#halcyonandon

[sxvethelastdance]

Is it TRULY that ridiculous an outfit swap if both parties are completely working it?

// By the Elder Gods. I am SO sorry this took so long to digitize. Have some Liu Kang titting about on the TL for your troubles. 

Original Post

[sxvethelastdance]

"Liu: you, me, club, 8pm?" Johnny has a lot on his plate today, with the Ninja Mime reboot filming for its Netflix debut and wrapping another project or three, so he's rushing toward the door without much ceremony. He knows his friend will understand that the need to cut loose is closely linked with how much shit he's got hanging over his head. [For the Liu Kang of your choice]

Liu Kang stops the actor at the door, passing him his iconic glasses before Johnny can even think to go darting out into the flash and substance of Hollywood’s film scene without them. His hands, bereft of their fire settle upon Johnny’s shoulders with the implication that with all the things packed into the actor’s day that a moment to breathe need be one of them.

“I would not miss it for the world.” And if there is a kiss slotted in there somewhere, well then, certainly he doesn’t mind.

[sxvethelastdance]

So, Liu Kang. Kung Lao admitted that he takes the hat off when he uses those pretty lips on you. And we all know you probably love yanking on that pretty braid Kung Lao has. So, the question here is, is Kung Lao the Greatest Kung Lao in the bedroom?

"He is the Greatest Kung Lao everywhere. Treat him as such, and cease your vulgarity." The words are spat with a venom reserved for foes. Kung Lao is never a subject he has taken lightly, nor his feelings for him. Liu Kang's justice will be swift, should the shadowy figure continue to debase the honor of his friend and their bond. What he likes is none of their business, only Lao's.

[sxvethelastdance]

LiuLao, for the relationship meme!

Since I already got an ask about this ship, here's the NRS/Games version of LiuLao for the meme!

General:

Rate the Ship:   Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

How long will they last?: If given the chance, a long, long time.

How quickly did/will they fall in love?: They've had their whole lives to love each other.

How was their first kiss?: Frenzied, fervent, a little scared. But full of love.

Wedding:

Who proposed?: Liu Kang

Who is the best man/men?: Hmm... Johnny and Jax would be good best men. Raiden's the dad of the grooms.

Who is the braid’s maid(s)?: Sonya, Kitana and Jade would make a KILLER bridesmaid party (literally)

Who did the most planning?: Kung Lao

Who stressed the most?: Liu Kang

How fancy was the ceremony?: Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big. (It was a simple affair, but guys. Dudes. They're friends with Johnny Cage, it can't be THAT simple.)

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding?: Shao Kahn, uhhh fuck. Skarlet ("She threatened to suck me dry, Liu Kang!"), Reptile

Sex:

Who is on top?: Liu Kang

Who is the one to instigate things?: The nice thing about being in the young, reckless prime of their lives is that they can go tit for tat.

How healthy is their sex life?: Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now (That poor, poor broom closet.)

How kinky are they?: Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head ( They've both got a penchant for hair pulling and all around healthy appreciation for pain. It's simple, Liu's got a rack, Lao wants to ah. Make use of the space between pecs. Also, broom closets are great places to experiment with making your buddypalswornbrother's toes curl and his muscles sore with how thoroughly and lovingly you just drilled 'im)

How long do they normally last?: As long as the other can keep up.

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms?: If their legs can still hold them up after, then the other has F A I L E D

How rough are they in bed?: Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it. (These two can take a lot of punishment, I tells ya.)

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do?: No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Children:

How many children will they have naturally?: It feels irresponsible to have a child when their duty is first and foremost to the realm.

How many children will they adopt?: None, unless you count the students

Who gets stuck with the most diapers?: When they're babysitting, they swap off for duties each time

Who is the stricter parent?: Liu Kang

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school?: Both of them

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)?: Lunch is communal at the Wu-Shi, everybody helps

Who is the more loved parent?: They're not parents but... Kung Lao

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings?: Sonya probably sends them for Cassie (because otherwise she'll knock the lights out of everybody there), just to see the moms get in a tizzy. It's hilariious.

Who cried the most at graduation?: The two of them are big babies, they're crying at EVERY graduation and holding each other

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law?: Kung Lao

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking?: The duties are equal! But Liu Kang will usually handle the side dishes while Kung Lao prepares the main dish

Who is the most picky in their food choice?: Hmm... Liu Kang. He's not a big eater.

Who does the grocery shopping?: They grow their own food.

How often do they bake desserts?: Not as often as Kung Lao wants, he has an AWFUL sweet tooth a la @bastardsunlight

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater?: The boys are vegetarians! Chomping on greens like there's no tomorrow.

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner?: They both surprise each other, just cause.

Who is more likely to suggest going out?: Johnny Cage, those two don't even know what going out IS

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently while cooking?: Kung Lao, because he decided to do some fancy trick to show off and didn't pay attention to his pot. Liu Kang too, because he didn't stop it before it started.

