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Syzoth - Blog Posts
How Syzoth & Ashrah’s Relationship Grew
I believe that Syzoth and Ashrah built a quick connection with their experiences being Shang Tsung and Quan Chi’s slaves. To cope with it, they would discuss what they went through and comfort each other. Syzoth would talk about his immense guilt for being a part of Shang Tsung’s diabolical experiments and his belief of being a bad person, Ashrah would remind him of his good heart and desire to protect his family. Syzoth would cry and this would be the first time Ashrah hugs him. He would also disclose his admiration for her being so strong to defect from Quan-Chi. Ashrah doesn’t believe that and thinks she was a coward for not taking Sareena with her. She feels pressure to complete her absolution so leaving Sareena had some warrant. Syzoth makes helping her one of his goals.
Both of them would travel between Earthrealm and Outworld to see each other and talk about what has occurred. Syzoth would help Ashrah train when she was determined to prove herself while Ashrah aided him in finding clues on the slayings happening in Zaterra. They would end their time with a hug, which Ashrah usually initiates. During those hugs, she accidentally commented how his cooler skin soothed her burning temperature. She was embarrassed but he responded by hugging her tighter and telling Ashrah that her hot body heat made him feel warm.
After a year of being friends, Syzoth realizes that he’s falling in love with her and is terrified because he felt like he was moving on from his family too soon. In response, he would try to lessen his time with Ashrah to extinguish these feelings. Ashrah knew she was in love months before him, but tried hiding it because she believed her demon origins made her unworthy of love.
For a few months, there would be awkwardness between the two and each would blame themselves for it. Things come ahead when Johnny jokes multiple times about Syzoth and Ashrah being a couple, making them flustered and causing Syzoth to leave. When they meet again in Wu Shi Academy, all of their feelings come out. They are shocked by the revelation. Syzoth assures Ashrah that being a demon doesn’t mean she’s incapable of love and gives her examples like her love for Sareena and Earthrealm. Ashrah tells Syzoth that she doesn’t intend to replace his family and will wait for him when he’s ready to begin a relationship. They hug and resume their friendship with this new information in mind.
Syzoth decides he’s ready and makes Ashrah’s favorite Earthrealm snacks to surprise her with a picnic. He opens his heart to her, saying how much he appreciates her being there for him when grieving his family and supporting him through his journey being the Empress’s emissary. He also thanks her for waiting until he is ready. Syzoth vows to take care of her and make her happy. Ashrah cries from the overwhelming love and happiness she feels in her heart. She launches herself into Syzoth’s arms and they fall to the ground. She also promises to make him happy as much as he does her. They have a short, chaste kiss under the stars.
A cute couples costume for Ashrah and Syzoth would be Raven and Beast Boy from Teen Titans since Ashrah and Raven dislike their demonic origins. Ashrah would look great dressed in the white version of Raven’s super suit. Beast Boy and Syzoth can switch between human and animal form. Plus, green is their signature color.
Imagine Ashrah helping Syzoth get ready by painting his face green. So cute!
MK1 Characters Ages Headcanon
Vaeternus: 1 year = 6k years
Edenian: 1 year = 400 years
Draconian: 1 year = 250 years
*For Vaeternus, I made these calculations based on a Nitara intro. I believe Kung Lao asks her how old she is and Nitara says that she was a little girl when humans discovered fire. There were many differing accounts on when that happened but I decided to pick the one that said fire was a widespread, controlled source 125,000 years ago. It was the second most recent account- first being 12,000 years ago. I chose 125k since I assume the intro I mentioned is meant to hint how much older Vaeternus is than most races.
*Since the story confirmed that Kitana and Mileena were 10,000 years old, I used the number to find an estimated number of Edenian years that equals a single human year. I considered Kitana and Mileena to be 25 in human years since it divides 10,000 evenly and the sisters look close to that age- dividing those numbers equaled to 400 years. So, 400 Edenian years is equal to 1 human year.
*In the story, Sindel confronted Shao and mentioned how she remembered the sickly boy he was. This is evidence that Sindel is older than Shao by a few years- ten years at minimum; however, in my opinion, Shao looks older than Sindel so I believe the Draconian species have a shorter life span than Edenians, but they are still much larger than human’s. Unlike with the Edenians, I decided to have 250 Draconian years be equivalent to one human year because of an idea of an estimated range.
