#but also MK's internal conflict

[goldetrash]

Nightmares (LMK Comic/storyboard/fake screenshots?)

Content warning: Blood, character death, sad monkeys

[puppyeared]

RETURN TO MONKE (PUBERTY EDITION)

MK’s monkey form doesn’t feel right to me so i wanted to break up his transformation into stages. Maybe as he learns to accept that side of himself it becomes part of him, instead of changing between human and monkey randomly (which is probably painful). Love yourself, NOW!!!

@zymstarz im tagging you for FULL MONKE

[boldlyspeedydreamerreturns]

I think that Bowie is going to sacrifice himself.

Now hear me out. (Spoilers ahead for the recent episodes.)

We've seen that Bowie is becoming conflicted about the way he plays in the show, and his relationship with Raj, who absolutely hates dirty tactics and cheating. He feels guilty about going behind Raj's back to cheat again, and I think it's going to come to a head in the next batch of episodes. Here's how I think it'll go down.

The team will be talking about whatever MK found out from the intern meeting, and Raj and Wayne will be against whatever strategy she and Julia have come up with.

Raj will try to get Bowie to agree with them, only for Julia to let slip that Bowie had been part of all their plans up to that point, which would absolutely break Raj's heart.

Bowie will try to apologize and defend his actions, but Raj will just shut down and not really listen.

This will cause Wayne to go off on Bowie about lying and breaking his promise to Raj, and being willing to cover up his actions.

The hockey bros will distance themselves from the rest of the team, with Wayne becoming increasingly protective of Raj, who's just kind of numb and sad at this point.

Bowie will try over and over to talk to Raj, only to be stopped either by Wayne or by whatever is happening in the challenge.

Bowie would be so distracted that he'd screw something up and cause the team to lose by accident.

Before the campfire while Wayne is probably gone to the bathroom and Raj is alone, Bowie will finally be able to talk to Raj, only for Raj to stop his rambling apology and ask him why he felt so okay with lying to Raj, and what else he'd be willing to cheat on.

Bowie would be absolutely horrified by Raj implying he'd cheat on Raj, and trying to say he'd never do that, only for Raj to dismiss him saying that his previous actions tell a different story.

Bowie will be so distraught and hurt that he'll do anything to make Raj believe him, so he'll sneak away to the production tent and tell Chris and Chef everything about the cheating.

Chris will likely brush it off, saying they were already fully aware of the cheating, but they allowed it to keep going because it was entertaining.

Bowie would feel somewhat relieved, until Chef says that since Bowie came forward, they'd have to make an announcement to the team at the campfire and he'd likely be voted off for messing up their plans.

Bowie is nervous, but feels like he did the right thing, and maybe now Raj will forgive him.

Chef makes the announcement at the campfire that one of the team members told them about the cheating, but not saying specifically who, and stating that if it's caught again, the person who cheats will be automatically eliminated.

Raj and Wayne, even as himbo as they are, figure it was Bowie who told because MK and Julia wouldn't rat themselves out, which does make both of them happy.

Unfortunately, Julia and MK also figured out it was Bowie, and in a last ditch effort to keep themselves safe, MK messes with the votes and gets Bowie eliminated.

Bowie would apologize to Raj again before he leaves, and Raj would hug him and say he forgives Bowie and they'll talk more after the show.

They share a sweet kiss, then Bowie is taken away.

The end.

[quitealotofsodapop]

"The Monkey King and the Infant" details Part 3 - and likely last for now before I go on Spoiler lockdown so I can write:

links to Part 1 and Part 2:

The Jade Emperor sees/is aware of the canon Monkie Kid series. He thinks the whole situation as a big waste of time. So... remove Monkie Kid = no Monkie Kid series, Monkey King stays retired, and less of a headache for the big man up top. Win win.

The Jade Emperor shows Sun Wukong visions of the worst parts on the series inc; LBD's return, the Samadhi fire being reignited, The Jade Emperor's death and the potential breakdown of the universe etc... This is also how SW learns on accident that Macaque is alive again.

Internally SW is very conflicted cus... the universe might end? But more importantly he might actually die? But also consider; Free Son and a return to his beloved.

Other characters occassionally get tormented by visions of canon events/death omens - likely a side effect of the altered timeline, or the Jade Emperor subtly trying to turn them against one another.

Erlang and various other mythos characters show up. Erlang is tasked with ensuring that SW destroyed MK's egg, but is knocked out by Moksha (on command of Guanyin) to give SW a chance to reconsider. In the egg's place, Erlang found a "shell" of obsidian. This isn't enough to convince Erlang... but it's enough to convince the Jade Emperor and the few members of the Celestial Court who knew about the Egg that the task had been completed. Erlang is sussing SW hard for this... but wants to see what the big deal is with the undercooked Stone Monkey before he says anything.

Moksha is acting as Sun Wukong's parole officer as a "Sorry I bonked you" favor to Erlang. Shows up in glamour at Pigsy's as customer to keep an eye on things. Big shipper under her no-crap cop attitude.

Guanyin herself is Very Against the idea of scrambling MK (Mercy personified yo). But she doesn't appear physically, meaning that not even the Jade Emperor knows that she techincally betrayed Heaven.

Nicknames/familial titles MK calls his fam through out the story:

Sun Wukong = "Dad" "Baba" "Baba Wu" Macaque = "Mom" "Bama" "Baba Mihou" "Mama" (when he was really young) Pigsy = "Dadsy" "Pops" "Boss" (at work) Tang = "Papa Tang" "Pama" (verbal slip as a toddler that stuck) Sandy = "Shúshu/Uncle" Mei = "Meimei" " (little sister - techically she's older but the title is also a pun on her name) Nezha = "Tánggē" "Gege" (grew up thinking Nezha was an older cousin)

When it comes to finally training MK when he comes of age; Sun pulls a "Lego Batman and Bruce Wayne" - hoping that by separating the personas, he'll be able to reach MK better as a teacher. And MK 100% falls for it. Cus "The Monkey King" and his dorky "Dad" are two completely different guys! Right?

