#Friends to #Partners KuKu AT 2 - Page 97

Originally posted by: nami2811

Okay I'm confused with the new rules of posting OS on the forum. Is it just for FFs or any fiction we write. Should that go to the Fan Fictions forum?

I think you can post the OS in the AT but a separate thread is not allowed for the OS or FF. That is my understanding. But I could be wrong because I am pretty bad at reading and following the rules. (Which explains the love letters I receive from Mods from time to time in my short time of posting in this AT) 😆

Originally posted by: nami2811

On a side note, for the first time in forever *singing like Anna from Frozen* I've talked with people when they are actually here 😆

Feels great!

I think it's just us right now and I have to go too. But please do write that OS.I would love to read it. ❤️

This AT moved so fast since I posted and came back to check 😲

Thanks to everyone who appreciated the post! It's an old trope that the mark of a true gentleman/woman is that they never talk about money, but it's a "virtue" that has since been outed as extreme privilege. You only have the luxury not to be preoccupied with money when you have more than you can spend. Abir joked that they are all going to live off of Kunal's mehnat, but like... where is the lie? In all this, I find it hard not to take Jasmeet and Kuhu's concerns seriously.

It's not a huge leap to imagine a future where Kunal, Kuhu, and Parul do all the work while Abir and Mishti enjoy mukhiya status, and if they try to defy or question the mukhiyas? Well, we've seen how MA's role models, BP and BM deal with that. 🤔 Kuhu's problems with being Parul's bahu have nothing to do with materialistic desire or status, and everything to do with equality, fairness, and independence. Jasmeet is just trying to spare Kuhu her own fate. She and Varsha have been loyal bahus for decades and they still don't get a seat at the table, so she's telling Kuhu, there is no reward just for being loyal, hardoworking bahu. You have to fight for your rights and your position from the beginning or people will happily walk all over you twenty five years later (see Nannu's shaadi decision).

You can certainly adopt the age old lens that women who open up these issues are crass and vulgar but I see these questions as blunt and pragmatic. If someone doesn't muster the courage to ask them, the inustice just goes unquestioned.

Originally posted by: aquaHP

I have a question about the last part you wrote about the conversation between Kunal and Mishti. I saw it as it was shown: Mishti being hopeful about things getting better with time but Kunal who knows his mother told her that she will not let this go so easily. Things are not that simple as MishBir are assuming it to be.

I am unable to frame my question. I'm basically asking what do you think the situation looks like from Kunal's perspective and why do you think he believes Kuhu would be able to help him?

Kunal's dialogues have been bugging me since the last 2 episodes. When he asked Kuhu for help and then when he asked Meenu to come with him to work but did not say anything more regarding the situation he put Meenu and Parul in. Then he went on to say sorry to Parul. It felt like he should have said more but he stopped himself.

This is Kunal's life @aqua. He is constantly trying to appease his mom and brother and appeasing one always makes the other one furious. What did he say to Mishti when he was reasoning with Meenu to drop the sleeping-pill thing? Someone has to back down. In the Meenu/Abir equation, neither one of them ever backs down so Kunal does it for the both of them. This is how he maintains some semblance of peace in the household, but it also means he puts his feelings and needs last on the priority list while he shuttles between Ma and bhai.

Meenu always tells him that what she wants is actually in Abir's best interests and Abir always tells him that what he wants is "right" and therefore Meenu will eventually get on board, but neither of these things is ever true. It's always up to Kunal to sort through the situation and do the necessary damage control, but he loves these people so much and wants them to get along so badly that he never stops to think that maybe he should tell both of them to buzz off and stop dragging him into their equation.

Furthermore, Meenu sees hurting Abir's feelings in the short run as worth it to save him from major hurt in the long run. Abir believes that Meenu doesn't have any feelings worth worrying about. Both of them are all or nothing people, my way or the high way. Once again, in the middle of this is Kunal who cares about both of their feelings, and feels both of their pain keenly. He helped Meenu separate Abir and Mishti but he always worried about the bhai's feelings and his heart being broken. And now, he saw the importance of acknolwedging Parul in public, but unlike Abir, can't just ignore how much it has hurt Meenu. And he knows that words don't mean much to Meenu, so his first move was to ask her to come back to the office. The only way to calm her fears is to restore their normal and that's going to take time.

