#but I also prefer her mk11 look | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

vampireimiko · 7 months

Note

Saw you wanted a Mortal Kombat ask. Alright, I’d like a Kuai Liang (preferably MKX or MK11) with a reader who has a robotic prosthetic. It could be an arm, a leg or maybe her eyes, whatever you want. She lost her body part in some kind of accident prior to meeting him and considering his hatred of ciberization and his past trauma with that, reader fears he is disgusted by her prosthetic or thinks less of her for not being completely organic. I’m ready for the angst!

Cyber

warnings, slight angst, but not really

note, mk11 kuai liang is SOOOOOO NGHH

Black. Black was the very last thing you saw before you fainted after the tragic accident that resulted in the loss of your arm. The memory lingered as a haunting echo, a phantom pain that transcended the physical absence of a limb. When you first met Kuai Liang, you couldn't help but feel a surge of anxiety, fearing that your prosthetic would be a stark reminder of the Lin Kuei's dark history with cyberization.

You just couldn't shake the worry that he might be disgusted or disappointed by the sight of your robotic arm. Now any other time, you wouldn't care what anyone thought of your robotic arm. Maybe when the incident was fresh you would've, but it's been 5 years since that accident. The only reason you felt strongly about it was because you thought Kuai Liang was attractive. If you two were too ever get together, you'd absolutely hate having to be a reminder to the cybernization of his clan.

It also didn't help that whenever you caught him looking in your direction it was almost always at your robotic arm. The gaze, though not judgmental, fueled your anxiety. One day, you decided to confront the unease, taking a deep breath and approaching him.

His eyes met yours, and for a moment, you hesitated. But then, something unexpected happened. Instead of recoiling or looking away uncomfortably, Kuai Liang's gaze lingered on yours.

"Kuai Liang, I would like you to tell me straight, what do you think of my robotic arm? Does it- Does it disgust you?"

Kuai Liang's gaze held yours for a moment longer before he gently took your hand. "Disgust? No, my dear. It doesn't disgust me," he replied, his voice sincere. "What I see is strength, resilience, and the courage to rise above adversity."

There was a subtle acknowledgment. It was a moment of shared understanding, and in that moment, you felt a connection forming beyond the confines of past traumas.

A mixture of surprise and relief flickered in your eyes. His words carried a weight of understanding, and you felt a warmth in your chest. Kuai Liang continued, "The past may have left scars, but it's our spirit that defines us. Your arm, no matter its composition, is a testament to the battles you've faced and the battles you've won."

His genuine acceptance and the depth of his words melted away the anxieties that had plagued you. It wasn't just a prosthetic; it was a part of your journey. Kuai Liang's compassionate perspective allowed you to see beyond the steel and find strength in vulnerability.

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 😭 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐬, 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐦 (𝐢𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥) 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 !!

𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

#spirits works 🤍#mortal kombat #mortal kombat x reader #mortal kombat x black reader #black!reader #black reader #kuai liang x reader #kuai liang #kuai liang x you

120 notes · View notes

satansamwriting · 9 months

Note

hello! saw your headcannons on smoke and Kitana and loved them! I think your a great writer!

is it possible I could request some general headcannons with Kitana ? gn reader would be appreciated. I apologise in advance if I did any of this wrong! Thanks :)

General headcanons for Kitana with GN reader

o0o0o0o0

Hi! I'm really glad you enjoyed my previous headcanons! I'm touched that you think I'm a good writer 😊. I take pride in what I write so it makes me more than happy knowing that people enjoy what I do.

Know that I'm open to any type of ask as long as it's not non-con or like p*do/incest relationship. So please don't be scared to ask me anything.

On another note, since you asked for general headcanons, I went for what I believe would be like to date Kitana. I chose Kitana from mk11 cuz I wanted to play with the idea of being with the Kahn of Outworld.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this headcanons and for those who might hesitate to ask something, I don't bite I promise.

0o0o0o0o

Kitana

Being the Kahn of Outworld means lots of work aka Kitana is always really busy.

Being the partner of the Kahn of Outworld means looking out for her and making sure she doesn't neglect herself.

Also you get to be her advisor.

Although you're an earthrealmer, Kitana would be delighted to teach you about the history of Outworld and most importantly Edenia.

Prepare yourself for long walks around the city as Kitana enjoys it.

Also Tea

If you don't like tea, Kitana would respect your preference, offering you something else to drink whenever it was tea time.

But if you do love tea, you two would have a hard time deciding which new tea you should try this time around.

She'd make tea from Outworld and, if you ever visit Earthrealm, you'd bring back some from there to show it to her.

As I said before, Kitana would be busy being Kahn but when she did have free time you'd find her reading somewhere or training.

Training will involve flirting and silly banter.

Do expect the visit of Kotal and Jade.

You'd get teased by Jade cuz she knows how infatuated you are of Kitana

Sheeva would also visit, and again being from Earthrealm, you'd be eager to talk with the Shokan.

Your eagerness to learn about those around you warms Kitana's heart.

Oh and Cooking.

Lots of cooking, even with servants cooking for the two of you, you'd pop in the kitchen from time to time to cook Earthrealm food.

She's not much of a cuddler but she'd ask for hugs from time to time.

Her favourite hug? Hugging you from behind while you're busy doing something.

She likes the feeling of you relaxing in her arms.

0o0o

It was an uneventful day in Outworld. Most of the tasks were done and problems were taken care of. Which could only mean one time. Free time.

Sitting on a comfy chair located on one of the many balconies, arms leaning against a table, (y/n) propped their chin in the palm of their left hand. Their eyes were lovingly staring at the woman reading before them. Lost in their own thoughts, (y/n) failed to notice the brown eyes looking up at them.

"Is there something on my face?"

Wind brushed through Kitana's hair, making her look ethereal as the sun cast its soft yellow glow on her.

"Just admiring your beauty, love."

Rolling her eyes, Kitana went back to her book. However, her cheeks had taken a light shade of pink which pleased (y/n). No matter how much the Empress got to hear compliments from them, they always seemed to make her blush.

"Are you enjoying yourself?"

Chuckling, they leaned on the chair while stretching the now asleep arm they were propped against.

"Quite much but I'd say I'm enjoying you more"

The sound of a book closing echoed around the two of them before Kitana playfully kicked (y/n) foot underneath the table. Smirking, they reciprocated. One thing led to another and soon the two found themselves on training grounds, fighting as well as flirting. Let's just say that their free time wasn't spent relaxing.

#mk10 #mk11 #mk9 #mortal kombat #mortal kombat x reader #mk headcanons #mk x gn reader #kitana #mk kitana #mk Kitana Kahn #mk fandom #mkx #mk #mortal kombat x gn reader

87 notes · View notes

donsgraveyard · 4 months

Note

BURSTING THROUGH THE WALL. KUAI LIANG!!!!!!!! mk11 specific if you can but not necessary ❤️

sigh… oh Kuai Liang…. He’s so me…

I know you said mk11, but this one is the first one that came to mind SO when mk1 Kuai was a teen learning pyromancy, he didn’t have great control over his fire so when he got flustered or frustrated his shoulders would burst into frames and scare everyone

ok now mk11/Previous timeline Kuai

When Kuai had Frost is his care, they’d argue quite frequently only cause Frost didn’t understand Kuai’s love language (which is acts of service)… Frost was so used to doing everything herself that when Kuai did smth for her, she would be confused and under the impression Kuai found her incompetent so she’d lash out. Kuai isn’t too good with communicating his emotions so he’d just get frustrated too and they’d end up arguing. Kuai looks back and regrets his actions, he thinks he should’ve known better to try harder with Frost

he strongly dislikes short sleeved shirts. It’s either his traditional, grandmaster attire or a nice, lightweight long sleeved shirt he just hates how short sleeved cling to his biceps.

