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stardriveskickstart · 1 month ago

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Parahuman Space

While Stardrives is complete, I'm not done with TTRPG writing yet. I've been working on the @para-imperium setting for over a decade now and I'm almost ready to launch a complete RPG based on the Cepheus System derived from Mongoose's Traveller (but more open).

Parahuman Space is a furry setting, yes, of the genetically modified variety. It covers over 2,000 years, but the RPG will be focused on the period after the collapse of the big interstellar empire. When newly independent planets and systems are busy scavenging the wreckage.

Players will primarily be salvage crews venturing into hazardous ruined spaceships and stations. Braving haywire security systems, leaks of corrosive chemicals, and the dreaded Kessler Syndrome to retrieve valuable technology.

In other words, dungeon delving.

At present I am about halfway done drafting the rulebook, drawn heavily from the Cepheus System Reference Document that can be read online here. Once I'm finished and I have interior artists lined up I was hoping to bring it to Kickstarter.

Below is the setting's history, as written for the rulebook.

Timeline:

Most calendars in Parahuman Space are oriented around the launch of the first parahuman-built starship as the start of the exodus from the clade’s system of origin, Sol. On the Georgian calendar the year 0 Post Exodus (PX) would be in the early 22nd century AD. So the Federation would be founded in the 32nd century AD and collapse in the 45th century, or roughly the year 4600 AD.

-40 Before Exodus: Creation of parahumans. -24 BX: Parahumans emancipated and corporations that enslaved them dissolved. -17 BX: Events of The Pride of Parahumans. 0 Post Exodus: First Seedship, the Traveller, launched. 4 PX: Pallas launches second seedship. 10 PX: Earth destroyed by relativistic projectile, origin unknown. 14 PX: Second Pallene seedship is caught by berserker probes that destroyed Sol. Crew commit suicide first. 45 PX: Traveller lands on a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A, creatively named "Secland." 48 PX: Vestan ship lands on opposite hemisphere from the Traveller.

115 PX: Ship from Ceres arrives at Epsilon Eridani to find a lifeless system. Instead of terraforming the new corporate government opts to build artificial habitats in the asteroid belts and beneath the surfaces of planets.

124 PX: A second Vestan ship discovers a garden world orbiting Tau Ceti. The crew decide to eschew technology after printing enough colonists in fear of Sol’s Destroyers.

150 PX: Sleeper ship carrying 1500 humans from Sol arrives over Secland. After an abortive attempt at invasion the survivors gradually integrate into Pallene society. 500 PX: Cold war between nations on Secland ends with the completion of terraforming. Biological weapons leave New Pallas the sole nation standing. 950 PX: New Pallas contacts Tau Ceti thanks to the newly developed conversion drive. Triggering political restructuring among the natives resulting in the kingdom of Schwarswelt under King Hideo Fink.

1060 PX: Stable wormholes large enough to move a spaceship through are produced and launched from Proxima Centauri to Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani. 1100 PX: Alpha Centauri, Tau Ceti, and Epsilon Eridani form the Federation.

1150 PX: Centauri Grand Mayor Selkd de Argentum assassinated by Cetan partisans and succeeded by his more aggressive sister Lirdrill.

1200 PX: The Federation centralizes power in the office of the Praetor, first held by Lirdrill de Argentum.

1205 PX: The Outworld memetic quarantine and contingency program is established, forcibly relocating ideological dissidents to frontier worlds with limited technology.

1500 PX: After extensive lobbying by Centauran merchant houses and the Eridani Company, Federation Senate votes to allow limited trade with Outworlds, which now compose roughly half of all colonized planets.

1846 PX: Kershkans, the first extant xenosophont species, discovered. 1903 PX: Contact established with Kershkans. 2300 PX: Federal Guard destroys Sol with strangelet bomb, inducing a nova. Evacuation of Core Worlds begins. 2304 PX: Wormhole gates at Alpha Centauri collapsed ahead of the nova's radiation. The capital cut off, the Federation quickly begins to fragment. 2345 PX: The Emissary-Governor of the Tiere System, wracked by tensions between earlier colonists and new refugees, disables all nanotech in the system in an attempt to reassert control. He is lynched by an angry mob within weeks. 2590 PX: The self-proclaimed Imperator Ronkal launches Project Paladin, sending ships with new reactionless drives and augmentation suites to neighboring systems. 2600 PX: A Ronkalli ship reaches the Tiere System, only for interplanetary debris to kill the entire crew. The ship AI forcibly augments a crew of scavengers who come looking.

The Origin of Species:

The first parahumans were engineered from a blend of human and animal genes and bioprinted in corporate labs in high Terran orbit. They were designed to fill roles in asteroid mining that were too complex for robots but too dangerous to risk human life for. It took less than a decade for rebellions and strikes to start.

Fortunately, the parahumans found many allies on Terra and after the revolutionaries on Ceres worked out a treaty to maintain the flow of resources back to Terra they were essentially left to themselves. With their new freedom came disagreements over how to govern themselves. The guilds on Vesta formed a form of anarcho-capitalist feudalism regulated by the cloning guild that held the early parahumans’ sole means of reproduction. But then a Vestan scientist, a silver fox named Argentum, discovered a simple gene therapy to remove the genetic sterility imposed by their creators and their followers formed a breakaway colony on Pallas.

The Vestan guilds could not tolerate this loss of control and war almost broke out between the two asteroids. Luckily they found an alternative means of proving the superiority of their respective systems of governance. A space race. Exploration of other star systems had been proposed many times but there had been little interest with the abundance of resources right there in Sol system. But with the new nanofabricators it was possible for even a small asteroid outpost to construct an Orion-style starship with a small crew and the fabricators to print out an entire new colony, colonists included.

