The Mortal Kombat 1 Fanbase In A Nutshell

The mortal kombat 1 fanbase in a nutshell

The incels complaining how the game is “bad” (they have the worst reasons why the game is bad)

Everyone agreeing johnshi is canon

How liu kang made everyone hot in mk1

People talking about how relief it feels that some of the bad guys are now good guys

Too often, I see artists, fanfic and headcanon writers put profanities (and the most obscene ones, at that) in Bi-Han's mouth. This contradicts his character in the game, where he uses a sustained language and speaks slowly and clearly, meticulously choosing his words to set an example as a clan leader invested with a divine mission and, what is more, as being the product of an aristocratic upbringing that doesn't allow for slackness nor complacency. The example that strikes me most is when Ermac binds his hands and feet, and he asks, surprised: "What is this?" Notice he doesn't say "What's this?", "What the hell is this?" or even "What the f*ck is this?" He also pronounces each word carefully, not allowing himself to be destabilized by what's happening to him.

This said, many people who are in position of power are careful with how they behave in public, but are just like everyone else in private. Bi-Han could be one of them to a certain extent. He would probably swear, but rarely, and only when he'd be alone, never in front of others, not even of his family, or only in their spare time, when they'd be off duty—and even then, it would remain very moderate, because we have to imagine that there's a lot of modesty and restraint involved between these people due to how they were raised. And because Bi-Han is well-read and well-spoken, he doesn't need to resort to insults to be verbally abusive to someone. Too often indeed, people confuse being aggressive with being vulgar.

“Your blood will never be Lin Kuei”<—Bi Han isn’t saying he’s not family because he’s adopted. I think what he’s saying is that he’ll never be considered a warrior by Lin Kuei standards. It no different than than a snobby Harvard student with top grades telling off another Harvard student who happens to be a family member and whom they look down on that they shouldn’t have been admitted and is a waste of space.

my cute lil grumpy babygirl

You got lipstick on my face!

Theme: sfw

Summary: kissing your husband, forgetting you had lipstick on.

Pair: Johnny Cage, Bi-Han, Kuai Liang, Liu Kang, Kenshi Takahashi, Kung Lao, Raiden, Rain, Smoke, Geras, Syzoth, Shang Tsung x chubby reader 

Tw: down-bad men, they are after you

A/n I’ve checked my inbox, you guys are gonna make me cry with all the compliment

You were extremely excited to go on a date with your husband, with all the work he has, there is barely any time left for you both! You put on lipstick to enchant your lips even more, which was a mistake. You enjoyed pressing kisses on your husband, which is why lipstick should be a no to you

Johnny doesn’t give two shits, he’ll walk around with bunch’s of lipstick stains on his face! It’s a trophy for him, his wife gave him kisses! He ignores any weirded stares he’s given, let them stare, he’s famous after all. But he isn’t giving them a wink of his attention, he’s only staring at how good you look in that dress. You’ll be taking tons of photos, many where Johnny has his hand “sneakily” on your plush hips. Scold him, not like he’s listening when he gets a great view of your body 

Bi-Han will stare at you, you could see the soft blush on his cheeks. You giggle, attempting to wipe away the lipstick stain which only spreads it even more. You smile innocently when he asks if you got it off, nodding your head. He’s confused, why are people laughing when he walks by or has a smile? You almost panic when he says he’s going to the restroom, he definitely is going to know. The moment he came back out, his face was red, but the lipstick stains are still there. Now matter how cold he could act, he still enjoys your affection. 

Kuai Liang would be a blushy mess, but he still loves it. He would never be uncomfortable with the affection you give him, a little hesitant to walk around with lipstick marks. But when you tried to wipe it off, he dodged the wet paper towel. He’ll happily walk around, now everyone knows your his and he is yours. Gets embarrassed when Smoke comes over and teases you both, patting your husband's shoulder before scrambling off before Bi-Han could scold him. 