*Liu Kang is slightly older than the Big Bang in the New Era. I couldn’t calculate Geras’ age since he’s experienced a ginormous amount of timelines. Calculations over a trillion is too difficult for any calculator to compute.
Ashrah: 29 (human years)
Baraka: 22k (Edenian years), 55 (human years)
General Shao: 12,500 (Draconian years), 50 (human years)
Geras: Can’t Calculate
Havik: 27 (human years)
Johnny Cage: 28
Kenshi Takahashi: 28
Kitana: 10k (Edenian years; canon), 25 (human years)
Kung Lao: 24
Jerrod: 20k (Edenian years), 50 (human years) [If he were alive]
Li Mei: 18,400 (Edenian years), 46 (human years)
Liu Kang: 13.8 billion
Mileena: 10k (Edenian years; canon), 25 (human years)
Nitara: 150k (Vaeternus years) or 12k (Vaeternus years), 25 (human years)
Raiden: 24
Rain: 10,400 (Edenian years), 26 (human years)
Reiko: 26 (human years)
Reptile: 29 (human years)
Kuai Liang/Scorpion: 26
Sindel: 19,200 (Edenian years), 48 (human years)
Shang Tsung: 27 (human years)
Tomas Vrbada/Smoke: 25
Bi-Han/Sub-Zero: 28
Tanya: 9,600 (Edenian years), 24 (human years)
My MK1 Fatalities Tier List (Main Roster)
Note: The placements are based on the average rating of both fatalities. For example, if I gave a character an S and a B then they would go to an A rank since that would be the average. Also, if rankings are next to each other then I will round up to the higher rank. For instance, I gave Li Mei an S and an A for her fatalities so she would go to the S rank since I'm rounding the overall rating to the higher one.
Here's a more detailed ranking (where I add + and -) if you are curious:
Ashrah
Fatality 1- B+
Fatality 2- B
Baraka
Fatality 1: B-
Fatality 2: S
General Shao
Fatality 1: C
Fatality 2: B-
Geras
Fatality 1: A
Fatality 2: S
Havik
Fatality 1: A
Fatality 2: B+
Johnny Cage
Fatality 1: A
Fatality 2: A
Kitana
Fatality 1: A
Fatality 2: A-
Kenshi
Fatality 1: A
Fatality 2: A
Kung Lao
Fatality 1: C+
Fatality 2: A
Li Mei
Fatality 1: S
Fatality 2: A+
Liu Kang
Fatality 1: S
Fatality 2: S+
Mileena
Fatality 1: A
Fatality 2: C+
Nitara
Fatality 1: A
Fatality 2: C+
Raiden
Fatality 1: B
Fatality 2: A
Rain
Fatality 1: A-
Fatality 2: B-
Reiko
Fatality 1: A
Fatality 2: A
Reptile
Fatality 1: S
Fatality 2: B
Scorpion
Fatality 1: B
Fatality 2: A+
Shang Tsung
Fatality 1: A
Fatality 2: S
Sindel
Fatality 1: A
Fatality 2: B+
Smoke
Fatality 1: C
Fatality 2: C-
Sub-Zero
Fatality 1: B+
Fatality 2: B
Tanya
Fatality 1: B
Fatality 2: B+
Kameos (Bonus):
Cyrax: S
Darrius: C-
Frost: C
Goro: A
Jax: B
Kano: C
Kung Lao: C
Motaro: C+
Sareena: A
Scorpion: B
Sektor: B+
Shujinko: A
Sonya: C
Stryker: C+
Sub-Zero: B
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.
Hey again 😄😄😄
Thank you so so much for the smoke headcanon I really enjoyed it, I was wondering if you could do it again but this time with reptile please ??
Syzoth / Reptile Friendship / General Headcanons
Note(s) : You're a regular human and not a champion, it's implied you're friends with the human kharacters and meet Reptile through them.
Reptile is extremely anxious around you at first because you're not a champion, you're just an Earthrealmer with no fighting skills or prior knowledge on Outworld, and he finds himself a little confused on your presence most of the time.
As such, he finds himself explaining to you a lot of things that he would believe are just common sense. He doesn't get annoyed though, because he realises his constant questions on regular human ideas must be strange too.
He's still a Zatteran despite his ability to shapeshift into a human form, and so, any human social cues you've mastered will probably be strange to him, and vice versa.