They couldn’t have timed the launch better. Just ten years after the first starship, the Traveller,was launched from Pallas towards Alpha Centauri, it received a frantic message from Sol:

“This is an automated beacon broadcasting what may well be the last message ever sent by the human race. Five years ago, our homeworld, Terra was struck by a 50-ton projectile traveling at 90% of the speed of light. The debris took out most of our habitats in Earth’s orbit, a few million of us survived elsewhere in the solar system. Then the rest of the invasion force arrived. Machines, vast machines kilometers in length that home in on any sources of radio transmissions, and annihilate them. We pray they are not intelligent and are simply weapons fired by a xenophobic alien race. But they’ve almost completed their work, we estimate that there’s only a couple hundred of us left in the system. We’re sending this message in hopes that there is someone out there who can hear it and beware. This universe is more hostile than we thought. They attack radio transmitters, dismantle whatever devices you are listening to this on before they find you.”

In total, five starships were far enough out to heed this warning. The Traveller, a Vestan ship also headed for Alpha Centauri, a second Vestan ship on course for Tau Ceti, a craft launched from Ceres to Epsilon Eridani, and the largest but slowest ship, a sleeper ark from Terra to Alpha Centauri.

Alpha Centauri: Sol’s Nearest Neighbors

Around Alpha Centauri A the Traveller found a Terra-sized rocky planet that had long been scoured of life by stellar storms from the trinary stars nearby. It was determined that this little rock could be reanimated with comparatively little effort and the crew made immediate plans to colonize and terraform the planet which they named “SecLand” (the landing on Pallas being the first land).

Just three years after the Traveller’s arrival, they were followed by their Vestan rival. Considering the horror they’d experienced since Sol’s last transmission they decided to set their differences aside and work together on terraforming SecLand, albeit from opposite hemispheres. This detente was strained at times, but the first real threat to world peace didn’t come until 150 years PX, when the ark carrying the last of unaltered humanity arrived.

By the time the sleeper ark arrived SecLand had a population of several thousand, the ark carried a mere 1500 passengers but over half were soldiers who’d entered stasis with orders to make sure that the first exosolar foothold of humanity was human, not parahuman. Or at least that was the plan, when word of what happened to their homeworld got out there was a mutiny and the victors immediately surrendered to the parahuman colonists, with most passengers integrating into the Republic of New Pallas. These newcomers brought a wide range of skills and knowledge, living knowledge, to a planet whose inhabitants up until then had primarily only known life inside their half-built habitat structures. The humans emigrated nearly equally to both colonies, over the centuries they interbred with the parahumans, with the net result being that many SecLanders have less fur or their facial features are closer to human than many further colonies. Today pure-bred humans, and parahumans (excepting uplifts), are miniscule minorities on SecLand with only a couple million individuals. The average SecLander resembles a blend of at least half a dozen species of Terragen origin.

For centuries the two colonies lived in relative peace, New Pallas breeding like rabbits while the Vestans cloned new citizens in bulk. But when the terraforming of SecLand had reached the point where colonists could breathe the atmosphere tensions re-established themselves between the two old enemies. With terraforming nearing completion some wondered what use New Pallas could have for the Vestans, on both continents. To that end the Vestans began to covertly build weapons in their Arcologies while New Pallas shifted their orbital satellites slightly. It all came to a head when the Vestans concealed a lethal virus in food shipments sent from their farms to the cities of New Pallas, thousands died in the months that followed. By the time the New Pallas government realized what had been done every Vestan arcology had unveiled surface-to-orbit mass drivers that could shoot down their enemy’s satellites. Even then, many arcologies were leveled by orbital strikes. Then the land battles began. The cybernetically augmented citizen-soldiers of New Pallas facing off against the bioprinted legions of the Vestans. The fighting raged on for months, then abruptly, it ceased less than a year after the war had begun. You see, the Vestans had underestimated New Pallas’s skill with biotechnology, crafting a virus that could be deadly to all the diverse inhabitants of the Republic had been difficult, but a dirty little secret of many 21st century regimes were the techniques to engineer a virus that had disastrous effects when it interacted with a specific gene or genes. And the Society for the Preservation of Parahuman Species had only used a couple genotypes for their army, and even fewer for their ruling priest-scientists. Once the virus had been grown any Vestan unit that came into contact with the enemy was dead within a week, in a month the ruling class had been reduced to a few paranoid individuals who had sealed themselves in hermetic bunkers. Specialized by repeated cloning into an effective caste system, and their soldier castes suddenly extinct, the surviving Vestan arcologies found themselves helpless against New Pallas occupation forces.

The medical advances achieved fighting the bioweapons led to the development of leukosynths, symbiotic microbots that could fight off nearly all microbes and repair the body at an accelerated rate. Even fighting off the advances of aging. When this “immortality” was proven to the public they clamored for the government to subsidize their deployment to the masses. Within the century 90% of New Pallas’ population enjoyed the benefits of leukosynths.

Among this chaos a new power emerged in the Pallene cities and settlements. Families all over the planet started giving birth to silver fox kits, reminiscent of their colony’s nearly-deified founder, Argentum. Some religious leaders saw this as a sign and exalted these silver foxes, propelling many into high positions in politics. The cynical suggested that the parents had modified their children’s genes in-utero, but after the plagues many people were desperate and willing to believe anything. Most of them were actually descendants of Argentum’s, but their progeny numbered in the hundreds of thousands by that point anyways.

An unintentional side effect of this bit of social engineering was a renewed interest in their origins out in the depths of space. And despite the terrors they knew awaited them they couldn’t help but wonder if any other colony ships had made it…

Epsilon Eridani

Ceres, the largest asteroid in Sol’s asteroid belt, was the main off-world base of operations for the corporation that created the first parahumans. During the revolution parahumans took over the local branch offices and largely continued to operate along the same lines. Their participation in the exosolar space race was almost an afterthought, an attempt at remaining relevant compared to the other two major asteroid civilizations in Sol system.

