#would their ship name be Shang Chi?

[4rm3ni4n]

Gave up halfway through if it wasn’t obvious

[thoughtfulzombienerd]

ugh now I have ideas for Shang Tsung x Ermac x Quan chi in my head.

[izzabela]

I have a request, can you write a different scenario for the Lin Kuei trio x female reader where each of the brothers goes on a mission and part of their mission is to get close to another female person/outworlder to gain information and the reader stumbles upon it mistaking it as cheating and runs off heartbroken and each of the brothers tries to find the reader to explain to them what really happened?

That was a mouth full, sorry 😅

It's Not What You Think! - Lin Kuei Siblings x fem!reader (scenario fic)

in which you stumble upon each brother in a... sleazy scene, and you're left at a loss for words

a/n: OH THIS WILL BE FUN, i adore funny plots, so this is no different than my other fic

ship[s]: bi han, kuai liang, tomas x fem!reader (scenario fic), jenshi mention

warning(s): suggestive ending(s)? no "y/n" bullshiyet, anti-betrayal, post-story mode, johnshi mention

Bi Han

Bi Han was furious, to say the least.

Though it had been almost two years since the events of the timeline's intersection, both Shang Tsung and Quan Chi were still at large. They both fled to different areas all across the realms, and at one point, Shang Tsung had appeared in Earthrealm for a bit to try and thieve Sento from one of the champions that defended Earthrealm.

Liu Kang, distressed with this revelation, left for Outworld to speak with Empress Mileena personally, pleading with her to have one of his own people find Shang Tsung in a secret mission. Of course, Mileena agreed (with the promise it wasn't another secret espionage), and the Fire God immediately called upon Bi Han for this task.

While he was known to take a decent amount of time on missions, it was for the sake of meticulousness and being thorough. His tactical brilliance allowed his missions to end more cleanly, making sure no loose ends were out to bite him in the neck later, so Liu Kang knew he would be ready for anything.

Fuck. That.

His wealth of knowledge in stealth, skills in death, and the art of killing were minuscule against the situation he found himself in. Shang Tsung's trail led to the red light district of Sun Do, and he was in the middle of the grimy, sleazy streets where the lowest of both men and women worked for keeps. It sickened him that he would need to get intertwined with such people in order to learn more about the villain who had burdened him with more stress, but he had no choice.

He knew you would understand, as you saw how fierce he was for you and your safety. After all, you two had been dating for one whole year, your bond was too strong to be broken. He did his best to make you happy, keep you happy, and by his side- this would be no different. He let out an annoyed gruff, adjusting himself to make sure his arms were out, and his already low-cut attire was able to show more. He loosened his bun and walked into this newfound battlefield, hoping his ice would quell the horrendous fire of disgust that burned in him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Although you were a mortal, you had many connections to the semi-immortal people of Edenia, many of them being royalty or figures related. Some names include: First Constable Li Mei, Supreme Commander Kitana, and the Matron Superior Tanya.

You remembered the first time you met them, all of them stumbling out the portal and onto the gravel of Wu Shi Academy. Unable to move them, you advised all the available healers and medics to set up camp right where they fell. Your talent in hydromancy was one thing, but your healing capabilities were another level of amazing. You were healing more people than most of the monks, and that gave you time to build rapport with these new faces.

That was two years ago, and now here you four were, in the busy streets of Sun Do, eating at a restaurant while talking about your lives.

Unbeknownst to Bi Han, you were drinking and enjoying the cheery atmosphere of the city, all four of you clearly having a blast to be away from the crushing responsibilities of life. However, your joy was short-lived when, past some restaurant-goers heads, you saw a familiar head of black hair, although his bun was loosely tied up and more of his hair fell over his face.

"Bi... Han?" You called out, abruptly standing up and following the familiar figure.

The man you have been dating for a year was in Sun Do, but not for leisure. You knew him a man rare with days off, so this was unexpected.

Li Mei and Tanya's head snap up, their vigilant eyes scanning the area, but you saw where he was headed. You decided to follow your instincts, and left the women clamoring your name as you pushed and shoved your way to where you saw him.

"Wait!" Kitana exclaimed, "Do not be so hasty, you do not have the means to defend yourself!"

Their worries and cries were drowned by the adrenaline building in your veins, and you turned the corner to quietly follow your dearest lover. Yes, you were a healer, but you were trained by Liu Kang as well, so you had some means to fight back. For this case, you decided to ensue a defensive position, watching him quietly.

You hid behind lazily stacked boxes, barrels, and the crowd that filled the street. Finally, the street cleared up, and you saw the most horrifying scene yet.

An escort in skimpy clothing, and her breasts practically about to fall out, was all over your lover. She lazily dragged her fingers across his chest and down close to his crotch, but it draws back to his black-silver mask. His eyes are hardened while she teases him amusingly.

"Everything comes at a price, cryomancer~" she draws out the "r" seductively, "If you so badly need it, monetary gains must be met."

Your breath hitched, and burning tears welled your eyes as anger began to affect your mastery of water. Your eyes began to burn, and blinking didn't help. You wipe them and rise from your hiding spot, but make a loud scene to reveal yourself. Both Bi Han and the escort lock eyes with you, and your tears began to leave your eyes. If Bi Han squinted hard enough, he could see vapors rise from where your tear stains were, your anger acting as a stove and reacting with your tears.

"Oh, how curious..." she drew out, "A lover, perhaps?" Her head rested on his chest and nuzzled into it.

Your heart shattered when Bi Han threw his arm over her shoulders, his other hand under her chin and turning her head away from you.

"A woman like her could not match my own status," and she smiles evilly at the response, taking his arm and leading him into one of the businesses that the escort worked.

Your cries echoed in the street, and you felt the warm arms of your friends pick you up from the dirty road. Your head immediately burrowed into the nearest shoulder, that being Tanya, who takes you into her arms and hugs you tightly. Li Mei glances at the opening in the wall, the "door" being a cheap beads and fabrics. She wanted to go after the Earthrealmer, but she'd have to leave a bookmark in this case.

"I don't want to be here anymore... but I do not wish to go home," you whisper hoarsely.

The women look amongst themselves and decide to take you to the palace, where Kitana explained to her sister and she graciously let you stay for as long as you need. While Li Mei could not enter further, Kitana took over completely as Tanya went to be by Mileena's side. You cry into your friend's lap, "why" and "how could he" leaving your lips angrily as you feel your grip on your magic grown unstable.

"My friend..." Kitana begins softly, "I do not know why Bi Han would do such a thing... but you must know that you are stronger than you let on. You defend your friends ardently and with loyalty, which is a rare type of strength unseen in many millennia, and I know you will grow stronger than this."

You continue to sob in her lap, and Kitana makes eye contact with her sister and Tanya, who stood outside of the room. They wanted to enter, but Kitana shakes her head and gently shoos them away. Tanya sighs, closing the door gently and leans on her lover's shoulder.

"It pains me to see her in such a state," she expressed, her hands locking with Mileena's.

Mileena was hurt seeing you in agony, but it hurt her more not being able to tell you the truth. She decides not to speak, your cries and sobs doing the talking for all four of you as the night let on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bi Han beat the shit out of the escort as soon as he got the necessary information out of her. Along with her, he made sure to leave every one of these disgusting lowlifes in the wake of the Sun Do police force, so they could arrest every single one of them for prostitution and harboring dangerous illegals.

He escaped to the roofs, watching the Constables bust through the opening and taking every person in the building into police custody.

"Round them up!" Bi Han heard Li Mei's command, "No one is above imperial law."

With this, Bi Han bolts to the portal at the center of the city, practically crashing through it to get back home. He missed you dearly, wanted to explain everything, and hold you in his arms again. He wanted to apologize, rub your back as you sobbed, and kiss your lips to wipe the dirt that covered his.

Landing like a uncoordinated goose, he's flat on his back and meets the eyes of his brothers and Liu Kang. The Fire God extends a hand to him, lifting him up back to his feet.

"An... interesting entrance from our most skilled Grandmaster," he noted, "But no less welcome, my friend. I assume you found something."

He doesn't bother answering to him, though, and he simply grabs Liu Kang's collar. Kuai Liang is quick to grab his arms and hold him back, while Tomas guards Liu Kang's front.

"Did you mean to tell me she was there as well?!" he practically screams, "She was in front of me, almost compromising me!"

Tomas seems to realize what his brother was talking about, quickly filling him in on information he clearly missed, "Did she not tell you she would be in Outworld that night? She wrote about it in her letter to us!"

Bi Han digs into his memory and remembers the paper that lay on his desk. The stress that ate him alive made him forget about this date you set aside, and the words you had used to describe how excited you were to see your friends again.

"Fuck..." he cursed softly.

Kuai Liang let go of his brother before he demands Liu Kang to open the portal again. He sighs, smiling softly as he waved his hands to open a fiery gate.

"Explain to me your findings when you come back with her," he says, mentioning your name, "It has been a while since I have seen her as well."

He nods and rushes through the portal, meeting the blue sky of Edenia and the entire Umgadi force surrounding him. He looks across the steps and sees you and Tanya hugging, talking about something before you let go from the embrace.

He called your name and your head snapped to his voice. Your eyes are wide and tears are threatening to fall, but you look away and turn completely away from him. Tanya takes this into consideration and glares at Bi Han, ordering the priestesses into a protective and offensive rotation.

"Recall them, Matron Superior," Bi Han demanded, "I would like to speak with her myself."

"That is for her to decide," she hisses, "She is a friend to the crown, and any threat seen against such will be treated as so."

The priestesses are ready to attack, but you slip away from Tanya and walk to Bi Han yourself. Bi Han and the other priestesses are still, and you close the distance between your lover with eyes downcast. He removes his mask and wants to hug you, but you hold your hand up to stop him.

"Tell me..." you begin slowly, your teary eyes meeting his worried ones, "What were you doing that night? With a woman like her... saying those, awful things to me..."

Bi Han doesn't know what to do with his hands, wanting so badly to take you into his chest and tell you what he said meant nothing, it was to keep his front up, to save you and Earthrealm. But he puts his hands to his side and begins to speak.

"Liu Kang had me follow a trail, one that led to Shang Tsung. That snake was out of my grasp, shifting shape and getting away. However, I got some information on him thanks to that... whore."

You take note on how disgusted he looked, his head turning away from you as his face morphed into something indiscernible. He looked lost, disgusted, and most of all, defeated. You frown at him and take his hands in yours, and he uses this to hold you in his tight embrace.

"I did not mean a single thing that night," he said, feeling your chin wobble on his shoulder, "You were the only thing on my mind, and you still are. You consume my very being, everything I do is for the sole purpose of your happiness- nothing more or less."

You nod slowly, your hand placed on his cheek as you rubbed your thumb softly.

"Your word is my code- and just one thing uttered from your lips will silence me forever," his eyes shone with unshed tears, trying to keep up appearances in front of Tanya.

You just hug him, quietly crying in his arms as he hugged you back, his grip tightening on your waist. The weight he had on his chest finally left, and your presence was like a cleansing waterfall that washed away his sins.

You hear Tanya recall the formation, telling them to return to their posts. You didn't care what was happening though, as long as Bi Han's arms stayed around you as your tears fell.

=====================

Kuai Liang

Kuai Liang sat in a booth seat along with Johnny and Kenshi, in "casual" conversation as they scanned the area for anything out of the ordinary in this tightly packed club. Music blasting, alcohol flooding his nose, and the feeling of sweaty bodies on him made him seethe with anger and disgust.

The three Earthrealm defenders were in a club in Los Angeles, your native town, and the last known location of both Quan Chi and Shang Tsung. Ever since the timeline convergence, all the realms have been busy trying to clean up the miscreants mess; for some reason, it let them to this huge club on the West Coast of the United States.

Liu Kang debriefed the men, saying that one of the Sisters of Shadow were in Earthrealm, in bars all over California to take the naive souls of men and women alike to fuel the black magic that Quan Chi practiced. In order to get close to them, and perhaps find the sorcerers once and for all, Liu Kang sent the three of them on this mission.

It pained him to be in your hometown without your knowledge, and it hurt him even more that he had to get close with another woman for the sake of Earthrealm. But that was the main reason he was here, to protect your future with him and the future of Earthrealm- in order to ensure that you two would have a home to come back to in the end. In order to carry out this mission flawlessly, he did not tell you, and that killed him inside.

You two had met just a year prior, you being plucked out of fighting in illegal fight clubs to serve Liu Kang as a future Champion. You accepted rather easily, thinking this was all a dream, but as you trained with them, you realized it was anything but.

