Author Archives: Seneca Erwin

Mothers Day Away

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My mom is truly one of my best friends but we haven’t always been so close. Just like every kid, I went through my “leave me alone mom” stage; there was constant fighting and eye rolling (on both ends). I like to call this part of my life ‘the dark ages’. Looking back, I can not believe that there was once a time when my mom and I didn’t get along, but because of these hard years, I feel even more blessed to now have such a close relationship her. She is literally the first person I call when anything happens, good or bad. My mom is my shoulder to cry on and my person to adventure with. I can’t even go shopping on my own! I always have to send her a picture and ask for her opinion.

I have not seen my absolute best friend in 100 days. That is 100 days without a mom hug (we all know those are the best kind of hugs), without a kiss on the head telling you everything is going to be ok, and without having the person that makes you feel the safest.

For these reasons, being away from her on mother’s day is so difficult. This year’s mother’s day is the first of many that I won’t get to share with my mom and so far I do not like that.

It breaks my heart that I will not get to be with her on the one day of the year dedicated to showing how much appreciation I have for everything she has done as a mom and given up for me just because I am her daughter. I know that you shouldn’t need a holiday to show how much someone means to you, you should do it every day however, it is hard when everywhere you look is covered in mother’s day adds and gifts, and you can’t even see your mom and give her a hug. I also can’t imagine how hard it is for my mom to see all the Facebook posts from other moms sharing the things that their kids did for them. It is like being the only one that doesn’t get invited to the party and you have reminders of it everywhere you look.

It sucks.

All that I want to do is to make my mom feel like the queen of the world for a day because she deserves to feel like she is on top of the world. She deserves at least one day where everyone puts her first just like she does for all of us every other day of her life.

I cannot wait to drive up to my house and get out of my car in 20 days, and run to give my mom our first hug in 120 days. I know for a fact that I will cry. Living half way across the country from my mom is one of the hardest things I have done and holidays like mother’s day makes it ten times harder. Leaving the nest and flying on your own is scary to begin with, but not being able to fly back to the nest whenever you want makes it so much worse. This part of growing up is so difficult, but I am a true believer that best things come from the hardest times. I know that I had to push myself out of the nest so that I could learn to fly on my own. I hope that I soar higher than my mom ever could have dreamed so that I can make her prouder than she could have ever imagined. I live each day to make her proud so that she feels that her sacrifices were worth it.

College is hard. Being away from the people closest to you is even harder. But thanks to my mom I know that I have the strength to do it all and get through whatever life throws at me.

I wish I could be with her on mother’s day, but I can’t. What I can do is finish my year strong, be the best daughter I can, and show the world that she raised an amazing person because she is an amazing mother.

Staying Sane While Crazy Busy

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If you listen to the podcasts many of you may have heard that my life — although sometimes less adventurous than our other members — is crazy busy. Alexander even likes to make jokes about how I don’t know how to relax or know what a non-busy lifestyle looks like. I won’t say that my life is lacking things to do what with my volunteer work at local organizations, pursuit of higher education, my actual job (depending on the month), volunteer research assistant work at my undergraduate university for two different projects, maintaining a social life, maintaining a healthy relationship (let’s be honest, relationships take work!), normal week to week errands like grocery shopping, and whatever else is on my plate that week. When I look at that list of things it seems like a way more hectic schedule than I feel like I have, and there are a lot of reasons why I can handle the personal load I have.

I meticulously update my planner.

For me, a planner is a paper and ink experience. My google calendar is usually left alone and rarely updated because I prefer the experience of physically writing in items and checking off finished things.

I do use a fancy planner, but you don’t need to. I know people who use a notebook and simply keep a tally on what needs to be done. That works for them.

 

I am 100% honest with those close to me about my how busy I am.

And I don’t shrug it off when it’s a bit too much or having a negative impact on me. I don’t let my life get taken while silently suffering or maybe even taking it out inadvertently on those close to me. I try to be honest about when my schedule is a bit too much instead of forcing everything to happen and keep the ‘always together’ appearance that I apparently have (I don’t agree, but that’s a whole other topic).