Upon arrival in the Epsilon Eridani system they found even fewer viable prospects for terraforming than those in Alpha Centauri. Instead, they opted to construct enclosed habitats in the system’s asteroid belts and under the surface of the larger rocky planets. Like on Ceres the colonists retained the corporate style of government that had served their forebears fairly well.

After about a century of this arrangement dissatisfaction among the lower ranking employees spread towards the shareholding class. A bloody revolution followed, after which the revolutionaries distributed the seized shares in the Eridani Company equally among the employees, granting everyone a vote in company elections and a share of the profits. Roughly a generation later a group of managers started buying up shares from others.

The third such regime made contact with a probe from New Pallas, trade began almost immediately.

Tau Ceti

The second Vestan colony ship took over a century to reach its destination, the star Tau Ceti. Along the way two generations of crew were decanted from the ship’s bioprinters to replace their predecessors. While the final crew were genetically identical to those who had set out from Vesta their commitment to the ideology of the Society for the Preservation of Parahuman Species had wavered, and with the news of Terra’s destruction some suggested that perhaps the best way to avoid sharing that world’s fate would be to lose their advanced technology.

That would require them to give up cloning as a means of reproduction, however they were unwilling to allow reckless crossing of genelines so they added genetic markers to prevent different phenotypes from interbreeding. Fortunately, unlike the other colony ships they discovered a lush world that wasn’t too hostile to Terran life which they named Schwarzwelt after the dark colors of the local chlorophyll analogue. They then settled each “species” into different “clans” in different regions of the planet. The clans grew in population rapidly, bumping up against the borders designated at founding in less than a century. War broke out.

Clans rallied behind charismatic warrior-nobles and weaker clans swore oaths of fealty to stronger ones to save their own skins. These wars continued until contact with the first probe from the Centauri system, realizing that there was another civilization out there and that they were capable of interstellar travel the clan heads held a council to decide what to do about it. The majority ruled that they needed a single man to represent their world when the outsiders came in person, they elected King Hideo Fink of the feline clan as the official ruler of Tau Ceti.

Birth of the Federation

While the first manned starships with conversion drives were still traveling to their neighbors, scientists at a research base orbiting Proxima Centauri, the small red dwarf star that barely qualified as the third star of the Alpha Centauri system, made a breakthrough. Using a newly discovered form of exotic matter a wormhole could be pulled from the quantum foam of the universe and held open indefinitely. Once they successfully sent a laser through a pinprick-sized wormhole from Proxima to Secland, the New Pallas senate approved funding for the production of wormholes large enough to send materials through.

A very expensive experiment proved that wormholes larger in diameter than a micrometer could be catastrophically destabilized by proximity to large gravity wells. It was decided that no traversable wormhole could be placed closer to a star than the Oort Cloud, but even then the potential for shortening an interstellar voyage from decades to months was too exciting. Proxima Centauri was enclosed in a small Dyson sphere dedicated solely to producing the exotic matter for wormholes and just over a century after contact the first interstellar traversable wormhole between Proxima Centauri and Tau Ceti was ready, Epsilon Eridani followed suit. Commerce and communication between the three systems exploded, and conflict with them.

While interstellar war didn’t break out, there were many in both Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani who suspected that New Pallas intended to invade them through their wormholes. Before long both planetary governments were dealing with armed insurrections. New Pallas was all too glad to provide advanced weaponry and vehicles, especially on Schwarzwelt where the military was decentralized and entire clans or houses were rebelling. Eventually Pallene troops and warships were stationed in the two systems to defend Pallene interests.

Seeing tensions rise Grand Mayor Selkd de Argentum came up with an ingenious solution, an interstellar government composed of representatives from all three star systems, as well as any new systems that would be colonized in the future. That way, everyone could theoretically have a say in interstellar politics. While visiting Schwarzwelt in 1150 to promote his vision, Selkd was assassinated by a sniper.

Selkd was succeeded by his sister, Lirdrill, who ordered the sniper’s family estates leveled by orbital bombardment as an example to the others. The ruling houses of other clans that had rebelled were rounded up and stripped of their noble ranks, then imprisoned in stasis banks. She continued her brother’s vision of a united parahuman government, but centralized around Alpha Centauri and the office of the Praetor, which would be held by her house.

Wormholes took a lot of time and resources to set up while probes were reporting back dozens of exoplanets that were inhabitable or easily terraformed, so the senate on New Pallas had been debating whether to launch colony fleets before or after traversable wormholes arrived at the potential colonies. As Lirdrill solidified the Federation, she made an executive decision. Wormholes would be spaced anywhere from 20 to 50 light-years apart, depending on resources and stellar density, and the stars between them would be reachable only by ships traveling at 80% of the speed of light or slower. Since leukosynths and cryo-stasis had become mature technologies by then the decades of travel were deemed acceptable.

Even then, there was some trouble finding enough volunteers to fill the colony ships that were being built. After a few suggestions of using rebels as indentured labor the Memetic Quarantine and Contingency program was established. The thousands of rebels held in stasis were to be shipped off to marginally inhabitable “Outworlds” light-decades from the nearest wormhole, and to make sure they didn’t draw too much attention, without any technology more advanced than the most basic steam engines. It was hoped that eventually they’d become “civilized” and submit to the Federation, or die off.

But, there was a secondary purpose to the program. The machines that had destroyed Terra were still out there, and if the Destroyers were to notice the Federation growing under their noses, perhaps they’d overlook those small Outworlds without radio.

