. Kano groaned and pulled his cock out of you, stumbling backward till he stumbled into a booth. You smirked and jumped off the bar picking up your clothes and walking about in the nude "You're pathetic." You say chugging a bottle of alcohol after. "Mhm. Same time tomorrow?" Kano asks slightly hopefully. "I'm busy. I'll be back whenever I decide to."

➺ "You'll be mine. I don't care what I have to do. I'll kill the special Forces just for you."

𝔟𝔞𝔯𝔞𝔨𝔞 -

➺ You wanted Tarkatans to die. You wanted to cleanse Outworld of them, why? Who knows, most say you just decided to pick the most sadistic pastime and that was to kill the Tarkatans. Others said you were hired by the Great Emperor Shao Kahn to kill the Tarkatans and hopefully Baraka at the same time for....downsizing.

➺ The first time the Fakas of the Tarkatans saw you was when you burned down one of his villages and he was helping his people escape. He saw your silhouette a shadow atop a hill standing there staring at the chaos. He dropped everything he was doing and ran towards the figure but when he got atop the hill no one was there except for this sweet scent that lingered in the air. It smelled like the exotic fruits of Outworld. It also smelled like Tarkatan blood.

➺ When he tracked you down all those days ago he had not expected to get beaten in Kombat and he certainly hadn't expected to find the person who was assaulting him to be so damn attractive and he sure as shit wasn't expecting to find himself harder than all the rocks in hell. When you straddle him during the fight to finish the job you certainly were not counting on whatever was snug between your warm thighs getting bigger with each movement.

➺ That was the initial start of this sexual relationship. You would sneak into the Tarkatans war camp, crawl under the tent flaps, and into bed with him where he would fuck you till the day after tomorrow.

➺ Every time you left his company after having him you were always left with at least 10 permanent scars along your lower back, hips, and thighs. What you did note was that he must have had a breeding kink or some such because by the end of it all he left quite the mess on you.

➺ Tarkatans were territorial so perhaps the first sign of his growing obsession for you was when he bit your neck permanently leaving his mark on your skin that told other Tarkatans you were his.

➺ The second time something was wrong was when he found you flirting with someone, naturally for the sake of gaining information, and when he spotted this he swiftly eliminated the person you attempted to fancy. This caused some wild hate sex that made Baraka growl to the moon and back.

➺ For all these days he gave into his lust for you, left low Morale to his people. They distrusted his leadership, believing he was being controlled by an earthrealmer slut, believing he lost his sense of honor as he had no wish to avenge the fallen Tarkatans that died by your hands. He fought a fellow challenger every day in an attempt to beat his loyalty out of them to which it partially worked. For every fight came another fuck at night. He wondered if he was doing the right thing as a leader....as the Fakas to the Tarkatans. But he couldn't resist you. You brought out the animal in him. Satisfied his lust. He needed you like he needed air.

➺ He attempted to hold you to him. To keep your body close. No matter how sweat-ridden the both of you were. He wanted to breathe in the sweet scent of your skin. Trail his long tongue along your thighs the next time he wakes up. Play with you till you begged him to fuck you. Mark your chest with his cum. But you still pulled away "You think I belong to you." You said. "Don't you? I've ruined you for another man, I spilled my seed in you every day." Baraka growled stroking his cock at the sight of you standing up, your body "Heh. You belong to me. You're mine. I will never be yours. Claim another and I'll bury you with them."

➺ "Don't you know a koin has two sides? I'll hurt you and whatever man or woman dare take you from me. I'll kill them."

.↭

.↭

.↭

𝔞𝔲𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔯𝔰 𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔢: Hey y'all it's Leif here, hope you enjoyed this work! If you like it lemme know. Writing this I was listening to "FU in my head" by Cloudy June. I recommend listening to it while reading!

Gif Credits:

Shao Kahn gif by solidsmax

Johnny Cage gif by mortal-kombat11

Scorpion gif by mortal-kombat 11

Sub-Zero gif by hollywoods-star

Bi-Han from the movie Mortal Kombat gif by temporaryusername2015

Jax gif by thedestinysunknown

Kano gif by fortheloveofaminorcharacter

Baraka gif by raidentalfloss

Anime Cigarette Case by fly-me-to-the-moon

[inactivewattpadauthor]

Liu Kang x Friendzoned Reader: Saving Kotal

This could be a sequel to the chapter you get friend zoned, idk ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Standing aside from the group of Outworlders, you all waited for the three to come back: Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and the one that secretly makes you spite everything, Kitana. Maybe it was a good idea you stayed back. It would've been a shame if the pettiness inside you acted on the intrusive thoughts. You kept everything down though, knowing your feelings weren't important in this matter.

Kitana was to convince Baraka to side up with her to rescue Kotal and defeat Shao Kahn, hopefully all of them weren't shredded down there. It felt awkward being around all these Outworlders too. But no worries, they all return with the allegiance of Tarkata.

Letting out a small smile you went to them. "Glad you guys are back." Glancing mostly at Lao since you were still bitter about the other two. Liu sensed your vibe, awkwardly nodding at Lao before walking off with the princess.

The hat wielder pulls close to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulder as you two walked closely. "So we all are going to the Kolosseum," You already were aware of the next dangerous leap. "Liu wishes for me to tell you that you don't have to go. It is very dangerous."

You scoff and push away from Lao. "So what? He couldn't tell me himself? Maybe he actually just doesn't want me to go because... of her."

Lao grimaces. "See, this is why he made me speak to you." He murmurs before clearing his throat. "No. He just thinks it wouldn't be fair for you to risk your life for something mostly for Kitana. Though the realms are at stake. But it's up to you if you wish to not participate. He understands."

"I'll go." You sigh. "And Lao," You place a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be his messenger. You're too much of a good friend for that." You walk off.

He smiles at you when you walk away and as you go completely out of sight, his face drops into a frown. "Shit."

---Time Skip To Kolosseum---

You stood far back as Kitana lead the large group to the doors of the caged battle arena. As they were forced open, you could tell any second late, Kotal would've had his head bashed in. Standing back, you could barely hear what the princess and Shao Kahn spoke of.

"-exactly like you, 'father'." That's when the battle began, Kitana striking Shao with her fan blades and everyone else getting into it. You fought smoothly, knocking any foe that approaches off their feet with easy defeat.

Turning your head, you see Liu fighting honorably as well, but it would seem he didn't hear the enemy approaching behind him, readying his sharp weapon. Without any hesitance, you rushed to that swine, heart pumping in fear he would strike him.

You deliver a strong high kick to the back of the opponent's neck, sending the heel of your shoe through, making the swine choke up on his own blood. The sound made Liu jump back and his eyes widen as you pull your heel out, watching in despise as the Shao Kahn follower collapse dead, blood seeping from the hole you caused.

"You came!" Liu looked at you with warmth. "Why?"

"I'd give my life for you." You cross your arms, looking away blankly. You said it so simply, he stands there confused. He always sort of thought you disliked him ever since he had to put you down. The champion would've understood if you resented him all the way, but he was happy you came through.

"I owe you mine's now." Liu bows gratefully to you.

You scoff and roll your eyes. He is confused to why you step towards him until you wrap your arms around him, his mind fading out as everyone else was dying in the background and the audience cheers with glee.

But he smiles and returns your embrace, resting his chin on your head.

You two hugged it out for long up until you hear a pained yell from Kotal. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ I do a little trolling in this chapter lol

[kusagrasskusa]

MK Villains meeting/hearing about their (and your) child - PART 2

Erron Black, Shang Tsung, Baraka, Kano, Quan Chi, Shao Kahn edition! (Part 1)

This time, we’ll be featuring…

Shinnok, Dark Raiden, Noob / Bi Han (he wasn’t very good), Scorpion, Reptile!

Enjoy ;) @kryptofancientdreams

Shinnok

Shinnok: My child, where had you gone?

Child: My brothers and I have a plan to defeat you.

Shinnok: Then, I suppose they will have to go through with it without you.

—

Raiden: You fall from the light, sister.

Child: We are the children of Shinnok- you are just as horrible as I.

Raiden: You’re speaking just like him.

—

You: You promised our child the Netherrealm, then go missing.

Shinnok: A couple of inconveniences got in the way.

You: That human actor? Are you the same husband as before?

—

Child: I’ll kill Quan Chi myself if you can’t.

Shinnok: He is much stronger than yourself. Just wait until I win it over for you.

Child: *Pout* why! I can defeat you, so why let do it?

—

You: You need to talk to your son.

Kronika: Why so?

You: He fails to give [child] the gift of the Netherrealm.

—

Shinnok: Have you met your [sister/brother]?

Raiden: She is no sister of mine.

Shinnok: You may ignore the truth, but you know your place.

—

Child: You can't hide from fate.

Shinnok: My fate is not to die at the end of a worthless human's blade.

Child: A demi-god. And Cage proves humans aren't so wortthless.

—

Child: Brother! He escaped!

Raiden: Do you think yourself powerful enough to defeat him?

Child: Perhaps... If you can prove it.

—

Johnny Cage: Your daddy ever tell you about me?

Child: I tell him about you, actually, Ninja Mime.

Johnny Cage: Then be ready to tell him about this, got it?

—

Raiden: How does a human betray her realm?

You: If my child can have a father, that's how.

Raiden: A kind sentiment, with horrible reasoning.

—

Fujin: I had no idea we had a sister.

Raiden: If the reader has a thing for Shang Tsung and would like to see our sister...

Fujin: The author has a story for that? Can I check it out here?

—

Fujin: I won't call you mother.

You: I don't expect you to. You're a grown ma- God.

Fujin: Just making sure you're fine with that.

—

You: Give [child] back!

Raiden: I will not let you or Shinnok destroy my [sister/brother].

You: You fool! This is why Shinnok hates you!

Dark Raiden

You: Are you even going to be there for [child]?

Raiden: [She/he] can live without me. But [she/he] cannot live without Earthrealm.

You: I won't let you leave so easily this time!

—

Fujin: Where is your father?

You: I won't let you find him.

Fujin: The darkness grows over you too. I'm sorry, niece.

—

Revenant Lui Kang: I can never kill Raiden, but I make him live his life in misery.

You: He is finished with your whines, champion.

Revenant Lui Kang: And soon, I'll be finished with you.

—

Raiden: Where is [she/he]

Revenant Lui Kang: You took away my life, Raiden. Now I took away yours.

Raiden: And I will finish with this life of yours!

—

Child: Not. Another. Step.

Raiden: You dare cross me?

Child: You killed them, father. You are not deserving of the name, "Protector."

—

You: Your father's angry at you.

Child: You two have lost yourself in darkness. I trust you mi longer.

You: You forget: I'm not as merciful as him.

—

Cassie: so, you're dad's a god? Must be nice.

You: 'Til he becomes a dark God. Then it kinda sucks.

Cassie: Eh, my dad sees you as a daughter anyways. That's a plus.

—

Raiden: I never could have imagined it end this way.

Child: Father, you misunderstand!

Raiden: You helped a Reventant. You betray your realm!

Noob Saibot / Bi Han (seperate)

Noob: I am not your father.

Child: You may be dead, but you are still my father!

Noob: Bi Han is dead. You are just another orphan.

—

Child: Saibot is not as fun to play with. He's just a shadow.

Noob: I cannot always be with you, child.

Child: Then why did you ever hsve me?

—

Kuai Liang: My [niece/nephew]. You have my mother's eyes.

Child: I am not your niece. I was born to Noob, not Bi Han.

Kuai Liang: He is my brother and life, and in death.

—

You: You left me to raise a child on my lonesome.

Noob: I did what I must to protect [her/him].

