Another test run, and these are just bullet points not full blown stories. I've already written another bimbo reader post so I suggest checking that out. Please do requests if this isn't enough.
This one is just Bi Han, Kuai Liang, Hanzo, Shang Tsung and Johnny.
"I need to die looking good."
Bi Han Noob Saibot
He doesn't understand your constant need to dress up and put makeup on, but he won't say anything about it. A lot of women are just like that, so Bi Han just figured it's a female thing. Misogynistic of him, but he doesn't care.
While seeing him training you gladly set up a chair and watched him from afar whilst drinking a cocktail, and you've attached yourself to him ever since. He couldn't take you seriously at first, but he could only admit to himself that your dense personality was a little adorable.
When the blood got too much you would hide your face in his chest, which he didn't mind even though some makeup stains would go on his clothes.
When he returned as Noob Saibot he swore to make you drop dead gorgeous, even if you already were. But you would join him in death as his revenant lover. Quan Chi was sure to give you the best manicures so long as you were loyal to him.
Kuai Liang
As a man that puts Lin Kuei traditions in high regard he could understand your need for the newest fashion and dressing well. He showed you his wardrobe and you decided to copy his style, which he found adorable.
He likes having tea with you, but you're certain he must try a frappe or at least a smoothie.
Kuai isn't one for public affection, Lin Kuei and all, but he lets you climb over him. If he's not disciplining Frost or the other Lin Kuei then he's snogging you in the snow. After you drag him into it at least. He only initiates things first if you guys are alone.
Although you didn't understand a lot of things he could appreciate you being there for him to give comfort on sensitive topics.
Hanzo 'Scorpion' Hasashi
It was like talking to a different Johnny Cage in his opinion. It was a bit jarring to have you flirting with him and not get the slightest hint that he's not interested since revenge was on his mind. It was after he was brought back as Hanzo Hasashi that he appreciated your presence more.
The Shirai Ryu are ninjas, so that meant blending into society when on mission and you had a lot of things to say about clothing choices.
The Shirai Ryu shrine looked better than he remembered, you had given him ideas on the layout and studied a thing or two on Japanese culture to make it legit.
When he caught you teaching the new members cheerleading moves he knew he had to be more welcoming with you, because those were complicated moves. And it showed him you were no stranger to teamwork. Hanzo could see the beauty in that.
Shang Tsung
This villainous man came across you giving Mileena style tips and fixing her hair. He had no clue how you snuck into the private parts of the palace, but he suspected you were partially from the Chaosrealm.
Mileena didn't react well to your absence, and after Kitana's rejection she seemed to have formed an attachment to you so Shang expected you around the palace. Shao Kahn was glad that Mileena had a nice person to look up to, so he was fine with you in the palace.
Shang had you participate in the tournament for a reason, but he underestimated your powers as well as your fighting abilities. Such beauty in combat is rare.
Johnny Cage
Barbie and Ken in the eyes of many Earthrealmers, but you two are the 'it' couple when it comes to vanity, expensive taste, and being drama queens.
He is your husband, your best friend, and your mirror. Your super power was convenience and getting yourself out of serious situations, but how it acted up was at random times. Johnny could relate to that.
In the meantime, you could both bathe in the spotlight, and the cameras. And your friends from home can be jealous and gush about you marrying an actor.
It was a match made in pink and green.
Edenian supremacism probably comes with the Sindel retcon. They were originally allies of Earthrealm and as much victims of Shao Kahn as anyone else - Kitana and Jade were actually freedom fighters for Edenia. Why they're now apparently all soulless pieces of shit (and why the narrative turns against Kitana beginning with Aftermath, seriously listen to how Spawn just dunks on her), I think, has to do with a change in society as a whole.
As more and more previously unheard people speak up and tell their stories, more and more narratives are getting flipped, and rightly so - those we've been told to admire all our lives are turning out to be bigots at best and greedy, power-hungry butchers or heartless religious zealots at worst. Conversely, the people society whose voices society wishes it could silence - BIPOC, LGBTIA+, workers, those with disabilities (ND included), really anyone who's suffered at the hands of the powerful and privileged - are finally starting to be vindicated, to have their complaints validated, and their stories heard.
