#sol rambles about the lin kuei

[bihansthot]

Figured I'd pop in and ask you this question:

So I'm writing some lore for my oc and I was wondering if you had any sources for how Bi-Han is as a brother. The thing I'm working on is supposed to be angsty given what Bodaway's backstory is, but I'm afraid that with what little I know about Bi-Han I might accidentally make him into a complete prick. Like I want there to be some tension and distance between my oc and Bi-Han but like not to the point of Bi-Han being ooc if that makes sense?

You don't have to answer this right away, as I understand you've got a lot on your plate. I know I've already said this, but I do hope things get a bit better for you ^.^

Hello love! So, I have a couple posts I’ve made in the past about this that I’ve mentioned it before here, here, here, here and here.

I feel very strongly that at least in Midway and NRS timelines not including MK1 (2023) Bi-Han was a fiercely protective yet asshole of a brother, the type to pick on Kuai Liang himself but kick anyone else’s ass who tries to start anything with his little brother. I’ve often rambled that Bi-Han protected Kuai Liang growing up and would often confess to misdeeds Kuai Liang was actually responsible for because he didn’t want his little brother to suffer. I personally headcanon Bi-Han has a pretty scared up back from being beat with bamboo (which was a common punishment in Imperial China) so often when the brothers were growing up. I don’t think you have to worry about making him too much of a prick because short answer he is one, long answer he’s a prick but he has good reason to be one. He’s the oldest, he has all the responsibilities and burdens that come with being the oldest brother as well as the Grandmaster’s grandson (their Grandfather is Grandmaster before Sektor’s father takes over which leads me to believe in the older time lines Papa Zero is dead, it’s unclear if Bi-Han did it or not). He’s treated and raised differently than Kuai Liang is, he’s raised to be crueler and colder than Kuai Liang because he should be the next Grandmaster or at least that was the game plan until Papa Zero dies. Bi-Han most likely had to kill their Grandfather or their father or maybe both in order to become the next Sub-Zero and to do that he has to kill his emotions at a very young age but he doesn’t want Kuai Liang to be the same way. So, he makes sure he’s always the bad guy so Kuai Liang doesn’t have to be, he always takes care of things. He’s a very dedicated and hardworking individual and had to step into the role of both big brother and father figure for Kuai Liang. They’re all each other had until Tomas joins the Lin Kuei and suddenly Bi-Han finds himself with two little brothers to look out for and protect.

I base a lot off this off of how desperate Kuai Liang is to find out what happened to Bi-Han in MK9 and in Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms (which isn’t really canon but it’s kharacter building so we’re gonna use it) he absolutely sobs about the loss of Bi-Han. You do not hunt down someone or sob about a loss if you don’t genuinely love and care about that person. So, that solidifies to me that Bi-Han was an excellent older brother or else Kuai Liang wouldn’t have hunted Hanzo down, he wouldn’t have been in tears fighting his brother’s killer, he wouldn’t be distraught with grief and loss and wouldn’t live on in his brother’s place if Kuai Liang didn’t love and genuinely admire Bi-Han. A bad older brother doesn’t get that, a bad older brother gets a “oh pity, did he leave a will?” I actually have another piece that touches a bit on their relationship but implies they were actually twins which you can read here. Bi-Han is an asshole yes, but he’s also a good brother, you can be both, my brothers are great examples of this. They are absolute assholes to each other and occasionally to me but still would do absolutely anything for any of us. They teased and bullied me growing up just like Bi-Han teased and bullied Kuai but they covered up for me when I got in trouble just like Bi-Han covered up for Kuai Liang.

Bi-Han is a very complicated, layered asshole, he’s not just pompous ego and bravado. If you haven’t watched it I would really recommend watching a play through of Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero it gives a really good idea on Bi-Han’s attitude of asshole but reluctantly does the right thing when he needs to. The story mode for MK9 is also helpful to see his attitude as a kharacter but unfortunately there’s really nothing showing Bi-Han and Kuai Liang together. So all we have to go off of is how Kuai Liang reacts to Bi-Han’s death. Bi-Han as Noob Saibot famously tell Kuai Liang that “we share blood but we are not brothers” because Noob Saibot is Bi-Han stripped of every positive feeling and emotion. Kuai Liang parrots his back to him in MK11 so they very much have a strained relationship after Bi-Han’s death but not while he was alive, I refuse to believe that.

