#if you want to be introduced to the sorrow behind the war: start with transformers: one

[onewingedsparrow]

Oh the joys of watching TF: One with a group (being the only Transformers Nerd in the group) and being able to explain to them in passionate, exuberant detail why this film is so much better than the Bayverse (which was criminally their only exposure to Transformers)

[rockthistowninsideout]

DigiWeek 2021

Day 7 - Home (Free Day)

The Story

   “Uh-oh as much as you want! Now the time is over for Digimon and all those supporting them!”, the blonde girl shouted and finally rounded the ledge. She wore a red-and-blue checked school uniform and a devilish grin on her face.

   “Why would you want to end the Digimon?”, Kamemon cried out.

   “Because they are destructive and cannot be trusted!”

   “Then why do you have a Digimon partner?”, Ryudamon asked.

   The girl, who still hadn’t introduced herself, laughed menacingly. _“_There’s no such thing as Digimon partner. Humans can never live in peace with them. Grizzlymon is merely a tool because it was stupid enough to think the same as you. Wanted to become my partner – Instead I made it my slave. It’s what Digimon deserve to be so mindlessly wrecking.”

   “You tested your black spikes on it, didn’t you?” I asked as I caught a glimpse of a sharp tip protruding from its fur.

   She eyed me with a gaze that swung between annoyance and approval. “Oh yes! It was really eager to be my guinea pig and I have to admit it’s doing an excellent job as my assassin. But then again Digimon are nothing but war machines.”

   “That’s not true!”, Kamemon cried out. It seemed to feel deeply offended by the girl’s sermon.

   And I understood that. Kamemon and Ryudamon had been nothing but kind and helpful, and Frezamon had only attacked us because the black spike had corrupted it. Something truly dire had probably happened in her life. To buy time, I asked “What’s your name?”

   Her eyebrows shot up in genuine surprise. She positioned herself straddle-legged before us, hands on her hips, and declared “I am Tamina and you will soon praise me as the Extinguisher of Digimon!”

   Taki leaned into me “She’s got a serious screw loose. White people and their megalomaniac ideas.”

   While I wholeheartedly agreed, I couldn’t shake the feeling that some serious trauma bubbled close beneath the surface. Before I could elaborate on that note, she cried “Grizzlymon, attack!”

   Her Digimon, or better say, her brainwashed minion, unleashed a Heavy Attack. We could duck down and escape to the right, but the attack was so strong that it shattered the stony ledge we’d been hiding under. The shards were blown in all directions and we only stayed safe because Ryudamon threw itself before us and blocked the shrapnel with its armour.

   I looked to Kamemon. “Are you ready?” It nodded. I gripped my DigiVice tightly and as Kamemon started to glow, it vibrated in my hand. When the evolution was done, it identified the new Digimon in our ranks as Gwappamon. Gwappamon was roughly a head or two shorter than what I remembered DexDorugamon to be. Instead of Kamemon’s helmet it had brown dreadlock-like hair that was crowned by a CD. Around its neck a pair of headphones was slung and its belly was stitched and patched up. It parried Grizzlymon’s attack with a Gwappa Punch.

   “See, you’re also only using the Digimon as fighters”, Tamina yelled in triumph.

   “Well, we don’t want to get ourselves killed by you poor Digimon!”, Taki shouted. “I can only pity it, both of you, actually.”

   “Why do you pity me? Pity yourself for being led to believe that Digimon are good!”

   We jumped apart when Grizzlymon launched its next attack. I ran towards the rocks where the ice sheet was wedged when an idea struck me. We were four and they were only a pair. We should have an advantage here.

   Tamina was concentrated on directing Grizzlymon against Gwappamon who was sparring exceptionally. So I had the chance to communicate with Taki and Ryudamon, at least non-verbally. Taki agreed with my plan: I wanted to lure Grizzlymon away by letting myself be reflected in the ice mirror. That was suppposed to irritate Grizzlymon enough to let its focus slip. Hopefully that gave Ryudamon enough time to jump on Grizzlymon’s back. Then Gwappamon could join forces with Ryudamon and we could pin down Tamina.

   I bent down and started forming snow balls. When I had a small battery of them at my feet, I threw them at Grizzlymon with force. After the third, it turned around annoyed. To be on the safe side, I threw a couple more, one hit it straight between the eyes. With a roar, it charged at me. Well, what it supposed was me, but it actually was my reflection it ran towards. Before Tamina could order it to stop it had hit the ice with a sickening crash, the impact was enough to let the ice splitter into a million pieces.

   Immediately, Ryudamon was on its back, clawing into its think fur. Grizzlymon roared in agony but before it could shake Ryudamon off, Gwappamon had thrown it into the snow. Tamina was shouting, she tore at her hair, until we were at her sides and gripped her arms tightly. “Let. Me. Go!” she yelled repeatedly, though her voice grew smaller and smaller until she was mere wax in our hands. Uncontrolled sobs were shaking her body. Taki and I looked at each other, we both simply felt sympathy now. We led Tamina towards the yurt where she collapsed in front of the entrance.

   I wanted to enter but the darkness that had risen from the chimney had now filled the entire hut so I quickly drew the curtain back and told Taki and Tamina that we had to evacuate right now. Tamina was unable to walk, it seemed that only her rage and misguided mission had been holding her up, so I scooped her up bridal-style and hurried down the mountain as fast as I could.

   In passing Taki shouted towards the Digimon to destroy the yurt – Grizzlymon had now been freed from the spike and was looking around confused. Gwappamon sent the CD on its head spinning which tore open a slit in the fabric of the yurt and Ryudamon set the hut ablaze with its Tera Burst. The yurt exploded and the shockwave pushed me several metres down the slope.

   We took shelter behind a particularly sturdy looking ledge. I sat Tamina down who was sobbing. “Shh” I said. “You are okay now.”

