Your brain is literally gynormous. Do you think Damian's and Dick's relationship is paternal? Because, as someone who has actually had to raise their sibling (do not recommend) it looks more like a guy that had too much in his plate trying to be the best caregiver he could, but not really being a parent, if that makes sense. I feel like the idea of him wanting to adopt him feels like kind of a retcon, couldn't really see it in the og run. But of course, it could be because it's not exactly the same as my experience (abusive father, incapable mother, yknow the drill). What do you think? All your posts are so good.
Also while you're at it, what do you think of Dick as a parent? Some elseworlds have played with the concept, and main continuity did something too with Olivia but T*m Tayl*r fucked that up too. I also wonder how Damian would be as a dad, but I don't think I've ever seen any stories with it.
omg anon thank you and thank you for asking!! this is literally one of my favorite topics!! i was thinking about making a post on this and now you gave me the excuse for it!!
Long story short, I don't think that “parental” is a binary thing. I mean, I know several bio-parents who are just guys with too much on their plates, trying to be the best they can, you know? And people can see parent figures in all kinds of relationships that aren’t blood or traditional moms/dads, especially with people who didn't know each other from birth. There are a million ways to be parented, and a million ways to act as a parent.
The way I think about it is, is Dick Damain's John Grayson? No, I don't think so.
But is Dick Damian's Bruce Wayne? Yes. Totally. Absolutely.
More under the cut bc I have a lot of thoughts.
I think to talk about Dick and Damian, we have to start with Dick and Bruce. So much about Dick and Damian is a reflection of the original Dynamic Duo, and I think that's very much the case with this element as well. From the start of their very long comic history, Dick and Bruce have been dancing around their relationship. We get early comics that say they're "like" father and son, we have Bruce saying he couldn't care about Dick more than if he was Bruce's son, but we also have places where they call each other their best friends, where they act more like brothers, etc etc.
When it comes to who our parents are, I think there is the responsibility, and the result. Certain people have the responsibility, the duty, to be our parents, and sometimes (because death or illness or being shitty people), they aren't able to meet those responsibilities. That never removes the responsibility; they don't stop being the parent. But they aren't able to create the result of us becoming good stable adults. That's where other people can step in, where the parental figure appears, and those are the people that we actually point to when we say "they made me the person I am today."
In fandom, we see a lot of Dick not wanting Bruce to replace his father, of him asking not to be adopted. I think this is a fine characterization that works with who Dick is, but Bruce is actually the one to say that he is not going to replace Dick's father. He says it completely unprompted, too. This is withholding the responsibility of being Dick's parent from Bruce, keeping him at a distance and reserving it as an honor for someone who can't hold it anymore, even as Bruce demands responsibility for literally everything else about Dick.
And I think that it's very telling of what Bruce's idea of a father is. The thing about having a dead parent at a young age is that the person of your parents is still tangled in the role of parent in your life; Mom is mom, not Martha, and because she's dead, the image of both Martha and "mom" is frozen. For Bruce, the relationship of father and son is frozen in the relationship of specifically his father and him. Of course Bruce is not Dick's father; Bruce himself is so different from what his conception of a father is. And as a fellow son, for Bruce, someone who just got back from 7 years abroad studying to be Batman, for whom the nearly 20 year old wound is still fresh, the idea of even wanting another father doesn't make sense, particularly for a boy that Bruce identifies with so hard that he becomes the third person ever to know who Batman is.
This looming memory is even worse when it's Dick's turn to be Batman. While Bruce looks at Dick and sees the memory of his own loss, the shadow of his own grief, Dick is looking at Damian and seeing Bruce. Dick knows very well who Damian lost; Dick is grieving what Damian lost more than Damian is. Bruce couldn't conceive of replacing a father, but Dick is struggling to imagining himself replacing Bruce at his job, much less who he was in his personal relationships.
But even if Damian isn't Dick's responsibility, Dick doesn't hesitate to care about Damian's future. "Who's going to save him if we don't?" At the start of the DickBats era, Dick isn't looking at Damian as a family member, really. He's looking at Damian as a victim, abet a very involved, very dangerous one. It's how Bruce looked at Dick too, before he had any reason to know that this kid would become something more to him. But, like Bruce, what Dick does to save Damian is bring him into the thing that is most precious to him; Batman. The mission. Saving people. A way to live in the world.
