#(And Karna needs that too and neither of them will get that from each other)

[violetsarepurple-fuckyou]

Me: look, Colindeli probably isn’t going to happen and I gotta brace for that and not expect the most dramatic and romantic scenes with them in the future...

Lou Wilson in the Adventuring Party: I THOUGHT ABOUT SAYING THAT AFTER LEAVING THE BOAT THAT COLIN SET UP FOR THEM BEFORE THEIR BREAKUP, DELI CARVED A SCAR INTO HIS CHEST WITH COLIN’S KNIFE AS A REMINDER NOT TO LET ANYONE GET THAT CLOSE AGAIN! MAKE AN ANIMATION OF DELI SITTING IN A DARK ROOM CLUTCHING THE DAGGER TO HIS HEART WHILE LINCOLN PARK MUSIC PLAYS! FIVE YEARS LATER AFTER REPLACING COLIN WITH KARNA AS HIS SKALD, BEING ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL IN WAR EXACTLY THE WAY COLIN COULDN’T STAY FOR, AND NOW FINALLY ARRIVING AT THE CULMINATION OF HIS AMBITION, DELI STILL HAS THE FUCKING KNIFE!!!

What the fUUUCK?!?!! (read the tags)

[tutselutse]

A goodbye - Colin/Deli

(oops i wrote a thing) _____________________

”So, you’re renouncing your title?”

Deli’s question cuts through the silence. They’re sitting outside, it’s barely morning, and the Bulb hasn’t even begun to peak over the horizon.

Colin looks up at his companion. Deli’s gaze is curious. “Yeah. I don’t want it. I never wanted it, really. But even less now.”

“What are you going to do?” Deli asks.

“I am going to find all of them and make sure they don’t try anything like this again.” Colin says. Them meaning the Sanctus Putris of course. Colin can feel it in his bones, he can’t rest until he knows they won’t come back, until they are no more.

Deli is silent. Contemplating. He hasn’t been the same since Saprophus, since Karna, and now he looks even more thoughtful. “I am going back to the Meat Lands.”

“I thought you might,” Colin says. He wants to ask Deli to come with him on his quest. But Deli isn’t filled with purpose anymore. He probably needs a break from having a purpose to heal from it all. So, Colin doesn’t ask. Better to save himself from the heartbreak of hearing no.

They fall silent again. Neither of them has been sleeping well, so they have been spending these early hours together the past few mornings.

It’s not like when they first met. When Deli, young and excited, hired Colin and brought him along to everything. Eager to learn, eager to be taken seriously. Colin had taken the job, not knowing how much he would grow to care for his younger employer, and how much they would begin to rely on each other. He had been promoted to skáld and had watched in awe on the side as Deli grew stronger, more powerful and more prominent in the political landscape.

After splitting their ways, spending years apart and now losing both Raphaniel and Karna, their relationship is different. There is still a feeling of comfort, of belonging, deep in his stomach and in his spine when he is near Deli, but there is also an air of awkwardness. Of not knowing each other like they used to. Deli is covered in new scars that Colin doesn’t know the story behind and he hates that. He wants to ask for the story behind each of them, but he also knows most of them will involve Karna, and he isn’t ready to hear about that. 

“I hope s– I hope they are at peace. Wherever they are,” Deli’s voice is soft, small. He’s talking about their fallen allies. Probably Karna more than Raphaniel.

“Yeah.”

Colin doesn’t know what else to say. He runs a hand through his hair, briefly distracted by how it’s thinning up there. He was never handsome, but this receeding hairline surely isn’t helping him. The thought almost makes him laugh. What a thing to worry about now, after Saprophus, after everything.

Deli’s hand land on his shoulder, warm and large. “I never thanked you for running back for me. Twice. Thank you, Colin.”

Deli has the softest look in his eye, Colin has ever seen. “Of course,” Colin says, his voice thick in his throat. What else could he have done?

They look at each other for a moment. Colin flexes his hand in his lap, a part of him wanting to lift it and place it on top of Deli’s. But he doesn’t. He is too frozen in this moment. Almost too vulnerable to move.

Something shifts in Deli’s eye, and he takes his hand back and gets up and walks into the lodging they’re staying in.

Colin watches him go. Something urgent and desperate is building in his chest, clawing at him to act, but he remains frozen. Despite his size, Deli seems almost small as he disappears through the doorframe. Colin could follow him, elaborate on how Deli is the only person he would run back after. Say that he’d rather kill Deli himself than know he choked on the poison down there. Tell him he- 

His legs are shaking under him and realizes he has begun to get up. The thing he wants to say is clawing even more in his chest, but he doesn’t know what words to use. He feels dazed as he walks into the hall. Deli’s back is turned towards the door, towards Colin.

And suddenly Colin doesn’t feel frozen, suddenly all he can do is act.

He strides forward, not stopping when he reaches Deli, but swiftly moving him around to face him. Deli has no time to speak before Colin is lifting his hands to grab both sides of Deli’s face and they stumble backwards as Colin finally kisses Deli.

They hit the wall in the hallway and Deli seems frozen for a second, but then he comes alive with the ferocity Colin remembers and he kisses back.

They begin to move, to stumble into the nearest bedroom, tearing and clawing at each other to get closer.

It’s been this all along. The two of them admiring and needing each other and now they’re finally showing it in an unmistakable way. Colin wants and for once, he knows what he wants. For once, he can have it. Deli is as eager as he used to be, and he is strong and heavy and perfect. And he clearly doesn’t care about how Colin’s hair is thinning.

It’s desperate. It’s loving. It’s ridiculous that it took this long. Ridiculous that it’s happening after everything. Neither of them speak. But the Bulb rises in the sky outside and Deli smiles through it all.

They fall asleep after, holding onto each other, Deli’s head in the crook of Colin’s neck.

And when Colin wakes up several hours later to an empty bed and an empty safehouse, he isn’t surprised, even though it still hurts. Cuts deeply.

The only thing remaining of Deli’s is the cheese rind dagger on the dining table. Colin picks it up and looks at it for a long time. Finally, he smiles to himself, happy to have something of Deli with him for this, knowing he will use this dagger for the mission he has chosen himself.

