subtle ways to include foreshadowing
one character knowing something offhandedly that they shouldn't, isn't addressed until later
the crow rhyme
colours!! esp if like, blue is evil in your world and the mc's best friend is always noted to wear blue...betrayal?
write with the ending in mind
use patterns from tragic past events to warn of the future
keep the characters distracted! run it in the background until the grand reveal
WEATHER.
do some research into Chekhov's gun
mention something that the mc dismisses over and over
KEEP TRACK OF WHAT YOU PUT. don't leave things hanging.
unreliable characters giving information that turn out to be true
flowers and names with meanings
anything with meanings actually
metaphors. if one character describes another as "a real demon" and the other turns out to be the bad guy, you're kind of like...ohhh yeahhh
anyways add anything else in the tags
if you write a strong character, let them fail.
if you write a selfless hero, let them get mad at people.
if you write a cold-hearted villain, make them cry.
if you write a brokenhearted victim, let them smile again.
if you write a bold leader, make them seek guidance.
if you write a confident genius, make them be wrong, or get stumped once in a while.
if you write a fighter or a warrior, let them lose a battle, but let them win the war.
if you write a character who loses everything, let them find something.
if you write a reluctant hero, give them a reason to fight.
credit:@aj-eddy
his name is eBay
Reiko honey!?
Did you just show up to serve?? BECAUSE IT WORKED!
"I will emerge victorious!"
Scorpion in the new Mortal Kombat 1 Lin Kuei Trailer.
They have...eye scars on the opposite eye, and I find that very sweet.
Mk1 story and endings spoilers, brief mention of possible leaks
On one hand, I am really glad that they are giving her depth rather than being the murdered wife of Hanzo. To give her the opportunity to be a character rather than a plot device. But it gets thrown out the window the moment they insta married her to Kuai because he's Scorpion now.
Yes, it's true we probably get to know more about her in mk1. That she was running a clan in Japan before Kuai got there. She is an effective fighter as well. She is just as passionate and angry if the roles were versed and she lost Hanzo and Satoshi. These sound like good things and they are.
So, what's the problem? Well, her relationship with Kuai and the lack of context. To me, it seems like all NRS sees her as "SCORPION WIFE." and her destiny is always to be wed to one even if Scorpion is a man to whom she has never interacted with in previous canon. A relationship that hasn't been shown to us but rather told to us repeatedly in intros and endings. We are TOLD that her and Kuai were childhood friends. We are told that Kuai goes there after that Mk1 and basically crashes her clan and rebuilds and names her after. We were told that they plan to wed after a short time of reuniting.
The only thing they are going to show allegedly (according to story2 leaks) is their wedding. We won't ever get to see them bond? Why did they decide to marry? What do they even like in each other? We are told they are marrying before we can actually see Harumi as a character. I feel like if you are gonna pair Harumi up with Kuai, add context or develop it? At the very least? Don't just tell us and think everyone will accept it? So many fans would have loved to see Hanzo and Harumi fall in love. To see why they were passionate about each other to begin with? Why they would go down a path of revenge and anger when the other and their son dies To see them work together without Harumi instantly dying? After like 30 somewhat years of only seeing small snips before tragedy hits them.
Everything would have made sense if it was Hanzo in Kuai's place in the story. It would be more easily believable to be told these things because we do not have to extend our imaginations to figure out how that worked? We know in every other timeline, Hanzo and Harumi are married and in love. We can conclude they will do without it seeing random and swallow. Then all NRS had to do was focus on her character because we already know they can love each other. Instead, they're going to make an unsatisfied romance between two characters that have no chemistry or context to be together. Other than the fact, Kuai is Scorpion so therefore Harumi should marry him.
Like you're telling me we have an invasion ending where Harumi is shown that if she was in Hanzo's shoes, she would make similar decisions to him? Only for her to never interact with Hanzo outside invasions? It feels like a money paw, we finally get to see Harumi do something other than die but we don't get to see her and Hanzo be together? That we won't ever actually get to see what they were like before they were married? Like NRS could simply have written that her and Hanzo were both Kuai's childhood friends? Or that her and Kuai remained friends and worked together on the Shirai-Ryu? Give her a timeline where she doesn't have to wed "Scorpion"?