   “Yeah, it’s alright”, Taki seconded. After a brief pause she said “And whenever you’re ready, you can tell us why you hate Digimon so much.”

   Tamina was quiet for a few moments, only furiously wiping away the tears from her eyes. I gave her a handkerchief from my school bag. She took it with a grateful expression but she wasn’t smiling yet. Finally she whispered “My mom.” She hiccuped before she could continue “My mom died when Parrotmon and Greymon fought in Hikarigaoka. She was the only victim when she got hit by fallen debris that’s been, well, I don’t know if it came from a bridge, or an apartment building, of it it was a car. It also doesn’t really matter. I wasn’t afraid to see these two creatures fight when I watched them but when I learned that they were responsible for Mommy’s death, I swore revenge. And over the years, my anger only grew whenever I saw Digimon running rampant in the city and all across the globe. They caused malfunctions and destroyed everything. But as far as I know my mom was the only fatality in all those year. I always felt that the government wasn’t doing enough so I itched for a chance to right it myself.”

   She paused to inhale deeply. “And some time ago, I don’t if it’s been hours, or days, or weeks – time works different in the Digital World – I walked home from school when someone called me down a stairwell between two streets. The voice came from behind a gate between two houses, and when I stepped through it, I was in the Digital World, right in front of the yurt, with Bearmon waiting beside it. The voice told me that it understood my sorrow and wanted to help me with my revenge.”

   A few minutes ago, the girl had wanted to dominate the world but now I could feel nothing but sorry for her. Out of an instinct, I hugged her tightly, and Taki on the other side did the same. Our Digimon came back from their battle, they had evolved to their previous levels.

   When Tamina spotted her former slave she called “Oh Bearmon, I’m so sorry!”, and teared up again.

   Bearmon came towards her to hug her, saying “It’s alright now.”

   Kamemon walked over to me and said “We told Bearmon what happened. It was very understanding.”

   “Thank you for tel-”. Before I could finish the sentence, there was a blast that shook the earth. We flinched, then I peaked over the ledge to discover a huge crater where the hut used to be.

   “That wasn’t us!” Kamemon declared.

   From the crater rose smoke that transformed into tentacles halfway through. “Ah shucks!”, I muttered.

   “Did you really think it was over? What you defeated was merely a puppet, a disposable I would have gotten rid of anytime if the time had come. And the time has come!”

   “That’s it! That’s the voice that called me here. Oh my God!” Tamina wailed, shaking vigorously.

  “Stop it!”, I said firmly. “We need your help now. If we want to win against – well, whatever that is, we need to stand united.”

   Tamina looked frightened at me. “I don’t think I can.”

   I lifted her head gently at the chin to look directly into her eyes. “Listen to me. I’m really sorry what happened to your mom. But the Digimon are not to blame for her death. And neither your vendetta nor your indecision will bring her back. What we need to focus on right now is to save the Digital World, and probably our human world too. I don’t know who’s behind the voice but I’m pretty sure they don’t want to spare us. What Ryudamon over there told me was that the Dark Forces had always aimed for the human world too. It’s the rest of your family who’s in danger now. This is your chance to save them!”

   She stared at me like a hare. Her shaking stopped, she swallowed hard before she nodded. “Okay.”

   “Wonderful.” I briefly hugged her, then pulled her up on her feet.

   We gathered together, back to back, gazing up to the sky. It darkened by the second, the clouds spun faster and faster until some sort of vent had formed. “Prepare for doom!”, the voice thundered.

   Taki grabbed my hand on the left side, Kamemon on the right. “Ready?”, she asked.

   I nodded. “Let’s do this

Gwappamon

Also:

HAPPY ODAIBA DAY!!

Thank you so much for organizing the event @earlgreymon​ and @tangledupblue! It was wonderful to see us Digimon fans reunited again and to share our love for an anime that’s been with us for more than 20 years. 

[nekoabiwrites]

Lullaby For A Duke

Okay, so I refound the Lullaby For A Princess animation that was made a few years ago and I am still blown away by it.

But as I was watching it, I was like “wait, warring sides of royalty? welp, i guess i got an idea.” and thus, this was born. I did edit some of the lyrics, but the original song credit goes to PonyPhonic - the original song can be found here.

AU: Royal (Based off of MLP:FiM) Pairings: None Words: 1271 Warnings: Mention of Remus. Anything else, please let me know.

Summary: A prince walks the castle hallways, towards his morning duties. Memories float by and he relives them once more.

---

Passing by the open doorway, the prince stopped and stared into the pristine room. It was still odd and uncomfortable to see it in such an orderly state. It felt too… clinical. The least he could have asked for was it to be left unclean, but the maids of the castle would not leave any room untouched. It gave the empty room a false sense of life, as though someone could wander past and head in there once more.

The prince shook his head harshly and continued walking through the corridors, ignoring the ache in his heart. Once at the end of the hallway, he slowly pushed open the large, ornate balcony doors and stepped out into the early morning air, taking a deep breath.

As he exhaled, the royal looked up to the sky and was faced with the image in the moon. One would have expected that the pain he felt from seeing it would dull as time passed, but that would be foolish to assume. The prince scoffed to himself as the thought crossed his mind.

He stared up at the face in the moon, drinking in each detail and letting his memory take over his mind.

Many years prior, the prince had revelled in the feeling of being loved by all his subjects. He couldn’t think of anyone else in the entire kingdom who was more beloved and revered as him. The subjects around praised him for bringing them the light of day, for leading in such a benevolent manner, for giving them all such wonderful creatures to live alongside. The prince took it all with a smile and a thanks, letting their love fill his being to his core. Somehow, all of that adoration had blinded the prince to the shadow that he cast.