Chores:

Who cleans the room?: They each clean their rooms, some better than others

Who is really against chores?: Kung Lao

Who cleans up after the pets?: No pets allowed! (Liu Kang, who smuggled yet another little baby bird into his room)

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug?: Kung Lao

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over?: They're both pretty chill about it, the temple's a much easier place to clean than a mcmansion.

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning?: Shaolin vows of poverty (and also the fact that they do not have couches) prevent this from ever being a possibility

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths?: Liu Kang, he is VERY meticulous about his hair. It's his pride and joy (Please do not tell the elders-)

Who takes the dog out for a walk?: They both tend to the animals.

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays?: Iiiii do not know anything about the Shaolin and holidays.

What are their goals for the relationship?: To stay alive, fight their way back to each other in the swirling storm of an inevitability that threatens to martyr one, and lose the other to legacy.

Who is most likely to sleep till noon?: Kung Lao, if Liu doesn't hunt him down and wake him up.

Who plays the most pranks?: Liu Kang, he is terrorizing Kung Lao right now. I guarantee you.

[sxvethelastdance]

The best thing about the LiuLao/Shaolin Rowdyboys dynamic is that you get a very Victorian practice of meaningful looks across the way, fleeting and intimate touches with making declarations of devotion til the death of them both, deciding that embracing death as one in battle is better than life without the other

AND

you also get the knowledge that those two be going buck fuckin nuts in them broom closets. The mops know no peace.

[sxvethelastdance]

[We are family.mp3 blaring in the background]

So I heard Yang’s got a couple of sons-

Here we see the mom friend getting fed up with Liu Kang martyring himself at every opportunity as Kung “glad that’s not me!” Lao documents

@yetremains @bastardsunlight

[sxvethelastdance]

Okay so, shoutout to @bastardsunlight​ for letting me bomb them with my infodump analysis on a particular trait of Liu Kang’s character that has stood out to me upon analysis of something he said in MK11 that caught my eye. After Liu’s fight with the Revenant Jade he says this: 

“You will not test my faith.”

This got me asking the question of what extent Liu Kang’s faith reaches when compared to someone who’s more prone to expressing doubt, friend or foe. Doesn’t matter.  Now the thing about the Mortal Kombat universe is that the gods ARE real. They have an ‘active’ relationship with the Earthrealmers through Raiden and Fujin. So the faith aspect comes less from a religious context and more from the trust and belief that accompanies having faith in someone or something to do right by you. Even characters like Quan Chi have their own twisted version of faith, trusting Shinnok to reward his loyalty and service. Liu Kang himself doesn’t expect a reward for his faith in the NRS adapation, he seems to practice his beliefs because they extend to him the comfort and explanations that lot of people who engage in this seek. Belief systems are often how people make sense of the world and how they cope with their struggles. This is how Liu Kang deals with his. Faith, or a break from it, seems to be the primary way he reasons with his surroundings in all these different versions of his character. 

More under the cut:

Disclaimer: I’m not religious/do not possess a faith myself. Take this all with a grain of salt. 

In the Netherrealm continuity version of Liu Kang’s character, we see that a good deal of what he does is characterized by his faith in Raiden and by extension: The Elder Gods. He's been a student of the Wu-Shi Academy since infancy, he doesn't carry the trauma of losing his parents and then Chan like MK95 Liu, or implied abuse like the 2021 film version of Liu Kang, has no ties to the outside world, just his community. The temple Elders and Raiden were almost 100% transparent about what he would have to face growing up, communicating an approximation of the expectations that would fulfill his responsibilities to the realm. Liu Kang grew into his duty and thus formed an attachment to it. A part of his identity's tied up in that responsibility, that quality of wanting for nothing because he represents an ideal. He is humble, calm, and faithful to his principles.  He follows Raiden’s lead throughout Mortal Kombat 9 and trusts that what they do under these conditions will give them the answers that they’re looking for. When he and Raiden go to visit the Elder Gods during the last quarter of the game, Liu Kang is faced with the Gods themselves. He has the opportunity to observe them and their priorities, to see that they aren’t here to do right by the people he has sworn to protect. The cracks continue to form in the foundations of his faith as more bodies pile up, until it all comes to a head on the rooftop as Shao Kahn begins the realm merger.  Raiden begs, “Have faith in the elder gods, have faith in me.” and Liu Kang finds that he can’t. It’s cost them too much. It’s that pivotal moment where Liu Kang breaks from his faith and chooses his own way. Ultimately, this is what costs him his life when Raiden accidentally kills him while fending off Liu Kang’s attack. 

It gets even more interesting when you compare this version of him with his Mortal Kombat (1995) counterpart. When we meet that version of Liu Kang it’s immediately obvious that he’s broken from the faith he was raised into. He recognizes Rayden’s status as the god of thunder and in the offhanded way that one would recognize say, an old religious text. Something you know about, and aren’t particularly mystified by because it’s been hammered into your skull for as long as you’ve been alive. Liu knows the stories and the value that they have to people like his grandfather, but it’s something to acknowledge and move along with. The man is burnt out, that much is clear. The movie shows us from the outset doesn’t quite believe in the Gods anymore, that perhaps something happened to make him ask questions of the community’s principles, the ones he inherited by way of cultural osmosis. At some point in his adult life, Liu Kang was confronted with the age old dilemma of ‘seeing is believing’; and when he didn’t see anything, he didn’t believe. So he left to a place where he could be somebody, anybody BUT the chosen one. Which ended up saving his life because otherwise Shang Tsung would’ve swooped in on that technicality and taken him instead of Chan. 

