bakerstreet | THE BAR FIGHT MEME

THE BAR FIGHT MEME

THE BAR FIGHT MEME

HOW TO PLAY
1) Post a blank comment with your character, or post with your preferences
2) Reply to others by rolling the RNG between 1-10 to pick a prompt, or just grab one you want.
3) Are you two the ones fighting? Are you teamed up? Or are you just a bystander? Decide!
4) Have fun and don’t cause too much collateral damage.

PROMPTS
1) RAGING DRUNK WHO’S THAT ASSHOLE STARING AT ME? I’M-I’M, GUYS I’M GONNA FIH….I’M GONNA FIGHT HIM. I’M GONNA….GUYS BACK ME UP. GUYS

2) RELUCTANT All you wanted is a quiet drink alone or a nice night with your friends. You really didn’t mean to knock that person’s drink over. Now they wanna go and you just wanna go home.

3) DISRESPECT Someone’s been talking shit about someone, and you’ve got some honor to defend or a score to settle.

4) START SOME SHIT Literally the only reason you’re out tonight is to fuck shit up.

5) YOU ASSHOLE You've hustled someone at pool, or said some rude things pretty loud, or hit on someone too aggressively. Doesn't matter, you’ve been a jerk and now karma’s gonna kick your ass.

6) BLOODBATH You didn’t start the fight. You have no idea who started the fight. But now everyone’s fighting and it’s throw a punch or cower behind the bar time.

7) VENDETTA You’ve got history with this person and now they’re here in the bar with you. It doesn’t matter if they’ve actually done anything to you tonight, you’re still gonna brawl.

8) NOT MY CIRCUS Someone else actually tarted some shit. The shit his happening in your general vicinity and is threatening to get you into it like some kind of booze fuled blood katamari. You getting involved?

8) WILD Go nuts

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

While Raiden's been served, he doesn't seem to be in a hurry to drink. His expression turns grim when Minoru mentions Shang Tsung made any attempt on his life. His eyes flicker angrily, but there's only so much he can do while on Shang's island. If he gets too involved, Earthrealm as a whole will have to scramble to get fighters for this particular tournament.

"There is always trouble. Since the beginning of the tournament, not a single one has gone without incident. More often than not," he snorts, turning to his sake and pouring it into his cup, "it's an Earthrealmer causing trouble. Or Tarkatans. Considering we have a clan of each present here tonight, I would be surprised if they remain so amiable toward each other."

Granted, he's using that word very loosely, there are a lot of very unpleasant glares and gestures being made between the two groups. Some higher ranks are doing what they can to keep their clan members in line, but their efforts aren't out of respect for the other side of the room. No one wants to be the one responsible for a brawl before the tournament, but there's clearly bad blood here.

The scary thought is that Minoru was completely unfazed by the whole thing. Not all of the places he appeared in could be as amicable as the U.S.S. Enterprise. Sometimes, he wasn't given the warmest of welcomes and, well, that was that.

Praiseworthy comments about Syzoth's speed, tongue strength and acidic venom could wait, though. He looked around again, noticing the stark divide between two sides of the bar.

"What happened between them to cause that much distrust?"

Always the optimist, maybe there was something he could do to ease the tension or help them heal some of that bad blood.

"The Lin Kuei are an Earthrealm clan. They occasionally work for Shang Tsung when he pays their Grand Master well enough." He nods at the blue-clad human ninjas on one side, and then the sharp-toothed humanoids on the other.

"The Tarkatans are from Outworld and their Emperor, whom Shang Tsung serves, has been trying to invade Earthrealm for a few thousand years. The Lin Kuei's effectiveness has had a hand in their fall from the Emperor's favor, which may spell the end of the Tarkatans." There's an eerie off-handedness to the way Raiden explains that muddled political situation, having seen it happening over thousands of years. Privately he hopes it exacerbates the infighting among Shao Kahn's armies, which would be in Earthrealm's favor.

Minoru just scratched his head, trying to make sense of it all. The complex political arena was his brother Isamu's forte, not his.

"Wait... So they've been on the same side... until just recently?"

Because if the Tarakarans were serving this Emperor, and the Lin Kuei are working for someone who works for this Emperor, then wouldn't both sides be fighting against Earthrealm? But one of the clans is actually from there. Should they have ever been on the same side? And if this Emperor could throw one group away so easily, why were any of them on that side to begin with? Talk about complicated!

"Why are they on any side at all?"

There was some growling from the Tarkatans behind them, and a few barked insults from the Lin Kuei but little aside from words were being exchanged and they settled into low murmurs as Raiden took a reserved sip of his sake.