The Traders

With the vast distances between most inhabited systems trade opportunities were limited. Most star systems had enough raw materials locally that shipping them from another star without a wormhole was simply not cost-effective. While nanofabrication meant that most manufactured goods could be produced in a small warehouse, if not a garage. For the first few centuries of expansion the only goods that were worth shipping interstellar were in the form of digital data, and most of that could be handled by laser transmissions, and the occasional courier.

Just over two centuries after the Federation was established, a courier ship operated by a branch of House Argentum decided to stop off at an Outworld. The captain decided to land a shuttle near one city-state established by the unwilling colonists to see what they were up to.

The locals were wowed by the great flying machine and the crew, having forgotten their origins already. They offered tribute to the visiting immortals, foodstuffs, sculptures, and textiles. The crew decided to take some of the tributes with them, leaving some inconsequential trinkets of Federation technology which were quickly replaced by their on-board fabricators.

When the courier next made port at a Federation starbase they showed off the unique goods they’d acquired, many of which were purchased at exorbitant prices by bored oligarchs. The Outworld’s inhabitants were rapidly diverging culturally from their forebears, far faster than the leukosynth-using worlds of the Federation. Those simple couriers had found something valuable to the nearly post-scarcity Federation, novelty.

Many houses and companies commissioned their own Outworld trade freighters while the senate debated whether it was even legal to trade with the “barbarians.” Eventually it was determined that trade would be allowed; but no weapons, vehicles, communications, or nanotechnology were to be given to Outworlders. Small starships with industrial nanofabricators would set up shop over Outworlds for years at a time, fabbing trinkets made from space-age alloys and exchanging them for cloth made with alien fibers. Many of these traders became fabulously wealthy during the next few centuries as the Federation expanded outwards and established more and more Outworlds.

It was fun while it lasted.

The Return of the Destroyers

The Destroyers responsible for Terra’s demise had made occasional appearances in the next two millennia. Zeroing in on sources of radio transmissions with relativistic projectiles followed by hunter-seeker probes that would scour the surrounding system of life. But it seemed they hadn’t noticed, or didn’t care about the Federation at large.

Then astronomers in the Federal core noticed something. Sol, Terra’s sun, was dimming. A few disposable probes sent back horrific images, a Dyson sphere, and it was almost complete. With the energy of Sol the Destroyers could incinerate the core worlds at the speed of light! A secret panel of the senate met with the Praetor to decide what to do about this unthinkable prospect.

The Federal Guard’s fleets were assembled at Proxima Centauri and dispatched for Sol. Never before had Federation technology been tested against the Destroyers, and no one wanted to underestimate them, so the fleet was loaded with the most advanced weaponry they could muster.

It wasn’t enough.

Quantum ansible transmissions reported massive ships that maneuvered without visible reactions and accelerated to impossible speeds in seconds. The Federal Guard was slaughtered in short order, but before they died one ship managed to launch an experimental superweapon at Sol itself.

A strangelet bomb, filled with the same strange matter that converted baryonic matter into antimatter in conversion drives, with catalysts for self-replication. They spread across the star in a matter of days, triggering a series of detonations that tore the star and the incomplete Dyson sphere apart.

When word came that they had a potential nova carrying strangelets in their neighborhood the Federation’s elites abandoned the core worlds en masse. Fleeing through the wormholes at top speed. As the secret mission to Sol and its destructive results leaked everyone who could afford a ship followed suit, departing for distant worlds that they hoped could bring salvation.

Then, just before the nova’s wavefront reached Proxima, the wormhole network was collapsed to prevent it from spreading to the far colonies.

The Collapse

Every star system that had a direct link to the wormhole network found itself swarmed by refugees from the Core. The remnants of the Federal Guard struggled to maintain order as refugees clashed with natives. Many refugee fleets were forced to leave for other systems that were less sparsely populated, a few even attempted to invade Outworlds. Other fleets became nomads, passing through inhabited systems without slowing down and trading for or extorting supplies as they passed.

As unrest reached critical levels many governors activated failsafe programs embedded in every Federation citizen’s leukosynth implants, rendering the star system’s entire population mortal. Most such governors were torn apart by angry mobs. On other worlds the population voluntarily gave up advanced technology in hopes of hiding from the Destroyers.

Three hundred years later the dust has mostly settled. Few star systems are politically united, with individual planets and megastructures using everything from wooden carts to gravity-manipulating starships. The Federation is ancient history, and its technology treasure waiting to be discovered.

#rpg #scifi #science fiction #parahuman space #furry #traveller #ttrpg

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odditycircus-2002 · 4 months ago

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I don't know if you're still taking requests for Mortal Kombat but I was wondering if you could do another piece featuring our favorite Dynamic Reptilian Duo getting into weird situations together though this time they're both introduced to Godzilla when Johnny invites everyone to his mansion for a movie night by showing the original Godzilla movie and afterwards they're both hounding Johnny with questions about Godzilla and he makes the mistake of mentioning the numerous other movies so now they're watching all of them up to both "Godzilla Minus One" and "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" and they're both in awe over such a large and powerful reptilian creature and Johnny's worried he may have accidentally started a cult. By the way this is the same person that sent you all those other requests involving Medusa Reader and Syzoth involving naughty songs, accidentally stumbling upon Pornhub and trying out what they've seen onto their partners, accidentally stumbling upon a sex show and being introduced to a pet shop in Earthrealm because I just love what you come up with and I hope you're doing well.

A/N: I know it's you because your username accompanies your asks. I always have fun writing out these ridiculous scenarios and exploring some of Syzoth and Medusa! Reader's dynamic with them. And thanks! I'm doing well😁

The Cult of Godzilla

After the Tournament and Titan Shang Tsung's defeat, it's become a tradition to have a night to watch movies at Johnny Cage's mansion. You'll admit you find it a pleasant way to unwind and briefly forget about the horrible troubles that plague you. Syzoth, on the other hand, likes to watch the different ways reptiloids are depicted in Earthrealm.