The prince’s brother was far from loved. Their subjects ignored and slept through the night that the other brought, sometimes even cursing it for stopping their fun and games. They were frightened of any creatures that the prince’s brother introduce to the world, despite their helpful nature and their purpose to balance out the world. Some had even gone as far as to curse the brother himself, blaming him for anything less than ideal that happened near to them.

Days and nights passed by, each one bringing more and more frustration and tears to the prince’s brother. One fateful day sealed both of their fates, however.

The prince approached the brother’s chambers, finding the door to be open. He looked inside and found his brother curled up in his bed, sobs racking his body. It was in that moment that the prince realised he’d not given his brother the love he deserved, and the prince made a promise to fix that immediately.

The promise was broken within seconds. After he’d called out, trying to be kind to his brother. The scorned man turned and screamed at the prince, telling him to leave. Reflexes kicked in and the prince yelled back, angry at being dismissed so easily.

Doors were magically slammed in his face. The prince turned away in a huff and started down the corridor. A loud scream had him stopping after only a few steps.

It was transforming, becoming deeper and evil. The prince could only take a shaky breath, his eyes wide with fear. He soon steeled himself and continued on, walking away from the one who needed him.

Only a few nights later, the prince found himself warring with the man who was supposed to be his brother, though he was almost unrecognisable as such. Had any subjects living near the castle been awake to see the spectacle, they would have been terrified to watch the two rulers soaring through the sky and throwing attacks at one another. One of which had the prince being thrown hard through the wall of a nearby temple.

He cried out in pain as he hit the statue in the centre. In his dazed state, the prince felt as though time was slowing to almost a halt. He went to push himself up, but found his hand covering one of the magical symbols that usually hung upon the statue he was against.

An idea came to his mind. He hated it, he didn’t want to do it, but it was what was best for the kingdom. The prince looked back up to see his brother headed straight for him, magical energy surrounding his outstretched hand, ready to attack.

“I’m sorry.” was all the prince could say before he harnessed the power from the statue behind him and let out a large blast of energy that consumed the temple.

Once the light from the magic had dissipated, the prince could see the devastation around him. The temple walls had crumbled, the windows blown out, the floor cracked. But that was all unimportant, his attention was brought to the moon that still hung high in the sky.

New patches of darkness had appeared, forming a familiar shape. The shape of his brother, who was nowhere to be seen around in the destruction. Silent tears slid down the prince’s face as the realisation set in that he’d sent his own brother away, sealed and imprisoned him in the moon. Before he knew it, the prince had dropped to his knees and let out an anguished, tearful scream.

Back in the present, the prince ran a hand through the coloured part of his hair at the memory of the change, still looking up at the image of his brother in the moon. It was about time for him to bring about the daylight, so he reached out his hand and summoned his power. The moon shone with a red glow and it slowly slid down through the sky. As the prince watched, he began to sing softly.

“Lullay moon prince, goodnight brother mine And rest now in moonlight's embrace Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth Through cloud, and through sky, and through space

Carry the peace and the coolness of night And carry my sorrow in kind Remus, you're loved so much more than you know May troubles be far from your mind And forgive me for being so blind

The years now before us Fearful and unknown I never imagined I'd face them on my own

May these thousand winters Swiftly pass, I pray I love you; I miss you All these miles away

May all your dreams be sweet tonight Safe upon your bed of moonlight And know not of sadness, pain, or care And when I dream, I'll fly away and meet you there Sleep...”

The moon had just dropped past the horizon, the sun beginning to rise behind. Tears began to drip off of the prince’s chin, shining in the light of the sunrise.

“Prince Roman.” A voice called from behind the prince.

Without wiping away the wetness from his cheeks nor turning around to face the knight that had joined him on the balcony, the prince responded, “Here to escort me to the throne room?”

“Yes, your highness.”

“I shall be inside in a moment. Please wait in there for me.”

The sound of the decorative armour clanking as the knight moved and the sound of the balcony doors shutting once again had the prince smiling sadly.

“Well, dear brother, until tonight.” Prince Roman finally wiped the tears from his cheeks and took one last deep breath of the fresh air, before he turned and reached out for the large doors. Only one thought crossed the prince’s mind as he was escorted back past the empty bedroom, ‘158 years left.’

---

My other stuff: http://nekoabi.tumblr.com/myworks Mobile Accessible Masterlist: http://nekoabi.tumblr.com/post/181954641376/fic-masterlist

General Tag List: @not-so-innocent-bi-sander @didsomeonesayprince @llamaly@justanotherpurplebutterfly @iaminmultiplefandoms @ultimate-queen-of-fandoms2 @lowkeyvirgilobsessed @louisthewarlock @fangsandrainbows @xxladystarlightxx @sleepyssnail @ao-koshka @notalwaysthevillian @pumpkinminette @doces-e--tuga @coloursintheblur @safesandersides

[hellomissmabel]

Of Dusk and Dawn part 4

MASTERLIST

Pairing: Apollo/Steve x reader, Bucky x reader

Warnings: Mentions of death and an attempted murder.

Word count: 1.792

Summary: Y/N is the Pythia, the Oracle of Delphi, blessed by the God Apollo with the gift of foresight. Yet one day a hunter sets foot in her temple and she is struck by a dark vision. With the blood moon approaching fast, higher powers take the upper hand and shake up Y/N’s life and love. Is she strong enough to survive the wrath of a Goddess? Or shall she wither and die in the aftermath of a God’s sorrow?

A/N: Written for @marvelous-fvcks her challenge. My prompt was Greek God AU.

Series masterlist can be found here

It’s a recurring dream, the red-headed child beckoning Y/N closer, inviting her to follow in her footsteps and walk the path of adventure. There have only been minor incidents ever since Apollo casted his spell to ease her into sleep. But this evening is different, the vision of the red-headed child an apparition so real Y/N has no other choice but to discover what she wants from her. Y/N’s feet move of their own volition and soon she has left the temple, making her way through the thick veins of wood that bleed out into the ocean.