"When Shao Kahn turned his ambitions toward Earthrealm, the Grand Master at the time decided to throw his lot in with Outworld to ensure their survival. However, he knew better than to volunteer and so he offered their services to the Emperor at a price. Some of the Lin Kuei have recently started to disagree with this decision." He looks into his cup and then tips back the rest of the contents before continuing.

"Earthrealm fights in the tournament to prevent the invasion by Outworld. In the beginning the odds were against us, but in recent times Earthrealm has grown stronger. Victory at the side of the Emperor no longer secures their survival if Earthrealm does eventually fall. He is known for being vindictive, and Earthrealm has long been a thorn in Shao Kahn's side."

There's a mischievous flicker of Raiden's eyes, knowing that he was the grand orchestrator of Earthrealm's continued success in keeping Outworld at bay. As they sit there, the temperature of the room seems drop suddenly, and Raiden's eyes turn wary, sliding over to glance at the Lin Kuei. They aren't moving, but there is frost growing on their mugs and glasses. In turn, the Tarkatans go still, a few of them extending their arm blades. Tensions are high as the room starts to go quite, it's clear the posturing is on the verge of turning into something more.

"Then neither have true cause to fight. Not now. Not anymore. If they truly ever did. Do they not realize this?" Minoru whispered.

The calculated movements behind them only answered his question. A tournament was one thing. A match with rules and honor was a place to settle disputes. This was violence for the sake of violence, orders being carried out, war continuing because neither side knew how to stop it.

Minoru was as fast as Raiden would remember. He bounced off the stool, leaving it spinning in place as he landed between the two sides, arms outstretched.

He actually hoped to stop the brawl before it started.

Raiden raises an eyebrow, but he knows Shao Kahn cultivates this sort of in-fighting in his followers and supporters to maintain his power over them. He's about to mention as much when Minoru moves with that striking speed of a poised viper. Raiden has his full powers back, but it's still no less impressive to witness.

Personally he's inclined to wait for the first punch to be thrown. If the Tarkatans make the first move then he has fodder to reproach Shang Tsung for failure to control his people. Now that his friend his placed himself between the two factions though, the dynamics change immediately. Both Lin Kuei and Tarkatan rise, turning their ire at each other toward Minoru instead.

Raiden sighs, rising calmly and walking up alongside Minoru and giving a withering glare to both parties, lighting flickering within his hat.

"Need I remind those present, that fighting before the tournament is expressly forbidden?" His voice has an almost thunderous roll to it as he hopes his support of Minoru's attempts at peace don't wind up inciting the impending brawl.

A leader manipulating their people and controlling them through violence and fear is wrong. War is wrong. Senseless death over conflicts that need no longer exist is wrong. If there was the chance that one person, of either realm, could turn away with even a sliver of an idea in their mind that there might be a bond beyond hatred, Minoru would risk his own life to spark it.

Raiden's presence was a welcomed one. But even if he chose not to stand beside him, this was what a Sage did. It was what Minoru dedicated his life to doing. And so, even as he drew looks of ire and contempt, he stood firm, one arm outstretched on either side.

"Aren't you both here, in this one place, for the same reasons?"

He didn't know for sure, but he could guess. This was a bar. In most worlds, people only came to a bar for a few basic things. Nourishment. Camaraderie. Escaping something that was too painful to deal with at the time. Why would that be any different here?

"You are not as different from each other as you believe to be. You do not need to fight. Not now. And not here."

Outworld is not known for its benign leadership, nor its peacefulness. Minoru makes a good and logical argument, Raiden standing next to him though his hands are at his sides. Knowing how much both groups dislike the Thunder god, he's not expecting his presence to keep the impending fight at bay.

"We are not slaves to the Emperor!" One of the Lin Kuei snaps back, earning a reproachful glare from Raiden.

"At least we don't betray our kind!" Comes the sharp Tarkatan reply. It's an ages-old exchange that Raiden's heard many times before. The brim of his hat lowers in frustration.

"Consider the fact that, until the tournament is over, you both serve the same Master. The trouble you cause will be addressed by him." Neither Shang Tsung nor Shao Kahn had much capacity for mercy in the face of foolishness.

"Then this is an Outworld matter! Stay out of it!"

"It's a matter of choice." Minoru insisted. "Your choice. Not Outworld. Not Earthrealm. Not anyone's but your own."

The names and places sounded alien on his tongue, having come from neither one of these places, but he spoke them with confidence.

"You can choose to lift your glasses, not your weapons."

Still, as he spoke, his body was relaxed. His chakra was swirling inside him. He was prepared to move, and move quickly, if need be.