You: You'd protect [child] better dead then alive.

—

Hanzo: It was a mistake. I was blinded by my rage.

Child: I actually came to thank you. I want to learn what you did.

Hanzo: How I killed your father? It went something like this...

—

Bi Han: I love you.

You: You have yet to prove it. Spend time with [child] if so.

Bi Han: That will have to wait until later, unless you can bring me home yourself.

—

Frost: I thought your dad said women weren't allowed to be heirs.

Child: No, no. He said bitches aren't allowed to be heirs.

Frost: Your family blood are all assholes.

—

Kuai Liang: I told you, we cannot waste anymore time.

You: If I can beat you, then I can take down my father!

Kuai Liang: Yes, but you can never bring him back.

—

Kuai Liang: So you finally settled down.

Bi Han: Correct, brother.

Kuai Liang: Let us see how prepared you are to raise a child, then.

—

Bi Han: Our daughter does not enjoy watching us fight.

You: You seem to forget; You are the leader, but I am the First Lady.

Bi Han: ...She will have the might of her mother.

Scorpion

Child: I understand. I will never mean enough to you.

Scorpion: I love you the same as my son. Never doubt that.

Child: Then why do you care for them more than me?

—

Quan Chi: It would be a shame for it to happen again, yes?

Scorpion: [Child] and Y/N are under my permanently protection.

Quan Chi: Protection... only worked so much, didn't it?

—

Raiden: You look just like your father.

Son: I am more hellbent than him.

Raiden: Then you can never be saved.

—

You: Who will it be, your dead family or your new one?

Scorpion: My dear wife, I am sorry. But I cannot let go.

You: I see. Then I suppose you won't be needing us anymore.

—

Johnny: I saw this chick on my way here. Literally, smokin' hot.

Scorpion: *angrly grips chain* It was you who harassed my daughter?

Johnny: *clicks tongue* Yup. Not good on my part.

—

Child: I wish I could've killed Hemuri and my brother myself.

Scorpion: He is no brother of yours any longer!

Child: Good. Then if I could kill him, it would be far less meaningless.

—

Scorpion: You took my child away!

You: Why would you care! We're meaningless compared to your dead family!

Scorpion: Bring [him/her] back!

—

Quan Chi: I thought I killed you a long time ago.

Child: That was my brother. I had come to avenge my father's clan.

Quan Chi: Then suffer the same fate.

—

Kuai Liang: Scorpion found love once more.

You: *smiles* He did. Although, he cannot look past what you had done.

Kaui Liang: That was neither I or my brother. Send the message.

Reptile/Syzoth

Cassie: So, what's your favorite bug to eat?

Child: Ew, bugs are my father's thing. I prefer the flesh of chickens.

Cassie: Huh. Gotta say, not what I expected.

—

Erron Black: *Whistles* Ain't you one fine specimen.

Daughter: Half Saurian, half [human/edenian/whatever]. *wink*

Erron Black: That so? Wanna come "put venom in my veins" girlie?

—

Takeda: I think I've seen this somewhere.

Child: Avatar? I get that a lot.

Takeda: Maybe... or furry conventions.

— (Enter Alice Cooper)

Johnny: I wanna kiss you but your lips are-

You: -venomous poisonnnn.

Johnny: Yeah, how do you kiss that guy anyways and not melt?

—(Exit)

Syzoth: *"My child" in Saurian*

Child: *"Father" in Saurian*

Syzoth: *:)*

—

Shang Tsung: I thought Reptile to be the last of his species.

Child: That was before he had me to a [human/edenian/whatever].

Shang Tsung: I must expirement with such a cross breed.

—

Jaque: I know Tiana had to kiss the frog to turn him human, but to have a child with the frog?

You: There's more than meets the eye, my dearest.

Jaque: Don't talk that close to me. Don't know where that mouth has been.

—

[criminalmutantsins]

My Thoughts on MK1 Hanzo

(Spoiler Warning: Smoke’s Tower Ending is discussed)

I saw Smoke’s tower ending and was surprised to see Hanzo in the new timeline, let alone as a child. Although I’m open to how the writers will handle his character, I’m kind of disappointed that they went this route. When I learned that Kuai Liang would be Scorpion in the new timeline, I expected Hanzo to either not even exist or live a nice life with Harumi and their son. Instead, Kuai Liang is married to Harumi and Hanzo is much younger than them, which is so weird. I really hoped Hanzo would have a happy life and only be involved in the games through mentions at least.  Also, this decision paints Liu Kang in a bad light. It’s no secret Liu Kang made sure his allies had a good life while making some of his enemies’ lives (Shang Tsung and Quan Chi) insignificant to prevent them from turning into their past counterparts. So, it makes me wonder why Liu Kang didn’t think to give Hanzo a good life or at least watch over him. It’s shown that Hanzo is a starving orphan forced to steal for essentials. I have no doubt Liu Kang knows about Hanzo’s past since he met the older and kinder Scorpion in MK11 and Raiden has disclosed Hanzo’s past in MK 9. Plus when Liu Kang fused with the Hourglass, he most likely became aware of what happened in MK9 and MKX. He gave Shao Kahn the chance to be a better man by being the Kingdom’s general- a risk that didn’t pay off, yet didn’t give Hanzo what he always desired- his wife, son, and the Shirai-Ryu. It feels so out of character for Liu Kang to not make sure Hanzo had a good chance at life. 

If I had the opportunity to write Hanzo’s character, it would’ve been very different. I would’ve made him a former Lin Kuei member(he would be 5 or more years older than Bi-Han) who held the Scorpion title until he retired to Japan- where met Harumi and had their son. Hanzo would’ve also been the one to train Kuai Liang in his fire powers in the latter’s childhood. In his honor, Kuai would take the Scorpion mantle after Hanzo retires. Hanzo could also help Kuai and Smoke form the Shirai-Ryu but Harumi helps in recruiting and training while he takes care of their young son. 

Though, I still hold some faith that NRS will write the new Hanzo well. I guess I’m just disappointed because I wanted Hanzo to finally live a happy life where his family stays alive. He was one of my favorites in the MK9-MK11 era so I can’t help but feel a connection towards him.

[meepispeepis]

Shang Tsung's Peril is not Liu Kang's Fault (A Headcanon Analysis)

Ok, so I've been meaning to make this post for a long time, but here it is! Shang Tsung, we all love him. You love him, I love him, we all love our sassy, unapologetic asshole of evil.

However, I found myself feeling off about Shang Tsung's story and how it relates to Liu Kang and his perspective on changing the timeline. In summary, back in MK11, Liu Kang becomes the Keeper of Time and alters the timeline, which leads us to MK1. Everyone in the Mortal Kombat series has been changed, but also keeping the trademark traits that many know them for (Shao Kahn being a tyrant, Kung Lao desiring to be in the spotlight, Johnny Cage being the comic relief, etc). However, where I, personally, took issue with the story is how the villains from the previous timeline are treated compared to Shang Tsung.

I think everyone can agree that Shang Tsung (and Quan Chi, but this isn't about him lol) was treated weirdly horribly in Liu Kang's new era. Now, understandably, if we look back to how Shang was pre-MK1, it's not unreasonable for Liu Kang to demote Shang Tsung the way he did…But when you look at how other villains are treated (General Shao, Sindel, Mileena, Tanya, Noob Saibot/Sub-Zero, etc) in Liu Kang's new era, Shang Tsung happens to stick out like a sore thumb. Now, I get it, outside of the game, Shang Tsung is an iconic villain in the Mortal Kombat franchise, and as storytelling goes, NRS is always going to bring him back as an antagonist figure.

But I feel like there's some missed potential and some story and character moments that are a bit…Contrived, for lack of better words. So, I want to go over how Liu Kang's power over his timeline is presented, why the treatment of Shang Tsung, at least for me, feels off, and how it could've been used a bit better. A.K.A, Shang Tsung's downfall isn't Liu Kang's fault, and let me explain!

The Hourglass, the Timelines, and Liu Kang

We're going to take a moment to analyze Liu Kang's timeline and how the Hourglass works based on the canon events and interactions from MK1 and a bit of MK11. We will be leaving speculation and theories out the door for this one and follow strictly what NRS told us from the story they weaved.

Starting with the Hourglass...We don't know anything about the Hourglass. Ok, that was an oversimplification of what we comprehend about the Hourglass, but believe me, we really don't know what it does.

From what we can ascertain about what the Hourglass can do, we know you can pear through the Hourglass to see past events. We witnessed this with Geras in MK1 when he used the Hourglass to determine who it was that talked with Shang Tsung at the beginning of MK1. We also know that it can be utilized to monitor the current timeline and, if needed, can be used to reset the universe however back the user desires. However, no one can just use the Hourglass. At least based on MK11, only someone powerful enough to wield the title Keeper of Time can control the Hourglass. Not only that, but one cannot reverse time whenever they want. We saw this first hand in the MK11 plot, where Kronika needed to fuel a crown with countless souls and obtain the Jinsei capsules.

Kronika, upon receiving the vials of Jinsei energies: "I now have the energy to resculpt the Sands of Time."

Kronika, while speaking with Revenant Liu Kang: "Timecraft requires an abundance of raw, temporal energy. Every mortal soul contains a lifetime of this power. Every hour, every minute, every second lived is stored within." "In his Well of Souls which, remains untouched, beneath his island. A destiny I crafted for Shang Tsung, in case I ever had need."

We also know that the Keeper of Time can stop time on a large scale. We can see this as Kronika brings back old and new allies and rivals from the past, while also stopping time during the beginnings of MK11.

And based on what Liu Kang tells us in MK1, the Hourglass is considered as follows:

Liu Kang, speaking with Empress Sindel: "A celestial object which lies beyond the realms, the Hourglass regulates time and destiny."

We'll actually come back to the 'time and destiny' thing later down the line. Now, there may be other things about the Hourglass that I might be missing, but thus far, this is all that we are shown and told, canonically, what the Hourglass CAN do. We're not informed much about any potential weaknesses of the item aside from that it requires Kronika's crown to fully reset and restart time. We're not even given other intricacies on how the Hourglass works either, which we'll get into later down the line. Right now, all we know is that:

The Hourglass can ONLY be used by powerful individuals such as Kronika, Shang Tsung, or Fire God Liu Kang. If anyone else were to attempt to wield the powers of time, they end up like Fujin.

The Hourglass, once wielded by said powerful entity, can monitor the current present timeline.

If the wielder so desires, they can also stop time at a worldwide or even universal scale.

The Hourglass can be used to revert time however long back the user desires. Even allowing them to completely change history and destinies. However, they require Kronika's crown and powerful energies to be infused in said crown for this to be possible.

So, we have those bases down. Now, let's talk about Liu Kang and the handling of his new timeline, the MK1 timeline.

Unfortunately, we don't get much insight into what Liu Kang saw when he peered into the Hourglass and what was done for him to change the current timeline. The closest we get to what he did when constructing the timeline is that he popped & locked while in front of the Hourglass. But we can ascertain what he did to achieve his new timeline based on not only the MK1 story but also the character interactions he has with the other playable fighters.

We'll start with what we have seen from the story mode. In Liu Kang's new timeline:

Tarkatans are now just diseased individuals who will eventually become ravenous monsters.

Outworld and its leaders are still hellbent on conquering other realms.

Raiden is now mortal, Kung Lao is still "Second-Best," Johnny Cage is still a struggling martial arts movie star, and Kenshi is part of the Yakuza looking for Sento.

Sindel is now queen of Outworld and has two daughters, Kitana AND Mileena. However, her husband, Jerrod, is once again dead.