So, to your collective delight, Johnny decided to put on what he calls a "classic" Godzilla. Unlike in most films, Mr. Cage shows his friends and allies, and the movie is black and white. At first, most of the attending guests asked if his movie-playing machine was broken, only for the Action star to laugh and explain it's just an ancient movie in Earthrealm. With that explanation out of the way, you and Syzoth sat back and enjoyed the specially made beetle popcorn Johnny made for you both. At this point, you felt no shame that your diet now consisted of insects due to your mutation.

By the time the credits rolled, you and Syzoth were left awestruck at the screen. You're the first to snap out of your horror and begin to practically vomit out your questions, such as the existence of Japan, an H-bomb, an oxygen destroyer, and nuclear weapons. To your increasing terror, Johnny confirms that there was a war and one that involved weapons similar to the ones shown in the film. Yet, the actor assured you there's no actual Godzilla in Earthrealm.

Syzoth began his barrage of questions toward Johnny, specifically about the titular monster, Godzilla. Cage, unable to answer most of Zaterran's questions regarding how Godzilla and his power work, offhandedly suggests that he just watch the other movies. This would be Cage's biggest mistake, as you and Syzoth insisted that Cage show them the rest of the Godzilla movies.

What followed was a prolonged movie night, during which you, Syzoth, and Johnny binged the "highlights" of the Godzilla franchise. This included the Showa Era, Heisei Era, Tristar Era, Godzilla Minus One, and the Monsterverse. By the time the impromptu movie marathon was over, the sun was rising, and Johnny waking up with a cramp in his back from falling asleep in the chair. Mr. Cage wouldn't realize it immediately, but you and Syzoth also took the liberty of swiping your confiscated iPad from Johnny's office to show the rest of Outworld the Godzilla movies downloaded onto the device.

You and Syzoth would set up your own movie night within Outworld, just outside the Tarkatan Colony. Of course, you and Syzoth would invite anyone who wishes to attend, including Baraka, Ashrah, some Colony members, and a few bold Zaterrans who had heard word about this "Godzilla."

As Johnny would say, the movie night was a hit with all the participants from the spectacle of the Godzilla movies. However, besides Baraka and Ashrah, everyone was up in arms about which kind of Godzilla movies are better with you and Syzoth as the Ringleaders.

You think the Godzilla movies are best when they warn against hubris, the dangers of trying to play God, and the horrors of war. Syzoth thinks the best Godzilla movies are the more personal ones where Godzilla isn't outwardly the villain but someone trying to defend his home or wanting to be left alone. Baraka and Ashrah hoped this schism between you and Syzoth would die down by the next day, but they were dead wrong.

The area where you and Syzoth initially set up Movie Night was split right down the middle. Half of the merchandise was handmade with black and white Godzilla, showing various terrifying visages of Godzilla. The other half was far more colorful with their decor of Godzilla and the other Kaiju, depicting Godzilla as a force of nature and defender of said nature. If Ashrah didn't know any better, you started your own cults.

Ashrah recalls that Johnny Cage showed Syzoth and you all those movies. So she and Baraka travel to Outworld to speak with Cage and reprimand him for the indirect schism he caused. Johnny, understandably, didn't believe them at first. How could such an intense conflict happen over some movies for a few days?

Johnny is shown the conflict when presented with the split theater area and all the statues and paintings of Godzilla. He even spots one Zaterran doing the Godzilla victory dance among other Outworlders. That's when it hit the actor the magnitude of what he accidentally helped give way to. What's worse is that Cage has seen this before at Cage-Cons, so he knows just how bad this can get.

Yet, you and Syzoth were over your debate by next month; granted, you two still have some friendly ribbing about it. The next time you and Syzoth visited Johnny's mansion for a movie night, Johnny made sure to just put on one of his movies instead. At least those ones don't have giant lizards to debate on.

#mortal kombat #oddball speaks #oddball writes #ask answered #Godzilla #gojira #medusa!reader #mk syzoth #ashrah #mk1 #mk1 2023 #mortal kombat headcanons #Johnny Cage #Baraka #mk Reptile #kchavez666

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cienie-isengardu · 2 months ago

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Bi-Han and Shang Tsung - sidenotes

I’m not done with my research for any bits of Bi-Han & Shang Tsung’s relationship through the years, as I’m pretty sure the lore & game mechanics have much more to offer about those two characters. However, as I'm not a player myself, finding proper sources will take much more time and energy than previously needed, so in meanwhile I'm sharing my random observations and notes about Sub-Zero and Shang Tsung.

POWER and FREEDOM

Some time ago I made a post about reputation vs reality of Shang Tsung and Bi-Han's life situations - how despite being praised for being cunning and strong, both either fulfilled high expectations of their masters or would be killed/harshly punished for failure.

Thinking more about that, alternative timeline’s Shang Tsung and Bi-Han/Noob share an additional trait - patience to bid their time. Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath is the best proof of Shang Tsung’s dedication to seize the power and with it, freeing himself from the servitude (enslavement) he was stuck in for centuries. Bi-Han as Noob Saibot also had his own goal of ascending to power and with that, getting out of control of others:

Mortal Kombat 9's BIO:

"Noob Saibot's origins are unknown, but he is likely a revenant: a fallen warrior resurrected by the Netherrealm sorcerer Quan Chi to fulfill a dark objective. Noob has been assigned to aid Shao Kahn in his acquisition of Earthrealm. A faithful servant and a recent addition to the Brotherhood of Shadow, he will obey his master, Quan Chi, and complete his mission. But he is biding his time. Noob Saibot has a dark objective of his own.