And indeed they would have to move. There's a frustrated growl from the Tarkatan who raises an arm, pointing the blade at Raiden and Minoru. Raiden puts a hand out, palm facing the Tarkatan as that blade sends a ball of sparks at them. It hits a barrier that flickers with Raiden's blue lightning as he fully faces the Tarkatan side of the room.

"This is not the place for a formal challenge." His voice is low, hoping that the Tarkatan will back down instead of doing something foolish. While Raiden's back is to the Lin Kuei, a couple of the ice ninja are turning frosty, clearly intending harm to someone while Raiden's back is turned. It seems they are not entirely here for an amiable drink among friends tonight.

No, it appeared this confrontation was not going to be avoided after all...

Minoru stepped to match Raiden, keeping a watchful eye on the Lin Kuei so his friend would not have his back turned to danger.

One of the ice ninjas attacked, as expected, with a ball of ice, intending to freeze both of them in place. However, Minoru met it with a well-timed breath of fire. The ice splashed harmlessly to the ground as water, with no damage done. It was a surprise to both sides.

"What you do next is your choice..." He warned again, still hoping they would stand down.

Raiden hears the ice attack, followed immediately by the warm sensation of Minoru's fire. The tell-tale splash of water behind him says much and he wishes he could take his attention off the Tarkatans long enough to see the surprise from the Lin Kuei. Though, with the looks from the Tarkatans, he has an idea.

There's a lot of quiet bristling from both sides while Raiden remains calmly with his hands at his sides. He doesn't want a fight when it comes down to it, and hopes that Minoru's words make the right impression.

The tension in the room could be cut with a knife, and every growl or snarl could be the trigger that sets off the powder keg, or extinguishes it.

When a group of Lin Kuei rose to their feet, Minoru stepped slightly to the left. Not enough to leave Raiden's back exposed, just enough to convey to the ninja clan that he wasn't going to just let them through.

A few tense moments passed. Just when it looked like things were going to settle down, a few quick nods between assassins sealed the entire group's fate.

One of the ninja on the periphery of the conflict fired an ice blast at one of the Tarkatans, luring Minoru into deflecting with his fire. More ice blasts followed, hitting the Snake Sage to freeze him in place.

"That's what you get for interfering with outworld!"

Multiple Lin Kuei leapt up, to not only take Minoru out but also their rivals across the bar.

The Tarkatans retaliate when the ninjas aim their attacks, but their motions are not defensive ones. Raiden raises a small barrier to stop their sparking attacks, silently cursing the rules from allowing him to interfere more directly. This was not an attack on Earthrealm, as the Tarkatans had said, and it limited what he was allowed to do.

Raiden hears the crackle of ice near him and looks over just as Minoru freezes over. That earns a snarl from the Thunder god aimed at the Lin Kuei. He leaves the ninjas and Tarkatans to fight it out, but he's not letting them near Minoru. He rounds on them with lightning flickering around his fists as he keeps them from coming near his friend.

As the skirmish grew, the ice around Minoru's face started to crack as a fist shot through it. He'd used his snakelike substitution jutsu many times in his life, but using it in ice like this was actually a first!

Hands gripped around the ice and he pulled himself out of his body like a snake shedding its skin. And he opted to do so in Sage Mode as well, as the reptilian form provided more protection than his own skin.

"Okay, that wasn't pleasant." Minoru quipped back to Raiden, shaking off the cold.

A handful of fighters noticed the change and started to back off. "Another one of Shang Tsung's Saurians?"

Raiden is on the defense, just working to keep the skirmish away from Minoru and himself for the time being, seeing that the Tarkatans and Ninja are so very determined to fight with each other.

The cracking of ice distracts him though and he looks over to see Minoru in his Sage Mode, it's quite honestly a relief.

"It never is." He's been on the receiving end of that ice attack more than his share. A Tarkatan attack skims Raiden and he gives a low snarl, but the fighter is lowering his blades and backing away from the sight of the emerging Minoru.

"History attests that Saurians were of Earthrealm." He corrects, hoping perhaps that if the Lin Kuei believe they're attacking another Earthrealmer, they might avoid that fight to keep Raiden from intervening.

"Get out of the way!" One of the Lin Kuei shouted. That one, at least, was troubled by the idea - at least enough to be hesitant about attacking Raiden's new companion again. But others of his clan were not as eager to stop the fight. Some of them didn't care who got hurt as long as they took out their foes on the other side of the tavern.

In his Sage Mode, Minoru perceived the attacks faster than before, and dodged more fluidly. Those he couldn't dodge, he melted.

"Stop this! All of you!"