He knows that wherever his travels will take him, he will look for Deli there. And he also knows he won’t find him. But he will look anyway.

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #163

Today on Fate and Phantasms we’re making the Alter Ego of Pleasure, Meltryllis! This one’s easy, all we gotta do is make a vampiric ballerina A.I. out of water and strap knives to her feet. In vaguely medieval times.

Yep, real easy.

Nothing to it, really.

Won’t even break a sweat on this one.

Tootally not stalling here.

Fine, we’ll really do it. Build breakdown below the cut, character sheet over here.

Next up: She’s got huge... tracts of hand.

Race and Background

So, uh... tackling the big questions first, I guess. The obvious answer here is just Custom Lineage, but we’re trying to make someone made of acid here, and slightly reflavored human just isn’t going to cut it.

Instead, we’re going with Water Genasi because let’s be honest literally nothing would actually fit here, and we already set a precedent with Arjuna and Karna. This increases your Wisdom by 1 and your Dexterity by 2. You also get resistance to acid damage because melting acid is dumb, you’re Amphibious, allowing you to breathe air and water, you can swim, and you can cast Shape Water for some fancy ballet visuals thanks to your Call to the Wave.

Your background is... complicated to integrate into D&D, but you do get a lot from your mother, so we’ll modify the Inheritor background and make you an A.I.nheritor, giving you proficiency with Arcana (the closest thing to tech in D&D) and Performance thanks to your obsession with pirouettes.

Ability Scores

You’re good at spinning around and stabbing people with swords while spinning around, so make sure your Dexterity is as high as possible. Bending yourself into a pretzel is only half the battle though, so keep your Charisma high too. Your Wisdom also isn’t that bad, you’re usually hooked into the universe’s admin systems whenever you pop up, so you’re pretty aware of things, even if you can’t feel them. Your Intelligence isn’t that bad, you’re literally a hyper-advanced A.I., I bet you’re good at calculus. This means your Constitution and Strength are pretty low. You’re canonically built for offense, and while I would’ve dumped Constitution instead of Strength normally I checked out how much HP you’d be left with and that’d just be cruel, even for me.

Class Levels

1. Monk 1: We’re starting off as monk right away so you can have Unarmored Defense to make your Armor Class good even in a leotard. You also get Martial Arts, giving you a bonus action attack, dexterity based attacks, and a d4 minimum for monk attacks.

Just saying here that we’re reflavoring your heels as short swords. This lets you dual-wield for two shoes (though it is kind of redundant since you already get bonus action attacks with your kicks anyway) and they’re pointy and already monk weapons.

You also get proficiency with Strength and Dexterity saves, as well as the physical skills Acrobatics and Athletics to make your dance moves flashier and your routines longer.

2. Monk 2: Second level monks get Ki which you can use to Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or attack twice as a bonus action by spending a ki point. You get Monk Level ki points per short rest.

You also get Unarmored Movement, making you a bit lighter on your feet.

3. Sorcerer 1: It’s been said that eldritch abominations are just outside context problems for the universe, and it doesn’t get more outside D&D’s context than a sentient AI. That’s why you’re an Aberrant Mind sorcerer, which gives you Psionic Spells for free (most of which we’ll be swapping out) and Telepathic Speech, giving you the ability to tap into Seraph’s chat system to speak telepathically with another creature for Sorcerer Level minutes, as long as you stay within Charisma Modifier miles of each other. I don’t know how you could get two miles away in less than a minute, but have fun figuring that out.

Also also your Call to the Wave improves, and you can cast Create or Destroy Water once per long rest.

Speaking of Spells, you can cast those now by using your Charisma modifier. You get the first steps of the Melt Virus thanks to your Acid Splash and Tasha’s Caustic Brew to soften up even the toughest of enemies. You also get Blade Ward because seriously try to cut water. Message is just another chat program, and Sword Burst lets you try spinning. It’s a good trick!

You also get Arms of Hadar, Dissonant Whispers, and Mind Sliver for free from your psionic spells, but we’re going to replace DW with Detect Magic right away. You’re jacked into the system, magic shouldn’t be hard to figure out.

4. Monk 3: Bouncing back to monk real quick to become a Drunken Master. You can Deflect Missiles by kicking them back as a reaction, reducing their damage and launching it back if they’re reduced to 0. You also get a Drunken Technique, making yourself even faster when you start hurting people. Using a flurry of blows lets you disengage for free, and your walking speed increases by another 10 feet.

5. Sorcerer 2: Second level sorcerers are a Font of Magic, giving you sorcery points that can be spent to recharge spell slots, among other things that don’t unlock til next level.

You can also cast Comprehend Languages now, and you should replace Arms of Hadar with Identify. Just stick it in your inventory and read the name, it’s not hard.

6. Sorcerer 3: Thanks to second level spells, you can now Blur the edges of your body to become harder to hit. You also get Calm Emotions and Detect Thoughts as freebies, though neither one is really justified, which is unfortunate.

Thankfully all your other spells get cooler thanks to Metamagic! Spend sorcery points to change a spells damage type with Transmuted Spell or make it harder to save against thanks to Heightened Spell!

7. Monk 4: Bouncing back to monk again gives you your first Ability Score Improvement, so bump up your Charisma for stronger spells. You can also Slow Fall as a reaction to avoid fall damage because all those heels kind of act like shocks. You also get Quickened Healing to spend ki points to heal yourself as an action. This probably isn’t canonical, but trust me, you’ll need it.

8. Sorcerer 4: Now that your spells are okay, use this ASI to get the Elemental Adept feat for Acid spells. Your spells now ignore resistance to acid damage and all your dice count as at least a 2 for damage. Considering how much Acid spells love d4s, this is a serious upgrade.

This level, you can use Green-Flame Blade (Green-Acid Blade?) and Enhance Ability to make your dance moves even better.

9. Sorcerer 5: Fifth level sorcerers can autocorrect thanks to their Magical Guidance, spending a sorcery point to re-roll a failed skill check. You also get a proper Melt Virus upgrade thanks to Vampiric Touch, dealing necrotic damage and healing yourself. Sadly you can’t turn this into acid damage, but it’s still pretty good on its own.