Basically it’s up to a lot of interpretation because we don’t see any of their childhood or them even interacting with each other but I have written a lot on my take about their relationship. Like I suggested though if you haven’t already, please watch Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, Mortal Kombat 9, Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle or the Realms and feel free to ask or DM me any questions you have. I’m also more than happy to give you my discord username if you’d rather chat there but I’m more than happy to chat about all things Bi-Han and Lin Kuei and discuss how their kharacter progression looks like.

That invitation is for anyone in the fandom if they have any Sub-Zero Bros or Lin Kuei questions, I’m not Boon or Papa Tobias but I have been playing the games since 1992 and have a very good grasp of the lore. I also love what if situations and extrapolating logical conclusions to those situations and think about Bi-Han basically constantly. I’d much rather you lovelies come to me than try and google things and wind up on the weird fan wiki that says Bi-Han is 36 when he’s 32 and gives Sektor and Cyrax fake names, spoilers Felix is NOT Cyrax’s name, it’s just a made up fan name used by this sketch ass wiki same with Sektor, they don’t have canon names. Bi-Han, Kuai Liang and Tomas Vbrada are the only canon names for the love of the Elder Gods stay off this cursed fanmade wiki. Please. Also, I’ve said this before too but please, please don’t make the mistake of thinking Liang is a surname, it isn’t, Kuai Liang is his full first name, just like Bi-Han is his complete first name, the Sub-Zero brothers do not have a canon last name. Only Tomas has a canon last name in the Lin Kuei.

Ok I think that maybe answers your question, hopefully I know there was some powerful rambling in there. There’s a lot of stuff to sort through so like I said if any of you lovelies have questions please feel free to ask me.

@den-kunn I’m tagging you in this because I’ve seen you use Felix for Cyrax and if that’s a personal choice than by all means go for it but I don’t want you to be mislead by that fan wiki and think it’s his canon name when it’s not. I’m just trying to look out for you if you don’t want me to though that’s totally fine just let me know. I’m not trying to police anyone or anything I just know that fan wiki is notorious for spreading the wrong information and I don’t want you lovelies getting confused or mislead by the misinformation that wiki spreads. Because there are mean people out there that will start shit over the small inaccuracies and I don’t want any of you lovelies getting chewed out because this stupid fan wiki made something up.💙

If anyone else wants to be tagged in Lin Kuei or Sub-Zero Bros lore stuff and rambling then just let me know and I’m more than happy to start a tag list. Have a good night lovelies 💙

[bihansthot]

There was a mix up with my migraine preventative medication so I don’t have it and so naturally I’m getting a migraine. *sigh* I was going to try and doodle today but I can’t with my head acting up. I hope we get a kharacter gameplay of Smoke soon, I’d like to see more of him he looks fun to play and maybe less complicated than Bi-Han’s strings look. That’s I guess the downside of the Lin Kuei trailer being first is there’s less to look forward to now, well for me at least since they’re my favorites. I’d be very happy if we got more ninjas though, like Ermac, and I’d love, love, love if they finally gave us Hydro but ironically I don’t want to see Noob. I just really want one game where Bi-Han doesn’t die or isn’t dead :( It gets really depressing sometimes knowing your f/o is canonically dead most of the series.

[bihansthot]

Sol I have been crying for like 5 hours now. I’m mad that in mk Kuai Liang might be scorpion and when thinking about mk11 he was in a wonderful place like everyone loved him respected him or wanted him on their side. So now this is a different timeline and he is kinda far away from what he used to be (hypothetically) “what is yours will eventually come to you” but let’s make it in a more dramatic way, together maybe? Few parts, scenes from both mk11 and mk1. To be honest I can’t even tell you what it is completely cause I’m still crying over the little scenario I created in my head lol

