This is a blog dedicated to my rewrite/au of Mortal Kombat’s animated series: Mortal Kombat Defenders of the Realm…
With several changes, some being pulled from the new era, some being pulled from games in the midway era, some from other non canon materials (such as legends, conquest, the comics or even the strategy guides and scrapped characters), and some just being made for fun. One of my goals is to feature every playable character in some way, and I hope I can expand on some of the scrappies as well.
Links
Character Masterpost [Heavy WIP]
Stimboard Tag (I aim to make stimboards for not only every character, but beyond that!)
Ask Game Tag
Currently Taking Ask Game requests for:
*this isn’t a definitive list! These are characters I feel the most comfortable writing atm!
Question: are there like any upcoming mortal kombat fandom events? Like how Cageblade week just passed and what not? I know kombatember was a thing in 2024 but idk if there’s been other prompts for it.
Thinking about if we had a hypothetical S2 in Defenders based on the timeline we could have easily seen the MK4 characters based on when it came out (we even had Quan chi in an episode and I think the pitch Bible mentioned Shinnok by name).
Which also means we could’ve seen Cyrax’s MK Gold ending too. You know, the one where he’s freed of the Cyber Initiative?
Imagine being Kuai in that scenario. The battle for mortal kombat is continuing. Not only do you have to deal with Outworld but also the Netherrealm as well. The team brings in more people to make sure they can keep tabs on everything. Asgaarth from the attempt on Shao’s fortress is permanently on the team, and Liu Kang has brought on former shaolin Kai. Kitana found her friend Jade and there’s a netherrealm demon that’s willing to help you because your brother saved her on one of the missions that nearly killed him.
And then Sonya asks you to step aside for a minute. You think she has another trademark bad idea
ONLY TO FIND OUT NOT ONLY WAS IT NOT A BAD IDEA, BUT SHE AND JAX HAD SOMEHOW NOT ONLY FOUND CYRAX BUT FREED HIM FROM THE CYBER INITIATIVE AND MADE HIM PARTIALLY HUMAN AGAIN.
The just concept of a heel face turn like this and Cyrax finally feeling all these emotions once more. He sees that not only are the defenders so much more different than the lin Kuei, but Kuai’s happier here too. He so many more friends here (like come on you cannot tell me he didn’t see some of the other lin Kuei in the defenders). Only to find himself even happier and more than willing to fight along side these new friends to get back at the lin Kuei for turning him into a cyborg and to protect the home he loves.
And while I do know Noob Smoke exists in the 3D era… Imagine Cyrax and Kuai trying to find Smoke once more now knowing what they know and try to save him from the clutches of the cyberization program too.
Everyone’s animalities because I’m procrastinating
Some aren’t decided (Trying to decide between Nightwolf, Smoke or Kenshi on who gets the wolf) yet so here’s what I have so far
Ashrah- Alicorn (Unicorns are known to be pure creatures, something she aspires to be)
Baraka- Porcupine
Bi Han- Snow Leopard (not a fan of the mammoth in mk1 but it was cool when they let him have icy tusks so this has icy paws)
Cyrax- Hammerhead Shark
Ermac- Locusts (come in a swarm like how there are many souls within Ermac)
Frost- Penguin (yes she’s the one who gets the penguin exploding fatality)
Geras- Hippo
Goro- Gorilla (it’s smokes in mk1 but like….? I don’t think it fits. I can see him being scared of gorillas but that’s another thing entirely.