Kuai prefers warm tea but sometimes he gets too excited to drink tea and ends up freezing it because his powers bubble up when he’s excited

he’s a cat guy for sure… cats basically follow him around and meow at him and he’s been side tracked on missions just petting all the ally cats that rub his legs

To me, he’s a light sleeper and is often sleepy because the lightest sound can wake him up and also if Kuai gets too hot when he’s sleeping somewhere away from home, he can’t sleep at all. He neeeedddsss to be basically freezing cold to be comfortable.

Uh I don’t think I have anymore for you so I’m sorry… I don’t think about Kuai Liang as much as I should but I hope these are ok:)

#mk #mk fandom #Omg you guys….user humanharvest sent me an ask…sniffles….#Kuai Liang #Sub-Zero #mk11

38 notes · View notes

scaryspears · 9 months

Text

Kitana and Jade: Thoughts and Opinions

These are my thoughts and opinions on Mortal Kombat that a bunch of people probably won't care about, but I thought I should post them here. Now I will be using past games as reference, even though every character's interpretation/counterpart is different, they still play part to the canon storyline.

[Warning: I'm gonna bash the hell out of these characters]

These two are annoying. Up from mk9 to mk11, I think deep down I never really liked these two but found them cool based on design. But they always got on my nerves somehow. The first would be their hypocrisy.

They both like to point out the flaws of other characters while completely ignoring their own, such as pride and ego. It's also the way they talk to other characters. Now I know there's a difference between story mode and intros, but they show a lot about the characters. They both have a habit of looking down on Earthrealmers, and if they evolved from that then it's undermining them. Well, they do that with everyone, but still. Sonya beat both of them by herself in mk9 story mode, and still they have an attitude where they underestimate people like her.

I'm very certain Jade is racist towards people who are not Edenian, and insensitive towards the practices and history of others.

In mk9 she calls Baraka a dog after defeating him, and in one of her intros with Jacqui it's revealed she said something terrible. Then again, Jade says a lot of terrible things.

----

"I apologise for offending, Jacqueline." - Jade

"And you should study Earthrealms history." - Jacqui

"And you should be more forgiving." - Jade

Me: *Offended in black* This looks like Jade's way of saying 'be the bigger person', which is basically a way of saying 'excuse my actions and put up with me'. I don't trust people that do this because they know they are in the wrong but don't want to acknowledge it, and would rather go about their life guilt free so they would make the situation not look like a big deal.

Also, did anyone else notice that Jade and Jacqui are both darker skinned characters whose name begins with a 'J' and wear green in this game? Not important, but thought it was interesting.

----

"In the future you're dead, I'm a revenant." - Jade

"I prefer my fate to yours." - Baraka

"I must agree, Baraka." - Jade

Huh? You like being enslaved, Jade?

----

"You never could accept me." - Skarlet

"Your lust for power sickens me." - Jade

"Or perhaps it's because I'm not Edenian." - Skarlet

To be fair this is just Skarlet's assumption, but I figure she wouldn't say this unless she experienced Jade's discriminating attitude. I'm going to assume Skarlet grew up with them just as Jade grew up with Kitana.

----

"The unholy abomination." - Jade

"Greets the boot licking sychophant." - Mileena

"For Kitana Kahn, you will die." - Jade

Touched a nerve, Jade?

----

"Double date with Liu Kang and Kitana?" - Kung Lao

"In your dreams, Kung Lao." - Jade

"A simple no would've sufficed." - Kung Lao

I'm with Kung Lao on this one, she was unnecessarily mean to him here.

----

"How does Liu Kang suffer your foolishness?" - Jade

"Deep down, I amuse him." - Kung Lao

"Outworlders don't share this humour." - Jade

I thought you were Edenian, Jade. Also, I just don't like the way she's speaking to him. She's such a bully.

----

"You were Shao Kahn's favourite assassin." - Kung Lao

"I was his deadliest." - Jade

"How many Shaolin did you kill?" - Kung Lao

Kung Lao asking the important questions here. Jade seems to respond with pride, just sickening. Don't get me wrong, Kung Lao has his own share of problematic, but I feel for him.

----

With Kitana... I think it's more of an internalised racism to some degree. I know the basics of Kitana's upbringing, Shao Kahn raised her as his own but also turned her into an assassin (technically abuse), she believed she is the princess of Outworld. And then all of a sudden she finds out what happened to her mother and that Shao Kahn is not her actual dad and stuff- yeah, you get the idea. What I'm trying to point out is that Kitana must've not known about her Edenian heritage, or at least was not told much about it, assuming she grew up knowing about Sindel being her mother.

She grew up an Outworlder, and it's even shown in her ending. Shao Kahn was her father figure for the long majority of her life and she must've shared a lot (not all) of his views, like Earthrealmers being beneath them and how they view other species. For example, their racism towards Tarkatans. Just because she made a partnership with Baraka doesn't mean it changes the way she views their race.

It's like the American presidents altering the laws for black people all the while thinking of them as certain stereotypes or using them for their own benefit instead of just normal people. The racism towards Tarkatans is quite common, Sheeva says to Baraka's face "Tarkatans are all mouth and no ears." not "You are all mouth and no ears." She targeted Tarkatans specifically. [I might rant about this in another post, but I'm just using it as an example here.]

Kitana believes that just because she is merciful that she has not inherited his cruelty, but I very much think she did (his cruelty, I mean). In comparison Kitana just happens to be very graceful about it, or just has more of a mean girl approach rather than an evil overlord.

----

"I never liked guns." - Kitana

"Oh, they make you nervous, Princess?" - Erron Black

"They are highly uncivilised." - Kitana

Kitana tell that to Sonya, Cassie, Jax and Jacqui. You didn't say anything to them, but you're gonna say it to someone you're unfamiliar with.

----

"You soil every room you enter." - Kitana

"Bloke's gotta mark his territory." - Kano

"Even Barakas more civilised." - Kitana

Why drag Baraka into this?

----

"Power corrupts us all." - Spawn

"I won't let it corrupt me." - Kitana

"I've seen this cycle too many times." - Spawn

It's doomed to happen, and seeing as to who her father figure is...

----

"This empire is beyond redemption." - Spawn

"Reform takes time." - Kitana

Meanwhile, children suffer." - Spawn

----

"Bring the Matoka to Outworld." - Kitana

"We are not refugees, Princess." - Nightwolf

"Pride blinds you to opportunities." - Kitana

Outworld is way more terrible than America, it looks like. Why did she think the Matoka would fair better in Outworld? Its also the way that she says it and the expression on her face, she's so condescending.

----

"Do you still bear a grudge?" - Kitana

"I beat you, so you tell me." - Sonya

"Beat me? I let you win." - Kitana

That smug smile on her face... Yeah, keep telling yourself that Kitana.

----

"You are not the original." - Kitana

"First came my brother, Bi Han." - Sub Zero

"Did you inherit his evil legacy?" - Kitana

Projecting much?

----

"You've been harsh with Kung Lao." - Liu Kang

"There's no point in coddling him." - Kitana

"It was not your place." - Liu Kang

You know it's bad if Liu Kang is stepping in to tell her off.

----

"Liu Kang is committed to me." - Kitana the first

"I actually prefer his friend." - Kitana the second

"Kung Lao is not in our league." - Kitana the first

That same smugness. She's just like Sindel, wanting the 'strongest' man. Notice how she uses the word 'league'.

----

"Shao Kahn wants you dead." - Skarlet

"And you won't be the one to do it." - Kitana

"Always belittling me, Kitana." - Skarlet

I bet Kitana and Jade bullied her, I would not be surprised if they did.

----

So yeah, I don't like these two. Understand they were making her character either more realistic or a version of her that made sense with her whole upbringing and stuff,but I don't like these two and just wanted to vent out their bad qualities.

#mortal kombat 11 #kitana #jade mortal kombat #sindel mentioned #skarlet mortal kombat #anti kitana #mortal kombat 9

22 notes · View notes

demonsfate · 2 months

Note

about the shop thing i'm like..i'd have preferred to use the game money but sigh, whatever. however, if you're gonna charge me for cosmetics at least use other outfits to entice me. tek4 jin AGAIN and the pink dress for xiao like… tag2 jun looks nice but IMO it's the only one i could consider buying. and even then I'm not sure bc they look weirdly shiny and tek7-esque or is that just me? at least jin's hoodie like you mentioned in your post

Xiaoyu's Tekken 4 pink dress is also in Tekken 7. so given how they both look weirdly shiny in TK8...

