Ermac-Kung: Football/Soccer

Two Mortal Kombat warriors evaluate the complexity of youth-education and the appeal of sports in the development of democratic diplomacy in Outworld and Earth-Realm, but they face dirty thinking.

This is a pro-democratic video-game world fable (Mortal Kombat fan-fiction!) inspired by the film Crazy People, and I wrote it to celebrate all the capitalism-rhetoric charm we've felt this Holiday Season and perhaps the hope that forms of democracy-rejuvenation imagination can help us heal the scars of Americana-tremors such as 9/11 and the Trump Impeachment.

Happy New Year (signing 0ff),

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Kung had traveled around the world, mostly Outworld, to face his old adversary, the enigmatic Ermac. Ermac was a warlock with green eyes and a powerful warrior, but Kung had developed his fighting-skills with his diadem-staff, which he used to dispel Ermac's green fireballs! Kung wanted to debate with Ermac about the contours and qualities of new age democracy, to see if Earth-Realm was as fertile as Outworld and warranted a bipartisan settlement. However, Ermac wanted to see Kung destroyed, thinking he was merely a juvenile idealist antithetical to pragmatic Christian values. Who'd win this dominion argument?

{Kung & Ermac}

KUNG: Outworld is full of intrigue, but so is Earth-Realm!

ERMAC: You're concerned about the governance of both dominions.
KUNG: I want to see democracy flourish, so youngsters can be trained.
ERMAC: Our younglings who seek to be warriors are headstrong, Kung.
KUNG: That's why they seek leadership from us, the older generation!
ERMAC: Mortal Kombat has become a violent art and does not warrant youth-participation.
KUNG: I disagree; perhaps youngsters can temper us weary warriors to be more social.
ERMAC: Are you suggesting that idealistic moves towards community-building create peace?
KUNG: I'm not claiming that youth-education solves the problem of corruption, but it helps!
ERMAC: You're headstrong and idealistic, Kung, just like many of the youngsters you claim to lead.
KUNG: With your help, Ermac, we might create a bipartisan approach to Outworld/Earth-Realm rule.
ERMAC: I doubt I'd be willing or able to ally myself along your axis of imaginative rhetoric!
KUNG: You're more practical than I am, but we both agree youngsters carry vital energy.

ERMAC: It's true that the youth can be reared to be potent warriors for tomorrow.
KUNG: That's my argument; let's use education and networking tools to become more visionary.

ERMAC: There are many traditionalists who don't share your interests in shaping vision with rhetoric!
KUNG: I understand, but I also think these youngsters of Outworld/Earth-Realm crave new thinking.
ERMAC: Your arguments lean towards the tides of happiness, not economics.
KUNG: We can find the right investors if we band together to make ships for the exploration-sea.
ERMAC: The exploration-sea is a complex concept and can't be neutralized merely with rhetoric!
KUNG: This is not mere rhetoric, Ermac; we can use celebrities from Earth-Realm to build bridges.

ERMAC: Celebrities?
KUNG: Yes, celebrities in Hollywood (e.g., movie-stars) represent leadership imagination.

ERMAC: I agree these 'Hollywood stars' are society-gods, but they don't possess knowledge!
KUNG: Untrue, Ermac; many of these 'cinema dolls' crave to participate in social adventures.

ERMAC: Are you suggesting that just because they're in movies about civilization, they like kids?
KUNG: I'm not arguing unequivocally about potential, Ermac; but it seems movie-stars like magic.

ERMAC: Alright; we might be able to harness such 'pedestrian magic' for youth-schooling.
KUNG: Then, youngsters will do less idolatry and more civic pageantry.

ERMAC: Pageantry.
KUNG: Yes, pageantry translates to populism flair such as St. Patrick's Day democratic activity.

ERMAC: Less terrorism?

KUNG: Precisely, Ermac; we may use social totems to build fortresses of inspiration.

ERMAC: So compromise tradition for revolutionary rhetoric regarding educational creativity?
KUNG: That's right!
ERMAC: Well, I admit, these images hold merit, but who'll be our investors, Kung?

KUNG: I will approach Kotal Kahn in Outworld (the emperor!) and the Salk Institute on Earth-Realm.

ERMAC: The Salk Institute invests in eco-conscious research for youngsters, eh?

KUNG: That's right; we'll recruit a Hollywood celebrity to help us in an eco-visionary venture.
ERMAC: Perhaps a comic book storyboard or cinematic storyboard about eco-terrorism?

KUNG: That's a good idea; I've slated Hollywood actress Diane Kruger to be this diplomat.

ERMAC: Diane Kruger?

KUNG: Yes, she plays the iconic Helen of Troy in the archaeologically-rich film Troy.
ERMAC: The 'woman who catalyzed the war' to end all wars!
KUNG: Yes, Ermac; Diane Kruger will be our doll of dolls.

ERMAC: She'll be our cheerleader and assistant part-time teacher of youth-education (in media!).

KUNG: Even we Mortal Kombat warriors must admit that Earth-Realm media is quite colorful!

ERMAC: Alright; I'll investigate the profitability of Planet Hollywood war-jewelry.