Shao Kahn is no longer the king of Outworld, instead "demoted" to the status of General. Reiko is also his adopted son now.

Speaking of which, Mileena is no longer a science experiment made by Shang Tsung. She's now the actual birth sister of Kitana.

Tanya and Rain are also pacified, as Tanya is now a warrior priestess and protector of the throne, while Rain is the High Mage of the palace.

Shang Tsung has become a begging salesman, fooling people with mock potions and cures to make a potential living.

Now, I'm actually going to stop here because all of this we learn about of Liu Kang's new timeline before Shang Tsung becomes a literal threat. And so far, some things look good for Liu Kang's new era...However, there are some things that I question about Liu Kang's new timeline and we'll go down the list about it.

Starting with the Tarkatans, if you are aware of at least Mortal Kombat 11, you would know that Tarkatans are a race of people. Yet, in Liu Kang's new timeline, they're instead diseased people...Why? Now, before, when I first watched MK1, I thought that they were going to reveal that Tarkat (the name of the disease) was created by Shang Tsung...But it's not????

We actually learn this in the first 5 minutes of MK1, where Shang Tsung is advertising his healing remedies, and he SPECIFICALLY STATES how his mock cures could heal those affected by Tarkat. So that means that this was purposefully done when Liu Kang recreated history. Now, this isn't me blaming Liu Kang (we'll also get to that later too) because Liu Kang does mention that Tarkat's existence in his timeline was an "unforeseen consequence."

Liu Kang VS Baraka: "As my creator, you're to blame for my affliction." "It was an unforeseen consequence, Baraka."

But it's still weird that Liu Kang would allow such a dramatic change for a race of people. Now, albeit, Tarkatans were often depicted as fighting for Shao Kahn. You know, one of the main antagonists of the Mortal Kombat franchise. But it's still weird that Liu Kang decided this was a more suitable outcome, and we'll actually discuss this in a moment.

Next, I want to talk about Outworld itself, a very divisive realm that, in the previous timeline, was a practical breeding ground for most of our known antagonists (and protagonists, too). If you at least know about MK9, you would know that the Mortal Kombat tournaments exist because of Outworld. Shao Kahn, the previous ruler of Outworld, wanted to merge Outworld with Earthrealm. But the Elder Gods created a checks & regulations system called the Mortal Kombat tournament to keep not only the realms in check but also ensure that Shao Kahn didn't get too powerful (with some help from Sindel).

Now, you would think, in Liu Kang's new era, he would eliminate the need for that to happen, especially since Sindel was now the ruling force in Outworld…But no, the Mortal Kombat tournament still stands? Now, admittedly, Liu Kang does inform us that the more "militant force" of Outworld and its politics are the reason why Mortal Kombat exists. He and Jerrod agreed that this would maintain the peace between Outworld and Earthrealm.

Yet, it still feels off that Liu Kang would also allow such a tournament to still exist; an event infamous for causing conflict so great that his best friends, even HIMSELF, perished for it. Why should Mortal Kombat be the by-all, end-all to keep peace with another realm? Not only that, but Outworld is a world riddled with conflict. Now, they don't SPECIFICALLY say that Outworld has conquered other realms, but they do name internal quarrels that Outworld faced in its past. And, sure, these conflicts are not really described in any detail when mentioned, but it shows the troubled history that Liu Kang mentions when talking with Raiden and displays Outworld's desire for conquest. Which, once again, why would Liu Kang still keep Outworld as this conquest-driven realm where Mortal Kombat is NEEDED to maintain the peace?

Now, next is the many "new" characters we meet in MK1. Now, to properly talk about this, we actually are going to start with the villains of the previous timeline, and then we're gonna come back to the Hourglass being able to regulate time and destiny. Heavily going to talk about destiny, though.

Now, where to begin! Let's start with Shang Tsung since, believe it or not, this post is about him too. From the very beginning of MK1, we learn that Shang Tsung is a wandering charlatan who sells quack cures and fake magic. We see this as he tried to market an elixir to a crowd of desperate locals, only to be caught red-handed by a man who outs his falsities. After the fact, we are shown that Shang Tsung resides in an Outworld RV (a wagon), and he dons disguises so that he can easily fool others of his crafts. During his conversation with Damashi, we hear Shang Tsung describe his lifestyle as "barely survival." We don't know if he has an actual home to go to, but considering that his wagon is considerably full of stuff, he most likely lives and breathes in that wagon.

From this, we can ascertain that Shang Tsung lives a life of squalor. And if the opening 5 minutes of MK1 isn't convincing with his dirt-faced ass, sad little meow meow visage, then listening to his interactions with the other playable fighters should be enough to assure you that Shang Tsung was in poor conditions. Now, considering what Shang Tsung has done in the previous timelines (MK9-11 & MK-MK: Armageddon), you would say that this is a well-deserved fate...However, some things make Shang Tsung's life in MK1 seem glaringly unfair.

To discuss what I mean, let's look at the other villains in the Mortal Kombat franchise and their new life in MK1. Starting with Sindel. Now, say what you will about Sindel's retcon in MK11; it stands that she was a villainess in the most recent memory of the rebooted MK games. She has done some pretty horrible stuff, such as killing her husband Jerrod in the alternate timeline, lying and betraying her own daughter and her allies, imprisoning the Cage family, and specifically telling them that they will "breed slaves" for her new regime. Now, as I said, I am aware that Sindel was beloved because of her story before MK9-MK11 where she was once a villain, but she redeemed herself to become a hero. I'm not blind to this, but considering that MK1 is building off of what they attempted to tell in the altered timeline, Sindel is pretty awful. Considering that Liu Kang merged with Raiden and his revenant self and absorbed their powers and knowledge, you would think that Sindel would get a pretty bad life, much like Shang Tsung...Right?

Now, while the "restored" Sindel is an absolute W for Sindel fans, considering what Liu Kang did to Shang Tsung in his new timeline, it feels a bit off. Because mind you, Liu Kang wouldn't know about Sindel's "redemption arc," and considering that they also retcon Sindel's origin, she should be getting the same treatment as Shang Tsung, right? She was dangerously close to obtaining a realm where she reigned as a tyrannical queen.

But no, she's given what she wanted. She's now the Empress of Outworld. The only good thing about this is that she isn't the vile person we saw in MK11. Instead, she's a firm yet compassionate queen. She's willing to be at war with anyone who rivals Outworld's power, but she states multiple times how she prefers that to not be the case. She even talks down to General Shao by reminding him of the teachings his father told him about war. MK1 Sindel also loves her daughters and does her best to protect them. Mileena is a grand example of them due to her being infected with the Tarkat disease. Sindel tries to conceal her affliction to prevent those who would do their family harm from using this against them. And as foolish as this was in hindsight, she allowed Shang Tsung to concoct a temporary cure for her daughter. This time around, Sindel also loves her husband Jerrod, and his untimely death took a toll on her. And this time around, she didn't off herself because of it :D.

Ok, so Sindel got off scot-free, mainly because the developers realized they made a mistake by turning the most beloved character into the most hated. And that can be forgiven, so we'll overlook that for now. But what about Mileena? In the altered timeline, Mileena was created by Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn. The reason for this was because Shao Kahn believed that Kitana could possibly, and eventually, betray him IF she were to learn the truth of her origins. Being new to Mortal Kombat, Mileena's atrocities are not plainly told aside from her being a mean mama jama like her creators. She ruled Outworld for a time, even was called the "Mad Empress," only to be killed by Devorah in MKX. So, not many notable war crimes that Mileena herself has done, aside from assisting Shao Kahn in the invasion of Earthrealm.

So I'm not too mad (never was really) about Mileena also receiving a better life in Liu Kang's new timeline, despite being a villain herself. And, I honestly see it as poetic. In my opinion, and I don't know if the rest of the fandom agrees with this, but I always felt that Mileena's core theme was about family. And I'm kinda disappointed that this wasn't explored for the altered Mileena in MK9-MK11. Also two, I can somewhat understand Liu Kang wanting to provide Mileena a better life. Mileena was a child a circumstance, created by vile individuals who wished to use her for ill. She was pretty much a child, mentally, and had no choice in who she could become, should the winds of fate not breeze by her. So Mileena becoming Kitana's actual sister and still becoming the future empress is satisfying (another W for Mileena fans).

But, at the end of the day, Mileena was still a villain with very little redeeming qualities. She was supposed to be exceptionally loyal to Shao Kahn and perhaps even Shang Tsung. So why does she also get a happy ending while Shang Tsung ate shit for MK1?

Then, we have the most considerable outlier in MK1, General Shao. Based on what we saw in MK9 & MK11, Shao Kahn not only conquered realms, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent lives, but he was also complacent in the death of Jerrod. Shao deceived Kitana into believing she was his daughter, only to have Shang Tsung create a clone of Kitana (Mileena) to kill her, in case she rebelled. Killed Liu Kang's best friend (Kung Lao) TWICE, attempted to publicly execute Kitana, actually killed Shang Tsung and transferred his soul and powers to Sindel, stole countless souls in Earthrealm to make himself more powerful, was complacent in the death of all the beloved characters in MK9, literally broke Liu Kang's ankles, snapped Kotal Kahn's back and killed him in MK11: Aftermath, committed attempted GENOCIDE upon Earthrealm when he tried to invade and forcibly merge the realms. There might be others I'm forgetting, but the bottom line is Shao Kahn is the meanest motherfucker in Mortal Kombat history.

And being the primary antagonist, you would think that Liu Kang would run this guy into the ground! Better yet, not have him exist at all. You know where this is going, homeboy is quite literally in MK1. Even more mind-boggling is that, like Sindel, General Shao is still in a position of power. He may not be the emperor of Outworld, but he runs its military. THE MILITARY. He has an entire army of HIGHLY TRAINED soldiers at his command! And unlike Sindel or Mileena who fight for the good guys, General Shao is…Complicated. Let me explain.

From what we can ascertain about General Shao, based on how the other characters describe him before he fell into villainy; General Shao grew up as a sickly boy. His father fought hard to not only ensure Shao's survival but also bring him up into the warrior he is. We also learn that General Shao comes from a warrior clan or at least a long line of warriors in his family. His father, like all fathers in this game apparently, was highly respected by Sindel. So much so that she quotes him when talking to General Shao.

General Shao also presents himself as highly patriotic to Outworld, as we see numerous occasions where he's zealous for Outworld's victory and power over others. Now, Liu Kang does mention something that I find interesting.

That sentence alone would have us believe that even before Shang Tsung spoke with General Shao, Shao was already someone who was prideful of himself and had heavy prejudices towards others. We can see that plainly whenever he speaks with any of the Earthrealmers. But something tells me that General Shao isn't the villain that NRS wants us to believe he still is. When talking with Sindel in private, he mentions a lot about how he feels that Outworld is shackled by Liu Kang's supposed "influence" on Outworld.

Now yes, as we later know, it is Shang Tsung that's been feeding General Shao these lies. But remember, Liu Kang said that Shang "played" on these traits that General Shao had. This means that these feelings were harboring for who knows how long. I think NRS wants us to presume that these negative feelings were festering since Jerrod & Liu Kang agreed upon settling realm tensions with Mortal Kombat. But however long these emotions have been boiling within Shao Kahn, that's what made Shao vulnerable to such manipulations. Because General Kahn's speech consists of him feeling that Outworld is trapped and that it needs to be liberated.

But the underline point of this is that even General Shao, the biggest, baddest villain in all of Mortal Kombat, was given a better life than Shang Tsung. The very same man who killed Liu Kang's spiritual brother and best friend TWICE and nearly took over Earthrealm. He's given a high position of power, yet Shang Tsung was left to struggle for the barest minimum.