Example: What I don’t do. – oh, naaaah. _Some activity that week_ is totally awesome and I’m perfect!” all the while thinking… “And it isn’t making me lose my mind because I now am unsure when I will be able to pick up groceries” in a clearly sarcastic manner.

Instead of claiming that I’m fine I’ll mention how I’m a bit stressed out due to overscheduling a bit that week. Often I’ll mix errands and social events, like inviting friends with me to go grocery shopping or even buying all of my week’s groceries with my boyfriend when we are at the store to pick up a couple of items for our date night dinners. This may sound a little silly to call up a friend and say “Hey! Want to go grocery shopping with me?” But for me this works because not only do I get to spend time with my friends (something I try to do regularly), but sometimes running an errand with them turns into us making dinner together and decompressing while we each work on something productive.

 

Another thing that I do regularly is I schedule self-care time.

Self-care for me usually means low-key activities with friends, bubble baths, videogames, reading for fun, and cooking.

These self-care activities are really cathartic and assist in letting me juice up my personal battery. For me, these are non-negotiable parts of my week and therefore they’re written into my planner so that I don’t forget to take care of myself.

A lot of the time when I am doing self-care I either turn off my phone or put it on vibrate mode and put it away from me. I can hear the vibrations most of the time, since I live in a small studio, but it takes some of the pressure off needing to respond at the moment.

 

These are the little things that I do to stay sane with my ‘crazy schedule’ and for me, it works very well! This may not work for everyone, but for me it makes a busy busy schedule feel a lot more manageable.

 

Spinach Ricotta Stuffed Shells

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Spring has officially hit Washington. The sun is shining, and just like the new flowers popping up things in my life keep on popping up alongside them. Of course, this means all I want are meals that are comforting after a day on the run without many breaks, refrigerates well if I don’t have the energy to actually make food, and of course most of all has some green in it so I don’t feel like a 2 year old once again. This dish, which I made with my boyfriend a long time back has become a fall back recipe. So much so that I don’t even know where any of my own pictures are of it. Above is a picture of a similar recipe, if you follow this recipe to a T they may come out a bit greener and will smell of garlic.

Tools needed:

  • Baking dish – 8 x 8 inches minimum
  • Cutting board
  • Chopping knife
  • Mixing bowl (medium – large)
  • Foil
  • Pan + lid

Ingredients:

  • 12 jumbo pasta shells
  • 10 oz frozen spinach (I use 16 oz, but I really like spinach)
  • 15 oz ricotta cheese
  • ½ cup of parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper (only if you like it)
  • 20-26 oz of tomato sauce (use more or less depending on your preference)
  • 1 cup whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 3 cloves of garlic

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Cook 12 – 15 jumbo pasta shells according to package directions. Make sure that they don’t have cracks, cook extra in case they break during the cooking process.
  3. While shells are cooking fine mince the garlic, microwave frozen spinach until it is warmed. May need to break the spinach up with a fork.
  4. Once garlic and spinach are pressed, toss both into a pan and cook until the spinach is fully cooked through. Once it is cooked drain excess liquid.
  5. In a mixing bowl combine ricotta, parmesan, spices, and egg. Once these are well combined add in the drained spinach and garlic. If you don’t use all of the stuffing or are still waiting for the shells, put it in the refrigerator for later use.
  6. Drain your pasta and put aside.
  7. Take a rectangular baking dish (I use an 8 x 8 inch one) and add half of your tomato sauce to the bottom of the baking dish. Fill the shells with the combined mixture. If your dish has room for the extra shells that didn’t break feel free to stuff them into the baking dish too!
  8. Top shells with left over sauce and mozzarella cheese before placing foil over the baking dish.
  9. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is fully melted and shells are heated through.
  10. Enjoy while warm!

How to Deal With Despising Valentine’s Day When You Have a Significant Other

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 Two things before we start todays how to.
One: I am a self-admitted girl who despises Valentine’s Day, and I have a boyfriend.
Two: I do not hate it because I think it is a social construction or a way for the card market to get some more cash before the next actual holiday.

