I had a different Idea
and I might write about it
if I can figure out how... o.O
anyway!
while thinking about it
I got this idea!
I'm a bit Mandarin focused lately
I've always liked the character! he's so complex!
but most good villains are ^v^
anyway
I started thinking
then played "we're all to blame" by sum 41 while I got the idea sorted out
lets hope I don't screw up my brilliant idea again ^v^
-grungekitty
All To Blame
it wasn't all his fault!
now don't get me wrong!
he made still a choice! and a bad one at that!
I am in no why justifying him or his actions!
simply giving credit where credit is due
credit for causing what happened to him, that is!
I will be calling it "the incident"
because there is no proper word yet
"betrayal" has been thrown around
but "betrayal" implies that it was all his fault, entirely his choice
and that's just not true!
Mandarin had some help!
downtown Shuggazoom
20 days before "the incident"
"SPRX, fire rockets!" Mandarin barked
SPRX fired
"ok, Antauri..." Mandarin started, but trailed off when he saw some citizens in the way!
Mandarin growled
was it really that hard to stay away from the monkey teams battles!?
you'd think it was with how many times innocents wandered into harms way!
Mandarin sighed
"Gibson, eject and save them" Mandarin sighed
"yes sir!" Gibson said as he followed his leaders orders
"it's not their fault!" Otto defended
"Otto! I am in no mode for this! Antauri, just finish the monster off so we can go home!" Mandarin said emotionlessly
Antauri did what he was asked about when Gibson got back
the fight went on for 10 more minutes than it should of
and Mandarin knew why! they had wasted so much freaking time saving civilians that were to dumb to stay away from an active war zone!
super robot training room
18 days before "the incident"
"LIGHTEN UP WILL YOU!?" SPRX yelled at his leader "WE'VE HAD ENOUGH FOR TODAY!"
Mandarin sighed
"I'd rather be productive with our free time!" Mandarin yelled, not quite as loud as SPRX
"WE'RE ALL EXHAUSTED! CUT US SOME SLACK!" SPRX screamed
Mandarin balled his fist
"YOU WILL RESPECT YOUR LEADER!" Mandarin demanded
"Well you're one bad leader!" SPRX said "down right evil!"
Mandarin had had it!
"S-P-R-X-7-7! HOW DARE YOU!" Mandarin screamed "everyone is dismissed, EXCEPT SPRX-77! I think you need a little more training!"
SPRX pouted
"that's not fair!" Otto said
"yes, Mandarin, you have been pushing us awfully hard lately" Gibson said
"excuse me!? did I just hear you two asking for extra training!?" Mandarin said
Gibson and Otto backed off
Mandarin was really mad with his family
there had been nonstop threats this week, and they wanted to slack off!?
and SPRX...
SPRX actually had the nerve to call him "evil"!
how dare SPRX compare him with the villains they face!
Mandarin's room
15 days before "the incident"
Mandarin sat on his bed, pissed off at the world
there had been so many fights this week, and all of them, the citizens he was suppose to protect got in his way to do just that!
"they don't know any better!" Antauri had once said
then Antauri had gone on a lecture on innocents
he had compared Shuggazoom citizens to sheep
unable to understand what was so clear to him and Mandarin
and it was Mandarin's duty to protect these "sheep"
"how can you protect something that puts it's self in harms way so often?" Mandarin asked out loud
the answer the occurred to Mandarin
"you don't let it put it's self in harms way!" he said
Mandarin sighed
"but we can't do that!" he lectured himself "we protect Shuggazoom, not rule it!"
downtown Shuggazoom
10 days before "the incident"
Mandarin sighed as he handed to little girl to her mother
the dumb child had gotten lost while leaving the city limits
Mandarin wasn't sure if he was more annoyed with the child for getting lost, or the parents for letting her!
either way, the girl wound up unleashing an ancient cursed army on Shuggazoom
the hyper force had spend the last day and a half fighting this little "mistake"
"how do sheep stay safe?" Mandarin asked himself in his head "they have Shepard's! Shepard's that build fences!"
and boy would a fence of been helpful here
because there were two other missing citizens that Mandarin had to find alone!
Gibson was too busy tending to SPRX's and Nova's wounds
SPRX and Nova were too busy being wounded
Otto was too busy fixing the robot from their fight
and Antauri was too busy giving Otto the much needed help
Mandarin sighed and left back toward the blastedlands, with only a cupcake from the relieved mother
but it was ok, he needed the time to think anyway
"if only Shuggazoom had a Shepard" he half joked
but frowned as he realized that he had meant it
"I'm suppose to protect Shuggazoom!" he said"...but what if the only way to do that was to rule it?"
Mandarin tried to shrug these thoughts off
but he couldn't
Mandarin's room
3 days before "the incident"
Mandarin sighed as stood up
ever since he had that thought, he could shake it
"sheep need a Shepard!"
"but it is not my place!"
"then whose place is it? if you don't do it, who will?"
"no one!"
"exactly!"
"I don't need to rule Shuggazoom!"
"but Shuggazoom needs you to rule!"
"no they don't!"
"sheep need a Shepard!"
Mandarin sighed again
he had been thinking in circles like this for days!
he finally realized his answer
but would his team go for it?
main room of the super robot
1 day before "the incident
Mandarin felt like he was losing his mind!
his morals were screaming that it was wrong!
but he logic was yelling that it was the only way, just as loudly!
and Mandarin's struggle had been showing,
he never said he was handling this well
he couldn't tell if he was pushing the team harder so they could if they needed to fight him
or if it was him making them stronger to listen to his logic and see what he saw
but the team didn't know that! all they knew was that Mandarin was getting angrier and angrier
worse and worse
louder and louder
more and more violent!