Kuai Liang was drawn to your fighter spirit and spark for protection, not to mention your flawless beauty and grace as you fought. He saw you as an equal, and you were touched on how he didn't look at you like a failure. Of course, due to your history of betrayal and mistrust, you didn't place your love or faith in him quickly. However, with every kind word, gesture, and gift he offered you, every look of concern and worry, and his attention to you, your walls melted against his fiery love and you gave yourself to him.

How he hated to break your trust after such a life of turmoil, but he hoped you would understand. You knew of his loyalties, his fierce protection and eager to serve Earthrealm. He prayed to the elder gods every night the mission's length increased, hoping you'd understand. Tonight, it was put to the test.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You sat at the bar alone, your friends having gone to the dance floor with a group of guys clearly fiending for one-night release. You sighed and swirled your drink in the cup, a mini vortex forming.

One minute, you were playing for keeps in illegal cage fights, the money barely enough for your shitty apartment in the bad side of L.A., now you were an elite fighter and Champion-to-be for a Fire God.

Crazy right?

Even crazier you found love in your master's great friend, Kuai Liang. You were already off-put on Liu Kang's kindness when he took you in, Kuai Liang made it no better. The way he took his time with training you, spending time with you, and waiting for you to trust him made your hardened heart soften. It had been a long time since someone was so patient with you, let alone accepted all of you.

So, when you recognize his iconic black bun in the crowded sea of sweaty bodies, you knew something was up. Kuai Liang was not one for the social scene, and clubbing was strictly off limits for him as a personal thing- what the hell was he doing in L.A. on a Friday night?

You decided to follow him, closing your tab and silently stalking him. From where you stood in the club, you could see where he sat. with Kenshi and Johnny in one of the booths near the dance floor. Your head followed his general path, and the sight before you made your heart stop.

Kuai Liang was letting another woman touch him, and her face was scarily close to his. She whispered something to your man, and he said something in her ear that illicit a horribly high-pitched giggle from her. You were fuming, and decided to confront them in the act.

"You bitch!" Grabbing onto her shoulder roughly, "The hell you think you're doing?!"

Kuai Liang's shocked face matched yours, but with his mission in mind, he grabbed onto the woman to protect her, not you. Was it possible a heart could break even more? Because if you thought it was broken, this completely shattered it.

"K-Kuai-," but all he does is huff and grunt at you.

"Who do you think you are?!" he shouted, people around you watched the scene unfold, "Creating a fucking scene..."

He never cursed, especially around you. He knew how to hold his tongue, and he never raised his voice at you even if he was pissed beyond the realms' saving. Your face morphed into hurt, betrayal, something Kuai Liang promised you to never do. Yet here he was, failing you.

"Silly girl," the woman hissed as she kicked your abdomen, "Leave us!"

You groaned as you picked yourself up, immediately escaping the messy scene and fleeing out of the club. Tears blurred your vision as you crashed into people on your way out, only having yourself to console the agony you were in.

Kuai watched as you left, and he swore he would make it up to you. No matter how long it took.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kuai Liang was an assassin. He was trained in the meticulous art of killing people swiftly and without noise.

So when Johnny and Kenshi found him, blood all over his dress shirt and pants, the demon's mutilated body slowly dissipating, they knew not to push his buttons.

"All of the information I gathered has been written down," he said without turning to his friends, handing them some paper.

"A-alrighty then, Kuai..." Johnny said nervously, a chuckle matching his tone.

"Go back to the Temple, there is something I need to do before heading home," he said calmly as he cleaned up, "Do not wait for me, explain to Lord Liu Kang the dilemma as well."

Kenshi nodded, and the couple looked at each other before turning their gaze to the clearly pissed-off man, watching him storm out to find you. They had a feeling on what was happening, but they didn't press further as they set off for the temple. Kuai Liang was outside the club, searching recklessly to find you in the summer night. Just a couple of blocks away, he heard your distinct cries in an alleyway, and he followed them and up, your body curled up in the fire escape of an apartment building.

Quietly, he tries to get to you and be by your side, but his kunai drops from the hidden hilt in his pants, giving away his position and it scares you. Your head snaps up and you get into defensive mode, your brows furrowed in anger as you snarled at him.

"What in the elder gods' names do you want, Scorpion?"

His hands are up, but he still tries to close in on you by slowly walking to you. You're cornered, and the crying has made you too exhausted to move.

"I know what you saw was, to say the least, alarming..." he begins, "However, please allow me to explain."

More tears welled in your eyes, "I trusted you, Kuai Liang. You knew my story, I gave you my heart- I confided in your warmth!"

Kuai Liang squats to your height, arms down as he watches your tears fall.

"How could you..." you sob again, your head thrown up facing the sky.

Kuai Liang watches your tears fall, and he gently used his hands to wipe your tears. He's surprised you don't shake away from him, so he used this opportunity to explain himself to you. From Liu Kang's plan, Quan Chi's legion of deadly female demons, up to now, he explained in great detail and softness for you to register despite your wails.

"Oh darling," he begged softly, "You know my promises to you- they're written in blood. If you so wish it, I will shed it for you- if it meant see you smile once more."

You wipe your tears and ask him with shaky words, "Swear on your family, swear that what happened meant nothing to you."

His hand wraps around yours and your foreheads touch, his warm breath on yours, "I swear to the elder gods above and the honor of my late father- she is dead to me."

You smile almost evilly, "Prove it."

Safe to say, your evening ended with more cries, but not in pain this time. Still, Kuai Liang would do anything to never see you cry so sadly like that- even if it meant more blood being spilt in your name.

=====================

Tomas

Tomas, Kuai Liang, and Bi Han were in a neighboring village, just a mountain away near Fengjian, in an undercover mission that lead to Shang Tsung. Liu Kang got word from Raiden, who had visited home for a brief moment, that his people were talking about a strange man coming to and from the village for something unknown.

Not wanting to waste an opportunity, he called upon the Lin Kuei Grandmaster and his second-in-hands to try and apprehend him once more (not mimicking the Ying Fortress situation). What the brothers didn't know, though, was that the trail would lead to a small club, a front for Shang Tsung's hideout.

It was a music club, with weekly performances from many female singers and dancers from the neighboring villages in the region. Tomas, who knew you were an active and avid singer, hoped to the elder gods you weren't here to witness what he was doing.

In front of the long stage, he sat in a rounded booth seat with an "entertainer" by his side as she talked his ear off about every performance that went on. She was in a horrible costume, those Qipao costumes that the Westerners sold as costumes in cheap Halloween stores, her pale skin glowing softly under the warm light of the club. Tomas played into his role of a "traveling" foreigner, needing rest in this village and simply needing time to "destress" from his journey.

Tomas was dressed in some jeans and a gray shirt, a backpack on his other side to really sell the look. In his ear, provided by Sektor and Bi Han, was an earpiece to hear the commands of his brothers. He knew the woman next to him was connected to Shang Tsung, but all he was worried about was you.

He prayed to the elder gods that you would not worry. He prayed that you would believe in him, stay confident in him as he completed his mission, and hoped that you would forgive him when he eventually needed to tell you this entire debacle. He sighed, beginning to play his role into getting more information out of the woman.

He whispered dirty jokes, laughed quietly with her at her horrendous attempts of humor, and even held her close. While this was for the betterment of the realms, he would rather die than finish this mission. He was getting some useful information from her, and he could hear Kuai Liang and Bi Han talk to him over the earpiece, but his focus was brought away as he saw his prayers ignored.

You were here. Performing. In the middle of his mission as he was smack dab in the center of your sight. At first, he saw you smiling happily as your voice filled the room, but when your eyes met his, your will to perform left.

The Shang Tsung affiliate was all over Tomas (though you didn't know), kissing up his neck as he continued to hold her. People around you two were beginning to grow tired of the act, clamoring for you sing or begone. You tried to continue, voice slightly shaky as the lyrics left your mouth, but you were ultimately pulled backstage by the show manager. Behind the curtains, the sight broke your heart more and more.

Tomas's hand was locked in hers as she took him away, and a flirty smile was on his face as they both walked away from your direct line of sight. Too angry at what you witnessed, and growing depressed, you retired for the night and left to head back home.

Tomas was the most affectionate of his family, and you were drawn to his optimism despite the pain he had endured. Just like his brothers, he was loyal to an alarming degree, but you knew why. Having him lost his family, leaving his home country, and being put in a new place, he longed to have someone of his own.

Sure, his brothers were great, but you were the final piece to him. Your kind personality, joyful nature, and loving demeanor made him fall instantly, and you loved Tomas just as much. You were surprised to see how a man such as he, going through what he had gone through, still remained joyful and optimistic.

What he loved so much about you, though, was your talent in singing. Whether singing while cooking, bathing, or holding him, Tomas found your voice a safe haven. He vowed to always keep you happy, smiling, and most importantly, singing.

After this, though, he'd have a hard time hearing your bird song once more.

It was gone, along with your heart and the man you loved so dearly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tomas stood over the bloodied woman's limp body, hunched like a hunted taken-down animal. He called his brothers to enter the room, and they too were met with the horrendous sight.

"By the elder gods..." Kuai Liang breathed, "Tomas, what in Earthrealm-."

His pupils were dilated heavily, his grey irises overtaking his eyes. He was breathing heavily, and his grip on his karambit made his knuckles turn white. He was seething, his hunter's instinct turned on and on high alert. He shoved past his brothers, not without Bi Han stopping him.

"Foolish brother," he hissed, "Why did you kill her? Lord Liu Kang needed her alive."

He breathed calmly and turned back to his brothers, who both stilled at how calm his demeanor was speaking to him, "She is alive, brothers. Take her immediately to Lord Liu Kang, I have personal matters to tend to."

Bi Han grabs the collar of his shirt, shaking him, "We have our duties to fulfill. If you so wish to abandon your role, the Lin Kuei will hunt you- I will hunt you."

Tomas takes his brother into his knees, his blade gently pressing into the kill spot on Bi Han's neck. Kuai Liang's breath hitched while Bi Han shook his head to stop his brother.

"I will accept whatever may befall me, but I need to do this, Bi Han," and he turns his head to see his youngest brother's face.

"Please," he begged.

He nodded, sighing in relief as he bolted out of the back room. Kuai Liang scoops the woman into his hands, while Bi Han watched in awe at his brother's will. He left the back room to find you, hoping to set things right.

He searched the village for your house, and saw you crying in the balcony in the back. You were fiddling with a leaf that fell from the large tree that hovered over the balcony. To get to you, he had to climb to see you.

"Love..." you heard him say behind you. You gasp as you shuffled away from him, but he doesn't relent.

"Love, what were you doing there?" he asked gently, coming closer, but you held your hand up.

"No, Tomas," you said defiantly, "You tell me what you were doing there. With that woman all over you, with your hands on her equally as eager, with me right in front of you..."

More tears fell as you sobbed more, and Tomas's heart broke even more at the pain he put on your heart. He silently fell onto your balcony and sat with his legs crossed over themselves. He reached for your hand, and you surprisingly accept it. He gently rubbed his thumb over it, slowly explaining everything.

"So, the club I performed every couple of months, was a front for s multidimensional threat?" you asked gently, wiping your tears.

Tomas nods, his hand cupping your cheek, "My love, no one could beat you. Hearing your voice break, your eyes look at me like that..." your hand held his, "Everything about you controls me, your voice a siren's song."

You smile weakly and kiss his cheek, "Listen to me, then, as I call you to me."

You lead him into your bedroom, and your voice commands the rest of the night as you two stay entangled in one another.

=====================

guys my ipad is lagging after typing all this, long ass fic

still, i hope you enjoyed, especially you anon!

i'll see yall in the next fic!



[babybatscreationsv2]

I watched Deadpool and Wolverine and I have thoughts

Spoiler buffer for people with notifications on

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First of all

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ELEKTRA

I cannot believe I saw my girl Elektra again and yes I would have cried and thrown up if they killed her. If Blade and Gambit are both getting a new movie where's Elektra's?? I say we riot. And I'm only a little bit kidding. Spider-Man needs a new mother figure after all. How about an Elektra/Jessica Drew team up? OMG I'm just realizing they could have put her in the canceled Shang-Chi film. Does the Hand never face off with the Ten Rings? You would think a couple of a martial artist gangs would have a rivalry. We could have been shipping Elektra and Xialing 😭

Okay actual movie thoughts

Yes the car scene was in fact a sex scene and I don't even think that's even debatable. You can't tell me Hugh Jackman threw his head back like that and groaned like he was fucking cumming and it wasn't an analogy for sex and then following it up with a pan away/sunset shot? It was 100% an ode to the many gay writers who hid their desire to penetrate another man through swords, guns, and fangs. Bram Stoker would be proud

Do not watch this movie if you're uncomfortable with inappropriate sexual touching, or language for that matter. Everyone's getting sexually assaulted and it's a joke every time, but at least they call it what it is I guess?