I think we’re all mad Kuai Liang might be Scorpion now, I know I am but I’m mad for personal reasons. Mostly because my dear best friend and sister-in-law (fictionally) has essentially lost her husband and I’ve lost my brother-in-law and now in his place is potentially the man who murdered my husband and we’re all supposed to act like this is cool??? Like Boon, your eyebrows and I need to talk for a minute. This is shit for Scorpion fans too because like where the fuck is Hanzo? They lost their man too and don’t even get me started on the poor subscorp shippers. I’m also aggravated because I have in the past written for the entirety of the Lin Kuei, like does this mean I have to include him now too? Like I’m not sure how I feel about that personally, on the one rational hand I know this isn’t the same Scorpion who robbed me of my happily ever after but like I’m an Aries, we hold grudges until the end of time and mine isn’t going anywhere anytime soon but I feel pressured to include him. I’m just so not handling this well. I’m very sorry you’ve been crying for five hours though, I’m sending you lots of hugs and love 💕

[bihansthot]

Master list part 2:

Important general Bi-Han info

Bi-Han x f!reader:

Daddy’s Good Girl (smut, Daddy kink)

Relax (smut, woman on top)

Insecure Reader (implied smut, drabble)

Mid-Autumn Festival 1,000 Follower Spectacular! (smut, prostate massages)

Bathtime (smut, quickie, drabble)

Chains & Whips Excite Me (smut, quickie, drabble, light bdsm)

Bi-Han x gn!reader:

A Snowy Afternoon (no smut, fluff)

Dumplings Gone Awry (no smut, pregnant reader, fluff)

Bi-Han’s IKEA adventure (no smut, suggestive, fluff, swears, some anxiety)

Blowjob Drabble (smut)

Bi-Han’s Type (suggestive, kinks mentioned)

Goodbye, Father (suggestive, no smut just making out, mentions of death)

Taking Bi-Han to get piercings (fluff, piercings)

Wedding Headcanons (fluff)

Unfaithful (suggestive, swearing, making out)

Ooo Woah (fluff, bimbo reader, headcanons)

Bi-Han x Syzoth x f!reader:

Cold Blooded (smut, mmf threesome)

Guessing Game (smut, taking turns)

Mating Seaon (smut, technically just Syzoth x f!reader but the OT3 is implied)

Stay Warm (fluff, OT3)

Boo to You, Happy Howl-o-Ween part 2! (smut, mmf threesome, mxm, tetraphelia, a/b/o, knotting)

Bi-Han x Syzoth:

Understand My Ship (Bi-Han x Syzoth, nsft)

Relationship Head Canons (fluff)

Bi-Han Headcanons and ramblings:

Bi-Han as Grandmaster

Girl Dad!Bi-Han

More Girl Dad!Bi-Han

Bi-Han’s long hair

Scorpion is an assassin too

Mk1 Offcial Bio

Sareena 😒

Please don’t kill him Boon

The Problem with Noob

Anti-Cyber Initiative

Favorite Pizza

It’s an fing grilled cheese

K-Pop Bi-Han

Body Hair

More Dad!Bi-Han

Concept Art 1, 2

Canon Height

Still more Dad!Bi-Han

Kuai Liang x f!reader:

Yoga Blunders (fluff, pregnant reader, mentions of child birth)

Sub-Zero Bros:

Bi-Han is a GOOD brother

Past Bi-Han should have been in MK11

Kuai Liang is done with Bi-Han’s shit

Name meanings

No really, Bi-Han is a GOOD brother

Their relationship with their parents

Ethnicity and other stuff

Papa Zero

Reiko x f!reader:

Down time (smut)

Riding Drabble (smut)

Smoke x f!reader:

Confession (fluff, drinking, kissing)

First Impressions Can Be Deceiving (smut, first time)

Multiple Kharacters & Other One Offs:

For my Latinx Lovelies (Tomas, Syzoth, Kuai Liang, Bi-Han, fluff and Mexican headcanons)

Insertion (smut, Cyber!Sektor x afab!reader)

Self Ship and OC stuff:

Understand My Ship (Solarbear, Sol x Bi-Han, nsft)

Understand My Ship (Solizardbear, Bi-Han x Syzoth x Sol, nsft)

OC Hallvard Breivik, Face Claim

My Lin Kuei Tattoo

MK Discord Server

How Sol met Bi-Han (Solarbear, Bi-Han x Sol, fluff)

Super Self-Indulgent Shark Week Spectacular (Solarbear, Bi-Han x Sol, fluff)

The kids, Dating Bīngbīng, Bīngbīng’s hairstyles, still more about Bīngbīng, appearance, birth of the twins

Relationship Head Canons (Tomas x Hallvard, fluff)

Self Ship Art 1,2,3

Our Wedding (fluff, Solarbear, Bi-Han x Sol)

[bihansthot]

How would Human Sektor Or Cyrax react if any Lin Kuei told him he's adopted

I’m no expert when it comes to Sektor or Cyrax nor am I adopted so I’m a little out of my element but I imagine there would be two pretty different reactions.