And this is where we need to go back to the capabilities of the Hourglass. Liu Kang and Kronika specifically mention how the Hourglass is used to establish history and destinies for those within the timeline. In Kronika's case, every time she restarted the timeline, everyone was essentially kept the same. We saw this when Raiden discovered that he and Liu Kang were always destined to fight, and Liu Kang was supposed to die.

And casual reminder, that destiny, by definition, means that there will be necessary events that will happen to one person or thing in the future. And the Hourglass, based on what NRS is telling us, is used to craft these destinies. So, you would think that Liu Kang would want to construct different futures for everyone, which he did, but why is Shang Tsung the outlier? Because Raiden is wholly distinct compared to the thunder god he was before, in his ending, Liu Kang purposefully changed Raiden so that he doesn't become Dark Raiden in his timeline. Sindel is also given a fresh coat of paint as well along with Mileena. Yet, Johnny Cage is the same, Kung Lao is the same, Kitana remains the same, but Shang Tsung is still a conniving little shit?

And during the interactions with Shang Tsung, Liu Kang mentions that he gave Shang Tsung this life because he wanted to reform Shang Tsung…Which, that doesn't make any sense! Because when Liu Kang FINALLY informed Sindel, Kitana, Mileena, and anyone who was in Shang's laboratory about the previous timeline, NONE OF THEM KNEW OF THIS! Nobody in the new timeline knew who they were before the change! How the fuck can someone be reformed for something they didn't even know they've done? Not only that but are you about to tell me that this BRAND NEW SHANG TSUNG is literally being punished and put in timeout ALL BECAUSE OF HIS OLD TIMELINE SELF? A VERSION OF HIMSELF HE HAD NO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF, WOULD HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF, AND NEVER COMMITTED ANY OF THE ATROCITIES THAT THE OLD SHANG TSUNG HAS DONE????

Even more weird is this comment that Liu Kang makes:

Wait, what the fuck does that mean, 'other timelines'? Because in story mode, Liu Kang AND Geras inform us, the audience, that they've never seen other timelines exist outside of their own. Hell, Geras said that in the billions of years of him living, other branching timelines have never existed! And based on my research, the Hourglass has never been shown to let the user peek into the future. Yet, here, Liu Kang brings up how he saw what Rain and Shang Tsung have done in other timelines? Now, yes, these dialogue options could've been placed AFTER the events of MK1's story mode, especially since the majority of the interactions between fighters are spoken as though the events from the story AND their arcade ending have already passed.

But let's look at Rain for a brief moment. Going back to the first image I posted above, the exchange between the pair goes like this:

Rain: You took Godhood from me?

Liu Kang: Because in no timeline had you used it wisely.

And there's another one I want to point out too:

Liu Kang: Pride has been your downfall in all timelines

Rain: Then why not change me in this one?

So, from what NRS is telling us from these interactions, Liu Kang WAS aware of previous timelines when recreating history? So that means that when he was recreating Rain's destiny, or future, he saw multiple events where Rain was still harmfully prideful? Liu Kang SPECIFICALLY SAYS that in no other timeline, Rain as a demi-god was a detriment. And that would mean that he would HAVE to see into the future to see if keeping Rain as a demi-god would be worth the risk in his new era! YET, APPARENTLY, HE EITHER HAS SELECTIVE FORESIGHT, OR THIS IS A PLOT CONTRIVENCY BECAUSE THERE ARE MULTIPLE TIMES WHERE LIU KANG SAYS THAT CERTAIN EVENTS WERE OUT OF HIS SIGHT. HIS TALK WITH BARAKA FOR GOOD EXAMPLE, WHERE HE MENTIONS THAT TARKAT WAS A UNFORESEEN CONSEQUENCE! LIU KANG EVEN TELLS TOMAS (Smoke) THAT THE REASON WHY HE WAS ORPHANED WAS SO THAT HE CAN MAKE HIS TIMELINE, WHICH MUST MEAN THAT HE WAS ABLE TO CRAFT HIS LIFE FROM NEAR BEGINNING TO END!

SO WHICH IS IT NRS, CAN MY BOY ACTUALLY SEE INTO THE FUTURE? HOW LIMITED IS HIS SIGHT? DID HE OR DID HE NOT ACTUALLY KNOW ABOUT OTHER TIMELINES? And Rain is right to question, why didn't he change him? Because Mileena was changed, compared to the playful vileness she was before. And an even better example to compare to Rain, RAIDEN was altered! He's woefully humble, the nicest, sweetest farm boy to ever exist, and he too was demoted from literal Godhood! So why didn't you also change Shang Tsung? Why keep him as a charlatan who will lie, cheat, steal, and kill his way to power?

Now, yes, Liu Kang does mention how he wanted to leave everyone's fates in their own hands. But these are fates that YOU CRAFTED FOR THEM! AND DID VERY LITTLE TO ACTUALLY DIFFERENTIATE THEM FROM THEIR PREVIOUS COUNTERPARTS! Sure, their new life experiences that Liu Kang gave them, their personalities would change. But, that's practically null because most of the good and bad guys in MK1 are practically identical to their previous selves. Once again, Johnny Cage is no different from the Johnny Cage we saw back in MK9-MK11, Kung Lao is still the same since that same era, and even Shao Kahn is somewhat still similar to his tyrant self in the previous games!

So it's no wonder that Titan Shang Tsung was able to just swoop in and take this new Shang Tsung under his black wings because this "new" Shang Tsung is no different from what he was. All that changed is that the little shit doesn't know magic and is poor!

I'm actually going to stop here because I think you can get my point. Liu Kang did a horrible job recreating this timeline. Which the blame actually goes to Netherrealm Studios. While I do love the story of MK1, it's horribly too simple and vague when it comes to not only its story plots but also the capabilities of how Liu Kang constructed this timeline. Because this makes it seem like Liu Kang held some special prejudice against a Shang Tsung who didn't commit any of the crimes that his previous self had committed, yet still punished him for it, and called it "reforming" him. Yet, he's happily willing to overlook the crimes that Shao Kahn and Sindel have committed for some reason!

So, I actually want to write up an alternative story for how Shang Tsung became the way he did because the one that NRS gave us is flawed in so many ways.

Reimagining of the Hourglass & Shang Tsung

We're first going to further expand upon the Hourglass since this very item is the core reason why MK1 becomes a reality. We all know that Kronika has been manipulating the Hourglass for billions upon billions of years. We get this timeframe from Geras, who has been working alongside Kronika for many eons. And I'd like to think that the Hourglass, due to Kronika's influence, has been forever tainted with her vision. It has, for many millenia, saw the intended vision that Kronika wanted out of her balanced timeline, so when there is a disturbance to her vision, it slowly, like a snail, attempts to revert back to the "status quo." Now, whether or not this makes the Hourglass conscious or not I'm unsure if I would call it that. But, clearly, Kronika's vision and influence have rubbed off on this celestial item. This could be why certain characters in MK1 practically remain the same.

And with this in mind, Liu Kang noticed this. When he was recreating the timeline, he may have seen that no matter what he did, everyone, one way or another, would revert back to an aspect of themselves that they were before. So, Liu Kang had to make necessary changes. Raiden could no longer be the God of Thunder, Rain could no longer be a demi-god, Subzero & Scorpion would have to become blood brothers, Mileena and Kitana would become actual sisters, etc. As for the villains, Liu Kang must've known that, while there are people in the world who simply do terrible shit just because, more often than not, there is a reason for their villainy. So, he provided them what they wanted. Sindel remains as the queen of Outworld, Rain is instead a High Mage in Outworld, and while General Shao may not be the emperor of Outworld, he's still given a position of power by leading Outworld's armies.

So what would this mean for Shang Tsung? Well, why not give Shang Tsung what he wanted too? And to understand what Shang Tsung wants, we gotta first go over who he is real quick. Now, I'm not going all the way back to the arcade cabinet Mortal Kombat. If it hasn't been obvious, I'm mostly taking notes and points from MK9-MK11 because that's the jumping point MK1 is coming off from. And based on the research I made, not much is known about MK9 or MK11 Shang Tsung. We know he was from Earthrealm (most likely China due to his name) and that he had magical capabilities that led him to Outworld.

And other than that, there's not much of Shang Tsung's new backstory that we see here. He's kinda like a Joker character, just more sophisticated and not too insane in the membrane. Shang Tsung simply wants power and will do anything to obtain it. But, let's look into his capabilities to consume souls. From what we saw in MK9 & MK11, Shang Tsung MUST consume souls to remain young and strong. How he got this way, the games don't tell us, and I'm not going to rely on any of the multiple character endings in these games since they are infamously known to have endings that are either not canon, semi-canon, or have contradictory plot points. And, once again, I'm also avoiding any canons in the Midway Mortal Kombat games since who knows if any of the canon events BEFORE the first Mortal Kombat game still stands. See Sindel for a point of reference in MK11: Aftermath.

From what I saw in the MK fandom, many compare Shang Tsung to a vampire, which is a pretty apt comparison. Depending on the vampire media you consume, when vampires are deprived of blood for too long, they start to wither away and become decrepit; slowly or quickly reverting back to a frail, old state of being. And the only way they can prevent further degradation is by consuming blood, which changes them back to being youthful again. The same could be said about Shang Tsung. Once again, we don't know the rules of his soul consumption in the NRS games. Does Shang Tsung need to feed regularly on souls or risk becoming old within weeks or months? Or does Shang Tsung consume a soul, becomes youthful again, but year after year, as he gets older again, he knows he has to soul-suck another individual to keep his vigor? Regardless, Shang Tsung, selfishly, prolongs his own life at the expense of others if he does not wish to die. Which could also explain why Shang Tsung desired power so much. If he was powerful enough and had a steady stream of souls to collect, he could stay young forever, effectively immortal. Now, would this say that Shang Tsung has an inner fear of death? Maybe, why else would someone desire such a feat if not to avoid the dreadful reality of one's mortality. He was already well versed with magic before, so why not ambitiously expand his possibilities while also keeping his being alive eternally? It's classic TTRPG Lich shit.

So, what did Shang Tsung want in the previous timeline? He desired power and an endless supply of souls to upkeep his well-being so that he could continue to live youthful. That's pretty much what it boils down to. So, how would Liu Kang, essentially, give Shang Tsung what he wanted. We know that he depowers Shang Tsung, which is a good starting point. If Liu Kang hoped to ensure that Shang Tsung wouldn't receive any magical prowess, taking it away in the new timeline is a good idea. On top of that, keeping him in Earthrealm would also be a good idea. Now, yes, there are some Earthrealmers who gain magical capabilities and they're not from realms like Outworld or Chaosrealm. However, more often than not, the reason why they gain their powers is due to a freak accident, an item they possess, or due to being gifted by it from otherworldly beings of power. So the chances of Shang Tsung becoming a powerful sorcerer in Earthrealm, if Liu Kang played his cards right, would still be a low probability.

Another thing would be to put Shang Tsung in a position of power. This could either mean that Shang Tsung could've been born into nobility or even royalty like Sindel and her daughters. And I say could've because we gotta look at Kung Lao. Kung Lao still has the history of his ancestor, the Great Kung Lao, being the greatest Mortal Kombat champion. So I can imagine that Shang Tsung, when the time would come for his arrival, would've been born into a long line of respectable nobles or part of a royal house. And before we continue, we gotta talk about Sindel's interactions with Liu Kang. There are multiple times where Sindel questions the legitimacy of her own actions because she learned how Liu Kang created the timeline and is thus her creator. Yet, Liu Kang keeps reassuring her that her actions, decisions, and life is still her own. That she is not part of some grand plan that Liu Kang had for her. And I want to slightly expand upon that. To do so, we got to go back to the Hourglass.