I would NOT be surprised if the bastards didn't just imported these outfits from Tekken 7. They REALLY want you to pay actual money for a VERY lazy practice. People were commenting on how bad Jin looks, but Xiao's looks weird, too. If these are legit just from TK7, I think that's a lotta bullshit. If they're gonna make you spend money for these, they best remake the outfits in general. Plus some cna argue that maybe Jin's outfit is supposed to be shiny (why is his tank top shiny ??) in TK4, but I'm pretty sure Xiao's dress wasn't...

The only thing that looked "shiny" were the decals, not the dress itself. So that makes me heavily believe they just took these from TK7. (very, very lazy) and it would make sense why we're getting Jin's stupid hoodie again instead of the black & white outfit (because it would've been HARDER as they couldn't just yoink it from TK7) same as to why we're getting Xiao's pink dress rather than her sporty alt from TK4. Because again, they can just yoink it from TK7.

I hope I'm wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure I'm not lmao.

But yeah, Tag 2 Jun is the only one I'd bother buying. But like? Even then, it doesn't look like they'll give us her shorter hair for some reason. I would think that'd be easy to do. Supposedly, the shop is only gonna update once or twice a month. So, it doesn't seem like it's gonna be as egregious as MK1's. But still... it's already reeking laziness to me which isn't a good thing.

Also yes, I wish / hope there will be a way to earn these premium coins without actually paying anything, or you could at least trade your USELESS fight money for them. Just because back in MK11, even when it wasn't too often, sometimes you can earn the premium koins for free - I manage to get some premium items that way without spending a buck. But... I'm sure it'll be a case where you can only buy them. Sad.

#✏️ - ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏsᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏsᴛ // (ooc)#✏️ - ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ? // (inbox)

2 notes · View notes

littlemonstert-blog · 1 year

Text

Mortal Kombat Jacqui Briggs

Bit of a rant

yea a pretty boring character.

Man I watched this video on why Jacqui Briggs is boring. Ya'know what she is.

No matter, how much you change her gameplay. No matter, how much change her character design. Jacqui character wise & story wise is boring. She's Jax mini me with arm gauntlets similar to Sonya & Jax. Couple interesting things about her is once a professional kickboxer, bit of a tech wiz / great pilot and the fiance to Takeda.

Which is honestly rare black female characters don't usually get love interests. Jacqui relationship with Takeda is cute hopefully we can see more in the next game or maybe a comic.

Hell, in the comics (Mortal combat x comics) I read a while back she's just Cassie's "Best friend" (you know how that goes) and has no story arc of her own. Unless you count her dad being overprotective, not wanting her to be a soilder and them clashing not much onscreen.

Early concept art: MKx she looks more intresting of a character ( Looks like a punk rocker wild child, mechainc fighter or maybe Special forces gone rogue). by marco nelor

hell even hairstyles look better than the damn straight back braids. Also prefer the locs in this art.

Some sorta street fighter wild child or at least station at Outworld

They are much more intresting then what she was left with.

Mkx, look at more the trickel down to Jax Jr. Got left with the most generic fits.

Mk11 concept art at least they play around with different outfits suprisingly dresses at that. (game skin version still looks a mess to me).

(first concpt: love some of the dresses & sleeker arm/leg designs)

But oh no they did it again. Glad none of these got turned into a skin (maybe the basketball one could be intresting)

if you want a character to be remember you need a good color scheme and make them pop. Need to stop going the safest route I know there in the military but there in Special Forces.

Examples Kimberly street fighter

Dolores King of Fighters- dark colors and making it pop with the accsents

Weapon Wise

Meh, gauntlets are like a boring version of Shuri from black panther movie(1 not 2). Almost got a little iron man to them, better than the one in the game(mkx) . Mkx concept art

In early looks for mkx she had intresting choices

She has a sword, tonfa sticks, amy knifes. (art 8) Other pic idk what she got like a knife on her leg, sword on her back. Don't even know if that a gun or some type a shield maybe both in her hand. Last two look like brass knuckles and metal claws.

I've seen people saying guns in fighting games when (people have magical or some other type of ablities) are boring if you stick to a regular gun. I've seen anime and games make guns intresting.

Final Fantasty 8, Final Fantasy 10, Rwby, Batman: Arkham Knight and etc. also Magical girl series if I find it. If they want to kept the Subaru Nakajima & Yang Xiao Long or maybe Bakugo.

Mk11- Added body armor and leg thrusters ( Idk that's what they called them when I looked him up) to take on the superhumans I guess. Maybe they could make her gauntlets sleeker & not bulky ( Even not a ripoff version of Jax & sonya weapons)

Honestly if they just take the time with her and change a bit of her story and flesh out her personality it could work.

Extra: Her gameplay is amazing and add to the fact they have to nerf her twice in mkx and mk11. She went from a keepaway to a rushdown.

#mk #jacqui briggs #boring #mortal kombat #mkx #mk11

11 notes · View notes

a-purple-lizard · 2 years

Note

HANZO HASASHI CUDDLES!! im cold it's raining I want Hanzo cuddles(mk11 Hanzo pls)

Fires in the rain

I’m mildly alive. Sorry guys, I disliked that 2021 movie so much that I kinda backed out of the fandom and hung out with the Fallout fandom. But I’m back. I think.

Also apologies for this being so short but I prefer my fluff to be quick and sweet.

Crystal kisses wept from the blanketed sky, gently soaking into the earth at a steady pace. Trees swayed from the force as the sky let out its grief onto the land, forcing Mother Nature to hurriedly rush her children into their burrows and nest.

S/o blinked at the sight of a small vole scrambling to follow its family into their home at the base of a tall tree. It’s fragile body already soaked as it practically flew through the grass and into its hole. The woman couldn’t help but pity the small creature who was sure to be denied the warmth of its family tonight.

Curling her legs inward, s/o leaned more onto the window, watching each droplet make its decent onto the glass before falling down, leaving small rivers behind.

A shiver suddenly ran down her spine and she felt herself press her bare legs to the tightly knitted sweater that covered her torso. She turned to look towards the bed in the dimly lit room behind her. A figure was just visible as a lump under the sheets.

S/o was silent as her feet touched the wooden floors, quickly stalking over until she was able to slide into the bed, under the covers, beside him unnoticed. She lay there for a moment, hesitant on making a move. Her legs were cold, her feet were numb at this point.

She scooted slightly closer to his being until she let out a sigh as she felt the heat that was radiating off of him. S/o gently burrowed her head into the soft pillow below, eyes never leaving the back of his head. This was fine.

Just as her vision began to ebb away, she was suddenly washed over in warmth as a pair of arms gently pulled her to his chest. Her eyes bolted open to see Hanzo facing her, his face buried into her neck.

His body was feverishly hot, his natural temperature, against her still shaking form. S/o opened her mouth to protest. She had a thousand excuses on her mind.

A soft groan buzzed through her throat and her thoughts froze in place.

S/o was still new at this whole touching thing, anybody could guess that by her rigid body against his. But as she held her breath, she felt the gentle rise and fall of his own against her.

It was an almost hypnotic rhythm, like a cats purrs.

Before she knew it, her eyes were closed, her breath was releasing and her body relaxing against his. She snuggled up against him until there was nothing between them.

Her now warm body descended into slumber beside his as the rain outside began to slam into the earth below. But the two never stirred, even when Raidens crackling thunder ripped open the sky, they remained in each other’s embrace, away from the cares of the world. Their personal little heaven away from the hell that awaited them outside of these walls.

#mortal kombat #scorpion #mk scorpion #hanzo hasashi #hanzo hasashi x reader #scorpion x reader #request #it is raining #comfort #hanzo is a heater #I’m back #yay

234 notes · View notes

muggle-born-princess · 3 years

Text

Zoé, Chloé, and Marinette as Kitana, Mileena, and Jade

Based off of Kitana's Mortal Kombat 9 ending

Why?