You also get more freebies from Psionic Spells, Hunger of Hadar makes for a pretty good Sarasvati Meltout vortex for at a low level, creating an area of difficult terrain that deals cold and acid damage on creatures that start and end their turn in it, respectively. You also get Sending, another chat client that can work even with people in other servers (planes).

10. Sorcerer 6: Your brand new Water Walk will let you stay on top of your own Meltout.

You also get Psionic Sorcery, not to be confused with Psionic Spells, that lets you cast Psionic Spells without verbal or somatic components if you spend sorcery points. You can also ignore material components if they’re not consumed by the spell.

On top of all of that, your Psychic Defenses firewall kicks in, giving you resistance to psychic damage and advantage on saves against being charmed or frightened. Lets be real, your mother is way scarier than any dumb goblin could be.

11. Monk 5: Fifth level monks get an Extra Attack each action, so now you can kick with both legs without using your bonus action! Your Stunning Strike can also be used by spending a ki point to force a constitution save on a creature you hit with a monk attack. If the target fails, they’re stunned for a round, giving you the perfect opening to torment them even more.

12. Monk 6: Sixth level monks get Ki-Empowered Strikes, making your fists magical weapons. You’re kind of a magical construct, so that just makes sense. Since you’re a drunken master, you also get your Tipsy Sway, speeding up how much speed you need to stand up and letting you turn your pleasure into another creature’s pain by redirecting attacks that miss you.

13. Sorcerer 7: For your fourth level spells, you can use Vitriolic Sphere for even more Acid, possibly even taking more damage on the next turn unless they pass their dexterity save. You also get more Psionic Spells, but I’ll save you the headache and just tell you what we’re swapping them with. Get Arcane Eye this level, and Locate Creature next level. One benefit to being an AI; access to the world map.

14. Sorcerer 8: Grab the Piercer feat to round up Dexterity, boosting your AC and attack power. You can also re-roll a piercing die once per turn. You also deal an extra die of damage on critical piercing attacks. You also get a Watery Sphere to restrain creatures within... drumroll please... a watery sphere. A great way to hold enemies in place while you pelt them with acid.

15. Sorcerer 9: Your fifth level spells include Enervation for a longer lasting Melt Virus, as well as Psionic Spells Rary’s Telepathic Bond for a whole chatroom, and Legend Lore. Tune into the BB channel to learn about your favorite subjects!

16. Sorcerer 10: Grab Quickened Spell as your third Metamagic option to add extra power to your rounds. Attack twice as an action, then Green-Acid Blade for even more pain!

You also get Skill Empowerment to give yourself expertise on skills you’re already good at for the greatest dances you’ve ever seen. We’re also pretty much set on good cantrips, so grab On/Off for the flavor. You can now turn nearby electronic devices on or off as an action. Honestly you could probably use a lot of the Modern Magic spells if your DM allows for it.

17. Sorcerer 11: Tasha’s Otherworldly Guise gives you a fancier outfit that makes you immune to fire and poison or radiant and necrotic damage depending on what role you choose to play. You’re also immune to being poisoned or Charmed, respectively. Your weapon attacks are now magical, and you get +2 to your AC. You get a flying speed for truly impressive jumps. You can also use your Charisma instead of dexterity to attack, but your dexterity’s better, so...

18. Sorcerer 12: Use your last ASI to bump up your Charisma. Stronger spells are always good.

19. Sorcerer 13: With your new seventh level spells, you can fully unleash your sadism thanks to Power Word Pain. If the target has fewer than 100 HP and it can be charmed, it becomes wracked with crippling pain. It can only move 10 feet per round, it has disadvantage on attacks, checks, and saves (aside from constitution saves). It also has to succeed on a constitution save to not waste the spell slot. At the end of each turn it has to try and make a constitution save, otherwise, the spell is indefinite.

20. Sorcerer 14: Your capstone level turns you into a Revelation in Flesh. As a bonus action, you can transform yourself for 10 minutes using 1 sorcery point for each ability you want to activate. These options include:

Truesight on invisible creatures (6/10 canonicity, might as well with all the divination spells you’ve got)

A flying speed (8/10 canonicity, can justify with sick jumps)

A swimming speed and underwater breathing (5/10 canonicity, but you already have these abilities so it doesn’t really matter)

Your body becomes basically liquid, able to squeeze through inch width gaps and escape from grapples and restraints. (10/10 canonicity, this is literally why we’re here.)

Pros:

With deflect missiles, a decent enough AC of 16/18 with Tasha’s Guise, and your Psychic Defenses, you’re decent enough at dealing with ranged attackers.

This is especially useful, as your mobility will keep you one step away from the melee fighters, letting you pick and choose your fights. You’re fast, and you can fly or run on water for extra escape options.

For most damage types, elemental adept is a nice addition, but nothing game changing. Not so with acid spells. So many acid spells use d4s, meaning the difference between 1 and 2 is greatly appreciated, as is the ignored resistances.

Cons:

If something can catch up to you, it’ll find out real fast just how squishy you are. Those sorcerer hit dice did not do you any favors, leaving you with only 75 HP. Be careful around high level casters with a good antivirus (Power Word Kill), or they might just delete you. Also literally any fighter.

While elemental adept helps, Acid Immunity is also pretty common in D&D. While Transmuting your spells (and just hitting people) will help keep you from being a sitting duck in those fights, it’s still a glaring weak point.

Outside of your spells, your physical attacks aren’t particularly powerful thanks to being stuck with short swords. So if you start running out of spell slots, retreating might be a good idea. A glass cannon without the cannon is just a bad thing to be.

[rheaitis]

@medhasree asked for a DVD Commentary for the last scene of pravilabhate. Under a cut because it’s sizeable.

So I know, I know Arjuna is Yudhishtira’s heir at this point, but this worked better for me so whatevs.

On the fifteenth day of the Yadavas’ visit, Emperor Yudhisthira holds court in Hastinapuri in awful splendour, and with Prince Parikshit in his lap.

