Reiko - Blog Posts

General Shao (Childhood) Headcanon 

Warning: mentions of child abuse, bullying, terrible parent

Ever since General Shao’s backstory was revealed on the website I’ve believed he had a terrible (borderline hellish) childhood. 

To recap, Shao had the enthusiasm and brilliance to be a great warrior, but his body was too sickly to handle the physical training. Shao’s father did not like this and decided to design a strenuous program to build Shao’s strength. On the surface, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong but I believe Shao went through awful circumstances that made him the man he is. 

In Outworld, especially in professions that involve fighting, strength is considered the most important thing for a person. No doubt Shao’s father, a renowned Outworld general, would express these ideals and hate the reality of one of his children being considered weak. He would do anything to ensure his legacy was considered strong, which he did by ignoring Shao’s physicians and crafting a training program that could potentially worsen Shao’s condition. 

Because of his family’s reputation, Shao would be tormented by other children. Being pushed around and called worthless or a “sorry excuse to his family tree.” This would fester Shao’s anger and his drive to become stronger like his father, so he’s willing to go through the program. 

In other people’s eyes the program would be considered abusive, but Shao saw it as his father caring about him. He would excuse the days long training, survival training alone in the woods, his father’s harsh words, and not letting Shao eat or drink until he perfected his moves. 

Shao would also inherit his father’s demented beliefs in what being a warrior is and what Outworld needed. He would hear his father complain about the kingdom’s alliance with Liu Kang, hearing him call the fire god a “scoundrel” and “the bringer of Outworld’s downfall.” He’d be taught that domination is the true way to live rather than peace, compassion is considered weakness, death in battle is the greatest honor, and the only way to fight is on your terms. 

(Some of Shao’s intros inspired this headcanon, such as one of his intros with Liu Kang where he admits that he’s wanted to kill Liu Kang all his life, and an intro with Reiko where he tells him, “fight on your terms or don’t fight at all.” Also, Shao’s disgusted reaction to Raiden offering to help him to his feet after their fight inspired the part about Shao being taught that compassion is weakness.) 

Unfortunately Shao never learned that his father’s behavior was abuse since the bullying he faced stopped after being able to defend himself, instead he continues this cycle with Reiko. When it comes to his relationship with Reiko, I believe Shao cares about Reiko like a son but only learned how to express love through his father. He saw his old self in Reiko and wanted to share his feelings of strength with the young boy. He trained Reiko the same way as his father did to him and the results were the same- Reiko became a great warrior. I don’t think he’s manipulating Reiko to tame Onaga; Shao genuinely believes that his young ward is capable of doing the task, but thinks Reiko dying would be okay since his father taught him that dying in battle is an honor. Hopefully if Reiko dies taming Onaga (it’s highly possible with how powerful and rabid Onaga is), Shao lowers his guard and shows genuine care for Reiko. At least a sweet goodbye or a burial scene where we see him mourning his lost ward/son. 

I don’t think Shao would be redeemed if my headcanon turned out to be true, but I would hope that other characters would learn about his past and use it as a cautionary tale on how striving for strength is not worth losing your humanity. The possible tragedy Shao’s story could take would be interesting, especially when Liu Kang somewhat created the beginning of Shao’s life to give him the chance for redemption, yet it’s someone Liu never considered that turned Shao into the person he is. 

MK1 Character Writing Review

I'm curious about other fans' opinions on MK1's character writing. Personally, I think it's improved most characters but there are some issues.

Ashrah: I'm happy she's back because Ashrah was the 3D-era character I wanted to return. I really like that they kept her story from the 3D era but improved it. I'm curious to see if she'll get corrupted by the Kriss in the next game.

Baraka: His story improved immensely. I never cared for Baraka in the previous games since he wasn't developed enough and was just one of Shao Kahn's henchmen. Baraka being a victim of Tarkat makes him more sympathetic and interesting. I hope he gets a happy ending but I think he'll die in the later games.

General Shao: I'm a bit disappointed in how he was written. I was hoping we'd learn about his past and how it affected his personality. Shao was born with a weak body, so I expected his father to be abusive by forcing Shao to go beyond his limits. This would cause Shao to believe being strong is the only thing that matters. Hopefully, the next story portrays Shao as more than a stock villain.

Geras: I really liked this version of Geras compared to MK11's since he's more than Kronika's minion. He's loyal to Liu Kang but they are friends/partners, and Geras wants to protect Liu Kang's timeline because he believes in its potential.

Havik: I was really interested in learning about Havik, his powers, and the Chaos realm. I was disappointed that Havik was a minor character and his powers weren't explained. I heard that there will be a story taking place in Seido/Order Realm so I'm crossing my fingers that we'll have a great story for Havik and other Order/Chaos realm characters.

Johnny Cage: His backstory and personality didn't change that much which I'm glad for because MK9-11 Johnny had one of the best character arcs in that era. I really enjoyed his bromance with Kenshi and his comedic moments were really fun (my favorite was the Alien reference).

Kenshi: Kenshi's story was already good but it was improved upon and explored further. Kenshi wanting Sento to protect his family from the Yakuza and bring back the Taira clan made me sympathize with him, and actually seeing how he loses his sight was horrifying and broke my heart. His bromance was Johnny was one of my favorite parts and I hope they are in future games together.