Cyrax:

As an orphan from Gaborone he knows fully well he’s adopted, he’s also black not Asian so he’s always stood out in the Lin Kuei.

He isn’t bothered by it and is just happy he’s not living on the streets and stealing money and food for meals.

He views the Lin Kuei as his family regardless of a blood connection and just laughs and responds “no shit” when the Lin Kuei tells him he’s adopted.

Sektor:

Quite frankly it comes as a big shock to Sektor, after all he’s spent his entire life believing he’s the Grandmaster’s biological son.

He’s furious and demands to know why he was lied to all these years, he also demands to know who his real parents are.

He’s devastated to learn his real parents were killed trying to protect him and vows to spent the rest of his life getting revenge against the Lin Kuei but then the cyberization happens and things like family no longer matter to him.

[bihansthot]

Imagine if the grandmaster dies of old age and bi han becomes grandmaster and changes the feature of the Lin kuei what would happen in your opinion and how would it effect the people around it ☺️

Well, I think first and foremost there would be a fight between Bi-Han and Sektor, even if the Grandmaster passed the title to Bi-Han before he passed there's no way Sektor would just accept that. He's the Grandmaster's son and rightful heir to the title as far as he's concerned. So, naturally, Bi-Han wins because let's be honest the man can kill gods, how is Sektor going to compete with that? He isn't. With Bi-Han now in control the first and biggest change is that the Cyber Initiative would never happen, I've talked about it quite a few times but I vehemently believe that Bi-Han is extremely opposed to the Cyber Initiative, he doesn't use technology, he most likely doesn't trust it. Imagine teaching your boomer Dad to try and use an iPhone, that's Bi-Han with technology. There's even a scene in the book adaptation where he's communicating through a hawk, I, unfortunately, have no clue what I did with my copy of the novel by Jeff Rovin but you'll have to take my word for it.

I think the overall change would be hard for the others, I think he would be particularly hard on Kuai Liang, the way his Grandfather was to him; expecting his brother to take over when he was no longer able. It would be particularly hard for Sektor if Bi-Han spares him and didn't kill him when Sektor challenged him for the title he'd more than likely spend the rest of his days relegated to being a teacher. Bi-Han isn't quite petty enough to waste Sektor's talents altogether, but he's not willing to trust that he won't try and double cross him on missions or bring dishonor to the clan. Cyrax, Smoke and Hydro would fare the easiest with the transition, they have no problem with Bi-Han being the new Grandmaster and follow him without complaint. Hydro would most likely become a teacher at this point too not because Bi-Han doesn't trust him, but because they were partners and now that Bi-Han is no longer on active duty he doesn't want to send Hydro out alone so he wants to keep him safe by keeping him within the compound walls because they're besties even if nothing official say they are. lol

They also probably wouldn't work for Shang Tsung in the first tournament either, Bi-Han is clearly shaken when Raiden confirms his soul is tainted, and now that Bi-Han is in control he actually has the means to change things. So the Lin Kuei fights for Earthrealm in the tournament, Bi-Han would still put himself on the frontlines but he would take Cyrax and Hydro with him instead of Sektor because again he doesn't trust Sektor and he doesn't believe his brother is ready for something like Mortal Kombat. It's hard to say if the outcome would be any different but we know at least no one would be a cyborg.

[bihansthot]

How would Bi-Han feel about the Cyber Initiative?

I personally like he's very against the Cyber Initiative and the main reasons I believe so are twofold, one we see in the comics (the old comics) when Kuai Liang introduces himself he goes out of his way to mention his brother didn't embrace technology. Kuai Liang specifically says his brother "refused to utilize modern technology on his missions" so this leads me to believe that Bi-Han trusts technology even less than Kuai Liang does, though I think a lot of Kuai Liang's technology trust issues come from his own dealings with the Cyber Initiative.