Now… Some of you may be wondering “If she has a boyfriend and is happy with him then why doesn’t she like this holiday?!” Well, the answer is simple. I don’t have a taste for the chocolate you get in those heart shaped boxes, I have no room for stuffed animals with hearts sewn into their arms, and fresh cut flowers make me sad by the next week when they die. Add in the fact that I share the burden of this holiday (my boyfriend and I trade off each year), and the fact that the lines for any decent eatery on Valentine’s Day are absurdly long… Well, you get the point. I just don’t see much merit in it and as much as I’d love to love the holiday of love… It is very unlikely that my mind will be changing anytime soon.

Since we’ve gotten that whole kit-caboodle out of the way let’s get down to the real how to portion of this article!

Firstly – If you have a significant other and you don’t like Valentine’s Day. TELL THEM. If you don’t tell them they probably won’t know. Men, women, lobsters. They aren’t mind readers and if you don’t tell them before the big day of L-O-V-E you’re likely to either be assaulted by the holiday or be a little confused they didn’t act with the normal overly stressed and lovely behavior that seems to come with the holiday.
When you do explain it to them, be honest. Hell, before my now significant other and I got together I ranted for probably a good hour about how much I hated the holiday. Poor guy didn’t know what was coming and he still deals with my weird antics about the holiday, honestly honesty is the best policy when it comes to not liking lovey-dovey things with the person you’re supposed to do those things with.

Secondly – If you don’t like the holiday but still want to do something special with your significant other, do it. I tend to reserve Valentine’s Day itself as a friends holiday, a habit from before I had my significant other and tradition I seem to be sticking to three years later. If you want to change the day you two do your version of the holiday, do it. Usually I move our version of Valentine’s Day to the Friday or Saturday closest to the day so that we can still do something nice around the day.

Thirdly – If you have a traditional partner who wants to do the whole nine yards you do not, I repeat do not, have to go the whole nine yard with the cards, flowers, chocolates, fancy dinners, etc if you do not feel comfortable with that. Instead figure out what works best for your relationship. An example would be in my relationship. If my significant other wanted to get me flowers and couldn’t do Valentine’s Day without that I would note that I didn’t feel comfortable with fresh cut ones, but I would appreciate dried ones, paper origami ones, or something flower like (cacti, succulent, air plant) in a proper container. Meeting in the middle will keep you from pulling your hair in anger at the holiday and will also allow your partner to feel like they can meet their needs for the holiday.
Added bonus: Having your personal unique twist on the holiday will make it feel extra special. Rather than getting the classic Valentine’s Day starter pack you’ll have a personalized gift from your significant other. (Or vice versa if you’re the one giving the gifts.)

Fourthly – Enjoy it if you want to, or ignore it if you don’t. There is nothing worse than being forced to enjoy a holiday you cannot abide, or forcing yourself to ignore it if you adore it. Keep true to yourself without forcing the issue. If you just want to have an excuse to order in pizza and watch movies, or go out and get heart shaped balloons… Do it. Really, holidays are just another day to do things we enjoy and don’t let ourselves do every day because of that silly thing called common sense or budgets.

Even if it is a silly holiday, enjoy a day to tell your significant other you care in your own special branded way.

Belated Snow Days

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As a kid I have very fond memories of snow. What snow meant for me was that if there was a lack of ice my father would brave the intrepid 2 inches of white cold fluff (which is apparently worthy of screams and fainting around these parts) to take me to a park; so that I could run around screaming into the bright blue sky about how exciting snow was, learn to make snow balls, and generally be prepared for the foot or more waiting for me over winter break when we flew off to see one set of the grandparents. When the snow inevitably turned into black ice in our damp region my father encouraged snow days be spent as days of rest with lots of snacks, big books, and that we enjoy the perfect day to rest up for the mayhem that would be coming with one day of canceled responsibilities.
As I grew my feelings on snow seemed fairly similar. However soon I learned the danger of snow and my feelings of delight turned into a stomach flip flop of checking my schedule before leaning into the familiar practices of snow days. If my classes were canceled, friends could walk over (or vice versa), and I had boots with traction—I was fine. In fact I was more than happy to relish my increasingly rare days of rest. If I had places to drive to, a massive hill to climb to get to a class that a professor deemed worthy of attending despite the ice, or really anything that I could not cancel my heart skipped a beat and I shuddered with horror rather than cold.
I still enjoy the snow, in fact our most recent (and may I mention late for Christmas) visit from Jack Frost I learned how to drive down a steep icy drive way, spotted raccoon, deer, and stray bird foot prints in the snow; and I even enjoyed a snowy evening with my significant other. As I’ve aged I’ve lacked the propriety to lose my childlike delight at snow as long as my schedule allows.
What can I say, being an adult (some days) has its ups and downs. Sometimes snow days are horrid days where all you wish is to be at home with a book looking at the beauty that the snow can gift without the cold sinking through your layers and snow chunks that manage to slip into your boots. Other days, you actually get to stay inside and pretend that it really is a snow day.

