#jacqueda

[helsensm]

If you’re still taking requests, can we see some Jacqui and Takeda? I still feel robbed that we didn’t get to see any of them being a cute couple together in MK11.

got drunk and sad af so I'm gonna finish some drunk sketches requests I got back in december, yaaay??

I'M NOT TAKING any hew requests now though!

she's trying to work and he's here to not help her with that 😩

[avi17]

Fandom: Mortal Kombat (Games) Rating: G Pairing: Takahashi Takeda/Kung Jin, Takahashi Takeda/Jacqui Briggs Other tags: Polyamory, Open Relationships, Fluff, Getting Together, Bisexuality, First Kiss Summary: "What are you thinking about?" Jin snorts. "Don't you know that without asking?" He expects a joke in return, the way they always talk to each other, but Takeda shakes his head, blowing idly on the steam from his cup. "You don't like it when I do that." It's quiet and earnest, so much so that it makes whatever snarky reply Jin had planned feel out of place. [Jin did not expect a visit to the States to turn into a cheesy holiday romance, especially since it's not really his holiday. But maybe he doesn't mind.] For @northstarfan, Happy Holidays!

[meiko333]

💛💛💛Jacqueda💙💙💙

Like and/or reblog if you save/use

[puttingfingerstokeys]

why are you like this?

a wee bit of humor sprinkled with some poignant father-daughter moments. Sequel to reception (which I maintain is the WORST title).

Caged Heat, (again still “aged” heat, even though technically Johnny and Liu are the SAME age--Liu didn’t age so he looks like he’s in his 20s or whatever the fuck)

broken timeline

“Dad where WERE you?” Cassie’s voice held only a note of worry, to which Johnny responded dutifully by putting both hands up in mock surrender.

“Just checkin’ out the Fire Gardens, sweetheart; how many chances do ya get to do that in your life?” He was the picture of collected contentment, having rearranged his garb after Liu Kang rumpled it with his powerful, searching hands and aggressive lips. It was fortunate they’d stopped when they had. 

“Dad… why are you wearing sunglasses?” Her eyes were narrowed, sharp, just like her mother’s and Johnny felt a pang of guilt. This “dad” was distinctly different from the first. 

“Were you toking, Mr. Cage?” Takeda’s voice danced with amusement as he and Jacqui approached, she holding his arm and leaning heavily on him; he carried her shoes while she supported her swelling belly with her other arm. Little Hanzo was nowhere to be seen, but neither parent seemed worried.

“Is that what the kids are calling it… again?” Johnny’s eyes darted about as if searching for a solution to this sudden problem about which he had considered little when Liu Kang’s lips were on his, but in the gentle light and the dark tint of his sunglasses, no one could see.

“I think he was just trying to speak your language; now c’mon, you look stupid,” Cassie interjected, reaching out and, quick as lightning, snapping the shades off her father’s face.

There was an audible gasp from more than one mouth and the silence which followed was palpable.

“I’ll be damned,” came a grunt from near the cocktail bar where Erron Black was handing something sweet-looking to Jin, who did an almost comical double take. “Check them peepers.”

“By the Great Spirit,” Nightwolf whispered in disbelief. Even Fujin seemed more than a little surprised, but did his best to disguise it—the effort was wasted. No one was looking at him. All eyes, every single cognizant pair in the place, were affixed to Johnny Cage and his new set of “peepers”.

“Definitely toking,” Takeda concluded, bumping Cassie’s shoulder with a fistful of shoes, indicating she should probably give her father’s shades back. She did not, holding them tightly, mouth puckered in that way she had just about abandoned when she hit puberty—it came back every once in a while, when she was absolutely overcome and would not be reasoned with on any account. Johnny feared this look.

“Cass’,” Johnny began to explain, but she merely squeezed her fist, crushed his sunglasses and stalked off. One groom slid something into the other’s hand as they, too, emerged from parts unknown, Hanzo bearing his namesake upon his broad shoulders. Neither of them seemed particularly shocked—pun intended—but perhaps nuptial bliss was having an effect.

“I am not calling you Lord Johnny Cage,” said Sub-Zero firmly.

“You will be lord of very little, anyway, if you do not catch your daughter,” advised Scorpion. Johnny nodded numbly and went stumbling after her, wishing he had had just a little more to drink, or maybe a little less, so he could have retained the testicular fortitude to resist… But resist what? It was Raiden’s will that he, Johnny Cage, inherit his divinity and power. He didn’t have much of a choice. You couldn’t refuse something like that, could you? Either way, Johnny hadn’t and would have felt like he was insulting the guy if he had and he was of the opinion that it was idiotic in the extreme to go around insulting gods, especially ones like Raiden. There aren’t any gods like him…

“Cass’! Cassie, wait—Cassie… please, come on… You gotta let me explain this—it’s sudden for me, too!”

She stopped then, a little ways down a path he did not recognize. They were far enough from the gathering, once again, that the sounds were fairly muted, with trees, shrubbery, and walls dividing them. Cassie did not turn, keeping her back to her father, her shoulders rounded, body tense. She was shaking but Johnny knew better than to approach.

“So you’re just gunna leave, like that—mom’s gone and now you just can’t wait to fly the coop, huh dad?” Her voice was acid, venomous, burning and corroding both of them as she spoke. Frozen in place once more, Johnny wondered what in the world he could say that would convince her that he wasn’t simply leaving, flying the coop as she put it. Because in a way, he was.

“Cassie… I’m not—”

“You ARE.” She whirled on him, but did not approach, rage spilling off her in waves. He could almost feel it from here. Any minute, he thought, my baby girl’s gunna start glowin’ green and then I’m really in for it. The urge to laugh hysterically rose up in his guts and he stifled it, though not without effort.

“I’m not,” he said, quietly but with firm authority. He was still her father and if he had to attempt to pull that card to have this discussion, he would do it. “Cassie, I would never just…”

“Then what is this? Huh?” She gestured sharply toward his face and his glowing eyes, the arcs of electricity, now visible in the dimness, beginning to arc and dance nervously over his body, across the lines of his suit, illuminating him in an eerie blue.

“Raiden’s… gone, Cass’… Liu says he’s not dead, but he’s—we’re not gunna see him again; he’s mortal now, like, really mortal and I guess his final request was to give this shit to me. Kid, I don’t want this… I don’t want any of this, but I’m…” He trailed off helplessly, looking down at his hands which he curled into gentle fists and released, watching the sparks fly. “It’s… I have to.”