In other words, our heroes are turning out to be way worse people than our villains ever were, and fiction is starting to reflect this; The Boys would be a textbook example, nobody with superpowers in that franchise is anywhere near heroic, and honestly I'm a little disturbed that anyone would want to play Homelander in MK. The Edenians were presented as the most virtuous in the original universe, so they were the obvious choice to be the rotten bastards in MK11 (not a choice I exactly agree with, or even the Sindel retcon at all, but if I got to make every choice cheese curds would grow on trees, so)
Having made that observation, I still consider having villains more sympathetic than your heroes to be an immense failure on the part of the author. Let's be real, "princess" is part of Kitana's identity, and that implies she's up to her eyeballs in some sort of privilege. The thing is, free will exists, and privilege does not (or should not) hard-lock you into being an asshole. Even Kitana could have chosen integrity and real compassion, to do what's best for the people even when it came at expense to herself, but nope, she chose to play footsie with Kotal's buddies and attack people for not meeting her sky-high standards.
This is not the Kitana Outworld deserves, and this is not the Kitana the MK community deserves.
I'm falling asleep at my laptop rn, so good night and thank you for pointing out that Sonya is trash.
Goodnight.
Not gonna lie, I always saw Sindel as an evil character even with the whole mind control thing. If their own queen was willing to kill her own husband, an Edenian, to have a stronger one (Outworld-ian) then they shouldn't be flabbering about supremacy.
I've been meaning to vent out about Sonya but didn't know when.
"I'm a little disturbed that anyone would want to play Homelander in MK" I thought this was a joke when I first heard it, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone actually meant it.
When it comes to villainising the heroes I think it's more of a Severus Snape situation, where we the viewers find out there's more to the villains and the heroes. I think NRS figured we were tired of goody two shoes and wanted to see those goody two shoes be more humanised, if humanised means less decent. And then proceeded to butcher some beloved characters, I guess. Harry's been told his parents were good people only to find out they did terrible things. When shown that Mileena just wanted a family we can hold some kind of sympathy for her, even though it doesn't excuse the fact that she's a blood thirsty killer.
One thing to be noted is that there's a lack of consistency when it comes to the games, and not just designs, so when you're talking about "those we've been told to admire all our lives are turning out to be bigots at best and greedy, power-hungry butchers or heartless religious zealots at worst." I think it's the writers changing their minds to fit the mindset of current audiences, acknowledging that it's not just kids playing the games nowadays and it's their way of making things more realistic.
As a Johnny Cage stan, I can very much tell you that there's a lot of things wrong with him, but he's an angel in comparison to the other heroes. (even if he was sexist and mouthy in the past, he is the most relatable) He is a good example when making a flawed character in my opinion, or maybe I'm being too soft on the guy.
I don't think Scorpion was held accountable for screwing everyone over, either. Or killing Bi Han. Poor Bi Han.
Sirius black gets thrown into jail for 13 years, James and Lily die, Remus has to live a tough life.
Me: Ya'll deserved that.
I have a broken sense of humour, so forgive me. But the fact that VICTOR CREED not only fathered a non-mutant child, but also that same non-mutant child became a politician, suit and all. Sabretooth, a man where the word 'Barbarian' comes to mind, fathered a political figure. Granted, Graydon is as much a monster as Mr Creed senior, but the vision is everything.
Can you imagine the shenanigans?
Graydon being forced to go back on his words about his anti mutant propaganda, and talk about how they're not so bad because a list of nice things they done for him in order to avoid getting a spanking.
Graydon opening up about his mutant background, and how his anti mutant propaganda came from hating himself and his mommy issues, and how he learned that doesn't mean other mutants are the same, and using that to advocate for mutant acceptance.
Graydon getting some kind of promotion, and a party being hosted to celebrate it. Then Sabretooth crashes it, gets drunk and starts embarrassing Graydon in front of all his co-workers and fellow politicians. Saying stuff like "Just to think all those decades ago you was in my balls!"
His co-workers recognising that Graydon's cat-like habits come from Sabretooth. Standoffish with people he's just met. Hissing or growling when annoyed. Disturbing people, but not liking when others bother him. Having no concern for other people's belongings. His co-workers noticing how he avoids people when he's stressed, just like a cat.
Getting asked awkward questions at interviews like "Do laser pointers bother you?" and "Do you eat lots of fish?". Graydon trying his best to stay professional and not lose his cool.
Graydon being forced to stand next to Sabretooth, and everyone pointing out how small he looks in comparison despite being very tall, because Victor is HUGE.
Graydon being forced to acknowledge his other siblings from Mystique's side, and coming to the realisation that Logan is his uncle.
Graydon trying to force Victor and Logan to form a momentary truce just so they can take a good picture for the front page of a news paper (for mutant positivity reasons). Many fights ensue, and it takes over 60 attempts until a picture is taken where Victor is holding up a struggling Logan with a grin prepared to throw him, and the headline being "Sabretooth excited to reunite with little brother" or something.