The Crew’s Resolutions

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Here at Podcast Lost in Space we are a mosh posh group of millennials at different stages in our lives trying to figure out how it all works. One time of the year when nearly everyone is working on themselves is the New Year. So we thought it was only fitting for us to share our resolutions for 2016.

 

Doc’s resolution is  to film and upload 1 youtube video a month. Totaling 12 videos by the end of the year.

Alexander’s resolution is to get in shape and start having adventures. He will even be working on a series of blog posts on his experience doing this called Op Respec.

Alyssa doesn’t make new year resolutions.

Newman’s resolution is to be better with finances.

Seneca’s resolution is to go on more adventures and spend more time with friends.

 

What are your resolutions for 2016?

Is Basic Really a Bad Thing?

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“You’re so basic”.  We all hear this from the people around us, and we constantly see it on social media. Most everyone knows exactly what it refers to.  But just incase you don’t, a simple Google search will reveal that a basic white girl is a Starbucks loving, UGG/boot and legging wearing, selfie taking, iPhone using, Instagram posting girl. You can find numerous articles about “things that all basic white girls do” or “signs that you are basic .”

I’ll let you process that one…

Yes, that definition is completely comprised of things that are currently “in style” (for lack of a better word).  The majority of people (at least that I know), men and women, have iPhones. Starbucks is the largest coffee chain worldwide. And being from Seattle, there is one every couple of blocks, so most likely, if I want coffee, I will stop by a Starbucks.

Ultimately, this label that gets put on girls because they like the things that are most common in our society. And the reason that these things are so common is because people genuinely enjoy them.

Personally, I am tired of being called basic each time I want a Starbucks, or wear leggings, boots, and a sweater. I like my style, and if other people have the same taste as me then so be it. It is up to me to decide what I like and I should not be judged for it.

And then if you don’t like the things that comprise the so-called basic identity then you are considered “weird” and “unfashionable.”  It is just a never-ending cycle of judgment and no one can ever win.

In this world of social media there are so many things out there that make people self-conscious. We need to change that and make it ok for everyone to just like what they like, no labels needed.

So think about this, why is it so wrong for a girl to be basic? Is it really so wrong for people to like the same things? In each generation you see these trends happen. And for some reason our generation has decided to make that a bad thing.

What people wear and like should not take away from the fact that each and every person is unique. By calling someone basic you are choosing to ignore that fact. Just because you might not like something that others do, does not give you the right to label them and think less of them.

To all those girls out there reading this, it’s ok to be called basic just as long as the things you buy and do are what you genuinely love. Be who you want to be, it doesn’t matter what everyone else thinks.

 

A Basic Study Guide that is Hopefully in Time for Finals

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As a person who made it through high school not really needing to study, one of the most daunting parts about the transition to college was finding study habits that work best for me. Professors, peers, and parents all told me to make note cards and pair up with someone and quiz each other. Well, this doesn’t work for me because I hate notecards.  So if you are like me, and don’t enjoy the more traditional ways of studying, here’s some tips that I have found work for me!

 

  1. Study in small chunks—this is probably the most important thing I will say— through a period of a week or so. Whatever you do, do NOT start studying 3 days before your test! I just had a huge art history test where I had to know 30 works of art, where they are from, the date they were created, what they were made out of, and who made them. There was no way I could’ve known everything if I had started a couple days before the test. So what I did was everyday, if I was bored or had some free time, I would flip through my notes and review some of the works of art.

 

  1. Make connections. Everyone always says “learn don’t memorize.” But that’s easier said than done. I have found that the more I can relate the content to my own life the better I can understand the idea. Relating to the content can be through your own experiences, or through talking to your fellow classmates to find connections there, or by turning it into a story.