“As clear a declaration as any,” Lakshmana murmurs. “Has a day been fixed for the coronation?”

“On Brihaspati’s day,” Yuyutsu murmurs back. “Did you doubt this would happen?”

I am also very curious about this, and I suppose Yaudheya is only quasi-canonical? But anyway, I wanted to emphasise the fact that even Yuyutsu--who knows more than the others--doesn’t actually know why the Pandavas are doing what they’re doing.

Yuyutsu himself is unsure of the way of it, of whether Princess Devika’s son too perished in battle childless, that Yudhisthira has to turn to his brother’s grandson. There were many dead in Kurukshetra, but surely the wailing would have been great for Yaudheya. King Shivi has sons and grandsons enough to be in no need of an heir from his daughter.

Except I agree with Lakshmana about this, and it feels like the best explanation for Parikshit, that he’s there because he’s the Yadava candidate.

“No,” Lakshmana says. “What the Yadavas set their minds to, they achieve, though the greatest archers of the Kurus stand in their way. Who now lives that knows it as well as I?”

“He would have pursued you until his death, but that your father feared the anger of Prince Balabhadra.”

“I blame neither him nor my father; I regret only that Prince Balabhadra’s neutrality did not come upon him earlier, that I might have had a husband my father or I chose.”

“Princess,” he reprimands, and when she nods, adds, “and you must learn not to call Karna a Kuru when listening ears are about.”

I have SO MANY FEELINGS about the ways in which Karna fits into Lakshmana’s family, because he’s the protector who failed her (but so did her father) and he’s almost her father (but he’s not) and he’s one of her favourite uncles (but he’s low-caste) and how all of that is secondary to her determination to uphold his reputation even if she has to lie about it, and to not give way to the posthumous Pandava claiming of Karna.

Lakshmana laughs a brief peal of merriment that mingles better with the general gaiety than her wonted solemnity. “But he was not the best of the Padavas; that we know only too well. I am enough a Kaurava woman to lie if I must, to honour a man my father loved as he did my mother.”

“And you, Princess?”

“When I think of arms around me, I see only my husband; how fortunate, Uncle, that it is a true answer as well as the dutiful one.”

“Lakshmana.”

We’re all in agreement that Samba’s a nightmare, right? Cause Samba’s a nightmare.

“I do not care to be in further danger, in the home of the Yadavas, with my husband who…” Fifteen days she’s been in her home again and this is the first Yuyutsu sees Lakshmana break, lose her composure; perhaps she has wept in her mother’s arms or in Dushala’s. “If he were such a one as his father, I could have forged happiness with my husband; with such as he is, I seek only safety.”

“You know of your mother’s hopes,” he essays when she has turned again to look at Parikshita babbling joyfully on.

Lakshmana has been married for eight years and each of those years has been hell, because she can also see how good the other Yadava wives have it, by and large.

“I know my husband, and I know the love his father bears him, and the love my uncles bear my father-in-law. I know what such love does to the hopes of women. Do not speak to me of hopes, Uncle, let me have what I can of peace.”

This is just supposed to be cute; there are references to other stories in it but mostly it’s a nice moment of Pandava-Yadava amity while the Kauravas are fucked up. So there’s Arjuna/Subhadra/Draupadi clustered together; Bhima and Nakula offering characteristic favours; Satyajit unaware of the tulabharam episode as a Yadava in-joke.

On the day after Parikshit’s coronation as Crown Prince of Hastinapuri and Indraprastha, Yudhisthira grants boons to those who seek them, in his great-nephew’s name. Parikshit himself sits on his grandmother’s lap, Panchali and Partha flanking him and distracting him with sweets. The boons asked are of a nature to rouse waves of laughter, and make the little prince dance in Princess Subhadra’s gentle grip, delighted to be at the centre of so much attention. Bhima asks for permission to cook a feast in Parikshit’s name, Nakula to give milch cows to villagers in need, Princess Prabhavati to dedicate a temple to Lord Indra, long neglected among the Yadavas, and Prince Bhanu a school for worthy young men of the merchant castes. Even formidable Satyajit, King of Panchal with his score of dead brothers and nephews, asks to donate Parikshit’s weight in gold to the consecration of Khandavaprastha as sacred ground, a request that sends a howl of laughter rising from among the Yadavas, aimed perplexingly at Princess Satyabhama.

I love Bhanumati, just in case you couldn’t tell. I also love how Yuyutsu and Dushala, who started the story hostile and still don’t precisely like each other, click close in that ride-or-die sibling way.

Into the dying echoes of laughter steps Princess Bhanumati, robed austerely in white and bedecked with pearls, like a wave of the Ganga crashing ashore. In her wake comes Dushala, like a raft towed by a swan-ship, and takes Yuyutsu’s proffered hand, the seat empty next to his. Now they are three, when Yuyutsu had thought to be the only Kaurava at court, their father unwilling and Lakshmana absent and the other Princesses uninterested. Even Bhanumati has come to court only once before since he’s returned, and that to coax her daughter into speech.

“You should have told me,” he murmurs to Dushala, as Prince Balabhadra pledges to teach Parikshit as he taught his father and great-uncle, and then glances askance at the widow of his most famous pupil.

“We only found out this morning ourselves,” Dushala whispers back, “but it is true enough. Have you seen Vrishaketu?”

Yuyutsu gestures to Partha, leaning forward to chuck his grandson under the chin and then back to clasp the hand of his nephew, still smiling. “There is an awful symmetry to it.”

He’s theirs, and while Yuyutsu adores Yudhishtira and Dushala is trying to reconcile herself to the new shape of her life, they’re not entirely happy about Karna’s last son with the Pandavas. Vrishali definitely absolutely hates it.

Dushala sighs. “He’ll be safe enough, whatever happens now. His mother was worrying.”

Bhanumati is just. really good at this sort of theatre.

Balabhadra takes his seat; Bhanumati steps out in front of the throne, and sinks to her knees in front of it, her hands clasped and head lowered, a suspicion of tears on her face. Panchali turns in her seat to dart a speaking glance at Sahadeva, and is answered with a minute shake of the head.