Cassie watched him, studying her father carefully, eyes blurred with tears. She was certain her carefully-applied eyeliner was running, despite the waterproof label. Furious with Johnny for this affront and at Raiden for bringing it on them, she nevertheless bore that ire in silence for the moment, considering all the thunder god had done for them, and their closeness. He had become a friend and now they would never see him again. His future self had been her mother’s downfall and for that, she could not forgive him, but the Raiden who had passed his power to Johnny was not the same man. She was fond of this one.

“It’s bad timing, I know,” Johnny continued, fumbling with his words, but wanting desperately to make Cassie understand something even he could not quite grasp. “And I’m not sure why he wanted me to have this. Liu doesn’t know either. Maybe Ol’ Sparky was goin’ senile or somethin’.” 

The humor was misplaced, he knew, and neither he nor Cassie laughed. She was at least watching him now, rather than outright fuming, regarding him carefully, studying her father. She chewed her lower lip, brows knitted at the center of her forehead. In this light, she looked just like her mother and Johnny’s heart squeezed with remorse.

“This… you need this,” Cassie said, concluding her internal thoughts aloud for her father’s benefit. “Dad, I know you… I’ve known you my whole life. Back then, when I was a kid, I used to wonder why you didn’t date anyone else when mom…” She sighed, shaking her head. “I thought that you looked so lonely and it broke my heart that I couldn’t fill that space for you. Worse… I kinda figured, y’know, I was the reason there WAS a space.”

There was a lump rising in Johnny’s throat, but he suppressed it, listening to his daughter, so much like him and yet so different, so wise for her age. Better than I was, he thought. 

“I know I wasn’t, y’know? But kids…. Anyway, you aren’t the kind of person who can be alone for very long, are you?” She did not mean the question in a cruel way. She sought truth and she, to Johnny’s chagrin, was absolutely onto something. It was, of course, not a truth he had known when he was younger, had only had inklings. Now, a man well into his fifties, he had figured it out, though it still stung to hear his baby girl say so.

“No, Cassie… I’m not.” The admission felt like a weight being lifted, but this also left him exposed, as if that weight had been a shield more than a burden. “I had to do it… when you were younger ‘cause, well you know what all the books say about a never-ending parade of people in the house when you’ve got a kid…”

“Thank you, Dad. You... “ Her whole body seemed to sag as she approached her father, arms open. “You deserve a break, but it looks like you’re getting more work, huh?”

“An eternity of it,” he admitted and wrapped his arms around his daughter. Cassie held him tight, withdrawing only when she could not take the oncoming numbness. 

“I dunno if I can get used to that,” she admitted.

“I don’t think I can turn it off,” Johnny said apologetically. 

“Yeah, Raiden couldn’t either,” she responded. Her eyes caught something and she stopped. “Hey… have you got like, a glowstick necklace on under your tux? I didn’t know they were handing out goodies like that.”

Cassie gestured toward the chest of Johnny’s tuxedo which, while still on him, in the most technical sense of the word, was askew and the fabric between the buttons had come dislodged (notably, his tie clip was nowhere to be seen). Despite his best efforts, he had evidently missed a few details. Johnny looked down and began to fumble with his tie, loosening it and tugging it aside, suddenly suspicious. Images of Liu Kang and Fujin’s beautiful, glowing marks of divinity were flashing in Johnny’s head and his fingers fumbled eagerly with the top three or four buttons of his shirt. 

“Oh my god, dad…” Cassie’s hand had found her mouth and she was grinning ear to ear. “You’ve GOT to show Liu; he’s gunna flip.”

“Show me what?” Liu Kang seemed to materialize out of the darkness… Perhaps he had merely approached and they had missed him in their excitement. 

“This,” said Johnny proudly, grinning and turning and tugging the top of his shirt open a little wider for his old friend’s perusal. In place of his “Johnny” tattoo, there was, in a very similar script (albeit glowing a soft blue-white) another word:

THUNDER

Liu Kang seemed to sigh with his entire body. “Why are you like this?”

[takedaxjacqui]

I had to share this XD. 1 hunnid percent canon xd. Credits to it’s creator on Facebook UwU

[takahashitakeda]

ove My wife Gilfrend Fiancee, She’s so fucking Quet. Cute? Please i’m so sorry i’m dronk but i love you and so cute Jacqui Broggs can do Anythign she wants to Forever she can do anythign ib elive t in her Forever.........

[thunderdilf]

What your MK OTP says about you

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[combat-heelys]

Schneesan Skylines and a Jacqueda RX-3

[bn4pantera12]

Aside from the kombat pack 2, this were my birthday gifts of my parents in adition of Aveline & Finn action figures. They ordered it for 100 pesos and I painted it with acrylic paint ( I guessed that painting workshop I spent my first 2 years of high school had finally paid off hahaha) And that chain that unifies them it was my moms idea and it says 'I *heart* you' (awww!) Original design by: @daydris

[puttingfingerstokeys]

By Any Other Name

this is an old one that was like half started so I just hammered out something that felt about right... I'm not 100% happy with this one either, but as usual the concept IS there. It happens sometime before Faraday Cage and And We Danced, if memory serves. Done me best to line shit up and make it make sense with... mixed results

Faraday Cage--thermodynamic equilibrium present, as well as honor among thieves and jacqueda mentions; as usual, Cassie is a free agent

F slur used once but in reverse hays code (the gays code, if you will) fashion, there is retribution

“Nothing’s better than a backyard barbecue in Beverly Hills,” said Cassie Cage, lifting her glass of lemonade to salute the weather. The sun shone high overhead, the palm trees swayed in the gentle ocean breeze, and her father was at the grill, stacking the coals.

“I can’t think of any place I’d rather be,” confirmed Jacqueline Briggs—Jacqui to her friends—lifting her own glass and settling back on a folding chair.

“Where’s Takeda?” Johnny asked from the grill, satisfied in the pile he had created and now dousing it with lighter fluid.

“Classified, Mr. Cage, you know that,” said Jacqui, a mock serious expression on her face. “But I think I’ve convinced Dad to come, so keep your eyes peeled.”

Cassie dropped into a folding chair nearby and placed her glass in the cupholder on the armrest. She wondered who would be able to make it; their invitation had been an open one. She expected Earthrealm guests only, this time, but one never knew.

“Cassie, hey, mind lettin’ us in? Got our hands full,” came a call from over the fence. She hopped up, recognizing the voice immediately as Kung Jin, a friend from SF, now on liaison duty in Outworld—well, he was, but evidently he had acquired some vacation time. We? She wondered. Who’s he with? She pictured, for a moment, the colossal Kotal, one of the triarchs of outworld and all-around badass with thighs like tree trunks. His thighs were only concerning to her because she was sure that, if he was here, they would be exposed. The people of Earthrealm did not dress that way and the questions raised by his arrival might’ve been more than she was equipped or willing to handle.