What absolutely breaks my heart is that this burden is falling entirely on the person who has had the least time with this truth, but whom it affects the most. Kunal actually building a relationship with Parul, and coming to terms with his identity are the last thing on anyone's mind. 😭

In all this, Kuhu has become Kunal's calm in the storm. He has come to depend on her ability to break seemingly insurmountable problems into smaller steps that lead to incremental, positive change without causing major drama. Just look at the way he stormed into the NishMish roka vs. how Kuhu subtly arranged that five minute meeting after the sangeet. What he didn't bargain for is that his drama-buster wife would be the one bringing more drama into the already fraught situation. If either Kuhu had decided to shelve the Mishti thing and let the moment be about Kunal, OR Kunal had just said fine, I won't talk to Mishti, they would have been fine but irony of ironies, neither backed down.

In a life or death moment, when Kuhu was in the hospital with her allergic reaction, Kunal understood with complete clarity that their fights were the most intimate part of their relationship -- the only time he doesn't back down is when he is fighting with her -- but in the mundane light of day, the doubts buried deep in his psyche creep back up. Sometimes he reminds me of Chandler from friends, like when he was convinced that Monica he were breaking up after their first fight. It's going to take him a while, with his self worth and fear of rejection, to fully accept that this thing is forever.

Originally posted by: Samanalyse

This AT moved so fast since I posted and came back to check 😲

Thanks to everyone who appreciated the post! It's an old trope that the mark of a true gentleman/woman is that they never talk about money, but it's a "virtue" that has since been outed as extreme privilege. You only have the luxury not to be preoccupied with money when you have more than you can spend. Abir joked that they are all going to live off of Kunal's mehnat, but like... where is the lie? In all this, I find it hard not to take Jasmeet and Kuhu's concerns seriously.

It's not a huge leap to imagine a future where Kunal, Kuhu, and Parul do all the work while Abir and Mishti enjoy mukhiya status, and if they try to defy or question the mukhiyas? Well, we've seen how MA's role models, BP and BM deal with that. 🤔 Kuhu's problems with being Parul's bahu have nothing to do with materialistic desire or status, and everything to do with equality, fairness, and independence. Jasmeet is just trying to spare Kuhu her own fate. She and Varsha have been loyal bahus for decades and they still don't get a seat at the table, so she's telling Kuhu, there is no reward just for being loyal, hardoworking bahu. You have to fight for your rights and your position from the beginning or people will happily walk all over you twenty five years later (see Nannu's shaadi decision).

You can certainly adopt the age old lens that women who open up these issues are crass and vulgar but I see these questions as blunt and pragmatic. If someone doesn't muster the courage to ask them, the inustice just goes unquestioned.

This is Kunal's life @aqua. He is constantly trying to appease his mom and brother and appeasing one always makes the other one furious. What did he say to Mishti when he was reasoning with Meenu to drop the sleeping-pill thing? Someone has to back down. In the Meenu/Abir equation, neither one of them ever backs down so Kunal does it for the both of them. This is how he maintains some semblance of peace in the household, but it also means he puts his feelings and needs last on the priority list while he shuttles between Ma and bhai.

Meenu always tells him that what she wants is actually in Abir's best interests and Abir always tells him that what he wants is "right" and therefore Meenu will eventually get on board, but neither of these things is ever true. It's always up to Kunal to sort through the situation and do the necessary damage control, but he loves these people so much and wants them to get along so badly that he never stops to think that maybe he should tell both of them to buzz off and stop dragging him into their equation.

Furthermore, Meenu sees hurting Abir's feelings in the short run as worth it to save him from major hurt in the long run. Abir believes that Meenu doesn't have any feelings worth worrying about. Both of them are all or nothing people, my way or the high way. Once again, in the middle of this is Kunal who cares about both of their feelings, and feels both of their pain keenly. He helped Meenu separate Abir and Mishti but he always worried about the bhai's feelings and his heart being broken. And now, he saw the importance of acknolwedging Parul in public, but unlike Abir, can't just ignore how much it has hurt Meenu. And he knows that words don't mean much to Meenu, so his first move was to ask her to come back to the office. The only way to calm her fears is to restore their normal and that's going to take time.