Liu kang is so confused, what makes his face feel sticky? He swears he knows what lipstick is, but he’s just lying. You give him the simplest explanation, but he still doesn’t know why you kissed his face. But a kiss is a kiss, he’s happy! Happily walks around with red lipstick on his face, it’s his pride! Nobody would even look his way, they realize how happy he is with it. He has much respect, he expects that same amount of respect even when he looks a bit goofy.

Kenshi felt so awkward in that moment, it’s not that he doesn’t love you! You're going to give the poor man a heart attack! His blindfold didn’t help his case, his face bright red. As much as you wanted to tell him it’s fine to wipe off the lipstick, he didn’t want to! Although he regrets going out in public, Johnny was there laughing his ass off when he saw Kenshi. Kenshi will never live this off, Johnny somehow took a photo fast before Kenshi could even grab his phone. They made a bet, it doesn’t concern you, the sight of Kenshi’s friendship with Johnny was funny to you. Kenshi would grumble under his breath, resting his head on your shoulder. You owe him cuddles for a month. 

Kung Lao was shocked for a second, before his flirty smirk came back. Are you sure you want to play this game with him? You always were the one who’s blushing at the end of this game, his hand gently rubs at your cheek. You shriek, attempting to get away from your husband who had ill intentions now. Somehow you got him to leave the house, without any trouble. Keep an eye on his hands, he’ll attempt to squeeze anything he can get his hand on. Don’t be shy, smack his hands, stop him from doing something that will make you flustered. If he notices how flustered you are, he would chuckle and place his hat on your head. Covering you from the curious looks from watchers, in the end, he always wins this little game. He’ll make it up to you, maybe a dance? 

Raiden chuckles, a cheesy smile on his face. He didn’t grow up with Kung Lao for no reason, they share similar traits. He knows exactly how to make you flustered, he learnt it from his best bud. Though you have a chance to reverse the order, you can make him blush! Just as he was about to do something flirty, you smash your lips against his. There goes another lipstick mark, and now his face is red in embarrassment. He’ll be blushing the entire time you're out, he can’t stop thinking about your kisses! Kung Lao definitely chuckled when he saw how blushy Raiden was, they were still two different people after all. 

Rain is very embarrassed, don’t embarrass him, he wants to be super cool! He wants to maintain his title, you just make him seem like a sucker for attention. Which is, he instantly melts when you kiss his face. He chuckles, leaning closer for your touch. You're the only person who can see him without, let alone press kisses to his face. He wouldn’t go out anymore, he’s desperate for more of your attention! Don’t you dare stop, give him more kisses or he might die! He’ll have you trapped underneath him, you're not allowed to leave until you give him your kisses!

Smoke is a giggling mess, his face bright red. Give him one of your lipstick, he wants to give you lipstick marks too! You both end up going at with lipstick stains on both of your faces, others would groan when they see you both. You guys acted like teenagers sometimes, doing chaotic and corny stuff together. Smoke couldn’t care less if his brothers saw you both, though Kuai Liang would chuckle while Bi-Han would scoff, but he was happy for his little brother. 

Geras would be extremely confused, he’s never experienced affection. All he knows is that he likes the way it felt, his body seems to want more of whatever that was. Liu kang would chuckle if he saw the lipstick stains on Geras’s face, which is why he wants to stay home. He would have his eyes closed as you pepper more kisses to his face, you giggle at how cute your husband could be sometimes. He wants to ask why you did that, but he’ll ask later once he gets his fill of your affection. Just continue to pepper kisses to his face, it feels really nice.

