#but I will always make time for Karna

[lunakataaahhh-1228]

I WASTED NO TIME IN GETTING MY TRUE LOVE ❤️☀️🌻🥰😘

THAT SMUG LOOK IS SENDING ME AND ALSO WHERE DID YOU GET THE DOGGY FROM, KARNA?!

I personally prefer when Karna looks cute more than anything but that LOOK, THAT POSE, the RANDOM doggy… it’s a weird combination of cute and smug idk lmao but it’s somehow very clumsily Karna coded

Karna can just SHOW UP to an event I think it’s a 100/10 event immediately even if I don’t want to read it lmao I’m that near-sighted when it comes to him lmao

[oldestking]

Sometimes I ponder the idea of going back to a single blog, like,, not in the sense of leaving my currently active multi behind, or Gil behind, but like, that craving of having a new muse, that has their own space,, it feel like I haven't have that in some time already (and to those who know me, it's nothing unusual to find 844738382 blogs following u which are all mine OTJRPRJTRK)

[heyifinallyhaveablog]

Can I expect any new fic on DrauKarn from you ? PS I absolutely adore your works ❤

First of all! Hello, Anon! Thank you so much for dropping by! This makes me feel SO GOOD! Phew! Nostalgia all over! SO, Thank you for sending this message!

And as for DrauKarna, Ah! Yes! I remember how I'd read 'Palace of Illusions' and loved it to bits, (and the StarB cast was SO GOOD-LOOKING and GIF-worthy that I'd absolutely loved that pairing to bits, and have written quite a few works on it myself, none as good as the ones that already existed :P), and now, if I write about them, (not sure if I shall in the same vein as before, since C. Rajagopalachari's version has really served to un-ship in my mind), it might be in some other form. Maybe an alternate universe in this day and age? Maybe some other version in the same timeline and universe if canon-compliant (certainly not in a romantic sense)? But if inspiration does happen to strike and blow my writers' block to smithereens, and I'm back to my full-fledged amateur writing, then, surely, but in a different form, and possibly with a LOT of warnings?

This is me thinking :D

And this is me with my heart melting in love for stopping by with this ask!

[dykesynthezoid]

Thinking about the Karna/Deli/Colin dynamic and how Karna is so devoted to Deli and how Deli clearly really cares about her, and enjoys her company, and is attracted to who she is now as an adult, but even in all of that it’s like. He doesn’t necessarily express the longing she does for him, the depth of feeling. Instead that longing, the obsession, is all pointed at Colin.

And Karna and Deli are foils at the same time Karna and Colin are foils. Karna and Deli in their violence and rejection of restraint, Karna and Colin in their upbringings and class backgrounds.

It’s crazy to think Deli finally has that partner, that right hand, who will defend him always, follow him always, no matter what depths of depravity he sinks to. And he’s still!!! Looking back at Colin!!!! The man who rejected him because he couldn’t stomach his violence, who refused to accept Deli’s brutality the way Karna is more than willing to.

Karna wants to follow Deli into the dark, but he wants to follow Colin. Colin would probably prefer not to seek the dark at all, but it’s a little late for that cause he followed an old naked radish down there. They’re chasing each other around in the most dysfunctional circle ever. And Karna’s devotion to Deli is so single-minded, it’s like… Would she even care, if she had to confront the fact his feelings might be different than hers? Would it even change anything? Or is it enough just to want something, to be able to chase it with everything you have, to have that desire validated even if he’s always being pulled elsewhere? Is it enough, just to get the chance to make each other worse? And I just think it’s. So Karna. To get what she wants, but not really. There’s no true satisfaction to be had when you’re feeding a hunger that goes on forever. And she knows that. Maybe she wouldn’t have it any other way.

[clairyclue]

my thoughts on Majestic Rep’s RTC

it’s a lot sorry guys

tags: @jencattv @ray-winters @keatondj

(spoilers below the cut)

you can tell when ocean starts questioning her attitude and how conflicted she is, especially right after WTWN 

jane gets startled so easily poor baby

noel’s riffs are amazing!! (noel’s lament)

the choreo is awesome too!

mischa is a such a sweetie he genuinely cares so much about the other choir members 

mischa flipping ocean off before “i love you guys” haha

constance’s finger guns after “fornication” 

constance laughing at ocean out down jokes and then switching up is so funny 

i love oceans line delivery she’s like three seconds snapping i love it 

jane going from being able to move

fluidly during the songs to being stiff again she looks so confused every time 

ricky. just ricky ❤️

connie i thought the crystal meth joke was funny 

^^ i love all the dialogue in that scene i don’t remember it in original cast slime tuts 

fuck mischa’s adopted parents fr you can tell his anger is a defense mechanism because when he feels comfortable with the choir he’s so sweet!!