Wanda does not notice Y/N’s nightly escapade, as the Goddess Artemis has made sure every soul in the Pythia’s vicinity is sound asleep. As the red-headed child, she guides the sleep-walking Pythia towards the cliff, her intentions as clear as the waters of Poseidon. Day by day, she has been clawing at the edges of Y/N’s sanity, pushing her more and more into a dreamlike state as she taps into the space between the present and the future. But tonight she is done playing games.

Tonight it’s time to end Apollo’s woeful advances towards a mortal woman who does not deserve to be worshipped by any deity ever again. Artemis knows that she should not meddle with the love of her brother’s heart, but she has to protect him. This child will only bring him misfortune and as a sister, it is her task to save him from said calamity. Even if that means the decease of an innocent life.

For it was Artemis who introduced Cassandra to her brother, Apollo. For it was Artemis who manipulated Cassandra into violating Apollo’s trust with the promise of a celestial I.O.U. in return for services rendered. But Cassandra was merely a spill in the little game Artemis is playing with her brother. She loves him, like a sister loves her brother.

And because of that love, a love only a twin can share with her brother, she is the most jealous of all the gods and goddesses. She cannot bare to lose her brother to the whims of a mortal existence. For it was Cassandra that predicted Artemis’ downfall. And by controlling Cassandra, Artemis thought she could control her fate, too.

But prophecies demand to be heard. When you ignore them, they find their way back to you in the most unpredictable fashion. So when Artemis received word of the prophecy, the omen that fell from Y/N’s lips upon touching the necklace of the hunter’s mother, she knew Cassandra had finally gotten her revenge. Because the twins must be divided, their chord cut in two, if Apollo’s unborn child wishes to enter this world and the realm of the Gods.

Bucky took the Pythia’s words to heart and searched for a small cottage near the sea where he hoped to find his cure. The cliffs are the most undesirable place for a house and hearth, so it was easy for the hunter to purchase a home there. Those cliffs, as the sailor Sam had mentioned to him, have seen too much death for anyone to desire to live there. But Bucky didn’t mind as he had already lived through his share of death in the Trojan war. He didn’t mind the solitude of the house on the cliffs and he certainly didn’t mind the soothing sound of Poseidon’s waves uniting with the land of Apollo’s Delphi.

After starting a small fire to keep warm during this colder night, he sat by the flames and reminiscence about his parents. How his mother, a priestess of Artemis, taught him the art of hunting. And how his father, a priest of her twin Apollo, had taught him all the other arts. He often misses them, his loving parents, but remembers that their death was not in vain. His mother died at childbirth, her life exchanged for his. His father died protecting his son from the sacrifices Ares reaps, so he could live until he was of age and able to decide for himself if he wished to fight a war he did not believe in.

It is true that the deaths of his beloved parents had hardened him with persistence. It is true that their absence has turned him into both a non-believer and a believer. He believes in the twin God and Goddess because that faith has been with him, through his parents, for his most of his still youthful life. Yet he no longer blindly believes in them either, for his parents were not protected from Hades’ hands by the God and Goddess they worshipped their entire life.

The hunter, the non-believer, lets the tears flow freely as he readies himself for bed. He does not, however, have much patience to let the tears dry. As aforementioned, the war and the death of his parents have hardened him and tears, to him, are a sign of weakness. Bucky shall only weep for love, if he ever is so lucky to find it. But he shall never weep for what has passed, because he cannot make it undone.

Bucky’s pain did not go unnoticed, for the God of the heavens himself, Zeus, had always kept an eye out for his son. Years ago, Zeus descended Mount Olympus in search for a mortal mate and Bucky’s mother was rumoured to be the most beautiful priestess in the whole of Greece. So he disguised himself as a priest of his son Apollo and courted the young priestess. His courtship eventually resulted in the birth of another bastard son, James.

When he found out she was with child, he sent his son Apollo down to his temple to find her a suitable husband. Zeus then blessed his bastard son with a gif most precious, a moon amulet that once belonged to Artemis herself. He gave it to his mother for safekeeping for when the time came that his son, a demi-god, would join his side and become the ruler of dusk and dawn.

There was only one obstacle Bucky would have to overcome if he wished to know his destiny. The Pythia, the woman with the Sight, Zeus had chosen to be the dawn to Bucky’s dusk. But unfortunately the three Fates had already woven a different thread, and so the God of all Gods and Goddesses saw no other choice but to intervene in his daughter Artemis’ cruel game. Yet what he could and would not do, is shame Apollo’s trust in favour of his bastard son.

So the choice remains with Y/N and whoever she prefers as a lover, shall be her lover for life.

A violent gust of wind, a sign of Zeus, shatters one of the windows of Bucky’s humble home, ripping him out of his slumber almost instantly. As he inspects the window, his eyes seem to discern a female figure against the darkness of night. In a frail white nightgown she is wandering towards the cliffs, guided by a small, red-headed child. The child’s hair voices a memory of Artemis’ apparition, and even though he is not quite certain it is in fact the Goddess disguised in the form of a child, he senses there might be foul play.

Making quick work of his clothes, he leaves the house with his hunting jacket in hand, ready to provide warmth to the shivering woman. As he’s walking towards he with a determined strut, the red-headed child notices he is approaching faster than she can guide the Pythia towards the edge of the cliffs.

Artemis knows she cannot outrun the hunter as long as she is disguised as a mortal child. She is conflicted whether she should shed this form and show her true self. But at the same time Artemis is very aware that she will never convince this non-believer of any purity in her intentions, for it is as clear as day the cliffs are her final destination.