 

  1. Find patterns. Studying becomes so much easier when you can group the information into smaller groups that way it is not so overwhelming. This can also be a great way to stay on top of cumulative classes. You not only learn the information but how it connects to previous information that you have learned in the class. This is especially helpful the more advanced the subject is.

 

  1. Repetition is key. If you have to know a certain order of something, it helps to just go over it again and again in your head or saying it out loud. Even if you are going over your notes and you feel that you kinda know it all, keep going over it until you don’t even need to look at your notes to say it.

 

  1. Talk about it with someone. If you have a boyfriend/girlfriend, or just a person that you can talk about random things with, enlighten them on the topic that you are studying. Be like “Hey, did you know…” this allows you to recall the information and “study” in a very informal way. Informal teaching, or explaining, is also a great way for you to understand and retain said knowledge. And hey, you can make your friend smarter!

 

  1. Find a buddy. It does help to have a classmate in which you can bounce concepts off of or ask questions to. You don’t necessarily need to study with them all the time, but maybe once during your study time meet up with them and just discuss what you are studying. Another option could be simply talking to them about a specific topic that you were having issues wrapping your head around right before or after class. Save this for smaller ideas though, in case your or your classmate has to run off to another class, or work, or if class is about to start. If more topics arise it may be time for a formal study session together. Ireally does help to say things out loud.

 

  1. Take breaks! Studying can be extremely exhausting. Try to study for 45 min – 2 hours depending on how you are feeling, and then go eat, go to the gym or go to the mall with friends. That way, you can come back with a refreshed brain!

 

  1. Mix and Match. Study by using a combination of methods and by using your notes as well as the book. Don’t feel as if you have to stick to one method of studying.

 

 

Studying shouldn’t be a daunting thing, take it one step at a time. If these things work for you, then great! If not, that’s ok too, we are all very different, and learn in all different ways. These are just some things that I’ve found help me succeed! If you were curious (or not, I’m still going to brag, hehe), I got a 96%  on my art history test!!

Why you should join the rest of the world and watch soccer

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When you think of the biggest sports in America, the “Big 4” come to mind: football, baseball, basketball, and hockey. But when you look at the “Big 4” for the world, it is a much different list: soccer, tennis, cricket, and rugby. While most people in America have at least heard of soccer, it doesn’t even crack the top 5 with a lot of the time Nascar taking the fifth most popular ‘sport’. This is quickly changing, though.

Domestic soccer started in 1968 with the North American Soccer League having 64 unique teams play in the league through their 16 year existence. But more recently the professional league has been Major League Soccer (MLS), which started in 1996 with 10 teams. Over those 20 years, the league has grown to 20 teams with 4 more teams being added within the next 5 years. However, whenever you talk to someone about MLS they take it as a joke. Being a soccer fan I have heard more often than not “I only watch soccer during the World Cup” which means every 4 years. They get sucked into the world-wide hype when it is the biggest sporting event going on and then they stop caring until the next one.The latest World Cup held in Brazil in 2014 was the largest one yet for popularity in the US. 26.5 million people watched Germany’s extra-time win over Argentina which blew the previous viewership out of the water. This past summer, the Women’s World Cup took place in Canada. The USWNT (US Women’s National Team) made it to the final to play against Japan—which I had the great pleasure of attending . That game had the most viewership for a US match, men’s or women’s, of all time having 25.4 million people in the US watch that game.

With every World Cup there is always a boom in MLS popularity. With 14 of the 23 players on the 2014 World Cup roster playing in the MLS, this year had the largest increase of fans in recent memory. And this is an exciting time for US soccer with a lot of our US team stars being younger players. One of the biggest stars from this World Cup Deandre Yedlin, is only 22-years old who is currently playing on loan for Sunderland in the English Premier League, arguably the best league in the world.

Even locally in the MLS big name stars are being attracted to come play in the US. With soccer legends Frank Lampard, Kaka, Steven Gerrard, and David Villa all making the jump across the pond within the past year; and rising stars like Sebastian Giovinco, Fabian Castillo, and Gyasi Zardes getting looked at world-wide all playing here in our growing league. Many big name players have expressed interest in coming to play in America, and within the next 10 years the MLS is projected to be competing for one of the most popular sports in Americaand have the type of talent that you see in Europe.