Kitana: I found Kitana kind of bland. Unfortunately, with her old goal of wanting to be an Empress going to Mileena, she lost what made her interesting. She felt more like Mileena's sidekick rather than her own character. Maybe that'll change in future games since she's a part of Mileena's council.

Kung Lao: Kung Lao was likable and enjoyable. I don't have much to say other than that. I want the next story to explore his ego/arrogance and why he has that attitude. Although I really like Raiden as Earthrealm's champion, I sort of wish Kung Lao was the champion since he's wished for that opportunity for so long.

Li Mei: Li Mei is an okay character. She's kind of boring since she's a "follow the rules" character. Her and Sindel's friendship was the most interesting aspect of her. Li Mei's powers are really cool though, and I'm a big fan of Kelly Hu (her va).

Liu Kang: Having Liu Kang as Earth's protector and Time Keeper made his character more interesting compared to him being the "Chosen One." I am slightly disappointed in the way he was written. I expected/wanted Liu Kang to be a neutral good character where he's willing to do bad things to keep the peace. They kind of did that with Liu Kang creating meaningless lives for Shang Tsung and Quan-Chi, but he was never called out for those decisions. I also wanted the other characters to start questioning Liu Kang about why there are still tragedies occurring and why doesn't he intervene. Though we get it in the battle intros, I wanted it explored in the story. The writing for how Liu Kang's time powers was also pretty unclear. The power's restrictions were never specified so it's not obvious which events in the timeline are Liu Kang's mistakes or not.

Mileena: Adored her in this game! I love seeing Mileena happy for once with a loving family and a good life. I expected her to be overtaken by Tarkat the whole but was happy to see her with a regular mouth for most of the game. Having her as Empress is really interesting and can't wait to see more of that.

Nitara: I really wanted to like Nitara, yet she's so bland. I thought we would learn about Vaternius, and see Nitara being a truly neutral character. Compared to the other 3D characters in the game, she was the most disappointing.

Raiden: This version of Raiden is way more likable than previous iterations. He's nice, humble, handsome, and strong. He's literally the perfect man! I'd like his anger issues from the previous iterations to be developed in the next story. His anger would get out of control after a tragedy and he feels like being more ruthless is more beneficial to protecting everyone.

Rain: I don't have much to say about Rain. He's kind of boring and was sidelined in the game. Maybe he'll have some kind of connection to Delia and Argus, which will introduce them to the new timeline.

Reiko: Reiko's okay. The only thing I'm really interested in is his relationship with General Shao and it's mostly me wondering whether Shao is capable of caring/loving someone.

Reptile: Love this rendition of Reptile! Like Baraka, Syzoth is more complex and isn't only Shao Kahn's minion. He has one of my favorite designs in the game and his backstory shows the issue of internal racism. The only thing I'm iffy about is his family that was murdered was his wife and son since that is very similar to Baraka's backstory to losing his wife and children to Tarkat. Plus, it's kind of weird that he moved on with Ashrah relatively quickly. I would've preferred if his family were his parents or siblings.

Scorpion: At first, I was a bit iffy about Kuai Liang being Scorpion but think it was a good choice since it makes the rivalry between the Lin Kuei and the Shirai-Ryu more personal. I'm excited to see how his and Sub-Zero's story moves forward.

Sindel: Good queen and mom Sindel is best Sindel! She was very likable! I had a feeling she would die in the story though her soul being absorbed into Ermac was unexpected. I'm interested in where this story will go.

Shang Tsung: I really enjoyed how sassy Shang Tsung was, and was glad he was the main villain after so long. The only thing I'm disappointed in is we didn't see more of his backstory. Also, the idea of Shang Tsung being evil all along NRS was going with was pretty lame. I wanted to see whether Shang Tsung was truly born evil or if was he made that way because of his hardships. It being the latter would've been intriguing because it means Liu Kang technically created Shang Tsung.

Smoke: Smoke is a sweetie, but didn't have much going for him. I was really interested in Smoke when he was in MK9 so I expected him to have his own chapter and develop. Maybe the Lin Kuei/Shirai Ryu war will give me that.

Sub-Zero: I hoped Bi-Han would be an interesting antihero instead of a generic villain. His betrayal is fine, but I wish he was more indecisive or slightly regretful of his choice since he lost his brothers. For example, when he slashed Kuai Liang's eye, I wanted to see him be regretful and sorry for hurting his brother. We didn't get that, which is one of the biggest disappointments of the story.

Tanya: I'm neutral with Tanya. Personally, her role and personality are too similar to Jade's. She felt like a totally different character who happened to have the same name as the original Tanya. Changing a character's story is okay, yet there should be some part of the original iteration that stays. I do find her and Mileena super sweet and I hope they live a happy life.

fem!reiko save me.. fem!reiko…. save me fem!reiko

My boy, my boy, my boy

Don't love me like he promised

He ain't a man and sure as hell ain't honest

🌟 kitty 🌟

I'm just starting to learn how to work with lighting. I have nothing more to say.

Some mk doodles that I occasionally posted on Telegram.

I think I should give them a life here

В тг это постится чаще, к тамблеру интерес потихоньку угасает, так что...ни на что не намекаю, но

Напоминаю о том, что создала ТГК, ссылка под катом:')

I looked at the art with Reiko from a new angle and decided to correct it a little, and at the same time re-upload it, I really like it. I will not delete the old one for comparison. (Another version under cut)

The explanation of the situation is still in the same post. I didn't change anything here, although I had thoughts that it would be better to redraw it later.