“I have a boon to ask of you, Majesty, but a boon in truth, and no favour in disguise. My time for granting favours has fled, and now I may only ask.”

“Ask,” Yudhisthira says, “and we will judge how it is to be granted.”

This is a very... measured show of both deference and vulnerability? idk.

“I would have you intercede with your Yadava kin, Majesty.”

“The Yadavas are before your eyes,” Balabhadra calls. “What need have you of intercession, if you crave of us a boon that is just?”

“My lord is gracious,” Bhanumati says, and bows again.

They know the crap Lakshmana goes through, IJS.

“If it is to do with Lakshmana,” Pradyumna essays, “we think of her as a sister.”

Prince Bhanu nods assent, and Princess Satyabhama adds, “She has been a daughter to me these eight years; I must know what worries her mother.”

“It is a balm to my heart that my daughter has found other mothers, and siblings, especially now that her own are dead, yet I fear in speaking out I might deprive her of such shelter as she has, and remain unable to provide her with any other.”

Sahadeva KNOWS. Sahadeva knows everything, because he cannibalised his father at approx ten years old.

“Speak,” Sahadeva says, “and let not your courage fail you.”

“It touches upon the honour of my lord Krishna,” Bhanumati answers, “is it strange that fear grips my heart?”

Running joke of everyone insulting Krishna, including his family because that will never stop being hilarious to me.

His wives laugh, and Princess Rukmini says, “I promise you we have heard every possible insult to his high honour. Do not keep us waiting.”

“The day before Prince Parikshit’s coronation, Princess Prabhavati received a letter from Dwaraka, and shared its contents with my daughter, who has since taken to her bed, turning a deaf ear to any attempts to rouse her. I have heard since that you will soon return to Dwaraka and would beg the favour of keeping Lakshmana with me while she grieves.”

I... don’t know what I think about Jambavati, actually? I hate doing the bad son = bad mother thing, and I consciously stayed away from that here, but certainly of Krishna’s three Mahabharata wives, Satyabhama likes Lakshmana most and Jambavati least.

“What does your daughter grieve, that she must heal here among the Kurus?” Princess Jambavati leans forward in her seat, her face a grim mask. “We have given her time enough to grieve her father.”

“Who can know how long grief lives in the heart? My mother died a dozen years ago and still on dewy mornings I hear her voice in birdsong and I weep,” Bhanumati parries. “But Lakshmana grieves not the loss of her father’s life, but her husband’s love.”

Pradyumna also knows, but that’s because his wife got the letter and then woke him up at the crack of dawn to figure out how to deal with this.

It is possible to see when Prince Pradyumna pales, how closely he resembles his mother, their faces set together as they whisper.

So. uh. A lot of people abduct princesses (or get abducted by them) canonically. (Satyaki’s ancestor abducts Devaki for Vasudeva, e.g.) So Samba’s abduction of Lakshmana isn’t entirely beyond the pale, especially since Balarama endorsed it, but it’s not something the rest of them approve of, Satyaki least of all. Samba is Krishna’s dark mirror.

“He once did great deeds to gain her,” Satyaki drawls, “has he now forsaken her, when she needs him most?”

This is canonical-ish, btw. Samba’s a nightmare.

“That his heart strays to another while she is grief-struck is loss any woman may have to bear, and if it was only that I would not beg to keep her with me. The women of the Yadavas are as brave as they are beautiful, and my daughter, however lovely she may have been when Prince Samba’s eyes first rested on her, cannot compare, as no mortal woman may with an apsara. But that he trifles with one of Lord Krishna’s wives causes her grief from which I cannot shake her in so little time, nor can I hope for her health if in Dwaraka, when the very news of his love has so shaken her.”

Yup, the queen is a predator, it’s fabulous.

Jambavati growls, a low noise that travels spines and climbs blood. “Have you any proof of this?”

“Only what Princess Prabhavati told Lakshmana and Lakshmana told me; for truth you must ask the princess. I beg you, let me keep my daughter with me, that she might heal from her grief among those whose greatest care is for her.”

A lot of the story is to do with dealing with being middle-aged and growing into your parents without necessarily either repeating their mistakes or slipping back into the routines of your youth. idk if that came through? But this is one of those moments of mis/recognition for Yuyutsu.

She stays on her knees with hands folded together and eyes lowered, as Pradyumna and Prabhavati murmur confirmation to Princess Rukmini, the picture of serene determination. Here is one, Yuyutsu thinks of a sudden, who is a pupil, not of Shakuni but of Queen Gandhari, and makes of unflinching truth her greatest weapon.

This is the second sentence I wrote for this story. It was always going to be about surviving war and how contingent the fate of women is on the whims of their menfolk. The work was in trying to get them from the opening sentence to this.

The whispers thronging the hall stifle and still, and Dushala’s grip on his hand grows painful, and finally Krishna rises, and raises Bhanumati to her feet, and puts his lotus-pink palm on her forehead, and says, “Tathastu.”

[tellywoodtrash]

ishqbaaz 21.08.18 lb

dang. straight to the point.

telling how the chunri slipped from her head right then.

lmao nikhil’s insecurity isn’t gonna be gone thanks to the divorce you dummy. his insecurity is wrt to A. your very large bank balance, and B. the raw sexual chemistry you seem to have with his girl.

idk what utopia shivaay lives in where a divorce in india is gotten SOOOOOOOO easily.

anika trying desperately to taalofy. good move, girl.

FUCK. FOILED. THIS FUCKER IS CARRYING A COPY IN HIS COAT POCKET AT ALL TIMES IT SEEMS. ONE TIGHT SLAP HE NEEDS. ASSHOLE.

lol he’s sooooooooo going to fuck up the papers. consciously or subconsciously idk, but he’s gonna do it for sure.

pehle aap pehle aap mein gaadi chootti jaa rahi hai fucking idiotsssssssss!

fuck he’s signing. HE’S SIGNING. FUCKING HELL BILLU NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

DUDE LOOK AT HER FACE. DOES SHE LOOK LIKE SHE WANTS YOU TO??????????

iska adh-maraa chehra toh dekho while signing. chaanta lagaaon ya kya karoon iske saath?

where the fuck is om, he needs to bust in here and kick shivaay’s dumb ass from here back to the OU istg.