The Hourglass, I feel, is like talking to a genie. It's a common trope that one must be careful when making any wish with a genie because the creature will take your word literally or twist it on its head. It's like the saying goes, "Be careful about what you wish for." And I can imagine that Liu Kang made commands, or wishes, to the Hourglass to gain the desired results he wanted, like inputting a command to an AI machine to get results. However, Liu Kang didn't want to have an iron grip on how people's lives were spent. Kronika has always made it where Liu Kang was the "chosen hero" of Earthrealm or that Shang Tsung would be a menace. So Liu Kang did the equivalence of putting in a simple command like, "I want Sindel to become the empress of Outworld." But to ensure that she still had the free will to achieve such a status, he probably put opportunities within her ancestors' history so that it would become a POSSIBILITY for Sindel and her daughters to become royalty, but never a guarantee. We'll get back into this when we discuss Shang Tsung again.

So essentially, Liu Kang had a looser grip on the fates of the characters of MK1, giving them ample opportunities to weave their own destinies based on the lives they lived and the chances given to them. And while these changes may have slowed down the Hourglass's capability to conform this new timeline back into Kronika's vision, this also left this timeline vulnerable to Titan Shang Tsung's meddling. Because, yeah, I think we're all overlooking the terrifying idea of Titan Shang Tsung being the catalyst cause for why MK1 becomes a thing to begin with. I would honestly his involvement in MK1 entirely to this instead.

When Titan Shang Tsung mentioned that he discovered the timeline where Liu Kang won the battle instead of him, they make it seem like that he learned of this yesterday and decided to act upon it today. Instead, I would've preferred that he was messing with Liu Kang's timeline without the Fire God even knowing it. Titan Shang Tsung should've been the reason Tarkat existed, Titan Shang Tsung should've been the one who pulled the strings for Jerrod's eventual death, Titan Shang Tsung should've been responsible for Smoke losing his family, TITAN SHANG TSUGN SHOULD'VE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR WHY LIU KANG'S SHANG TSUNG BECAME HOMELESS!

Because that would've made Titan Shang Tsung a more personal and deeper threat. Because he could easily blame all the events that happened in Liu Kang's timeline on Liu Kang himself. Because Liu Kang had a looser grip on how his timeline worked, Titan Shang Tsung saw holes in Liu Kang's timeline that he could use to agitate the timeline, thus giving the Hourglass ample reason to revert certain events back into Kronika's vision. For example, Mileena being infected with Tarkat and becoming the Mileena we know from the previous timeline, General Shao eventually wanting to become emperor of Outworld, or the Shirai Ryu becoming a rival clan from the Lin Kuei.

So, it would make sense for him to sabotage HIS OWN SELF so that this new Shang Tsung would become vulnerable to his schemes in the hopes of gaining not only a better life but power. I can imagine that Titan Shang Tsung disrupted the new Shang Tsungs family line by showing them forbidden magics. Magic so off-limits that Liu Kang himself had to intervene, which ruined the Tsung family and brought them into obscurity. Or, Titan Shang Tsung may have destroyed their family fortune due to political intrigue or financial bankruptcy. Whatever Titan Shang Tsung did, it brought the Tsung family to the lowest of the low, so much so that they either had to escape, move, or were somehow taken to Outworld. And being in Outworld didn't improve the family's lives as they would never reach the noble or royal status that they had before.

And this is where we gotta talk about freedom of choice with Shang Tsung because I feel like some people forget that his info card mentions this about Shang Tsung in MK1:

"Shang Tsung grew up in Outworld's backwaters. Too lazy for hard labor and too shifty for honest work, he eked out a living selling quack cures and fake magic."

Now, when we look at Outworld and the way it's presented, the realm is definitely a high fantasy realm. They don't have cars like we do, they use carts, they don't have advanced technology like cellphones or T.V. Hell, Mileena shows genuine awe when she sees Johnny fly a drone and calls it magic. So it can be assumed, as well, that they probably work up some elbow grease when it comes to planting, performing customer service work, and other hard labor. All of it is done by hand with little intervention from machines. Or, the convenience is done by magic, but we can clearly see that magic doesn't come naturally to just anyone since Rain had to go to school just to become a hydromancer. Also, to be fair, the magic system in MK is not really grounded anyway, so :/.

So I can imagine why work was somewhat undesirable for Shang Tsung. He didn't know magic himself, so he didn't have the convince to let the wills of the mystical to relieve him of work. And depending on HOW poor Shang Tsung was, Shang Tsung probably wasn't able to hone any skills. We know that he speaks well, but how much of that was due to any formal education or self-teaching himself to sound as though he knows what he's talking about. And considering the fact that he's considered "shifty," that must mean that he had to resort to a life of stealing from others when he was younger. And I refuse to believe that Shang Tsung never had opportunities in life to potentially rise above his poor lifestyle, but because of his growing guarded and selfish nature, he couldn't help but grow impatient when the comfortable lifestyle he wanted took longer compared to just finding way to sneakily get what he wants.

And like I said, in this headcanon scenario, Titan Shang Tsung essentially groomed our new Shang Tsung into this lifestyle and way of thinking. He probably manipulated moments in his life to make it seem like Shang Tsung had no choice but to accept a life of deception, that this Damashi character was his only hope of ever achieving that comfortable lifestyle he always wanted, along with weaving a fake story that people "conspired against him since his birth."

And to add to this tragedy, I want to go back to Liu Kang and how everyone blames him for the reason why their lives either went to shit or for why horrible things happened to them. Because, once again, I refuse to believe that Liu Kang would just create Tarkat, or let Smokes' family die, or even let Jerrod die for the 100th time (guy can't catch a break). I like to think that Liu Kang and Geras eventually connect the dots that it was thanks to Titan Shang Tsung's meddling in his timeline that events transpired the way they did. Yet, Liu Kang doesn't want to tell anyone this. Because while it was Titan Shang Tsung's fault, the Hourglass is truly the one to blame. Even beyond the grave, Kronika nearly got what she wanted as everything nearly reverted to some twisted version of how her era once was. So Liu Kang takes the blame for it all because telling everyone that they're potentially doomed to become the worst versions of themselves or that they will experience expected tragedies would be too much for them to handle. So Liu Kang allows them to use him as the scapegoat, to blame their blights on him for why events turned out the way they did.

And I'm finally going to stop here because this has gotten too long and at this point, I feel like I'm a rambling mad woman XD.

Essentially, the TLDR version of all of this is that Titan Shang Tsung is the true mastermind for why Shang Tsung became what he was. He manipulated events so that he could merge his timeline into Liu Kangs and fucked up Liu's new era because of it. Shang Tsung's downfall wasn't Liu Kang's fault and it shouldn't have been.

Anyways, I hope that you enjoyed this ramble, and please feel free to express your own opinions about Shang Tsung's story in MK1. There's probably something about MK1 that I missed that probably justifies Liu Kang being the reason Shang Tsung becomes homeless, but I did my best with the sources that was provided to me.

[angel-of-the-moons]

Some MK11 Mileena x GN reader fluff please?

YES YES YES YES

A Quiet Moment

Mileena x GN!Reader

TW/CW: None! Fluff! (Well some minor violence in MK terms but nothing graphic)

A/N: Okay so let's go with the Titan!Mileena ending for context, so Mileena is the Khanum of Time, whereas Shao Khan and Sindel rule Outworld, and she has her daughter. (Tho let's go with a slightly less macabre nursery for the baby than what was in her Aftermath ending lmao)

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

The sound of tiny, happy gurgles filled the room as pudgy little fingers reached up towards you, bright glowing eyes pinched with glee as your baby girl babbled at you while you cradled her in your arms.

"Yes, yes, Grandma just came to visit, didn't she?" You chuckle, giving Sindel a polite nod of your head as she left the room.

Shao Kahn had yet to visit his granddaughter today, but he was busy in the Koliseum overseeing some gladiatorial matches today.

Your wife, Mileena, the Khanum of Time and Keeper of The Hourglass, was due to return soon. She would linger for a few combat matches, before making her way to see you, her loyal and dutiful spouse, and your little bundle of sharp-toothed joy.

Mileena was the happiest you'd ever seen the moment she recovered from the birth and was told her baby was a girl. She proudly proclaimed that she would name her Kitana. You asked her where she got the name from, and she merely smirked and said:

"Oh... It just came to me."

You weren't entirely sure why she said it with such malicious glee, or why her eyes twinkled in a certain way... but it was a nice name.

Kitana reached her little hands towards you again, babbling through her little fangs, still twinged red from the meat you and Sindel had fed her for her lunch.

"Yes, yes." You hummed to her, rubbing your nose to hers.

"Mama will be here soon, sweetheart."

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

She carried herself with her head held high, her sharp, gnarly fangs hidden behind her gold and ivory helmet and mask; both of which fashioned in a similar way to her father, Shao Kahn's.

Servants and guards bowed deeply to the Khanum of Time as she strutted past them all, eyes averted out of respect and fear as she made her way to her chambers where you, her lovely and ever-devoted spouse was awaiting her return alongside your darling daughter.

Ah... you were the perfect partner. In her eyes, you had no faults, every facet and fleck of skin was as it was meant to be for you.

Your personality contrasted slightly from hers and her parents, where they were violent, and hard-spoken in courtly manners, you were quiet and demure unless tested.

Shao Kahn once questioned your worth to his daughter's hand, but after a long and lengthy discussion with Mileena and Sindel in private, Shao Kahn bit his tongue from then on.

But even he couldn't deny you were a wondrous parent to his granddaughter.

Ah, but right now Mileena was on her way to you after a boring day at court. Unfortunately she missed the feeding of Kitana (which was one of her favorite things to do as she loved watching the baby voraciously shred the pieces of meat that you would prepare for her) but she could still make time with her until dinner and bedtime.

Right now she just wanted peace and quiet, and time to cradle her daughter and have you tucked against her side.

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

As Mileena came in, your face lit up and it made her heart skip a beat once again, as it always did when you smiled at her.

Mileena pulled off her crown with a toothy grin as she placed it on a faceless marble bust, and quickly dropped her pauldrons on the same decorative piece.

She pulled her clawed gloves off one by one and set them on the cabinet next to the bust as she made her way over to you, scooping Kitana out of your arms and cradling her against her breasts as she brushed her nose to yours, her tongue flicking out briefly to slide over your lips on her best approximation of a kiss, making you laugh.

"She's missed you, today." You say, moving to stand and wrap your arms around her, propping your chin on her shoulder as you looked down at your baby, her little maw opening wide as she yawned.

"She's been fighting sleep all afternoon. Even your mother couldn't get her to settle down." You sigh to her, planting a kiss to her shoulder.

"I know, the conversations with Kano dragged on and on, the pretentious cretin." Mileena scoffed.

"Ugh, him?" You said, your nose crinkling at the thought of the man who claimed he was the leader of the "Black Dragons".

Mileena giggled maniacally at the sound of your disgust, it was no secret you disliked Kano, especially after the one time he dared try to come onto you.

It was the first time Mileena saw you move so fast, grabbing a knife from the table and burying it all the way through the back of his hand and through his palm.

Mileena had whisked you away to make love to you rather desperately after that.

Kano has since given you a wide berth, however, especially once Kitana was born. He knew better than to test the ire of a fang-toothed Titan mama and her knife-ready spouse.

"Yes, I made it clear that I was not interested and had better things to do. Father laughed at him." She replied to you, running her knuckles down your daughter's chubby cheek as she nuzzled into her bosom, her little eyes finally becoming too heavy to keep open any longer.