MISCHA FALTERING WHEN SAYING HES TALIAS FIANCÉ 

“THANK YOU FOR KILLING MY MOTHER AND INDIRECTLY KILLING ME” 💔💔💔

MY LIFE IS AWESOME 

(i’m gonna start categorizing by song now i don’t have much for WTWN and Noel’s Lament so)

jane dope 🔥🔥

mlia gives mad sibling karaoke vibes 

karna i see u bopping along 

the singing too is immaculate 

OK JANE i see u dropping it down 

TALIA

this mischa genuinely seems so into it he deserves so much credit in way of character work 

the way he gets all bashful during his Talia monologue 💓

background harmonies (constance is carrying and also i can hear her so well!!)

again riffs!! well done 

the choreo goes crazy!! this applies to all the songs tho 

the arms making a steeple 🥺😩

THE ENDING RIFFS 💔💔💔😩😩😩😭😭🥺🥺😞😞

the projection i’m gonna end it all 💔

MISCHA FUCKING CRYING INTO NOELS SHOULDER HELPHELPHELP and even once the dialogue moves on he’s still clinging to him and Noel rubs his back

“ocean why aren’t you talking right now it’s weird” (ricky in the bg: ☝️)

i love u connie awkwardness 

jane is so reactive to everything she hears like a little puppy 

“OKAY!! 😁😁😁😁” (autismo lore dump time)

oceans face when he’s explaining it 😀 to 🙁 to 😟

AND THEN SHE FUCKING MOANS U CATHOLIC FREAK (no offense to catholics reading this)

noel’s face me too bud 

ricky’s lore is kinda gross just because it wasn’t always this way. but sigh what can you do

SPACE AGE BACHELOR MAN:

ricky my little freak boy ❤️

spacedolls realness coming through 

“sure…😬”

rip ricky u would have loved therian tiktok 

little curtain face thing “it gets weird now :)” (•.•)

“THAT SON OF A BITCH !! 😡😡😡”

the emotion behind his lines the whole time tbh adds to the comedy (“i thought i told them !! 😕😕”)

the ending “b-b-b- bachelor man!” (“meow!!”)

we love u mischa hype man (again sweetest man alive)

constance’s “oh man!” was so agressive i loved it the one in the soundtrack seems so sad. this constance is less shy more awkward and i love it

THE BALLAD OF JANE DOE:

i know i know. but choreo. 

vocals!! ily jenna 

bg vocals as well!! 

the mixing 🥹

OK THE OPT UP????

the choreo at “a choir never complete” reminds me of the opening funeral scene from beetlejuice. definitely fits the vibe!

the borderline growl/anger in “and i’m asking why lord” yes!!!!

she sounds so desperate. crying. 

“does no one care?!” again the anger and emotion!

THE BG VOCALS AT THAT ONE PART SO GOOD THEYRE ANGRY FOR HER IT SEEMS 

the roller coaster. them being sucked back into it choreo wise. reverse looking. 

THE HIGH NOTES 💋💋💋

ocean being the one to put the birthday costume on means a lot to me. idk

ocean comforting her too 🥰🥰

janes birthday claps!

SNATCH !! 🧁🧁

ocean doing connie’s hair ❤️

savannah scene!! 

we don’t get to see it but i know the waltz is happening 

“ur ma best frand 💓“

^ and then ocean immediately snaps my heart again. 

“no you don’t ocean. 😕”

i understand oceans monologue she just. executed it badly. 

constance 😝 beat her ass girl 

“or they’ll call you a cow” baby. come here. 💔

constance. i get you. i get u connie baby. 

JAWBREAKER/SUGAR CLOUD:

oceans face ❤️ i don’t know how to describe it but she looks. proud. and her sitting almost re-evaluating everything in the back. (assuming)

ricky giving her the mic ❤️

HER GIGGLE

them scooting her around aghhhahahdhdbdheh

cloud props!