LMAO AT THE WAY THEY’RE JUST SAYING “SIGN” “WAIT” “MR KUKREJA” IN VARYING ORDERS.

snort pen ke bhi issues.

“chal raha hai” *grabs at it and clicks it a few times* SHIVAAY WHAT EVEN ARE YOU DOINGGGGGGGGGG YOU DUMBASS

abhi tak toh sign sign kar raha tha. jab woh sign kar rahi hai then you have the audacity to be all frozen and devastated? literally fuck outta here, shivaay.

of course.

a poor substitute for her chand bracelet btw.

of course, anika has gyaan to baatofy. bish tum toh kuch bolo hi mat. tangg aa gayi hoon main tumhare chutiyaape se. 

shivaay you’re right and all, but *longest sigh ever* you just can’t do anything right, even when you try your hardest. i’m just so done with you. 

son honestly. 87% of me is very happy at your tadap but the rest of me is just so sad for you. you poor dumb fucker.

also are they dyeing nakuul’s beard these days? it looks... darker in a not-natural way?

ugh you both are justtttttttttt suchhhhhhhhhhhhhh idiotssss.

but the angst! i loveeeeee it. delicious!

where are rikara, honestly??????????? THEY COULD BE USED SO WELL TO FUCK ALL OF THISSSSSSS UP SO SPECTACULARLY. USSI BAHAANE SCREEN PAR BHI DIKH JAAYENGE. WHY AREN’T YOU USING THEM YOU DUMBASS SHOW?!?!!?!?

oh thank god at least gauri’s here.

om’s here too. but that’s not what i want???? i want them togetherrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. schemingggggggggggg. all up and close in each other’s facessssssssss as a bahaana of “plan making”.

ah fuck. he’s crying. that soft “ek minute, om.” the wiping his nose like a child. i can actuallllly feeeeeeeeeeeeeeel that tightness in his chest. ah mannnnnnnnnnnn. 

fuck meeeeeeeee, why do i fall for man-pain, every single timeeeeeeee???????

this framing tells me that something is going to get hurled at the camera real soon. phone? that rack? aur kuch hai kya phenkne laayak yahaan?

rack it is.

lol why was om panicking from just hearing the magazines being thrown tho?

fuck. see? this is what i meannnnnnnnnnnnnn when i say this dude’s best acting is non verbal. just never give him lines ever again.

“main theek hoon. tu bataa, kya discuss karna hai?”

lmaooooooooooooo “bitch really???????” om’s face. honestly, he makes suchhhhh a good audience proxy.

sure. aal iz well.

same, gauri. #same.

ooooh khanna gets snack tasting duty. nice. how to get a job like this?

but like, without having to deal with shivaay as a boss. at all.

eeeeeeeeeeee cuteness!

every time gauri maarofies a taana about “aapke bhai” and om agrees, i get 4 days added to my lifespan.

....... and who the fuck is bhaiyya to “strictly” decide the wedding theme?????? neither the bride nor the groom, so how does his opinion even matter?

lol anika has the same point to make. itna sab kuch kar liya hai toh yeh bhi khud hi decide kar le bc.

UGH THESE TWO ADORABLE MOTHERFUCKERS. I WANNA SMOOSH THEM TOGETHER TO FORM A S’MORE FILLED WITH BEAUTY AND LOVE. 

is khulle saand ko laal ka phobia hai? really?

the way gauri keeps looking towards ommmmmmmmm every single time, to bond over the inside joke, i can’t you guys! i just can’t! can you two just go make out in some corner somewhere??!?!!? why are you wasting your timeeeee hereee with these losers????????//

cyoot patoot. too adorbz.

ANIKA HE LOOKS NICE IN HIS NEUTRALS OK. PLS. APNE TAANO SE DON’T MAKE HIM CHANGE INTO OU ADVENTUROUS SSO. MAIN JHEL NAHI PAAUNGI!

lolwhut did om just say “oh my my!”?????????????????

pffffffffffffffffffft om you adorable creep. use these sexy hands of yours on that cute girl there, not on your damn brother. 

baby sisters the cutest.

gauri out here kholofying all of di’s secrets. maine toh pehle hi kaha tha, yeh ghar ka bhedi hi lankaa dhaa degi.

also pool ka mention and paani ka darrrr means we all know what’s gonna happen!

om that’s a really dumb “solution”. one of these things is not like the other. the colour red cannot actually kill your brother. lord.

ohohoho unintentional emo moment in middle of hasi mazaak.

this is the dumbest fucking “challenge” ever to get them both in the damn pool. like... just have her fall in man.

lmao he’s sooooooooooooooo mad at being challenged tho.

not listening to this ainvayi ka chutiyaap because:

UGHHHHHHHHHH WHAT EVEN ARE THESE FACES!?!?!

lmao this is the most accurate pictorial representation of the sibling dynamics here rn. 

god, what even are these technicolour kapde. i feel like i’m dropping acid.

lmao she’s sooooooooo bored.

omggggg i love how she noped outta that convo with nikhil to go talk to om instead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

be still my aniKara loving heart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! also #omkaraIsBae

LMAOOOOOOO THE TWO BABY SISTERS’ REACTIONS ARE BEST.

matlab maanna padega is bande ke confidence ko. looking smug wearing... THAT.

you know it’s true love when you’re dressed like that and she looks at you like THIS. #loveisblind

lol ok shivaay, enough with the smizing already. you’re way too short to be ANTM. 

lolololol chachi’s reaction.

talk about upstaging the damn bride. how fucking rude, shivaay.

but i guess the bride explicitly asked for it so......

i cannot get over the range of emotions om went through in the last 30 secs:

lmaooooooooooo and finally his kinda proud mama hen look, like “see? see how hot my bhai is? abhi bhi der nahi hui hai bhaabi!”:

ugh ok enough of this slo mo nonsense already.

oh great. naach gaana. i actually like this song though. imma just forward around a lil bit to see if there’s any good rikara bits, though lorddddddd, kunal’s dancing is just *shudder*

TFW THE WEDDING PLANNER (WHO’S BRIBING YOU TO GET MARRIED IN THE FIRST PLACE) AND YOUR TO-BE WIFE ARE EYE-SEXING EACH OTHER AND NO ONE GIVES ONE (1) SINGLE FUCK ABOUT YOU.

wow even chachi is shipping shivika now. such is the power of colour coordinated couples.