"Hah! Good." You laugh softly.

Mileena grinned again and gestured for you to follow her as she walked over to your large bed, tugging the cords that held the canopy open as she maneuvered her body carefully so she wouldn't drop or jostle your child as she laid down on her back.

You smiled as Kitana kicked her little foot out and snuggled against her mother, and you crawled onto the bed alongside Mileena.

You moved up her body until your head was comfortably resting on her shoulder, giving you a nice view of Mileena as she cradled the baby protectively against her chest. Mileena's favorite way to let her nap was to lay her across her chest and rub her tiny back.

Your child, precious little Kitana. Was her pride and joy.

And you? You were her heart and soul.

[mrstsung]

I'm doing this shang tsung MY WAY!

Which ignoring canon that he was in. And placing him in my version of mortal kombat. (Which aligns more to the original timelines)

So a young shang tsung,who was once an earthrealm warrior,felt betrayed and was cohersd by shao kahn to join his court in outworld and fight on "his side" so to speak.

As for the dark magic/soul magic. He was always curious,but only curious. He only dived deeper because he was 1. Forbade to without so as much as a decent explanation on why it's "forbidden" and 2. Because he was trying to help earthrealm in any way possible,by any means. But he was again told no. So in his mind. It's like "wtf do you want me to do? It's like i bring a solution and you don't like me playing by the rules you created,which i try to follow yet. I get it spat back in my face" type deal. Course there's nuance to this and it's mainly raidens falt for not telling shang properly and handling things better. And yes,shang was his chosen and student before great lao. Great lao came in a tad bit later. Then came the tournament. He was actually trained by the shadow priests,who worked for shao kahn but revered shang. As they saw a prodigy in him. And magic aside. That man was a fucking excellent warrior,deadly as is. Add sorcery to him and he's a beast. <3

But anyways

Like i have a whole backstory more on shang tsung and i feel alan lee's shang is a good baby days shang tsung. Freshly cursed,freshly courtly mage,etc.

When we get tagawa's shang,is only after he gets his island. Which i hc was given to him by shao kahn as a gift. He wasn't gonna use it. So it was shang's dominion. In doing so he kinda fucked up because now,shang tsung was a lord of his own realm or pocket dimension. He has full jurisdiction and power over his island. The island's natural soul well was fortified to work in shang AND ONLY SHANG TSUNGS favor. He made the island self sufficient. (More on shang's island in another post) now. Only after spending years there,gaining knowledge,power,secrets,etc and a bit of forcefed defeat. Does our lovely sorcerer become more of the shang tsung we know and love. Wisdom and decades even centuries of knowledge gained.

Now back to young shang.

Young shang(alan lees shang/ mk12/mk1 shang) is a tad more prideful,maybe even jovial,always ever confident but in a youthful way. A spirit never breaking no matter how many times kicked down. These traits are amplified in his youth. He gets chiller and more relaxed and composed as he becomes more and more like out like elder shang tsung (tagawa's shang tsung/mk 95/mk11 shang) so that being said. Not too much difference,yet the aura is different and more of someone genuinely scholarly. Tagawa's shang is already a master,to get to that part. We need more development.

Now Lee's shang has great potential but i doubt that nrs ever would give him that genuine opportunity given how the script and story is being written. It feels its holding him back. And that kills me because it's such an amazing talent.

Now a young shang tsung to me is ever the curious. Not that ever stopped. But in his youth,he was always asking why or how. He wants to just know. He has to know. That can bite him in the ass or save his ass. Either way that is a core trait.

Shang tsung not being given an opportunity to join earthrealms warriors is a crime and honestly really really stupid on nrs.

It's rushed and they know it but they dont care because $$$ and micro transactions...

Anyways. Young shang tsung to me also needed a lot of reassurance not because of that lack of confidence,nah it's more of a reminder of "is this good? Is this wise? Am i crazy for feeling this or is this pride getting in the way?" He is confident in skills,he is not with other aspects more so he just doesn't want to disappoint. And Because he doesn't want to screw things up for the long run. But as trial and error happens,he gets more confident in his decisions.

He has his moments too and showing vulnerability and humanity in antagonists is very important. But not done in a backhanded slap to the character and audiences intelligence. Which unfortunately mk12/mk1 kinda does unfortunately.

And honestly,i felt bad for him. More than i ever did.

In conclusion,young shang tsung should be shown and given an opportunity to show with that an insight into shang's mind,heart,and things we actually don't see.

And some things in mk12/mk1 shang i absolutely am like "YES YES YES!" but because of everyone else,it's hard to enjoy because everyone else is insufferable.

Genuinely. Insufferable.

Like compared to shang tsung who gets something real,raw,human,believable,grounded,and interesting.

Nobody else in the story feels like characters,they feel like action figures playing along. And in a way that feels forced and fake to fit a boxed in trope. The script and writing feels ai generated.

Shang tsung seems to be the only one given some kinda agency and not even 100% either. It's not the greatest and it has flaws but by comparison it's great. Comparing that shang to every other shang tho? Kinda rushed and sloppy. And a disappointment. But it sucks because i want to really like that shang tsung.

So i jusy said fuck it. Im rewriting that shang.

Young shang tsung,mr. Alan lee. You deserve better. And honestly i think it's a wasted opportunity to have a shang centric game for once. It would be different,fun,and a change of pace.

*kisses forehead* lemme save you from shitty narrative and writing shang. Plz.

[1-up-chump]

I love your MK headcanons. They're so inspiring for my own writing.

Would you be able to give me some for marrying/ wedding ceremony/ wedding night with some of the MK baddies please? Kano/ Shang Tsung/ shao kahn/ mileena? Thank you.

Aaaa thank you! I don't consider myself all that inspiring but im glad someone does!

Mortal kombat villains in marriage

Kano:

Kano never thought himself the "marrying type" but when he met you? He swears he heard wedding bells.

Despite his dignity and manners being "dubious" to say the least, he is a man who knows how to separate business and pleasure. He wouldn't get far in the black dragon if he didn't.

So he keeps the ceremonies small and simple, who he invites is who he personally trusts to behave which is only a few. The rest would probably be on your side, whether they know what you really do or not is how things play out.

Kano makes sure to present himself in a less shady manner to your friends and family if you kept being a member of the black dragon secret. Surprisingly the man cleans up nicely.

Regardless, kano can't wait to get to the "honeymoon" part.

Shang tsung:

Despite being arrogant he's extremely cautious, so if he decides to marry it means it's truly for love. And he trusts to be with someone for all eternity (even if it means if his beloved wont accept immortality he can always attach their soul to his wedding ring to keep them forever)

As prideful a man shang tsung is, he wants the ceremony small and private. Maybe a little traditional but he's willing to compromise for your traditions as well if you have any.

The reception however. Is going to be big, so extravagant that he's waving a big sign to the elder gods that says "haha you may have cursed me but im still a happy bastard!" And of course shang tsung has beefed security on his island so he can show off everyone what a precious jewel his spouse is.

And after all that shang tsung gives you a very rare gift for the honeymoon, his submission in bed. Savor it but don't take it for granted.

Shao kahn:

Makes sure this wedding is the envy of all realms, like shang tsung the reception is going to be bigger than the actual ceremony. However unlike shang tsung, shao kahn is more lax.

All the attention is directed at you and shao, so even if that makes you a bit uncomfortable, he holds you close to him or gets the attention off of you (its very easy because this man thrives off of the attention.) Also expect tons of gifts from "the peasants".

And of course the reception would be a mortal kombat tournament. It's not shao kahn without some kind of brutal kombat time. He wants to show off as much as possible, his display of love is violently tearing opponents apart.

Of course all that battle is really just him "warming up" for the honeymoon. You will be sore for days.

Mileena:

Mileena will not feel comfortable marrying you until after she is kahn. Once that is all settled, you two will marry promptly.

The ceremony is a bizzare mixture of edenian and tarkatan cultures. Shockingly the combination inspires others to view the tarkatan in a different light. Thusly, your marriage is also a boost in political influence.

But that was never mileena's intentions, she loves you too much to use you like that. For the first time her whole being is bared to someone, who wants to stay forever.

Mileena cries at her own wedding, she didn't think about such things before. But when experiencing the ceremony, being in a beautiful dress, exchanging vows, partaking in a shared carcass of meat, her heart is filled with joy.

Your honeymoon will be filled with the most sentimental and wildest of "activities" including new things that either one of you may or may not enjoy in the future

[cienie-isengardu]

❤ - Family Headcanon for Shang Tsung please!

And ☠ angry/violent headcanon for our boy Bi-Han!

Oh, nice ones! Thank you and sorry it took me so long to answer!

❤ - Family Headcanon for Shang Tsung please!

Shang Tsung barely remembers his family, which is understandable as more than a thousand years have passed since the last time he saw them. It was the natural order of things after all, for memories to fade after so long, to be superseded and replaced by vast knowledge and even vastier numbers of collected souls, as each carried their own weight, their own complicated history.

When you have memories of hundreds of mothers, it is easy to forget your own. Sometimes Shang Tsung couldn’t tell anymore where his memories started and where they ended, all feelings mixed and confused between all the souls if he did not focus well enough, if his control slipped even for a bit.

(And it did slip in the past often, when he was younger and less experienced, and then flooded with memories of different life, different times before he became Shao Kahn’s slave apprentice. But did the warm laugh of mother, and work-worn yet gentle hand of father was true, or just imagined, he could not tell anymore). 

But the thing is - Shang Tsung doesn’t care to remember. It is not like his family was bad, at least not by the standard of the era they all lived together back then. Even now, even despite himself, he still has some fondness for his mother (he was not a heartless monster, not yet, anyway) but what he remembers best about his parents and brother is how little they understand him, how little truly they accept his weirdness. As far as Shang Tsung can recall the old, faded scraps of his former life, they have never hated him outright but they did resent him in a lot little things, never letting him forget there was something abnormal about him.  Because Shang Tsung was a different child, too smart for his own good, too curious about magic around him, too eager to shift, to change. Everyone wanted him to stick to one, designated shape and position, to live the meaningless life but why should he limit himself with such a boring thing? Why to spend all his life on hard, thankless work that only the rich benefit from, instead of pursuing his own dreams of knowledge, of adventure, of something, anything, more than gods allowed him to have?

Which is why he did not hesitate once he stumbled upon something that turned out to be a magic portal to Outworld. It was there he learned not only magic but also how surprisingly little he missed his family.

And ☠ angry/violent headcanon for our boy Bi-Han!

Since he was little, Bi-Han was taught the importance of duty. Duty to Earthrealm and its protector, Fire Lord Liu Kang, duty to the clan he was born to lead one day. Everything resolved around those two things and nothing had the right to matter more. Not personal happiness, not desires, not even family could stand above duty. 

So he trained, and trained and trained, until his body became a deadly weapon, until his heart was cold enough to accept there may be a day when the duty will demand to sacrifice his own flesh and blood for a greater good. He pushed himself beyond own limits, until his heart was cold enough to look at his brothers - one from the same mother and one adopted - and not see the silly children with silly dreams they were but the future Lin Kuei warriors honor bound to serve.

(He did not understand his father’s fierce devotion to Liu Kang but then his father was full of fire he could never identify with. His heritage was the ice and coldness, the same blood that flowed in his mother's veins. She made sense to Bi-Han in a way the father never did, no matter how hard he tried to connect with the man. There was always an unseen barrier separating them like they were two different worlds. It was Kuai Liang, not Bi-Han, who inherited Grandmaster’s fire, this stubborn passion for tradition that shackled Lin Kuei for ages, that killed members of their family generation after generation.)