Havik- Hyena (I think he’d appreciate them being scavengers)
Hotaru- Firefly (that’s what his name means)
Jade- Cat
Jarek- Kangaroo (it was Johnny’s in MK3 but I shifted it over)
Johnny- Shark (I love his mk1 animality it’s so cool)
Kano- Bird Eating Tarantula
Kia- Cheetah (Used to be kung Laos but I think it fits)
Kira- Hell Hound
Kobra- Cobra (obv. Though if he got multiple I can imagine him turning into a ball Python to just hang on peoples shoulders)
Kuai Liang- Polar Bear
Kung Lao- Tiger
Li Mei- Panda (debating between this one and a Chinese lion dog)
Liu Kang- Dragon (as cool as the Phoenix is that’s not him to me)
Mileena- Orchid Mantis
Nitara- Vampire Bat
Raiden- Electric Eel
Rain- Pufferfish
Reiko- Ram
Sareena- Crow (ominous animal, doesn’t forget how it was mistreated, loves shiny things. Kinda inspired by @rasta-bot )
Scorpion- Scorpion (as funny as the penguin is it doesn’t fit)
Syzoth- Audrey II (he’s already a lizard he can have fun with it)
Sektor- Giant Bat
Shang Tsung- Snake
Shujinko- Tortoise
Sindel- Black Widow Spider
Sonya- Hawk
Stryker- T-Rex (he was a dinosaur kid to me)
“They tried to kill me ป๋า , that means I get to try and kill them back right?”
Suchin, at the ripe old age of 13 years old, stares at her father with brown eyes. Normally, while she showed interest in things like running around the town and getting her hands dirty, never exactly showed interest in weapons and or violence.
Until today’s accidental murder attempt (or rather, what the man can piece together from his daughter’s story and that of the community), now did she take interest in both of these things with a heaping helping of vengeance on the side. A pair that would not go well together.
“Little one, I can assure you that there are things that you should leave to proper authorities. That is one of them. However, I do think it’s time I show you how to properly defend yourself. The world’s a big and scary place after all.”
She beams
-
For weeks afterwards, her life became a balance of school, a healthy dose of play, and training. The training sword almost was like an extension of herself. A way to protect herself and those who could not protect themselves.
-
“You’re not too bad yourself.”
Her school had sent her on a several week exchange program over to Japan since she was one of the most proficient in the language (not that they had to know that her favorite comics weren’t being published in their region fast enough/or in her native tongue so she taught herself out of sheer force of will.)
With the break to her well maintained routine of 2 years, she knew she had to burn off the excess energy somehow, which lead her to join the school’s Kendo club (probably not the wisest decision but it was either this and bend the rules of the exchange or break the rules of the exchange by getting into a fight).
Which put her face to face with their most proficient member: Takahashi Kenshi.
Only in Earthrealm can one have green eyes naturally. No one in Edenia or Outworld naturally has green eyes. Soul magik had to be involved at some point for the mutation to happen.
Your Li Mei is so cute!! She looks so young! How old is she? I loved the tooth gap! Gives personality! Also, dunno if it's accurate, but she makes me think of the word, spitfire! Like, if I were to describe her in a word, it would be this one! Loved her!!💜
And for Jade, woah, she's stunning! I loved the hairstyle! Tati Gabrielle inspired, you said? This one?
And the face too! Does that mean you approve her as Jade now? (I remember you being skeptical) If you reply to this, please, keep it spoilers free, I haven't seen the movie yet😭 but so far it seems she's being well received! Which makes me happy! I was rooting for her!!🥹💚
Also, loved what you're cooking with Soul Magik here!👀💚
Also, also!
Not to be ATLA obsessed on main (though I know that's impossible, I AM ATLA obsessed on main) but this gives me such Princess Yue vibes!
I need a fic that's like those "British people try Texas BBQ for the first time" but make it Takeda and Kung Jin. Jax makes the food (I swear Jax can make a DELECTABLE brisket).
With the release of the MK2 Trailer I want to say this:
This au is a Cole Young friendly verse. He’s included (but not until much later, I want to cover what’s already in the 13 episodes we have already), he won’t potentially die off and he gets to hang out with the MK cast.
I think he has a lot of potential, it just wasn’t exactly shown off the best considering the length of a movie.