So instead of only getting soccer fever once every couple years, go support your local MLS team. If there is a team near you look around and I’m sure you can find a team that will suit your interest. With the playoffs winding down now is the time to see what MLS has the best to offer. The MLS Conference Finals start on November 22 with the MLS Cup Final being played on December 6th.

It is about time that America caught the same fever that has captivated the rest of the world for years.

 

Dream Remake: Mortal Kombat

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Warning: You are entering a zone of extreme nerdiness and fan boy passion

In 1992, ninja assassin disguised as a game developer, Ed Boon, delivered unto us a game so violent that the ESRB rating system was invented to keep the video game world from being the wild west of pop culture. That game was Mortal Kombat. In 1995 we got a film adaptation of the same name that could quite possibly be the first and only successful video game movie, just to have it ruined by the diarrhea hurricane that was it’s 1997 sequel Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. What made the first film so enjoyable for fans was its embrace of the wacky lore of multiple realms, vengeful ninja story lines, and mystical powers that contain no logical sense what so ever. In 2010, Kevin Tancharoen released an 8-minute short film as a pitch for a more realistic depiction of the Mortal Kombat universe. This brilliant reimagining of the franchise would allow Tancharoen to do to Mortal Kombat, what Christopher Nolan did to Batman. This caused me to suffer from a disease only know as Fan-Boner Extremis. Unfortunately for me, when the Kevin Tancharoen was given a YouTube series instead of a feature length film, the original lore was included which caused its logic to spin out of control once again, but now with a strange serious tone that absent of any fun. This wasn’t a terrible depiction of the MK universe but it could be described a less fun retelling of the video game series. The point of movie or series adaptations is to have the source material “adapted” to the new media form which provides the fresh spin people like myself enjoy seeing. If I wanted a whacky Mortal Kombat, I would have played the video games. Right now, I know what you’re thinking, “Doc. How do we fix it? How do we make a Mortal Kombat movie ground and set in the real world?” Here’s how:

The Tournament is an Underground Street Fight (not the game street fighter):

The key to the success of its game series was its unique characters. Each character had incredible powers but was usually an over-the-top example of extremely good or extremely evil. For the game, that’s all we need when we can distract ourselves by upper cutting people through the ceiling. A modern movie adaptation can’t use these pieces without feeling ridiculously campy, and we really need to see the moral ambiguity and emotional conflict of when Jax rips the arms off of Reptile.

The tournament, as depicted in the game series, is a fight to see who controls Earth realm. Participants from Nether Realm, Outworld, and other metal band names all want it to expand their control. While if any of Earth’s warriors win, Earth Realm stays safe till the next tournament. What kind of messed up reward structure is that? Now let’s scale it down and add a bit of logic.

The Deacon City is rotting from the inside out with gang violence and criminal activity. The criminal syndicates with in the city are growing strong and taking more control of the city each day. When a rival gang is wiped out their territory becomes open, and rather than having a war across 4 different syndicates, all gangs agree to have a tournament financed and organized by the leader of the Brotherhood of Shadows, Shang Sung. Each gang provides 4 fighters, and the last team standing wins.

Who is participating in this tournament:

Little is known about the Brotherhood of Shadows. All we know is that they have nearly limitless funding. Informants have revealed that they are buying up tons of weaponry from the Black Dragon clan, and that there is someone above Shang Sung who is the really mastermind with an unknown motivation. Their known accomplices are the unlikeliest group of criminals that would be expected. First is a cannibal who was born with his skin inside out. His scaly completion led him to adopt the name Reptile. Next is a plastic surgeon who went insane and turned the knife on himself. He sharpened his teeth to fangs and inserted sharp pieces of steal into his forearms. He now goes by the name Baraka, an ancient African word that means “The Devil’s Servant”. Then there is Devin Ermac, who is a recent escapee from Deacon City Insane Asylum. A master of 7 different martial arts styles, who was locked up for multiple personality disorder. Each personality clamed ownership to a different style of combat. Lastly is Quan Chi. The newest player in this gang of misfits but the most dangerous. He was specifically chosen to work alongside Shang Sung to assist in fulfilling the will of the Brother Hood of Shadows.