{Diane Kruger}

Kung and Ermac concluded their rousing debate about the use-value of Outworld and Earth-Realm 'avatars' in the building of visionary social bridges designed to harness the imagination-energy of the youngsters of both dominions! They agreed that coordinating social totems in Outworld and Earth-Realm would facilitate the imagining of profitable civilization-bases designed to make combat more mature and less anarchic. Kung and Ermac decided to investigate the human appeal of football (NFL) and world-soccer (FIFA) on Earth-Realm and noted that human youngsters enjoyed playing PlayStation/Xbox video-games using famous football/soccer stars as competitive avatars! Football (NFL) was popular in the Earth-Realm nation of America, the capitalist 'Big Brother' of the planet. World-soccer (FIFA) was popular in Europe, South America, and Africa, three other, less dominant continents in Earth-Realm. Kung and Ermac noted the popularity of Super Bowl LII (Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots) NFL competition and the luscious World Cup 1994 soccer meeting between Argentina and Nigeria.

{Nigeria & Argentina}

Did human youngsters statistically favor NFL football or FIFA world-soccer? Well, according to PlayStation/Xbox video-game sales, football/soccer game popularity split pretty much right down the middle. In fact, EA Sports (video-game company on Earth-Realm!) had developed two iconic football/soccer video-game series (respectively) called Madden NFL and FIFA Soccer. Both games generated much fanfare in 21st Century consumerism on Earth-Realm and made popular Christmastime gifts under the tree of lights. Kung and Ermac wanted to measure the marketability of football video-games against the marketability of world-soccer video-games. Fans of world-soccer tended to be more cosmopolitan and pluralistic, since soccer was celebrated by less wealthy nations excited about international spotlights in the media. However, football fans in America continued to be more hometown enthusiastic! This was an interesting duality on Earth-Realm. Kung and Ermac wanted to exploit this market axis to draw in youngsters towards the envisioned 'imaginarium' of democracy.

{World-Soccer Fan on Earth-Realm}

Meanwhile, an adversary in Outworld named Sindel, a powerful sorceress was buy building a challenging contradictory axis to confound the mission of Kung and Ermac. Sindel made a philosophical and political alliance with Princeton University, prestigious 'Ivy League' school in America on Earth-Realm. With and at Princeton, Sindel could market ideas about traditionalism and old-school values regarding the preservation of old-world gods and figures such as Mussolini, Lendl, Shakespeare, and Mozart. She'd then use these 'gods' to cast ideas about the need to keep youngsters out of the complexity of Mortal Kombat education and keep them in waiting until they were ready to become vicious and graphically violent assassins. Sindel's objective was to destroy Kung and Ermac's special revolutionary mission to use youthful stimulation in Outworld and Earth-Realm to make socialization-consciousness more accessible. She was the terrorist monkey-wrench in the wheel and she intended to use Princeton to frustrate Kung and Ermac. Who'd win this epic contest over the hearts and minds of the youth in Outworld and Earth-Realm (even over pedestrian matters such as the symbolic football/soccer dichotomy)?

{Sindel/Princeton}

Kung and Ermac decided to draw away Sindel from troubles by hypnotizing her with a fascinating highly-expensive 'chocolate diamond' from Earth-Realm! They told Sindel this fancy piece of shiny jewelry represented the yearnings inherent in capitalism and the symbolic pro-civilization 'American Dream' on Earth-Realm. Sindel was humbly hypnotized by the chocolate-diamond ring Kung and Ermac procured and agreed to supply them with female educational assistants (part-time teachers) for their Outworld/Earth-Realm youth-educational program. In exchange, she'd be able to keep the expensive chocolate-diamond ring in her treasure-box as a symbol of her 'mastery' over fortune and fame! Kung and Ermac were now free to continue in their bold mission, all thanks to the hypnotic value of the glimmering brown gem-ring.

{Chocolate-Diamond Ring from Earth-Realm}

Kung and Ermac decided to recruit the NFL superstar Baker Mayfield, hyped and ambitious young quarterback of the struggling Cleveland Browns pro-football team in America! Baker was a #1 Draft pick and lifted his 0-16 Browns team to a more respectable if not triumphant 6-10 record in just one year and was arguably one of the greatest rookie-QBs ever to play the game, giving his team a shocking new healthy face just one season after a completely devastating one. Baker was the symbol of a new generation of young athletes seeking to use social energy to make competitiveness more natural and vital to civilization on Earth-Realm. Kung and Ermac used Baker Mayfield (NFL) of the Cleveland Browns to create a youth-video program, so youngsters on Outworld and Earth-Realm would compare iconic Mortal Kombat battles between Raiden (god of lighting) and Kitana (princess-of-pain) with sporting contests determining the victors of teamwork-driven courage. These youngsters were learning the value of Christian teamwork.

{Baker Mayfield}

KUNG: I'm now dating Diane Kruger.
ERMAC: So, the charms of the mission have sparked romance, Kung?
KUNG: For me.

ERMAC: That's cool; we'll see what develops with Baker's Browns!
KUNG: Surely; this might be the mission to end all missions.

ERMAC: Perhaps Mortal Kombat will feel more 'human' (and sane).
KUNG: Thankfully, the adversarial Sindel is no longer interfering!

ERMAC: She was whisked away by that chocolate-diamond, Kung.
KUNG: Cool!

ERMAC: Well, enjoy your time with Ms. Kruger, and focus on the mission.
KUNG: I won't disappoint you, Ermac.

ERMAC: I know.
KUNG: Christian idealism can indeed breed visionary social platforms.

ERMAC: True, but we don't want kids to become obsessed with video-games.

KUNG: True; maybe we can recruit Sindel to be a teacher of design diligence.

ERMAC: Ambition and dogma...the hallmarks of civilization, right?

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