Mortal Kombat 9's ENDING:

"Quan Chi should never have resurrected Noob Saibot. Nor should he have enhanced his power to defeat Shao Kahn. The revenant he created had broken free of his control. Noob had secretly formed an "understanding" with a cleric from the realm of Chaos and opened for him a portal to the Netherrealm. Shinnok, Quan Chi and the Brotherhood of Shadow were unprepared as the forces of Chaos overwhelmed them, leaving the Underworld severely weakened. Satisfied with his work, the cleric, Havik, returned to the realm of Chaos. Noob Saibot remained to seize control of the Netherrealm."

Mortal Kombat 11's BIO:

"Shadow of the Netherrealm. In life, Noob Saibot was known as Sub-Zero. Unjustly murdered by Scorpion, he was resurrected by Quan Chi and granted power over darkness, but as Quan Chi’s slave. Now, Quan Chi is dead. Noob Saibot is finally free to reclaim the honor that was stolen from him."

Mortal Kombat 11's ENDING:

"Kronika said I would lead the New Era's deadliest clan. But she made such promises to many. She could never keep them all. So I betrayed her, before she could betray me. When Kronika's sands fused with my shadows, my ambitions grew. Why be a ruler of mortals, when I could rule destiny itself? Mortals resisted, but could not stop, my blanketing history in cold, endless night. All is dark. All are shadows. I have had many names. Now I am become Death, destroyer of worlds."

Furthermore, MK1’s Bi-Han fits this scheme too (although he lacks the patience), as for him power and freedom are tightly tied to each other, as one can’t exist without the other. Personally I think this is a very neat detail when it comes to those two characters, as they seem to operate on a similar mindset.

Additionally, MK11 and MK1 Shang Tsungs share the same key word: INFLUENCE.

MK11!Noob had RECOGNITION while MK1!Bi-Han has POWER,

however the BIO itself imply that this version of Bi-Han too wants recognition for himself and his clan:

Under his leadership, the Lin Kuei will come out of the shadows and fight for its place as one of Earthrealm's great nations

which is pretty shame NRS pick “power” for Sub-Zero's key word.

SELLERS

MK1’s Shang Tsung is stated to be skilled seller (though why, I have no idea):

"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. Though his wares were useless, Shang Tsung's easy charm always closed the deal. Shang Tsung was resigned to to this hardscrabble life. But then one day a mysterious stranger came, promising to make Shang Tsung a powerful sorcerer. Though suspicious of the offer, it was one he couldn't refuse."

The old card game presented Sub-Zero to be the best seller out of three ninja characters:

Friendship With an amazing sales pitch, Sub-Zero convinces his befuddled opponent to purchase a Sub-Zero doll.

For comparison, below is Reptile and Scorpion cards

SIMILAR GEAR - sharp edged metal protection of fingers

MK11's Shang Tsung

MK11 Noob Saibot

Dark Sub-Zero (Order of Darkness)

MK1: Khaos Reigns - Noob Saibot

MK: Onslaught (comics & game)

MK1's ANIMALITY in which Noob Saibot is alligator and Shang Tsung a cobra. Thus spiritual animals of both are reptilian. (In contrast, Bi-Han as Sub-Zero has a mammoth as his spiritual animal).

At the same there are some vital differences between Shang Tsung and Bi-Han.

For one, Shang Tsung is openly interested into technology. Magic is his main domain, but he does not look down on technology and may even adapt it for his own plans. Perhaps in the cloning process itself. We have various timelines' intro dialogues and MK11's Krypt to support his interest:

MK1

Shang Tsung: Once you are dead, I'll study that armor at my leisure. Sektor: What does a sorcerer know of engineering?

MK11

Shang Tsung: Perhaps technology is superior to magic. Terminator: Magic is an artificial construct. Shang Tsung: You’re not from around here, are you?

MK11 Krypt*

Shang Tsung: Sorcery isn't my only vocation. I'm also an inventor. While a modest endeavor, this forge is my finest. It can transmute collected items into new items you might find more useful

[* quote taken from MK wiki]

In previous timelines, Bi-Han did not utilize technology

[...] The Sub-Zero you saw killed was my older brother. He was stubborn in many ways. Refused to utilize modern technology on his missions.

but he was capable of using it (as seen with Noob Saibot and Cyber Smoke). In new era, Bi-Han will praise Sektor's technological genius

[...] but trafficking in such strong magic would surely draw Liu Kang’s attention. Sektor advised me that we avoid detection by building our army using science, not sorcery. We’ve invested much time in this endeavor, and we are beginning to see results. Once again proving the depths of Sektor’s genius.

and won't mind Lin Kuei using technology to gain additional advantage, yet he himself won't use any power suit (as was seen during Khaos Reigns).

The second difference is based on how Titan Shang Tsung and Dark Sub-Zero "solved" the problem of reincarnated characters. As in, Dark Sub-Zero made others part of his clan (Lin Kuei blood) while Titan Shang Tsung treats them as his minions.

And the last difference that catched my attention is how Dark Sub-Zero from Invasion would refuse to yield, even when given a chance to surrender

In contrast, Shang Tsung from Invasion Season #7, tried to run away once his invasion has failed and life was in danger

which makes me think Bi-Han, at least in the oldest timelines, is much more reconciled with death than Shang Tsung who will do anything to stay alive (begging to be spared, for example). Which makes sense, as Sub-Zero was an assassin so being killed was a much more probable outcome for him, than for Shang Tsung who could hire people to do his dirty job for him.