The Black Dragon clan has been plaguing Deacon City for years. Their leader, Kano, has been moving weapons in and out of the city. The Black Dragon has been arming two warring factions, the Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu, and is single handedly to blame for the increase of gun violence within the city. What makes them an even bigger threat is Kano’s right hand man, Kabal; Kano’s childhood friend and personal assassin. After barely surviving a car bomb, Kabal wears a specially designed life support that was personally developed by Kano. He is loyal, lethal, and hard as hell to kill.

The Lin Kuei is a Japanese gang similar to the Yakuza, and Deacon City is their most prevalent location for criminal activity. They have had their hand in everything; racketeering, drug trafficking, etc. They are rivals to the Chinese crime syndicate, the Shirai Ryu. In response to the deadly war between the 2 factions, the Lin Kuei formed an elite team of assassin’s, all with codenames to conceal their identity. There is Sektor, a demolition specialist and an expert with explosives; Cyrax, an interrogation specialist known for capturing enemies and sawing off limbs for information; Smoke, a master of stealth and camouflage; and their leader Sub-Zero, an assassin who utilizes a liquid nitrogen system that runs through the sleeves of his jacket and releases the gas from his palms. He is known for freezing an enemies arm or leg and ripping it off in one motion.

The Shirai Ryu is a recently destroyed Chinese syndicate. Only one man was left alive, Hanzo Hasashi. After barely escaping death from the attack on his clan, Hanzo finds out that not even his wife and child were spared from this deadly attack. After time recovering and healing his wounds, he seeks the man responsible. All he knows about the man in charge of the attack was that he was able freeze people and objects with his hands. With his family and clan dead, his territory becomes the location up for grabs in the next Mortal Kombat tournament. He decides to adopt the mantle of “Scorpion”, the name of an ancient warrior from his home village.

 

Who are our Heroes:

The main story will focus on Sonya Blade, a rookie recently added to the Deacon City Criminal Task Force lead by Jax Briggs. She is the third member with the other being Kurtis Stryker, the best shooter on the force.

Intel has revealed that the tournament will be happening within the city. Their mission is infiltrate the tournament, and confirm its destination so a SWAT team can breach the location and arrest all the killers in one fell swoop. More intel has revealed that Hanzo Hasashi has been sent an invitation to compete in the tournament. Hanzo is recruited by the Deacon City Task Force to enter the tournament after being given evidence that Sub-Zero will be there. Together, they enter the tournament as the new Shirai Ryu.

The following events focuses on what happens to Sonya as she has to mentally cope with brutally killing people in one-on-one fist fights and staring down death at every turn. The city is being held ransom by Shang Sung leaving her no choice but to push aside her faith in traditional justice by commit violent acts in the name of protecting the city. Not to mention Sony has the added pressure of seeing her superiors Jax and Kurtis fall in the line of duty and leaving her to be the last bastion of a better future for the city.

This Scorpion/Sub-Zero side story is actually best kept to its video games routes. Sub-Zero has actually been framed for the death of Scorpions family as part of a much more elaborate and sinister plan. Our movie demonstrates the hubris that falls upon Scorpion for fighting only for revenge. Scorpion’s pursuit of Sub-Zero only leads to his self-loathing and dishonor as he finds he has been so easily manipulated the man who really killed his family. After an epic fight between the world best assassin’s Sub-Zero exposes proof that he wasn’t responsible for the killings and that Scorpion’s only reason for living is a lie. Scorpion finds no justice and only has himself to blame.

This is the movie we could have got 5 years ago, which is a movie I would spend money on time-and-time again. Of course, movie executives would not run the risk of making a film that places a realistic spin on a violent game franchise, which robs us of ever seeing Jason Statham as Kano, the robotic-eyed gun runner, or Lateef Crowder as the murderous fang-toothed plastic surgeon who has amazing martial arts skills for no explainable reason, or even a sequel movie that has Chris Pratt as Johnny Cage, the cocky actor who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Unfortunately for me, this is a movie that can only exist in my own head, making me the biggest fan of my own fan fiction.