Syzoth will typically eat bugs like cockroaches, spiders, flies, and forgets that some human cultures don't have that normalised, but he's extremely overjoyed when he finds out that certain places consider bugs a delicacy. He basically begs you to take him to those places.
If Johnny invites you to be in a movie, whether acting or stage hand, Syzoth, and by extension a large chunk of the Kast, will a million percent also be there after being coincidentally, also invited by Johnny! He's interested in Earth culture, and after watching Predator, which scared the daylights out of him, he wants to know the process behind movies.
Hundred percent asks to see movies with you, apart from horrors, never show him a horror movie, he will not be able to sleep for weeks.
Movie nights are incredibly common, a lot of other non Earthrealmers join in as well! It becomes very cramped very fast in your house, let's hope Johnny is nice enough to lend you all his mansion for the night.
He's a big fan of superhero media, there's always an invisible person, although he finds the fact a lot of them have to strip incredibly strange, or some type of half human half animal hybrid, he feels at home a lot of the time watching those types of superheros.
He can't stomach human food, so if he ever stays at yours for a sleepover or just to hang out for a day, he'll be an exterminator for you and eat any bugs he can find as his lunch / dinner. It's very helpful during summer.
Speaking of summer, he always wears his usual attire even in unbearable heat, he's uncomfortable with his human form and he feels awkward to show more of it. Besides, he likes to keep warm because he gets cold too easily, and when he's cold he gets slower which is impractical and annoying.
After the death of his wife and children, he's been looking for a distraction, he needs some form of comfort and he feels talking to you and his other friends is a huge help. Especially if you've experienced a close loss before, even if you don't know ways to help cope, you can always find ways to help each other heal together.
He tries to ask you for dating advice with Ashra, this most likely goes over well no matter how horrible your advice is, because Ashra and Syzoth are the best couple and are so wholesome nothing could offend either.
Syzoth is always awkward around dinners, whenever he's invited to Madam Bo's by one of the Kast of you, he sort of just sits around and tries to talk instead of eat. Reptiles learned after a while that it's impolite to humans when you just eat bugs out of the air, which he doesn't understand, and so refrains from eating at most public dinners.
He really wants to bring you to Zattera, but he knows far too well that they don't take kindly to warm blood, and while he understands his people's reason, he's still disappointed.
Luckily! He can visit your home in Earthrealm.
He does unfortunately get a lot of stares when he visits your home, your family and even strangers on the street always assume he's a cosplayer.
After he gets roles for a few of Johnny's movies, he becomes a micro celebrity of some sorts, including you if you decide to star in them. People recognise him on the streets and he gets rather embarrassed, but also very appreciated, he feels a lot of love around fans.
Apart from the weird ones... He tries to tell people that he's taken, with a wonderful girlfriend who'd he'd never betray, but... He needs you to chase them off a lot.
I imagine at first, your family and friends might think he's really weird, like, not even 'wow that was strange' weird, but 'never invite this man to be close to my vicinity again' type weird.
He's always looking around suspiciously, eyes wide, sweaty, sometimes he looks like he's going to speak but then holds a hand over his mouth, always when there's a fly near...
But, it only takes a day of knowing him for them to switch up and genuinely adore him.
They invite him around all the time, he's sweating buckets and terrified of messing up, but they're so taken aback by how goddamn sweet this guy is they don't notice.
Once again, you become his saviour and help him whenever they get too talkative about where he's from. They don't know about Outworld, and Liu Kang would prefer it if you didn't spill to everybody.
He finds human fashion a bit strange, but he actually really likes hoodies, especially the ones with short sleeves, they feel comfortable and he can move around a lot without it being a hassle of detangling and annoyance. He also likes wearing fingerless gloves everywhere.
Introducing him to Earthrealm music is... Interesting, to say the least. He really enjoys a lot of them! Especially classical, they're closer to what he knows from Outworld, but, he's also surprised at how much he likes a lot of modern music.
I'm spreading my Britney Spears fan Syzoth agenda and you can't stop me.
Hey Scyzoth, have you ever put either prong of your tongue on two different things to see if you could taste both at the same time? Like, one prong in a soup and the other in a beverage.
"No, but now you have me curious. Will you give me a moment?" He leaves to retrieve a drink and make a quick bowl of Kytinn soup. Arriving back to the anon, he soon proceeds to place one prong of his tongue into the soup, while the other is placed into his drink. What he discovers is quite shocking to him...
"Why haven't I realized this was possible until now??!"