ТГК: https://t.me/zdrawet_eshkere

I love him soooooo much 😔🖤

I'm learning to draw using references, and I finally decided to give Reiko all his masculinity in the image (it seems I've been playing around with my hcs for too long and need to stop)

REIKOMEI NATION WAKE UP WAKE UP REIKOMEI NATION!!!

I hated them at first, but now I even like them...they could have an interesting dynamic...

Ну всё. Рейко теперь точно альтушка

A shitty sketch based on a school au @slimjimfiend

There were more of them, but I couldn't even finish this one. But damn, I really like them. I'd like to read a fanfiction based on them 🙏🙏🙏

Не успокоюсь я в ближайшее время, видимо

Ну слишком уж песня за душу взяла 🥲

Mirèle - Ночные терзания

Я слишком долго думала об этом...

They're holding hands, believe me.

Песня Неверлав их сигнатурная

I don't give up and make it more bearable.

I still decided to make my previous art on paper and, honestly, I like it a little more. I hope I'm not clogging up the tags, and if so, I apologize 🙏🙏

На этом мои полномочия всё 🥲

This...isn't as good as I'd like, but it'll do.

I didn't initially plan to work with the background and lighting, so I didn't try.

A scene from my Church au, where Shao prepares Reiko for the sacrifice ritual (guess who the sacrifice is)

And without background

| MK1 | CHURCH AU.

Warning: I do not mean to offend anyone or any religion. This AU is only based on the concepts and images of various religions, but does not relate to them.

Characters and roles:

Reiko is a laborer who grew up in one of the rotten areas of Edenia. As a child, he was promised the life of a mercenary, a murderer, a robber, anyone, but a man without a soul and a bright future. The young man attended church all his life, hoping to find there the promised peace and his place in life. Reiko dreamed of becoming a deacon in order to conduct services with Father Shao, but the church flatly refused to accept him until the priest himself decided to take care of the young man, seeing potential in him.

Shao is the Holy Father, beloved by the entire church. At the moment, he takes the place of Jerrod, a priest expelled for his forbidden relationship with the Abbess Sindel, which led to the birth of two girls. That's...probably all that can be said about him, if I really decide to write a fanfic for this au...

Rain is a monk/nun. IMPORTANT POINT He wears a woman's attire (because I like the way it looks) He is the one with dozens of responsibilities, tormenting his poor body and soul, and the appearance of Reiko did not make his situation any easier.

Havik is one of the representatives of the cult founded by Quan Chi. Satanist or heretic, I haven't figured it out yet. He occupies the second oldest place and always bothers the church with his vandalism, open rioting in the square and the corruption of the Rain minds of the inhabitants, calling them to serve the Devil.

Mileena is a novice, the daughter of Sindel, born in a forbidden union. There are rumors that she... has certain inclinations and forbidden romantic relationships with one of the nuns, and also often turned to cultism, after which the Devil himself moved into her young body and fights every day with the unfortunate girl’s soul, which spoils not only her life, but also the reputation of the Edenian Church.

Kitana is a novice, Mileena's sister, Sindel's daughter. She is more pious and pure than the other girl. Calm, gentle, smart and reasonable. Kitana accepts any people and is ready for any fate, in the hope of finding eternal peace and peace for her family after death. Perhaps she will have to pay for the sins of her parents and help Mileena with her problems...

I really really want to write a big work on this au. These are collages for the main actors. In general, yes...it will contain some sad yaoi...👉👈

(I associate this with Lana Del Rey songs)

loving this new psd i .......

I LOVE YOU

THE ARMOR IS SO FUCKING. INTRICATE I WANT TO DIE!!!!!!!!

anyway, raiden soon

[i heard your call @strawberrmimlk]

I love you, Mortal Kombat subreddit...

Golden Boy (1995)

Happy end of Pride Month from my Ninjago Next Gen!

Remember that we are all valid!

So Gods Do Exist… (Mortal Kombat x OC) ((Kinda))

Part 2

It’s been months since they started training and everybody has progressed significantly. Raiden was currently sparring with multiple other monks, all of them challenging him at once. He was able to easily take them down and give them feedback on things they needed to get better at.

Lemon, a couple of feet away, was fixing her roller blades.

"What are you doing?" Raiden asked, walking towards the teenager.

"Did I ever tell you that one of the monks here is an inventor?" Lemon asked, putting her rollerblades on and standing up. "He redesigned my rollerblades so I could use them in kombat, look!"

She dashed away from Raiden and towards one of the training dummies they had. She then jumps up and goes to kick the dummies waist. The wheels underneath the rollerblades start moving at lighting speed and cut the top of the dummies body off.

Lemon then lands on her feet and turns to smile at Raiden who looked dumbfounded. "Isn't it so cool!?" She gushed, rolling back over to her friend. "Now I can kill people!"

"That's not exactly something to be excited about…" Raiden muttered, chuckling a bit. "But I'm happy you found something for you."

"I am too!" Lemon replied before noticed Johnny in the distance and running towards him. "Oooh, Johnny, Johnny! Record me!"

Raiden sighs and raises a brow in confusion when Kung Lao walks up to him with his hat in his hands. Raiden noticed the blades on the hat and became even more confused. “I don’t see how that’s a smart idea.”