THIS IS SO RANDOM. WHY’S HE DANCING WITH HER WHILE NIKHIL IS STANDING THERE??????????? AND THE LAMEASS CHALLENGE WAALE ISHAARE BS. AND THE FACT THAT THEY MADE RIKARA AND PRINKU THE BG DANCERS??????????? THIS IS ALL JUST SUCHHHHHHHH BAKCHODI OF THE HIGHEST ORDER AND I CAN’T STOP CRINGE LAUGHING.

same, saasumaa. honestly, #same.

but then he’s paying for the whole wedding. so let him dance with her, i guess. lol.

bro this isn’t appropriate in desi society even if you’re the fucking groom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT EVEN ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!!??!?

LMAOOOOOOO CHACHI THO.

literalllllllllllllllly no fucks given. amaaaaaaaaaazing. the balls on these two. i have no words. honestly.

lmaooooooooo poooora gaana hone ke baad, after finishing his grind up on the bride, shivaay pulls nikhil in as an afterthought. just... what a guyyyyy.

THEY STILL WON’T STOP EYE-FUCKING OMG YOU GUYS I JUST CACKLED OUT SO LOUD THAT I STARTLED THE CAT AWAKE. JFC. THESE TWO ARE JUST SOMETHING ELSE.

someone please get kunal some anti seizure meds for the epileptic fit he’s currently having.

(i’m sorry! he’s just SO BAD. WHY DO THEY MAKE HIM DANCEEEEEEEEE???????????)

I LEGIT HAD TO PAUSE THE VIDEO COZ I’M LAUGHING SO HARD. THIS POOR DUMBASS. I DON’T THINK ALL THE MONEY IS WORTH THIS BEIZZATI. 

ohohohoh. time for dream sequence.

i mean i like this song and all, but come on, it’s fucking 10 years old. why not something nice and new? the dhadak title track really fits them rn. ugh.

also the choreography is really some trite bs. honestly, some effort would have been nice.

i’m just here for the aesthetic (uski toh inhone dhaijjiyaan uda di)  good looking ppl making gooey eyes at each other. 

OMFG WE GET BOTH POOL MAKING OUT *AND* THE RETURN OF TIA TOMORROW?!?!?!?!? GOD BLESS US ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[reposalo]