Hot take: The lack of Shirai Ryu Ocs could be explained by the fact that the clan has what? FIve members (Hanzo, Harumi, Satoshi, Forrest Fox, Takeda) and NRS decided to kill off 3 of them without delving further into the clan's structure (mkx comic slightly mentioned the rebuilt clan, mind you - not the original one,as a "protective force" or sth,but for about 5 pages in before all of them were slaughtered (again)) and idk, there should be some Shirai Ryu members that are of equal rank to Hanzo, because pls man - don't you have any friends? Colleagues? Clanmates? Who you talk to on a daily basis ?(no not your blueberry bf) Why are you like this? Why are you sitting in the corner ruminating? The edge lord in yellow, what troubles you? Where are your friends. His close relationships are mostly vertical (clan leader - member/ father -son : Takeda/Fox/Satoshi) and only two are horizontal (Harumi/Kuai) and none of those horizontal ties depicts a "clanmate-mentality" to Hanzo. Kuai Liang at least has what? 5 clanmates of different ranks (Bi Han / Smoke, Sektor, Cyrax/Frost) to create tensions/interactions for his character depths - and thus making the entire Lin Kuei gang, not only KL, relatable, and also a good grounding way to make a character believable. Now, Which canon character is also a Shirai Ryu member, of equal rank to Hanzo, that he can socialize with (aside Harumi, who tips more to the romantic aspect and doesn't have that "brother in arm" feel) and through their interactions suggests how their clan works/what its hierarchy is/what is the underlying tension within the organization?/,in short, some grounding work for the fans to have a faint knowledge of how Shirai Ryu works and grows in interest to the clan? No one.
I try to create some Shirai Ryu ocs but damn it's hard because the clan is so vague . We have MK:Mythology focusing solely on the Lin Kuei already, i would dig a game that only focuses on the Shirai Ryu lore - and hell it doesn't have to be all about Hanzo, I just want to know wtf is that clan about to vouch for it.
Maybe I just obsess with clan hierarchy, lore and structures due to my old Warrior Cats obsession day but yeah, just a sliver of my thought about Shirai Ryu and Hanzo
(Ps: English is not my native language so bear with me the jumbled words)
For REAL I'd kill for an open world game where you could play either the lin kuei or shirai ryu and make your own ninja dude and it expands upon the shirai ryu clan
YES , like, imagine the amount of game if NRS follows the open world format and each game focuses on one organization solely and its relevant issues only, the map doesn't have to be big imo, just exploring the establishment and whatever in it. Like Konquest mode? But hyper focus on each organizations. Hell I don't need a game, just a walk in map or sth to quench my curiosity. Give me a map of all Black Dragon's bases / headquarters and let me fck around. Pick stuff up and read their description or find Easter Egg like in the Krypt or sth
Ex: *inspect a brown spot on the floor*
*info box pops out * "Kano bashed someone's head in right here , not sure of what cause, probably his blood soaked into the floor, we tried to mop the mess up but the stain refuses to fade. Kinda ruins the aesthetic of the place."
*side quest unlock* *Clean up the bloodstains*
*List acquire: 1) Find a mop* (idk I'd love to do stupid small side quests like these along with the exploration)
Can I please have some wholesome Lin kuei bro's HC's or quotes. Life's been tiring lately and your content usually gets me out of my writers block.
Indeed you may (sorry for answering this so late)
For the record, my Lin Kuei bros include Kuai Liang, Bi-Han, Tomáš, and Hydro along with occasionally Cyrax
Cyrax joined the Lin Kuei as an adult and is the only semi-sane person in the entire clan. He makes it a point to introduce the other Lin Kuei bros, who were kidnapped as kids, to various treats and fun experiences that normal ppl would have whenever they are on missions together and away from the clan. This has lead to all four of them being really good at making Botswanan food (Cyrax is from Botswana according to canon)
Bi-Han was obsessed with Pokemon as a kid and has a secret hoard of cards. His favorite pokemon as a kid was Totodile but now it is Phantump (there is a reason for that and it is sad)
Bi-Han also got his ears pierced while on a long term mission once, with like, six different piercings, and still has the earrings he wore even though the holes have long since closed up. He got the piercings bc A) self expression and B) He wanted to look like his mom and sister.
