tacticalblade

guess my fav character in mk

[toomanyf4ndoms77]

I know I'm ten years late but it kind of bothers/bothered me back during the MKX days when people would only talk about Sonya's absence with Cassie as a way to talk up Johnny for being the "good parent" The sentiment of "It's cool how MKX had the wife be the parent who wasn't always around." And that's it.

[tacticalblade]

i created this account just to yap about sonya #no shame #love her #big fan #do i sound like johnny cage?

[tacticalblade]

hot take on Sonya's fashion before MKX

First of all, let me clarify:I am against over-the-top sexualization and gratuitous fan service. Her MK9 main outfit definitely would’ve been better with at least a tank top underneath, BUT…

I am getting so tired of the endless hate train surrounding her questionable style in the older games. I used to write it off as just fan service, but the more I think about it, the more her older fits actually fit her personality. She isn't a rigid soldier, neglectful mother, plain military cliche!!!!!!

Sonya is headstrong, emancipated, bold, impulsive woman. She never was straight up strict and conservative, but maybe more no-nonsense and liberal. It actually makes sense why she would wear 'revealing' clothes. Do you get meeee???

I want to start with her clothes in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, cause her stance is naaastyyyy (insert tiktok sound). And visible thongs?? she was probably in her early 20s and we all knooow how popular whale tail was in late 1990s and early 2000s. I like the idea of her wanting to look stylish, not letting her career consume her totally.

After Armageddon we have Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, where she has tan lines from whale tail now. Well, a nice detail. Also, I used to think she had a pixie cut with long bangs, but it was just the angle in the render. Girl was rocking side bangs and a military hat. Still really stylish and bold, which is unsurprising for a young, confident and valiant woman right??

Anddd then we have her Mortal Kombat 9 outfit... Obviously, her alternative skin was much more logical and practical in some way, than the original one. The tactical vest on top of bare skin is crazy, I cannot defend it at all. But, hey, maybe she wanted to wear that...

[tacticalblade]

sonya is so mischaracterized

disclaimer: English isn't my first language; i don't cover anything earlier than MK9, because my knowledge of Sonya early lore isn't sufficient enough. I will mostly talk about MKX comics.

1

Ever since we were introduced to Sonya, many people (mostly men) still think she is playing the role of damsel in distress. Especially in MK9, I've seen a Youtuber claiming that Sonya fell in love with Johnny because "he saved her from Kano". That is ridiculous to the point that it is mischaracterizing not just Sonya, but women in a nutshell IMO.

Now women are expecting less for men, because they tend to disappoint more (whole heteropessimism problem). So, when Johnny helped her with Kano, Sonya was just thanking him for not betraying her or going away from the fight.

Sonya fell in love with Cage because he has showed his selfless side to her by protecting her from Kano, then revenant Jax and then Shinnok. Sonya Blade was portrayed as a loner woman, having Jax as her only friend and C.O. at the same time. She was faced with her biggest problem (not wanting to accept help) during tournament and after. But, unfortunately, we never got to see straightforwardly that she has overcome that fear\problem.

2

In MKX, we had to witness sacrifice of Sonya's character to make Johnny appear more mature. Yes, Cage matured absolutely, no shit, but it cost Sonya her character and beliefs.

Sonya's first main aspiration was to find out what happened to her father. We never got to explore that storyline. Then, her main goal was to save Jax, then save Earthrealm. After saving the latter, the MKX comics introduce us to (probably stupid) new plot, where Sonya gets pregnant after one night stand with Cage. It feels so unrealistic, because why would she have a baby and then go back to her career right away, if she wanted that baby? It would be much nicer, if Cassie Cage was a planned kid and not an accident. I think if Sonya was that into her career, she wouldn't even be thinking about family. Nevertheless, she had a kid with Johnny by accident and then tells him, that their whole relationship was wrong from the start. Right after that line, we see how Sonya comes to Johnny's place to share the big news.