The Grandmaster always assured his sons that serving Earthrealm was the greatest honor that befallen onto Lin Kuei and for a long time, it was all Bi-Han had. But then his mother died in the line of duty and Bi-Han forever will remember the battered, bloodied body carried to the home. 

He did already see many dead bodies before, both of Lin Kuei members and those he killed for Earthrealm’s safety. It wasn’t the first time he heard Fire Lord speaking of the great sacrifices, of sadness for their loss. And like always, all his father did was to bow, to thank, to be honored by so oh magnanimous, so reverent god and his kind words that for Bi-Han meant nothing. 

It was not the first time Bi-Han was angry yet it was the first time the anger burned through his veins like a true fire. He wished his ice powers could develop faster, stronger, for a cold heart would feel no pain. His heart was on fire, choking anger held back only by the sheer stubbornness and sense of duty. Yet Bi-Han knew it was a matter of time, either he will find a strength to cool down this ire or let the anger at Liu Kang consume him wholly, let it to burn down this unfair bondage that was put on his clan for ages.

Father always spoke of honor but he has never explained Bi-Han what was so honorable to die for a realm that did not care at all for your sacrifice. Why train since you could walk, if all you get for your dutifulness is a meaningless pat on the head and pitiful thank you? Why to die for a god, who may call you a friend for doing his bidding yet won’t blink at all, when it is time to sacrifice another pawn for the greater good?

This time it was the battered body of his mother, but so easily could be his own. Or Kuai Liang. Or Tomas. Or Sektor. Or Cyrax. Or anyone born into Lin Kuei and its never-ending servitude. 

No, for Bi-Han honor was just a word everyone brings as an excuse when they want too much from you, when they demand another and another sacrifice. 

(And then Grandmaster died. Bi-Han could save his father but he didn’t. He followed what he was taught since he was a little boy: his duty was to clan, not to the blood. And it was father that let Lin Kuei to be shackled, the one that led his mother to death. When he returned home, he looked straight in the eyes of the Fire Lord, not an ounce of guilt in his heart - Liu Kang again spoke of great loss, of sadness and Bi-Han bowed, and thanked, and spoke of honor he did not believe for years. If the god knew what happened, he said no word about it and it was the only time Bi-Han wished to see his father’s face again, solely to let the dead man know how little he meant for his precious godly friend at the end of day.)

Kuai Liang thought Bi-Han was merely frustrated and it is the greatest irony of all for a pyromancer to see a fire in his brother’s cold heart and not recognize the anger that burned there for years.

Headcanon meme

[theemissuniverse]

NOOB SAIBOT AND VILLAIN!FEM!READER HATING ON MORTAL KOMBAT 11 CHARACTERS

SUMMARY : just what the title says. You are a powerful sorcerer from Earthrealm. You’re Bi-Han’s consort

WARNINGS : some is suggestive

MASTERLIST 1 , MASTERLIST 2

(Y/N) VS NOOB SAIBOT

Noob Saibot : You have a strange taste in allies

(Y/N) : Cassie is cool, Bi-Han. I’m not completely stone

Noob Saibot : I will never like a Cage

(Y/N) : People say you changed me

Noob Saibot : I made you stronger

(Y/N) : And for that I am bound to you

Noob Saibot : I’ve always known you were a great warrior

(Y/N) : Was it when I beat you at the tournament?

Noob Saibot : That is when I fell in love with you

Noob Saibot : A shadow feels nothing

(Y/N) : So you say

Noob Saibot : But for you - it is different

(Y/N) : You might have some competition, Bi-Han

Noob Saibot : I am not worried of a failed Empress

(Y/N) : I love a man so assured with himself

(Y/N) : You are the only one to see my potential

Noob Saibot : You were worthy of my teachings

(Y/N) : And I will forever be in debt to you

Noob Saibot : Raiden was a fool for not seeing you excel

(Y/N) : His foolishness led me to you

Noob Saibot : I should thank him

(Y/N) : That demon is getting on my nerves

Noob Saibot : There is no reason for jealousy - I care not for her

(Y/N) : Sareena’s soul will be mine

(Y/N) : Kuai Liang mourns you

Noob Saibot : He is wasting his time

(Y/N) : I agree. I like this you better

Noob Saibot : Shao Kahn refers to me as your concubine

(Y/N) : *laughs* You love it

Noob Saibot : Yes. Very much so

(Y/N) VS MK CHARACTERS

Cassie Cage : You and Bi-Han remind me of Morticia and Gomez Addams

(Y/N) : Who?

Cassie Cage : How do you not know them?!

(Y/N) : I’ll have my lover deal with you

Jax : Didn’t Scorpion toast him?

(Y/N) : Didn’t Ermac rip off your arms?

Raiden : I told you that following in line with Bi-Han was trouble

(Y/N) : You are just mad that I am not a lap dog like Liu Kang

Raiden : It saddens me to see you like this

Johnny Cage : (Y/N) and Bi-Han sitting in a tree-

(Y/N) : I will burn your tree to the ground.

Johnny Cage : Sheesh. Tough crowd.

Liu Kang : You were the best female warrior in Earthrealm

(Y/N) : Such a pity that all the women you know are next to nothing

Liu Kang : It is a shame to see what you’ve become

Kabal : You and Bi-Han freak me out

(Y/N) : I’ll do more than freak you out

Kabal : You two are a match made in hell

(Y/N) : I hate bugs

D’vorah : This one does not care for your hate

(Y/N) : The realms will cheer in pride when I exterminate you

Sub-Zero : You and my brother are not suppose to be together

(Y/N) : You share blood. You are not brothers

Sub-Zero : He made you as cold as ice

(Y/N) : Your ancestors mock you

Kung Lao : I don’t need you of all people telling me that

(Y/N) : They beg me to release them from their pain

Shao Kahn : I am quite surprised to see you turn out like this

(Y/N) : I was not surprised to see Kitana become Kahn

Shao Kahn : All you and Bi-Han do is talk

Sindel : I’ve never been attracted to such power before

(Y/N) : You are not my type, Empress

Sindel : That shadow has you wrapped around its finger

(Y/N) : You murdered my lover

Scorpion : I was deceived by Quan Chi

(Y/N) : You’ll be pleading for your life as your wife did

NOOB SAIBOT VS MK CHARACTERS

Cassie Cage : You and (Y/N) make the cutest freak show

Noob Saibot : I will never understand why (Y/N) likes you

Cassie Cage : Because I am the greatest!

Kano : Where’s your girlfriend?

Noob Saibot : My consort pays no mind to you

Kano : Damn. How’d you know I was thinking bout her?

Johnny Cage : There’s no way (Y/N) chose that

Noob Saibot : I cannot believe you procreate

Johnny Cage : Says you and everyone else, former frosty

Noob Saibot : You crave for (Y/N)’s touch

Sindel : I crave her power

Noob Saibot : Only I hold all her power

Noob Saibot : You never appreciated (Y/N)’s gift

Raiden : I did not want her to become the villain she was destined to be in previous timelines

Noob Saibot : You only pushed her closer to me

Liu Kang : You corrupted (Y/N)s soul!

Noob Saibot : You were not a man and did not confront the feelings you had for her

Liu Kang : Who told you this?!

Noob Saibot : Your mother greets you from beyond the grave

Jacqui Briggs : I’ll finish you. Then your little girlfriend

Noob Saibot : You are no match for (Y/N). Do not embarrass yourself

Scorpion : Your lover wants to avenge you and kill me

Noob Saibot : Such a shame your wife can’t do the same for you

Scorpion : Now, I will kill you

Kabal : So do you and your shadow thing tag team (Y/N) or-

Noob Saibot : I’d worry about your lungs giving out

Kabal : Jeez. It was just a question

Noob Saibot : Challenging (Y/N) is a mistake

Sub-Zero : To get to you, I must get to her

Noob Saibot : She will greet you with death

MK CHARACTERS MENTIONING YOU AND NOOB SAIBOT

Kung Lao : So you really did have feelings for (Y/N)?

Liu Kang : It is a thing of the past

Kung Lao : I don’t know if she downgraded or upgraded

Sonya Blade : (Y/N) is not your friend, Cassie!

Cassie Cage : I know she’s one of the bad guys but she makes great smoothies!

Sonya Blade : Why do I even bother?

Liu Kang : History would be different if you didn’t doubt (Y/N)

Raiden : It is a mistake I think about often

Liu Kang : Not often enough

Scorpion : (Y/N) will stop at nothing to get her revenge

Sub-Zero : Rage is an emotion you two share

Scorpion : Her rage has grown too powerful

[running-with-the-feels]

headcanons for you my friend 🤝

- the kombat kids call the adults The Olds

-cassie and jacqui aren’t allowed to do mission debriefs anymore bc they can’t look at each other without cackling, very much “me and bestie trying to hold it together in a serious situation.” they were delirious and wheezing on the floor a couple of times after some especially long assignments

-kuai liang discovered he has a thing for men in western wear. hanzo teased him about it after an encounter with erron black

-frost has become fiercely protective of takeda in her own way, tho would never admit it. takeda thinks it’s endearing and says she’s like a guard chihuahua

-kung jin and frost had beef for a while purely based on vibes but now have a “i can throw hands with you but no one else can or they die” type of relationship

-kung jin calls jacqui’s dad a dilf often among other things and she wants to tear her head open every time

-jade was kitana’s first kiss

-kung lao and liu kang were indeed also each other’s first kiss

-cassie is a skilled driver but she drives like she’s in the fast and the furious and it makes all of her passengers fear for their lives

I love these so much

The only adult who knows about The Olds being their nickname is Kung Lao, who all the kombat kids agree is basically one of them

Cassie and Frost aren't allowed to debrief either, nor are Jacqui and Takeda, because it always devolves into flirting. As a result, Kung Jin is the one usually responsible for handling debrief and he Hates it

Hanzo's next Halloween costume was a cowboy and it was meant as a way of subtly poking fun at Kuai Liang but it ended up with the cryomancer (NSFW ALERT) riding him into the mattress until they literally fucked themselves into exhaustion

Frost rolls her eyes at the chihuahua nickname and calls Takeda a golden retriever bc he's pretty and, as far as she's concerned, dumb (he isn't she's just being mean)

Kung Jin and Frost never use each other's names to the point where ppl wonder if they even know each other's names, they only call each other insults ("Bitchboy" "Canadian Goose")

Kung Jin calls Jax a dilf whenever he wants to annoy her or get her to leave him alone, he does the same with Cassie

Jade and Kitana had a whole romance for a while that ended a couple years before the tournament when they realized they were better off as friends. Living in Shao Kahn's court was not conducive to a healthy relationship even though they tried (they weren't toxic or anything, just not in a place to be committed to and vulnerable with another person and it caused a lot of conflict.)

Kung Lao and Liu Kang, however, were childhood sweethearts and Liu Kang was very anguished over developing feelings for kitana as well bc he didn't want to have to choose between the people he loved. They all talked it through and came to an arrangement that suited them and now Kitana and Kung Lao share a boyfriend.

Cassie drives like Parker from leverage (if you haven't seen that show I do Highly recommend it, it's modern day Robin Hood but with nutjobs and an ot3 that is not canon but also not contradicted by canon) so she's not allowed to drive unless the apocalypse is nigh and they need to get from point A to point B faster than god himself. Frost is the only person who enjoys it when Cassie drives while Johnny once nearly shit himself.