Nevertheless, she must proceed with her plan and so she transforms into her true mortal form, Natasha, hoping to distract the hunter with her beauty and charm. Yet what Artemis doesn’t know, is that Bucky is a demi-God and thanks to his father’s heritage, isn’t oblivious to the tricks of divine camouflage.

He recognises the Goddess for who she truly is, her flaming red hair even from afar wreaking havoc in the dead of night. Bucky also recognises the Pythia as he steps closer to her, that same delicate glow radiating off the mother to be.

“Artemis,” Bucky addresses her accordingly, “What business do you have with the Pythia at this hour?”

“You are in my debt, hunter,” Natasha snarls at Bucky, “I revealed to you the path you must take, which you gladly followed. And now you dare interrupt me?” With the wave of her hand she strips him of his vision. The moon she has obscured, so his eyes cannot follow either her or Y/N as Artemis takes her hand and pulls her towards the cliffs.

Aimlessly, Bucky tries to fight Artemis’ spell but it’s of no use. Her hand is firmly locked around the Pythia’s wrist and as soon as she reaches the edge, Artemis turns to Y/N with a wicked smile. “I would like to apologise it has taken me so long to end your miserable, meaningless life.”

Y/N still believes she is speaking to a figment of her imagination, that she is still sound asleep in her bed and that this is all a dream. But sadly, the opposite is true and she does not take Artemis’ words serious. So the Goddess wastes no more time talking to Apollo’s precious gem and with one swift tug of her arm, his sweet Y/N plummets into the deep unknown.

From behind her, the mourning whimpers of the hunter alert her he has witnessed the spectacle. He appears shook, distraught and angered, lunging himself at the Goddess who effortlessly casts him aside like a rag doll.

“You pitiful non-believer,” she scolds him as he lays on the ground at her feet, “I would’ve granted you mercy if you hadn’t intervened. But as you can see, the Pythia is no more. So I guess I don’t have any reason but my own entertainment to punish you further.”

“I am not jealous without good reason, James,” she speaks to him plainly, “I am doing this to protect my twin and myself. Our bond is simply too superior to be obliterated by a human and her filthy human child. But I do not take the loss of a child lightly either, so the moon shall colour red tonight in remembrance. However, let the blood moon be a warning, too. Nobody transcends the love I have for my brother.”

Tagging: @avengerofyourheart @a-little-hell-to-raise @marvelingatthewonder @mrshopkirk @hardcorehippos @knittingknerdy @winterboobaer @italwaysendsinafightt @viollettes @hymnofthevalkyrie @feelmyroarrrr @justareader @austinamelio @volklana @4theluvofall @themcuhasruinedme @theoneandonlysaucymo @caplanbuckybarnes @nenyakj @amrita31199 @emilyevanston @minervaem @howlingbarnes @buchananbarnestrash @youandb @you-and-bucky @fvckingsteverogers @thatawkwardtinyperson @that-sokovian-bastard @abovethesmokestacks @marvelrevival @marvel-fanfiction @justanotherbuckydevotee @barnes-heaven @heartmade-writingbucky @buckyywiththegoodhair @captnbarnesrogers @mellifluous-melodramas @its-not-a-phase-hux @melconnor2007 @ivvitm1109 @toofuckinfabulous @ailynalonso15 @hollycornish @delicatecapnerd @camigt1999 @learisa @curlyexpat @palaiasaurus64 @fanndas-snow-goddess @crisssivonne @yourenotrogers @tomhollandzs @supernaturaldean67 @beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep @aletheladyinred @beyondbarnes @xbergiex @reniescarlett @promarvelfangirl @capbuckybuchanan @lovemarvelousfics @yknott81 @rrwilson66 @pegasusdragontiger @salty-holographic-stickers @sammyissassy @sebstanchrisevanchickforever19 @kudosia @bellejeunefillesansmerci @lumelgy @mizzzpink @southernbellestatues @daringtodreamawake @neurotic-narwhal @cokamarie24 @blue1928 @movingonto-betterthings @breezy1415 @isnt-the-blog-youre-looking-for @jesspfly @weenie-butt @debzybrazy @fuckingchaotic  @always-an-evans-addict

Series tag list: @nativesebby @taylorjacksonandtheolympians  @sad-af1121@throwingup-rainbows @thegreentgirl @jughead-wuz-here @redroomproperty @sgtbxckybxrnes @blackcoffeeandgreenteaforme @lifeofmarvvel @amiarealfan @captainsbestgal @whiskeyandwashitape @kimistry27 @superpaperclip @acunningstargazer @heyitsaznfangirl @follow-the-freeway  @mo320 @lostinthoughtsandfeelings @katalina-from-hellbound @grantsgorgeousgirl @winterwolf57 @lycanmomma @caffeinatedcellist @yknott81 @thefandomimagines @lostinspace33 @jasmineladjevardi @majbritsr @dinorapreira @naturalistamisslyn @winenighthoe @aliasauthor @heneed-somemilk @quoththe-raven @thelostswan @2017booklover @suz-123  @magellan-88 

Strikethrough means I couldn’t tag you!

[kunalkarankapoor]

The character study of Mohan Bhatnagar.

EDIT: I added a section on Mohan’s relationship to the Vyas clan at the bottom of the post. I realise that some of you are more eager to read the study on Mohan in relation to Nanhi, Megha, etc. They will come.

In addition to that, I added a video link for the relationship study of Mohan/Riddhima.

This is part three of the character study of Mohan Bhatnagar. I decided on posting the third part before the weekend and the fourth part sometime over the weekend.