His words were definitely falling on deaf ears.

"History shows they will not listen to either of us, my friend." Raiden scowls, blocking another Tarkatan attack.

"And seeing as the Lin Kuei are under the employ of Shang Tsung, I can do little to keep them in order." He turns, only to get hit by an ice attack himself. He gives a pained snarl as he freezes in place, but within the ice his lightning flickers lively and it creaks from his straining against it.

He, too, was relieved that his friend escaped the ice attack.

"What should we do?" He asked, hanging from the ceiling where he'd just avoided a mix of additional attacks. He had a feeling that even summoning a giant snake wouldn't dissuade this feud, and might end up with his summon injured or people dead.

At least, so far, no one had hit their foe with anything substantial. They were too distracted by Raiden and Minoru.

Raiden disappears in a flicker of lightning, appearing outside of a swarm of fighters who look around before realizing he's behind them. It's enough to persuade them to fight each other rather than Raiden, but others are not so wise.

"This is Shang Tsung's territory. He's never cared for the well-being of any of his warriors. Skirmishes like this simply weed out the weak." He pushes back an attack and then reaches up on the air. A bolt of lighting appears in his grasp and the light fades to reveal his staff. He hits the ground hard with the endcap and the sound is like metallic thunder.

"You all risk violating the rules of combat! Who will answer to Shao Kahn for this?" His voice booms with that same storm-like pealing.

"How about the Saurian that poked his scaly nose where it didn't belong?!" One of the Lin Kuei shouted.

Minoru dropped from the ceiling just moments before an ice blast shot a hole through the roof. When he rolled to his feet he caught a glimpse of both the night sky and a furious bartender hopping over the counter.

Things were going from bad to worse, but not here. Not in this tavern.

"Get out! All of you!" He shouted. If they destroyed each other, it was no skin off of the bartender's back. But if they wrecked the place, he was the one left footing the bill for the destruction. And he'd finally had enough. "Get the hell out of my tavern and don't come back!!"

Both sides stood there, startled for a moment. It seemed that they might actually listen to someone...

"You heard me! Get out! All of you! Take it out into the street!"

There was a moment of silence. A few (from both sides) started making their way to the door. Minoru dared to breathe a cautious sigh of relief. And then, all hell broke loose again.

"You mean the one who tried to prevent the fight?" That gets a few Lin Kuei to bare their teeth, knowing it would curry Shao Kahn's favor. Raiden looks over as he hears an ice-blast sent upward and looks through the hole in the roof with a frustrated sigh.

"This is untenable." At which point the bartender yells for everyone to get out. Raiden watches with cautiously narrowed eyes as a few seem to actually listen, but then the rest it seems are not so wise. It's a gamble what he's about to do, it skirts the extent of his authority on Shang's island, but this fight has gone on for too long.

"Enough!" He reaches a hand out, pulling on his godly essence and sending a cascade of lighting away from Minoru, straight into a group of fighters with little care which side he hits. "In Shang Tsung's absence you force me to act! GET OUT."

Those words leave an acrid taste in his mouth, he was stepping in for Shang Tsung and he wasn't pleased about it in the least. His entire form is flickering with wisps of angry lightning as he swings that metal staff at a few who still charge at him. When it hits though, they disappear as they're transported out into the street. Not far, but no longer inside. Away from Earthrealm, it's a draining effort and he hopes enough of them leave of their own accord before he tires.

Minoru's jaw dropped as the lightning hit. At first, he feared his friend would have taken them all out, just like that. But when he saw them reappear outside, he was simply impressed. His own teleportation abilities were a one way, one man ticket to Ryuuchi Cave, and nothing else!

"Woah..."

Luck, it seemed, was on their side. A few did start to leave on their own accord, backing away from the angry god as quickly as possible. A few more followed. The bartender yelled again, and most of the Lin Kuei cleared out. The rabble rousing, at least for now, seemed to subside.

"That... worked?" Minoru wasn't sure whether to consider that a victory. He didn't have any money to pay the outstanding tabs, but he'd offer to help repair the roof once the dust finally settled. "I think."

Raiden takes a deep breath, setting the end of the staff down on the floor and leaning on it slightly. He narrows his eyes at the backs of those filing out the door. Whatever they did on the streets was their own business at this point, but a few of them would have painful reminders of their willingness to charge him while he had his staff in hand.

"For now. I expect I will be hearing from Shang Tsung about my interference." Raiden looks around to take stock of the damages, and they're not insignificant. That hole in the roof is bad enough.

THE BAR FIGHT MEME

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Holidays ate my time, sorry!

As they do for us all.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)