Syzoth is confused but he’s smiling, he loves all the affection you give him. His tail would be wagging so fast, almost hitting your leg. His tail thumps loudly on the ground, thankfully there were no items near you or else they would have gone flying. His tail would be wagging for a while, he can’t help it! He’s so happy to receive any affection from you, you could almost hear the quiet purr coming from him. You now have to give all your attention to your greedy lizard husband 

Shang Tsung would instantly dodge your touch, it’s a reflex. When he saw your face sadden, he instantly brought you close. He’d coo at you, rubbing your head gently. He presses his lips against yours, chuckling when you blush. His fingers would gently rub on your hips as you press kisses to his face. He’ll let you have your moment, but later he’ll be teasing you for this. His fingers gently trace your face, seeing the dumb smile on your face. You spend the rest of your night with your husband, being romantic to the point it was corny. 

More mortal kombat cause I can’t get enough of these men

A guide to writing Bi-Han

I've seen far too many fanfics/oneshots/headcanons and art pieces out there completely mischaraterizing Bi-Han to the point he becomes unrecognizable from who he is in canon. For fans who love Bi-Han as he is, it can be quite frustrating to see people misunderstand his character so much. This post is not meant to be criticism, but was rather made with the intention to sort out common misconceptions, educate and help creators of fanwork understand Bi-Han and his personality better.

RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS BROTHERS:

Bi-Han doesn't hate Tomáš. There's so much fanart out there depicting him as a bully or bad brother when that's as far from canon as it could be. You can read the in-depth analysis on their dynamic in the post I've linked, but to sum it up, Bi-Han had the option to pick any other Lin Kuei member to accompany him and Kuai Liang to the teahouse or the Ying fortress, but each time he picked Smoke. He could have chosen Sektor or Cyrax, both of which are more experienced and completely loyal to him, and yet he still chose Tomáš instead. He also appears worried when Smoke nearly dies after Nitara's attack. Yes, he snapped at Tomáš once, but siblings fight and say things to each other that are often uncalled for. The relationship between them cannot be meassured by one line that was said out of anger or the intro dialogues that are set after their falling out. According to Smoke himself, Bi-Han was always cold towards him, but that only suggests they were never close, not that there was ever any hostility between them or that Bi-Han was ever harsh/cruel towards him in the past. Tomáš also tries to reunite the brothers and doesn't want Bi-Han to be his enemy, even if he's disappointed in Bi-Han's actions. He even admits he used to look up to him. Some artworks, however, aim to make it look like Bi-Han is oh so mean to poor, sad Tomas, when that's a blatant mischaraterization of both of them, simultanously babying Tomas, a grown man, and demonizing Bi-Han, a tragic and traumatized character.

Kuai Liang and Bi-Han used to be close. Kuai Liang knew about Bi-Han's frustrations, Bi-Han knows all of Kuai Liang's weaknesses, they trust each other enough to rely on each other in combat and both feel equally betrayed by the other because of the close brotherly bond they once shared and because of the trust that existed between them. Kuai Liang was Bi-Han's second in command, Bi-Han respected him. He's never once seen belittling or insulting Kuai Liang, not even after they're no longer on good terms with each other. By the time the story of MK1 starts, Bi-Han has already reached the peak of his frustration, which explains why he snaps at his brothers so often, especially when their father is brought up, but at no time was Bi-Han ever abusive towards Kuai Liang or Tomas. He seems to have put a lot of trust in both his brothers and in return, they trusted him too. If Bi-Han had ever been a violent person with little love and care for his family, Kuai Liang and Tomas wouldn't have been so shocked at the revelation that he let their father die.

There was always a side of Bi-Han that cared about his brothers and his choices indicate that he still does. Apart from the most obvious evidence for this, the scene where he checks on both of them to make sure they're unharmed, there are also other subtle clues that he cares about Kuai Liang and Tomas. In his chapter, Bi-Han is the one who fights off all threats (Nitara, Ermac...) while also giving the easier and less dangerous task of staying outside to Smoke, the least experienced one of the brothers, as he goes to capture Quan Chi himself with the help of Kuai Liang. While he says he wants Kuai Liang dead in some intros, his actions contradict his words. He had the chance to kill Kuai Liang at the Ying Fortress, but chose to spare him. SPOILERS: The leaks for the dlc claim that Bi-Han will be trying to capture his brothers alive. He seems to have no interest in actually harming either of them, just in making sure they can't get in the way of his plans.