“It’s genius, Raiden! And it actually works.” Kung Lao said, running his hand on the rim of the hat and accidentally cutting his hand. “Ow!”

“Still don’t think it’s smart.”

Kung Lao smirks at his friend and throws his hat to a nearby training dummy. The hat neatly cuts the head off and returns back to its owner who was still smirking at Raiden.

“Okay, I was wrong.” Raiden says with a small smile. Kung Lao smiles back and goes to put the hat back on his head but Lemon skates up to him and snatches the hat out of his hands and twirls it in her own.

“Lemon, stop doing that!” Kung Lao shouted, glaring at the teenager who was inspecting the hat.

“Pretty cool hat, did you make it yourself?” Lemon asked, ignoring the man’s glare.

“Yeah? So what?”

“Nothing, just wanted to recommend to you a guy that I know that can possibly make your hat even better. Just to…you know…give it an upgrade!” Lemon suggested, rolling over to the two and handing Kung Lao his hat back. “And maybe make it even more useful for the tournament we’re going to have!”

“Speaking of that.” Johnny interrupted, walking up to the trio. “When is it going to start!? I can’t base a cinematic universe on Outworld’s monsters and magic if I don’t ever see them.”

Kenshi, who was actually just going to walk past them, paused after hearing that and turned to Johnny in confusion. “That’s why you’re here?”

“Liu Kang said that this gig would change the arc of my life. That’s how it gets done. My ex’ll rue the day she gave up on me!”

Kenshi scoffs. “So selfless.”

“Don’t act like you’re any different, Tattoo. You’re only here for your sword.”

“We all have our reasons for being here.” Raiden chimed in. “Some better than others. But we are not here to fight amongst ourselves. We are here to fight for earthrealm.”

A gong goes off in the distance signaling the return of Lord Liu Kang.

“Finally.” Johnny comments as the five of them walk over to the God of Fire.

“And today, one of you will be chosen to fight for it at the tournament.” Liu Kang states.

“Only one of us?” Raiden repeats. “But isn’t outworld fielding multiple champions?”

“The tournament’s rules give the host realm that advantage. And it is Outworld’s turn as host.”

“You know, I don’t know why I never asked this, but what’s our record at this tournament?” Johnny asked.

“Earthrealm and Outworld have long been evenly matched. But Outworld is gaining strength. Should it win, its more militant factions will be emboldened.”

“But I thought you admired Outworld?” Raiden questioned.

“It is a place of great knowledge, wealth, and beauty.” Liu Kang explained, walking past the champions, motioning them to follow. “We coexist peacefully because Outworld respects our strength. Should we show weakness…our rival will become our enemy.”

“I will not lose, Lord Liu Kang.” King Lao stated, looking proud.

“First you must win the right to represent us. Whichever one of you outlasts the others will be chosen.”

“Okay, then I have a question.” Lemon spoke up. “The champion gets to fight in the tournament, which is cool, but what do the rest of us do? Do we just go home?”

“No, Lemon, you do not. Being Earthrealm’s champion doesn’t just mean you're only here for the tournament, you’re also here to protect earthrealm as a whole. So you will come with us to Outworld as both guests and guards.”

“Hm.”

Liu Kang sits on his chair while the rest of the monks around him hit on their knees.

“Lemon, step forward.” He demands. Lemon does as said and politely bows to the man.

Johnny laughs. “Good call! Send the weak one first.”

“Excuse me?” Lemon questioned, turning to glare at Johnny but then turns back to Liu Kang with a huge smile. “Let me beat his ass, please let me beat his ass.”

“He was going to be your opponent anyway.” Liu Kang responded. “Step forward, Johnny Cage.”

“Let’s gooo!!!” Lemon cheered as she and Johnny went to separate parts of the battlefield.

“Alright, fine.” Johnny smirked, getting into a fighting stance. “But don’t be upset when you're on the floor in pain.”

“Are we forgetting which one of us actually fought in matches before? Have you ever actually punched a guy on set?” Lemon questioned.

The fight took at least 2 minutes. Johnny was more on the offense but Lemon was easily dodging and at some point apprehended Johnny by forcing his arms behind his back and forcing him to the ground.

“Alright, alright! I give up!” Johnny called, wincing at the feeling of Lemon pulling his arms. “Don’t break my arms, you maniac!”

“Oh, crap, sorry.” Lemon apologized, getting off Johnny and putting her hands behind her back. “Force of habit.”

Johnny stood and rubbed his arm while looking at the teenager in shock. “Breaking people’s arms is a habit of yours!?”

“...Yeah, I worded that wrong…”

“Lemon has won this fight!” Liu Kang announced, motioning for the two to step off the battlefield. “Kung Lao, Kenshi Takahasi, you two are next.”

Lemon, at this point, has stopped paying attention to the actual fight (except that one time Kung Lao almost sliced Kenshi’s neck off and started spewing apologies, which was something she thought he couldn’t do.) Anyways, Kung Lao won the fight so now they’re taking a small break before the last two fights.

“You want me to try and fight the man who’s ALWAYS won against me?” Lemon questioned, looking at Liu Kang in shock.

“It sounds like you’re already prepared to lose.” Liu Kang noticed.