The other big reason I think Bi-Han is against the Cyber Initiative is his ego, he thinks he's perfect the way he is, and turning himself into a machine would be a downgrade from his perspective. He's already king shit as far as he's concerned he doesn't need anything to enhance him and he's certainly not above sassing the Grandmaster and sharing his opinion on the topic, Sektor might be blindly loyal to the Lin Kuei but Bi-Han isn't that stupid. So, no Cyber Initiative for him. I also feel like if he was onboard with the idea he would have become one when he was resurrected, the fact he keeps his crispy body is more proof he wants nothing to do with a cybernetic body. Some of that could just be him refusing to join Sektor though, but I think it's more likely that he's "perfected" he knows it and he isn't going to mess with things.

[bihansthot]

What will happen if sektor had a brother.How would the story change or what role he will be in the lin kuei. What is the relationship with the other characters. In your own opinion 😊

Honestly, I don't think it would change much if anything, it would just give Sektor another person to be an asshole to. He would still be an arrogant, self-centered prick who bullies the shit out of his poor little brother, who would be the complete opposite of Sektor and a total cinnamon bun because this is my opinion. lol His brother would definitely be one of the instructors, he's clearly the Grandmaster's favorite, and doesn't have the same drive and ambition Sektor does, but he's loving and patient and a natural-born teacher. So, the Grandmaster coddles his youngest son and keeps him safe from missions, and lets Sektor take his aggression out on his targets. I don't think Sektor would behave the same way Bi-Han does in the sense of taking on a natural protector and father role, instead he just lashes out at his brother and blames him for everything. It's a good thing this poor kiddo doesn't exist it would be rough being related to Sektor.

[bihansthot]

What would happen if the lin kuei before cyber initiative met the akatsuki? :)

Hmmm that's an interesting one, I'm gonna assume you mean Akatsuki like from Naruto, hopefully. haha If not I'm really out of the loop.

I would have to guess there would be some level of mutual respect and understanding as they're all professional assassins, though the Akatsuki are all ninjas and we know how the Lin Kuei feel about ninjas. They're particularly confused by Konan, there are no female warriors in the Lin Kuei prior to Kuai Liang taking the helm of Grandmaster, so many of them are baffled by her or outright doubt how she can be of use.

Kisame and Hydro get along though, their mastery of water gives them something to bond over even if the way they control water is different.

The grandmaster would be particularly intrigued by Sasori and maybe even that would be the catalyst to launch him down the path of the cyber initiative. He saw that someone was capable of turning themselves into a near-perfect killing machine by removing their flesh and blood body for an improved wooden one so he takes it a step further by using modern advances in machinery and cybernetics. He's also very fascinated with Hidan and Kakuzu's versions of "immortality" and the fact the two work so well as a combination despite the two hating each other. It reminds him of Sektor and Bi-Han, in his mind the Lin Kuei's most unstoppable pairing, but again a pair who hate each other. The downside to Bi-Han and Sektor is they are opposites who can do very real harm to one another while Hidan and Kakuzu don't have to worry about causing harm to the other because of their "immortality".

Ahhh it's a complicated grouping for sure, the Lin Kuei definitely have an air of superiority to them even when faced with such capable foes? Allies? Acquaintances? Now things would be slightly different say if a meeting was arranged by like Nagato/Pain and the Grandmaster for the two groups to work together on something like sealing the nine tails for example. The Lin Kuei of course would still be arrogant I mean we all know Bi-Han and Sektor are about as arrogant as they come, but there would still be a level of respect assuming they are getting paid. We see in Mythologies that Bi-Han has little to no respect for Quan Chi, but he still does what he's paid to do, so I imagine the situation would be the same.

It's been a hot min since I've watched Naruto so hopefully, this makes some level of sense and I remembered the characters correctly. I know I left lots of the Akatsuki members and Lin Kuei out, but I just don't see a lot of strong reactions or pushback from more passive members like Tundra, Cyrax, or Smoke.