Mandarin was going insane! and he fully knew it!
Mandarin saw Antauri stand up from his bubble chair
"Antauri?" Mandarin said, catching the black monkey's attention before he exited the room
"Yes Mandarin?" Antauri blinked back
"do you... ... ...you trust my leadership right?" Mandarin questioned
complete seriousness filled his eyes
"of course!" Antauri smiled, then it faded slightly "why do you ask?"
"because I'm not sure if I still do" Mandarin said without looking at his brother
Antauri's smile turned into a concerned frown
"what do you mean?" Antauri pressed
"I mean I've been doing some thinking..." Mandarin trailed off
"about what?" Antauri asked
"ideas I don't think you can handle yet" Mandarin said distantly
Antauri tried to say something, but couldn't come up with anything
so he left
and Mandarin was alone with his drastic thoughts
main room of the super robot
day of "the incident"
"what do you think he wants?" Otto asked SPRX
"probably to yell at us!" SPRX rolled his eyes
"yeah!" Nova angrily agreed
"I think we should just..." Gibson started, but trailed off as they walked in to see Mandarin
they had been expecting an angry, glaring, pissed off Mandarin waiting all too eagerly for them
but instead, found a calm, collected, almost remorseful looking Mandarin, wearing a pained and knowing expression at the same time somehow
the team quietly sat down
Mandarin sighed
"hyper force..." he began "...monkey team...family..."
Mandarin search carefully for his words
"I have been thinking a lot lately" He continued "about our duties... our duties to protect Shuggazoom and it's people"
"Are you ok?" Gibson said
Mandarin put his hand up and silenced his blue brother
"...I am fine..." Mandarin gulped as he thought of his next words carefully "I believe that we are not doing our job how we should!"
Mandarin paused to take one last glace at his confused family
he took a breathe
"Antauri, you once compared Shuggazoom citizens to sheep, lost and innocent, unable to grasp the ideas and ideals that we can" Mandarin said "and I have been thinking, sheep need a Shepard don't they?"
"Mandarin! this is absurd! you can't be suggesting..." Antauri piped in with
Mandarin silenced him the same way he did Gibson
"it is the best way to protect them, from themselves! if sheep are not watched, they will wander into dangers! get them self hurt, killed or eaten! but if a Shepard puts up a fence! then he can keep his flock safe! I feel it's our duty to rule, it's the only way to really protect them!" Mandarin explained
he looked up
"I always knew you had power issues! but this is extreme!" Nova said
"Mandarin! that is not our place!" Antauri said
"we weren't enough for ya to control!?" SPRX said
Mandarin balled his fist
he should have known that they wouldn't listen!
and what happened next
is a very well known story
H.O.O.P. prison cell 685
50 days after "the incident"
Mandarin stayed still, not that he could move
He silently sighed in his head
his team had betrayed him
at least that's how he saw it
he had only wanted to right thing!
and he had found a way to it
it was questionable, true
but his intentions were just!
but not anymore!
his team deserted him! turned on him!
his family turned on him!
the weapons that had once protected him had been turned on him!
this was no longer about what would be best
this was about his pride
his revenge
he would be sure that his family would pay
excuse me
his EX-family!
he would take Shuggazoom as a trophy
it's people meant nothing to him now!
not one man women or child had offered their forgiveness
and neither did any monkeys for that matter!
his family, had turned in an instance!
there was no "talking him down"
there was no "second chance"
there was no "turning back"
Shuggazoom, the monkey team
they had all made him out to some kind of a monster!
"if that's what they want!" Mandarin laughed manically in his head
the Mandarin they had been so very keen on forgetting was gone!
and that was their fault!
will they even know that they're being punished?
would they connect the dots?
that everything Mandarin was going to do, was their own fault!
the monster he was going to become, it was their making
their choice!
their fault!
Mandarin laughed
no
no they wouldn't!
no doubt, the monkey team had already forgotten every good deed he had ever done
it would make it easier to blame him!
and harder to let themselves realize how much they pushed him down this road
"if my good deeds weren't enough, I'll make them miss it! I'll make them miss the days I trusted them! all of them!
every man...
women...
child...
and monkey!" Mandarin said in his mind
so you see,
he was pushed!
though he let himself fall
and refused to climb back up to grace
but it is hard to do so when you are constantly being pushed back down
it was too easy for everyone to place him in the "villain box"
it made their world nice and neat
the monkey team's
the people's
it made Shuggazoom simpler
it was easier to push Mandarin
push him down the path he stumbled on
what was hard was to help him
it was easier to blame Mandarin
it's always easier to shove the blame on the victim
so much easier than realizing the part you played
so everyone blamed him and him alone!
but
You
Are
All To Blame
so yes
Mandarin chose to let himself go insane
but everyone else chose not to help!
it's a lot easier to hate a villain
and harder to pity them
I'm wondering how many times the hyper force offered a chase at redemption?
because in "secret of the sixth monkey" they were pretty quick to draw
in "soul of evil" the all but refused to lay a finger on SPRX
and Mandarin has a couple good points...
was it all power issues?
or over thinking?
we'll never know the real story of what caused Mandarin to fall
there are countless ways it could have gone!
but who really betrayed who?
-grungekitty