Then again, she reminded herself, this is Beverly Hills.

She tugged the gate open, already pleased that she did not see a massive head and shoulders hovering over the fence line. Instead, Jin stood there, arms piled with dishes full of food, two folding chairs slung on his back. Behind him, carrying a large cooler, was a man Cassie did not recognize immediately. It was not until she met his eyes, dark gray things that were sharp, perceptive, and just a little unnerving, the eyes of a hired gun, that she made the connection.

“Erron, Jin, c’mon in—uh, yeah, that table there for salads; that one for drinks, unless you’re keepin’ ‘em nearby.” She could not have hoped to explain her initial desire to refer to the cowboy as Mr. Black, save for his age; she was sure he and her father were just about equivalent in years.

“Outworld hooch,” grunted Erron, “I ain’t sharin’.”

“Unless someone asks,” Jin corrected, “and then you’re sharing.”

Erron’s shoulders sagged a little and he moved almost reluctantly over to the drink table. On his journey thereto, he found himself stepping around a large, round pad which looked to be made of rubber, though he only had time to wonder at it a moment. His load was getting heavy.

The table had an empty bowl thereupon, with a large dipping ladle nearby and stacks of cups. Cassie had yet to mix the punch as the party was not scheduled to start until quarter to four, or thereabouts. It was only two-thirty, though she appreciated the early arrivals.

“Wow,” Cassie whispered to Jin as he set his dishes down upon the salads and sides table, “you ah… really got him—”

“Whipped?” Jin’s voice was low, conspiratorial, and mischievous. “I’m kidding—he’s just… out of his element. I’m not sure we’ve ever… gone anywhere together; thought this was a good opportunity.” Erron Black’s element was high noon at the OK Corral, as far as Cassie was concerned, or at least the dust and grit of Outworld. Earthrealmer he might have been, but he had integrated well with the rough-and-tumble ways of those oh, so savage lands.

“It is,” she assured him, “and we’re glad you came. He’s good for you, I think.”

“He is.” The glowing look on Jin’s face told Cassie all she needed to know about that and she asked no more. They watched Erron slide the cooler off to one side, setting out a couple of bottles that did not need to be kept cold, and then observed as he placed the cooler—an Earthrealm purchase, obviously—thoughtfully underneath the table and out of the sun.

Cassie returned to Jacqui, who was leaning forward and squinting behind her sunglasses. “Is’sat?”

“Yup.”

“Huh.”

Both women looked at each other, tried to hold back their laughter, and failed miserably. Johnny had by that point come out from behind the grill, content to watch the coals heat. He grabbed a beer from a nearby cooler on the way and moved a folding chair so he could both speak with his guests and watch those coals. Coal heat, he had found over the years, was of vital importance.

He, too, had noticed Erron Black walking in with Jin, had some desire to speak with the latter, curious about the goings-on in Outworld, and all at once decided against it, returning momentarily for another beer and offering the cowboy the other drink. Erron took it, regarded the bottle, Johnny, and the house.

“Nice place y’got here, Cage,” he grunted, accepting one of the two folding chairs from Jin, who had already set his up near his old SF squad.

“Thanks. Lotta blood, sweat, and tears went into it… not mine; I got stunt guys for that.” Johnny chuckled and settled into his chair. Erron opened his with one swift jerk of his powerful arm and, taking only a moment to decide, set it down near Johnny Cage, rather than Jin, Jacqui, and Cassie. They had plenty to catch up on and Erron wasn’t in a gossiping mood.

Johnny, evidently, also was not and the two men sat in silence, watching the few clouds in the sky, the grill, and the perspiration of their beers. Erron wished desperately for his hat, but Jin told him no one in California unironically wore cowboy hats unless they wanted to be mistaken for a trick. Erron had scoffed, but ultimately had obeyed.

He did not much care how he looked, but did not want Jin to look or feel he looked foolish. Kid’s growin’ on me, he thought, not without fondness. It had, he decided, been too long since he had been back to Earthrealm for any amount of time without engaging in kombat.

When Jin flopped into his chair near Jacqui and Cassie, the three began engaging in small talk. That lasted all of two minutes, which, Cassie decided, was a new record between them.

“So spill,” she said, voice low. “How’d you hook up with Showdown at the Outworld Corral over there?”

Jin blushed, but only with excitement. He was not bashful. Outworld had driven the shyness out of him… and Kotal Kahn’s kind words. ‘In Outworld, there is little room for Earthrealm prejudices; I suggest you leave those behind and seize happiness where you can.’ He had drawn Jade close when he said this. Jin caught his meaning.

“Kotal Kahn was throwing this party, right? To celebrate an independent Edenia… he made Erron a member of his council, too!” Jin was elated, both for the success of Edenian negotiation and for Erron Black, a man with formerly dubious morals and a checkered past. To have come so far as this was nothing short of miraculous. “He still talks about koin, but… I really think he believes in it.”

Jacqui and Cassie both detected the depth of feeling and nodded, smiling a little between themselves and nodding, each in turn. Kotal Kahn was a magnanimous ruler. With Edenia being set up as an independent state and Kitana upon that throne, they, the Shokan people, and Kotal himself, were beginning a serious endeavor to form a council of Outworld peoples, to more fairly govern their territories. Kotal, Kitana, and Sheeva, Goro’s fiery successor, had even set up a triarchy, all styling themselves with royal titles, Kahn, Kahnum, and Queen, respectively. They held sovereignty over their own lands, but came together on matters of state which affected all the realm.

But now was not the time for solemn contemplations. They were at a party, catching up and gossipping. Maybe all the gory details wouldn’t be shared, but there would be enough implications to last them the whole afternoon and well into the evening.

“Oh my god,” Jacqui said after a moment, chuckling behind her hand and leaning forward. All three of their heads were pressed close together now. “A party hook-up? And he’s still here? Damn, what is your secret?”

“Between us girls,” Jin whispered, snickering, “I don’t remember a ton of it.”

Cassie roller her eyes. “If you don’t wanna tell us, Jin…”

“No no, really, Outworld booze hits different; trust me. But… okay, here’s the thing, when the sun came up, you’re right, he was still there.” There was real emotion choking Jin’s voice, but he swallowed it down. Jacqui watched him, meeting Cassie’s gaze for a moment before reaching out and patting Jin’s shoulder.

“Well, you did something right ‘cause now he’s at Cassie’s dad’s barbecue and they honestly look like they’re talking about grill shit, so…”

“Hey, speaking of dads… Jacqui—”

“No, don’t do that,” warned Jin, red to the ears now, hands up, shaking his head, his ponytail tossing itself this way and that.