What absolutely breaks my heart is that this burden is falling entirely on the person who has had the least time with this truth, but whom it affects the most. Kunal actually building a relationship with Parul, and coming to terms with his identity are the last thing on anyone's mind. 😭

In all this, Kuhu has become Kunal's calm in the storm. He has come to depend on her ability to break seemingly insurmountable problems into smaller steps that lead to incremental, positive change without causing major drama. Just look at the way he stormed into the NishMish roka vs. how Kuhu subtly arranged that five minute meeting after the sangeet. What he didn't bargain for is that his drama-buster wife would be the one bringing more drama into the already fraught situation. If either Kuhu had decided to shelve the Mishti thing and let the moment be about Kunal, OR Kunal had just said fine, I won't talk to Mishti, they would have been fine but irony of ironies, neither backed down.

In a life or death moment, when Kuhu was in the hospital with her allergic reaction, Kunal understood with complete clarity that their fights were the most intimate part of their relationship -- the only time he doesn't back down is when he is fighting with her -- but in the mundane light of day, the doubts buried deep in his psyche creep back up. Sometimes he reminds me of Chandler from friends, like when he was convinced that Monica he were breaking up after their first fight. It's going to take him a while, with his self worth and fear of rejection, to fully accept that this thing is forever.

@bold: You got me thinking Sam...is it that Kuhu brings in more drama with her insecurities and own set of issues or is there a more important role that Kuhu will play? I feel like she's the one that will, unintentionally or intentionally, break the cycle or ping-pong match that you're talking about between Abir-Kunal-Meenu. Otherwise Kunal will continue to 'handle' the two and suppress his real feelings.

I think Kuhu's insecurities will naturally make Kunal uncomfortable and question his actions and feelings - the bedroom argument and doubting Kuhu's love for him. He'll initially resist like the coffee scene but slowly come to see the bigger picture. Also, as he starts to give more attention to his relationship with Kuhu, he'll slowly step back, leaving Abir and Meenu to face each other. Of course, this will all be wrapped up in the usual drama.

Kuhu is Kunal's saving grace but they both don't know it yet.

Originally posted by: Samanalyse

This AT moved so fast since I posted and came back to check 😲

Thanks to everyone who appreciated the post! It's an old trope that the mark of a true gentleman/woman is that they never talk about money, but it's a "virtue" that has since been outed as extreme privilege. You only have the luxury not to be preoccupied with money when you have more than you can spend. Abir joked that they are all going to live off of Kunal's mehnat, but like... where is the lie? In all this, I find it hard not to take Jasmeet and Kuhu's concerns seriously.

It's not a huge leap to imagine a future where Kunal, Kuhu, and Parul do all the work while Abir and Mishti enjoy mukhiya status, and if they try to defy or question the mukhiyas? Well, we've seen how MA's role models, BP and BM deal with that. 🤔 Kuhu's problems with being Parul's bahu have nothing to do with materialistic desire or status, and everything to do with equality, fairness, and independence. Jasmeet is just trying to spare Kuhu her own fate. She and Varsha have been loyal bahus for decades and they still don't get a seat at the table, so she's telling Kuhu, there is no reward just for being loyal, hardoworking bahu. You have to fight for your rights and your position from the beginning or people will happily walk all over you twenty five years later (see Nannu's shaadi decision).

You can certainly adopt the age old lens that women who open up these issues are crass and vulgar but I see these questions as blunt and pragmatic. If someone doesn't muster the courage to ask them, the inustice just goes unquestioned.

This is Kunal's life @aqua. He is constantly trying to appease his mom and brother and appeasing one always makes the other one furious. What did he say to Mishti when he was reasoning with Meenu to drop the sleeping-pill thing? Someone has to back down. In the Meenu/Abir equation, neither one of them ever backs down so Kunal does it for the both of them. This is how he maintains some semblance of peace in the household, but it also means he puts his feelings and needs last on the priority list while he shuttles between Ma and bhai.

Meenu always tells him that what she wants is actually in Abir's best interests and Abir always tells him that what he wants is "right" and therefore Meenu will eventually get on board, but neither of these things is ever true. It's always up to Kunal to sort through the situation and do the necessary damage control, but he loves these people so much and wants them to get along so badly that he never stops to think that maybe he should tell both of them to buzz off and stop dragging him into their equation.