“Yes…yes I am. Doesn’t mean I’m not still trying, but I’m like 80% sure I'm going to get my ass kicked.”

“I’m going to take all of that as a compliment.” Raiden chuckled. “But Lemon, you have been getting better and better. Don’t just assume you are going to lose”

“Eh, we’ll see how good I got with this fight.”

Lemon got her ass kicked. 

It was genuinely a pretty close fight, but Raiden has continued to prove that he was the better fighter.

“See?” Lemon sighs, letting Raiden help her up. “You’re just the better fighter, man.”

“Even so, it was an honor fighting you again.” Raiden replied.

“It was fun.”

“Our final battle will be Kung Lao and Raiden!” Liu Kang announces as Lemon walks off the battlefield to where Kenshi and Johnny are.

“Man…I was so close to winning…” Lemon complained, leaning on Kenshi’s arm. “I didn’t even want to fight in the tournament, I just wanted to kick Kung Lao’s ass…”

“Just ask him to spar later, it’s not that complicated.” Kenshi said, simply, making Lemon glare at him.

“It wouldn’t feel the same, I needed to crush his hopes and dreams like I did with him.” Lemon points to Johnny who looked flabbergasted.

“My dream wasn’t to fight in the tournament! It was to make a badass movie about it!” Johnny argued.

“Yeah, but you thought you were going to win against me and I immediately proved you wrong!”

“Shhh!” Kenshi interrupted. “They’re about to fight.” He then lightly bumped Lemon off of him. “And stop leaning on me.”

“Wha!? Loser…” Lemon muttered, crossing her arms and turning to face Kung Lao and Raiden’s fight.

“Fifty bucks says Kung Lao wins.” Johnny bets.

“Make it interesting.” Kenshi suggests. “Bet me Sento.”

“Ha! Not on your life.”

Liu Kang gets up from his seat and walks over to Kung Lao and Raiden saying, “The winner of this match will represent Earthrealm against Outworld. It is a grave duty, not to be taken lightly. You may step back now and suffer no dishonor.”

“I choose to fight, Lord Liu Kang.” Raiden states.

“As do I.” Kung Lao adds.

“Then may the best person win.” Liu Kang says, bowing to the two and sitting back down.

Raiden and Kung Lao face each other, backing away to their own part of the battlefield.

“Concede, Raiden. You have never beaten me, that won’t change today.” Kung Lao gloated.

“No. If the monks have taught us one thing, it’s that the only constant in the universe is change.” Raiden disagreed as they both got into a fighting stance.

Raiden, in the end, proved right as he ended up as the one standing in victory. “There is a first time for everything, Kung Lao.” He said, helping his best friend to his feet.

Liu Kang stands up from his seat and walks back over to the two with something in his hand. “Although you have all trained well, Raiden has excelled. This outcome does not surprise me.” He announces.

“How could I…” Kung Lao mumbled before politely bowing to Raiden. “Congratulations.”

“For the tournament…” Liu Kang started, presenting a small box and opening it. Inside was a blue amulet. “You will need this. Forged by the Elder Gods, it gives the wearer power over lightning and thunder. Go ahead. Try it.”

Raiden took the amulet out and examined how electricity came out of it and into his hand. He then turned to the statue behind him, tightened his grip on the amulet and aimed it at the statue. A powerful blast of electricity came out of the amulet and hit the statue, shocking everybody.

“Holy Arc of the Covenant!” Johnny gasped, recording the entire thing.

“That’s so loud…” Lemon muttered, covering her ears.

“It is incredible.” Raiden breathes, pulling his hand back. “But is it necessary?”

“In addition to possessing great might, the Outworlders you will face also wield great might.” Liu Kang explains. “The amulet levels the playing field.”

“You must be careful, Raiden.” Kung Lao worries, putting his hand on Raiden’s shoulder. “You could get hurt. Even killed!”

“Nobody has ever been grievously injured or killed in the tournament, there’s no need to worry.” Liu Kang reassures. “I would never send my champions unwittingly into mortal kombat.”

Raiden nods in response as Liu Kang announces to the others, “We leave in seven days for Outworld’s capital, Sun Do. The tournament will be held at the palace of Empress Sindel.”

7 days later the group (and a few other people) were standing in front of some sort of gate or teleportation system (whatever it was, nobody really knew). Liu Kang started opening the portal and while doing that explained to the others to stay focused and not feel overwhelmed by all the new changes that he described as intoxicating.

Johnny was, of course, recording everything and even tried to record Kenshi’s reaction. Kenshi slapped his phone away from his face as they all walked through the portal.

Outworld was exactly as the God of Fire described. Intoxicating, a bit overwhelming and colorful. It honestly looked like a true palace and that made Lemon so excited. In front of them were guards and two women. One dressed in pink and one dressed in blue.

“Oh my…” Johnny breathed as the women started to walk down the stairs. “Are those…”

“Empress Sindel’s daughters, yes.” Liu Kang answered.

“They do not disappoint.”

“We are Earthrealm’s ambassadors, Johnny. We’ll show them respect. Not unwanted attention.” Raiden scolded.

“Sure…”

Kung Lao noticed Lemon rapidly looking around at their environment and put a hand on her head to calm her down. “Stay focused.” He reminded her.

“Right. Sorry.” Lemon apologized.

“Lord Liu Kang, welcome.” The pink woman greeted as the Earthrealmers bowed.