It would not only be badass as fuck, but it is the perfect parallel.

Don’t believe me? Just watch.

First, let’s look at Kitana and Zoe:

Both are labeled as the good sister to their half sisters.

Both had an arrogant and cold-hearted persona due to being influenced by a toxic and abusive parent.

Both had someone to convince them out of their bad influence by telling them that they didn’t have to be a certain way in order to please people around them. (Kitana had Liu Kang; Zoe had Marinette).

Both at first weren’t trusted due to their relatives, but after being shown some genuine love and compassion, that’s when they decided to be permanent good guys.

Now, let’s compare Mileena and Chloe:

Both are the bad sisters to Kitana and Zoe and have shown jealously towards them.

Both display a childish, yet vicious and cruel side

Both were influenced and grew up around an environment that made them they way they were. Although Mileena was intentionally made to be evil, Chloe grew up believing that being mean, selfish, and narcissistic was the way to go in life.

Both are willing to sabotage those or anything to get what they want (even their half sisters) no matter what the consequences were. Even if it meant physically hurting them in the progress.

And finally, now Jade and Marinette:

Both are loyal, protective, and caring towards the ones they love.

Both act confident and cocky whenever they fight someone and will put up a fight if someone they love is either hurt or in danger.

Both are willing to trust someone if their loved ones can.

Both can also be doubtful towards the people that want to gain their trust, but once they proven their loyalty, they start to accept them.

So why am I bringing this all up? Simple.

It’s obvious like I said before that both Mileena and Chloe grew up and were raised to be nothing more than vicious, sadistic, evil monsters because that’s what their environment taught them. Mileena was created by evil sorcery to be nothing more than a psychotic beast while Chloe grew up where the rich were superior while the other classes were inferior; the main influences being their parents: Shao Kahn and Audrey.

Both were the biggest influences that their daughters (all four) grew up on and looked upon for loyalty and approval both. While Zoe and Kitana couldn’t be like them anymore, Chloe and Mileena stayed true to their mother/father because that’s what they were taught/raised by: To be only vicious and on top of others, and if they couldn’t see it, screw them! They are your enemy! Destroy them!

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not denying Mileena’s backstory. Yes, it’s obvious that she was raised to be nothing but pure evil. However, similar to Chloe, a lot of people interpret Mileena as this “sympathetic villain” and “can possibly redeem if given a chance.” I will admit, even though I prefer Mileena in her own, villainous way, I wouldn’t mind seeing a good side of her in the video games. In fact, we kinda already had.

Throughout the series, it’s implied that Mileena hates the way she looks and due to her horrendous teeth and sadistic personality, it’s easy to see why. Furthermore, she’s only ever viewed as a “monster,” “failure,” “creation,” “abomination,” etc...Why? Because that’s all she was ever called. She was believed that way, so she stuck with it and said “Fuck it, want me to be a fucked up creature from hell, then so be it!” Hell, even her father’s other advisors saw her as that! Reptile, Ermac, etc... The only person who ever showed Mileena real feelings was Tanya, but we only seen that in their intros in MKX and in Mileena’s MK11 ending,

So where does this lead to Chloe?

Audrey was Chloe’s biggest influencer growing up, despite being abandoned and neglected by her. She did every thing she could in order to be liked by Mommy Audrey Dearest, but no matter how many times she did, she failed. Therefore, the toxic persona of her mom caused her to go “You know what, maybe if I act like mommy, people can give me what I want and I’ll be in charge! No one can stop me!” Therefore, all throughout her childhood, Chloe basically said “Mommy’s way is how you do things right!”

Now let’s move on to her and Zoe.

You all remember at the end of Queen Banana where Zoe told Chloe that she loved her no matter what and Chloe had this expression?

The expression can mean two things:

1. Chloe is either in shock that someone actually genuine loves and cares about her, even though she treated them like crap.

or 2. Chloe is flabbergasted over the idea of someone actually showing her kindness and compassion by talking some sense into them. To her, it’s like she’s having an epiphany saying “Why would someone who I gave such a hard time still wanna love me?” I know this can also count towards Sabrina’s relationship with Chloe, but for the most part, Chloe refuses to acknowledge what Sabrina has done for her; here she seems to appreciate what Zoe is giving her, but she doesn’t know how to response to it because it’s not her type of environment!

In conclusion, that leads me to this:

If it’s possible, I could see Kitana go up to Mileena and have a peaceful conversation with her saying “Shao Kahn never cared about us at all; especially not you. You were used as his personal slave to do his bidding for evil because that’s how you were made. However, you don’t have to be this way. You don’t have to stay evil forever. You grew up influenced by the sorcery of darkness in Outworld, and if you could give Earthrealm a chance, you could change.” In addition, Jade at first can be skeptical towards Mileena considering her connection with Shao Kahn, but with the help of Kitana and the wise comments she speaks to her, Jade can slowly start to accept Mileena as a good guy. Not saying this will ever happen, but it is a possible chance.

The same thing can happen to Chloe. Zoe can do it, Marinette or Ladybug can do it, hell even Adrien or Cat Noir can do it if possible! They have hinted that Chloe is not evil, that she has had bad influences all around her, that she is NOT a monster! If anyone could speak out to Chloe on why she is such a shitty person and that it’s the wrong world she lived in, then it’s possible that she can change for the better!

No one has to automatically accept her at once, it’s gonna take time to get use to a much nicer Chloe. But if people can point out a possible Redeemed!Mileena, then a Redeemed!Chloe isn’t so farfetched either.

#there was so much more to also type but my damn laptop fucked up so I had to start from scratch #miraculous ladybug #zoe lee #chloe bourgeois #marinette dupain cheng #Mortal Kombat #kitana #mileena #jade #parallels

14 notes · View notes

botslayer · 3 years

Text

Is Mortal Kombat (2021) doing something racist?

Far be it for me to beat this drum, far be it. But for the love of god... They either need to show off Kitana now or make Tarkatans multiple ethnicities. What am I talking about? Well the MK movie has done some releases of characters via motion posters. One of whom is Mileena... And she’s being played by Sisi Stringer. I have nothing against Sisi Stringer, She’s probably a great actress and she must have some good fighting chops to be in this movie. But there is a slight problem with her character... Mileena. For those who don’t know everything about Mortal Kombat lore: Mileena’s origins are that the sorcerer Shang Tsung made her in “The flesh pits,” his personal laboratory where he creates unholy monsters. Some of his best work includes Skarlet before her retcons, Ermac, and of course, Mileena. Mileena in specific is a combination of both Kitana and Tarkatan DNA. For those who also don’t know: Baraka’s species. What’s the problem though? Well... Tarkatans (Or Tarkata, it varies) Are half Outworlder half demon hybrids. And Kitana is basically Asian. Now when I say “Basically” what I mean is her ethnicity doesn’t really apply to anyone in real life because her ancestors are from a fantasy location, Edenia. There are, tops, three ethnicities Endenians are shown to have. “Asian” With Kitana and Sindel:

“Indian” with Jade and arguably Tanya (Though one could just as easily argue middle eastern-adjacent with her)

And... basically “Greek” with Taven’s family.

And the other problem is at NO POINT anywhere in any version of Mortal Kombat are Tarkatans shown to have Ethnicities of any kind.

Pictured: Tarkatans from MK deception, Defenders of the realm, and MKX. They’re pretty much all fair skinned cannibalistic marauders. There are A FEW of them with darker skin tones in MK11 but that’s just as easy to write off as a genetic fluke than a whole new ethnic group considering there is only one known group of Tarkata, the one Baraka leads. So why is it that mixing Kitana, basically a fair-skinned Asian woman, and this marauding cannibalistic savage species, results in a black woman? I’m just saying, it looks a bit off. Okay? It looks a bit like demonizing either mixed race people or people of darker skin tones. Either way, not a good look. It’ll go away pretty quickly if A. Kitana is revealed to be played by a black actress. or B. we see the Tarkata with multiple ethnic backgrounds. I prefer the latter but that’s just me. Edit: They could Also change her origins but I kinda hope they don’t because her origins are too cool.