- Revo Verse -

He ran, ran as fast as he could through the old town around the huge villa. The two kids under his arms, the little fishboy and the mermaid. Panting and glancing around, feeling the back getting weirdly warm and slick. Just to hear someone from the other side of the street, a young boy with dark skin waving him. "Come this way!" he whispers glancing to the direction Karnas was about to take, he frowns, not sure if the boy helps the marines he is running away from or not. Then he huffed and follows, hearing the Marines coming their way. Following the young boy, getting lead through small ways where they can hide from time to time. Making it nearly to the harbour without anything happening, till they are stuck between two of the guys. Not able to react, thanks to the two kids on his arms, he has to watch as Ammon gets a huge wound from one of the guys. Putting the two kids down for a moment, he makes sure the two guys won't stand up fast again. Getting wounded even more in the process, taking now all three kids up in his arms and make the rest of the way to the harbour. He honestly doesn't know anymore how he managed to get on it, how he could hide the kids and himself on the lower decks. Not thinking much more about it, he still tries to carefully pat the little mermaid, which clings more to her slightly older brother. Her louder crying had changed to a sniffling sound over the time they were running. The young fishboy nodded simply to him, he understood that this huge human had just helped them. But understood as well that the other, younger human, would need his help now too. So with the glance of this young silent one, Karnas looked to Ammon once more. Frowning and being worried he started to look at his wounds and cleaned them as good as they could now. The travel went on rather silent, he looked out to get something to eat for the kids from the storage itself. Making sure they weren't found too soon, at least till they were near the island. Always keeping an eye on the kids, which seemed to have understood fast that getting found didn't mean something good. Just Ammon was making him worry more than the two from the fishpeople, his wounds didn't look good. But trusting the people on this ship? He simply couldn't risk it that it stopped somewhere to near to Marines. This way he wouldn't be of any help for any of these three. It was on the third day that he could hear the shouts, those that made sure everyone worked properly to set the anchor. But not just this, the weather had changed as well, warmer and kind of welcoming than the rough sea itself. Stepping back to the children, he made sure he could hold the smallest one and Ammon. "Can you walk yourself?" was his question to the fishboy, that was named Uhin as he found out on their short travel. "Sure." came a firm answer with a nod of him, after which they waited a bit more. Making sure the people were mostly off the ship and looking over the passengers to get their luggage. Once he was sure that it was silent enough, he made his way with them all off the ship. Using one of the windows from another room, which let them fall into the water. Sure not the best way to get out there, especially with someone wounded, but better like this then being stopped and asked questions. Making it fast to the island then, they shuffled away into the next side street. He needed a moment to find out on which island they were, every island had their different kind of buildings. Different kind of speaking manners, clothes and sometimes even hairstyles. After he was sure where they were, he looked for a place they could stay. It was still too near too the other island, to them. To the problems that could come faster after them than they wished for. It takes some hours till he is sure to have found a rather good place to hide. Once they are in it, he makes sure again that it is safe. It seems really no one lived here or was passing by it. He could be wrong, he knew that very good, but it was a risk they would need to take for now. They all were tired, even if he didn't allow himself to sleep deeply. His mind already going through a list of doctors of this island, was there one he could trust? Right there and then he was really not sure, thinking more about it while making a bed for the kids. Placing the blankets on the floor, many over each other, he could hear a faint creaking sound. The alarmed raising of his eyebrows, let Uhin glance to the door and back to the human again. "Stay together." Karnas whispered, placing a blanket partly over them. More careful steps could be heard, as they came more near to the door of this one room. Perfect luck of him, it seemed to really have said goodbye there at the slave market. Slowly he moved into position, observing as the door opened with a soft click. "We can go in." he could hear the whisper, followed by more. "Perfect, now they won't find... Us...." and a stare at him and the blanket of kids behind him. Eyes going over each other, he glared at them, ready to fight if he needed to. While the others were armed, stepping into the room silently and not looking away from him. What a picture he was giving off, like a wounded beast, that for sure. What made him not move was not the adults that had stepped in, but more the young person. Which seemed to be a rather young teenager herself if not even a kid. "Seems we aren't the only ones here." she let them all hear, taking a bit of the tension in the room. Hands moved away from the weapons, but still they took not their eyes from Karnas. One of the adults stepped before the young one, making sure Karnas wouldn't attack her there. Little did they know that he wouldn't attack the kid, as he was in front of three others. One of them glanced over the bare arms of the blond, noting the tattoo that was on his shoulder. A nod to it, a short whisper to the others that Karnas didn't understand this time. They made sure now not to be too loud in front of him. Tension seemed to crawl back up, making them stare at each other even more. Just the curious eyes of the kids seemed out of place, even more so as the little mermaid threw the blanket off her. "I don't like that!" she announced in a louder and annoyed voice, shivering with new tears in it. For a second Karnas felt like all colour was running out of his face, he could nearly feel the fear of the mermaids brother behind himself, trying to hide her again. The scrambling and hissing words to her to hide. But instead of alarmed faces on the others, he could see the surprise in their eyes. The oldest of them tilting his head, then stepping slowly one, then a second step forward. Raising his hands a little, to show Karnas that he was not out here to fight him. "Are you with or against the marines?" was the question then, the eyes resting like they tested Karnas on him. If a Marine was hiding a fishboy and mermaid, then it could mostly mean just one thing. Especially hiding here of all places instead of walking around normally. "Against..." Karnas could just whisper it, not changing his position for even a millimetre. Eyeing the older that was still standing there, then glancing at the others that now slowly took their eyes from him and the kids. Starting to whisper more, not much hiding any of it. More like not wishing to disturb this too much with too loud voices. The older man points his fingers then slowly onto himself, a slight smile on his lips. "Revolutionaries. We won't harm you if you don't harm us." were the words, sure the smile still seemed tense, but who wouldn't that in Karnas presence right now. As he was still not sure to let his guard down for even a little bit, even if he took a different stance now, more a normal standing one. The tension was still all over his body, his whole self to be felt. The younger of the Revo's then pointed to Ammon, who was halfway sitting behind Uhin. "Hey! He really needs help there!" they could hear the voice, making Karnas blink to her shortly before he looked to the older one again. "If that is ok for you, our doctor can look over them while we speak a bit." he was offered then, making him think a bit more. Glancing slowly over his shoulder to the kids, a short glance at each other, then Uhin nodded and took Vanna on his arms. Making a bit more space for the doctor of the Revo's, as Karnas himself stepped to the same side with them. While the doctor stepped to the young lad, the older one folded his arms and looked at Karnas again. "What... Happened to him?" was the careful question, not trying to step to near at the start. "He helped us out, to get away from the Marines on a different Island." he had nothing really to lose anymore, nothing was there to give him assurance that these guys really were from the Revolutionary Army. Nothing could give him the safety that they would not come at him anytime. While he started to speak more or less with the older one, he noticed another person holding herself kind of back. As if she was overlooking the whole situation right now. Not giving many information out so far, neither folding his arms like the other one had done. Still ready to get to action if needed to. Till he heard the voice of the person that holds herself back as if she was amused by him sitting on hot coals. "We know some places you and the kids can go to." was the next surprising offer to him, he blinked slightly raising an eyebrow slowly. "Some Islands where the kids can grow up normally. Sadly they won't be able to go back home when they are hunted." she looked to the merpeople, a hand of hers rubbing over her own neck. This made Karnas realise, the kids might still have marks from the chains they had to wear before. Something that came way too late for him to realise, letting him sigh slightly that he had let this slip his mind. Glancing from the old one to the woman, which seemed to be around the same age as the man that he had spoken with before. The younger one sticking near to her as she approached them, he could feel nearly that his tired body demanded a break with every of the following seconds. "So, we got some time left to spare. Now tell us what had happened." he knew this kind of voice, someone who was used to command for many years. It was hard to resist, but it wasn't just her voice, it was the whole air around her. That seemed to slip over the others around her as well. Another sigh came from him, a short glance at the kids then back to her, it seemed as if she knew very well what was going on in his head. "I think... I can. If you promise me that these three will be safe." he simply had to ask, even if it might risk much more then what he could safe for now. A nod is his answer before she speaks again. "They will be safe, if you want you can stay near them or fight for their place to stay safe." this answer made him blink and then stare at her. He could feel the slight bubbly feeling in his chest, the soft laugh that escaped his lips. Here he was, running away from the Marines, what he had wanted to become as a child! And now not just got a promise that the kids would be safe, but as well a job offer at the same time. The soft laugh stopped fast, he felt even more tired now as the tension was more and more taken from him. "Good... Though I fear they are not on the island anymore." he started, looking into her face as he explained to her what exactly had happened. Not minding that the others might think that he was pretty blue-eyed there for believing the Marines were not as corrupted as some rare people might say. While he spoke and explained what had happened, her eyes went from him to the two fishpeople kids, then back to him again. Knowing that not just she was listening to him, but the others as well. They kept silent as she spoke with him, then sometimes with the kids to confirm that they were ok. While the conversation went on longer then Ammon's treatment, the other Revo's made sure nobody would come into this building. When he finished she was thinking for a while, rubbing her chin slightly as the eyes were on the floor. "Doesn't sound like we can find them there now. But we still got to make sure of this, there has to be some more evidence still left." she named some of those around her to give them some commands. A time where Karnas sat down for once, feeling as if a heavy weight was lifted off him. She turned to him, nodding then to the older guy and the young girl. "You two make sure these four get to the island we came from and be careful. These guys surely will wish to silence them."