“Thank you, Princess Mileena.” Liu Kang replied.

“You remember my sister?”

“Of course, Princess Kitana.” Liu Kang then motions to the people behind him. “May I introduce Johnny Cage, Kung Lao, Cheri Carr, who prefers to go by Lemon, Kenshi Takahasi and Earthrealm’s champion…Raiden.”

“I hope you’re prepared, Raiden.” Kitana warned. “Our champions are determined to win.”

“None more so than me.” Mileena added. “It’s been too long since we’ve known victory.”

“Princess Mileena…” One of the guards called, walking over to the princess. “We should be on our way. Empress Sindel awaits.”

“Thank you, Tanya.” Mileena then turns to their guests. “Follow me, please.”

They led them to two carts and asked them to climb on. Both were able to hold four people at a time so Kung Lao, Kenshi, Johnny and Kitana sat in one cart while Raiden, Liu Kang, Lemon and Mileena went in the other cart. They rolled through the village where a festival was taking  place. There was music and people dancing, it was so vibrant and colorful that it had drawn both Lemon AND Raiden’s attention.

“Those are Centaurians…” Raiden noticed, looking at the people in the crowd. “And Shokan!”

“The six-armed beings are Naknadans.” Mileena informed.

“The monks described them, but seeing them in person…” 

“It’s so cool!” Lemon gushed, slightly leaning over Raiden to see outside the cart as well. “I wonder what it’d be like to have six arms, that must be fun!”

“But wouldn’t it be a bit crowded?” Raider questions.

“Yeah, probably.”

“I see that Her Majesty one again spares no expense on the festival.” Liu Kang noticed.

“Should she not?” Mileena inquired. “It commemorates my late father.”

“I admire, Princess. I do not judge. As did all of Outworld, I valued greatly Jerrod’s fellowship.”

“And I thought the academy would be the best thing I’ve ever seen…” Lemon muttered, quietly grabbing Kung Lao’s hand and putting it on her head so she could force herself to focus.

“No offense, Liu Kang, but why bring a child here?” Kenshi asked Liu Kang, eyeing Lemon.

“She’s a warrior, just like the rest of you. She just became one in a shorter amount of time.” Liu Kang answered. “You saw that when she fought Johnny and Raiden.”

“I suppose you're right.” Kenshi agreed.

"Don't let her childish nature fool you."

Raiden was standing next to the two, slightly fidgeting with his fingers and deep in thought. He was worried and not exactly sure if he’d truly win this tournament.

Liu Kang noticed. “Worry expends energy for no purpose, Raiden.” He said.

“But the tournament, if i lose–”

“Focus on your actions, not the outcome. It is all you can control.”

A buff creature with horns walks through the town people, bumping into them without a care in the world.

“Red alert.” Johnny commented. “Incoming stock villain.”

"General Shao." Liu Kang informed. "Do not let him goad you."

The general notices the group and stomps towards them, standing in front of Raiden. "Is it me or is Earthrealm's champion scrawnier than usual?" He asked.

"Would you care to test his strength?" Kung Lao challenged. "Raiden will-"

"Will prove himself eventually." Liu Kang interrupted, pushing Kung Lao behind him.

"Have you still not told most Earthrealmers that Outworld exists?" General Shao asks. 

"It is safer that way, General."

"I suppose so. Your people's frail minds couldn't handle the truth."

"You presume them frail, General? Should you? Given how frequently they win this tournament?"

"We will destroy your champion, Liu Kang. He will taste no victory."

The General then storms off as the Empress walks into the palace along with her daughters, Mileena and Kitana. They showed how powerful they were just by walking to their seats.

"Welcome, members of the royal house. Welcome, our esteemed Earthrealm guests." The empress greeted. "We gather once again to honor my late husband's legacy. To continue the tournament that he founded with Lord Liu Kang in hopes that it would foster peace among the realms. May Jerrod's soul watch over us with pride from its resting place in the Living Forest. Lord Liu Kang.”

“Empress Sindel.” Liu Kang responds. “It pleases me to once again be your guest.”

“Here, you are always welcome. Now. Let us meet your champion.”

“Earthrealm’s champion is Raiden, Your Majesty.” Liu Kang steps to the side to show off his champion. “He has earned his place by embodying the very best qualities of Earthrealm’s people.”

“You seem nervous, young man.” Sindel notices.

“I’m a stranger in an unfamiliar land, here to compete against its greatest fighter. Yes, I am nervous.” Raiden says.

“As you should be. You have a difficult path ahead.” Sindel then stands up and announces, “It has begun!” A woman walks into the palace as Sindel continues to speak. “As tradition requires, Outworld’s initial competitor will be Sun Do’s First Constable…Li Mei. May she defend out realm’s glory as well as she preserves our capital’s order.”

Li Mei walks up to the empress and bows. “Your Majesty, I will honor both the royal house, and all of Outworld with my kombat.”

Sindel puts a hand on her shoulder. “If so, you will vastly exceed my expectations.” She says before whispering, “Remember, were it not for Jerrod’s tradition, you would not be here.”

“All you need do is your best.” Liu Kang says to Raiden. “The rest will take care of itself.”

“Yes, Lord Liu Kang.” Raiden replies. Liu Kang then walks away as Raiden and Li Mei face each other.

“Shall we see what you can do?” Li Mei asks.

