Whippoorwill
In my hater era
Hi everyone. I've been lurking since...well, forever, but I decided to join pumped by the excitement of MK 11.
I wanted to create this post to share my personal experience with the franchise and one of its characters in particular, thinking someone might feel similarly for a different character or the game in general,and hopefully provide a nostalgic if not emotional trip to the past. Also, maybe a bit in response to some of the negative feedback Sonya's presence has had in this game.
I first remember finding UMK3 in the arcades when I was a kid, back when they were common in my country and instantly falling in love with it. I've yet to understand the specific reason though. I didn't care for the gore, personally. I felt so drawn to such an eclectic, colourful and diverse group of characters, and I felt a rush confronting a rival in a fight for survival.
As a young boy struggling with being bullied because of being an outcast in interests and ideas, I
felt great refuge in games; mostly rpgs, and Mortal Kombat.
And I clearly remember, specifically, the first time I saw Sonya at the arcades. All I had was her
appearance, and a few minutes after the coolest moves I had ever seen. She was a badass and yet femenine, seemingly human fighting against all odds, all these monsters, ninjas, and sorcerers, and actually keeping up with them. She was me.
Since that moment I got all the games that existed and became a fan for life; I got into
the lore and played every installment (except deception
).
There was still something I had to go through with which, as incredible as it might sound,
this videogame character helped so much.
Since a young age I felt different in many ways, the vital one being what I now know was my sexuality.
From ignorance, my father would take me to the arcade but forbid me to pick female characters
to try and make me more tradiotionally masculine. He's come a long way since then, thankfully.
But I still remember those instances of feeling directly opressed, and then the freedom, the thrill of picking her when I was alone.
As an adult with my own ideas, I know see aspects of her character I strongly identify with;
to me, a female character so strong and important to the story, not in relation to her gender,
a man, or her sexualization (since MKX) is incredibly positive and a step in the right direction
for our society in general.
I know some people find her boring, and that's ok, of course. We all have different opinions and
tastes. I don't think Cassie makes her repetitive for example, being blonde and special forces are two very generic characteristics that do not define a character at all. It's the same as comparing Scorpion and SubZero for having black hair and being "ninjas". But they don't fall victim to such comparisions because of a number of reasons. Again, I understand and respect it if you disagree.
Sorry for the long post, and thank you for reading. I just wanted to share some feelings and
became closer to people of the community who may identify with something I wrote. I can't even explain how exciting it was to me to see her in the reveal event, and how thrilled I am that she´s back.
I wanted to create this post to share my personal experience with the franchise and one of its characters in particular, thinking someone might feel similarly for a different character or the game in general,and hopefully provide a nostalgic if not emotional trip to the past. Also, maybe a bit in response to some of the negative feedback Sonya's presence has had in this game.
I first remember finding UMK3 in the arcades when I was a kid, back when they were common in my country and instantly falling in love with it. I've yet to understand the specific reason though. I didn't care for the gore, personally. I felt so drawn to such an eclectic, colourful and diverse group of characters, and I felt a rush confronting a rival in a fight for survival.
As a young boy struggling with being bullied because of being an outcast in interests and ideas, I
felt great refuge in games; mostly rpgs, and Mortal Kombat.
And I clearly remember, specifically, the first time I saw Sonya at the arcades. All I had was her
appearance, and a few minutes after the coolest moves I had ever seen. She was a badass and yet femenine, seemingly human fighting against all odds, all these monsters, ninjas, and sorcerers, and actually keeping up with them. She was me.
Since that moment I got all the games that existed and became a fan for life; I got into
the lore and played every installment (except deception
).There was still something I had to go through with which, as incredible as it might sound,
this videogame character helped so much.
Since a young age I felt different in many ways, the vital one being what I now know was my sexuality.
From ignorance, my father would take me to the arcade but forbid me to pick female characters
to try and make me more tradiotionally masculine. He's come a long way since then, thankfully.
But I still remember those instances of feeling directly opressed, and then the freedom, the thrill of picking her when I was alone.
As an adult with my own ideas, I know see aspects of her character I strongly identify with;
to me, a female character so strong and important to the story, not in relation to her gender,
a man, or her sexualization (since MKX) is incredibly positive and a step in the right direction
for our society in general.
I know some people find her boring, and that's ok, of course. We all have different opinions and
tastes. I don't think Cassie makes her repetitive for example, being blonde and special forces are two very generic characteristics that do not define a character at all. It's the same as comparing Scorpion and SubZero for having black hair and being "ninjas". But they don't fall victim to such comparisions because of a number of reasons. Again, I understand and respect it if you disagree.
Sorry for the long post, and thank you for reading. I just wanted to share some feelings and
became closer to people of the community who may identify with something I wrote. I can't even explain how exciting it was to me to see her in the reveal event, and how thrilled I am that she´s back.