“Do what?” Cassie leaned back. “Call Erron a dad? ‘Cause he definitely could be.”

“Or a ‘daddy’,” Jacqui ventured, mischief sparkling in dark eyes, glad for the distraction from the question that was most certainly coming: where was Jax. “There any of that goin’ on?”

Jin’s eyes were wide. “N-no! No. Uh-uh… Listen, guys, I have… plenty of kinks, but that, I promise you, is not one of them.”

“Ain’t whatcha said last night,” came a twangy purr from somewhere behind the trio. Evidently, Erron had gotten up to grab more drinks for himself and his fellow “dad” and had overheard. That, or they were not so quiet as they thought.

Could Kung Jin go any redder than he already was? Cassie and Jacqui had begun to wonder how many shades of that color existed. They burst into laughter with Jin covering his face.

“Sorry kid,” grunted the cowboy, patting Jin on the back as he passed with his other hand wrapped around two more beers, from their stash, this time, “couldn’t resist. Girls, give’m a break.”

Both girls immediately stopped laughing and nodded, eyes wide. “Yessir,” they both responded in unison. Maybe it was the downright fatherly tone he had used, or Jin’s face-in-hands distress, but they both leaned forward and pried his fingers from his face, laughing once more and reassuring him that they were not, in any way, judging him.

“Honestly,” Cassie said, “I’m just glad you’re happy. You too, Jacqui. You guys’ve found something good; I can see that from here.”

“What about you?” Jin asked after a moment. Cassie shook her head.

“Don’t need it… not yet. I think I’ll know when I do.”

“And your dad?” Jacqui’s voice dipped low once more and the three of them peered over at the two men clinking their beers together and chatting. Cassie shook her head.

“I dunno… he’s doing better, but sometimes you can just sorta… see it in his face; he’s missing a huge part of himself… I know he misses mom, but it’s something deeper. He’s… he needs someone.” Dad’s one of those people who doesn’t do too well on their own. This last remained unspoken.

Johnny engaged Erron in conversation easily. He was a gregarious man by nature, so any form of socializing was absolutely within the scope of things he could and did do regularly when he had the opportunity. Retiring from SF had been his first step to regaining some semblance of whatever passed as normalcy in his life, and thence, diving back into his film career.

“There’s a real call for guys my age these days… Shifting demographics, or whatever; my agent says I’m in the prime of my life for this shit. Feels good, y’know, to be out of my err… Ninja Mime era.”

“Not bad films, though,” grunted Erron, inclining his head. “I mean… script leaves somethin’ to be desired, but first time I saw one, I knew you were the real deal.”

“Thanks, Black, that means a shitload comin’ from you,” said Johnny, smiling genuinely and tipping his beer toward the other man. “To second chances?”

“I’ll drink to it.”

They tapped their beers together and drank deeply, relishing the cool carbonation in the heat of a California afternoon. The liquid was refreshing and perfumed, a dark porter, just like they both seemed to enjoy. In truth, Erron would take any offered Earthrealm beer. Carbonation was not simple to achieve in Outworld and hops were all but unattainable. He had been promised that Edenia had been fertile and lush and that, under Kitana’s rule, their territory could be again, but that was a ways off.

Johnny shifted minutely at the sound of the gate being tapped on politely. He opened one eye to look at Cassie, who met his gaze and shrugged. Everyone was here, weren’t they? The Earthrealmers they had expected, anyway. They had sent out other invitations, so to speak, but they hadn’t thought...

“I got it,” said Jin, standing and stretching, handing the drink he had recently acquired to Jacqui and heading over to the gate. Tugging the latch, he opened the way for two familiar faces, if not dressed familiarly.

“Grandmaster...s?” Jin stammered, saluting both and bowing deeply. Sub-Zero grinned, standing a little way behind Scorpion, who stared with his usual intensity at Jin before grasping the boy’s shoulder, squeezing it, and entering Johnny Cage’s back yard.

“You are surprised to see us,” Sub-Zero said, not without amusement.

“If we expected you, you’d be shitty ninjas,” Cassie observed, lifting her glass in greeting. Sub-Zero could not help a smile. His stern face glowed with mirth and, despite the California heat and sun, he seemed to be doing just fine. Outworld Kryomancers were of tough stock, evidently, and he was the baddest bitch of them all, as far as she was aware.

“Ah, Cass, I think it’s just ninja,” Jacqui observed, taking a sip from her glass and watching Jin assist Grandmaster Hanzo Hasashi, with what they had brought. He swiftly rearranged the table to better accommodate the dishes which were being brought.

“Nothin’ just about THOSE ninja,” Johnny supplied. He’d stood and was fussing with the coals, Erron gesturing and quietly coaching him, which he did not seem to appreciate and soon the two fell into earnest discussion about grilling.

“They aren’t ninja anyway,” said Jin, hoisting the cooler on top of one of the long tables and pulling out a few salads and side dishes. These, he then arranged in the most pleasing way he could manage. He reflected that it was all food in the end, so there really was no downside. They all looked fantastic and were clearly homemade and he made brief, sharp eye contact with Cassie, as if to say “would you take a look at THIS”.

The idea of either Sub-Zero or Scorpion cooking, baking, or preparing any kind of food brought a hysterical bubble of laughter to Cassie’s lips and she swiftly drowned it with drink. Laughing at ninja was a good way to get shanked. Ninja shanked. Shuriken…ed? Come to think of it, she had never seen Scorpion or Sub-Zero use that particular weapon—only ice-axes and that crazy spear on a chain. She swallowed at the thought of that and was relieved all at once that he was on THEIR side.

“Sweets on that table,” she called, gesturing to a smaller apparatus that had been set up, but held no food yet. She’d made some fairly attractive cupcakes (in all actually, she’d had them made and picked them up that morning) and was going to set them out when there were more people.

“You guys need chairs?” Jacqui stood, offering to grab them from inside the house. She was Cassie’s best friend and Cassie’s dad’s casa counted as hers, which meant it counted as Jacqui’s. Sub-Zero shook his head and gestured.

“We have brought our own.” He set out a sturdy-looking folding chair, a little closer to Erron Black and Johnny than to what Cassie was starting to think of as the “kids table” with not a small amount of humor; she’d begun to see crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes and swore there was some gray in her hair, though that was probably a trick of the light.

Holding the back of the seat, the Kryomancer awaited Scorpion’s rear-end and then, without missing a beat, built an icy chair next to it. The thing was solid and weeping condensation, but would hold as long as he remained in the area. Scorpion leaned over and whispered something to him that Jacqui thought looked like a scolding word and Sub-Zero chuckled, affectionately touching the man’s arm.