Johnny was portrayed as a caring father, meanwhile Sonya was portrayed not as a successful General (who was protecting Earthrealm in the real time), but as a failing mother.

She was never meant to be mother in the first place, but it doesn't excuse her for being too harsh on her daughter. I don't think she was the worst mother for Cassie, it was Johnny, who was doing the bare minimum for his daughter.

3

Sonya as an idea of a strong woman in the military is great. I just hate how others brush off her PTSD from wars, operations, thinking rightfully that all of them have PTSD and Sonya isn't special. But, her main characteristic was that her trust was betrayed by Kano. Sonya didn't want to accept any help afterwards. However, many people strongly believe that Sonya is an awful mother or straight up hate her as a character. She is much more realistic than it seems, as she wanted to create a better, safer place for everyone, not just Cassie. If not Sonya, Special Forces would definitely fail in protecting Earthrealm. Plus, in the MKX comics there is a part, where Sonya misses Cassie's birthday to save Kenshi. I thought it was a quite reasonable thing to do, but it is just me. Sonya might have missed Cassie's milestones, but she chose to do that, so that Cassie has a safer environment.

[tacticalblade]

I think the reason Sonya Blade gets mischaracterized so often is how little her solo story was actually covered. She has had so many different aspirations and goals throughout the series that it’s easy to lose track of what she really wanted.

Besides the obvious "protect Earthrealm" duty, Sonya has several other motives driving her presence in the games and media. I will try to break down some of her core character traits:

Sonya's first motivation:

Her enmity with Kano. In the original Malibu comics it was stated that Kano killed her fiancé, so now she is eager to get revenge. In alternative universe (MK9), Sonya tells Johnny that Kano was their informant in SF and he betrayed her, resulting in death of SF troops.

Both of those reason behind her desire to revenge is getting betrayed. I like to think Sonya was likely already a guarded person, but these event caused her to become truly distrustful. She lost her faith\trust in informants (outside help), which is why Sonya was so hostile toward Johnny's offers to help her at the start of MK9 (not even mentioning his annoying pickup lines).

Armageddon: "For a long time my objective was to hunt down and eliminate the rogue clans of the criminal underworld. Kano, a member of the Black Dragon, had been a particular thorn in my side. I was close to capturing him, but once I heard about Shang Tsung's Mortal Kombat tournament, protecting Earthrealm from invasion became my sole priority. 

Sonya's second motivation:

"As a girl, Sonya idolized her father, a U.S. Marine. When he embarked on a covert operation and never returned, she vowed to honor his memory. She joined the Marines and pushed herself hard, quickly rising in rank. Sonya's impulsiveness didn't win her many friends, but her skills and loyalty gained the respect and admiration of all who fought beside her. Though she has never given up her quest to uncover the truth behind her father's disappearance, she realizes that she might never see him again. Now Sonya finds herself caught up in the mysterious Mortal Kombat tournament. Like her father, she too could become a casualty of war."

It is known she had a father, who played a big career-choosing role for her. But we never hear anything further about him or Sonya's thoughts. After completing her tower in MK9, we see her driving on her motorcycle (cool girl cliche, but still really cool). When I first looked at the picture, I thought the ghost was Jax. Wouldn't that be more logical after the ending of MK9 story? idk. Nevertheless, it was her missing father Herman, haunting her.

Honestly, I cannot distinguish what that plot brings to her character, except for it being a reason why Sonya decided to be soldier. And that she has a motorcycle. A far-fetched guess would be that Sonya likes motorcycle because she is a headstrong and emancipated woman.

Sonya's third motivation:

Helping Jax. This one has been used in MK Legends: Scorpion's revenge. She came all the way from USA to Shang Tsung's island to rescue her C.O. and her only close friend. The way she is doing that alone is supported by idea that she doesn't want to be abandoned again (like with her father's disappearance). I'm not saying that Jax was Sonya's parent figure, but more as a protective one. It is known that Sonya is impulsive and fights right away, instead of thinking first. So, Jax was her grounding presence.

