Xailas Wrote:
@Chrome... Wow... Really?

1. My text is “bogged down in needless flavor text”? Curious opinion. Actually that’s just called descriptive writing, and as a supposed writer, you should know its importance, as it is used to engage the reader with the story. It doesn’t matter what you are writing about; writing descriptively is always more interesting than not. Oh and I would be interested in Sub-Zero’s 13th birthday preparation, because it is a detail, regardless of how minute it may be, about a character that I enjoy. Typically, when people become attached to a character, they want to know everything they can about them; even the little things. So just what is it exactly that you think is “required” in a Mortal Kombat story? I think you have no idea the amount of detailed lore that NetherRealm probably wishes they could add to the story if they could, but because of time and development constraints, cannot. The abundance of core and spin-off titles that have come along have proven that Mortal Kombat’s story is expansive, and with MK9 and now MKX, they have taken it even further. Just because you think my descriptive writing doesn’t fit with your idea of what Mortal Kombat should be limited to doesn’t make it true. The only difference between my story telling and theirs is that I wasn’t limited in my development time and space as they are, and wrote freely focused on a single character, and yes, as descriptively as I could.

2. Your statement about discrepancies in verisimilitude is invalid in a number of ways. Firstly, by the existence of characters of a similar nature already in the canon: the Lin-Kuei cyborgs. Had there not been such characters in Mortal Kombat before, then your statement would make some semblance of sense, but alas, it does not. If you think that the redesigned cyborg characters that were introduced in MK9 weren’t heavily inspired by manga and Japanese design, you’re only fooling yourself. In this regard, my character actually follows more closely to the world she is presented in than some actual characters in the series. Secondly, as for her story, it was carefully interwoven with existing canon, and with the sole exception of the Shoga-Ryu village, takes place entirely in existing locals in Mortal Kombat lore. Additionally, many of the events that transpire throughout her story are directly tied to existing world events. So I’m curious... What is it exactly that you think doesn’t fit?

Nowhere in the story is it suggested that the Shoga-Ryu is superior to the Shirai-Ryu. In fact there is a passage early in chapter one that specifically refutes that: “Yamino was wise enough to know better than to order an all-out offensive strike. The existence of the Shoga-Ryu was closely guarded from the Lin-Kuei, and if they were strong enough to exterminate the Shirai-Ryu so completely, the risk of jeopardizing the clan was too great.” As for what it adds to the world, the Shoga-Ryu sheds much needed light on the lives of the Japanese shinobi in Mortal Kombat, as well as on the original Shirai-Ryu, a clan that has had little exposure aside from its brief mentionings in Scorpion's story. Until now, the Chinese Lin-Kuei have had the majority of the exposure. Lillith and her story was meant to balance that.


3. As it is written, my character appears only in very specific moments during the events of MK9 that are pivotal to her own story. To say she has merely “been there, done that” is a massive exaggeration. I would like to know exactly what “many many things” her inclusion during these certain scenes creates, and what “questions” do those things open up? And tell me if you can how it “bogs down other stuff”. What other stuff? That doesn’t make any sense. Can you be more descriptive in your writing?

4. Creating a character and/or story without applying some of your own personal preference is an impossibility as an artist/writer. However, to say I have put myself before the world is a gross accusation. I have been abundantly respectful to the world I have put my character in, and from the very beginning, made it a point to emphasize her humanity and vulnerability. I never set out to make super woman, but only a character that could stand toe to toe with any of the other main characters in the lore, which is the same power that is given to almost every character created by NetherRealm themselves with the exception of the boss characters, who are given more. This point is proven time and again throughout my story, notably in part by her inability to use supernatural powers and abilities such as fireballs or ice blasts. If this was my “power fantasy”, don’t you think I would have made her even stronger?

No, I’m not ashamed of a darn thing. In fact I’m very proud of what I have accomplished here seeing as though I am not a writer by trade and this is my first production of this scale. I’m a hair stylist. Nobody’s paying me or even thanking me for creating this character, nor would I ever expect as much. That’s not why I did this. I made this character directly out of my appreciation for Mortal Kombat, and that is why I can say here now that she is not just some “power fantasy”. She is a result of my passion for the series, and I came here looking to see if others might share in that passion with me and enjoy participating in seeing such a character make it into Mortal Kombat lore. But with nearly all I’ve gotten so far, I suppose that was too much to ask.

You do what you want to do; read what you want to read, whatever. I will keep doing what I do. Your opinion is just that--an opinion, and that’s fair enough. But the goal of the text was accomplished through and through.