Macaque meanwhile has a very different style of teaching:

Macaque, in his series outfit, manifesting from the shadows: "MK, we need to talk about-" MK, battlemode: "AH! THE SIX EARED MACAQUE!" Macaque: "I'M LITERALLY YOUR OWN MOTHER! YOU PUT THAT STAFF DOWN THIS INSTANT MISTER!" MK: "yes sir"

This leads to a funny misunderstanding later on when he sees Macaque and The Monkey King interact during training:

MK: "Wait... if my mom is the Six Eared Macaque... and I've got Monkey King's powers..." MK: *"GASP!"* MK: "MOM!? Did you you cheat on Dad with The Monkey King!?" Macaque: "...really???" SW: *laughing his ass off*

Ok imma punch out and try to finish the first chapter. Will probably post a spotify mix soon. Pls tag or reply, or ask if you got any thoughts/questions. I love feedback!

[kuno-chan]

Asami Should Have Been An Equalist

I'm sure this has been done and, one day, I want to do a meta on this, but I feel like by not making Asami an equalist, a big source of personal conflict (and therefore, development) got taken away from her.

I was watching a video talking about how she was supposed to be an equalist and several comments were made about how Asami would have been more developed or interesting.

And, for preface, Mako and Korra break up and stay broken up like canon. This isn't about ships. I do have my preferences, but I genuinely think if Asami had been allowed to be an equalist who came over to the good guys she would have had a strong arc throughout all 4 books, her relationship with Korra would have developed both characters further (Korra is developed in canon, but this would have added layers) as a former enemy of benders follows the more bending bender to ever bender and even if they weren't sure they could do Korrasami, they still could have had Makorra broken up and Korra and Asami have the closest relationship in the show if not one of them. Even better if we did get canon Korrasami like we did.

But this would have made Korrasami much more developed and deeper regardless of how the show ended ship wise for them (speaking explicit canon KS or not. Again, not factoring in romantic MK here).

But Asami being an equalist was a strong personal source of conflict and a Huge opportunity for ongoing growth that, when taken away, wasn't replaced by something with the same weight. That's the primary issue. Hiroshi going to jail in s1 solves that arc and she's left floundering for the next 3 seasons.

An equalist arc could have seen Asami changing sides in s1, maybe dealing with feelings of betraying her family in s2 which could have paralled Korra's family arc, her personal feelings of how she feels about benders as Korra is finding new airbenders and bringing back the Air Nation, s4 could have had this arc conclude with reconciling her past actions, forgiving herself (and her father maybe) and figuring out how to stand up for non-benders in the world without hurting innocent people (bender and non-bender alike) alongside Korra's messy personal arc.

And that's just one loose option. As much as I know they liked her so much they wanted her on the good guys side, I feel like it also robbed her of some much needed internal conflict.

[sophoscorner]

As long as I’ve been on Tumblr I have seen posts talking about how undervalued women are in fandom, and I’ve nodded along, reblogged and moved on with my life. Occasionally I’ve tried to figure out how one would solve this problem at least in their own fandom experiences, and I’ve never had an answer, but today I am here to tell you: the answer is Mei. 

I’m 100% joking, but also so serious. Mei is the most undervalued character in lmk and she deserves so much more love. She is the only girl in the main cast (I’m counting red son as a boy because that’s what he is in cannon) and she has so many cool things about her. She’s literally descended from dragons, she has a complex relationship with her parents, trouble sharing her feelings and asking for help, and she HOSTED LITERAL WORLD ENDING FLAMES, but when you look at her followers on tumblr you’d think she doesn’t do much.

(Pigsy did not make it on this graph because he doesn’t have his followers listed on his tag page)

Before I carry on with all this data analysis I want to say that I’m not shaming any specific people for not being particularly interested in Mei. The important thing when it comes to biases isn’t one specific case it’s trends, so it’s not about whether you like Mei, it's about whether you have a tendency to think guy characters are more interesting to talk about them more. 

Anyways, when you look at Ao3 tags you may think that Mei has just as many fics about her as a lot of the main cast (minus the main character and the gay monkeys of course), but when you filter for fics tagged with Mei in them you’ll find a frustrating amount that have her as a supporting character or worse mentioned that one time. The thing about tagging characters is you’re not saying the fic is about them you’re saying the fic has them as part of the plot, and so most of her popularity comes from being an amazing best friend, matchmaker and a party animal instead of any of her internal conflicts.

To find fics that were actually about Mei (to some degree) I filtered for the tags Mei-centric and Mei Needs a Hug,and the results were much different. Mei’s number of fics is around how many Tang has. She has 10 more Needs a Hug fics than him, and he has 10 more -centric fics than her. The only character she’s beating out is Pigsy whose -centric tag doesn’t even have it’s own page yet.

Probably the most popular aspect of fandom (for better or worse) is shipping, and there’s a surprising lack of shippable characters in lmk. With the brotherhood and older demons there’s some variation, but for the stoplight trio they really only have each other (at least from what I’ve seen), and when you look at the popularity (on Ao3) of the different ships the results are… decisive. The most popular ship in the trio is MK/Red Son and the runner up Mei/Red Son has only 1/5 of the fics. I personally only really like MK/Red SOn and the whole trio shipped together (poly ships aren’t as popular), but I’m still surprised that Mei/Red Son, which is the one most supported by cannon in my opinion, is so much less popular. 

Unlike the others this isn’t really me saying Mei absolutely should be shipped more, but shipping is pretty much always correlated to how popular a character is in fandom so I thought it was worth mentioning.

I don’t really know what to say at the end of this. I’m not much of a analyzer or a headcanoner. I don’t know how to delta every interesting thing I love about her. Please just take a second to appreciate Mei and all that she’s been through. Maybe partake in Mei thursday every once and awhile or just talk about her more. I don’t know, I just wanted to make a bunch of graphs about it. (Thank you @mythicalmagical-monkeyman for inspiring this <3)

Also this started as a fic rec list (that’s why Ao3 comes up so much), so if you have any Mei fics you like pls send em on over.