8) Mohan and Guru

I am a massive fan of Mohan/Guru. No, seriously; a massive fan. I absolutely adored the chemistry between Kunal and Dushyant who portrayed the character of Guru – (an awkward and nervous young man with no purpose in his life other than caring for Mohan). They flirted like a pair of newly weds and bickered like an old couple. If Guru had been a woman, he probably would have been Mohan’s soul-mate. No one loved or cared for Mohan the way that Guru did – unconditionally. No matter how many mistakes Mohan made (e.g. kicking him out of the house to which Guru’s response was returning the following morning). Guru probably knew Mohan better than Mohan knew himself.

Mohan dropped most of his defences around Guru. He would be rude, angry, vulnerable, and happy. He would yell at Guru, shove him, hug him, listen to him — and love him like a brother. I was relieved that Mohan had Guru in his life, because Guru was always there to pick him up whenever he crashed (e.g. in the wake of Addu’s disappearance, there was a scene where a drunken Mohan was passed out in an alley, and it was Guru who found him and took him home). Their relationship was beyond beautiful. If it had not been for Kunal and Dushyant, then that beauty would not have shone through, because they had limited screen-space together. It was their performances that revealed the layers of their bond; it was their chemistry that revealed the history of companionship between them.

Watching Mohan in season one, it became painfully obvious that he would always sacrifice everything for the people he loved. His concern and empathy toward others dominated his heart and his mind. He would give; he would give without a thought, without expectations, without a price tag, and people would always end up misunderstanding him, distrusting his intentions, and — at times — not even acknowledging him. Yet he would continue to give. Through it all, Guru was the one person who never took anything from Mohan. He was the one person that Mohan never had to give anything in order to keep him around.

Mohan’s attachment to and dependence on Guru touched my heart. There was a scene in season two where Mohan had been drinking again and Guru threatened to leave. Mohan stumbled after him, trying to stop him, because the fear of losing him magnified in his chest. He needed Guru. Perhaps at times he took him for granted, because Guru was always there. He never abandoned Mohan. If he had, it would have been another rejection in Mohan’s eyes – perhaps even a confirmation of how he was not worth loving. However, I doubt that Guru could have lived with himself if he had ever deserted Mohan. Not because of the guilt, but because of concern and love. He needed to take care of Mohan because no one else did – including Mohan himself.

I do wish that their relationship had changed in season one (after Mohan kicked him out and he returned). That was an important development between the two of them. It was as if Guru’s loyalty to Mohan and Mohan’s trust in Guru had been cemented. It added another layer, a depth, to their bond. Thus in the wake of that moment, it would have been nice to see some of Mohan’s roughness smooth out and instead transform their relationship into a much more matured and equal bond. The fact that Guru came back despite his behaviour had shamed Mohan and given him a deeper respect for Guru. Even though it was not implemented script-wise, Kunal showed it with his eyes; there was a quiet respect and gratitude in the way that Mohan regarded Guru when he handed him the tea.

In season two, their relationship had grown into a much stronger, much more equal bond. For one thing, Guru confronted Mohan with an ultimatum (even if it did not hold true); if he drank again, Guru would leave him for good. Kunal’s performance of Mohan’s desperate reaction (i.e. how he stumbled after Guru, grabbed hold of his arm, promised and pleaded) made my heart clench in my chest. It was painful to watch. The sorrow in his eyes, the grief in his voice, the exhaustion in his features. There were several moments like these on the show when Kunal expressed so much raw emotion in his eyes, through his breathing, it was hauntingly beautiful. The amount of control that Kunal possesses in relation to his expressions is quite awe-inspiring and so is his body language (which is never out of touch with his characters).

Returning to Guru, I found Mohan’s expressive appreciation for him very refreshing. It showed how their relationship had developed over the course of those 12 years, even as we had nothing but the actors’ performances to found our understanding on. But the calm with which their conversations took place was a contrast to their early years together. I think that perhaps Guru bringing Rimjhim to Mohan changed everything between them. Without Guru, Mohan might have been lost. Though it was wrong of Guru to lie to Megha about Rimjhim being Mohan’s biological daughter, I could understand his reasoning behind it. He had seen what losing Megha, Nanhi, and Addu had done to Mohan, how he had self-destructed, and how hard it had been to pull him out of the abyss, give him something to live for. To Guru, it was always about protecting Mohan. Thus he did what he found necessary in order to keep Mohan from falling into the same darkness as before.

I find it almost ironic how Mohan’s mother and Guru were right. His unconditional love for Megha and her family was what nearly destroyed him. His mother had predicted it. Guru constantly reminded Mohan that they never valued him; that they never looked for him in the 12 years that passed (even though they had his account number and could have found him). Guru tried to make him see, but Mohan refused to let his words sink in. He refused to admit the truth to himself. Partly because he could not leave Megha and Nanhi behind until he had returned Addu to them (the guilt), and partly because he would not leave them behind. It was a choice. Furthermore, Mohan believed that everything would fall into place at the right time. When Rashmi abandoned him, he spent the next 6 years hating her, but keeping her picture, as if one day she might return to him. And when Megha turned her back on him, he spent the next 12 years missing her, hoping that one day he might be able to return to her.

Deep down, Mohan knew the truth. But a huge part of him was obsessed with proving not only his love to Megha and Nanhi, but that he was not wrong; that he was not as bad as everyone believed him to be. There was one specific scene that depicted Mohan’s obsession perfectly; the scene in which Guru cut out an article from Mohan’s newspaper on an Indore kidnapping. Mohan dug through the garbage to find it. Honestly, it was unbearable to watch Mohan going all but insane in the search for it. Guru finally handed it over. That was the excuse Mohan needed to return to the people who had accused him of being an abusive parent.

9) Mohan and his first wife

Video: Mohan/Riddhima Relationship Study

Kunal had incredible chemistry with everyone and everything. Be it Rinku or a piece of paper (i.e. the letter Mohan wrote to Megha and which he looked at in a way that convinced me he was flirting with it). When Riddhima was introduced (the second time), I saw possibilities between her and Mohan; perhaps not in a romantic way (necessarily), but their interaction held potential. Until they turned her into a basket case.