“Makes sense,” Jin observed, taking his seat. “He’s a Kryomancer, y’know, and this kinda heat is rough. He’s tough, but he’s not the Grandmaster because he’s stupid.”

“This has got to be the weirdest barbecue—are we expecting any Outworlders? ‘Cause I swear,” Jacqui said, leaning back, “if the Kahn Squad comes through that gate, I might need y’all to catch my ass before I hit the ground.”

They laughed heartily at this thought, but then all eyes were on the gate, just in case.

“So,” Cassie said, by way of making more conversation, “Jin… what’s going on in Outworld right now… that whole Triarchy thing has gotta be weird for ‘em, right?”

“It is,” Jin admitted, nodding. “I’m surprised we got time off, even for this.” He gestured between himself and Erron. “Things between the Tarkatan and Shokan aren’t great.”

“They’re like, eternal rivals, right?” Jacqui had boned up on Outworld history in the time she and Takeda Takahashi had been seeing each other, to better understand the history of his clan, even if he was not a native.

“The bitterest… Hatfield and McCoy on ‘roids.” Jin’s words were humorous, but his expression was grave. “The Shokan claim it is the fault of the Tarkatans that their ancestral home, the subterranean lands, were taken by the Kytinn.”

“Those fucked up bug… things,” said Cassie, the grimace on her face being mimicked perfectly in her voice. She made a “yuck” sound and shuddered. She hated bugs, especially bugs that walked on two legs and affected the stance of a sensual humanoid female. It was the sensual part that was most unsettling.

She attributed it to pheromones, but it had been hard to look away. She shuddered again.

“Fucking nasty.”

Everyone agreed.

Jacqui sighed then and plopped her chin in one hand. She clicked her tongue and pursed her lips, grimacing. “I really wish Takeda could be here,” she said after a moment. Jin laid a hand on her shoulder.

“Wherever he is,” said the Shaolin archer, “I’m pretty sure he’d rather be here, too.”

“I just miss him so much when he’s not around,” she lamented. “It’s embarrassing, y’know? Needing to be near someone like that—knowing that you can feel whole and shit, but not being able to because duty or obligation or… whatever-it-is takes you away. I knew what I was signing up for, but it’s never easy.”

Her gaze drifted toward the pair of elder warriors seated side-by-side and zeroed in on Scorpion, who was leaning forward in his chair to participate in some discussion going on between Johnny and Erron. She looked like she might be ready to launch herself toward Grandmaster Hasashi and give the man a piece of her mind, but she restrained herself, understanding that whatever it was, it needed to be done. A man who had so often lost everything was not likely to waste resources, especially not valuable ones like Takeda.

Cassie admired her friend’s strength, always had, and she lifted a glass to it. “To Jacqui’s balls of steel,” she suggested, “and saintly patience.”

“Here-here,” echoed Jin and Jacqui with smiles, both amused and melancholy. Jin missed Takeda as well. The two had been good friends, perhaps more on and off, and they were still very close. Whatever mission was given to him, no one had any doubt he’d complete it with finesse. All the same, they were still allowed to worry and to miss him.

“I think the grandmaster really digs your man, Jacqui,” Cassie suggested. “I mean… Takeda’s his right hand, practically his son, y’know?”

Jacqui nodded, leaning closer to the others to speak in low tones once more. “I think he’s tapped for next GM,” she said with confidence. “And frankly, he deserves it.”

“And Grandmaster Hasashi deserves to pull his laurels out of whatever cedar chest he keeps ‘em in and plant his ass on those things,” added Jin. “I think those guys’ve done enough, don’t you?”

“Oh yeah,” Cassie said, “but say that to their faces. God, imagine if I’d said that to my mom… Christ…” She sat back and allowed herself a laugh. There would have been no way in hell Sonya Blade would have been convinced to retire short of a completely uncontrollable disaster. The fact that she’d met her end that way, still in her prime, still kicking ass and killing bad guys didn’t make her loss sting less, but it did give Cassie and her father a measure of peace. Sonya was the epitome of “she died doing what she loved” and they could both respect that for her.

“She’d have crucified you,” Jacqui agreed, nodding, “and then hired Pale Goth Homeboy to resurrect you so she could do it again.”

Jin’s drink nearly came out his nose when Jacqui supplied this absolute wreck of a nickname for the sorcerer Quan-Chi, a man who had fancied himself the Elder God Shinnok’s right hand but whom they suspected was more of a tool of little interest to the being—perhaps a groupie. Cassie barked a laugh at Jin’s malfunction and Jacqui’s brows and shoulders rose.

“Well, am I wrong?”

Shaking his head, Jin fished about for a napkin, which Cassie provided. As she did so, her father approached, leaving the grill for a moment to speak to the “kids table”. Old guys like Johnny saw anyone under 40 as a kid, even if these were soldiers in their thirties.

“Jin, I got those black bean burgers you recommended when you were here last time,” he said, “hope that’s okay.”

“Oh—OH yeah, that’s great! Man… I can’t wait; I haven’t had a good burger since I left Earthrealm. Thanks for inviting us.”

Johnny flashed a thumbs-up before asking if anyone else needed drinks. Cassie assured him she had it well under control. “Hey, dad,” she said after a moment, “are the Shaolin Rowdy Boys gunna be here?”

“Nah, I don’t think so,” he said. “I contacted ‘em, but Lao said they had something going on—wasn’t specific an’ I didn’t push; figured it’s some kinda Wu-Shi mysticism or somethin’.” He looked to Jin for confirmation of the presence of such “mysticism” and Jin nodded.

“Transcending to other planes via deep meditation, most likely,” he said. The other two looked at him, then at Johnny, whose brows had risen. When Jin snorted a laugh, Jacqui and Cassie laughed as well and Johnny smiled, shaking his head and waving them off.

“Yeah, yeah, I know what that means,” he said, moving back to the gaggle of older men near the grill. Johnny’s mannerisms were casual and the look on his face gave nothing away, but his mind had flown to the temple of light and his two Shaolin companions. He had not seen them in a while and had a feeling something was amiss, but wasn’t quite rude enough to ask—not anymore anyway.

He returned to tending the food when a muffled crack of thunder split the peaceful afternoon and a bolt of blue-white lightning descended in a flash onto the wide, thick, rubber pad at one corner of Johnny’s yard. Johnny did not realize how his face lit up at the presence of the thunder god, but both Erron Black and Grandmaster Kuai Liang were watching him. Their eyes met presently and a look passed between them of bewildered amusement.