Graydon meeting with Professor X to discuss the needs of mutants, and bumping into his cousin Laura, who hasn't forgiven him for his anti mutant days.
Professor X helping him with his inner trauma, and unpacking the trauma Mystique put him through, and the shame he felt knowing his parents were bad people, and being normal as the only thing he can cling to in efforts to avoid believing he's like them. How Graydon wants a family deep down, and actively hunted mutants to get attention from one or both his parents. How Graydon always wanted acceptance, and being abandoned caused a dilemma within him that lasted decades.
Graydon being forced to spend his holiday in Canada, and staying indoors at a cabin while Victor gathers firewood because he can't handle the snow.
Being forced to embrace his Canadian heritage.
It's fine. I should be the one apologising since I shouldn't have gotten so heated. I felt the need to defend my ship. I interpreted the post as you bashing the ship.
I don't think Ayano 'deserves' better, she can choke. I think the shippers believing that are either people who deep down believe they can change a bad person, like most delusional people, or young teens who don't fully understand/can't comprehend the severity of the situation. I think the fact that it's fiction also has something to do with it.
There's something psychological about it that I am not qualified to get into, but I can only theorise.
Whenever I see people saying "Ayano should dump Taro's ass and go with Budo, he's SO MUCH BETTER than him!", I ask: ...why are you so desperate to see Budo go through what Jokichi was subjected to? Do you secretly hate him or are you just masochists? Ayano is not a good match for ANYONE.
ooh this is gonna be long
Yes you have a good point! Ayano isn't a good match for anyone and it doesn't make sense to suggest that she should be with Taro or that she should dump Taro and go for someone "better" because whoever she ends up with is doomed to live in captivity among other unpleasant things. So why would people say this?
1. They don't know the game's concept very well, especially evidenced by the fact that they think Ayano is in control of whoever it is that she's obsessed with. She isn't. Stands to reason that if they don't know that, they ALSO don't know that being Ayano's lover is definitely not a good thing.
2. They forgot to mention that they're talking about their AU/rewrite in which Ayano isn't a bad person. Like it's very clear that some people like to pretend that Yandere Simulator's problematic characters aren't problematic. What if the bullies weren't bullies? What if the delinquents weren't delinquents? What if Ayano is just a slightly more cunning than average schoolgirl experiencing her first crush? That makes the game more enjoyable to them so that's the lens through which they perceive it, and when they talk about it, that's what they mean.
3. They know exactly what they're talking about and they're curious about how Budo might respond to being put into such a situation. Wanting to see bad things happen to a character doesn't necessarily mean hating them. There are characters in Danganronpa that I think should die, but I don't hate them as much as I hate Vlad from Magicka. FUCK that conniving little "nyeh nyeh I'm not a vampire!" bastard. Point being, they may not hate Budo, but they might think that it would be more interesting to see Budo in that position than Taro.
So which is it? Honestly... I hope the first one, because it's the best compromise between non-offensive and actually realistic. I don't think it's the third solely because the focus is on what kind of guy Ayano deserves to be with, not on who would make a better Magic Senpai. The second one is just... guys, you know Yandere Simulator is gonna be an M Rated game, right? Bad people do bad things. Ayano isn't a good person, even if you play pacifist, because her aim is to take away another person's agency over their life. I've talked about this before with Info-chan but it applies to e v e r y problematic aspect of the game. But I can't really blame anyone who says that Ayano deserves Budo over Taro just out of ignorance. Realistically it's probably a mix of the first and second options tho.
Coming from a card-carrying Kitana stan who also thinks Jade is super dope:
You forgot the part where Kabal accuses Jade of torture and we have no reason not to believe him.
Seriously, you are the second person I've seen hold Jade accountable for anything. Kitana deserves every bit of condemnation she gets (and possibly more) for how cruel she can be, but Jade gets off easy because people only see the Super Chill Bestie and not someone with very low regard for Tarkatans and their lives.
Having said that, what /do/ you admire about Jade and Kitana? I'm not sure what would be more dope than "at least somewhat racist" and "despot in training" are crappy. (Personally, I think it's super badass that Kitana defeated Shao Kahn, gained a masculine title, and led armies into battle. And Jade, well, who wouldn't want Jade as their bestie? Other than a Tarkatan, obviously.)
This is a mouthful, I know, but it's been driving me nuts and I'd be remiss not to address the seamy side of my favorite dynamic duo.