Now what I’m not saying here is that Liu Kang’s faith, religious or otherwise is a character flaw, or that the only reason MK95 Liu survived is that he didn’t believe anymore. No, what I am saying is that MK95 Liu was at a place with his faith where he could handle it if it things fell short of his expectations because he’d already steeled himself for it, where NRS Liu Kang was thoroughly hurt by what looked like confirmation that the foundations of everything he believed in were cracked, that his faith was misplaced. That it cost him everything. He died right on the cusp of realizing a fundamental truth. It’s one thing to die in battle because that’s what you signed up for, that’s the role you were groomed for. It’s another to die when you finally began to ask yourself ‘What AM I fighting for? Who made this decision?’. Then dying for nothing! Nothing at all! Your death wasn’t the absolute that you were told it as by the elders every day of your life either. The realm survived without you. You weren’t... Important. Nothing you did mattered. The rules don’t exist in any meaningful capacity, the elder gods don’t particularly care, you are alone. It’s no wonder his revenant is so bitter! The man set himself on fire to keep everybody warm and now is doomed to burn in the hereafter for it.

Mortal Kombat (2021)’s version of Liu Kang’s faith is a little bit more complicated in my eyes. This depiction of him is more openly faithful than the others. He essentially acts as Raiden’s assistant, wears prayer beads and covets them at difficult moments, frequently meditating. It looks like he uses his faith as a coping mechanism. There’s also another thing to consider, when we look at his past:

Kang has seen the absolute worst of the world, the nitty, gritty, and grimey. The first years of his life were spent suffering abuse as an orphan. It’s implied that he was a victim of human trafficking, which carries another set of implications entirely. Bo Rai Cho did him the kindness of bringing him to the temple, and I’m sure that the Masters did him an even greater kindness of introducing him to techniques that would help him find something resembling peace in himself. But it takes something else to secure someone’s faith in a system when one’s been through the ringer like that:

Trust. And who is it that he trusts more than anyone in the Order of Light? Kung Lao. They were paired up together, presumably to provide him with a peer that he could trust to treat him properly after years of mistreatment (perhaps it was difficult to trust adults with such a fraught history). And Lao did it! He gained his trust! The Liu Kang that we see in the present day is strong in his conviction that what they have committed to is what’s right for themselves, he is fine to save a world that wouldn’t save him if the chips came down to it. His faith in the divine balance isn't blind here, there’s an emphasis on practice. It’s my understanding that it DOESN’T come naturally to him, which sort of adds meaning to the act of believing because it’s a choice. He knows it’s a choice. That faith comes from a place of gratefulness and agency. The way that he talks about Kung Lao, how he builds him up as this amazing figure (at the slightest detriment to recognizing his own talents) tells us that he found something there worth believing in, and that it all started with believing in him. 

For all the shit he's seen, one thing rings true: The world is worth saving because Kung Lao is in it. 

[sxvethelastdance]

All the men you've ever loved have died by MY hand with twisted necks and no honor at all. What will you do, Liu Kang--weak Earthrealmer that you are? I spit at your elder gods. Who chose you? No one with any sense. /shao kahn/

The reminders are a lance through his heart, digging deep with the acknowledgement of what he has lost and the pain that’s taken the place of the love housed in his heart. 

 “These men possess more honor than you could ever hope to have. For you Shao Kahn, are stagnant. You do not improve with time, nor do you at least possess the excuse of degeneration to explain the pursuits forgone and the desolate landscapes lands of the realms which you have bled dry before your next conquest. You have not ventured from your comfort zone, challenged yourself as they have, instead you delight in the rivers of blood which comprise your throne of promises unmet, riches in fool’s gold. You ask me what I will do, Emperor?” He is bleeding, but he is not broken, and he is angry, angrier than he's ever been and somehow it is not enough and more than enough all at once. Visions of himself in different times, places and people form and with them the fates of these men. 

Is this what Lord Raiden felt?

No, it is different. I am different.

The flames rise in his palms, but they do not stop there. Fire wraps around his arms, becomes his breath, all that he is but not all that he will be. He is changing, as the universe wills from all things, but this is different, this towers over even the great Shao Kahn. He knows why he was chosen, resents and embraces it across spaces and times. 

"I will avenge them." More than one voice speaks this declaration. Time won’t erase this threat and nor will he, it’s not his place, but this will come to an end. This will be the last time that these men, two sides of a similar coin will fall to the hand of the Emperor, he wills it.

Liu Kang slumbers and the dragon opens its eyes, hungry.