“Thought I felt my hairs standing up,” Cassie said as she stood to greet the deity whom she was beginning to regard as a second father.

“I apologize for my lateness, Cassandra Cage,” said Raiden, who was dressed, as ever, to the nines in godly attire. The only real difference was a distinct lack of the leather-like cowl he usually wore. His hair tumbled freely over his shoulders in loose ringlets and gentle curls. It swayed and bounced as he moved.

Cassie had visions of him in white sweats, a soft, long-sleeved t-shirt, and some kind of simple, but well-made bathrobe for ultimate comfort, but for some reason could not quite bring the vision to fruition. One day, she vowed. Humorous thoughts aside, the woman had only ever known him in this and his dreadful armor. Cassie preferred this.

“Lord Raiden,” said both grandmasters almost simultaneously, standing and offering deep bows. There would be no obeisance, as he was not a subject of worship, but there was respect. He inclined his head to them and they returned to their seats. Erron tipped his hat, trying his best not to stare at the exposed hair; he’d never thought about what might be under that cowl and was surprised by what there was.

“One of these days,” Cassie said, meeting Raiden halfway across the lawn and fearlessly offering him her arm, which he took. She pressed close to keep from being electrocuted, “I’m going to get you in bermudas and a Hawaiian shirt—shades an’ all; it’ll be great. You’ll look like The Dude. Hair’s a good start, though.”

“I admire your enthusiasm,” said the deity honestly as she guided him to what she now decided was the dad zone. She felt almost as if she was dropping a child off at daycare or something—dadcare, perhaps. She ran the idea by her father.

“Payin’ someone to watch your dad, y’know, while you go out shopping with the girls or whatever… they’ve got football on and sippy cups with beer in ‘em,” she said. Her father grinned wide and nodded.

“Couches for naptime,” he suggested. She shot him finger guns as she receded and left him to get a chair for their divine guest. Returning to her posse, Cassie commenced to whispering, under no impression Raiden could not hear her, but not caring. She knew he was above those things, physically and metaphorically.

“Dad’s really happy,” she said, “y’know, that he showed.”

“He seems to be, yeah,” Jacqui agreed. “And honestly, your dad deserves it. He’s… I mean we’ve all been through a lot.” She found herself wondering if Johnny Cage thought of Raiden the way she thought of Takeda and her heart ached a little. Jin shook his head.

“You know he would land a god, wouldn’t he? I mean isn’t that just like Mr. Cage?” They still all referred to Johnny this way. It was how they’d come to know him, or had grown up around him and even though they were all adults, well into their thirties, he was always going to be Mr. Cage. Jin wondered with some humor if Raiden would also be Mr. Cage.

“Eugh don’t make me think about it,” Cassie warned. “Listen, I’m happy he’s happy, but as far as I’m concerned, even mom and dad only ever had sex once and maybe not even that.”

“What, like immaculate conception?” Jacqui supplied with a snorting giggle.

“I hope so,” responded Cassie, pulling a face. Jacqui and Jin were both happy and relieved to hear Cassie speaking so fondly of her departed mother and with no animosity toward her father’s … did one call it a crush? Could one crush on a deity? A quick glance in the direction of the dad zone would have told anyone with eyes all they needed to know.

“Mind watchin’ this for me a sec?” Johnny asked Erron as he moved away from the grill to grab a plate. The tables were all set up and everything was ready to go, except that he had forgotten a serving plate, which was typical. There was always something. “Raidude,” he added just inside the door, “can I take your hat?”

“You may.” He pulled the broad thing from his head and Johnny was thrilled to see that it was one that he had given Raiden. He disappeared inside with the precious thing and left the hatless deity to sit under the porch awning with their mortal friends.

Black was more than happy to take a gander at the meat as it finished sizzling and he took up a position behind the grill as Johnny retreated into his house. He adjusted his own hat as he moved out from under the shade and wondered if gods could feel such heat as the sun was pouring down upon them. Raiden watched him go and then turned toward the others.

“Your clans, Grandmasters, how do they fare? I regret being unable to—”

Sub-Zero held up a hand and shook his head. “We understand, Lord Raiden, that the boundaries of Earthrealm are being tested on all sides, even now, without Shao Kahn. If war is not brewing, it is a strange day.” He spared a glance toward the younger warriors with their heads once more together, whispering and laughing and clinking glasses. “But the future is in good hands.”

“Let us talk of something other than the defense of this realm,” Scorpion suggested, to the general surprise of the other three gathered about. “What?” He grunted. “Is it so strange that I might desire peace, even if only a little?”

“Uh… yeah, kinda,” Erron said, pushing the brim on his hat upward to meet Scorpion’s eyes. “Y’all had a smackdown brawl for yer weddin’, I mean… fergive my pointin’ it out, but you ain’t much of a… relaxer.”

This prompted Sub-Zero to chuckle, Scorpion to scowl, and Raiden to utter a low chuckle that echoed like thunder rolling in over the ocean. His eldritch eyes glowed with that mirth and the lines on his fine-boned face seemed to alleviate somewhat, making him appear much younger. Finally, Grandmaster Hasashi relented and he laughed as well while his husband took one of his hands and pressed smiling lips to knuckles which had only recently healed from bloody bruises. It was their way, after all.

“Cassandra Cage,” Raiden called—actually, he spoke the words, but his voice tended to carry. She sat up immediately and turned.

“What’s up, Raidad?” The name made Jacqui slap a hand over her mouth and Jin once more nearly spit his drink. She ignored them.

“I do not have a… scrunchie… for my hair,” he said. “I think Fujin has a collection at Sky Temple, but I…” He seemed almost embarrassed by his oversight. He would have asked Scorpion but the thrifty man likely only had the one that was already securing his voluminous, dark hair.

Cassie inspected her wrist, then made a dive for Jacqui’s purse, which sat near her chair. Purse digging was well within the limits of their friendship and Jacqui made no move to stop her. She might have had a few left from some other hair-based endeavor, or some that Cassie herself had left. She didn’t have nearly the volume of hair Raiden did, but she also knew he rarely put it all up.

“I got one,” said Jin, lifting one from his own stash. It was plain, black, and thick, but if it held his hair, it would work. He lifted it one one thumb and, being the expert marksman he was, shot it like a well-aimed rubber band toward Raiden. He had accounted for distance, wind direction, and arc, even compensating for the presence of the awning, and it landed neatly in the deity’s open palm.

“Thank you, Kung Jin; your tribute is greatly appreciated.” Was that humor? Had Raiden just made a joke? Jin looked to Cassie, whose blue eyes—they were so like her father’s—were wide with sudden surprise before narrowing with mirth. She barked a laugh and then sat back and began to guffaw. It really had not been that funny, but his delivery and the source was a combination with which she could not hope to compete.