PERSONALITY:

Oftentimes, fanfics portray Bi-Han as this hot-headed guy with anger issues who is only capable of one emotion and it's rage. But Bi-Han's anger is not his most defining trait. There are so many more layers to his personality. Just because the story mode only showed us situations in which his anger is triggered doesn't mean that's all there is to him. He's not the kind of person to go around yelling at everyone he sees and getting angry out of nowhere. I also don't see Bi-Han cursing/cussing or insulting others. As grandmaster, Bi-Han represents the Lin Kuei and he's expected to act a certain way. @inflamedrosenkranz wrote a genius analysis on how out of character it would be for Bi-Han to curse and I strongly recommend reading it in addition to this post.

Bi-Han is not a mysogynist. This is something I see all too frequently in reader insert fanfics where Bi-Han is written as someone who doesn't take his s/o seriously or looks down at them because they're a woman. Meanwhile, Bi-Han shows nothing but respect and admiration for strong women. He seems to have looked up to his mother much more than to his father and just listen to his intros with Sindel or Kitana. He admires Sindel for her leadership and even encourages Kitana to take Outworld's throne. He also wouldn't have taken in Frost as his apprentice and wouldn't have allowed Cyrax into the Lin Kuei if he thought women weren't fit to be Lin Kuei warriors.

I know this will disappoint a lot of headcanon writers, but Bi-Han would never degrade/insult or otherwise humiliate his partner, be it through words or actions, especially not during intimate moments shared between them. His significant other directly represents him and his clan. He would not tolerate any sort of disrespect towards them, let alone disrespect them himself. If his partner were to ask him to degrade them, that would be an instant dealbreaker for Bi-Han. He would expect any potential partner to show the self-respect and dignity befitting of their role as the grandmaster's significant other.

I often see drunk!Bi-Han headcanons, but honestly, it would be out of character for Bi-Han to drink alcohol. First of all, he absolutely wouldn't be able to see the appeal of it and secondly, he would hate the way it makes him feel. I imagine he likes being in control of his own body, he likes knowing that he can rely on his reflexes should he need them and alcohol would practically render them useless. As grandmaster of his clan he needs to be an example for all the other Lin Kuei. He would also not want to take the risk of overinduldging and embarrassing himself in a drunken stupor.

People like to write Bi-Han as a grumpy and overly serious guy who can't crack a joke to save himself, but they forget he makes ice puns. Ice puns. Bi-Han definitely has a sense of humor. I just don't think he gets to show anyone that side of himself often.

Bi-Han is a lot smarter than people give him credit for. Yes, siding with Shang Tsung was a bad choice, but it was one he made out of dispair and his frustration played into it as well, clouding his judgement. The way Bi-Han tries to assess his opponents' weaknesses shows his strategic mind. He let himself be fooled once, but he's also young and still has a lot to learn as grandmaster. It's not a sign of him lacking intelligence, like some people claim.

GOALS:

While he's ambitious and wants to acquire power to some extent, Bi-Han is not the power-hungry and selfish character he's often wrongly depicted as. His intentions lie far beyond that and are much more noble. Bi-Han craves independence and freedom for the Lin Kuei. He wants his clan to get the respect and recognition they rightfully deserve after protecting Earthrealm for so many generations. He doesn't want to conquer all of Earthrealm and he has no interest in ruling other realms either. What he wants is a small portion of Earthrealm because he's convinced that the Lin Kuei deserve it. He wants a reward for all their years of loyalty and duty, not to become a tyrant.

To conclude this, I appreciate writers and artists who do their research before writing/drawing a character and I hope this analysis can be helpful to those unsure of how to correctly write Bi-Han.

If I can think of more examples to add to the list, I will make a part 2 of this post.