I know saying someone is the Batman to their Robin is like, a joke at this point. Something unbelievably cheesy. But you google "iconic duos" and Batman and Robin are one of the first responses. There's a reason for the joke. So imagine you are Robin, and your Batman is dead. And you have to go and find a new partner. Dick making Damian his Robin is heavy, just as heavy to me as adoption papers. Bruce made Dick his partner without any idea of what that meant. Dick, and the audience, had 70 years of expectation on what Dick and Damian could be. Dick making Damian Robin was a very specific claim, far stronger imo than just claiming him as a son would have been.
Because, to be honest (and speak to your other question), I don't think Dick thinks a lot about being a parent. I don't really think it's that important to him. Dick is a leader, a mentor, he deals with a ton of teenagers and kids through his vigilante work, he goes to Tim's sidekick parent's meetings and takes Jason skiing and more than that, he's also young. He's in his 20s. He should be at the club. I think he probably thinks he'll have kids in an abstract way, but it's not something he's looking for, consciously or unconsciously. He's not searching for connection, or to fix his mistakes or his past, the things that lead Bruce to adopting sidekicks. He'd be a great dad, and I think we see him being pretty good with his Elseworlds kids, but Dick is a very practical person, and him taking a kid in (vs finding somewhere else they can go) is not really the practical choice.
Except for one kid. There's just been one kid with legitimately no where else to go, where Dick is truly the only option, because going home meant only bad things for him. Dick made Damian part of his family in the ways that mattered to them both in that moment. With their lives, adoption doesn't really make a huge material difference on custody (if Damian wanted to leave, Dick couldn't have stopped him; Damian has access to basically unlimited money and can feed and clothe and wash himself. and possibly already has a phd.), and Dick wanted Damian to choose, anyway. If I recall correctly, Dick says he didn't think about taking Damian with him until Bruce comes back. He thought about taking Damian with him, thought that Damian might be better with Dick (his partner!!!!) than even with Bruce, his dad, the person Dick loves so much, only in the face of them being separated.
Meanwhile Damian, for all his blustering about how Dick needs to "earn" his respect, warms up to Dick startlingly quickly. For Damian, who had never known a father, who in his initial run hadn't even known his mother for more than two years, whose other male family is Ra’s al Ghul, his father is Batman. Even in Tomasi's kinder depiction of Damian's childhood, Damian only knows the Bat. And when he meets Bruce, the first thing he expresses is disappointment. Bruce the man is underwhelming and then goes and dies. So much for the mythic hero!
And then he meets Dick. Who manages to teach Damian something, who doesn't discount his skills even when he's wrong. Who proves that he is better at being Batman than Damian, and shows that he wants Damian around. And, even more importantly, who doesn't die. Dick is stable in a world constantly in flux. Damian screws up a lot in that run, and he leaves for long stretches of it, but Dick is always there when he gets back. There's no blame here, but the truth is that Dick is the one who stays.
Bruce was Damian's father, but what does that mean to someone whose never met a father at all? Bruce might have tried to connect with Damian before he died, but he doesn’t do it in a way that works. He doesn’t give Damian trust, he doesn’t encourage him in the ways Damian finds important…the first person to do that is Dick. Dick gives Damian responsibility, makes him part of the team. It could be argued that Damian didn’t deserve it, but we’re not talking about deserving. We’re talking about what worked. It sounds like as good an idea as making a tiny 8 year old acrobat a sidekick, but it undeniably worked for both Damian and Dick. Does that mean that either of these relationships were parental in the way that we think of it in the real world, in the way that a child psychologist would say is good and healthy? I have no idea. But they are the most parental in the absence of any other parents, and I think that means a lot.
Unfortunately, we don't get to actually see the dissolution of Dick and Damian's partnership. DC conveniently skips over showing us Bruce coming back and Dick becoming Nightwing again; preNew 52, Dick is still Batman with Damian even when Bruce returns, and in the New 52, he's been Batman "Before" and we don't really see the end, just a vague aftermath. But if it did take that kind of change to make them realize their relationship had a flavor of "parent and child", had the makings of something like a father and son, well, they'd just be following in the original Batman's footprints.