#Mortal Kombat #movie #Tarkata #Mileena #Kitana #Fantasy ethnicities are a headache #So are fantasy species

29 notes · View notes

starneko123 · 3 years

Text

How it Goes ft. MY OC's

I just thought I should clarify how I run my account story and AU wise. So with the mixture of my OC's I have different views on Mortal Kombat. I will list them.

For Kitana: She is my baby she deserves everything and more because she has been through a lot. So, I will be honest and some people do agree with me on this. When Kitana became Kahn of Outworld or didn't sit right with me. Of course, when I first I'm like "Yeah!" but now that I'm thinking about it it just doesn't sit right with me. That's why I would prefer if Kitana and Jade took the time to unmerge Edenia. Kitana would be Queen.

The Jade X Kotal Kahn ship. Listen! Listen! Listen! I know there are people out there who ship this and it is not my place to judge. Do you. I just think that the ship was rushed like there was no background, no cameo, no keepsake like literally nothing. Kotal didn't even mention her name in MKX like...what? Okay. Jade can be her own character if NRS would take their time and make it right.

ALL OF Y'ALL NEED TO STOP SLEEPING ON MY MAN KUNG LAO! He deserves so much better and everybody in the interactions always got something to say about and I will be ready to throw hands. Y'all stan Liu Kang more than Kung Lao. Um, does he have a cool hat? No, he doesn't. He has some raggedy Nunchucks. But no hate with Liu Kang I love him too. But still, put some respect on my baby name.

Jacqueline Motherfreaking Briggs, is that bitch. I hate seeing getting so much backlash. Like why would you compare her to Cassie Cage for? Like please let my girl live her life. She is one of my mains and I don't like that, she getting hate for no damn reason. Like tf.

You know what would have made MK11 so much better of the Revenants we're revived. We were all thinking I just said something about it. It's has been nearly 30 years and they still in the Netherrealm. The only person who looks like they gave a fuck was Raiden.

Sindel...when I tell I wanted to cause Mayhem I wanted to commit Arson. One of my things is if she has "always been evil" what's the point of having her brainwashed in MK9 and MKX? Backtalk? It's quiet ain't no back talk. So in very simple words: ON THIS ACCOUNT SINDEL IS AN AMAZING AND CARING MOTHER.

Okay, so Mileena...in my mind, she is not a bad character. I feel like it's mental health because she is Half Edenian and Half Tarkatan which are technically opposites. But still, she's beautiful in my eyes, and I love her MKX and MK11 mouth equally. They only gave her lips so D'vorah could kill her. She also have bad influencers hyping her up like Shao Kahn and Evil Sindel ( Twindel ). She is capable of doing some good.

I just wanted to clarify for myself and to others who are rude and obviously can't control themselves. When I ship my Original Character with another character who more than likely have canon love interest. It doesn't mean that I don't ship them together. You have to realize these OC's and this account is all for me and for people who share the same interests as me ( thank you because you know who you are ). I have gotten hate like this in the past and still do get hate here and there but it's whatever it doesn't affect like it use to.

Dang? Y'all made it to the end? Good job! Reblog your thoughts on the MK universe if you want. Thank you for coming to my ted talk!

#mortal kombat #mortal kombat 11 #my thoughts #oc interaction #mortal kombat x #mine #unpopular opinion #mk11

60 notes · View notes

koolcece22 · 4 years

Text

Mileena headcannon

· Just reminder, the star are more to my Mk story.

Mileena was created a year after Kitana was born (I think this was better then getting clone during the events of mk9)

· Mileena looked normal till shre was in her teen were tarkatan mouth started to be porment also her tarkatan instinct were getting worse. As she’ll lash out to anyone. Kitana and Jade did there best to help Mileena ( base off MK legacy)

· Mileena is bi

· When Mileena was in Earthrealm she wore a mask around not to scare people. She will take it off if someone piss her off.

· Her favorite Earthrealm holiday is Halloween, since she can be herself.

· Mileena is surprisal a good cook compare to Jade and Kitana. Even though she prefer to eating raw meat.

· Mileena thought of a comping machoism when she stress out and she feel like she about to lose control, sewing. She love sew clothes and stuff animal. She gotten pretty good at it since she’ll sometime destroy her stuff animal when she lose it.

· A lot of warriors go to her to get there clothes fix. Especially Rain. He love getting clothes made and they secretly teach each other how sew and see the latest style from Earthrealm and orderealm.

· MKX: Mileena generally love Tanya and truly believe that she care about her. And she return favor

· MKX: in twisted way she really want be sister with Kitana. And in her own way try to ‘convicted Kitana join her side.

· Mk11: Mileena doesn’t trust Sindel. She have feeling that this Sindel is nothing like before. Where Sindel was motherly this one isn’t. she does to play along since she trust Shoa Khan.

· Mk11: after her death by D’Vorah she awoke in new clone body under Shang Tsung’s hidden lab. She learn that every time she dies she’ll be put in a new body. And since Shang Tsung made hundred of them. She almost immortal in away.

· MKx: Mileena really only care about ruling outworld just like her father. She think it a pain to try to control the other realms.

· * Mileena thought of Sindel as her mother and once she found out that she a clone she was scared of Sindel, think she was some abomination of her real daughter.

· * Sindel provide her wrong and she love her as her own.

· *Mileena had small crush on Scorpion.

· She also gave Scorpion teddy bear to put on the grave of his wife and son.

· *Mileena was considering joining the Shiri Ryu.

#Mk #Mortal Kombat #mk mileena #tomas vrbada #mk scorpion #yes im putting all my headcannon on the tomas vrbada tags #mk kitana #mk jade #Headcanon #mortal kombat headcanons

36 notes · View notes

beautiesandheadcanons · 4 years

Text

So, since we couldn’t record our episode and I couldn’t talk about it then, I’ll talk about it now!

NRS released a trailer last week for #kombatpack2 and Y’ALL ... Rain and Mileena are BACK!

I love Rain (and not just because I’m a Prince fan and appreciate the joke) but he hasn’t been playable since Mortal Kombat 9’s DLC (though he at least made an appearance in MKX’s story). Mileena, of course, died in MKX’s story, but MK11’s whole storyline has revolved around time travel, so really, anything goes. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Rain looks excellent (I wish we could have heard him speak, but he stayed quiet during the trailer). Mileena, though, looks and sounds amazing! I didn’t personally like her look in MKX with human lips around her Tarkatan-ish teeth. I vastly preferred her classic look and it seems they reverted back towards that. I also low-key hope they have a similar outfit for her similar to her vampire getup in MKX cuz 👀.

Oh yeah, and Rambo is included, too. Meh. At least it’s actually Sly himself doing the voice instead of someone else butchering an impression ala The Terminator. I never watched any of the Rambo movies, though, so I have no connection or investment in the character.

Overall, though, I’m really excited for this to drop! Anyone else?

#beauties and headcanons #podcast #nerdy podcast #geeky podcast #nerd #geek #teegans gaming corner #mortal kombat #mortal kombat 11 #mk11 #kombat pack 2 #rain #mileena #rambo #mk9 #mkx

10 notes · View notes

rosewood-writes-and-reviews · 4 years

Text

6 Things Wrong with MK11 As a Whole (and 2 Good Things about it):

This list is in no particular order, but the number 1 spot of the many things wrong with this game is the biggest cherry on top of this half baked cake.