[courtney-deserved-better]

personally i think this season did a great job portraying the lack of privacy & entitlement to personal information that gen z frequently experiences. this is best shown with millie and mk. with mk it’s a bit more strategic/malicious, as she makes a point of not confessing any vulnerabilities and instead watches other people’s confessionals to get an edge in the game. while this isn’t the first time one player has heard another’s confessional, it’s a more severe breach of privacy than any kind of eavesdropping in the past. mk wasn’t just standing outside the confessional listening in, she had access to EVERYONE’S confessionals and was able to go through them at her leisure thanks to tech that would not have been possible in past seasons. and because the confessionals were stored on the phone, they were able to be spread around once having fallen into the “wrong” hands (bowie) and used to hurt people (priya). if you post something on the internet, even if you delete it, there is still a version out there that can be accessed and used against you if the person accessing it so desires.

in a similar vein, it’s unfortunately become quite common for strangers to be filmed without their consent and posted online. there are also countless big, emotional moments filmed and posted for the sake of going viral, and plenty of people oversharing personal information online as well. though she rags on her generation, millie no doubt grew up seeing videos like these through social media where it’s easy to get desensitized to the invasion of privacy when its normal and provides cheap dopamine. it’s not until she starts to bond with priya and priya asks her to keep personal information like catapult camp secret that millie starts to have doubts about publishing her peers’ personal lives. but it really is just about priya because millie has formed a friendship with her—before they were close, millie had no qualms about digging deeper into her fellow contestants’ personal lives not out of any genuine interest in them but for the sake of her thesis, her “content”.

while i have no idea if the writers intended millie and priya’s conflict to stand in for a larger metaphor or just be an interpersonal conflict (probably the latter, it is total drama) i do think millie’s arc of realizing that just because she initially judged the lives of the people around her to be weird and lame doesn’t make it okay to share her takes their personal information with the world. the more and more oversharing and invasions of privacy i see on the internet, especially social media, the more i wish we would all more frequently take a step back and ask ourselves if what we’re posting or watching is crossing boundaries that people should have with one another. again, i have no idea if the writers intended millie’s arc to allude to that, and there’s certainly there’s something to be said about how the characters are already on reality television and anything they share with millie there could easily ended up broadcasted on international tv, but i do think millie is important for a td cast that represents gen z as her character is critical of her own generation but is blind to the same mistakes she herself is making right alongside them

[barrel-o-monkeys-lmk]

My theory about monkey kid:

I think I've realized how monkey kid arcs work, because DBK was posessed by LBD, and Spider Queen was essentially a puppet to LBD and season three was LBD. It's a puppet chain leading to the puppeteer as the main bad guy.

Now think about how season four went. The cycle reset. Azure was a puppet to the king of the underworld, but for it to continue, the king *can't* be the next big bad, it would shorten the cycle.

So either,

A: the king is, and they fuck up their three season cycle they've got going, OR

B: someone else the king planted is the conflict. Someone we know. Ink-K.

(looking at this through a system biased lens,) what if Ink-K is still here? Pressuring MK. And what if: MK is struggling with what he talked about, "wanting to go back to their monster of the week adventures". And also his monkeyness.

I see the way HOC works is an In-between of MK and Ink-K. Where MK is good, and Ink-K is (generally) evil. HOC is neutral.

And the reason why MK was acting so different as HOC is because HOC is MK's "real emotions" perse, like if: because he was human for so long, his emotions have been stuck humanish, and HOC is like a puberty-ish emotional fluctuation for MK. And a bit of a confidence boost, a feeling of freedom, but it's like removing a "masking" of sorts, letting it all out.

And Ink-K is *pushing* MK to the evil he wants him to be throughout the season.

What if MK, or even Ink-K is *CAUSING* monster of the week adventures, and realizing rather quickly that they are too low scale for him.

Hell, even his monkeyness causing him to hang out with wukong and macaque more to talk to them about all of this, and like how the hero and the warrior went, MK leaves the main crew behind for most of the season, going off on his own, dealing with his thoughts away from them, and through the season, they have to have an intervention with MK, talking about how he needs to stop what he's doing, and asking to talk it out, but MK's volatile emotions cause him to lash out causing either a deep look within himself to ask "what happened?" Or even a fight with the main cast, and maybe even Wukong and Macaque, to get him to see reason.

Before Ink-K pressures him further, and MK talks it out with the group. Not an external "Big Bad" for the season, but an internal conflict as he handles his new emotions, before accepting what he is, and becoming a monkey permanently. HOC (a median-like entity) becomes the new host in a sense, before Ink-K and MK have a final bout, before they both talk it out, before Ink-K sulks in a corner, and comes back about half way through season 6.

That's how I predict the new seasons will go, before *something* happens to put the king in the spotlight, like maybe him stealing the jade emperor's power from nezha, and causing the cast to rampage through the underworld to stop him, interacting with each king to try and figure out "who done it?" In a way, and fighting the King to capstone off the season.

DBK-SQ-LBD

Azure-Ink-K-King.

It fulfills the three season pattern nicely.

So, what do you guys think?

[tobiasdrake]

Examining MK1 Characters: Outworld

So, that was Earthrealm. Now for Outworld, which is in the opposite boat. This is where all of the estrogen fled to after Liu Kang declared that women were banned from Earthrealm.

Seriously, I don't know what Sonya did to warrant being unpersoned like that. Kenshi's ending even features the formation of the iconic Special Forces group from the previous timelines like, "And then Kenshi and Jax teamed up and formed their agency. That's right, Kenshi and Jax. That iconic and beloved Special Forces duo, Kenshi and Jax. Those are the names people think of when they think Special Forces. Kenshi and Jax!"

Did Netherrealm notice that people were upset about Ronda Rousey's performance as Sonya, and their takeaway is that the fandom doesn't like Sonya? Was that it? Is that why she's been banished to the mystical realm of Kameo-exclusivity?