#mortal kombat #sub zero #bi han #noob saibot #shang tsung #i'm so down for the theme of power and freedom in regard for shang tsung and bi han #as none of them can be free without having power to back up the freedom #We could say that bi han and shang tsung are the caged animals #that has never forget the taste of freedom and will do everything to get it back #while at the same time bi han feels more willing to choose death than shang tsung?

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mydisenchantedeulogy · 1 year ago

Text

Dying Light [Chapter Five] Tea [Bi-Han/Sub-Zero]

A/n: I apologize in advance for the short chapter, but it was necessary. Please enjoy.

Warning(s): female reader, Bi-Han being Bi-Han, arranged marriage au, bonding over tea, revelation, mixed emotions, a tad bit of intimacy, teasing, slight slow burn.

Tag List: @genesiswrld, @cherryblossomly, @dilf-destroyer-04, @louis2gobrrn, @umbransister

No Minors Allowed!!

It is no cinch to those new to the harsh weather of Arctika, but long after sunset, the group reaches the temple, mostly unharmed. You are given no time to take in the icy scenery before you are patched up and then escorted to a warm but spacious room of your own with nothing in it but a bed, a vanity, and a closet. With most of your things lost to the snow - Bi-Han had allowed you to carry what you were able to - you have nothing much to fill the room with; a pair of warm clothes and some minor necessities are all you have to your name.

This inevitable issue, however, will have to wait till tomorrow. You are too exhausted. A night robe is fetched for you, then once you are dressed, you crawl into bed and close your eyes.

You do not even remember falling asleep until the sound of knocking abruptly wakes you.

Is it already dawn? You can not tell.

Reluctantly, you crawl out of bed, groaning as your muscles hurt from the excursion of the previous day. The burn reminds you of the morning after a training session with your master. You trudge over to the door and open it, greeted by a woman with short pewter hair. Her eyes, a shade of arctic blue, gauge you.

“Apologies for waking you, Madam,” she states. “But Master Bi-Han insisted that I do so.”

You raise a curious brow.

“Am I needed for something?”

“No, but he did mention that your things were lost. I can be of service,” she answers.

You understand. That is…kind of him, you suppose.

“Give me a moment to redress - and possibly wake up - then we can talk.”

She nods and waits outside as you dress in one of the two outfits you hauled up the mountain. Once your unkempt hair is combed, you open the door and allow her inside.

“You did lose nearly everything,” she points out, taking a look around.

“There were luckily no irreplaceable things aboard,” you state.

She hums.

“Perhaps some of my clothes will fit you. If not then one of the others might have some. Trips to the nearby town are seldom.”

“Are there many women in the Lin Kuei?” You ask, raising a brow.

The pewter-haired woman nods.

“Aside from myself, I'm Frost, by the way. There is Cyrax and a handful of grunts.” She pauses a moment, turning toward you with a grin. “And now you, the Grandmaster’s wife.”

You frown and offer her your name.

“I've heard about you…and your magic. Some of the grunts were talking about it,” Frost mentions.

You have no doubt. The majority of them witnessed it firsthand, some even saw it twice. You cross your arms, feeling a bit uneasy in the spotlight. It is as expected though, you are new here, in addition to being married to Bi-Han.

“Are you also able to do magic?”

Frost grins and raises her hand. From her mid-arm and up freezes over. You widen your eyes.

“You can do ice magic? Like Bi-Han.”

“Impressed? Master and I are descendants of the Cryomancers, a race from Edenia,” Frost states with pride.

You had never heard of Edenia before. Were there more realms out there besides Earthrealm and Outworld? And what of Kuai Liang or Tomas? Their powers are not ice-based.

There is still much I do not know.

You hum.

“Do the Lin Kuei keep scrolls? I would like to learn what I can about them.”

“That is a service I can not help you with,” Frost admits. “You would have to ask Master Bi-Han.”

You understand. Every clan has its secrets. Locked away, however, you do not know if you will ever see Bi-Han to ask him. This room is a clear sign he means to distance himself from you. But you do not want to be locked away like some damsel from a fantasy novel.

“Can you show me around?” You ask with hope. You want to at least familiarize yourself with your new home.

Frost grins.

“That I can do.”

You are grateful.

For the next half hour, Frost shows you the temple. Aside from the storehouse, which contains the various types of weapons used by the Lin Kuei, and the training hall, you are most impressed by the shared bathhouse, built around a natural hot spring.

You were not expecting your new home to be so likable.

Despite having to share a room, each of the fighters had a comfortable place to rest; Frost took you to her chamber to give you essentials that she could spare or no longer needed. The kitchen and spacious dining area were the final rooms she showed you before taking you back to your bedchamber.

“If you need me, I am usually in the training hall or my room,” she mentions.

You nod, thanking her again.

“I'll see you around, Madam,” Frost says with a wave.

I don't think I will ever get used to that.

Putting away your new things, you decide to venture into the temple on your own. One thing Frost made clear was that the Lin Kuei took care of themselves. With makeup on, you then saunter to the kitchen for a light snack and a cup of tea.

It takes you a few minutes to navigate the many cupboards but upon finding the electric kettle, you put some water on the stove to boil. As you are waiting, deciding on what to make, you hear the sound of footsteps approaching.

A conversation pauses mid-sentence as one or both of the brothers notice you. Kuai Liang immediately bows, followed by Tomas, much to your dismay.

“Please, that isn't necessary. We are in-laws now,” you mention.

“If you insist, Madam,” Tomas says in agreement.

Kuai Liang nods, then saunters over to the cupboard, rummaging through it.

“Would you both like some tea?” You ask.

“If you are offering,” Kuai Liang answers. “I will fetch the bean cakes then.”

You softly smile.

The brothers sit at a low table in the seating area as the water boils. You, in the meantime, place tea leaves in 3 cups, bringing them and the kettle over to the table.

“I’ll get that for you,” Tomas offers.