One corner of Raiden’s thin-lipped mouth curled up for a moment before he turned to the task at hand. He pulled some of his hair up behind his head and began to roll it gently into a small bun before binding it with the tough, black hair tie. It was a simple thing and he appreciated this, simple and strong. There was no need for embellishment when it came to this sort of thing. Ornamentation only got in the way.

“I gotta take these off pretty quick,” said Erron with a minute glance toward the slider door which led inside. “Someone mind checkin’ on our fine host?”

Just as he spoke these words, raised voices could be heard coming through the glass and screen of the slider door. They were muffled and unintelligible, but there were distinctly two, both male and both agitated. Raiden stood and, without a word, pulled the slider door open, ducking inside.

“...voice down, dad! I’ve got fucking guests for chrissake!” Were the only words that were heard before the glass slid shut behind the deity and the people outside were left wondering. Cassie had gotten up from her seat and made her way toward the patio. Scorpion shifted in his seat and fixed her with an intense gaze (as if he had any other).

“Your grandfather, I think,” he said.

“Oh shit,” she grunted, shoulders slumping, color draining from her face, save for high on her cheeks. A spark of rage lit behind her eyes and the grandmaster actually stood to restrain her with a hand upon her upper arm, shaking his head. She met his eyes hotly and opened her mouth to protest, but then closed it. This was something Johnny would be embarrassed to deal with in his daughter’s presence, she was sure.

“A man has his honor,” said Black without looking up, “but we could use a servin’ plate.”

“I’ve ah… shit I think I left an extra one under the potato salad,” said Cassie, gathering her thoughts slowly and moving off to grab it. They would carry on, by god. She grabbed the buns on her way and returned with both them and a large platter. If the Cage family had a motto, there was no doubt in her mind that it would be “the show must go on”.

Raiden entered Johnny Cage’s spacious home and tracked the sound of raised voices to one of the guest rooms near the front of the house. He listened to the conversation, to gather a bit of what was going on, and then allowed his innate ability to divine the history of a situation to take over. This man was indeed Jonathan Carlton’s father, a man of little moral fortitude and plenty of gall, to come here at all, much less begging for money and a place to stay.

“Come on Jonathan, give your old man a friggin’ break will ya? I’m on the upswing. I’ve got a coupla girls lined up—I’ll get ‘em jobs in no time. I know what’s in now. I just need a little help gettin’ back on my feet.”

“Don’t call me that, dad; that’s not my name now and—”

“Too proud to keep the name I gave ya, huh? Yeah, well, you’re just like that cunt I married. Jeezis kid, I saw that stunt you pulled. They let you host the Oscars and you do that? I know it’s trendy now, boy, but let me tell you something, a Carlton never sucks a cock for what he’s got, you hear? What about that gorgeous broad you were married to, huh? Cassandra’s mom? What about her? You cant just get pussy and then prance around like some kinda faggot; that ain’t how shit works.”

“Dad what the fuck?” Johnny’s tone was sharp, his voice rising. He was livid. Raiden didn’t much like the tension he felt in the air. The electricity crackled around his body, mimicking how Johnny felt. He didn’t want to step in too early, wanted to allow Johnny the chance to deal with this on his own. Erron Black had been right, a man did have his honor. But there was no need to suffer fools alone.

“No goddamn son of mine—”

“Did you mishear him, Gordon Carlton?” Raiden’s frame filled the doorway, and though he stood easily and comfortably, he was still more than a little intimidating. Johnny’s head snapped up and his eyes were instantly on Raiden, the look on his face half grateful and half embarrassed.

“Fuck’s this, huh?” Johnny’s father gestured to Raiden, eyes never leaving his son. “You into exotic dick, now? Ain’t enough you gotta disgrace our name, then you get some strange from—fuck, where’re you from, Norway?”

Raiden regarded him coolly. It was certainly not the strangest question he had ever been asked and he knew from experience that men like Gordon Carlton were not interested in any answer he might give. He was only snapping at Johnny to make a point. It was a point poorly made, but he was clinging hard to it.

Noting his features, the thunder god decided that the man had possibly once been handsome. He and Johnny had the same eyes, but his hair, which was missing in that tonsured way of old men, still held traces of the red it had been. He wasn’t overweight, but his shape had hardly held whatever good looks it might once have had.

“You prolly got a library of freaks out back, don’tcha? You gunna expose my fuckin’ granddaughter to this shit?”

Johnny bristled. “The moral high ground, dad, really? Holy shit you’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” He was beside himself with indignation, righteous or otherwise, and looked like he wanted to pound his father with his bare fists until the man was pulp. Raiden crossed big arms over his chest.

“It is clear you are not welcome here, Gordon Carlton. Johnny Cage has been more than polite.” The implication was, naturally, that Raiden would not be.

“So you got your… fetish gear on in front o’ god an’ everyone,” snarled Johnny’s father, sweat glistening on his upper lip, veins standing out on neck and head. “And you’re gunna sit here and tell me I can’t be in my own son’s house? No way. No fuckin’ way. You gunna let him talk to me that way?”

“He is not your son,” Raiden said simply. “You are Gordon Carlton and he is Johnny Cage.” Of course he knew even humans in the same family had different names, but the point was made. Carlton’s face went sheet white and then beat red, and then purple. “If you had a son, I would pity him. But I do not pity this man.”

Johnny moved quickly between his father and Raiden. “Dad, just leave, okay? Leave and I’ll pretend this shit never happened. I dunno if you’re drunk or high, but you’ve gotta get your shit together and you can’t do it here.” He knew he owed the man no explanation, but something about saying it aloud was therapeutic. “I’m not giving you any money, either, so don’t start that. Just go. I don’t want Cassie to see you this way.” In truth, he did not want Cassie to see the man ever. Continued estrangement was a better way, for everyone.

“I’ve built something valuable here,” Johnny continued, trying to make his father understand and knowing at some level that he never would, that the man did not want to understand. He wanted what he felt he was owed and for whatever sick status quo that had crawled into his mind to be maintained. “I’ve got a life, dad, a real one—this isn’t some tinsel town bullshit show, okay? This isn’t temporary. This… it’s me and I wish I could say I’m sorry you don’t get it, but that’s… it’s on you.”

His father blanched, as if unable to believe his son would dare speak to him that way. Never mind that Johnny was in his late fifties. That was irrelevant. Never mind that he had made it on his own, without his leech of a father. He whirled on Raiden.