CONFETTI AND BALLOONS AND IM SMILING LIKE A FOOL

jane looks so happy with her ballon skipping around 🥹

the ending!! ILY CONSTANCE 

mischa helping her down awww

ocean and connie hug!!

can’t forget the nischa hug

ocean losing her voice inflection and sounding so genuine. so scared. so raw. 

janey when she gets chosen 🥹🥹

ocean and connie hug 2

JANE REACHING FOR RICKY SNDBDJWKDJDKF

ITS NOT A GAME/ITS JUST A RIDE

crying over the ending brb 

the slideshow will always get me 

something about the whole scene. houfhhhhhhh

“and you give and choose while you live and lose” and the lines preceding it get me 🥹

ARE THOSE REAL VIDEOS OF JENNA?!?!?!

KARNA SOUNDING LIKE THEYRE GONNA CRY

the first lines of it’s just a ride. no music. so raw sounding 🥹 the teary voices. the haphazard harmonies. 

ocean and mischa holding each other. big bro little sis 💓

“WOO!”

THEIR FREESTYLE DANCING! 

they’re having so much fun. they’re dead but they’re LIVING for the first time. 

all of the hand holding. my babes. 

[wardensantoineandevka]

Colin's build isn't as flashy as some of the others in the party, but he does have one that is interesting to me in terms of mechanical character. Just to take stock what he's working with first:

16 (+3) Constitution, highest in the party. Mathematically, i.e. on paper since we don't know actual hit points at this time, he easily paces with Delissandro on hit points.

16 (+3) Strength and 17 (+3) Dexterity, second highest in the party. His longsword uses Strength, and his dagger uses Dexterity (because it's higher).

15 (+2) Intelligence, second highest in the party as Karna, Raphaniel, and Amangeaux all tie for first with 16 (+3).

AC 17, second highest in the party. Very respectable AC for this level.

Rogue 2. Because rogue is listed first on his card, I presume he is a base rogue; this is notable because it grants him four starting skills (as opposed to two plus one from a rogue multiclass) and proficiency in Dexterity saves. He has Expertise in Insight, as he made a check that was natural 4 but 11 total. Rogue 2 also means Cunning Action.

Fighter 3. Fighting Style (which could be interesting depending on what his choice is), Second Wind, and one use of Action Surge.

Battle Master. He knows three maneuvers.

Feat: Mobile. Brings his speed up to 40 feet, and difficult terrain does not reduce it while he is dashing. Combined with Cunning Action, he can run 120 feet with a double dash: greater than the next fastest Amangeaux (30 base, 90 at double dash) and twice the speed of the rest the party at their greatest full dash (assuming no items modifying speed are in the mix). Mobile also allows him to neutralize attacks of opportunity: someone he makes a melee attack against, hit or miss, they cannot make an attack of opportunity against him for the rest of the turn.

Colin has a very physical stats forward build, in that Colin's best stats are all physical and all are at least +3, moreso than even Delissandro who has a higher Charisma than Constitution and Dexterity. (You can check all the stat cards from the first episode here.) The combination of Cunning Action and Mobile makes him incredibly difficult to pin down or corner and moves very fast with an ability to close on a target. A respectable AC and proficiency in Dexterity saves also makes him pretty dodgy at this level, and a good Constitution makes him hardy; he is a tank.

I find his build very interesting because it tells a story of someone who is very comfortable on the battlefield and is used to combat scenarios. It corroborates what he tells Delissandro ("Any other battle advice or anything you want from me, 'cause that's kinda my gear.") and is in line with him planning combat strategies when anxious or uncomfortable. An individual player can always take or leave the flavor of a subclass, but the narrative of the Battle Master leans heavily on someone who has been trained in military arts or has learned very well through experience in the field.

Base rogue with the Mobile feat very much tells a story. His respectable Intelligence paired with Battle Master does too. Altogether, his mechanics communicate to me that he is well suited to his job as a sellsword, and he is one of skill and experience.

A lot of this can also be augmented by class choices, particularly Maneuver Choices. I won't speculate too much on choices because there's so many good ones, but Evasive Footwork, Ambush, Bait and Switch, Disarming Attack, Riposte, Quick Toss would add to this sense of someone who is difficult to pin down, moves easily through combat, and has a good grasp of the rhythm of battle.