Xailas Wrote:
@Chrome... Wow... Really?

1. My text is “bogged down in needless flavor text”? Curious opinion. Actually that’s just called descriptive writing, and as a supposed writer, you should know its importance, as it is used to engage the reader with the story. It doesn’t matter what you are writing about; writing descriptively is always more interesting than not. Oh and I would be interested in Sub-Zero’s 13th birthday preparation, because it is a detail, regardless of how minute it may be, about a character that I enjoy. Typically, when people become attached to a character, they want to know everything they can about them; even the little things. So just what is it exactly that you think is “required” in a Mortal Kombat story? I think you have no idea the amount of detailed lore that NetherRealm probably wishes they could add to the story if they could, but because of time and development constraints, cannot. The abundance of core and spin-off titles that have come along have proven that Mortal Kombat’s story is expansive, and with MK9 and now MKX, they have taken it even further. Just because you think my descriptive writing doesn’t fit with your idea of what Mortal Kombat should be limited to doesn’t make it true. The only difference between my story telling and theirs is that I wasn’t limited in my development time and space as they are, and wrote freely focused on a single character, and yes, as descriptively as I could.

2. Your statement about discrepancies in verisimilitude is invalid in a number of ways. Firstly, by the existence of characters of a similar nature already in the canon: the Lin-Kuei cyborgs. Had there not been such characters in Mortal Kombat before, then your statement would make some semblance of sense, but alas, it does not. If you think that the redesigned cyborg characters that were introduced in MK9 weren’t heavily inspired by manga and Japanese design, you’re only fooling yourself. In this regard, my character actually follows more closely to the world she is presented in than some actual characters in the series. Secondly, as for her story, it was carefully interwoven with existing canon, and with the sole exception of the Shoga-Ryu village, takes place entirely in existing locals in Mortal Kombat lore. Additionally, many of the events that transpire throughout her story are directly tied to existing world events. So I’m curious... What is it exactly that you think doesn’t fit?

Nowhere in the story is it suggested that the Shoga-Ryu is superior to the Shirai-Ryu. In fact there is a passage early in chapter one that specifically refutes that: “Yamino was wise enough to know better than to order an all-out offensive strike. The existence of the Shoga-Ryu was closely guarded from the Lin-Kuei, and if they were strong enough to exterminate the Shirai-Ryu so completely, the risk of jeopardizing the clan was too great.” As for what it adds to the world, the Shoga-Ryu sheds much needed light on the lives of the Japanese shinobi in Mortal Kombat, as well as on the original Shirai-Ryu, a clan that has had little exposure aside from its brief mentionings in Scorpion's story. Until now, the Chinese Lin-Kuei have had the majority of the exposure. Lillith and her story was meant to balance that.


3. As it is written, my character appears only in very specific moments during the events of MK9 that are pivotal to her own story. To say she has merely “been there, done that” is a massive exaggeration. I would like to know exactly what “many many things” her inclusion during these certain scenes creates, and what “questions” do those things open up? And tell me if you can how it “bogs down other stuff”. What other stuff? That doesn’t make any sense. Can you be more descriptive in your writing?

4. Creating a character and/or story without applying some of your own personal preference is an impossibility as an artist/writer. However, to say I have put myself before the world is a gross accusation. I have been abundantly respectful to the world I have put my character in, and from the very beginning, made it a point to emphasize her humanity and vulnerability. I never set out to make super woman, but only a character that could stand toe to toe with any of the other main characters in the lore, which is the same power that is given to almost every character created by NetherRealm themselves with the exception of the boss characters, who are given more. This point is proven time and again throughout my story, notably in part by her inability to use supernatural powers and abilities such as fireballs or ice blasts. If this was my “power fantasy”, don’t you think I would have made her even stronger?

No, I’m not ashamed of a darn thing. In fact I’m very proud of what I have accomplished here seeing as though I am not a writer by trade and this is my first production of this scale. I’m a hair stylist. Nobody’s paying me or even thanking me for creating this character, nor would I ever expect as much. That’s not why I did this. I made this character directly out of my appreciation for Mortal Kombat, and that is why I can say here now that she is not just some “power fantasy”. She is a result of my passion for the series, and I came here looking to see if others might share in that passion with me and enjoy participating in seeing such a character make it into Mortal Kombat lore. But with nearly all I’ve gotten so far, I suppose that was too much to ask.

You do what you want to do; read what you want to read, whatever. I will keep doing what I do. Your opinion is just that--an opinion, and that’s fair enough. But the goal of the text was accomplished through and through.