I feel like the amount of graphic sex jokes was to cover for the fact that they were told not to joke too much about drug use. Although choosing to joke about how they can't do coke was possibly my favorite joke, don't ask me why

They sure did let that little people joke in there though... yikes. Disney is really begging people with dwarfism to jump their asses this year

The weakest part of the film was definitely the villain dialog. I guess they didn't want any big plot twisty reveals because man these dudes came out monologing and like who asked? Nobody. Why are they talking so much?

I have a genuine love for Happy becoming the new Stan Lee cameo. I just love that man as a character and it feels right that he has a hand in everything.

I saw someone on here pouting about the photo of Tony and Peter together and how Peter's face was covered BUT ACTUALLY it's a running gag in the comics that Deadpool can't see Spider-Man's face or hear his name. Even if Peter takes his mask off right in front of him the "Marvel censors" hide it from Wade and I hope to god that's why they covered it because it'll be so damn funny if and when they're both in a film together

Speaking of funny, the comedy in this film was so well done. They poured most of the jokes out in the first act and left room for the movie and the characters to be taken seriously. I'm here praying that the other Marvel writers take notes because while I'm a very emotional person who requires comic relief to get through most movies without crying, we all know the humor in Marvel films is getting to be a bit much.

I was holding my breath during the big team up thinking it was going to be Deadpool 2/Suicide Squad all over again, but they actually got to have their hero moment and it was beautiful.

But WTF? Why did Blade and Gambit get a big moment where they show off their skills but Elektra gets half the screen time during the fight and her moment is just her kicking someone? She has magic ninja abilities?? She could have also done something cool?? The martial arts stuff was cool in her stand alone film, it doesn't impress in a crowd of people who know how to fight. At least let her skillfully throw her sais or something, damn.

And how good is Channing Tatum as Gambit? I'm not a Channing Tatum fan or anything, but damn does he nail it.

NICEPOOL I love Nicepool, I have no idea what Deadpool variants exist in the comics because I actually hate multiverse stuff that isn't spiderverse, BUT it's canon that if Deadpool were to stop killing people that he would become pretty again and I love that there's a universe where's he just insanely nice and handsome mostly because I don't think they would ever make a Spider-Man/Deadpool film so at least we acknowledged that this happens, sorta, they don't really talk about why he's pretty and our Deadpool isn't

I love how it was a Deadpool film, but also everyone got their moment. It was barely even about him. He was the vehicle through which Wolverine and Nova and Laura got to tell their stories and it worked really well

I also feel like Wade getting Johnny killed felt weird and mildly out of character. He's an asshole, not a sadist. There's a big difference. If they wanted him dead to get rid of Chris Evans and still have their cameo, it didn't have to be Wade's fault

Wade and Logan recognizing Chris's face as belonging to Steve also sets a precedent for RDJ playing Doom. (It also means that yes people in universe will recognize him and angst will happen, I'm still crossing my fingers that there's multiple Dooms)

I give the whole thing a 4/5 had a good time, few complaints

[soulofamy]

For the ship opinion bingo: Syzoth/Ashrah

(I've never even played any Mortal Kombat, but I'm curious.)

tagging @ironladders

they are canon though unfortunately you dont really get much development for them in the actual game. so like if you try and search up cute moments with them or anything like that, the best you are going to find is their pre-fight dialogue which is pretty cute or pre-fight dialogue they have with other characters where they talk about their relationship. and because of that, you really do have to use your imagination to understand how it works. we have no idea canonically how they came to be a couple, but when you take both of their backstories into account, they make a lot of sense imo.

ashrah is a demon from the mk version of hell, and she has essentially been enslaved by a human who learned enough dark magic to gain access to that hell and enslave ashrah and her sisters to all do his bidding. she had a realization while out seeing the realms that there was more to life than what the netherrealm and quan chi (the human i was talking about) had to offer her and that if she just devoted her life to absolving herself and becoming a beacon of justice, that way of life could be hers as well. two of her sisters, still under quan chis spell, were forced to go after her and she had no choice but to kill them in self defense, which is something that hurt her greatly. but now shes fighting on the side of good and she strives to do her best to defend humanity so that she could one day be absolved and essentially become a human herself, in spite of the fact that there are those who look down on her for being a demon or doubt that she is up to the task.

then you have syzoth, a guy who comes from a race of giant lizards called zaterrans. but unlike the rest of them, syzoth has the ability to shift between being a giant lizard and being a human passing dude. his race of people are treated with prejudice, but then his own people also treat him with prejudice themselves because of his unique ability, leaving him an outcast who was run out of his home. the best he could do to support himself was join a traveling carnival. since then though he was able to get married and have a child. but unfortunately for him, a human by the name of shang tsung wanted to study his unique ability so that he could have it for himself, and the way he decided to do it was by abducting his wife and son and holding their safety above his head, and forcing him to be a test subject in his lab and then to become his enslaved labhand. it was discovered during the mk1 story that syzoths family had actually been dead for a long time and he had been lied to to keep him subservient. it was also discovered that quan chi and shang tsung were actually partners in a plot to dominate all realms.

i give you these backstories because they are the reason i feel like ashrah and syzoth work very well together. they are both people who are looked down upon by the rest of society for being who they are, they were both people who were enslaved and taken advantage of, the people who enslaved each of them were in on the same catastrophic plot, and they both lost family in the process of all this happening. to me, it makes sense that they would be together because they both understand what the other went through in a way that no one else in the story does. but you also find that they differ in very interesting ways as well. ashrah wants nothing more than to absolve herself and become a human, but syzoth, despite how much his people hate him, is very proud of being zaterran and wouldnt trade his identity for anything. their trajectories through life are so similar but they arrived at such different conclusions about their sense of self and their identities, i think that they could each learn so much from one another and grow together in interesting ways. the understanding and comfort they find in one another but then also the fact that they also show unabashed support for the others goals and dreams as well, they just mesh so well with one another.

now to touch on pre-fight dialogue, despite his feelings about his own identity and not really understanding wanting to be a human, he has made it clear in the pre-fight that he would do anything to stay by her side and help her achieve her goal of absolution. the literal god of that universe is a playable character in mk1 and he tries to steer syzoth away from ashrah in pre-fight dialogue, and he quite literally tells that god to mind his business.

meanwhile syzoths goal is to bridge the gap between the humans and zaterrans, and he is doing it as the empress of his realm's emmissary. it was discovered toward the end of the story that the zaterran rulers are corrupted and that there are actually others who had his unique ability who have been purged, and he has made it his goal to investigate this. ashrah can be heard in the pre-fight dialogue with the nobility pleading with them to help his cause, which shows that she is just as invested in his goals as he is in hers. they honestly have the makings of a great ship, if they could just lol show us what it looks like in the story i would be over the moon

[somuchcoffeeandwine]

All right, fellow MCU fans

So, after seeing the Marvels today, it got me thinking. Now, you probably don't know who I am. But I do happen to be a writer. Not a very good one mind you (several people would say otherwise, but shush, give me my self-loathing) Phase 4 (and the current parts of 5) is not that great. So I want to rewrite the Multiverse Saga. Yes. The entire thing. Even though it's not finished.

Very long blocks of text below. It's really the only thing that keeps me organized. Please read it though if you are interested. It'll be split up into sections, for somewhat easy perusal.

Now, I know this is an ambitious project, and one not done. I am no stranger to things like this, see my own game/show I'm making. (This is the only time I'm going to mention it. But I am pretty proud of it) So, for my very small amount of sanity, I'm stopping it at The Marvels, and Loki season 2 (Oops, still not finished with it yet). And I wanted to ask people what they thought was lackluster, or mediocre. Not the Marvel I and many other people grew up on. I do understand that it was flawed before, but when I recently rewatched most of them, I found that my childhood love for them had blossomed into something new. I was 6 when the first Avengers came out. I learned how to shoot a bow because of Hawkeye in that movie. And I think it deserves better, especially after watching the Marvels.

Now, this means everything after Endgame. So from Black Widow to The Marvels in terms of the movies, and the Disney+ series from Wandavision to Loki Season 2. I have a feeling it's going to take me a second to get through the remaining 5 episodes of Loki S2. My family wants to watch it with me, and they're all decently busy... Anyways, that's 10 movies, and 9 series. Although I don't accept Secret Invasion. Like at all. Anyways.

I have yet to decide what I'm going to publish this on. Probably A03, just because that's easiest for me. And I can organize much easier. Do let me know what you think.

So, before I get into the problems I've identified, feel free to stop here, and reblog or ask me your problems with the aforementioned shows and movies. I'm talking writing or character problems, as we've seen in the series. I am a fan of the comics, but you can divert from that, or stick to them.

Oh, and if you say something like "Make it more queer", I am a raging bisexual enby. I will already be making it queer as fuck, and can be convinced to ship pretty much anyone, if I can get a good reasoning behind it. Minors should be shipped with only minors. That's one of my few rules, if you send anything to me. So yeah, I'm doing genderfluid Loki.

Thoughts on everything:

This is just here so that I don't get a ton of repeats. I'll go movies first, then the TV shows.

Black Widow (2021) - Honestly, this is too late of a movie. Natasha deserved this before Endgame or Infinity War came out. But release dates aside, Taskmaster needs more screentime, and a chance to show how menacing they are. Natasha also needs more time with her family, and the parents need to be fleshed out a bit more. Belova is far too smart to be tricked by the lady in the post-credit scene.

Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021) - I don't have any major problems with this movie. The Great Protector, or the dragon, and the supernatural creature, I think he's called Dweller In Darkness, kinda felt a little blank, and the Dweller shouldn't have died, only been pushed back. And I don't like Katy that much. Trevor is much better comedic relief in my opinion.

Eternals (2021) - Oh boy, where do we start with this one? You know it's bad if I can't remember any of the main characters names besides Ikarus. And that's because I was laughing my ass off at him throwing himself into the sun. There was also the Celestial I think it was? Anyways that thing broke islands up, and then just became a massive statue, and like no one mentions it? I don't remember much else about this movie, even after having watched it like 3 times. Oh, and the Ebony Blade was shown off. I like that if they can do something fun with that.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) - Dr. Strange feels a little shoe-horned in. The whole sanctum being overtaken by snow was pretty clever, but Strange being a father figure to Peter is not super well established. Could be fixed with a couple of rewrites. Or Strange and Stark being together. Peter is a dumbass, and the reason for him starting the whole plot... is so dumb. I understand, teenagers can be stupid, hell, I go to public high school, but Peter's shown he's a lot smarter than this. But I do like the crossover (Dafoe as Green Goblin my beloved) and the fact that the other Spidermen get to say goodbye in one last movie. Anyways, Ned's wizard connections need to be elaborated on as well.

Doctor Strange: Multiverse Of Madness (2022) - Alright, getting my biggest problem out of the way first. Wanda's corruption arc should have been shown. It should have been developed through the movie, and Wanda should have been with Strange and America. She can still be evil, and die after she realizes her actions, but this basically destroys the point of Wandavision. She was willing to say goodbye. Wanda has been a favorite of mine for years, and I read her comics religiously as a child. We need to see the power of the Scarlet Witch. What it did without Wanda. Her "No More Mutants" line sent chills down my spine the first time I read it. Sam Raimi directed this movie. Strange and Wanda should have had more horrific shit. And that one Strange with 3 eyes should have been the one from What If. We need horror in this. America also needs to be more fleshed out. I do love her, but we get like one scene of her being traumatized of basically growing up nowhere. Her moms get to stay though. I'm just going to ignore the last post-credit scene, because... that's setting something up I'm not sure of.

Thor: Love & Thunder (2022) - First up, Gorr has a great setup. He needed more screentime though. We need to see more of his god killing. They should rightfully be shitting their pants over this man. Thor leaving to save Sif was a good move, but that joke ruined the tension. She should have died there, proof of the god killer. Jane Foster is perfectly fine, and her arc is a lovely send-off. I would have loved some more stuff about the kids, especially Heimdall's. I don't even remember his name. He should have been shown doing something in Jane's return to Asgard, something that showed off his parentage. The meeting of the gods is a great scene, but there should have been people who spoke up, and then promptly getting thrown out, or even getting killed. Even more of a reason for Thor and crew to convince him. I think everything else is pretty good. Also Valkyrie is perfect in this movie. Bi queen. And her Loki knives are lovely.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) - I actually think this one just needs a couple of little tweaks. I understand why they couldn't have T'Challa show up in the spirit world, and Killmonger was great, but I still think something between the siblings would be good. Fuck, I love the funeral scene. It was a lovely sendoff to both T'Challa, and Chadwick. Namor seems a little rash though. Might just be the comics leaking through on that matter but I do like the Mayan inspirations in the movie!