The very obvious attempts to “get woke” - Because NRS wants some brownie points by covering up all the female characters, but it backfires terribly on their faces when the one dimensional brutal dictator Shao Kahn starts quoting Trump and preferring Sheeva’s skimpy attire, Sindel is made evil because one glance by new writers, and all they see is an evil queen in skimpy attire. *Sarcastically* Yep, their design philosophy makes sense! Also, Jade, a WOC is retconned into a relationship with Kotal Kahn, which felt forced and had no depth. Kitana also got screwed over. Hard in Aftermath. Her past self lived suffering while her future self is killed by her mother alongside Jade. Kitana and Jade’s relationship was barely even mentioned in the story. Both of these ladies got screwed over big time. From them being out in unnecessarily skimpy outfits that don’t fit their personalities, to their Revenent selves being generic undead minions and their relationship barely being mentioned unless you look into their intro dialogue, I really wish the creators focused on their characters instead of what they look like. Like I said many times, I could care less if the characters I’m following are female or a POC, just as long as their character isn’t centered around that. And I am sick and tired of the male MK characters in this game have intro dialogue that reveals that they are misogynistic like Johnny Cage’s exchange with Kitana or Noob Saibot’s dialogue with Frost. Can you guys not?! I don’t mind any storylines or learning about a charcater’s experiences with sexism, but these lines not only feel forced, but the line Johnny Cage says towards Kitana Kahn says, “Outworld is going to be nice and soft because a woman is in charge and in a interracial relationship with Earthrealm’s champion.” And I thought one of MKX Erron’s exchange with Kenshi was really bad and out of character for him.

The choice of voice actors - Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mind Ronda Rousey voicing Sonya, but I think any of Sonya’s previous voice actors could’ve done a better job. Acting isn’t Ronda’s forte, but at least she doesn’t sound as bad as Whitewashed Sub-Zero (whatever that’s random guy’s name was) the awful voice acting is still ingrained in my brain. An honorable mention in this spot is The Terminator himself. You guys got Arnold Schwarzenegger to be the face model for the character, but he doesn’t voice him. T-800’s voice actor was trying his best though, but Arnold should’ve voiced the character. Just look at Shang Tsung.

None of the stuff that happened in story mode mattered - A lot of people died, the present and past versions of the heroes have teamed up, Kitana became Kahn to bring equality to Outworld (despite the hypocrisy), and Hanzo built a new Shirai Ryu, only for all of that to be all for nothing. The timeline restarts, with Liu Kang being the new keeper of time and Fire God. Hopefully, whoever takes Mortal Kombat out of NRS’s hands will fix everything. *hint, hint*

The bastardization of Sindel and Kabal - After seeing these characters get destroyed by the god awful retcons on top of being one dimensional villains, I worry for any MK DLC fighter not named Shang Tsung, Nightwolf, Fujin or Sheeva. I‘ll make this part brief, because other people have expressed their feelings towards these former shells that were once their favorite characters. Sindel, a benevolent queen who survived being abused by the man she was forced to marry who went on a journey to save her beloved daughter was retconned into being a one dimensional, cartoony female Shao Kahn. Kabal, a former Black Dragon member who tries to redeem himself by being in the SWAT team and put his life on the line to save people after being severely burnt has been written into just another Black Dragon goon to Kano. This is the part where I would say that this was such a waste, but I can’t say that these characters were wasted. They were ruined. Which is unfortunate because I loved these characters since I first saw them in MK9 then look back at their previous appearances and thought, “The Midway era handled these two a lot better than NRS.”

The Aftermath DLC - This DLC isn’t 100% bad. It’s 90% bad. It’s somehow worse than the base story! I watched the Aftermath DLC and I can only find a few good things about Aftermath. Shang Tsung stole the show and made a better villain than Kronika, Fujin and Nightwolf were surprisingly in character in this awful story, Fujin’s dialogue with Present Jax was nicely done, and... Aftermath had a good and bad ending. Other than that, this DLC story that was hyped up was definitely not worth the hype. Thankfully this story isn’t canon.

The constant grinding - The grinding of this game was ridiculous! Seventy-five fatalities on a specific character in a tower ladder just to get gears an skins for them. Even the game decided that it was too much and a glitch which I’m assuming was patched out in the Krypt has you hold “A” on an XBox controller or “X” on a PlayStation Controller while walking around. That’s pretty much how I got a Maskless Erron in the game. Then there’s the character towers in Towers of Time as a whole.

The two only good things about this game is the fact that the timeline is getting reset and we could get better writers if another company takes Mortal Kombat out of NRS’s hands. NRS was never good as a company with the sexism and transphobia which is ironic since they will show off that Kung Lao is accepting of Kung Jin in MK11, but he isn’t even in the game. I just hope EA isn’t the one to own Mortal Kombat, because the last thing I want is a bunch of DLC that will make the future MK12 game in order to make it feel complete.

I’m hoping that the future will be kinder to the Mortal Kombat franchise.

#mortal kombat #mk11 #netherrealm studios #gaming #video game

15 notes · View notes

jadesdesert · 4 years

Text

My top favorite skins/kosmetics in MK11 (part 2)

A follow up to this post.

-Jade Tourmaline and Born-Again Assassin skins

I really adore the base skin for Tourmaline since it’s both sexy and practical (two things gamers don’t think can coexist for a female character🙄). Plus the pink shaders in general sits so well with Jade’s complexion. Born-Again assassin is probably one my fav Jade skins in general. As soon as I saw it on her default, I hoped they would put it on her living form. Thankfully they did😌.

-Kitana’s True Empress Skin

Honestly, Kitana skin’s in this game aren’t bad per se, but they do feel like a downgrade from mkx. All her skins from that game emphasized her “princess assassin ” archetype, now all her base skins in MK11 just say “assassin”. I feel like True Empress is really the only skin that fits her. Accompanied with some of her masks choices, it really looks awesome.

-Nightwolf’s Spring Lightning & Revenant skins

I just want to say not only do I believe Nightwolf is the one of most handsome male characters in the game, but he has REALLY great skins. His “past” designs are cool because they seem to be the most modern & casual looks we get for the Earthrealm characters in the game. He has one of my favorite looks among the revenants because it actually gives him a menacing appearance I felt the others were lacking.

-Jacqui’s Rainbow Warrior and Simutaniety skins

Jacqui’s jacket skins in any shader are cute because they’re super colorful, sporty, and the curly hair is rendered so amazingly. I prefer this shader because...gay rights!!!. Her future skins are also great since it gives off afrofuturistic vibes and maybe imply she departed from the Special Forces as she got older. My only nitpick is the way how they rendered her hair on the future skins (could’ve been better). Nevertheless, she still looks fab.

-Skarlet’s Blood Pixie and Kold War skin

Ever since I saw Skarlet’s reveal for MK11 I fell in love with this skin. It really established her development as a blood mage, and makes her stand out from the other female ninjas. I do prefer her pixie cut she had originally on this skin as it overall fits better, but the bob cut she has her is fine too. Her Kold War skin is nice as well as it makes me wonder at what point would Skarlet, an Outworlder, be a soldier during the Cold War on Earth🤔?

-Shang Tsung’s MK Movie skin

I honestly hoped since we were getting Shang Tsung’s movie actor to potray him in this game, they might as well add this skin for the nostalgia. It translated very well in game, and is another one of the more casual and stylish looks in game that I like. Maybe we might get more mk movie skins down the road👀.

So, those are all my favorite skins in the game at the moment. They’re definitely open to changing as more skins are added in the future.

#mk11 #mortal kombat #mk #mortal kombat 11 #jade #skarlet #jacqui briggs #kitana #nightwolf #shang tsung #sorry for the crappy gif quality lol #mk skins #mortalkombat

54 notes · View notes

shockapella-sweet · 4 years

Text

Autumn Bridge

AKA the “Jacqui Briggs/Takahashi Takeda marriage proposal in the Fire Garden” fic that took me forever to finish, but yay, it’s done! Ever since I first saw the Shirai Ryu Fire Garden stage, I’ve envisioned Tacky popping the question here, so this is the result.

Note: This takes place a year after Shinnok’s defeat, and a year before the events of MK11, so Jacqui’s still a specialist (and Takeda still exists). Also, that Fire Garden stage is utterly gorgeous and needs to make a comeback in a future game (along with Takeda, obviously). Includes brief mentions of a terminal illness.

Hope you enjoy this little offering, fellow Jakeda-lovers! ^3^

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Hot and cool. That was the best way to describe the air.