In any case, if you want to be a woman, you gotta leave Earthrealm now. Outworld doesn't own a monopoly on women but it has absorbed Edenia's high concentration of female characters and brought most of them to the foray. Pretty much every Edenian lady is here.

Except Jade. Poor Jade.

Sindel NRS's Evil Sindel from MK11 was an extremely divisive character. You either loved her or hated her. Either she was an empowering portrayal that granted Sindel complete agency over the events that happened to her, or she was another example of taking characters created as victims of abuse and painting over them with deranged, monstrous villains. A lot of opinions were had and shared over the direction they took the previously-heroic Sindel in the reboot trilogy.

MK1 seems to have heard the criticisms, though, because they walk it back. Re-reboot Sindel is a mostly benevolent but flawed ruler who governs Edenia Outworld?

It's just Outworld now. Edenia doesn't exist anymore; Kang shunted all the good stuff about it into Outworld. Seems rude given how much of the Original Timeline Edenians' plot was about liberating their realm from Outworld, but okay. Edenia is officially decanonized.

In any case, NRS takes a crack at writing Sindel as a compassionate but flawed leader, eager to preserve peace between the realms but mindful of the potential dangers inherent to international politics and vulnerable to manipulation from those she trusts.

The genuinely complex political conflict unfolding between Earthrealm and Outworld, courtesy of mistakes made by both Liu Kang and Sindel, is the best part of the game. Sindel feels incredibly human and believable here, as both a person and a ruler.

She's also the only character in the entire game that dies, so it looks like NRS regrets how bloody they made the previous attempt at a reboot. Might seem odd for an MK game to be mostly bloodless but, surprisingly, it's pretty on-brand. It was rare for too many characters to die in the actual plots of the original Mortal Kombat series - and when they did, the sequel would generally find some way of ignoring it anyway.

Only one character dying while everyone else makes plans for what they'll do in the sequel is pretty normal by pre-reboot standards.

Mileena They keep trying to make Mileena pretty while still paying, pardon the pun, lip service to her iconic monstrous features. They tried giving her those weird, gross human lips in MKX. But the current approach, seen in MK1 and the newer Mortal Kombat film, is to have her be 100% pretty 99% of the time but she can mutate into the monster teeth for short spurts of screentime.

I don't like it. Let Mileena be hideous. Stop trying to fix her face. Female characters don't always have to be pretty.

As to her role in the story? Mileena and Kitana's relationship is one of the most underdeveloped things in Mortal Kombat. In the original canon, these two were raised together as sisters for 10,000 years before Kitana broke from their family - But the original games had so little storytelling and were so uninterested in examining Mileena as a character that very little was ever done with it. She was Evil Minion #6.

The reboot was a golden opportunity to finally explore the potential between these two characters. But they made the inexplicable decision to have Mileena literally born yesterday - while also sexualizing the hell out of her despite that. So she immediately alienates Kitana because they have no relationship. Then she dies.

So. No. Reboot trilogy was every bit as uninterested in examining Mileena and Kitana's relationship as the original.

This new timeline gives us a wildly different context for everything that Mileena is. But it also, finally, puts their relationship front and center of their characters. So, one step back, two steps forward. We get to see a profound bond of loyalty and love between the twin daughters of Shao Kahn Sindel - and without Shao Kahn's wickedness to break them apart, that bond is never shattered.

Every moment that these two are onscreen together is golden.

I have other thoughts about "Tarkat Disease" but we'll get to those when we get to Baraka. My main takeaway from Mileena's portrayal is that it's nice to finally see the dynamic between Mileena and Kitana share a spotlight in one of these games; to see Mileena handled as a character, and not just Kitana's Evil Twin/Shao Kahn's Evil Daughter.

Kitana As a consequence of no longer being the fugitive princess seeking to thwart her villainous father, Kitana's role takes a significant downgrade. She's the Kung Lao of Edenia now; It's Mileena and Kitana, there is no Just Kitana. Which is a bit of a twist given that Kitana is traditionally the true heir and Mileena's a counterfeit.

Consequently, Kitana doesn't get to do much besides hold Mileena's hand and support her, and occasionally throw hands on her behalf. Though, Kitana's the only one of her family that doesn't get a chapter, so she doesn't even get to be any good at hand-throwing. She's relegated to cannon fodder in fight scenes.

Going from Kitana Khan, ascendant supreme ruler of Outworld to Mileena's emotional support sibling and occasional Story Mode punching bag feels jarring. This may be what that stuff with Titan Kitana was thrown in to offset.

I'm okay with Kitana taking a more passive role here since it gives Mileena and Sindel, two dramatically underserved characters, opportunities to shine. But I hope they can find more for her to do in the next one. She's too beloved and popular to remain out of the spotlight for long.

(Still better than what Sonya got.)

Li Mei This character has nothing to do with Li Mei. They created a brand new original character and gave her Li Mei's name. That's what happens sometimes to D-listers. Li Mei was a character created for Deadly Alliance and then given almost nothing to do, either in that game or its sequels. So it's not surprise that they remade her from the ground up.

The new Li Mei's story is primarily governed by her relationship with Sindel. Jerrod died on her watch, fracturing her relationship with Sindel and resulting in a bitter and emotionally complicated dynamic between Sun Do's demoted First Constable and her Empress.

My favorite thing about Li Mei and Sindel's relationship is its sincerity. Neither of them are hiding anything. There's no big twists lurking. Well, there is one, and it's that a third party scapegoated Li Mei, but it wasn't Sindel who did it so it doesn't affect their dynamic with one another.

It's. Just. An emotionally intense relationship fractured by a sudden tragedy. You can feel the love that once existed between them in the fires of Sindel's grief-stricken hatred. But even demoted and denigrated and spurned as she is, Li Mei's loyalty and friendship is everlasting. This relationship is beautiful, and seeing it ultimately heal may be the biggest triumph in the game.

Tanya Tanya, the ever-traitor. Treachery is her name, deception is her way of life. Her "hat" so to speak is betraying her nation to whoever might be buying. She's the Kano of Edenia. The ultimate villain may change from game to game but if they need Edenian secrets, Tanya's the place to go.