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This is such a niche ask, but I saw that you do Mortal Kombat. Can I ask for some flirty intro dialogue? You know like the conversation the characters have b4 the fight? But like with a Goddess!reader who's basically Hecate? like a Nyx/Hecate fusion if that makes sense. Oh and can you do what some of her taunts would be? I feel like those and her fatalities would be illusion and tarot based :)))
Flirty Intro Dialogue
Pairings: Johnny Cage x Reader; Noob Saibot x Reader; Erron Black x Reader; Dark Raiden x Reader; Cassie Cage x Reader; Shang Tsung x Reader
A/N: (Back to using gifs for headcanons). This is just for the MK 11 timeline. Once MK 1 comes out, I'll do new ones. Had to do a little research fan fiction-wise for this one, but I got a good amount out (plus some taunts the reader would say during the fight). I put a lot of thought into the reader's backstory in the MK universe, even though it'll never be used lol. Please, feel free to request more of these characters or some intros for different characters. Maybe even request a one-shot? Who knows ;)
Behind the Scenes: You know how when Erron Black shows up in the intro, he's looking at a Wanted poster of his opponent? I feel like Goddess!reader has something like that where she's looking at a tarot card that's different for each character before it disappears into mist. Another opening is the reader strutting in shapeshifted into her opponent, before turning back. Her friendship fatality has her stirring a comically large witch's caldron and Noob Saibot pops out in a cloud of mist.
You: Jonathan Carlton
Johnny Cage: Sexy witch goddess.
You: I…Hmm.
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You: I can feel the magic coursing through your veins. You are one of my Night children, Jonathan.
Johnny Cage: You don’t mean that literally, right? Because it would suck to have the hots for my mom.
You: (sighs) And what a waste.
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Johnny Cage: Somebody pinch me, I must be dreaming.
You: Do you dream of me often, Mortal?
Johnny Cage: Ohho, absolutely.
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Johnny Cage: Somebody pinch me, I must be dreaming.
You: (sighs) How many times must you make that joke?
Johnny Cage: You know you love it!
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Johnny Cage: So…what are my chances of getting you into my next movie?
You: I’ve told you. I have no desire to appear on your “big screen”.
Johnny Cage: I was thinking we’d make a different kind of movie.
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Johnny Cage: Goddess of dreams, huh? Can I call you Sandman?
You: You may call me whatever you please, dear mortal.
Johnny Cage: Oh, you do not wanna give me that kind of power.
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Johnny Cage: Heard you and Shinnok had a thing.
You: A…thing?
Johnny Cage: You two boned! Get it? Cuz he’s a skeleton.
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Johnny Cage: Tarot, huh? Card tricks are cool and all, but do you got any other witchy gimmicks?
You: I'm particularly fond of palm reading.
Johnny Cage: ...So what I'm hearing is, you're good with your hands?
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Johnny Cage: You, Fujin, and Raiden go way back, huh?
You: Since the dawn of time.
Johnny Cage: (grimace) Yeesh, they've been friend zoned that long?
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Johnny Cage: Not so fast, Hermonie.
You: Must you always spout such inane drivel?
Johnny Cage: Someone's been using their word-a-day calendar!
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Johnny Cage: I've never met a non-evil Eldar God.
You: Evil is quite subjective.
Johnny Cage: I'll remember that next time I'm kicking one's ass.
Noob Saibot: My Goddess.
You: Bi-Han.
Noob Saibot: The shadows cling to your presence.
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Noob Saibot: Many have wanted me to yield to their command.
You: Oh?
Noob Saibot: Only you have succeeded, My Goddess.
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You: You are not touched by the Night, dear Bi-Han. You are shrouded in it.
Noob Saibot: What better way to show that I belong to you?
You: It certainly seems that way, doesn’t it?
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Noob Saibot: The shadows whisper your name.
You: (smiles) What do they say about me?
Noob Saibot: That your beauty is combated by no other. They speak only the truth for their Goddess.
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You: You have been a steadfast worshiper, Bi-Han. How shall I reward your loyalty?
Noob Saibot: I only ask for one thing: to be your consort.
You: Hmm. That could be arranged.
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Noob Saibot: I do not want you to be upset with me, but I will not take back what I said.