Antman: Quantumania (2023) - I'm not really sure on this movie. I don't like Janet in this movie. She feels too secretive. She could have told them plenty, even lied that Kang had gone home. He'd gotten out somehow. Kang didn't seem scared enough of the others, but that might just be me thinking of that. Oh, and MODOK sucked. He shouldn't be a joke. But Darren could have done something else, because he is in there.

Guardians of The Galaxy V.3 (2023) - Perfection in every way. I'm not changing anything unless it involves getting everything I'm incorporating in. And the Christmas Special is also great.

The Marvels (2023) - Spoilers! Kamala needed more screentime, she just generally felt disconnected from the plot besides her bangle. And I also wanted a more menacing villain. That's been the problem with them recently. They don't make me think that they could actually beat them. I like everything else though. Flerkins were great as usual. I love these stupid creatures so much. That one scene was beautiful.

Now to the shows! These are going to be so much shorter.

Wandavision (2021) - I think this is good. No notes.

Loki S1 (2021) - Good, besides the Sylvie/Loki romance. They are siblings. I'm not sure if there's anything else that I really had a problem with. It's been a moment. Which is a shame. I love Loki (Also bi confirmation! I love it!)

The Falcon & Winter Soldier (2021) - I also think this is good, besides maybe having some problems with the villain. Bromance all the way.

What If...? (2021) - Also pretty good. Little self-contained story. I like the zombies.

Hawkeye (2021) - I also think this one's pretty well written. Macaroni is constantly referenced in my house. Lucky is also a pretty boy.

Moonknight (2022) - Honestly, god tier. Anyways, no one mentioned the stars literally turning in Egypt. But maybe it was just the people thinking that they were drunk as shit and seeing something.

Ms. Marvel (2022) - Second favorite being Moonknight. I also don't remember anything glaringly wrong.

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law (2022) - Besides the tone of the show being inconsistent as shit, I think this show should have dove into some of the topics it brought up more. It just seemed a little surface level. Maybe a WWDITS style mockumentary would work better.

Secret Invasion (2023) - THIS ENTIRE SHOW SUCKS ASS. THIS WHOLE THING WAS DONE SO BADLY. I am not taking anything from this show

Loki S2 (2023) - Too distracted by another season 2 coming out, so I have yet to finish. I have heard it's good though. I've seen the first episode, and it's going pretty good so far.

Well, you made it to the bottom! Yay!

...This took me an hour to write. I did get the doc set up. And got a bit of an outline set up.

[evasivaardilosa]

Ok, time for the long and probably incoherent reaction to what I saw. Just parts of the story mode, a bit of character endings though I tried to avoid it, and a bit of the menus and stuff. Under the cut

For reference, I started at what seemed to be Ashrah’s chapter and went until Kuai Liang’s. Conveniently my favs!

The girl was indeed Khameleon!! And she looks so pretty! If I had any doubts I needed the dlc pack, they’re gone now

The dlc (non guests) and kameos seem all to be un story mode? I wasn’t expecting for this. This is nice

Jerrod is in Ermac! That was it, right?? He’s there! We always knew but I don’t think we had anything as explicit as he calling for Sindel

(Then again it wasn’t actually said so it may end up being contradicted by something I didn’t see)

So Liu Kang’s plan to avoid shit was making the bad guys he nobodies. That was smart. Or would have been had it worked. Quan Chi isn’t even a demon anymore

(I bet it’s not a coincidence Shao was born disabled too, huh)

You know Shang is good when you want to punch his face when he is just standing there. This Shang is very good

Reptile ate a bug!!! I got one prediction right!! I really wanted him to do it!!

I may have to redo that poll now that Baraka is an Edenian. It’s only fair

Kenshi and Johnny are so gay. I was neutral on the ship and I didn’t see the beginning but what I saw was enough for me to get it

Talking about gays, my favorite scene was Mileena and Tanya obviously flirting and Kitana being like “no she has her vows!!” and Mileena asking who told her. Girl. You are not as discreet as you think you are

Only now I see what you guys were saying about Bi-Han’d voice. Not gonna lie I find it sexy

I know that Lin Kuei chapter was probably a disappointment to everyone and while I would also have liked for Bi-Han to be less of a dick but it’s Mortal Kombat, guys, the characters don’t usually step out of their boxes often. His box is of a bad guy. The chapter was pretty much what we all could have expected. In fact, I think everything there was successfully predicted without any leaks

That being said, it was hilarious that you could see the gears turning in Bi-Han’s brain as soon as he saw the money. I never saw him as someone that cared much about money. Power, yes, obviously, but not money. Then again I best know him after death and I guess money doesn’t matter when you’re dead

Kuai got the scar!! And I think that only after seeing it my brain finally accepted that that man is really Kuai Liang. Like, I knew it, and I think he was always called by his name, but he looks so different that it hadn’t really clicked. Until the scar

Smoke is lovely

Holy shit, Havik

They mentioned Sektor and Cyrax and since a lot of other kameos are in the story, I guess they likely are. So… are they just cybers from the start? Are we in the middle of the cyber initiative?? Can I have hopes of seeing them in human form??

(Kameos have skins, btw!! And gear!!)

There’s more that I am certainly forgetting, but let’s end this with Kenshi in sunglasses from the tower ending. He looks so nice

Anyway since this post will likely get more views than the last one because of the tags, I will say it again: if anyone can tell me where to watch the whole thing, I will love you forever

[undertale-anomaly20]

Mortal Kombat 10 x reader: Chapter 6

3rd P.O.V

The scene cuts to the Sky Temple. An old warrior - recognisable as the native Outworlder Bo'Rai Cho - sits on a bench outside of the main temple doors. While he's waiting, he opens a hip flask and drinks from it. A few moments later, Raiden teleports next to the doors "Raiden! Raiden, my old friend!" Bo'Rai Cho calls out as he walks up to Raiden and shakes his hand "Master Bo'Rai Cho. I am pleased to see you. It has been many years" Raiden greeted him "Too long, yes, too long. We old warriors need to stick together, eh?" "Most certainly. I presume recent circumstances precipitate your arrival?" "Yes, yes. I'm concerned that Shinnok may return. I've been trying to contact you I feared the worst" They walk into the temple

"have you heard from lady (name) as of late?" Bo'Rai Cho asked "yes she is serving under general Blade currently as a protecter" Raiden replied "To think that after everything she has already done for Earthrealm she still is tasked with more" "yes it is too much for one mortal to bare" "is she aware of Mileena had done?" "no, if she was I doubt very much that she would be where she is now" they continue walking down a hall

"When Kano misappropriated Shinnok's Amulet, he left behind a snare. Disabling it required that I travel to many strange realms. I must retire to the Jinsei Chamber Regain my strength" Raiden stated The scene cuts to the two of them walking in the underground tunnels leading to the Jinsei Chamber "You are close to recovering it, then? Shinnok's Amulet?" Bo'Rai Cho asked "I do not know. Disabling Kano's snare demanded my full attention. Once I am rejuvenated, I will confer with General Blade" Raiden replied "If only we could have destroyed Shinnok during the last war. If only he were mortal" They reach the chamber. Raiden charges his hand with lightning, but does not release. Instead, the chamber doors respond with the Japanese incantation on them lighting up and they open. The two of them take a moment to bask in the cool light of the Jinsei before walking in to the chamber "Such beauty. Like gazing upon the Elder Gods themselves" Bo'Rai Cho commented "I hold out hope that we can turn this crisis to our advantage" Raiden said causing his friend to turn to him and ask "How so?" "Quan Chi's magic binds the souls of many we hold dear. Capture him, and we can force him to release them" "Liu Kang and Kung Lao restored? I suppose it is possible" "As long as Quan Chi lives" Raiden hangs his head down for a moment, before looking up into Bo'Rai Cho's face "I've long regretted losing our comrades' souls to Netherrealm's evil. Kung Lao and Liu Kang... they were like sons. I would move the Heavens to bring them back into the light"

The scene cuts to the Outworld Kove.

The caption "Outworld - Twenty Five Years Ago" reads at the bottom left of the screen. On the docks, Shaolin monks are being loaded onto a waiting ship by Tarkatans. Raiden crouches behind cover with Kung Lao and Liu Kang, looking obviously more youthful and not undead "It is as Master Bo'Rai Cho said. The Shaolin masters are aboard that ship" Kung Lao said not looking away from what was ahead of him "Bo'Rai Cho said two ships" Liu Kang stated confused "The other has disembarked we need to determine it's location" Raiden answered "They will talk. I will see to it" said Kung lao "No extraordinary means, Kung Lao" Liu Kang warned "They raided the Wu Shi Academy! Killed Master Wen!" Kung lao spoke outraged "Even with Tarkatans, there are boundaries we do not cross" Raiden said trying to defuse the situation Kung lao nodded "Yes, Lord Raiden" "I still cannot believe Shao Kahn would order such a brazen attack" Liu Kang said looking to his mentor "It demonstrated Earthrealm's vulnerability. Shao Kahn knew we would have no choice but to agree to a new tournament" Raiden explained "Lady (name) defeated Shang Tsung she will beat Shao Kahn" " do not assume things Kung Lao. Lady (name) mmay seem as though nothing has affected her much it has do not forget that she was brought her from a world where all that is mundane to us is unatural and strange to her it is a heavy strain to the mind to experience things such as this that being said the answer will come in time. First we free the Shaolin" 　 They get out of cover and make for the docks. Over on those same docks, a Tarkatan punches a bound monk down to his knees. Behind them, another Tarkatan smashes a monk in the face and drags him forward. D'Vorah walks behind them, stopping to talk to Baraka, who leads this force "All are aboard? This One leaves with the tide" D'vorah questions Barka "We are ready" he replies "Shao Kahn demands the hostages be unharmed" D'vorah comments "Their wounds are not fatal" Baraka barks back "I would hope, Baraka. For your sake" "For yours as well" Raiden says revealing himself as well as his pupils.

D'Vorah and Baraka turn to face Raiden, walking toward them with Liu Kang and Kung Lao behind him "If you harm them, you answer to me" he says then Baraka orders his soldiers to attack in the Tarkatan tongue they charge toward the Earthrealmers Raiden ducks under a blade swipe from a Tarkatan and punches him twice in the face, knocking him from the docks Kung Lao punches another in the stomach and throws him off, before hitting another in the face with a roundhouse kick that sends him splashing into the river. As Kung Lao runs his fingers across his razor sharp hat, Liu Kang charges in with a flying kick on another Tarkatan that knocks him across the docks, unconscious from the hit. Raiden punches and kicks two more Tarkatans into the water and approaches D'Vorah and Baraka in a fighting stance. "Tarkatans are beaten so easily?" D'vorah snidely questions Baraka growls in anger. He charges Raiden, just as several more of his species charge in from behind. Liu Kang and Kung Lao decide to engage them, leaving Baraka to Raiden. He ducks a punch from the Tarkatan leader, blocks a kick and catches his arm off a failed elbow. When Baraka extends his blade, Raiden pushes it away, then blocks an elbow smash from his other arm. Baraka manages to knee Raiden in the stomach and punch him in the face, but the Thunder God dodges a stab attempt, slaps Baraka's arm away and dissipates into thin air with a crackle of electricity. Raiden reappears to Baraka's side and punches him in the face. Baraka tries a backward slice that is dodged, and then tries to impale Raiden with both his arm blades. Raiden blocks the attack, grabs Baraka's arms and electrocutes him, sending him staggering back. Raiden barks out a threat in Baraka's own Tarkatan language "Empty threats, Raiden. You will not see the tournament!"

They fight. Despite being a vicious brawler equipped with arm blades and a battle rage that knows no fear, Baraka is not able to stand against the God of Thunder. The battle is fierce, but it ends with the Tarkatan facedown on the docks amongst his kinsmen "You will return to the Wastes with no prize" He walks toward the docked ship. Liu Kang and Kung Lao are still fighting the Tarkatan horde behind him "Step aside" he says to the female Kytinn D'Vorah replies with two swift punches. Raiden blocks them both, ducks a third and hits D'Vorah in the face with a punch of his own. He throws another, but D'Vorah ducks this one and punches him in the stomach. She follows through with two more punches to the face and tries a kick. Raiden blocks it, dodges one of her stingers and teleports away when she fires off all four at him. He reappears behind her. D'Vorah is quick to react, and yells out a chant in the Kytinn tongue, unleashing a swarm of insects from her belly. Raiden summons lightning from the heavens that strikes the ground between him and D'Vorah, disintegrating all the insects that pour out of her. They both break off their attacks and regard one another.