She rebooted in MKX, where she was simply a devoted follower of Mileena. Then. Like. Fucked off. The writers have never cared much about Tanya.

MK1 keeps the part about her being a devoted follower of Mileena and tosses the rest. She's returned to where we met her in MK4: Serving the Edenian Outworld throne, but sincerely this time. Like Kitana, she gets little to do besides throw hands poorly at everyone else.

But they do ship her with Mileena. Got that whole Bodyguard/VIP romance going, which gets honed in on during Mileena's chapter. So that's neat.

Baraka Since Jade didn't make the cut, that brings us to the men of Outworld.

So. Tarkat Disease. Gonna say up front that I don't like this. I don't like boiling down a sentient race of beings into lepers. It's gross. I feel like they only did this so they had a means by which to make Mileena pretty. I don't like that.

But whatever the reason for that decision, Baraka makes out like a bandit. This is the first time in Mortal Kombat history that Baraka's been. Like. A character, rather than simply a token representative of his race. Throughout both original and reboot timelines, Baraka's simply been the Tarkatan. A character design more than a character.

It's like playing a Star Wars game where the playable characters include Darth Vader, the Emperor, Darth Maul, Boba Fett, and Stormtrooper FB-119. Who is FB-119? He's a Stormtrooper. He's here so you can play as a Stormtrooper if you want. That, historically, is Baraka.

He still is, to some degree. MK1 Baraka still engages with the plot on behalf of Tarkatans as a whole. But he also gets to be here as an individual; To tell his own personal story of who he is and how he came to be, independent of his race. That's new. That's something Baraka's never had before.

So it's easy to say that this is by far the best Baraka we've ever had. Speaking of characters defined by their race who suddenly get to be individuals:

Reptile Did you know Reptile has a name now? Because Reptile has a name now. Up until this point, he's always been Reptile. Because he is a reptile. That is how much thought previously went into this character. Reptile was his name. But now he has a name, in addition to Reptile.

Like Mileena, Reptile suffered from having a genuinely fascinating character concept drowned out by his role as Evil Minion #4. He was the last survivor of a race exterminated by Shao Kahn, raised by Shao Kahn to believe that his people were out there and to want Kahn's help to search for them.

Are you kidding me? That's amazing. You have an incredible protagonist on your hands and you're wasting him on bad guy grunt work? Reptile and Kitana should be teaming up as partners in uncovering daddy's dirty laundry!

His non-canon endings would always be like, "But then Reptile discovered the awful truth and turned against Shao Kahn!" But they never pulled that trigger. Despite his wealth of potential, Reptile wasn't a character anyone was interested in developing.

As with Mileena and Kitana, MK1 unwrites a lot of what made Reptile interesting, but also grants him the narrative focus and character examination that he's been lacking. About nine games too late, he finally gets to turn against his cruel masters and break free of the chains they've bound him with. And he finally gets a name to call his own: Syzoth.

Which has technically been his name since MKX but this is the first time it was revealed outside of questionably-canon pre-fight banter. Because this is the first time he's ever mattered as a character.

Rain Like Mileena and Reptile, Rain is a surprisingly complicated character on paper, but Evil Minion #3 in practice. The bastard son of an Edenian king's affair. An illegitimate heir to a throne that will never be his birthright, taken in by Shao Kahn as an orphan - who may or may not have played a critical role in Kahn's conquest of the realm. Man, Kahn collects talented children like he's Evil Batman.

Rain is a character with a wealth of potential but who has never had his day in the sun. Sadly, unlike Mileena and Reptile, that day is not this day. The new Rain jettisons that narrative entirely, reducing him to simply "Some guy who's good at magic". While the other two got increased narrative focus in exchange, Rain's still hanging out as Evil Minion #3.

Maybe some day, Rain. Maybe some day.

General Shao Shao. Motherfucking. Kahn. The Big Bad Evil Guy of Mortal Kombat. Writers have gone back and forth on what he is and where he comes from but make no mistake: Where he walks, the heavens do tremble.

Now he's the pissant Sec-Def who wants to fire nukes at the aliens.

That probably sounds like I didn't like this direction for him but I do. It's a plot point that Liu Kang explicitly went out of his way to disempower all of the villains. Shang Tsung and Quan Chi had their destinies interfered with and altered by Titan Tsung, causing them to become the villains they were never supposed to be able to.

But Shao? Tsung only conspired with him because it was convenient. Kang made it so Shao was born too sickly and frail to ever become the shit-stomping uber-warrior that he was, and Shao still made his way to the absolute peak of Outworld's military by sheer force of Shao Kahn-ness.

I wonder how Liu Kang felt years back, when he first heard the name "General Shao" emerge from Sindel's lips? Like. He went to so much trouble to prevent this and it still happened. And not because of extra-temporal invaders this time. Shao Kahn simply cannot be pinned down. No matter how weak you make him, he will find a way to make himself strong. That tenacity and resilience is what makes him so dangerous.

Reiko Also, Reiko is here. Another recipient of the "And X" treatment, Reiko is the other Outworld Military representative. His job is to stand next to Shao and go, "YEAH, what he said!" And occasionally get beat up so that we can have an Outworld Military guy beat up without diminishing Shao's menace.

Reiko's a good pick for Shao's "And X" partner. That's already what this character is. He does his job... adequately. Never stands out, but never falls flat.

If I had one criticism for Reiko, it's that they take him too seriously. His goofy obsession with Shao, styling himself after Shao and sneaking into his throne room to wear his helmet, all that fun stuff is absent from this portrayal. He snaps to attention, salutes, and says, "YES, SIR!" That's all there is to him.

Shang Tsung Ah, the game's main villain. I hope you like Shang Tsung because there's two separate Shang Tsungs here. Shang Tsung manipulates Shang Tsung until he inevitably betrays Shang Tsung, forcing Shang Tsung to turn on Shang Tsung and instead help to defeat Shang Tsung.