At this time of the day, when the late afternoon sun barely hovered above the horizon, the air – draped over this piece of forest land like a blanket – was warm, but not uncomfortably so. Light winds pierced through this mild layer, their coolness intermingling with the humidity.

These winds made their way through the well-maintained grounds, brushing against the bells that hung from a nearby wooden structure; the bells tilted to and fro, their notes obliging on the ears of those within hearing distance. Catching the pleasant rings, the winds carried them away as they made for the trees.

Much like a group of freezing, elderly men who yearned for the warm embrace of youth, the crooked trees appeared to be stretching towards the sky; their gnarled limbs – lined with an array of rich red, orange and yellow leaves – were extended high, as if to grasp the last rays of the setting sun. However, for the leaves that broke away and were quickly gathered into the invisible arms of the passing breezes, the effort seemed entirely in vain.

With a carefree flourish, the winds danced through the trees, the folding leaves almost like castanets in their hold. The crinkling sounds were enough to startle the nesting birds and send them flying into the sky, only to return when the stars would take their place in the heavens.

Changing course, the winds swept over the cobblestone path before descending upon a small bridge that cut across a stream. A man and a woman wearing light clothing stood upon its deck, their hands resting upon the rails. The winds surrounded the pair at once, their accumulated leaves falling upon their forms like confetti – one breeze cupped the woman’s face in an almost flirtatious manner, cooling her hot skin while softly intoning the bells’ peals in her ears.

At precisely the same moment that a smile appeared on her face, the winds moved on, spreading themselves swiftly and merrily throughout the rest of the grounds.

Sighing softly, Specialist Jacqueline Briggs canted her head at her companion.

“I needed that,” she murmured. “It was getting to be like a sauna out here. Then again, I don’t expect it be Sub-Zero levels of cold in a place that’s called the Fire Garden.”

Takahashi Takeda chuckled, tugging at one of his rolled-up shirt sleeves.

“It gets pretty cold in the evening at this time of the year,” he said, “so be glad you brought your sweater. Wouldn’t want you to become an ice sculpture, do we?”

“If I did, I’ll be counting on you to warm me back up,” was the coy reply.

Ignoring the heat that spread from his cheeks to the tips of his ears, the Shirai Ryu cleared his throat, saying: “So, apart from the hot weather, what do you think of the Fire Garden, Jacqui? You like it?”

Jacqui nodded, her smile widening at his eager tone. She leaned forward, casting her eyes on the leaves that had fallen upon the water, piggybacking on the swells that carried them downstream. A sweet scent mixed with an earthy aroma made the specialist’s nose tingle as she breathed in.

“It’s incredible, Takeda,” she answered, exhaling. “I thought that nothing could top our moonlight walk in that forest in Lampang, but geez, this place is in a class all of its own. If Cassie were here, she’d be posting snaps of it all over the ‘Gram and on her Friendships profile.”

Takeda’s cheeks were akin to red apples as he grinned.

“I’m glad you like it here. It’s cool to be able to show you where I trained with the Shirai Ryu … aaaand I thought this would be the perfect place to spend our anniversary together.”

His girlfriend appreciated both facts. A year ago, the pair not only walked away from Shinnok’s failed invasion with their lives intact – they also came away with a relationship that went beyond a mere six-week association between a Special Forces member and a Shirai Ryu chujin. While recuperating from their battle at the Sky Temple (which included a week-long getaway to Venice Beach and plenty of umbrella drinks by the poolside, thanks to the one and only Johnny Cage), they knew that they wanted to give what they felt for each other a shot.

Soon afterwards, it became common knowledge among their close colleagues in S-F and comrades of the Shirai Ryu clan that Jacqui and Takeda were officially dating. Between then and now, the couple learned all that they could about each other: their childhoods, their training, their dreams and their fears. For the specialist, her life on the farm was a relatively happy one, save for the ghosts of her father’s revenant past that haunted him – and by extension, the rest of his family – in his darkest hours. The lack of hugs, cuddles and hair tousles was overcompensated with overprotection against enemies that young Jacqui knew little or nothing about … except for the Outworld ghost that regularly starred in her father’s nightmares.

As for Takeda, his mother’s death, coupled with his father’s absence, made for many a difficult discussion, but he could only thank the Elder Gods for Jacqui’s patience and understanding as he slowly opened himself up to her. Fortunately, talking about training under Master Hanzo Hasashi at the Shirai Ryu Temple – and sharing tidbits about his quiet life in Lampang before it was permanently disrupted – came more easily to the telepath. From moonlight strolls to drills at dawn (and the occasional training screw-ups), he shared them all with her. He even took it one step further and brought her to Lampang three months after they began dating, showing her the forest that was near to where he and his mother used to live. Their evening walk there was one filled with breathless kisses and countless caresses, witnessed only by the moon and the stars.

And now here we are, at another one of Takeda’s stomping grounds for a romantic rendezvous. He sure has an eye for pretty places.

Jacqui resisted the urge to smile as she thought: Just like I’ve got an eye for pretty asses.

Out loud, she said, “It’s beyond perfect. I also enjoyed the spread that Master Hasashi prepared for us. What was the food called again?”

“Hiyashi chūka and mizu yōkan – cold ramen noodles and jellied red bean paste. Of course, Master Hasashi only ever prepares fancy food like that when we have important visitors, which is like, almost never. So yeah, I should bring you here more often.”

The specialist playfully swatted her boyfriend. “If this is a glimpse into how you might cook, then you should’ve brought me here a lot sooner.”

Turning on the spot and leaning back with the points of her elbows resting on the rails, Jacqui let her quartz-coloured eyes wander over the entirety of the Fire Garden. The reds, oranges and yellows of the autumnal foliage glowed like embers in the dimming sunlight. “You really trained here?”

Takeda nodded, mimicking her movements. His left forearm brushed against her right, the hairs tickling her exposed skin.

“Sometimes, but not a lot,” he replied. “Master Hasashi prefers the Fire Garden to be an area of contemplation. It was built – well, rebuilt – to honour past Shirai Ryu members and our loved ones. Still, Master Hasashi did hold training sessions here so that we could learn how to use the environment to our advantage.”

“In case of attacks?”

“Yeah. For the older guys who pulled pranks on the younger recruits, they milked it for all it was worth.”

“You Shirai Ryu were actually allowed to prank each other?”

“Ha, hell no. But the glory you got from pulling one off without Master Hasashi ever finding out that it was you was too good to pass up.”

Not that I ever tried, Takeda thought, grimacing at the memories of those who failed, and paid dearly for their pranking misfires.

Jacqui rolled her eyes to the heavens. “If they tried to pull that s*** on the farm, Dad would’ve skinned them alive and used their bodies as scarecrows.”

A nervous expression bloomed on Takeda’s countenance. “And you wonder why I don’t visit your place often.”

Jacqui smirked. “Dunno why you’re still scared of my dad. He’s warmed up to you now. Took him a long while, but he’s definitely more accepting of our relationship.”

“With or without my dad’s, uh, prodding,” the Shirai Ryu muttered. “Dear Elder Gods, every time he opened his mouth, I thought it was the end of me for sure. He might as well have asked Mr Briggs to kill me on the spot.”

“At least Mom had our backs, and …”

Jacqui’s voice trailed off. Takeda turned to look at her, concern etched into his features as he sensed the sombre air that enveloped her.

“Your mother … how is she?” he asked softly.

Jacqui let out a dry bark of hollow laughter.

“Why not just read my mind?” she asked in kind. A slight bitterness underlined her tone.

The telepath shook his head. He had his boundaries when it came to his mind-reading abilities.

I learned that the hard way after S-F’s last inter-realm conference with Outworld. Jin still hasn’t forgiven me after I told him I knew where he was during the half-hour break. As if the hickey on his neck didn’t give me a clue the first time.

When it came to Jacqui, however, there was just some things that had to be vocalised rather than telepathically mined out.

“Speaking about it out loud to somebody does help, Jacqui,” Takeda quietly responded. “It’s painful, but it’s worse if you keep it bottled up. Same thing happens when I talk about my mother …”

He did not need to say anything more. Jacqui’s top teeth dug painfully into her bottom lip as she wrapped her arms around herself. The nearby trees rustled, letting loose some of their fiery fronds.