You deny him the chance.

“Please, allow me.” You pour the water into the cups. “If the wedding had been traditional, I would have had to serve tea to my in-laws. It feels like the least I can do.”

“Your gratitude is appreciated,” Kuai Liang states.

You are glad he thinks so. Sitting at the table with them you eat a bean cake as your tea steeps.

“We did not have the chance to see, but did the ceremony fare well?” Tomas asks.

“It was…nice,” you admit. And sudden.

You honestly do not remember much about that day. Other than the apprehension.

“Steel yourself.”

Your face heats up. It was Bi-Han’s words that eased you that day. It is ironic.

“I wish I had seen our brother in his wedding attire,” Tomas mentions with a grin. “I imagine he scowled the entire ceremony.”

“Tomas,” Kuai Liang chides.

You can tell that he does not mean it. There is a smile on his face.

“Does he express no other emotion?”

Tomas laughs.

“As Grandmaster, brother has much on his mind,” Kuai Liang points out.

You imagine so.

“A wife certainly does not add comfort.”

“You are more than a wife,” Kuai Liang mentions. “He expressed this himself.”

Your face heats up. It is because of your magic, nothing more. Lifting the cup to your lips, you take a sip. If he considers you more, then why does he distance himself from you?

“Where is Bi-Han this morning?”

“With the recruits,” Tomas answers.

You hum. So, he will be busy for most of the day. He might even miss lunch or dinner. It's your job as a wife to attend to him, is it not?

“What sort of food should I make for dinner?”

“Rice is always a good choice and seasonal vegetables,” Tomas points out.

Kuai Liang scolds him again, then covers his grin with the teacup. “And Poultry for muscle building.”

You laugh. It seems as though they are both eager.

A sudden icy chill makes you shiver, despite the warmth from your teacup. Kuai Liang seems to notice something you do not. Following his gaze, you frown as you notice Bi-Han standing in the doorway.

Is the sudden chill coming from him?

“Brother,” Kuai Liang utters, greeting him.

“Your attention should be on the recruits,” Bi-Han points out.

Without a word, the two brothers stand; Tomas thanks for the tea, and then the two of them leave. You sigh, rather liking their company. To avoid an awkward moment, you stand and walk over to the cabinet for another cup.

“Would you like some tea? The water in the kettle should still be hot.”

Bi-Han hums and takes a seat at the table. You serve him and then continue to enjoy your tea.

An awkward silence soon settles in, and you consider returning to your room without so much as a word, but a part of you does not want to leave things this way. This marriage is going to be unpleasant should you decide to ignore him at every turn.

Why can't he be the one to start a conversation though? Is he afraid of me?

You can not control the smile that pulls at your lips.

“Do you frequently think of plunging people into your portals?” Bi-Han asks.

You snort, sitting down your cup.

“Only those who irritate me.”

Bi-Han raises a brow and looks at you.

“Is that said in jest?”

“Perhaps,” you state. “If it gives you solace, I don't think you are irritating…just aloof.”

You can tell by the way his brows knit that he wants you to elaborate, but you do not wish to.

“Your brothers claimed that you were busy with the recruits. How are they fairing?”

“This conversation is not over,” Bi-Han states with a sigh. He takes a drink and then sets down his cup. “They show purpose. But to learn our ways, it will require time; time we have too much of these days.”

That is a fair assessment, though you wonder what he means by his last statement. He seems almost irritated. You hum, considering if you should ask him now about the history of the Lin Kuei. In the end, you decide against it.

Another time.

Sliding his cup out, you take this action as a sign that Bi-Han wants more tea. You take his cup to the kitchen counter to prepare it, then you return to the table and fill it with hot water. As you attempt to return to your seat, Bi-Han reaches out and grabs your arm, halting you.

“Your grip is harsh,” you point out.

“Sit,” he orders, loosening his hold on you a bit.

You do so, raising a curious brow.

Bi-Han lifts his other hand and runs his thumb across your bottom lip, then examines the smear of lipstick across his skin. Your heart races. It felt nice.

“There is no reason to wear this for me.”

An embarrassed heat spreads across your face. While it is true that you started dolling up for him, hearing him point this out makes you feel uncomfortable.

“And if I chose to wear it because it makes me feel nice?”

Bi-Han knits his brows.

“Does it?”

You frown, choosing not to answer.

“There is no reason for you to wear that red jewelry bag either. We are not in the company–”

“Be quiet,” Bi-Han orders. You do so, taken off guard. “I bootlick no one. My decision to wear it is my own.”

But why? You do not know what to say to this. A strange sentiment overcomes you; fondness. Surely, he does not think more of this marriage than he lets on.

“Forgive me. I had assumed that given our standing, you were wearing it for a public image.”

Bi-Han releases your arm.

“I do not seek a public image; I seek combatants. This union is no more than a formality…but I admit you are more than I bargained for.”

Kuai Liang spoke the truth. He thinks of you as more of a warrior than a wife.

“I have given it much thought, and as of tomorrow, you will train as Lin Kuei.”

Is he serious? Given your ability, you do not blame him for wanting to utilize it. So, why do you feel a bit disappointed? Is this not what you want? To be seen as more than a title.

You sigh.

“I understand.”

You suppose this alternative is better than being closed off in a room for the rest of your life. Is marriage even necessary now?

Resting your fingers on your bottom lip, you tighten your jaw. The intimacy of his touch lingers. Why did Bi-Han do that? Touch you in such a way. It irritates you, and not because he smeared your lipstick. Because for a moment you longed for more.

No…just no.

#mortal kombat fandom #bi han x reader #mortal kombat fanfiction #bi han mk1 #arranged marriage au #female reader insert #x reader #mortal kombat 1 fanfiction #Spotify

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