This would be an incredible satire if it wasn't played totally straight.

I'm not fond of Titan Shang Tsung, for the way he hijacks the story and forces it to abandon all of the characters and plotlines that had been developing up to that point. The big Titan free-for-all at the end was a disappointing conclusion for me, especially since it ends the game on a redo of Aftermath's ending.

But the native Shang Tsung? Much like Shao, Shang Tsung being a slippery enough worm to reach out and snatch the destiny that's been kept from him is a consistent character trait. Nonetheless, when we meet him, he's still growing and developing. He's an alchemist and sorcerer, but isn't quite the soul-hungry eldritch beast we know from other entries in the franchise.

Unfortunately, his role within the story is compromised by reference. This game wants really badly for you to notice that it's Reboot Deadly Alliance. They go hard on it. The Deadly Alliance forms up to awaken Reboot Onaga's Army like in Deadly Alliance, but then Tsung pulls the rug out from under them. So we have the Shang Tsung chapter, about the Deadly Alliance defeating Titan Tsung's forces alongside Raiden, with winking nods to how Raiden was their enemy in Deadly Alliance.

Then, after that, Titan Shang Tsung forms the Titan Deadly Alliance! DO YOU GET IT? DO YOU REMEMBER DEADLY ALLIANCE? I REMEMBER DEADLY ALLIANCE.

Like. What's the deal with all this Deadly Alliancing? Are Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, like, actually friends now or something? Even their extradimensional counterparts are attached at the hip.

Honestly, as cool as the novelty of "The Deadly Alliance is on our side now!" is, it's still just novelty. Shang Tsung is with us because Other Shang Tsung wants to kill him. But also, it doesn't matter because nothing he does once he turncoats has any consequence; Liu Kang defeats Titan Shang Tsung in a big Titan Armageddon, which the Deadly Alliance Plus Raiden's big victory has no effect on anyway.

Ultimately, the new Shang Tsung is a cool idea that winds up getting dragged down by the overarching decisions for where the story wants to go.

[fdelopera]

Question, I’ve not read City of the Dead largely in part to what I’ve seen you say about it and Pepose being a man child about any criticism but what the f with calling Khonshu ‘greatest of all gods’ isn’t that like…the biggest of all do not do for someone whose Jewish? It’s literally 1st commandment “no other gods before me”. What is Pepose doing? Marc might not practice but he’s never said that before & the fact that Pepose a supposed Jewish man wrote that is problematic at best and an insult

/part 2 I don’t have a full grasp on Jewish practice and law, but wouldn’t writing a line like that be in violation of that first commandment? It just feels very off and uncomfortable to have someone who should be giving good Jewish representation write something like that and then defend it on the basis of “Well im Jewish”

this exactly. Marc is a non-practicing Jew, but there is a *huge* difference between being non-practicing, and worshiping other gods.

Jews parse the "10 commandments" a bit differently than Christians do (read more here), but the essential, foundational bedrock of what it is to be a Jew is to worship no other gods besides G-d.

it's fine to write Marc as an atheist or agnostic. there are plenty of Jews who are! you can be Jewish and not believe in the G-d of the Torah, or not believe in G-d in a prescribed way. most Jews do not police other Jewish people's spiritual beliefs. Rabbis often teach that wrestling with G-d is an essential part of being a Jew.

but the way Pepose is writing Marc's *servitude* to Khonshu is getting uncomfortably close to idolatry.

this is a difficult tightrope that Moon Knight writers have to walk. how to acknowledge that MK System, a Jewish system, are enslaved by an Egyptian deity, without portraying that enslavement as *worship*.

also, Marc might be an agnostic, but Jake certainly isn't. the way Mackay writes Jake makes it clear that Jake still connects to their Judaism. it's possible that Jake still attends shul, and it would be very upsetting for him if his headmate suddenly starts *worshipping* Khonshu!

so not only is Pepose writing Marc as a possible idolater, he's also writing him as being an absolute asshole to his headmates.

it takes study, training, and practice to learn how to write about Jewish topics. just being born Jewish doesn't mean that someone automatically knows how to write about Jewish themes, and it shouldn't give them carte blanche to use their *personal* experience of Judaism to write a Jewish character that is very different from them.

Marc in the comics is the child of an Orthodox rabbi. he grew up observant. his choice to be non-observant is an active internal conflict.

Pepose has a different lived experience of being Jewish, which is completely valid! but just because Pepose is Jewish doesn't mean that his lived experience of Jewishness translates to Marc's. it doesn't.

Mackay in his run does a beautiful job of exploring Marc's conflicted relationship with his Jewish faith. but Mackay is not Jewish. so how did he get to the essence of Jewish generational trauma? he did his fucking research! that's all we're asking Pepose to do.

[quackle]

Are there any character arcs you hope season 2 have but didn’t happened?

I remembered after finish episode 1, I am expecting a Emma villain arc: Her relationship with Chase make her more cynical and it starting to effect her social life.

Also she gave Nichelle a cold shoulder in the same episode could also foreshadow a potential conflict between the two.

a couple actually! i'll just leave them under the cut

i was really hoping emma got more of an independent arc. so much of her scenes in season 1 led up to her getting back with chase. i wanted the second season to explore the potential hardships of this new change for emma, separating herself from chase while also coming into her own character. i didn't really care if she was antagonistic or not; i just wanted her to grow </3

i also wanted that slight nichelle + emma beef, if only for like. an episode or something. emma could have apologized and gained a friend/potential alliance with a familiar face </3

damien deserved a "getting over his fears" plot 😞 i feel like they brushed past his wishes to become a better competitor by facing his fear of, well, everything. it would really show how different he was in comparison to season 1. from a total drama noob to a growing pro like... we were robbed.

i know wayne and raj don't hold that negatively of a grudge towards anyone but i still wished they did toward julia and mk anyway? i feel like they take cheating seriously; they wouldn't want an opposing hockey team cheating so they wouldn't want their team on the show to cheat either. felt like a missed opportunity of tension to me idk.

me when scary girl didn't come back as an intern (i genuinely persuaded myself she'd be back) -> ☹️ nah but seriously, i thought scary girl would get at least some vengeance! the only thing she did was blast someone with a canon once like NO i needed her to get her revenge!

nothing else is coming to mind rn but trust, there's a lot lol.

