I think in some ways Hans is a charismatic, fun loving young man who loves a good time with good people, but he’s such an anxious, spoiled soul that it often comes across like he’s either a stick-in-the-mud or actively ruining the vibe at the function.
He’s been propped up as an image of importance and authority since he was young, but seems to have had very little nurturing and a whole lot of scolding with the behavior that comes of that. So instead of this confident charismat, he can be a grumbly, complainy self-isolator like at Von Bergow’s party.
He probably got to the party via the butcher he was selling to but via tenuous blackmail instead of a good relationship. Imagine going to the wedding alone, the only guy you know there someone you can’t be see with and then Henry shows up. My boy was drunk and pining, you can’t tell me. Hans loves being loved, and he’s been deprived of that *again* after the pillory AND the wedding. I mean, he even tried hooking up with someone while he was there because of it.
I imagine Hans punching the guy who was beating on Henry was the real moment Hans felt a strong love for him, even if he couldn’t name it. He did something for someone he cared about for the first time since the ambush and he was SMILING about it. I truly believe THAT is where Hans realized he truly loved and appreciated Henry, and Trosky was where he was shotgun blasted with the strength of it.
Hans is a good, loyal person who maybe doesn’t have the best sense of empathy or accountability—but the potential is there. More so than most of the characters we meet in KCD2, I really believe that. Especially during the scene after rescuing him from Malesov and he sees the reality of war. After living through it, after fighting it and seeing the results, he still hangs onto his idealism.
I really do think a majority of Hans’ character is centered on love—of the self, of the world, of women, of people, of his people. But it’s not a sense of strict loyalty, it’s this craving of closeness and identity. I go back and forth on this sometimes, but I think Hans’ want for his estate has nothing to do with his want to govern but everything to do with this loose grasp of a family he can’t remember and a sense of belonging he can’t have.
I’m not really for the run-away fics, but when they happen, I LOVE when people show Hans growing into his big extrovert personality because he’s gotten to make close relationships without titles involved. He would ABSOLUTELY be a community figure, he would NEED to be involved in helping people day to day. Bonus points if he works with kids in some way instead of having Heinrich/Hynek because I think he would be an ever better father figure if he DIDNT have a title to worry about.
TL;DR : Hans is a really sad character who has somehow survived with a sunshine personality who is being weighted down by his and the public’s perception of his title. He needs to throw that shit in a wood chipper and be the good man he’s more than capable of being.