You: Your brother cares for you, Bi-Han.
Noob Saibot: Yet, here we are.
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You: Why must we fight?
Noob Saibot: I wish to prove to you my might, My Goddess.
You: Oh, dear wraith. For you, my love is freely given. You have already earned it.
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Noob Saibot: You're different than the other Eldar Gods. You...care.
You: Do you think me weak?
Noob Saibot: Never.
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You: Care to spar?
Noob Saibot: I'd be honored.
You: Then don't take it personally when I beat you.
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Noob Saibot: The shadows crave your touch.
You: Only the shadows?
Noob Saibot: I'll always long for you, My Goddess.
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You: Do you fear me, dear Bi-Han?
Noob Saibot: I respect you.
You: (sigh) That wasn't a no.
Erron Black: You've got quite the pretty penny on your head.
You: Are you here to kill me then, Erron Black?
Erron Black: With a face like that, I wouldn’t dream of it.
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Erron Black: You got any love spells up your sleeve, witchy? I swear ’m good for it.
You: Love is not something to take lightly. Who do you have in mind?
Erron Black: (smirks) Look in a mirror, darlin’.
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Erron Black: You the Goddess of lust, by any chance?
You: That is not a purpose I was created to serve.
Erron Black: Pity. You’d certainly suit it.
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Erron Black: You had something to ask me, beautiful?
You: Yes. What is “reverse cowgirl”?
Erron Black: (smirks) How ‘bout I show you the ins and outs after this?
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Erron Black: ’M not usually one for marriage, darlin’.
You: Neither am I.
Erron Black: I don’t have to be the only one, as long as I’m your favorite.
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Erron Black: You ever find out why Shinnok offed you?
You: I believe he wanted to turn me into his revenant bride. He became rather desperate after I declined his proposal.
Erron Black: (chuckle) Well, I guess I can’t blame the guy.
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Erron Black: Why don’t you take a peek into ol’ Erron’s dreams? Swear you won’t be disappointed.
You: I’ve seen your dreams. I must say, you give me very generous proportions.
Erron Black: Then you must know I’m a very generous lover.
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Erron Black: I've struck gold
You: How so?
Erron Black: Well, you're here, ain'tcha?
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Erron Black: You cast a spell on me, Goddess?
You: I have not, Erron Black.
Erron Black: Do you want to?
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Erron Black: How 'bout you and I see where the night takes us?
You: Do you think you can keep up?
Erron Black: Trust me. I may be fast on the quick draw, but I don't shoot quick.
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Erron Black: You've got the magic touch.
You: A good deal of my powers flow through my hands.
Erron Black: I want 'em on me.
You: I’ve heard of how you…disposed of Shinnok.
Dark Raiden: After what he did to you, after how I mourned, I would behead him a hundred times over.
You: It isn’t judgment you sense in my voice. I would have killed him myself if you hadn’t beat me to it.
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You: Do you still desire me, even as you are now?
Dark Raiden: If you need to ask, then I have failed to show you my devotion.
You: Hmph.
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Dark Raiden: Will you abandon me too, my love?
You: It is not in my nature.
Dark Raiden: They do not deserve your blessings.
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Dark Raiden: How have you…How are you here?
You: I sensed my presence was needed and returned to my corporal form just in time to be put in Kronika's void.
Dark Raiden: You could not sense how much I needed you, how much I mourned?
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You: We are in such uncertain times, my vision is clouded.
Dark Raiden: I’m sorry for the part I play in your duress, my love.
You: You are only doing your duty. It’s how you’re going about it that leaves me weary.
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Dark Raiden: How can you find such beauty in their shortcomings?
You: The Night welcomes all into her shadowed embrace.
Dark Raiden: You are wasted on them!
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Dark Raiden: I was so lost without your guidance.
You: When I died?
Dark Raiden: When you were taken from me!
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Dark Radien: How did Shinnok do it?
You: He lied to me and attacked me when I let my guard down.
Dark Raiden: (growls) If I could, I would bring him back to enact justice upon him once more.
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You: I have but one wish.
Dark Raiden: Anything.
You: I wish for you to come back to me.
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You: Is it true? What you've done?
Dark Radien: It was the only way.
You: You have lost yourself.
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You: We've never fought before, have we?