[sasorikigai]

✨ x ♾️ (I think you’re a phenomenal writer and your really bring Hanzo to life with your writing! You converted me to be a Scorpion girlie!)

send ✨ if you like my writing and feel free to tell me why !! the rpc is in serious need of some positivity. || @hexsreality || accepting!

I always have LOVED Hanzo's story (even though I have never played the MK games), because it adds depth to the Mortal Kombat narrative, and I think he is the most complex and relatable character out of all the roster! Not only his tragic backstory (the pain of losing his family and clan) is a relatable source of emotional turmoil, but mostly his primary motivation throughout the series being vengeance, which makes him such a compelling character as he struggles with the internal conflict of whether his actions are justified and whether there is a room for redemption. As a writer, I find this struggle to be such a human emotion; as many people (including me) face difficult decisions in the pursuit of justice or personal vindication.

Also, despite his vengeful and impulsive nature, he has extremely strong sense of honor and loyalty. His commitment and love for his family and protecting his clan showcases a more compassionate side. Having deep and profound canonical relationships with Kenshi and Takeda Takahashi and Kuai Liang (not only in MK game storyline, but in comics and animated series) adds further duality and complexity, as he navigates between his desire for revenge and his sense of honor. I also love his character not entirely being black and white. He is prominently an antihero seeking justice for his fallen clan, and while his methods can be ruthless, blurring the lines between good and evil, he is often found grappling with complex ethical choices as his actions create a multi-dimensional character with whom people can empathize and understand.

Long story short; while I am not as familiar with Wanda's entire story arc as I am only familiar with some Marvel movies, I can definitely say the exact same about your portrayal of Wanda Maximoff as I have went on about Hanzo being a complex and reliable character. I think you convey that complexity which Hanzo and she share remarkably and flawlessly, and I admire that you don't shy away from exploring her darker side as well. Thank you for writing with me as always, and no matter what the verse we write and the different relationships (even different point in our 'main threads,' so to speak) we explore, I will always treasure our interactions!

[usafphantom2]

Falklands war-era Argentinian IA-58 Pucara ground support airplane modernized into ISR platform

Thursday, 11 January 2024 13:10

The IA-58 Pucará's engine replacement program, now known as the Pucará Fénix, has reached a pivotal milestone with the achievement of its remotorization certification from Argentina's Joint Military Aeronautical Airworthiness Directorate (Digamc). This certification, awarded to the Argentine Aircraft Factory (FAdeA), signifies the commencement of the series aircraft's update.

Ezoic

Follow Air Recognition on Google News at this link

Falklands Argentina IA 58 Pucara ground assault airplane modernized into modern ISR Platform 001The Argentinian IA-58 Pucarás will benefit from an engine replacement program (Picture source: FAdeA)

EzoicThis evolution is the result of a collaboration between FAdeA, the Argentine Air Force (FAA), Digamc, and international partners such as Pratt & Whitney Canada P&WC, Hartzell, and IAl. The joint effort bore fruit after over 150 hours of flight testing and 109 test flights, leading to the equipping of each aircraft with two Pratt & Whitney PT6A-62 turboprop engines and Hartzell four-blade propellers.

Ezoic

The Pucará Fénix, formerly a ground-attack aircraft, is now intended for ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) missions. This shift towards modern surveillance functions contrasts with the attack role of the rest of the Pucará fleet.

The project includes a complete modernization of the cockpit and avionics systems, the addition of air conditioning systems, and the removal of obsolete components. The Pucará Fénix thus becomes the platform for the progressive development of the ISR POD, with enhancements such as AESA active antenna radars and EO/IR sensors envisioned in future configurations.

The remotorization certification of the Pucará Fénix represents a significant advancement in modernizing Argentina's aerial arsenal. By pivoting towards ISR capabilities, Argentina is adapting its military equipment to the current demands of defense and surveillance operations.

The development of the IA-58 Pucará, initiated in August 1966 by the Argentine Air Force (FAA), aimed to create an aircraft suitable for close air support (CAS) and counter-insurgency (COIN) missions. The first prototype, named AX-2 Delfin, equipped with 904 hp Garrett TPE331I/U-303 engines, made its maiden flight on August 20, 1969. "Pucará", meaning fortress in the Quechua language, was later fitted with French Turbomeca Astazou XVI G engines in other prototypes.

Constructed entirely of metal, the IA-58 is designed to operate in light guerrilla conditions, with an armored cockpit and windshield and landing gear suited for unprepared runways. It is notable for its ability to take off in just 80 meters using JATO rockets and is designed for simple maintenance. This two-seater is equipped with Martin-Baker Mk 6AP6A zero/zero ejector seats.

The serial version IA-58A, or Pucara Alpha, first flew on November 8, 1974, and was delivered in 1975 to the III Air Brigade, with 108 units built until 1986. The IA-58B, or Pucara Bravo, featured 30 mm DEFA 553 cannons and improved avionics but was built in only one example. Similarly, the IA-58C (Pucara Charlie), a single-seat version with a HUD, IFF, and additional hardpoints, was built in only one example. Finally, the IA-66, equipped with more powerful Garrett engines, was also produced in a single example.

The IA-58 Pucarás were deployed by Argentina during the Falklands War, where, despite their numbers, they were unsuited against an adversary like the British, suffering heavy losses mainly on the ground. They did, however, manage to shoot down a Westland Scout. After the conflict, 11 aircraft were captured by the British, including 4 in flying condition, and 6 are now displayed in museums.

