And For The Record, I Have No Problem With Analyzation Of Character Bcs I Do It Too, Infact I Think It’s

he loves getting praised

grown ass man

so that mk9 outfit....

Honestly, if they really wanted Bi-Han to kill his own father, they should have made him do it for a different reason. Sektor already killed his old man out of greed and lust for power. Bi-Han's motive had the potential to be more tragic and would have made him much more sympathetic. However, it implies going with the Midway Timeline version of the Sub-Zero bros' lore and the old Lin Kuei clan, which I heavily prefer. I don't even know if people care about the former timelines anymore. 🫥

I honestly love the old idea of their father being a Lin Kuei warrior who worked undercover in the U.S, who charmed an innocent woman and had three children with her, only to reveal his true colors and intentions when his sons were old enough to bring into the clan. The poor mother tried her best to hide from him and keep her children safe, but there wasn't much she could do.

Just picture this : Bi-Han and Kuai Liang, as young children, being taken away from their mom, being taken away from their home. Forced into a harsh life they didn't want, in a place where they weren't allowed to stay together and comfort each other. Imagine Bi-Han, unable to save his little brother as both of them were being turned into heartless killing machines. Imagine Bi-Han, forcing himself to distance himself from Kuai Liang to ensure both of their safety, no matter how much it hurt him.

"Do not trust anyone. Least of all, family."

But, really, he cared about his little bro so much... 😢

"Tundra, how you have grown..." 😭

We don't even know what happened to their mother and little sister, they could be dead for all we know. What if Bi-Han, being older at the time of the kidnapping, still remembered what happened ? He would have every reason to hate his father for what he did to them and for what he did to him and Kuai Liang.

Of course he would let the bastard die as soon as he had the chance.

And he would be right.

I HATED HOW THEY TREATED HER BRO

Spoilers for mk1! (Mainly about li mei)

I got a BIT angry...

Li Mei's Kit: A Meta Analysis

I haven't been able to play the beta, but I find Li Mei's very VERY Chinese traits interesting. They leaned hard into them, and I wanted to take a moment to go all meta-geek about her fu lions and her fireworks.

Sometimes called "foo dogs", they're stylized lions and are used as guardian symbols all over China. MK has used them with great abandon throughout; they're pretty stereotypical. Traditionally, guardian lions are paired: one has a paw holding a ball, the other has a paw holding a lion cub. The one with the ball is male, the ball representing the world and the material; the one with the cub is female, representing nurturing/care and the spiritual. The female lion protects those inside, while the male protects the structure itself, and you can keep going down into layers here. Turtles on turtles, or lions on lions, as it were.

What's interesting to me is the guardian-protector angle of them and the choice of that for Li Mei. As an Umgadi, she would have been dedicated to protecting the royal family; the idea of being able to summon a spiritual guardian lion to protect her charges is a great note. When she fails in her service and leaves and becomes Constable of Sun Do, she absolutely does not leave behind her protectiveness, but in fact extends it to the capital at large. She's not just protecting Sindel and Kitana and Mileena now, it's everybody.

(and the best screencap I could find was a fu lion against Kitana, which amuses me on some level). The firecrackers are another spirit protection aspect, and I hadn't known about this moving to China. The folklore is that there was a monster who lived in the mountains that would come down to a village, terrorize it, and then leave. One year an old man shows up and spends a few days protecting the village; eventually he says "I can't do this anymore, I have places to go and things to do, but I'll help you protect yourselves". He teaches the community what to do: namely, Nian hates the color red, as well as loud noises like drums and music and… you guessed it, fireworks. Not only do they make for some pretty sweet particle effects, but they lean into that idea of protection again, a little subtle reinforcement that this is part of who Li Mei is. She's a guardian, and with her bright lights and loud noises, she's going to keep the bad things away. The last "big" element in Li Mei's kit that's new is her Sky Lantern. From a gaming POV it's a great anti-air move, and it actually leans into the historical side of things: they were used in China initially for military purposes, and then took on a non-military angle. Li Mei's kit leans into the military side of things, so these aren't unexpected.

But the sky lanterns do have a significance today that is less about the military, and more about family and reunions. Much like the fu dogs also have nuture/care and family tied into them, so do the lanterns - which means Li Mei has a whole boatload of "I will protect and care for everyone as my family". Especially since she was taken from hers and became a warrior-priestess. Despite - or in spite of - everything that's happened, Li Mei is going to continue to protect her family... which at this point is all of Sun Do. And just maybe all of Outworld, but only time will tell.

Bothersome beast, comforting friend

i drew the silly goober again, i love him

without his hat version

Happy Chinese New Year!

They are performing at the Shaolin Temple