Dark Radien: We never needed to for me to know you're the stronger between us.
You: Flattery will not save you.
Cassie Cage: You know, I think I’m finally understanding why Raiden lost his marbles.
You: How so?
Cassie Cage: I think I’d lose my shit too if someone like you was taken from me.
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Cassie Cage: Are you a good witch or a bad witch?
You: I’m…afraid I do not understand.
Cassie Cage: Oh, you have got to let me take you on a movie date.
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Cassie Cage: Who’s your favorite: Fujin or Raiden? Come on. You can tell me.
You: I’m a Goddess. Why would I limit myself to one lover?
Cassie Cage: You dirty girl.
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Cassie Cage: What are you the Goddess of again?
You: (hesitates) …It would be easier to list what I am not the Goddess of.
Cassie Cage: (whistles) And I thought my parents expected a lot of me.
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Cassie Cage: Come on, just one kiss!
You: I am older than you could possibly imagine.
Cassie Cage: An older woman. What’s not to love?
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Cassie Cage: I heard you died. So, how are you standing here in all your godly beauty?
You: I have much power over death and the comings and goings of the Underworld. My soul simply dispersed there.
Cassie Cage: Yep. That’ll do it.
-
Cassie Cage: So…You didn’t happen to see that one dream, did you?
You: I’ve seen all your dreams, Cassandra. And I’m flattered.
Cassie Cage: (clears throat) …Right.
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Cassie Cage: It’s a full moon
You: She calls to me and all who feel her light.
Cassie Cage:…You’re not gonna turn into a werewolf, are you?
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Cassie Cage: You gonna turn me into a frog, Goddess?
You: It’s a possibility.
Cassie Cage: (shrugs) As long as you change me back with a kiss.
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Cassie Cage: Heard you hung out with Jacqui.
You: Yes, though she didn’t mention you at all.
Cassie Cage: She is the worst wing woman.
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You: You’ve come to my crossroads. Do you need my guidance?
Cassie Cage: Just wondering if you could teach me a trick or two.
You: So it’s my protection you seek.
Shang Tsung: Your beauty entices me
You: My power entices you.
Shang Tsung: Two things can be true at once.
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Shang Tsung: Soon, you shall be my bride.
You: You cannot tie down a Goddess; you cannot tie down the Night.
Shang Tsung: I can try.
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Shang Tsung: Do my powers impress you, Goddess of magic?
You: They certainly intrigue me, Sorcerer.
Shang Tsung: Allow me to give you a closer look.
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Shang Tsung: Every time I invoke my magic, I do so in your name.
You: Your loyalty changes with the moon’s phases.
Shang Tsung: I devote myself to you, my Goddess.
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Shang Tsung: I want something more valuable than your soul.
You: Such as?
Shang Tsung: Your love.
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Shang Tsung: You forgave Shinnok, but not I?
You: I did not forgive him. He killed me when I refused to be his bride.
Shang Tsung: I will succeed where he has failed.
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Shang Tsung: I kneel at your altar, my Goddess.
You: You needn’t prostrate yourself before me.
Shang Tsung: It is never a hardship to be on my knees for you.
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You: Do you fear me?
Shang Tsung: I’d be a fool not to.
You: Then why challenge me?
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Shang Tsung: You have the godly brothers on quite a tight leash.
You: I demand no loyalty from them.
Shang Tsung: It’s doubtful that they stray far from you.
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You: Kronika spared me in hopes of using my powers. When I refused, she cast me into the void.
Shang Tsung: We have been similarly wronged by her.
You: That is why we must aid Luai Kang in defeating her.
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Shang Tsung: You are the last Eldar God.
You: Yes. And I shall help Luai Kang in his creation of the new timeline.
Shang Tsung: Then this will be goodbye for now.
Taunts
You: The Wheel of Fortune comes for us all.
You: Your future is uncertain.
You: You cannot hide from the Night’s embrace.
You: Knell in repentance.
You: Your path ends here.
You: You are lost.
You: It is simply an illusion.
You: You challenge an Eldar God?
You: Will you make an offering?
You: You are forgiven.
You: I will lead your spirit through the gates of the Netherrealm.
You: You shall not pass.
You: Are you seeing double?
You: Allow me to guide you.
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