Mohan was at ease around her from the start – enough to tell her about his fears in relation to Megha. There was some kind of understanding between the two of them, a friendly chemistry that could have been more under other circumstances. Mohan’s comfort level with Riddhima was interesting. And Riddhima never measured Mohan, never judged him. She simply accepted him without a complaint, supporting him, putting his wants before her own (up until they changed her character).

I actually enjoyed the tug-of-war between Mohan and Riddhima. When Riddhima forcefully moved into his apartment and Mohan tried to kick her out, I found the whole situation amusing. There was this “oh my God, is she serious?” and “I want to throttle you” look on Mohan’s face all the time. Riddhima? She pranced around as if she owned the place. There was a scene between them in the court house which I loved because of Kunal’s performance (and Mohan’s interaction with his pill-addict wife). Mohan was completely in character in that scene. His cockiness had returned as well as his confidence, sarcasm, and fearlessness. In addition to that, Riddhima’s reaction to his attitude was entertaining. She continuously grimaced in response to his sarcastic remarks.

Backtracking to Riddhima’s original characterisation, I would have preferred it if she had not turned into a “villain”. It would have been interesting to see Mohan living with Riddhima and the complications of respecting/caring for someone deeply, but being in love with someone else. It could have led to Mohan and Megha having an emotional affair. Perhaps the question of “where is the line?”. How do you define it? And once you have, how do you deal with it? This is only an example of where they could have taken the story line. My point is merely that Riddhima did not have to turn negative. Her character held a lot of potential in relation to Mohan.

During this particular track, I often found Mohan out-of-character (i.e. not Kunal’s portrayal of him, but rather the scripted situations/dialogues). Mohan would never have abandoned his responsibilities toward Riddhima, regardless of what escape route she offered him in the wake of their marriage. He was never a selfish character, nor ignorant of other people’s circumstances – especially when their paths crossed his. He would have felt responsible for Riddhima’s future and done everything in his power to make things work with her rather than drop it all in regret, allowing her to file for divorce. Mohan would have understood how a divorce would ruin her life (looking at the kind of conservative society they lived in). And even so, he would have found a way to stand by her side whenever she confronted her father about her situation. He would not have let her stand alone. Not even if she had insisted on it.

Furthermore, marriage was a huge deal to Mohan. It was a commitment and, in my opinion, he would have regarded divorce as a failure. I would have been more able to understand it if he had been drunk as hell when he married Riddhima. But he was sober. Perhaps a dying man emotionally blackmailed him, but no one held a gun to his head when he made his decision. Mohan would have taken full responsibility for whatever choices that he made and he would have dealt with the consequences accordingly. He would not have let Riddhima divorce him, knowing what it would mean for her – not even for Megha – because if there was anything that Mohan valued above his love, it was commitment; it was his promises.

The emotional journey of his dilemma was never executed. That really irked me. Something else that really bothered me was how the character of Riddhima was treated. She was suddenly turned negative to the extreme. Perhaps because no one was able to accept her as a friend to Mohan, or a potential love interest. Or perhaps they needed a villain to create suspense. Riddhima was one woman who would sacrifice anything for Mohan and his happiness with the same sincerity that Mohan would sacrifice anything for Megha. Unfortunately, she became a crack job.

There was one sequence during the Riddhima track that truly pissed me off beyond measure. It was when the truth about Mohan’s first marriage came out and Papaji slapped him – twice. I always felt that the writers tended to put Mohan in horrendous situations where he was publicly humiliated or prosecuted without a chance to present his case, or without being understood by anyone. The scene in which Papaji slapped him was one such situation. I found it out of character for Papaji because he usually wanted the story from the horse’s mouth before he reacted.

His blind faith in Mohan had cemented over time and he would not have distrusted him so easily. In just a moment, he brushed aside everything Mohan had done for him and his family because of onemistake (a mistake that he knew about from the most untrustworthy source on God’s green earth: Renu Vyas). What was even more upsetting was how Megha did nothing. I was a lot prouder of Riddhima who, in spite of her manipulative intentions, stepped between Mohan and Papaji in order to defend him.

However, Megha was present from the moment Papaji came in and slapped Mohan the first time. What did she do as Papaji and Renu prosecuted Mohan? Perhaps if she had said something sooner, Papaji might have listened to her. She could have supported Mohan, knowing the truth – but she was silent, watching him struggle on his own until she suddenly decided (toward the end of the whole episode and out of jealousy) that now she would step in and play the hero. (The entire following sequence in which she stalked to Mohan’s apartment and locked the door seemed ridiculous to me, because only a moment earlier Mohan had come to her for help and she had refused.)

The whole time, I wanted Mohan to stop trying. To simply stop trying to make people understand, because they would never understand him, or even listen to him. I wanted him to leave. If they wanted him, if they valued him at all, they could come to him. Why did he always have to be the one to chase them in order to be accepted and loved and valued and understood? They owned/disowned him in split-seconds, depending on his mistakes rather than his intentions, or his remorse. He would never become a part of the Vyas family. They would never fully accept him as a son. In a scene during this track, Megha told him “my children” (to which Mohan corrected her with “our children”) – the choice of her words wounded Mohan. Megha knew it and she still said it. It was a low blow. In the end, she decided when he was worthy of being the father of her children and when he was not.

10) Mohan and the Vyas clan

With his initiation into the Vyas clan, Mohan seemed to feel the pressure increase. He wanted to be perfect for Megha and Nanhi before, but now there were other eyes on him and he struggled not to make mistakes – not to do anything that might have them all think that they had been wrong to choose him.