“It’s not … it’s not looking good,” she said, a little shaky. “She’s going to treatments like she’s supposed to, but the doctors say that her chances of recovery … are not happening.”

Takeda touched her shoulder, tracing a pattern with his thumb. “Aren’t the meds helping, either?”

Jacqui’s feet came into view as she shook her tilted head. “Oh, she hates them. The doctors have increased the dosage, but it’s not doing anything. She’s too far gone, they say. They’re talking about three months from now …”

She sniffed, then swallowed.

“It’s so weird, Takeda,” she practically mumbled. “All her life, Mom never had to carry around boxes or little containers of medication, besides the ones for Dad when he had his bad spells. Now all of a sudden, she can’t even leave the damn house without carrying a tote bag full of ‘em. It’s just … oh God, just so …”

Takeda’s arms were around his girlfriend in mere milliseconds. Up and down, his hands rubbed along the grooves and ridges that lined the length of her back as she shuddered in his hold. One side of her face rested against his chest, while her fingers clutched at the material against his shoulders.

For a minute or so, the couple’s combined warmth was incomparable.

Pulling away, Takeda gazed upon Jacqui’s face – surprisingly, there were no tears in her eyes, nor were there any streaking down her cheeks. Tinged only by the orange and pink hues of twilight, her features were simultaneously smooth and firm.

I wish I could be that strong.

I can’t imagine how her father must be taking all of this …

It was as if Jacqui read his thoughts, for she cleared her throat and murmured: “Dad’s not handling it well. He took it harder than me when he found out. But he’s being strong for Mom’s sake. For mine, too.”

A pause. “He’s trying hard to be like that … like how she used to be when he was in recovery.”

Takeda gulped, holding her gaze steady.

“I’m so sorry, Jacqui,” he whispered. “I … I wish I knew what I could say to make it all better. I really wish I knew.”

Jacqui said nothing, offering him a small smile.

Her boyfriend continued: “Might I be able to see her, please? If she’s allowed visitors, that is.”

Here, Jacqui gave a heartfelt laugh.

“Of course you can,” she replied, her smile bigger. “It’s not like she’s in prison or anything. I bet she’d love to see you. She thinks you’re adorable, you know.”

The tips of Takeda’s ears were as red as the leaves.

“I’ll drop in as soon as possible,” he promised. “I was planning to see your folks soon, anyway.”

The specialist cocked her head, a few braids coming to rest against her cheek.

“Both of them? On the farm? Willingly? That’s a first.”

It was the Shirai Ryu’s turn to roll his eyes, but he could not help but grin as he took her hands into his own, giving them a gentle squeeze.

“I want to share something with them.”

“What is it?”

“Something that I want to share with you.”

Jacqui’s brows furrowed. “Do I have to repeat the previous question?”

“Be gentle with me, it’s our one-year anniversary.”

A smart-aleck remark that Cassie Cage would have approved of was on the tip of Jacqui’s tongue, but the lovable expression on Takeda’s face stopped it short.

Goddamn, Mom was right: he is adorable …

Letting go of her hands, Takeda took half a step back. His eyes, dark as black moonstones, met hers – he breathed in sharply, feeling a flicker of anxiety. The sound of the steady stream beneath the bridge soothed his nerves only a little.

Breathe out, Takeda. Breathe out.

“Takeda, are you okay?” Jacqui asked, her brows furrowing further. “You look kinda pale. You want me to fetch Master Hasashi or something?”

The telepath hastily exhaled, saying, “No, no, don’t. I’m fine.”

“Boy, if you’re lying –”

“Like I would do that to you. Master Hasashi raised me better than that.”

“Bet your dad would totally agree.” The sarcasm was not quite Kung Jin-levels of high, but still high enough.

Chuckling under his breath, Takeda drew his arms behind his back. He canted his head, looking at the military woman through half-lidded eyes. Beneath his breastbone, his heart fluttered like a hummingbird; every nervous beat was akin to frantic wings beating against his ribcage.

Breathe … just breathe …

Inhaling deeply, a caramel fragrance carried by a gust of wind shot up Takeda’s nostrils, relieving his senses. His unease left with the puff of air that he breathed out.

“I’d never want to lie to you, Jacqui,” he began to say. “I want to be honest with you always – to be able to share all of my truths with you. Even when they seem unpleasant to hear, or … or to talk about, it makes me so incredibly happy to know that you accept them as is. For that, I just want to give you the rest of me. Everything.”

Jacqui stared, her face bearing a mixture of bemusement and captivation in response to this remarkable speech.

Takeda went on, his confidence climbing to new heights.

“When our fight with the revenants was over … when we walked through the woods in Lampang that night … whenever we’re together … all those times, I just wanted to keep holding onto you and never let go. I wanted to have like – you know, like what your parents have. What Master Hasashi and his wife had … what my parents could have had.”

The lump that suddenly rose in Jacqui’s throat was as hard as a rock.

“Takeda,” was all she could say.

The Shirai Ryu shifted his weight from left to right. His eyes shone.

“But above everything else, I want you to be happy. The Elder Gods know you deserve it, and so much more. The thought of seeing you smile and hearing you laugh each and every day fills me with joy like you won’t believe. It’s a little selfish to say, but I want – I need – to be that person who gets to see and hear you like this before anyone else. I want to be one of those reasons that you do … like you already do for me.”

Jacqui’s chest rose and fell with each tremulous breath. Her mouth parted, but no words came.

But just this one time, the telepath allowed himself to delve into the confines of her mind, finding the words that she could not voice:

What else do you want, Takeda?

His grin spreading bit by bit, Takeda brought his arms forward. He raised his hands, which were clasped around a small, square object.

Jacqui’s eyes widened.

A box.

Indeed, it was a box, its surface a smooth and polished maple wood. In Takeda’s hands, it looked very fine and small.

A box that’s big enough to hold a … a …

The specialist’s eyes were now as wide as china plates.

Oh my God …

“Jacqueline Sonya Briggs,” Takeda’s voice was full of hope and adoration, “please may I have the honour of marrying you?”

Grasping the lid, he pulled it open. Cushioned in the foamy black insert was a gold band – flawless, solid, and expertly fashioned in its shape. Atop the unblemished metal was an Asscher-cut white diamond; in the glow of the descending dusk, it glimmered like a bright yellow spark.

Jacqui gawped at the ring in astonishment, which morphed into disbelief, before finally transforming into …

“Jacqui?”

She raised her head – quartz met moonstone, reflecting the brightness that swirled in them. For a moment, she could see the future in them: a home as high as two storeys; a comfortable living room with lofty bookshelves and a fire burning in the grate; a kitchen that was filled with the mouth-watering scents of khao soi simmering away in a large pot; late afternoon chats with friends in a lush garden and with drinks at the elbows; late nights that saw heat overcoming two entwined bodies; early mornings that saw the frigid dawn driving them into each other’s arms once more in search of warmth; a smile, a laugh and a kiss from one that the other mimicked in kind; a future filled with …

“Jacqui, please say something.”

In this man’s eyes, the specialist could see it reflected clearly …

… happiness.

Hers. His. Theirs.

“Yes.”

Takeda nearly dropped down in a dead faint. “You’ll really marry me?”

Jacqui nodded, her vision becoming misty. “Yes, Takeda, I will marry you. Yes, yes!”

Other than Takahashi Takeda – who, in teary elation, slipped the ring on her finger before scooping her into his arms, holding onto her body for as long as that bridge could hold them – only the winds could have heard Jacqui Briggs’ reply.

Rolling around their balmy forms with their leafy instruments, the winds carried away her words down the cobblestone path, past the trees, against the bells that tolled one last time, above the wooden structure and into the night sky above the Fire Garden, where the returning birds circled among the clouds.

Tomorrow, their song would bear the winds’ message loud and clear, regardless of the heat or the cold that it would bring.

42 notes · View notes