P.S. God tier username. Britney Spears and the Spice Girls were my jam as a kid, and I'm glad to see someone else remembers them. My sister and I had the Scary Spice doll with the tongue piercing lol
Thank you for the compliments on my user name, I listened to them a lot growing up.
When writing the headcanons I had to try my best to not be distracted by the fact that I'm a Mileena stan, and even then I will hold Mileena accountable, so Kitana and Jade do not get a free pass.
There's many occasions where they've shown that they are pretty terrible, and even though they are cool characters, they are unlikable people. Golly, I'd even say that they are hypocrites. They call everyone else out for their ego when they themselves are egotistical. To be fair, it's not just them that have a holier than thou attitude, but quick reminder that Sonya beat them both one on two in MK9 and they both continued showing hostility towards Earthrealmers and a sense of underestimating others.
Kitana is more Outworld than she is Edenian regardless of blood, and if she grew up thinking her father to be Shao Kahn then how did she even know she was Edenian? How did Jade know?
Edenian supremacy is just wild because their realm got conquered and are living in servitude to Shao Kahn or any big bad that comes along. Jade's parents literally gave her away for their own skin.
I pictured the alliance Kitana had with the Tarkatans not going well because she clearly still holds some discriminating views against them. It doesn't help that the Tarkatans are only shown to be servants meaning they (Kitana and Jade) grew up with the mentality of looking down on them.
The only thing I admire about Jade and Kitana is that they are fun to play as and have nice wardrobes, but that's it. I'm supposed to be rooting for her, yet she has a poor attitude. Don't get me wrong, a lot of the good guys have flaws that I can't look over. It's hinted that Sonya abused Cassie by randomly attacking her and Jacqui with arm bars (what the...), and she also looks down on people who don't have similar interests as her (from what I've interpreted). She's also terrible at parenting. I also headcanon that Cassie joined the special forces in order to impress Sonya, not because she actually wanted to.
I could say a lot about the characters, not just Kitana and Jade. And don't get me started on Kotal Kahn, he is such a clown. He and Jade deserve each other, honestly.
Bellatrix has always been a little not alright, but never anything too severe. Most would say she was a bully, but so was Sirius based on whatever stories she heard about him in passing.
Bellatrix didn't get along well with Sirius, but she hoped he would clean himself up soon. He would deny it, but they were very much alike. He could be rehabilitated.
However, that started to change once Andromeda was burnt off. All for that muggle. Bellatrix hoped it was worth it, for Andros' sake. Sirius was burnt off in a blink, and Bella could do nothing but focus on herself.
Then Regulus died. This time it was different. Regulus was her dearest, and most precious baby cousin. Gone just like that.
If Bellatrix didn't get to have her loved ones, then neither did mudbloods. That included anyone that supported them.
Andromeda couldn't stand crazies. If she stayed in this family any longer she would become it.
The constant comparisons. The high expectations. The fake smiles, and high alertness.
She hated it. She could never trust anyone, knowing they were after something. If one couldn't go to Bella, they'd go to Andro. She was the backup plan, and always the backup. 2nd in command. Should anything happen to Bellatrix, Andromeda knew what to do.
Backhanded compliments. Gossiping behind her back. The hateful obsession with muggles. Mudbloods have never done anything to her, so there was no need to hunt them.
Ted wasn't just any old Hufflepuff. If that had truly been the case, she would've married a bloody Macmillan. Ted's kindness was influenced by his survival mode.
His kindness was always genuine, but his eyes were watchful, patient of any slight of hand. A peaceful life would be nice. So nice. She really could just disappear.
Narcissa absolutely had to be seen. She wanted to shine bright too. Unfortunately, she was her mother's daughter. Birthed for her mother to dote on, while Bellatrix and Andromeda were raised to be the perfect heiress'. Narcissa couldn't be the same, but she would show everyone that she was perfect. She would prove it. And prove it she did. She chose her husband wisely, and she played her cards correctly.
Narcissa Black is a clueless blonde? So be it. She would teach others to never underestimate her. Whether it was the personality she presented, or what was on her mind, it shall never be questioned again.
Although it was cruel, she took pride in it. While she missed her sisters dearly, it was great knowing she was the one who survived. Narcissa knew it was stupid to get the mark, and she knew the toxicity given to her was a sign of jealousy. She completed what both of them couldn't do. She handled what both of them couldn't handle.
Any influence she spread was through her husband. Her dearest lover and tool.
This time when family or anyone of importance saw her, there was hope. Admiration. She was seen and not heard, just the way that she liked it.