Overall, people mostly mischaracterize her because of a lack of coverage of her solo story without rescuing Jax (or vice-versa) and fighting with Johnny.

Also, she has a sense of humor for sure. Sonya is bold and confident, she just doesn't boast about herself.

[tacticalblade]

I've read almost 300 cageblade fanfiction over the course of a month on ao3, but anytime I see OOC Sonya I click off immediately

[untitledunknown]

cageblade scraped fanfic idea:

johnny being on some form of talk show or interview and being asked about his type only to respond with a semi vague description of sonya (“long blonde hair, blue eyes, tall, muscular, headstrong”)

media thinks its about a costar or another celebrity that he has had ins and outs with and sonya sees that

johnny clears up the confusion (smut???)

[tacticalblade]

Sonya Blade MK9 Alternative skin

[acquired-stardust]

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Playstation 1999

[sharpenededgess]

[tacticalblade]

sonya is so mischaracterized

disclaimer: English isn't my first language; i don't cover anything earlier than MK9, because my knowledge of Sonya early lore isn't sufficient enough. I will mostly talk about MKX comics.

1

Ever since we were introduced to Sonya, many people (mostly men) still think she is playing the role of damsel in distress. Especially in MK9, I've seen a Youtuber claiming that Sonya fell in love with Johnny because "he saved her from Kano". That is ridiculous to the point that it is mischaracterizing not just Sonya, but women in a nutshell IMO.

Now women are expecting less for men, because they tend to disappoint more (whole heteropessimism problem). So, when Johnny helped her with Kano, Sonya was just thanking him for not betraying her or going away from the fight.

Sonya fell in love with Cage because he has showed his selfless side to her by protecting her from Kano, then revenant Jax and then Shinnok. Sonya Blade was portrayed as a loner woman, having Jax as her only friend and C.O. at the same time. She was faced with her biggest problem (not wanting to accept help) during tournament and after. But, unfortunately, we never got to see straightforwardly that she has overcome that fear\problem.

2

In MKX, we had to witness sacrifice of Sonya's character to make Johnny appear more mature. Yes, Cage matured absolutely, no shit, but it cost Sonya her character and beliefs.

Sonya's first main aspiration was to find out what happened to her father. We never got to explore that storyline. Then, her main goal was to save Jax, then save Earthrealm. After saving the latter, the MKX comics introduce us to (probably stupid) new plot, where Sonya gets pregnant after one night stand with Cage. It feels so unrealistic, because why would she have a baby and then go back to her career right away, if she wanted that baby? It would be much nicer, if Cassie Cage was a planned kid and not an accident. I think if Sonya was that into her career, she wouldn't even be thinking about family. Nevertheless, she had a kid with Johnny by accident and then tells him, that their whole relationship was wrong from the start. Right after that line, we see how Sonya comes to Johnny's place to share the big news.

Johnny was portrayed as a caring father, meanwhile Sonya was portrayed not as a successful General (who was protecting Earthrealm in the real time), but as a failing mother.

She was never meant to be mother in the first place, but it doesn't excuse her for being too harsh on her daughter. I don't think she was the worst mother for Cassie, it was Johnny, who was doing the bare minimum for his daughter.

3

Sonya as an idea of a strong woman in the military is great. I just hate how others brush off her PTSD from wars, operations, thinking rightfully that all of them have PTSD and Sonya isn't special. But, her main characteristic was that her trust was betrayed by Kano. Sonya didn't want to accept any help afterwards. However, many people strongly believe that Sonya is an awful mother or straight up hate her as a character. She is much more realistic than it seems, as she wanted to create a better, safer place for everyone, not just Cassie. If not Sonya, Special Forces would definitely fail in protecting Earthrealm. Plus, in the MKX comics there is a part, where Sonya misses Cassie's birthday to save Kenshi. I thought it was a quite reasonable thing to do, but it is just me. Sonya might have missed Cassie's milestones, but she chose to do that, so that Cassie has a safer environment.