Furthermore, Meenu sees hurting Abir's feelings in the short run as worth it to save him from major hurt in the long run. Abir believes that Meenu doesn't have any feelings worth worrying about. Both of them are all or nothing people, my way or the high way. Once again, in the middle of this is Kunal who cares about both of their feelings, and feels both of their pain keenly. He helped Meenu separate Abir and Mishti but he always worried about the bhai's feelings and his heart being broken. And now, he saw the importance of acknolwedging Parul in public, but unlike Abir, can't just ignore how much it has hurt Meenu. And he knows that words don't mean much to Meenu, so his first move was to ask her to come back to the office. The only way to calm her fears is to restore their normal and that's going to take time.

What absolutely breaks my heart is that this burden is falling entirely on the person who has had the least time with this truth, but whom it affects the most. Kunal actually building a relationship with Parul, and coming to terms with his identity are the last thing on anyone's mind. 😭

In all this, Kuhu has become Kunal's calm in the storm. He has come to depend on her ability to break seemingly insurmountable problems into smaller steps that lead to incremental, positive change without causing major drama. Just look at the way he stormed into the NishMish roka vs. how Kuhu subtly arranged that five minute meeting after the sangeet. What he didn't bargain for is that his drama-buster wife would be the one bringing more drama into the already fraught situation. If either Kuhu had decided to shelve the Mishti thing and let the moment be about Kunal, OR Kunal had just said fine, I won't talk to Mishti, they would have been fine but irony of ironies, neither backed down.

In a life or death moment, when Kuhu was in the hospital with her allergic reaction, Kunal understood with complete clarity that their fights were the most intimate part of their relationship -- the only time he doesn't back down is when he is fighting with her -- but in the mundane light of day, the doubts buried deep in his psyche creep back up. Sometimes he reminds me of Chandler from friends, like when he was convinced that Monica he were breaking up after their first fight. It's going to take him a while, with his self worth and fear of rejection, to fully accept that this thing is forever.

I was about to go to sleep but then I decided to check in one last time and I am glad I did because I saw your post because otherwise, I would have gone to sleep thinking about my incomplete OS which now seems to have turned into a short story. We'll see if I stick to the plot I have created for now.

Anyway! As I was saying, I am glad I decided to pop in because your words have this calming energy on me that automatically bring a small smile to my face, but at the same time, the meaning behind the words blow my mind every single time. It's like those dairy milk shots ke ads when they say "mann me laddu phoota kya"😆.

Just when I made the mistake of assuming that I have Kuhu completely figured out, you dropped the Jasmeet bomb making me see the MH bahus and granddaughter much more clearly than I had seen them in. I sometimes (most of the time) wish that you could mentor me and teach me how you see the story and explain it with just the right words. Zyada taareef ho gayi kya?🤨 Oh! But I mean each and every word here.

I am so glad that I asked you about Kunal rather than assuming that I have him figured out. I just lost my annoyance towards him. It breaks my heart too to see him struggling so much. Nobody has realised the struggle going on inside of him. I want to hit Abir so hard right now. #gadhedo

The part about the hospital scene and him not backing down in a fight with Kuhu. I'm back in love with this couple❤️. They are both struggling so much and I hope they find one person who listens to them and does not judge them so that they can figure out a way to deal with things.

Thank you, Sam! And good night everyone🤗. See y'all tomorrow and hopefully, I'll be able to finish and share my SS. I don't want to rush it because my ability to take criticism on my writing skills is as fragile as Kunal and Parul's bond. Don't get me wrong. I don't mind criticism, until and unless it's constructive. Also, I edit my written stuff too much before putting it out in the world so that nobody can say that it wasn't great. That is the reason I hate it when people say dumb stuff about my blog (fact about me: I have a personal blog).

Getting back on topic, I just wanna say Goodnight ☺️

Originally posted by: PureDrivenSnow

@bold: You got me thinking Sam...is it that Kuhu brings in more drama with her insecurities and own set of issues or is there a more important role that Kuhu will play? I feel like she's the one that will, unintentionally or intentionally, break the cycle or ping-pong match that you're talking about between Abir-Kunal-Meenu. Otherwise Kunal will continue to 'handle' the two and suppress his real feelings.