“Hopefully, this will be the first of many victories.”

“I will prevail, Earthrealmer. This fight is more important to me than you can ever know.”

The fight ended with Raiden’s first win. Li Mei ended up on the floor in embarrassment.

“Guess Raiden’s really got this.” Kenshi mutters, watching Li Mei walk out of the palace.

“Of course he does. He’s bested all of us in kombat, why wouldn’t he best Outworld as well?” Kung Lao questions.

“My compliments, Raiden, on a well fought match.” Sindel congratulates. “We’ll see how you fare in the next. General Shao, Whom have you chosen as our next competitor?”

“Your Majesty, I have chosen Reiko, my second-in-command.” The General answers. Reiko then walks into the palace. “As a bot, Reiko was orphaned during the Kafallah War. Though Captured, his spirit remained unbroken. He scratched, clawed and survived.”

“He reminds me of Grumpy Cat.” Lemon chuckled.

“After the war, I took him in, molded him into the perfect soldier. Few others are as well versed in the ways of war.”

Reiko stood in front of Raiden and started punching and kicking the air either to show off, or intimidate Raiden (Which doesn’t even work.) He then asks, “In whose army have you served? In what war have you fought?”

“I have done neither.” Raiden admits.

“Then you are woefully unprepared, Earthrealmer. This will be your last battlefield.”

They always have some dramatic speech before Raiden beats them up. At this point it was a bit amusing to see Reiko get beat. Lemon had to cover her mouth to stop any laughs from coming out.

“Felled by a simple farmer.” Raiden brags, leaving Reiko to lay on the ground as he turns to Sindel. “I am ready for my next opponent, Your Majesty. Whom shall I face?”

“Patience, young man.” Sindel says, standing from her throne. “We are adjourned until first light. I hope to see you all at this evening’s banquet.”

“May I ask a question, Your Majesty?” Lemon asked, standing in front of the Empress. Liu Kang was watching from afar to make sure the woman didn’t say anything stupid or offensive.

“Yes, you may.” Sindel replies.

“Why do we say “Your Majesty” instead of “My Majesty”? I’ve always had questions about that.”

Sindel’s eyes widened a bit in surprise. Out of all the questions, she wasn’t expecting that. “You truly are young, aren’t you?” she chuckles. “Majesty means honor. So it’d be a bit abnormal for people to say “My Majesty” because that would mean they have honor, which they do not.”

“Ooohhh. Okay.” Lemon nods, bowing to the empress. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Of course.”

“I could’ve answered that question for you.” Liu Kang says as Lemon walks back to her seat, next to Raiden.

“Really? I just thought it’d make sense to ask the Empress herself.” Lemon shrugs. “Wait, did she just call me young? I’m 17…”

“I’m pretty sure everybody here is older than 20.” Kung Lao comments. “You just have to admit you are the youngest one here.” He shrugs, smirking at Lemon who glared at him.

“Don’t talk to me with your mouth full.” Lemon scoffs, leaning back on her chair and crossing her arms.

“So, what sort of name is Lemon?” Kitana asks from across the table. “Is it referencing the fruit or something else?”

“The fruit.” Lemon answers, her smile coming back to her face. “It’s just a nickname that stuck with me.”

“I still don’t understand how it’s supposed to match with your name.” Johnny chimed in, leaning his head on his hand.

“You’ll figure it out at some point, it’s extremely basic, I promise you.”

Kitana perked up. “Oh! Che–”

“Don’t give him the answer! Keep it to yourself!” Lemon interrupts, holding her hand up.

“What!?” Johnny exclaimed.

“I just wanna see how long it takes you to figure it out.”

Mileena, a few feet away, started to quietly groan in pain as she held her stomach. Tanya walks over to her and puts a hand on her shoulder. “Are you unwell, Princess?” She whispers.

“I am fine, Tanya.” Mileena answers.

“I know I’m to fight Mileena…” Raiden started. “But will I also face Tanya?”

“By tradition, you will not.” Liu Kang responds. “But if you did, you would be challenged.”

“How so?”

“Umgadi, like Tanya, are warrior priestesses. Selected from the first born daughters of Outworld. From infancy, they are trained to defend the royal family.”

“Outworld must see much conflict if the Empress needs such protection.”

“Its past has been difficult. Though the last thousand years of Empress Sindel’s reign have been a true golden age, the memories of the strife still linger.”

Sindel stands up from her seat with a drink in hand. “My husband Jerrod believed that the future of our realms lay together. Let us move forward in open dialogue, letting no secrets tear our bonds asunder.”

Everybody stands up with their drinks as Raiden continues the speech. “Your Majesty, It’s an honor to be here and to meet your people. I can already see there’s more that joins us than divides us.”

Shao lets out a sarcastic laugh and stands up from his seat. “Our people could not be more different, champion.” He disagrees.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Earthrealmers are devoid of all–”

“That’s enough, General.” Sindel interrupts, glaring at him.

“My apologies, Your Majesty. Perhaps I’ve enjoyed too much of this excellent wine. With your permission…”

“You may go.”

The General walks off, knocking his glass off the table. Reiko follows after. The silence was loud after that, with no one daring to say a word.

“I am sorry about that.” The empress apologizes. “I’ll deal with him later. Liu Kang, you can show your warriors to the room you’ll all be staying in.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Liu Kang responds.