"Such power. What are you, Raiden?" she asks "I am of truth and light. I protect Earthrealm" he replies "This One cares not for Earthrealm and worships no gods"They fight. In spite of her unique powers and fighting skill, not even D'Vorah is a match for Earthrealm's protector. While she puts up a determined effort, she is unable to overcome Raiden's godhood and is eventually knocked unconscious "When a god speaks, heed him" By now, Liu Kang and Kung Lao have now defeated the Tarkatans. The Shaolin monks approach the Thunder God "They were not so vexing. All sneers and growls" Kung lao says as he smirks "Let us free those aboard this vessel. Then you will find the second ship" Raiden says "Where will you go, Lord Raiden?" Kung lao asked to which raiden replied "The tournament beings soon. Join me as soon as you are able" They walk toward the ship "We will succeed, Lord Raiden" Liu Kang said smiling "Of that I am certain" Raiden replied.The scene fades in to Raiden in the present day, embathed inside the Jinsei itself. He remains hovering in the depths of the blue light for several moments, until the chamber itself begins shaking and rocks fall from the ceiling. Realising something is wrong, Raiden looks up to the roof and spots Bo'Rai Cho desperately reaching toward him from a hole created in the ceiling behind him, laughter is heard and Cho is dragged away as quickly as he appeared. "Bo'Rai Cho!" Raiden calls out In the Sky Temple courtyard, Bo'Rai Cho is thrown to the ground and blasted by the magic from Shinnok's Amulet, causing him to cry out in agony Raiden runs out into the courtyard, and soon finds himself surrounded by the revenants Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Kitana, Sindel and Smoke. D'Vorah stands next to Shinnok, holding Johnny Cage captive. "Yet another of your allies falls to me. When he dies, I will claim his soul" RAIDEN: You know not his power. His soul cannot be subjugated. Shinnok and D'Vorah walk into the temple, D'Vorah dragging Cage along for the ride Shall we kill him, Lord Shinnok?" Liu Kang asked Shinnok turns around to his minions, smiling at this question "Not yet. He will bear witness as I conquer his realm. Then I will imprison him as he did me" He turns back toward the temple and walks in "I would not boast of victory prematurely" Raiden warned Shinnok smirked "I have already won, Raiden"

The temple doors are closed behind Shinnok, leaving Raiden with the revenants. They circle him and lightly push him, goading him to attack. He eventually fires out with a kick that forces them back. Smoke attacks, but Raiden blocks a punch and kick from him and knocks him back with a knee to his chin. He blocks a punch from Kitana and electrocutes her face. This leaves him open to Liu Kang, who punches him in the face from the side. Kang follows through with his bicycle kick, knocking Raiden to the ground. As he gets to his knees, Kung Lao pummels his face with his fists. As Raiden falls, Lao kicks him in the face, and Liu Kang jumps on his back as he rolls over onto his stomach. Kang, Lao, Kitana and Sindel all mercilessly kick Raiden while he is down, while Smoke recovers and stands back to his feet. Beaten to the ground, Raiden can do nothing as Kung Lao picks him up and wraps him in a sleeper hold. The other revenants watch with glee as Raiden chokes and struggles for breath. Even in a nearly helpless state though, the Thunder God manages to charge up with electricity once more and fights free. Kung Lao realises something is wrong and breaks the sleeper. He leaps up and grabs a roof section of the temple in the nick of time, as Raiden cuts loose with a lightning attack directed through the ground. The other revenants are caught by the attack and rendered unconscious. Kung Lao jumps back down as Raiden stands back up and puts on his hat "Kung Lao, desist!" he tried to speak to him. The former monk runs his fingers across his hat in response "I serve Shinnok and the Netherrealm" "Because Quan Chi murdered you!" Lao points his finger at Raiden "Something YOU allowed to happen! I will not be so passive in your demise!"

They fight. Raiden discovers to his dismay that Kung Lao has lost none of the speed and skill that carried him to victory many times in life. But even with that and the beating he suffered against him earlier, Raiden is still the God of Thunder and he proves it by taking the fight to Kung Lao. After an exhausting battle, Raiden leaves the revenant unconscious "You deserved a better fate" Raiden says regretfully almost immediately following the fight, Liu Kang runs up behind Raiden and rabbit-punches him in the back of his head. Raiden still has the awareness to block an elbow strike, and he manages to kick Kang in the stomach. He blocks two more strikes from Liu Kang and kicks him in the side, ducks another punch, but takes a barrage of blows to the sternum. Raiden rallies with an overhead strike, but Kang catches both his arms. For a moment, the two kombatants struggle to break the other's grip. Liu breaks first - to pummel Raiden in the side repeatedly. He then lands a right hook that staggers the Thunder God, then a roundhouse kick that takes him to his knees. Raiden struggles back to his feet, clearly not at his best "This is not your destiny, Liu Kang" Raiden tries to reason with his ld friend "More visions, Raiden?" Liu Kang asked sarcasstically frustrated "Do you still see the future?" "The visions are gone, but I know what should be" "Lady (name) was put there by your lack of courage! and i was placed her because of you" "An accident, which haunts me to this day! lady (name) wasn't meant to end that way" Liu Kang considers this for a second, but launches into a charging punch. Raiden teleports behind him and hits a rabbit-punch of his own. He pummels Kang in the side, blocks several counter-attacks, lands two punches in his stomach and a final spin kick to his abdomen that knocks him away. The former Mortal Kombat Champion struggles to his feet. "I should thank you. You freed me. The Elder Gods you blindly serve? I will help Shinnok end their rule!" Liu Kang states as he readies his stance.

They fight. The battle proves to be one of the toughest the Thunder God has ever endured. Weakened from his recent ordeals, Raiden struggles greatly against the one man who has fought him to the same limits as Shao Kahn once did. Even though he takes several serious blows in the melee, Raiden hurls every last bit of his strength against the revenant Liu Kang... and just barely manages to defeat him "I regret our paths have led here. As he turns toward the temple, Raiden grimaces in pain. His various wounds have caught up with him, including a serious one in his right side. Nonetheless, he bravely walks into the temple. The scene cuts to inside the Jinsei chamber. D'Vorah is spraying another noxious liquid from her mouth onto Johnny Cage. This particular liquid acts as a cocoon that Johnny has become completely trapped in. Behind them, Shinnok has walked onto the floating rocks surrounding the Jinsei itself. He slowly reaches a hand into it and gives an estatic smile as the magic from his hand begins to corrupt the Jinsei, turning it from a light blue hue to a viscous red. Raiden manages to reach the chamber, even though walking is clearly paining him

"You will not defile the Jinsei, Shinnok!" As Raiden approaches, Shinnok nonchalently raises his hand. A skeletal palm is summoned and it grasps Raiden firmly, knocking his hat from his head and crushing his bones. Raiden screams in agony, and those screams are only amplified as Shinnok clenches his fist, causing the skeletal hand to crush Raiden further, flowing with the dark energies of Shinnok as it does so. Each time the grip hardens, the magicks scorch Raiden's body, blackening his clothing and skin "We have battled for eons, Raiden. Now finally, it ends" Shinnok says then fully floats into the Jinsei. He spends a few moments absorbing it's essence before roaring out loud, changing it's colour from blue to fully red. The red cloud of corrupted Jinsei bursts through the roof of the Sky Temple, reaching out to the clouds above and corrupting them with their blood red hue. Over at the Lin Kuei Temple, Sub-Zero rushes out to find the corruption spreading just over the mountaintops beyond. It takes less than a few seconds before the clouds above the temple are enveloped as well. He watches it all with dismay. In the refugee camp, the Outworlders and Special Forces soldiers all rush for cover as the corrupted clouds spread towards them like wildfire. Inside the corrupted Jinsei, Shinnok breaths it in, slowly turning into another being before the awed eyes of D'Vorah. His voice deepens and his laughter turns more demonic. His face swells into that of a hellish skull with horns where his ears should be, no visible nose save a point of light, and that same white light enimates from his eyes and throat his hands sport three enlarged claws instead of five fingers, his skin tone changes from porcelain white to charcoaled grey, and yellow scars of light adorn his now muscled form, the biggest going vertically down the center of his chest to where his amulet resides - in his abdomen. He has now become as corrupted as the Jinsei.

"Yes... Tremble before me, Elder Gods, as I absorb Earthrealm's power" Shinnok said. Even though he is barely alive at this point, Raiden still finds words to speak that go unheard by the corrupted ruler of the Netherrealm. "No, Shinnok. Even now... others come to defeat you"the scene changes to a view of the S-F at the cockpit of their plane, currently in the air and heading towards the Sky Temple. Jacqui and Takeda are in the pilot's seats, with Cassie and Jin at the computer screens just behind them and (name) is checking the raidar with mileena, who is very close to her 'queen' "We land in fifteen minutes. We'll enter the Sky Temple from the terrestrial entrance" Cassie says "Why not go straight there?" Takeda asked confused "It exists in a different quantum state, slightly out of phase from our reality. It can't be reached by conventional means" Kung Jin explains as he has had previous experience with the temple Takeda breaths out a heavy sigh, which (name) notices. "What's wrong?" she asked concerned for her friend "It's just us. No one's coming to help. We either pull this off or--" Cassie inturrupts him "We WILL get it done" (name) nods her head "Cassie's right have faith.

Warning buzzers sound off through the plane. Before it looms the clouds that have been corrupted by the Jinsei. Cassie and Jin get out of their seats for a closer look. "By the... what is that?!" Kung Jin asked/yelled "Dunno. But it's headed right for us" Takeda replies "Elder Gods have mercy" Kung Jin prayed as the cloud looms closer, it produces turbulence that rocks the plane"Buckle up, people! I gotta put her down" Jaqui calls out trying to land the plane Cassie and Jin race back to their seats but (name) had no seat to stableize herself Takeda notices this and quickly grabs her by the waist and places her in his lap facing him as he buckles them both in "s-sorry head mistress I mean viper I mean-" "Takeda I-It's fine and please call me (name)" (name) stuttered. the blush on her cheeks are visible just above the mask as her brown eyes are wide in shock Millena glares as she latches onto Jaqui's chair.

The scene cuts to the forest near the temple. Jacqui has landed the plane without crashing, and Team S-F have exited without issue with Mileena clinging to (name)'s side. The corrupted light from the clouds above them has given the forest a distinctly red hue. "Looks like the temple entrance is fifteen clicks that way" Jaqui stated She points off to the distance. "fucking hell" (name) grummbeld kicking over a rock in frustrasion while mileena sat on a boulder "pretty bird why do you still wear your mask?" Mileena asked swhich stopped (name) from pacing around and turn to her queen "I...I don't know i guess since I always have it covering my face I've just grown used to it" she said placing a hand over the mask not noticing Mileena drawing near. she was quickly brought back to reality when mileena pulled (name)'s mask down "there we are much better" she purred nuzzeling her head on top of (name)'s head. (name) smiled lightly showing off her teeth revealed another little feature she gained while in outworld her canies had somehow grown slightly sharper than they normally would look giving off a fang-like appearence, hugging mileena nuzzeling her head into her neck sure she was a fighter who would kill you in an instant but on the inside she was still that soft and sweet home girl on the inside who just wanted love.

Meanwhile Cassie and Jin standing on one of the plane wings, reparing the motor. Cassie slams down her tools in frustration "Fuck me! We're grounded. That shockwave fried the leads" Cassie said aggrivated "Then let's get going. We're almost outta time" Jacqui said when a portal opens up behind them Kotal Kahn emerges, flanked by Erron Black, Ermac, Ferra/Torr, Reptile and several of his soldiers. KUNG "What are they doing here?" Kung Jin said looking at the amount of soldiers "Looking for the amulet, I bet" Jacqui commented "We have to tell them about Shinnok. Call a truce" Takeda said hoping to be right Kotal spots Team S-F and does not look happy to see them. He points in their direction with his macuahuitl and addresses his soldiers. "Bring them to me!" Kotal commanded. His soldiers roar out battle cries and charge forward "Or not" (name) said already annoyed at the situation "The woods! C'mon!" Jaqui calls out.