I think Kuhu's insecurities will naturally make Kunal uncomfortable and question his actions and feelings - the bedroom argument and doubting Kuhu's love for him. He'll initially resist like the coffee scene but slowly come to see the bigger picture. Also, as he starts to give more attention to his relationship with Kuhu, he'll slowly step back, leaving Abir and Meenu to face each other. Of course, this will all be wrapped up in the usual drama.

Kuhu is Kunal's saving grace but they both don't know it yet.

I definitely agree with you, and I think the drama thing is just what is throwing Kunal off at the moment. He was looking forward to unloading the stress of the day in his safe space, and expected Kuhu to relent and be there for him the way she always has. He was already on edge from the day so he snapped when she introduced what he saw as an unnecessary variable into peaceful moment he was trying to create for himself. He's gotten used to a magnanimous, dignified, and endlessly patient Kuhu and this version of her is seriously throwing him off.

I really, really hope what you are seeing plays out -- it is the right direction for the story as far as I am concerned because that is what they have set up. To me it would also make sense for Kunal to step back and for Mishti to sort of manage the ping-ponging from here on. That said, I can also see a version of the story where Kunal never stops ping-ponging, because they can extend Meenu and Abir's feud endlessly. What Kuhu provides for him in that context is basically the ability to ping-pong more efficiently so that he has more time and space for himself.

She's already done this for him a lot, but mostly she helps him pick up the pieces after he has already gone to an extreme for either Abir or Meenu and almost destroyed his relationship with the other. If he could learn to ask for her help before taking action, and let her help him break it down, that would be more than enough character growth for me! And honestly, if he did that, I don't think Kuhu's insecurities would even remain an issue.

So I went back and watched a few episodes today because I was bored and, well, writer's block, and I ended up watching the episode in which Kunal is talking to Varsha in front of everyone and saying "karta hoon", in response to when she says "agar tum Kuhu se abhi bhi pyaar nahin karte ho to...". I feel like we had a conversation about that, but I never really got closure. Should that be regarded as a confession? Because technically, he's admitting he loves her, but do we think he actually meant it?

I also watched the scene in which Parul brings green tea for Kunal and he doesn't want to talk to her, and then Kuhu is like "agar woh meri favorite green tea lekar aati, toh main zaroor peeti". I found this comforting after being upset about how Kuhu was overly rude to Parul in the past few episodes. Hypothetically, if Mishti had never become an RV bahu, I'm pretty sure that Kuhu would have accepted Parul with open arms as her saas. This doesn't make Kuhu's behavior right, but it just reinforces the fact that without the added insecurities, Kuhu is actually a really giving and genuine person.

Also, I’m sorry, but in regards to today’s episode, who the HECK puts a tracker on their 20-something, MARRIED son’s phone? What the hell is it with people on this show unable to understand the basic concept of privacy and personal space??

Okay so there was a lot of story in the episode today..

Meenu wanted to show Parul's "jagah" and let interviewers question her in the office. But Parul being the down to earth person she is gained the footage. I don't understand what Koshlu does? I mean he just says yes to everything Meenu says.

So now Meenu puts the seed in Koshlu's head that what will happen if Parul turns the tables? The very discussion we had yesterday here! 😲 She very well knows that Abir has his NGO and Kunal is the one whom she trained to run the business. So if Parul decides then through Kunal she would have everything under her control. And when Kaushal was in denial that Parul would never do like that manipulative Meenu brought in Mehul's case which made him think 😳

The kidnapping, unnecessary drama was so OTT. Wish I hadn't seen it. BUT! There was a grin on my face at the end where Kuhu and Mishti push the boys in the water 😆

PS: Aqua! Tumhari sunn li makers ne. Atul ko yaad kiya aaj. Apparently woh acting classes mein busy hai and phone bhi nahi karta

Originally posted by: journalgirl321

Also, I’m sorry, but in regards to today’s episode, who the HECK puts a tracker on their 20-something, MARRIED son’s phone? What the hell is it with people on this show unable to understand the basic concept of privacy and personal space??

Exactly! That was so ridiculous. So Naanu sent all 4 on honeymoon 😆