The “room” in question was more like a mansion than anything. It was made mostly out of wood but it was able to hold the six of them and the rest of the monks from Earthrealm.

“This just feels like a better orphanage.” Lemon comments, going up the stairs to one of the rooms and looking inside it. There were two pairs of bunk beds inside. “Yep.”

“Oh god, bunk beds!?” Johnny exclaims, looking inside the room as well. “Why would I wanna sleep with these people!?”

The rest of the group ignored them and just decided who would sleep in what room. Raiden, Kung Lao, Kenshi and Johnny were all going to sleep in one room while Lemon slept with, Bi-Han, Kuai Liang and Tomas (She still kept calling him “gray guy”)

Was Lemon happy she had to sleep with a bunch of grown men that she barely talked to? No. But it’s better than sleeping alone in her own room. That terrifies her.

“So, how does it feel to be famous?” Lemon asked Johnny. The two were in the living room with a bunch of other monks who were talking amongst themselves. Kung Lao and Kenshi were also there while Raiden went to sleep early to be prepared for the continuation of the tournament.

“Why are you asking me? Aren’t you famous as well?” Johnny inquired, holding a glass of wine in his hand.

“Well yeah, but I’m assuming that being a famous actor is different from being a famous kickboxer.”

“Sure, I might be famous because of how handsome I am while you’re famous for kicking a person, but I’m sure there’s some things that are similar. Like…can you just freely walk around your neighborhood without someone running up to you for an autograph?”

“No.”

“Do you feel like you need to be perfect?”

“Yes.”

“Do you need to always question who your actual friends are because one of those people could be a jealous asshole?”

“Yeah–Oh.”

“See? We have some similarities.” Johnny says, taking a sip of his wine. “When did you start to become famous?”

“When I was eleven.” Lemon answered, moving to cross her legs on the couch they both were sitting on. “I was already good at fighting but Justice showed me how much people would pay to see “professional” fighting. So…yeah.”

“Do you have any sort of goal?”

“Get out of the orphanage I live in. Take my girlfriend with me. My other two friends already left while we were training with the monks. Then after that…who knows! I just can’t wait until February! Being famous kinda sucks but you get money out of it.”

“True that!” Johnny laughed.

“So, do you have a goal Johnny?” Lemon inquired.

“I’m losing my fame a bit so I’m just trying to get that back. Main reason why I joined you all. I’m gonna make it big once again by making a movie out of this!”

“A movie? About Raiden fighting in the tournament?” Lemon questioned. “Sure, the people here look cool as hell but just making a movie about a tournament is kinda…eh.”

“Well, of course it’s not going to be just the tournament. Something interesting is going to happen at some point. we just have to patiently wait for the drama to start.”

“Patiently? Dude, ever since I’ve met you, you’ve been complaining about how long something was taking.”

“I’m a changed man now!” Johnny insisted.

“Ha! Sure.” Lemon laughs, looking at the table in front of them.

The continuation of the tournament was held outside the palace on the side of it. The seats where the Empress and her daughters were was in front of the area where the audience was supposed to be, so the fights would be right in front of them.

Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Kenshi, and Johnny were with the rest of the audience also feeling proud for their champion. Lemon was on top of Kung Lao’s shoulders due to a bet they made (she won), trying her hardest not to accidentally fall backwards and hurt them both. Raiden, as of right now, was standing proudly where he was, having already beaten three other people.

“Only two fighters remain. Are you ready, Earthrealmer?” Sindel asked Raiden.

“I am, Your Majesty.” Raiden assures.

“Then next you face my daughter. Kitana”

The two final fights went like this: Raiden beats Kitana (Mileena was absent for some reason) and Raiden beats General Shao (does this man have an actual name?).

“It’s over…” Raider realizes as a smile slowly creeps up on his face. “I have done it!”

Sindel stands up along with her daughter. “Congratulations, Raiden. Earthrealm wins.” The two walk away as Raiden walks towards General Shao who was on the ground in pain.

“May I assist you?” He asks, lending the general his hand.

“Stay away, Earthrealmer!” The general scoffs, whacking the man’s hand away. Raider backs away, getting his message.

“Well done.” Liu Kang congrats. “You have exceeded my greatest expectations.”

“Thank you, Lord Liu Kang.” Raiden replies.

“Because of you, the Outworlders who would disturb the peace will once again be held at bay.” Liu Kang then puts a hand on Raiden’s shoulder and guides him to the others. “Come. Let us bid our hosts farewell and return to Earthrealm.”

“You did great, Raiden!” Johnny complimented as they all walked off the field.

“Well done!” Kenshi added.

“Thank you, but uh…” Raiden turns to Kung Lao and Lemon in slight confusion. “Kung Lao, why is Lemon on top of you?”

“Lost a bet…” Kung Lao sighs.

“They’ve been making bets since last night.” Kenshi informs.

“You should’ve been awake to see it!” Johnny laughs. “Kung Lao lost every. Single. Bet.”

“He keeps trying though. To prove he can beat me, but he never will.” Lemon smirks, leaning her arms on Kung Lao’s head. “Isn’t that right, Kung Lao?”

“I will win a bet eventually, just wait and see!” Kung Lao announces.

“No. Kung Lao, just stop before she takes all your money along with your pride.” Raiden warned.

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Picrew link: TOON ME!