#i'm here for bi han who doesn't fit fandom's idea of normalcy

[cienie-isengardu]

The abusive Bi-Han headcanon is definitely causing a lot of suffering for Bi-Han fans, especially since it always there in fanon even in the prior timeline and it's now booming thanks to mk1.

I never saw prior timeline Bi-Han as abusive, mainly because Kuai never mentions this and neither does Smoke. The most charitable interpretation of this that I've seen in stories is that Bi-Han is under some terribly misguided impression he is toughening up Kuai and that he is 'protecting him' and keeping him alive. Which is probably the only interpretation that makes even a hint of sense given I don't think a young Bi-Han would be kicking Kuai down the stairs for the lolz.

Even then, that's not exactly the ideal view of their relationship. I always saw Bi-Han as cold, even to his brother, thought this mainly because of Lin Kuei teachings fucking up his ability to express himself in a caring manner and not out of malice. I always imagined there's this small pocket of love Bi-Han had for Kuai in that cold heart of his but he doesn't show it outwardly because 'Love is a weakness,' nonsense the Grandmaster was probably slamming full force on the clan.

That’s the charm of fandom, either our fav characters are popular and widely liked, or hated even for things they haven’t officially done. And with lore so old like Mortal Kombat, the positive and negative personal headcanons and interpretations creep into perception of characters, their canon personalities and reasoning one way or another. That is unavoidable and the less official source material is provided, the more fans fill the gap in their own way. Sometimes that leads to perpetuating some unkind opinions which understandably is upsetting if the character, like Bi-Han, is accused of things not hinted at by the tie-in material in the first place (i.e. abusing Kuai Liang in the childhood).

However I feel like in Bi-Han’s case, the problem lies only halfway in limited details about his and Kuai Liang’s past and brotherhood before elder Sub-Zero was turned into Wraith and twisted by dark magic. For me, the negative perception is connected to his naturally cold, abrasive behavior. I suspect if Bi-Han was a more emotionally driven character, the way Hanzo is, many fans would be more likely to think he was just sadly misled by Lin Kuei pathological doctrines if not outright the tragic hero. Bi-Han however is not that emotional kind of person, he has never been. Forgive me the metaphor, but I feel that the fan treatment of Bi-Han is similar to how people, who have never had a cat, perceive those animals and how frustrated it must be when they expect cats to behave like dogs but won’t get the desired results. It is not that the elder Sub-Zero or cats are evil by nature, they just communicate and behave in a very specific way. If people mistake it for them being mean, uncaring, even for being unable to love only because they expected - demanded - a different set of behavior that would fit their narrowed idea of normalcy, then they are bound to be disappointed one way or another. But that is not fault of fictional characters (and definitely not cats’ either).

That said, I too think Kuai Liang always had a special place in Bi-Han’s life and was no less important than Bi-Han was for him, and that Lin Kuei upbringing complicated expressing those emotions, however I don’t see a point of getting worked over different opinions of strangers. Is it hard sometimes to be a fan of characters like the elder Sub-Zero that feel widely mistreated by fandom over things there is no evidence he did in canon? Sure, but each person is entitled to their own opinion. Fandom is like that sometimes and in my book, usually the best solution is sticking to things that make you happy and if needed, to ignore negative things outside of your control. I know it is not easy, but sometimes it is good to agree to disagree and move on to a comfortable niche of personal headcanons.

It works for me most of time - and if I feel enough spiteful toward fandom at large, I will just create my own Bi-Han positive fanwork to balance things out 😈