With the emergence of more advanced technologies and the evolution of military requirements, the Pucará began to show signs of obsolescence, particularly in its engines and avionics systems. In response to these challenges, the Pucará Fénix project was launched, aiming to modernize the aircraft through remotorization with Pratt & Whitney PT6A-62 turboprop engines and the update of avionics systems and propellers. This renewal has also led to a significant shift in the aircraft's role, transforming it from a ground attack aircraft to an ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) platform, suited to contemporary needs for reconnaissance and surveillance. The Pucará Fénix is now envisioned as an evolutionary platform, capable of progressively integrating cutting-edge technologies such as AESA active antenna radars and EO/IR sensors, thus marking its transition to a more sophisticated and strategic role in the Argentine military.

@Airrecognition via X

[rotiaftermath]

Td spoilers

Ok ok just watched the new eps and ripaxel good. Mkulia good. Prileb… meh… like I do think their bonding in ep6 was good but it’s just kinda boring in general and they’re dragging it out!! It would’ve nicer if they kept the alliance angle and Caleb not having romantic feelings for her!! Also I wish there was more conflict about it on Priya’s side like!! Having some internal conflict between having a crush on a competitor vs knowing things never end well for couples on TD like… it’s very rare for couples on TD to go far typically after they get together one or both of them get eliminated and there’s no way she doesn’t know that so it’d be interesting for her to have some kind of conflict between knowing that and wanting to keep her feelings in check vs this being a strong crush (quite possibly her first) and her feelings getting away from that… or something I dunno I’m rambling

Anywho the way Nichelle went home… sighs. I like that Julia schemed!! I loved that but man. Nichelle just going back to Hollywood after hating it is!! Unsatisfying. And it’s not even a real contract!! Like shouldn’t it have raised some red flags or something?? Like if it were real why would some bigwig producers just leave it on her bed??? Sighs. But Julia scheming was so good… though I do wonder who would’ve gone home had Nichelle not quit

Also the rajbow conflict. I think it should’ve continued in ep6 to at least some extent… like their interactions are cute in a vacuum but in context it’s like?? It would’ve been nice to have more conflict and Bowie pairing up with Raj to try to regain his trust or whatnot during the challenge!! Would’ve been interesting to have Bowie debating on like… going easy on Raj to regain his trust vs knowing he’s on the chopping block and that he can’t risk it!! Also since they were cool with each other when Bowie was eliminated they should’ve kissed before Bowie left!!

Chris revealing he knew about the cheating and instead punishing mk for stealing his hairdryer was classic though I loved that!! And the hairdresser stuff in ep5 was great!!

Ripper being all for cheating was good too wish he had more interactions with his team before ep5 though!! Also loved everyone being kinda grossed out with ripaxel making out but it’s ok they just don’t get it… also the ripaxel confessional where Axel was like you know what couples do when they fight? They make up and ripper happy gasping that was so cute

Also the merge was way too early what was up with that?? DAMIEN WINNING IMMUNITY THOUGH!! He deserved it!! And yeah zee is kinda floating but I love him so I don’t care. He kept a zeecret (priyas crush on Caleb) :) he might be keeping another zeecret :( (Caleb using priya for an alliance (we know Caleb isn’t actually doing that but zee doesn’t))

Also also I did like the challenges!! They were fun!!

[fruitsofhell]

A kind of dichotomy I've put a lot of emphasis on between my HC Galacta and Meta is that they're knights in two different ways - Galacta in a purely professional way and Meta in an idyllic way. My Galacta is the one who has been through war, and strife, and death due to having literally been a military leader on Halcandra, my Meta only worked as a vigilante for most of his time and is a knight only by his personal subscription to knightly ideals.

I just think that's interesting because with Meta's characterization in the anime which is based on Revenge of MK, it's always that he is the former - the battle-hardened gritty knight man who conflicts with the main characters' peaceful idyllic lives. And not to say my Meta is not those, but he is still a idealist more than anything which is what conflicts with Dreamlanders. I guess I picked that up from the fact that he is still more defined by unwavering chivalry and personal honor more than just nihilism in the games. So his problem is not just that he is more skeptical than Dreamlanders but that that skepticism is backed up by strong internal ideals that make him do silly things like try to stage a coup and fly off into mirror dimensions on a whim. If game Meta Knight was actually like anime Meta with the veteran backstory I think you would see him being more pragmatic and patient like he is that universe.

I've given the war-torn backstory to Galacta Knight because as seemingly the ultimate warrior of all time and a reflection of what Meta is trying to be, I think it's fitting he also represents stark realities of knighthood he is unaware of. It also works for Galacta personally because it means I have a lot more to build onto him to morally complicate his decline, but I mainly write that for Meta and his encounter with him at the end of Meta Knightmare Ultra. For the moment when Meta sees himself reflected in something and someone far greater, grander, and more ancient than just him, and afterwards it deeply humbles him. Galacta is to Meta what Meta saw himself as to Dreamland.

[mooncakesandpeaches]

Chapter three is up!

Fandom: LEGO Monkie Kid

Rating: G

Characters: Sun Wukong, Chang’e, MK, Mei, Sandy, Pigsy, Tang, Villian Ocs

Relationship: Sun Wukong/Chang’e

Tags: Slow Burn, Amnesia, Past Lives, Past Relationship(s), Internal Conflict, Repressed Memories, Sun trying to push away affection, Mentions of Myth & Folklore, Villain OC - Freeform Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Qi Xiaotian | MK is trying so hard, Minor Long Xiaojiao | Mei/Red Son, Lonely Chang’e, Tsundere Energy, Chang’e doesn’t remember her past, She was told about it, Fanart

Summary: When MK and Sun Wukong went yo visit Chang’e in her moon base, they thought that was the end of it. Chang’e was ready to accept that and return to her lonely existence of being trapped on the moon for the Autumn Fall Festival. But the moon suddenly cracks wide open and a stranger leaps out and tosses her to Earth, right into Sun Wukong’s arms!

Now the race to return to the earth, fight a new villain mayor with a strange rabbit assistant, while also battling amnesia is on Chang’es head.

But seems Sun Wukong knows more about what’s going on then he lets on. He avoids Chang’e while also wanting her safety above all else. And why are these strange memories rising from a past she doesn’t remember?