[starsurface]

Hello!! Hope this isn't a bother again adhshdh- can I request Little!Lord Raiden with CG!Shao Kahn (headcanon or fic; you can choose)? Perhaps they were arguing or something but then Lord Raiden slipped into littlespace ,,, thank you have a good day! 😊💕

-🦈

It isn't a bother at all!! :D

I don't know how to put that special link that sends you to the fic without not being allowed to do the reply, but here's the link to my AO3 where it's posted:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/54094063

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

CG Shao Kahn w/ Little Lord Raiden (Fic)

"Ah Lord Raiden, you wished to see me?" Shao Kahn smirked as the God teleported into his throne room.

"You know exactly what you did!" Raiden glared at the man. . . Dragon thing.

Lord Raiden really didn't feel like having this conversation. Every so often Shao Kahn would attempt to do something to just push the boundaries that Mortal Kombat set into place.

Which meant every so often, Lord Raiden and Shao Kahn need to have a talk.

It was irritating, exactly what Shao Kahn's plans wanted. To irritate their God, to distract him long enough, to get his followers to worry.

And it worked every time.

"Oh?" Shao Kahn acted confused. "Whatever do you mean by that, Lord Raiden?"

He said his title so patronizing, Raiden hated the way he said it. Shao Kanh never respected his title as Lord, he just used it to get under his skin.

And goodness did it work getting under his skin.

He didn't want to have this conversation. he hadn't regressed in almost three full weeks, he felt on the verge of breaking down. But breaking down in front of someone who would exploit such a vulnerable state of his? use it against him? Raiden didn't want to chance it.

And yet here he was, chancing it.

"Pushing the rules of Mortal Kombat? You're just as bad as Shang Tsung," Raiden tisked.

Shao Kahn laughed, "Just as bad? Lord Raiden, the little weakling works for me. Without me, he'd be nothing!"

". . . You want me to call you worse, don't you?"

"I mean, I am, aren't I?" Shao Kahn said proudly. "You wish for me to remove my troops from your border, yes? Well technically, they haven't done anything wrong-"

"You and I both know what your plans are, Shao Kahn," Raiden cut him off. "Putting your troops there is only an attempt to prompt war. We have seen your spies in Earthrealm territory so remove your fleet or I will-

"What? Consult with the Elder Gods?" Shao Kahn groaned, Raiden fumbled slightly. "Yes, yes, you and your precious Elder Gods. Always guiding you, telling you what to do. Geez, can't a God think for himself once in a while?"

Now that struck a nerve. Raiden could make his own decisions, Shao Kahn had no right treating him like some child!

Unfortunately, Shao Kahn noticed how bothered Raiden seemed by the comment.

"Oh I see, so the little God can't make his own decisions!" Shao Kahn taunted. "Always having to go running to his little mommies and daddies, huh?"

"Listen here, Shao Kahn-"

"No you listen, Raiden. How can I expect to fight a war with someone who cannot even lead? If you cannot even make your own decisions by yourself, what right do you have to be a God? The Elder Gods could tell you to destroy Earthrealm to save the Realms and you'd do it!" Shao Kahn laughed. "How are you any better than I? Following those useless being."

Lord Raiden fell silent. Shao Kahn's words hurt, stinging badly in his mind. He could make his own decisions. He didn't always consult with the Elder Gods! Sometimes it was his brother, o-or Liu Kang-

But he made decisions himself too!! He did, he really did! He doesn't listen to everything the Elder Gods tell him to . . . And he wouldn't hurt others if they told him to either. He- He wouldn't.

All these big thoughts hurt Raiden's brain. He had already felt so small before coming here. Sure he was expecting a verbal battle, but not out right insults.

Shao Kahn smiled at Raiden's silence, "Awh, is the little God going to cry?"

And Raiden didn't want to admit it, but that's exactly what he began to do.

Shao Kahn froze as he heard a small sniffle. And very quickly, those small sniffles turned into quiet crying.

Raiden hide his face with his hat, very much not wanting to be here right now.

Shao Kahn sat frozen on his throne before quickly ordering his guards away. His guards, knowing better than to question or bring the experience up, left with no words.

Shao Kahn finally came down from his throne, making Raiden freak out and stumble backwards. He fell to the ground with a cry, his own sobs only becoming louder.

"Lord . . Raiden?" Shao Kahn asked caciously. "What's going on?"

Raiden hiccuped, covering his own mouth and turning away. Shao Kahn knelt down, gently grabbing his hands.

The fear in Raiden's eyes normally would have made him laugh, but right now he only felt a sort of pitty.

"Don't cover your mouth like that, it'll make it difficult to breathe," Shao Kahn said, letting Raiden's hand go.

""m not- Not crying!" Raiden mumbled, trying to dry his tears.

"I see . . . I never meant to upset you this much," Shao Kahn mumbled. "I can remove my troops if they bother you that much."

Raiden gave a small nod, sniffling slightly. He felt embarrassed, sitting on the ground with his enemy, practically sobbing. And over something childish as being ridiculed.

"I have never seen you this upset before," Shao Kahn said carefully. "Have my insults bothered you that much?"

". . . Not usually, just feel. . small-"

"Like, your minds all fuzzy small?" Shao Kahn asked, cutting Raiden off. "As if you're not your age small?"

"How-"

"I knew a few regressors," Shao Kahn brushed him off. It was true, his most loyal General, Kotal, regressed. "Tell me what upsets you. Rarely have I ever seen someone fall to the ground in tears . . . Without getting beat or utterly destroyed beforehand that is."

Raiden hesitated slightly. He didn't want to get caught up in Shao Kahn's lies or twisted tails. He knew the best thing to do was to teleport away, but he didn't trust his abilities while so tiny. Also Fujin said he couldn't use those abilities while small, and he didn't wanna break a rule.

"I can make my own decisions."

. . . Oh, was that all?

Shao Kahn wanted to laugh, but he knew better than to mess with Raiden when his mind his mind was so vulnerable.

Shao Kahn was many things, but he wasn't a monster.

. . . . . Eeeeeeeeeeeh?

Debatable, actually.

"I see," Shao Kahn nodded, standing up, offering out his hand. "Well I'm sorry for my choice of words. I never meant to . . . insult you . . that badly."

Raiden giggled as Shao Kahn's bad apology. It was clear he had meant to insult him. But perhaps not make him drop on spot.

"It's okay," Raiden said, hesitating before accepting Shao Kahn's hand. "The troops go bye bye?"

"Yes, the troops will go bye bye," Shao Kahn promised. "Now the question is, what in the Netherrealms do we do with you?"

". . . Do you wanna pattycake with me?"

Shao Kahn looked at Raiden almost insane.

Perhaps he was too small to see him as the threat he was. Or his childlike mind was taking over. But to play pattycake with the enemy? Shao Kahn never expected such an offer.

"Of course, I'll make sure the throne room stays closed."

He never really pulled the troop stunt again.

. . . Okay, maybe once or twice after the incident, but no more!!

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

[inactivewattpadauthor]

Raiden x Reader: Grieve Together

(Fun fact: mk vs dc was my first mk game. Guess I am a lil young)

Context: After not preventing Kung Lao's death/accidentally killing Liu Kang, Reader has been avoiding Raiden. He teleports to their memorial wall at a convenient time.

Warning: plain angst... still running out of shit to write🤧 ~~~~~~~~~~~~ The candles crackled as they functioned as the only light in the room beneath the portraits they're lit for. Two giant frames mounted on the wall to honor the ones who fought for this realm.

Also known as the two close friends you had and loved to the very end. Kung Lao and Liu Kang.

How unfortunate you are to lose both of them in such little time. And unexpected. While some call it coping, you knew who to blame all along. That fucking Thunder god.

The very first time you were in his presence, you felt so little and anxious. Always scared to mess up even on something little. No matter how times Liu and Lao, and Raiden himself reassured you. All that aura from a god is scary.

And now, you think you hate him. You think so little of him. And no one can ever say you didn't try to give him the benefit of the doubt.

When Kung Lao got his neck snapped, it didn't first occur in your mind to blame Raiden. With you and Liu Kang, he was ready to put down Shao Kahn for that.

And then soon, when you didn't go with them the same time Shao Kahn attempted to conquer Earthrealm, you find out by the developing actor, Cage, that they got into a fight... Raiden killed Liu Kang.

Seeing his body absolutely tore you just like when the shock settled after Kung Lao. Covered in all those third degree burns that not even Raiden could've healed up... That's when it all started.

Raiden tried to speak with you. You were forced to hear him out. It was an accident. He was only defending himself. You believed him. Yet, you were unbelievably angry.

There could've had to been another way to stop Liu. And with all the "future sights" Raiden gets, how does he not see when Shao Kahn kills Lao like that? Everything was off with Raiden. And at that, you told him you didn't want him near you ever again. Later, you left a notice at the academy that you were dropping out.

Now, you were back here again. Only to visit your friends. "I'm sorry I don't ever visit you guys. Know I still love and miss you so much." You dip your head before the two beloved portraits.

A flash inside the room startles you and you flinched slightly before peeking over your shoulder.

Raiden.

When you see him lift his head up and those glowing eyes spot you from beneath his hat, you instantly decide it's time to leave. Respect has been paid already.

Sighing in vexation, you got up, ready to make your exit, until-

"Hello, Y/n. I hope you find yourself well."

Eye twitching, you give him a sharp look. He still looks as guilty as a kitten that torn up curtains.

The man gestures a hand back to the floor where you were kneeling and praying at. "May I join you in tributing?"

You shook your head and pushed past the tall being. "Thought I told you to stay the hell away from me.

Raiden doesn't say anything right away but watches you go to the door before commenting. "You're not alone, Y/n."

Your hand rested on the knob. You had to think. "Yes, I am. Those two were the only ones I had." You looked at him with pained eyes. You would not elaborate with him any further on that. He wouldn't understand.

Turning from you, the god kneels on the ground before the tribute. "I suffer every second of how their fates came, if that makes you feel better. I wish you were around more. That way, we could suffer together and not alone."

He pauses and looks at the beloveds on the wall.

"You have every right to be disgusted with me. Angry with me. Or hate me, even. I understand. Because sometimes, I conflict with myself that way."

"I don't want to hate you." You admit. "But... You couldn't have done more? Are you sure you didn't see anything that could've prevented Kung Lao's death? Or restrain Liu?"

The lord looks at you quietly and shakes his head. "I promise, I had no visions that foretold Kung Lao's death. I would've stopped it without doubt. And for Liu Kang..."

You could've sworn you saw shame in his face as he turned back forward.

"I was scared."

That's something you don't think Raiden would ever say. But he's being truthful with you.

"I'm only a demigod. Part of me is still a man. And men can feel fear. I shouldn't have used my powers to stop him. I'm not asking for forgiveness, but please trust me when I say I did not mean to hurt him."

The doorknob turns back into its regular position as you let go of it. Inhaling and exhaling, you walk back to the tributes and sit next to Raiden.

"I believe you." You tell him. "I just... I'm just so angry. I was a sad person before they came in my life. I thought I won. Now, just like that, they're gone. I don't want to be alone again. Especially now that I'm grieving." You frowned and looked at the two.

"I don't hate you. I'm just extremely upset and ended up putting it all up on you. I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry." Raiden tells you. "And you don't need to be alone."

"I don't have anyone else."

"You have me."

You laughed ever so softly. "Right. You have priorities."

"I do." Raiden does not sugarcoat. "Earthrealm will always be my priority. But I won't leave you alone if thats what you need."

He rests a hand on your shoulder for reassurance. "Only if you're agreeable with it."

You knew you needed any supporting company. "Okay."

You didn't think too much on it but you were against his side as a strong, caring arm was wrapped around you as you both looked upon the deceased pair.

"We will grieve together for them." Raiden calmly mutters. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rushed ending, sorry🤷🏿‍♀️