“Your kind fucking did this to my kid. I fucking raised him to be a—a… well fuck, somethin’ better’n a goddamn f—”

“I advise holding your tongue,” said Raiden mildly, but with enough force that Gordon Carlton’s mouth stopped moving mid-stride. “If Johnny Cage chooses to identify himself with that word, it is his decision. You have no claim over it and it is rude to use in polite company which this was until you arrived. Take your leave, mortal.”

His eyes flashed, then, in a way that could not be mistaken for any special effect or strange set of contact lenses. The electricity dancing over his upper body was visible now, arcing this way and that, snapping at anything that might ground it. He hadn’t singed anything, but he could and this display made that very clear.

“What the fuck is this shit—” Gordon Carlton’s gaze locked with Raiden’s the way a deer’s will lock with headlights on a highway. He could not look away. There was awe on his face, and a strange rapture that almost brought back the good looks of his youth. But the mouth soon twisted and the brows knitted as he stormed forward, moving to shove past Raiden.

Raiden stopped the man with a hand on his shoulder and looked down at him. “You have trespassed in my realm, foolish mortal. Do not make a habit of this. Johnny Cage may forgive you, but I will not—I do not. This ground is sacred and you profane it with your filth.

“You gave up your family long ago and now you are alone. That is your burden to bear, not his. You created these circumstances, as every mortal has the ability to do. Johnny Cage has created his own circumstances and is now reaping the benefits of his life’s work.

“This home is not yours. It is the fruit of his labor and as he has invited me into it and his life, I have claimed it as my own.” Raiden explained these things as if speaking to a particularly dull child, slowly and with a firm voice, so that he would be understood. “Cassandra Cage is not your granddaughter, but she is my daughter and I will protect her from your ilk. Likewise, Johnny Cage is no son of yours—in that, you were correct. He is, however, a man beloved of me and I am not a being someone like you will ever possess the power to cross.”

When he released Johnny’s father’s arm, it was with a finality that promised extreme prejudice if ever that touch was to be felt again. Gordon Carlton seemed to have shrunken and he shuffled toward the door, his jaw working, hands knotted into hard fists. If he said something as he exited Johnny’s home, Johnny did not catch it and if Raiden did, he was not sharing.

Johnny locked the door behind him and then leaned heavily against it. “You… mean that, Raiden? Partners?”

“It was perhaps a bit forward of me,” Raiden admitted, shrugging, great shoulders rising and falling. Johnny shook his head.

“Nah, I think it was just right. It’s what he needed to hear. You put the fear of… well you in ‘im.”

Raiden nodded. “I did.”

“Thank you.”

“You are welcome, Johnny Cage.”

[avi17]

I finally finished watching the story modes of MK9 and MKX today!  Here are a bunch of completely random unconnected thoughts:

I know MK9 was theoretically the best the series had looked up to that point but boy howdy am I glad I don’t have to look at it anymore XD Especially the women, those outfits cause me psychic damage

MKX was LEAGUES better, though everyone’s skin looks weirdly shiny? I’ll take it though

The Kombat Kids are all my children now, I love them and feel even more robbed of the male half of the squad in MK11.  Kung Jin in particular is best underappreciated boy, his chapter was fantastic.

I felt bad about it but I hit a point in MK9 where I was just laughing over the degree to which EVERY decision Raiden made just made things worse and worse.  Like he was doing his best but wow what a fucking mess.  I didn’t even blame Liu Kang for trying to kick his ass at that point.

His death was actually pretty gruesome though. I also kinda don’t blame him for just staying a revenant fuck all of that noise.  Though I am very excited to have young alive him and Kung Lao back in MK11

I find it hilarious that you fight minor personal disputes the exact same way that you fight life or death battles.  Like obviously this game only has one mode of combat but it just is really funny to me.

MK9 was unfairly mean to Kung Lao but I already knew that. Leave him alone

Jax is great

I really liked human Cyrax?  Let him exist more as a not robot he’s a chill dude. Nightwolf is also chill

Sindel and Sheeva can still step on me that opinion has not changed since I was like 10

Mileena’s first line in MKX was to call Tanya “dearest” we stan some evil bi ladies.  Though tbh I felt like Mileena had a valid point in that game

Kotal Kahn is such a cool design though

as;ldjfa D’vorah why are you like this

MKX had SO MANY BETRAYALS. EVERYBODY BACKSTABBING EVERYBODY AT ALL TIMES. CALM IT DOWN YOU DONT HAVE TO DO ALL TOP 10 ANIME BETRAYALS AT ONCE

Jacqueda were actually very cute and I hope they got to lounge around the pool like they wanted (though I also lowkey polyship all of them)

Young Johnny is funny but obnoxious, but I actually really enjoy the older Cage family (in their “divorced but not because we don’t care about each other” way).  Also good on them having Johnny get captured at the end instead of Sonya, there’s been enough of that.  Put him in that stupid leather dress from the 95 movie next time.

Every time I consume a new piece of MK media I think I will finally understand the appeal of Liutana and it never happens.  I feel like they’re just The Protagonist and The Princess and we’re supposed to just automatically know that they go together because that’s a cliche but I’m like. No you have to make them have actual chemistry.

I should probably have more opinions on Kuai and Hanzo since they’re everybody’s fav but I’m just like.  They’re there they’re cool you go dudes. I liked their tea party with gigantic bowls of tea.

Oh Kenshi also exists he’s cool!  I like the telepathy stuff, though I also don’t blame Takeda for being like “Dad what the FUCK”

Those zombie goat things the revenants in MKX ride are cool as shit.

Rain’s watery teleportation thing is weirdly off-putting to me? XDD Like. I feel like he’s just damp at all times and I hate it.  Also he’s a tool.

[takedaxjacqui]

Awwwww! ;D Credits to: http://jan-jane.deviantart.com/art/Jakeda-Just-stay-here-577315975

[takedaxjacqui]

Me everytime I replay chapter 11

[takedaxjacqui]

I was on my bed when I started to think about some jakeda scenarios that could happen in the mk story, and one of them was a sad one about jacqui being severy injured and even dying on takeda's arms, and I started to cry, a lot I swear this has never happened to me before regarding fictional stuff, I'm a girl who can think and write sad stories, but... I love these two together that if I see them sad or suffering, at this point, I feel so sad. And it doesn't help the fact that takeda has lost a lot in his life 😢😢😢 I can't imagine how would I react if something like this happened on the mk storymode. If may sound a bit stupid, but I think they're a part of my personality now, sorry, I needed to get this off my chest 😢😢😢😢😢😞😔

[takedaxjacqui]

Jakeda collage Credits: http://moonaizdabomb.deviantart.com/art/MKX-Jakeda-Collage-555830927

[takedaxjacqui]

Dat face tho