They flee. The scene cuts to Kotal's forces walking through the woods, searching for their prey. Cassie and Jacqui hide behind two large trees as the search party walks past "They quiet. Sneaky" Ferra comments "Ermac?" Kotal asks "We sense them. But the forest teems with souls" he replied "Yes... So close" Reptile says loking around. Explosions suddenly rock the forest around Kotal's forces, throwing them into disarray. Two trees fall down, crushing several soldiers beneath them. Cassie chucks some grenades at the trees, Kung Jin shoots their bases with arrows and Jacqui uses her gauntlets to shoot plasma blasts at the tree bases, (name) sending fireballs at the base of the tree to burn it quicker. The end result is the trees continuing to fall on Kotal's forces. One of Cassie's grenades lands at Reptile's feet. He notices and leaps up into the air, just narrowly avoiding the explosion. The fallen trees catch fire, giving Kotal's forces more issues to contend with. Ferra shrieks in fear at the flames. "Divine fire and earth!" Kotal calls out He looks over the battlefield and spots Kung Jin shooting off arrows.Meanwhile, Reptile scurries high up a tree and spots (name). She has her back to him and continues to shoot fire balls at Kotal's forces "I see you..." Reptile taunts Takeda runs up to (name) and spots Reptile "(name), look out!" His warning comes too late Reptile leaps from the tree and lands on (name), pinning her to the ground. Takeda charges towards him, but Reptile notices and spits a glob of acid into his face. Takeda screams in agony and clasps his face in his hands as the acid burns into it. Reptile turns back to Jacqui, who's eyes glow a fiery red "you son of a bitch!" she yells slamming her hands on his sides lightin them on fire making him recoil she gets back to her feet "how dare you hurt him!? you'll pay for that!"

They fight. While the Zaterrean's speed and fighting abilities are not trivial threats, (name) fights with a rage and fire that he is unable to overcome. Utilising her fire abilites and skills to their full potential, she unleashes a beatdown on Reptile that does not stop until he is unconscious and severly burnt at her feet. "Go crawl back under your rock, Reptile" With Reptile down, (name) rushes back to Takeda, who's still trying to wipe his face with his hands "Takeda, Stop! You need water" She produces a small bota bag filled with water "come on hon lean your head back" He does so and she pours the water onto his face it does the job of clearing his eyes. "Can you see?" she asked "Yeah, yeah. It's fuzzy, but--" She pours more water on his face "Better?"

The scene switches to show from Takeda's perspective. The blurry visage clears up quickly into a close up of (name)'s maskless face. he gets a good and close look at her taking in every detail from the small nearly unnoticble scars to her lips that held a sweet smile person to her beautiful caring eyes "Beautiful" he whispers dreamily causing her to blush and her smile turn shy. As the scene shifts from his perspective, their tender moment is interrupted by Ermac - levitating a considerable distance above ground level - uprooting the tree that Takeda was resting by "Hold that thought" (name) says as they flee just as Ermac brings the tree down where they were standing. He flies after them, shooting blasts of soul energy as Takeda and (name) dodge as best they can. After a while, it seems like they manage to outrun him - but then they come face to face with Kotal Kahn and his soldiers. Ermac soon floats into view behind them "Lady's choice" Takeda said jokingly making (name) laugh a little "I've got Ermac" she said as Takeda rushes Kotal, (name) charges at Ermac. She shoots off a fire ball that hits Ermac to no effect. In response, he telekenetically lifts her into the air and slams her into a tree. She struggles to rise as Ermac floats down to ground level "we were once allies" Ermac stated "don't think for one moment that I'll go easy on you because of that" she replied.

They fight. The battle brings back memories of her first battle, as Ermac brings the power of a thousand souls to bear against her, just as he had all those years ago. non the less she pushes down her memories to end the fight and to emerge victorious against Ermac "sorry Ermac"she said as she rushes to aid mileena against some of the soldiers, Ferra/Torr jumps into Jacquis' path. Ferra laughs and Torr roars, taking a massive swing at her with his meaty fists Jacqiu dodges two swipes and barely escapes as Torr almost pounds her into the ground. He manages to grab Jacqui and lift her into the air with both his hands round her waist "Squeeze, squeeze, Torr!" Ferra commands Torr complies, and Jacqui's bulletproof vest begins to crunch under the strength in his hands "Your eyes, so bright" Ferra coos She readies the metal claws on her wrist "Gonna carve 'em out!" She slowly brings the claws towards Jacqui's face. In the nick of time, Jacqui's gauntlets finish charging up. She unleashes a plasma blast that rocks Torr backwards, letting her loose of his grip. He doesn't fall though, and neither does Ferra "Trickery! Deceit!" Ferra shrieks Jacqui shoots off a plasma bolt, but it isn't charged and doesn't faze Torr. He throws two more meaty punches that Jacqui barely avoids. She gets into a fighting stance "No more tricks. Just a straight up beatdown"

They fight. The sheer power and brutality of Ferra/Torr force Jacqui to use all of her kickboxing skill to avoid their mighty attacks. She proves to be up to the challenge, and with the help of her charged gauntlets she lands multiple blows on the two Outworlders. After a long brawl, they eventually fall unconscious at her feet "Two for one. I'll take it" Back with the rest of Team S-F, Kung Jin blocks the sword of a charging soldier with his staff, and Cassie kicks him in the side, staggering him long enough for Jin to put an arrow through his brain. He swings his staff around just in time to parry a sword blow from another soldier trying to cut down Cassie, allowing her to kick him in the stomach and smash her knee into his face, knocking him out. A third soldier charges Jin, who again blocks the sword strike with his staff-bow. Cassie punches the soldier in the kidney twice and knocks him down with a right cross, and Jin swings his staff-bow around and fires an arrow straight through the head of a fourth soldier, causing him to backflip from the force.

Meanwhile, Takeda is still fighting Kotal Kahn. He smashes Kotal in the face with a right hand, but the Osh-Tekk kicks him in the stomach, forcing him back. Takeda holds back for a moment, allowing Kotal a chance to speak "We know D'Vorah is here. Where is the amulet?" Kotal demanded "Kotal Kahn, the situation has changed--" Takeda tried to explain but Kotal interrupted him saying "Do not fling your spittle at me" He charges at Takeda and attacks. Takeda blocks his punches, but takes a kick to the chest that knocks him down. He rolls to his feet and fires off one of his whips, ensnaring Kotal by the wrist. Kotal merely takes a firm grip on the whip and pulls, whirling Takeda around him. Takeda manages to stay on his feet, but is forced to retract the whip. Jacqui runs up to them both "You tell 'im?" she asked Takeda "Not yet!" he replied "He needs to kno--" "Busy!" "I will kill you both." Kotal state "Shinnok's been freed. He's at Raiden's Sky Temple. He's already infected Earthrealm's life force" Jacqui says as she gestures to the sky Kotal looks up at the red clouds and realises the truth of her words "The heavens boil... Earthrealm is lost!" "Not if we hang together!" Jacqiu tries to reason Kotal draws his macuahuitl from the scabbard on his back and readies it for kombat "I will appease Shinnok bring him your heads gain time to bolster Outworld's defenses" He says then swings the weapon at Takeda, who barely ducks in time. Kotal backhands it towards Jacqui, who blocks with her gauntlets. Kotal holsters the macahuitl as Takeda throws a punch that he blocks, before he punches him in the kidney and kicks him in the ankle, knocking him to the ground. As Takeda rises, Ferra/Torr charges straight towards him. Takeda ducks under Torr's attempted grab, but the behemoth slaps away his follow up kick. While Takeda fights Ferra/Torr, Jacqui now goes up against Kotal Kahn alone. She deflects one of the Kahn's punches and one of his roundhouse kicks with her gauntlet, and shoots off a blast of plasma that stuns him for a moment "You need to help us, Kotal Kahn!" "It is too late for Earthrealm. Shinnok is now it's master"

They fight. With both kombatants fuelled with desperation for their realms, the battle proves to be a long and hard one for Jacqui. The Emperor of Outworld brings everything he has to the fight, and Jacqui only barely manages to defend against it. Calling up on her last reserves, she throws everything she has right back at Kotal Kahn and amazingly manages to defeat him "You should'a been with us" Jacqui states Kotal rises to his feet, growling impatiently Erron Black steps in, flanked by soldiers, and aims one of his revolvers right at her "That's enough" he says Kotal's forces slowly back Jacqui, Cassie and Jin towards each other in a clear part of the forest. Cassie tries to shoot her pistol, but she's out of bullets. She holsters the gun and readies her fists "Fuck me!" Cassie curses Ferra/Torr stomps back into the fray, with Takeda's bound body in Torr's arms. Torr lifts him up and throws him toward the clearing. He lands hard as Ferra laughs, and Jacqui helps him to his feet. (name) and Mileena are also pushed back the both of them prtecting each other and their friends Mileena snarls and growls brandishing her sais while (name), still without her mask, bares her fangs with a look of poison on her face her hands set ablaze.

Team S-F are now completely surrounded on all sides, and have all backed into one another "Don't know about you guys, but I'm living the dream" Jacqui said sarcastically to which Takeda replied "You have odd dreams" "Chattel. You die tonight" Kotal says then calls to his soldiers in the Outworld tongue and they begin to close in. Ferra/Torr charge forward... and are frozen solid by an ice blast More blasts follow, freezing the soldiers who come too close to Team S-F Sub-Zero walks into the clearing, flanked by his Lin Kuei disciples. The warriors charge into battle without hesistation, forcing Kotal's forces to engage them. Team S-F break free and make a run for it, stopping as Sub-Zero walks towards them "You stood together against formidable odds. Lesser warriors would not have fared so well" he said respectfully "thank you Liang" (name) said smiling receiving a smile in return "I will remain here to push Kotal Kahn back to Outworld. Proceed to the Sky Temple. Earthrealm's fate lies with you" he said the team head off as Sub-Zero walks toward the battle.

[themetaisawesome]

MK12 has been out for a while now, but I'll throw spoilers under the cut anyway. Long story short, I did not care for the last third of the story. Longer story below the cut.

I was pretty engaged in the first two acts, or at least the first half.

Shang Tsung's new backstory is great, a con-man elevated by "Damashi" with promises of power and greatness. Sorcery combined with alchemy and a claw weapon reminiscent of Scarecrow is top notch. Plus, Alan Yee channels Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's smarmy deviousness excellently.

Glad Kronika is never coming back

Kung Lao's intro chapter was fine. I like the new status quo with him and human Raiden. Madame Bo is fun (hope she becomes a kameo). The Lin Kuei test was good.

Human Raiden is serviceable but boring.

Johnny is a mixed bag. On the one hand, he gets some of the funniest lines of the game and the Johnshi bits were excellent. The development of their friendship was top notch. On the other hand, he leans way too heavily into the younger Johnny we saw in the 2nd timeline. When Cristina was introduced I was like, "Whoa! Johnny has a new love interest? What's the story there?" But after she leaves, they don't do anything with her. They get divorced off screen, and I feel like that hurts Johnny's story. Some of his intro dialogues are borderline "fuck my ex-wife" sitcom level shit. He has one where he threatens Nitara if she goes near her, but that's it. There honestly seems to be something there with Cristina that the writers overlooked. She fell in love with Johnny before the fame, when he was John Carlton. It would've worked as the setup for a real arc for Johnny, where he has to learn that there's more to life and himself than the action movie star. It would serve as a nice echo of his development between MK9 and MKX. I'll be honest, as much as I like BladeCage, I wanted Johnny and Cristina to work things out.

While we're on the subject of intro dialogues, does the frequent use of the words male and female rub anyone else the wrong way? Maybe it's because our world is plagued by transphobes and their bullshit rhetoric, but I do not trust when those words replace man and woman in sentences where they shouldn't be. It makes dialogue sound less organic.

Baraka and Repile as heroes? Ashrah's return? Syzoth/Ashrah? Perfect. Amazing. No notes (except for a major one that I'll get to in a minute).

While I agree that Kitana was a bit underutilized, she still works. Love her.

Also loved how they used Mileena in the story, and she has some pretty good intros. So glad we got to see her with the heroes and on good terms with her family. Mitanya/Tanleena is also a very cute ship.

Li Mei was fine. She has a great new moveset. ACAB tho

Does anyone else think it's weird that they changed Quan Chi from an actual demon to a person of color, and then gave his white skin an origin story? His role in the story works, though he and his titan counterpart become second fiddles to Shang Tsung in the second half of the game. Sean Krishnan gives a good performance, but I do miss Ronald Banks.

Oh, General Shao. How the mighty have fallen. While Ike Amidi is a good actor, that voice does not work for Shao. It works for characters like Atrocitus because it's a very brutish voice. It lacks subtlety. There were times it was okay in MK11, but they doubled down in 12 and it does not work. General Shao gets one or two moments where I believed this was an accomplished war hero who genuinely believes what he's doing is right, but they are few and far between. The truth is, I don't think Netherrealm Games respects Shao Kahn, and that's a shame.

While we're on the subject of voices, let's get to Sub-Zero. While Kaiji Tang works for a character like Sanemi, it really doesn't work for Bi-Han. There is not a hint of subtlety in his try-hard edgelord presence.

Kuai Liang as Scorpion is... okay. Liu Kang really did give him Hanzo's moves, outfit, powers, name, wife, and position, and then made him a young Hanzo's mentor. Daisuke Tsuji was a great choice to play him, tho.