[bihansthot]

How would you think before sektor or Kuai liang and the original Lin kuei grandmaster and when. Bi han was alive Reacted if I told everyone in the room with sektor Cyrax Kuai bi han and smoke that’s the Lin kuei dress like ninjas and I told him the definition of a ninja

https://youtu.be/Lz0rKlKE6pc

You’d pretty much get an exact reenactment of this!

While they are extremely similar it is believed that the Lin Kuei predate the ninja and that a former member of the Lin Kuei named Takeda (NOT to be confused with Kenshi and Suchin’s son) fled to Japan with the Lin Kuei’s secrets and founded the Shirai Ryu and thus ninjas.

Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias actually answered a thread about the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu origins a while ago, you can read it here. The Lin Kuei are actually based off of real Chinese assassins and mercenaries that did actually kidnap children around the ages of 5 and 6 and trained them in secrecy. Though the actual origins of the Lin Kuei vs the ninja are unknown in the world of Mortal Kombat the Lin Kuei came first which is why they get so offended by the term!

Thanks for coming to another episode of Sol rambles about the Lin Kuei!

[bihansthot]

i loved your fic veiled world of the lin kuei, i was wondering if you’d be be able to go more in depth with your hc of concubines. stuff like hierarchy within the lin kuei and the brothel itself, how long is a concubine expected to serve for like are they kicked out at a certain age? and anything else you can think of really :) love your work 💖💖💖

Thank you so much for the kind words love! I really love this story too, but it’s been an awfully long time since I wrote it so I really have to think about this lol As far as the hierarchy is concerned there are two, one within the Lin Kuei itself and one within the brothel. The Lin Kuei’s elite warriors (like Sub-Zero, Hydro, the named ones, etc.) are the ones who get first pick and preferences of the girls, but obviously, if the Grandmaster has his sights on the same girl as like Bi-Han, Bi-Han would have to defer to the Grandmaster. It doesn’t really come up often though since the Grandmaster basically has his own harem within the brothel of girls, some who have been with him for years and years.

Within the brothel itself, most of the girls come from poor families who can’t afford basic necessities so they sell their girls to the Lin Kuei at a young age, who are then usually trained in different art forms to learn how to please their new masters. Not everything within the brothel is just sex, there’s an art to it and often accompanied by singing and dancing or even drinking games before the actual sex happens. Obviously, the youngest girls are the bottom barrel and have to cater to their ‘older sisters’ needs and wants, from there it goes to the young women who actually service the men, to the older women to the Madame who’s in charge of the brothel. It’s very much all based on seniority or who visits them the most often, for example, a younger girl who was one of the Grandmaster’s favored would receive preference over one of the senior women despite the age difference. Or someone like the main character of my story who becomes Sub-Zero’s woman would get preferential treatment over the other women who weren’t with the Lin Kuei’s number one assassin. It’s very much a it matters who you’re sleeping with type of society within the brothel.

The concubines are expected to serve until their services are no longer desirable, for some that could be as early as their mid-30s and others until they’re well into their 50s, it all depends on what kind of name she’s managed to make for herself. Like I mentioned some of the Grandmaster’s women have been with him for decades and they keep their place in the brothel due to the patronage of the Grandmaster. When a concubine’s services are no longer desired though she has two real options, the first is to be able to live off what presents and gifts she’s amassed during her tenure and remain in the Yonghegong (literally the Palace of Eternal Harmony) she can barter and trade he goods with the Madame for her room as well as food and clothes. If she wasn’t successful enough she’ll have to spend the rest of her days as one of the palace maids, there’s no leaving the Lin Kuei after all. Very, very rarely a concubine may be lucky enough to marry one of her lovers, if that happens they are allowed to leave the Yonghegong and live in one of the small, sparse houses within the confines of the temple and enjoy their life with their significant other.

Life within the brothel is very similar in general to just live in the imperial harems of imperial China. So, if you ever want to explore a little more about what that world is like I’d recommend watching Empresses in the Palace, it’s on Amazon Prime. Empresses in the Palace and The Princess Weiyoung (Netflix), as well as Memoirs of a Geisha, were kind of my inspiration for this whole brothel world within the Lin Kuei. I hope my rambling answered your questions lovely! Thanks for asking! Lastly here's a link to the fic in question in case anyone is like Sol wtf are you talking about lol The Veiled World of the Lin Kuei you should read it if you haven't already, it's one of my faves.