Kuai Liang's sweet tooth is actually terrifying. He can smell sweet things (Candy, cookies, ice cream, etc) from several rooms away and Will tackle someone in order to get some. He's got more restraint about it now than he did as a kid, but Bi-Han does have a scar on his bicep from Kuai Liang biting him to get at his milkshake
Tomáš likes to sew and is particularly good at embroidery. after he gets resurrected from being a revenant, he embroiders a bunch of flowers into his armor as a way of symbolizing new beginnings
Hydro can sleep anywhere: On concrete, in a pool, in an airvent, hanging upside down from the ceiling, etc. If he is tired, he will sleep and you cannot wake him unless he's in danger.
Where all my Mortal Kombat fans out there. Who actually still gives a shit about this terrible fucking franchise of subpar video games with shitty storylines. Who else glazes the totally awful story line of Scorpion and Noob Saibot?
Who else looks at photos of Baraka and immediately thinks “smash?” /j
Hyperfixation alive, kicking, and fully directed at all the gals, especially the underrated ones! I care for them (*cough cough* more than NRS does) this is their safe space!✨️💕
MK1 is my little guy, shitty decisions and all, I don't care if most people hate him and bully him, He's my silly muse, and I love him as he is!!😤❤️
Five years! We've been doing this for five years, can you believe it?? So without further ado, the info for the the Fifth Annual CageBlade Week!
We couldn't have done it without you, and as part of that, we have a banner this year that includes art from two artists*, @agapidraws and @2tunafish. CageBlade Week is all about the community, and we received permission to use these pieces of fanart for the banner from the artists.
Event Info
Dates: 15-21 June 2026 (Mon-Sun)
All forms of fanworks will be accepted - fanfic, fanart, gifset, playlist whatever it may be!
If we somehow missed your post after the end of the event, let us know so we can reblog it! We might be a little slow on the day-to-day but we don’t want to miss anything. The only things we won’t be reblogging are NSFW with minors and explicit noncon. We will reblog late posts.
Make sure to tag your posts with #cagebladeweek (within the first 5 tags, thanks algorithm) and/or @ this blog so we can find and reblog everything.
Participate one day or every day - it doesn’t matter! If you post on an external site (AO3, FFN, DeviantArt) please at least drop a link here so we can reblog it and promote it. There will be an AO3 Collection started closer to the date.
Prompts:
Day 1: bruises/treasure
Day 2: denial/darkness
Day 3: AU of Choice
Day 4: enthusiasm/dawn
Day 5: sleep/mirror
Day 6: future/legacy
Day 7: Free Day!
You may interpret these prompts as strictly or as loosely as your heart desires. You can stick as close or as wide from the prompts as you want. Want to combine two? Go for it! Want to have some other characters cameo or tell a more ensemble tale? Sure - as long as it has Sonya and Johnny at the heart of it.
If you have any questions about prompts and submissions, send us an ask here! We look forward to seeing all the wonderful contributions!
FAQs:
1) Do I have to write in English?: No, you do not! This is a multi-language-friendly event. Post in your language of choice and users can machine translate if needed. If you choose to write in one language and later post translations to English, those translations can also be added to the AO3 collection.
2) Can I write an OT3 fic?: The mods support polyamorous shipping, however this week is for CageBlade specifically. We'd like that contributions focus on Sonya & Johnny's relationship.
3) Well, what if I write a breakup fic and have them hook up with other people? It's still CageBlade, right?: Not for this event. This week is a celebration of CageBlade and how awesome they are together. Want to give us some hurt/comfort, breakup & reconciliation, sure! Whump? Go wild! But we want to see them coming together and realizing how great they are as a couple.
4) What if I don’t like any of the prompts and have ideas of my own?: Then go ahead and write them! Want to explore their friendship before they hooked up? Want to write all AUs? Do you have some art ideas you’re just itching for an excuse to post and draw? The world is your oyster!
*I had intentions on putting a second banner together with just the prompts, but my graphic design skills leave...something to be desired.
Dead wife montage but it's all slow motion shots of your dead wife throwing grenades and doing backflips and oneshotting the enemy with their long range weapons