Glad Smoke is back and that's he voiced by Yuri Lowenthal, but there isn't a whole lot there. He's almost as boring as Raiden.

So, I know Jerrod being a part of Ermac has been a thing since MK9 and Netherrealm is finally doing something with the concept, but I don't care for it. It's not bad, and it works in the story, but I feel that giving Ermac the soul of a major character detracts from him being his own character. Ermac stops being Ermac and instead becomes a second life for Jerrod.

Pretty boy Havik and his hair still makes me laugh.

Darrius sure does exist.

The less said about Nitara Fox the better.

Glad Motaro and Sareena returned. Goro still seems way too short.

The writers did well with Sindel, making her a noble queen but one who holds grudges and has a temper is many steps above Twindel. Shame she died tho.

Liu Kang gets a B- for this new timeline. Matthew King continues to nail it out of the park with his performance, the Fire God has some spectacular fatalities, and there's a lot of interesting stuff in this new status quo. There's just a lot to nitpick with the third timeline.

So, my main gripe with the story starts at the Titan Shang Tsung reveal. The reveal itself is perfect. Aftermath's alternate ending being canon in another timeline and using him as the villain behind the scenes is an idea worthy of two chef's kisses.

However, it's to this story's detriment. He usurps the narrative significance of the current timeline's villains and their plot. Had they saved Titan Shang Tsung for the very end and as the antagonist for the next game, it would allow better focus on our current timeline villains and given more heroes screentime. Baraka, Ashrah, and Reptile disappear half-way through the game. Mileena and Sindel get to shine (before the latter becomes the sole heroic casualty), but the rest of our heroes only get a handful of moments. This is especially bad because from chapters Kenshi to Syzoth, the group dynamic was so strong that I missed this team working together during the second half of the game.

While there is something commendable in going so big as Armageddon 2.0, the fusion fighters feels gimicky and the Titanic Deadly Alliance just feels... eh. Honestly, most of the minions don't feel like they come from the same timeline as the Dark Raiden and Twindel that we fought earlier.

And then the Deadly Alliance just gets beaten. The diner scene that follows feels weaker because A, not all of our heroes are there, and B, Geras' warning that Liu Kang will have to sacrifice the life he's grown accustomed to doesn't pan out because he can just hang out with them any time he wants. If "the realms are in good hands" is meant to tie back in to that "sacrifice", then it falls flat because it doesn't connect.

Then there's the end credits teaser, which is a dud. What makes Titan Havik any more threatening than the other two titans that we just defeated? If Titan Havik is a teaser for an Invasions event, whatever. If he's set up for MK13, then every criticism

But if they were dead set on having Armageddon 2.0 in MK12 and if they wanted to set up the next game, Titan Havik wasn't the one to go with. You know who they should've had step through that portal?

The return of the OG Shao Kahn empowered by Blaze would've knocked the socks off of everyone. It establishes that the Midway timeline still exists (even if everyone is dead in it), puts Shao Kahn back in a place of honor, and would be WAY more hype for MK13.

Anyway, those are my many thoughts.

[emisirrelevant]

My MCU Phase 4 MOVIE Ranking 

Since MCU Phase 4 has come to a close, and I just watched Black Panther Wakanda Forever, I am going to give my ranking- did anyone need this? No. But I'm the one voluntarily choosing to state my opinions online.

DISCLAIMERS: not ranking the shows, just the movies- maybe I'll do a separate post for the shows?

I thought about it but I will be mentioning spoilers. I didn't know how else to rank them without using evidence from the films to back up my justifications.

The movies aren't in position of best-worst or anything like that, they are only just listed in the order they were released.

Okay, let's get into it.

Black Widow:

7/10, or maybe even 8/10 for me. Overall, I personally thought it was decent. I know there were a LOT of people who gave it negative reviews. I remember seeing so many bad things about it from people when it came out. But honestly, is it the worst thing Marvel has made? Imo, no. I won't get into the nitty gritty, or the Taskmaster stuff, but I liked getting to see Natasha again- even though we know this was before she died. And Florence Pugh as Yelena stole the show for me. Black Widow is (was?) also one of my favorite Avengers, so I personally have a soft spot in my heart.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings:

8/10 or maybe 8.5/10 for me. I am hesitant to push it toward a 9/10. Here's why and let me explain. I am aware that some people are THIRSTY for Tony Leung. I don't understand that, however it's your life, not mine. BUT I will say he did a damn good job being a complex character. I don't like him for giving Shang Chi trauma, but I think he did good being morally gray. Even though I got frustrated as F sometimes with his character. Shang Chi I actually liked. His dynamic with Katy? Great. I like Awkwafina tbh. Xu Xialing being the badass sister? Iconic. Although I hope she doesn't turn evil based off that post credit scene (another reason why I'm hesitant to give it a 9/10- I just want her to be good okay? Can't have TOO many morally complex people) The cinematography was great. Finally, as someone who is Asian (specifically Chinese0 but I was adopted) the Asian representation was decent. You know, it wasn't anything super mold breaking but for big names like Disney and Marvel, I give a nod.

Eternals:

3/10 or 4/10 at MOST. I honestly don't even remember most of this movie. I didn't even really have many expectations going into it, but.. yeah let's just say it was not my favorite. I didn't really like Sersi and Icarus together. I honestly felt like their characters were boring tbh. Druig and Makkari though? That's the REAL ship. And representation for the deaf! It's a start! Also, I will be crying eternally over Gilgamesh dying. The one thing about the plot that mainly interested me was Dane Whitman. I admit I am interested in seeing how the Black Knight storyline will be explored further. Other than that, Eternals was not really a memorable MCU film for me.

Spiderman No Way Home:

A solid 8/10. I think we can all agree this one was the MOST hyped up movie from Phase 4. Like ever. The hype was so real. I LIVED through it all. What a world to live in. Everyone was avoiding spoilers left and right. Anyway. I DID like the film overall since it continued the storyline of Peter's identity being discovered, and a bit of Dr. Strange's storyline. Obviously, the cameo from Tobey and Andrew was great to see. Although I admit I did not grow up watching Tobey and Andrew's versions of Spiderman, I felt the kind of "magic" experience of seeing the original folks back on screen permeate through me. HOWEVER. The only reason I cannot score this one any higher is because I didn't like the ending. I haven't really seen much and it has been a while, but do others hate the ending? What is the universal opinion? I may just look it up on a Reddit thread later. Anyway, I personally didn't like that ending. Why would you do the memory wipe trope??? I mean, was that actually the ONLY solution to Peter nearly tearing apart the space time continuum and fabric of the universe??? So Ned and MJ are just gonna have to continue on. I can't think about it too much or I may get emo actually. To end it on a good note, it was cool seeing the old villains from the universe as well.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness:

7/10. Yeah. I had to think for a second. But 7/10 feels right for this one. It wasn't really my favorite, but I didn't think it was the worst. And oh god, there seems to be a LOT of controversy around this one. By controversy, I also just mean basically mixed opinions. From what I've seen/heard, people either really hate this one or they're like, alright. It's mid. Also, for a movie that has Doctor Strange in the title, I sure did see the entire world talking mostly about Wanda. I don't know. It feels like this movie was just chaotic? Specifically in terms of the storyline, I mean. Like, I thought it was interesting that this was the movie they decided on to introduce America Chavez into the MCU. I think it could have been easier for people to follow maybe just one major character? So the focus isn't constantly shifting? Maybe that's just me. Also, is Stephen just destined to be alone now? Idk about the comics because I don't really read those, but like, I guess he's never ending up with Christine in any universe. Is the Darkhold like actually destroyed for real? What the fuck is the storyline now?? I've seen/heard rumors of the next movie actually being Dimension of Darkness (hence the post credit scene) but like what would the plot be? Again, I don't read the comics so idk if they touch on that, but yeah Doctor Strange's timeline/story and character arc is just one of the weirdest in the MCU for me I guess.

Thor Love and Thunder:

8/10. Yes, I WILL defend this movie. Despite it being another Phase 4 movie which got crapped on, I liked it. If Thor Love and Thunder has 100 fans, I am one of them. If Thor Love and Thunder has 10 fans, I am one of them. If Thor Love and Thunder has only 1 fan, I am that fan. You get the gist. I think people were just so shocked for once that it wasn't their usual type of superhero movie. First of all, what does that even mean. Just let people enjoy their silly little movies, damn. I will admit, was it the strongest plot? Meh. But I did enjoy the dialogue a lot. I liked seeing Thor, Jane, and Valkyrie again. If you can't even think of Korg without getting offended, then you can just leave. Also, Christian Bale did an amazing job at being a villain. I will give him that. I will say that was one of the highlights of this movie probably tbh. I was so shook. As someone who watched Newsies, I was just like "he was Jack Kelly and now he's this" LOL.

Okay. And I know- most of know by now that Jane died, and some people didn't like that- yeah, I was sad too- but I thought it made sense for her character. Like I said, I'll play the defender. Also, because I thought it was impactful about how it paralleled Gorr and Love's relationship. And it was a metaphor for her going to Valhalla. She died in her OWN battle. But yeah, the storyline now with Thor will be interesting. I wonder what his next adventure will be. And if there's people out there still pressed about this movie, I'll just say I don't think Taiki Waititi cares.

Black Panther Wakanda Forever:

8.5/10. I just recently watched this one and I am still processing it. So I may not have as many fully formed thoughts on this movie compared to the others, but if I were to give keywords, I would say impactful and emotional. I went on Instagram and Twitter and there seems to be a majority of people who liked it. However, the main negatives I saw were issues with Shuri or Riri. Which is a whole discussion within itself. Also the storyline and length. I understand people thinking it dragged on. I went with one of my friends to watch the movie and she told me afterwards it felt a bit long to her. I can get that. But I WOULD argue with you on the cinematography. I thought that visually the film was great. The underwater scenes were fine with me. The costuming as well. I thought it did fine honoring Chadwick Boseman. To those who say it wasn't enough for them though, I just have to ask, ok, what would you have done instead? Like, yeah I saw some people saying Riri shouldn't have been introduced in the movie, and Shuri should have just stayed a scientist. So what would YOU make the storyline? And that's all I have to say on that. Aside from that, the soundtrack was great though. Overall, I think this film was one of the best for me of Phase 4. And it was a beautiful way to end it.

[carelessannie]

Any thoughts on making a Shang-chi x Peter Parker fic/one shot?

Ohhhhhhh

Um yes??? Absolutely??? Although… I haven’t seen the movie yet and don’t know much about the characters 😂😂

I need other writer to come yell about this

@snowstark what do you think??

[geekywritings]

Family tradition

Will I ever stop writing these? Definitely not in the near future XD

Ship: Shang-Chi x female Asian reader

Genre: Fluff, Romance

Warnings: None

After you started dating Shaun, everything was just perfect. You had the sweetest dates and spent a lot of time just laughing, talking or cuddling. Not even the relevation of his past and the ownership of those ominous 10 rings could bring you down from your cloud 9 feeling. 

But there was one thing you did worry about: it was time to introduce him to your family. It’s been months and they had all started nagging you about bringing your boyfriend over finally. It was unheard of that you would keep him secret for so long. Your older sister had brought her now husband over just a month after the first date after all!

Your family wasn’t bad, not at all. They were just... well, they were a lot to handle. Especially with so many family members. Four generations lived spread out among various apartments in the building with you being the only one living elsewhere (which was another thing your family constantly complained about). And now it was time to introduce Shaun to this crazy bunch. He was more of the quiet type. Not shy or a total introvert, but definitely not as loud and out there as the rest of your family and you were worried the situation would have him run for his life. 

“Shang-Chi...”, you started one morning, while you were sitting at the tiny table in his aparment, eating breakfast.

“Hm?”, he asked, looking up curiously, as you used his birth name.

“There is this event next friday... Well, not really event, but I’d like to go with you.” 

“Can you make it sound any more ominous?”, he joked and you found some of the tension slipping away and a smile coming through.

“My family is having a get-together and I want to introduce you.”, you just blurted. “I was hoping we could do this step by step, but I think it’s best if you meet all of them at once.” 

“Sure, that sounds nice.”, he said after the first moment of confusion passed. He had never pried why you didn’t introduce him sooner, leaving the timing up to you.

He sounded so optimistic about it as well, while you were still worried your family would smother him to death. Some of your friends envied you for their loving nature, coming from strict asian households, but you simply got the other extreme. 

“Just... be ready for a lot, ok?”, you told him.

“A lot of what?”, Shaun asked, eyebrow rising slowly. 

“Everything.”, you just said with a sigh.

______

When next friday rolled around, you were a bundle of nerves, whereas Shaun looked as calm as ever. He had dressed up nicely in black pants and a shirt, wanting to leave a good impression and you put on the black and white dress your grandmother had bought you last christmas. 