Even though Renu would most often verbally bruise him, I found Mohan and her odd relationship quite entertaining. I believe that it had everything to do with the chemistry between Kunal and Rinku. Their scenes were few, but I looked forward to them. Mohan was not fond of her (and the feeling was mutual), yet that was part of the charm of their interaction. They would snap at each other. They would insult each other. Renu especially enjoyed belittling Mohan in every thinkable way. Meanwhile Mohan did nothing to win her over. In fact, he messed with her from the moment that they met (i.e. when Mohan acts as if he plans on seducing Renu and scares the living daylights out of her — one of my absolute favourite moments with Mohan). He really seemed to enjoy provoking her, getting a rise out of her, and Renu took the bait every time.

The hilarious part was that 1) Renu was actually scared of him (e.g. every time that Mohan walked past her, playfully raising his arm, and she jumped; plus the time that he backed her up against his car) and 2) in the end, Renu did not hate him. She disliked him, but she was fond of disliking him. Their connection was a peculiar one. I never could understand it, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Often it seemed as if Renu’s issues were essentially with Megha, not with him. It would have been nice to see more of their interaction, though. The kind of chemistry that they shared was unique, in a way. The channel/writers often tended to overdo the humour with Renu, verging on slap-stick, which really was not needed as Rinku was perfectly capable of entertaining without it. There should have been more moments between her and Mohan, developing their relationship and exploring their chemistry.

Furthermore, the relationship between Mohan and Jijibua was also interesting – even though it was not explored, either. There was an understanding between them, a mutual trust. Jijibua did not reject Mohan. She never really distrusted him (except for the time when Mohan married Riddhima; however, I found her out of character when she refused to listen to his side of the story and when she distrusted his intentions). Jijibua was a passive character, frustratingly so, but even in her passiveness she trusted that Mohan’s intentions were pure. Thus it made no sense that she distrusted him when the truth about his marriage to Riddhima came out. Yes, it was a dire situation and Mohan did not appear a saint when Renu pointed to him (and when Riddhima entered). Yet it would have developed the bond between Mohan and Jijibua if she had, in fact, shown a glimpse of understanding at his explanation and not rejected him like everyone else. She had had seen Mohan’s love for Megha long before Megha or Mohan himself saw and understood it.

Thus I viewed her as a wise woman (e.g. the kind in fairy tales who guides the prince and princess without being physically active). I understood her loyalty toward Megha. They were both widows. Jijibua saw herself mirrored in Megha and she wanted a better life for Megha than the one she lived. But the loyalty she felt often prevented her from openly supporting Mohan, even when she knew that he was right, or when she secretly believed that he deserved better treatment. I still remember the Riddhima revelation scene at the Vyas clan’s home when Mohan took Jijibua’s hand, trusting that she of all people would give him a chance, and how she pulled away from him. It contrasted strongly with the scene in the second season when Mohan returned during the Holi episode, and Jijibua saw him for the first time in 12 years. The genuine joy on her face and the gentle way that Mohan reached for her showed the kind of bond that I had sensed between them in the first season, but which had never been explored beyond the exterior, because the focus remained elsewhere. Mohan’s relationship to the Vyas clan was not developed beyond their limited interaction. But they made an impression because of the chemistry between the actors. And most certainly because of the amount of genuine emotion that Kunal put into Mohan.

Another relationship that I wanted to see more of was Mohan’s connection with Papaji. There was one specific scene that I really enjoyed, as heart-wrenching as it was, and that was when a drunken Mohan showed up the Vyas house and dropped to his knees at Papaji’s feet. Papaji was in shock over Mohan’s pain and the honesty with which he expressed his emotions. How could a man become so broken over a woman? How could he want her so much that he self-destructed without her? If I had been Papaji, seeing Mohan in such a condition would have disturbed me, deeply. No man should love a woman so much that he destroys himself if he cannot have her, in my opinion.

Seeing Mohan stumble around, trip over himself, break down in front of people who did not value him or understand his pain – it was horrible. None of them stepped forward to support him. Not even Nanhi. She was a child, yes. But she was also his Chawanni and I waited for her to – at least – attempt to reach him, and then be held back, or sent to her room. It seemed wrong that she attempted nothing at all. Furthermore, if the writers had paid more attention to the relationship between Mohan and Papaji and perhaps developed it a bit more, penning a connection between them that meant Papaji saw Mohan as his own son, a replacement for Amar, then Mohan’s “betrayal” and Papaji’s reaction would have made complete sense — the slapping, the disowning, the disappointment, the anger, the hurt. He would have slapped because he had come to care for Mohan as if he was his own blood, not just a family friend. And most importantly, he would have been disappointed because Mohan did not trust him enough to tell him about Riddhima before, so that he could have helped him solve the issue altogether and then handed Megha over to him. I.e. his focus would not have been Megha’s misfortune alone, but the fact that Mohan did not trust him and that he betrayed Papaji’s trust. I think that this would have added the extra layers to their relationship and given it more depth, more purpose.

Because Kunal in his scenes with Papaji expressed an emotional attachment, it appeared that Mohan saw Papaji as a father figure. That he sought his recognition/accept and love. That he tried hard to live up to the image of Amar Vyas, regardless of how impossible it was to live up to the memory of a dead man.

In general, Mohan’s relationship to the Vyas clan held a lot more potential and only some of it was tapped into. Not to mention how over half of it was the result of Kunal’s chemistry with his co-actors and his mere performances that often held more soul than the dialogues. Even Mohan’s brief connection with Sanjay (at the hospital) was intriguing. It was a short sequence and the dialogues alone made it seem as if it was only about the money that Sanjay wanted to give to Mohan. Thankfully, Kunal dug into the scene and layered it by sharing a silent look with Sachin, and placing a hand on his shoulder in a way that expressed how Mohan and Sanjay connected through a mutual understanding of being outcasts in the family, of never being given the place that they had earned, or the place that they deserved.