Fate Is Broken is a fanfic idea of the NRS timeline characters of Mortal Kombat watching my version of the Midway timeline, where it follows Kung Lao throughout the games as he deals with the events in the previous timeline, dealing with the dark tone and events compared to future timelines.
When the characters from the 2nd Mortal Kombat Timeline (around MK 11 Time merger) are taken to a mysterious room, they are informed that they will be viewing one of the first/prime timelines (yes I took that from Ben 10, cause its a great way of categorizing timelines). The characters are informed that some of them play little to no part in the prime timelines or don't exist yet, while others played much greater parts compared to what they have now, as well as the fact that many of their origins have been altered by Kronika if they didn't abide by her desires for her future.
The Prime Timeline is just my AU of the Midway games, mainly focusing on BAMF Kung Lao. The Franchise will continue to watch not only the prime timeline, but also the new MK 1 timeline (with my version of it)
Fate Is Broken contains the following tropes:
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: While all 3 versions of Kung Lao (Midway, NRS and NE) seemed to have similar childhoods, Prime's life seemed to go tragedy by tragedy, and once he seems to be getting over a certain trauma, he's hit with a new one. (1) He was basically raised in the image of his ancestor (down to the colors he wore 500 years ago) until he suffered a mental breakdown on his disocvery of it, to which no one in his family seemed to understand why he reacted so badly, and can no long feel as if he has an actual identiity of his own, as well as the fact that he has basically wasted his life for a goal that isn't even his. (2) His fiance dies in an accident a week before they're wedding, prior to which he left the Shaolin to end his traning forever. (3) Bi-han, who was the closest person who could understand the stresses and pressures in his life, dies in a torunment he sent him to. (4) Many masters and students he was close to in the Shaolin are slaughtered after the 1st tournment, one of which was a young girl who Lao took in prior. (5) During the Outworld invasion, Lao finds out that his parents have died from outworld threats, leading to him faking his death as the last Kung. (6) After spending 5 years in retirement with his best-friend, Liu Kang is killed by the Deady Alliance, with Lao being the first to find his body. (7) Raiden turn's Liu Kang into a destructive zombie that had Lao disgusted and horrfied, leading to him eventually expelling Raiden from the Shaolin, leaving him to become the new leader of the resistance. (8) In order to help Shujinko train, Lao reunites with his previous master; Ryo, who he had an uncomfortable relationship with, while also keeping eyes on Shujinko. (9) He walked to his death knowing what he was going to do was going to kill him. (10) Lived as revenant for a few years where he was stuck being forced around my Shinnok. All of which makes sense when by the time the 3-D era ends, Lao is much more cold and emotionaless then his future variants.
- Prime Liu Kang's life was also ended quite shortly by the Deadly Alliance's, but its what was happening before that event which makes it worst. Despite being champion of Mortal Kombat, Liu was never trained in what being champion was going to be like (unlike Kung Lao), thus after almost 4 life threatening events Liu's mental heath has detirorated to the point he can't walk in the dark alone without seeing many of the previous villians jumping out at him. Eventually leading to his resenting the Shaolin for keeping him sheltered within the temple all his life. He begs Raiden to help him, but is dismayed when Raiden can't comphrend what to do. When he finds out Lao is alive he lashes out at him until he finds out why his best friend faked his death. Following this he leaves with Lao and get's better in 5 the fives years outside of the temple, getting his life on track, going to school and therapy and even a girlfirend before the necksnap.
- Adapted Out: Shown when the Kombat Kids realize that they either don't exist at all in the prime timeline or are replaced by a different variant of themselves. Kung Lao is an only child, thus he does not have Kung Jin, as a nephew. Sonya and Johnny die before they're relationship becomes serious, thus Cassie doesn't exist. Kenshi had a child with his lover Suchin years earlier, but instead of Takeda, he had a daughter. Jax is more serious about his time in the military, taking the mandated therapy session over retiring, thus have yet to meet Vera, so Jackie doesn't exist either.
- Reminded to character that were introduced in the NRS timeline, that they either holds barely any importance in the main timeline or don't exist at all. Characters included are Kotal, D'Vorrah, Erron and Kollector.
- Averted with Skarlet who is revealed later on as a villain before the war with Onaga, but is soon defeated and killed by Kung Lao and Ryo.
- Age-Down Romance: Raiden is very uncomfortable with the concept that his human variant in Liu Kang's timeline is implied to have romantic feeling for Kung Lao, who in his timeline (and in the Prime one) is his student who he has known since he was a baby. Fujin is just as uncomfortable for similar reasons, which becomes worse as his female-human variant is introduces as another love interest for Kung Lao as well.
- Many of the Outworlders/Edenian characters become confused at the two Gods + Liu Kang's uncomfortablness, which makes sense as they live many millenia compared to Earthrealmers, its not untill Sindel reminds them that it's has to do with coercion and mental gaps that some edenian's begins to understand.
- Rain is one of the Edenian characters who agrees that with the concept, as he finds his father (Edenia's Protector God) having a relationship with his mother (one of his priestesses) to have been action of coercion and disgust.
- Likes Older Men: Implied by Johhny when Kung Lao mentions his "past" with his former magic teacher. This is mainly just to tease Kung Jin, as up. until that point there was no proof of his uncle's prefereance in men.
- This becomes relevant again when an interaction between Kung Lao and Scorpian implies that Lao had an offscreen dalliance with Shinnok during his time when he was a revenant. Something that NRS!Kung Lao later states was true for him as-well. (Although NRS!Lao does state that the relationship was more for survival and manipulation then actual care from him.)
- More Experienced Chases the Innocent: Stated by many of the the watchers, as while originally it was thought Ryo was just a middle age adult (originally deemed as 40 in his first apperance). The reveal by a mute Raiden (from the revealation of Lao and Ryo's relationship) states that Ryo is half-edenian and has been around for millennium before. Adding a gross element to why a basically immortal man would pursue a barley legal teenager as a romantic endevour.
- Teacher/Student Romance: Explicitly implies through Kung Lao and Ryo (his former Magic teacher). That Ryo pursued a relationship with Lao when he was newly 18, despite knowing him since he was 16. While not as in your face at first, since their first see their interactions on-screen is in present time where Lao was 34 at the time. Its not until a flashback shows a teenage Lao with an adult Ryo that many earthrealmers become uncomfortable, especially when previous the realtionship was meantioned to have been sexual.