“Ok, let’s just quickly go over the names again.”, he said, as you headed out. And there were quite a few to remember. Your parents would be there, along with your grandparents. Then there was also your older sister with her husband and two children and of course your two aunts with their families as well. 

“Don’t worry if you don’t remember.”, you assured him. By the time you arrived at the apartment complex, you took a deep breath and squeezed Shaun’s hand tightly. He had no idea what he was getting himself into.

The moment the door to the apartment opened, all eyes were on you two and for the first time, you could feel your boyfriend tense up. A moment later, he was practically torn out of your hand by your mother, who came to hug him.

“Shang-Chi, welcome! We have heard so much about you and now you are finally here!”, the older lady began, her face beaming with joy. She hugged him again and then took another look. “Mama, look. I told you he was handsome.”

It seemed the official handover, because a second later, Shaun found himself in the arms of the next family member, this time your grandmother. And so it went for a good 10 minutes with hugs and handshakes from everyone. The kids were excited, because they had seen his bus fight video and kept begging for some martial arts lessons. 

The small apartment was full of people and the scent of tea and spices. You were soon separated completely from Shaun, as you found yourself in a conversation with your sister and aunt about some business they wanted to open. Seeing as you had knowledge in finance, they wanted your opinion on their little venture. You had no idea how long you had chatted away, but eventually you excused yourself and went looking for your boyfriend.

You found him in the living room, listening to your grandparents tell their stories of the good olden days. They would constantly bicker lovingly in the middle and interrupt each other. It was adorable, but for outsiders, probably boring. Shaun however seemed really entertained, as he listened with a smile on his face and even kept asking questions that encouraged the old couple to continue. When he saw you, his face lit up even more and he gave you a small wave. You were just about to walk over, when your mother put her hand through the door and announced: “Ok, we are ready. Everyone gather in the kitchen!”

Now was the time for the big family tradition. You had told your boyfriend all about it and he had seemed both amazed and confused. Once a month, your family got together like that to just talk and make dumplings together for a big family dinner. Grandma instatly insisted that Shaun sit next to her and you were quick to grab the other spot on his side before someone else could beat you to it. 

“Grandson, have you ever made dumplings?”, your granny asked, making you wonder when she had switched from his name to calling him grandson already. 

“Never actually.”, he revealed, which earned him a crash course. Your grandma knew how to make the most elaborate shapes and you could see that your boyfriend was struggling with them. You were just about to offer help, when your father said: “Here, let me show you an easier form.”

“Don’t show him your ugly technique!”, Grandma complained, swatting his hand lightly. “Let the boy learn it properly.” 

“Here, I got one that’s good.”, your sister’s husband started. He was the only non-asian in the room, but as a cook, he had spent a lot of time in Asia, learning various cooking techniques. His Mandarin was also surprisingly good for a foreigner. 

“You are a master chef, John. Let Shang-Chi learn from someone who doesn’t do this all day for a living”, your sister pointed out, elbowing him slightly. Within seconds, there was a war on who would teach him a good dumpling technique and while you wanted to facepalm yourself, your boyfriend watched on in amusement. Suddenly you felt something wedge in between the two of you, discovering your oldest nephew. “Here, do it like that.”, he said, using the time everyone was distracted to give him a mini tutorial that Shaun could copy with ease. “Thanks, buddy.” 

The rest of the evening was jus as loud and wild as you were used to and, to your surprise, Shaun seemed to thrive in this environemnt as well. He talked and laughed with everyone and didn’t even seem to mind when you got separated here and there. 

It was already past 2am when you started your way home back to his place. “How was it?”, you asked, fighting back a yawn.

“It was fun.”, he said honestly. “Intense, but fun. You are very lucky.”

You looked at him, silently asking for an elaboration.

“To have a loving family like that. I can see why it might seem like a lot, but they are amazing.”

They really were. You knew that and you wouldn’t trade them for the world, no matter how overbearing they could be.

“They are your family too now.”, you reminded him with a grin. “I don’t thnk they will ever let you go again.”

At that he reached for your hand and squeezed it. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”, he said and you could feel the honesty in every word. 

“I also won’t let you go again.”, you added with a warm smile, causing him to stop in the middle of the street to pull you into a tight hug. 

“I love you, Y/N.”, he whispered. “You and your crazy family.” 

You laughed at that, returning the hug. “Good, cause we are invited to come back next month. And every month after that.”

“Deal.”, he said, before giving you a loving kiss. “I can’t wait.”

[hrtiu]

so i think the movie was trying to leave their relationship open-ended, but i’m a fan of katy x shang-chi. what should their ship name be? kate-chi? katechi? shanty? so many good options! anyway i think my love of this ship comes from wanting a hot, strong dude to love me even though i’m loud and awkward and a little weird. also i’m a sucker for friends-to-lovers.

SHOULD I WRITE SOMETHING FOR THEM?? WOULD IT BE THE FIRST SHANG-TY FIC??

[ironasss]

NO WAY HOME SPOILERS

Saw no way home on the 23rd, sent my friend this email:

AHHHHHH OH MY GOD I JUST SAW SPIDER-MAN HOLY MOTHER*language*ING *language* OH MY GOD LIKE I KNEW TOBEY AND ANDREW WERE IN IT BUT OH MY GOD I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE LIKE A CAMEO(which is interesting, because i thought Charlie Cox would have a bigger role) AND I KNEW EITHER AUNT MAY OR HAPPY WOULD DIE BUT WHYYYYYYY????????? LITERALLY AS SOON AS SHE SAID "with great power there must also come a great responsibility" I KNEW IT WAS HER JESUS JAMIE FOXX OH MY GOD HIS HAIR OK BUT VENOM????? See, would this have been explained if I had watched Venom: Let There be Carnage? GET h*ward STARK'S MOTHER*language*ING FACE OF THAT MIT WALL WTF PUT TONY ON THERE NO ONE KILLS ABOUT JOHN SLATTERY Is marvel just like, really reaaaaallllllyyyyyyyyy team cap? because, a) like all of team Iron Man is dead(except Peter, but hey, he doesn't exist!) b) the statue of liberty has a shield. why. GIVE IT A WIDOW BITE OR AN ARC REACTOR Also: DUM-E? I also knew he was in it but GAH IT WAS SO SAD And then at the end, oh my god, at the cemetery, I GUESS SPIDER-MAN ISN'T COMPLETE WITHOUT AT LEAST TWO FUNERALS HUH EXCEPT NOT A FUNERAL, BECAUSE NO ONE KNOWS Happy. Why. LOOK MAN I KNOW YOU WERE FRIENDS WITH TONY STARK. b ut d i d yo u h a ve t o ru b h i s de a th i n m y fa c e l i ke th a t I had a close friend die recently. this feels like that. OR WHATEVER IT IS HE SAID, IDC IT WAS SAD And ok, hold on. You know that set photo, Andrew Garfield said was photoshopped? Ima be honest, I thought it was. I had full confidence he was in it, but liKE I SAID I THOUGHT IT WAS A CAMEO But then, I saw the exact moment that was, and i SWEAR I COULD JUST SEE THE PURPLE SCREEN BEHIND HIM OH MY GOD And the movie theater we went to *language*ing SUCKED like you know how usually they play something related to the movie, cast interviews, moments with the character(s) in past movies if they're a returning character, a comics history if they're new? (like there was comics history when I saw Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings(2021) and Eternals(2021), and a feature thing with Nataliahashalie's past movies before Black Widow(2021), and all of them had cast interviews.) Question: why do people deny Agents of SHIELD being canon, when Maria Hill exists? (like obviously Coulson exists, but people are like: hE's sTIlL dEaD! aGeNTs oF ShiElD iSn'T rEaL!) OK BUT A MILLION YEARS ON INSTAGRAM I SAW THIS POST, AND I DONT REMEMBER IF IT WAS ORIGINALLY INSTAGRAM OR ORIGINALLY TUMBLR OR TWITTER BUT Someone was like, what if when MJ falls, Andrew Garfield Spider-Man catches her? AND THEN HE DID JHEJDGEWUIDG:UDHLKUQ *dies* ANYWAY SINCE IM SEEING IT AGAIN ON THE 28TH AFTER I SEE VENOM AT THE ALAMO ILL GET THE FULL EXPERIENCE!!!!!!!!! Also: i hate my brother hes an idiot and hes arguing marvel with me. HJJHGHJDG DIDNT SEE IT THE FIRST TIME BUT I SAW IT IN LIKE IMAX AT THE THEATER THE DOCTOR STRANGE 2 TRAILER THATS AMERICA CHAVEZ WITH THE STAR JACKET ITS GOTTA BE IDK IF YOU KNOW WHO THAT IS, BUT SHES ONE OF THE YOUNG AVENGERS SHES FRIENDS WITH KATE BISHOP(I ship them actually) AND SHE CAN OPEN LIKE, MULTIVERSAL SPACE PORTALS IN THE SHAPE OF A STAR SHES SO COOL IF SHES MCU, THEN THEY HAVE MOST OF THE YOUNG AVENGERS theres David(prodigy), Billy(Wiccan), Tommy(Speed), Teddy(Hulkling), Kate(Hawkeye), America(Ms America), Patriot(FORGOT HIS NAME HE WAS IN TFATWS), Noh-varr(Marvel-boy) and SOMETIMES Nate(Iron lad, but if the MCU was gonna do it they would probably make it Harley Keener) and..... I feel like im missing one? lemme think, i got wiccan and speed and their bfs, hawkeye and her bf, america and patriot... OH YEAH LOKI!!!!!!! o h m y g o d WHAT IF THEY DO KID LOKI Anyway. all the mcu is really missing is David and Teddy now, SO (guess theres the dillema of Billy and Tommy not existing....) OH MY GOD IM SO EXCITED FOR JARED LETO AND JARED HARRIS

[margokesses]

Quick question, do you ship Shang chi with any character in particular? Like, from what I know as of canon he's only dated Leiko Wu and like another girl (I think her name was Julie or something like that?) but that was only for a month. I also know that he kissed domino in her comic but uuh yeah, it seemed a bit inappropriate and forced to me tbh. Here in tumblr I've seen some people ship him with Jimmy Woo and Daniel Rand but I'm kind of curious on what your take would be! Cause this also factors in if you see Shang chi as straight, gay, bi or anything else. So yeah, thoughts?

For canon: I ship shang-chi with leiko. I haven't read a lot with her but I just like the idea of shang-chi being with this badass cool spy lady who does whatever she wants.

For non canon: I ship shang-chi with jimmy woo. I think they're similar in some ways and different in others. Like they're both trying to reform the evil companies they inherited into something good. But I feel like they have different morals. Like shang-chi is strict and always wants to do the right thing with the least amount of damage. And jimmy is willing to do whatever it takes in order to get the good outcome he wants.

And I think shang-chi is bisexual.

(Also yeah i read the domino comic and their whole relationship thing there was so weird...)

[pennywaltzy]

10. “It’s so quiet.” Shang-Chi/Katy

This is a missing scene before the Lake scene with Shang-Chi and Katy. Pre-ship, obviously.

Possibilities - Katy and Xialing chat as they try and sleep in Ta Lo.

---

"It's so quiet," Katy said out into the room she was sharing with Xialing.

"I noticed that too," she replied, turning to face Katy. "In Macau, there is always a backdrop of white noise."

"Yeah," Katy said with a slight nod. "Same in San Francisco."

"What is my brother like?" Xialing asked.

"Normal," Katy said. "He's a valet, like me. My mother treats him like her second son, and my grandmother adores him. I think she's got names picked out for our fictional children."

"Do you like him that way?" Xialing asked, turning to face Katy.

Katy was quiet for a moment, staring at the ceiling. "I never really thought about it. He's just been...there, I guess. But maybe a little."

"You would be a good partner for him," she replied. "With our past, seeing you accept it so well, and all of this...you would suit him."

"Ya think?" Katy asked, finally turning to face Xialing, who nodded. "Maybe it could work out."

"Well, I think he would have to admit feelings for you first, but I think my brother has them," Xialing said.

"And that's the sticking point," Katy said with a sigh. "It kind of all hinges on him seeing we'd be good together."

"Perhaps he'll come to his senses sooner rather than later," Xialing said.

Katy rolled onto her back again, her mind filling up with thoughts of her and Shaun ...no, Shang-Chi, in a relationship. It could work, maybe. It could even be nice. But it was all in his court now. "Yeah, maybe," she said, shutting her eyes. Maybe things could change between them if they all got out of this alive. 

Suddenly she got the urge to move, to talk to Shang-Chi like she did at home. There wasn't a phone to call him with, so she threw back her covers and got up, leaving as quietly as she could, missing the satisfied smile on Xialing's face.