Colin's entire set of mechanics together give me personally a sense of someone who is very much a survivor and of someone who knows how to move through combat, both in the intellectual skill to calculate and the physical skill to execute.

[martian-astro10]

I made that johnny depp post a few days ago and then suddenly my Tumblr started showing me radfem posts, and the radblr community is SO TOXIC. Like, what's up with the "you can't be a feminist if you date a guy", cuz like.....what the Fuck 😭. Instead of telling women to eat healthy, do martial arts, keep themselves strong, be financially dependent and be very careful while choosing a partner, you're telling them to just not date, and avoid all men like, how are you any different from those that tell women to just stay inside their houses if they don't wanna get raped. Fucking weirdos fr. Dating a man who cares about you is literally the best thing ever, sex actually feels good when you're having it with someone who makes sure that you experience pleasure and orgasm every single time you guys do it. Being in a healthy relationship feels good as fuck.

As someone who was raised by a single mother, these kinda posts actually make me laugh, you literally can't avoid men, my mom has her own architectural firm, and most of her dealings are with men, she has to go to secluded areas with them and analyse a piece of land, inko lagta hain sab "choice" ke hisaab se hota hain, pagal hain yeh log yaar.

Don't go out with the first guy who asks you out, have HIGH standards, don't lower them, break a guy's bones if he dares to touch you without permission. Haddiyan todh do saale ki, darne se kya hoga? Jeena band kar doge? bahaar jaana band kar doge? Mard rahenge iss duniya mein, kuch nhi ho sakta. Problems se deal karna sikho, avoid karne se kuch nhi hoga.

Let me tell you a story, I used to live in Delhi, okay, Delhi is the rape capital of India. So this one time, lights went out, i think it was 12:30 am, and it was June, and the temperature was 43° okay, so my mom goes "it's getting very hot inside the house, let's go outside" and just to clarify, we lived in DELHI and it was 1 FUCKING AM, and my mom has the most unbothered expression on her face, and we trust her, so ofc we go outside and then SHE TAKES US TO SANJHA CHULHA TO EAT TANDOORI CHICKEN AT 1 FUCKING AM, and i remember we were surrounded by drunk men, and NO ONE bothered us because my mom has infinite aura, AND THEN WE WENT BACK, ALIVE AND SAFE.....AND UNTOUCHED. this is MY childhood experience, my mom has never once said the words "raat ho gyi hain, bahaar mat Jaa, kuch ho jaayega" she has always said "toh? Kya ho jaayega, uske paas 2 haath aur pair hain, tere paas bhi 2 haath aur pair hain, toh darne ki kya zaroorat hain".

[tainbocuailnge]

while im reminiscing about old fate fandom anyway, i think it's hard for anyone who got into the series through fgo or even just after fgo got big to realize just how much impact fgo had. it outright changed how people talk about the characters, before fgo it was viable and common to refer to every single servant by their class and what installment besides fsn they were from (lancer, zero lancer, extra lancer, ccc lancer) and each instalment that had multiple of a single class always provided some other option to refer to them with that would differentiate them while keeping their true name secret (red and black factions in apocrypha, red saber casko and red tea for playable extra servants, launcher for karna so liz could be ccc lancer).

fgo was an actual gamechanger because it was the first time readers were just given every servant's true name upfront and were expected to use it instead of their class. on top of that there'd been several mentions of servants that fit multiple classes before fgo but fgo was the first time we actually saw any servant summoned in an alternate class, making class names even more useless because not only did "fgo lancer" not mean anything but lancer in fgo was also a caster.

for years after fgo's release the type moon wiki clung to its page title name scheme of "[class] - fate/[whatever they're from]" because until fgo (which released 11 years after fsn) that was the most sensible and spoiler-free way to refer to servants and it took a very long list of "[class] - fate/grand order (true name)" pages for them to give up and change every servant's page title to their true name.

fgo tried to get back some of the mystery of true names with epic of remnant but they didn't manage to make it stick or really recapture that magic, and by now effectively nobody really refers to servants outside fgo by class anymore either unless they're veterans like me, and even then most of us only stick to doing it for the fsn servants. fgo has made it much harder for any fate story to write its mystery around true names anymore because out of necessity it has caused fan spaces to no longer respect the mystery of true names.

[stxrrynxghts]

Mentions : cursing ahead. Please refrain from reading if it bothers you. DO NOT BASH ME IF YOU DISAGREE. I am up for all forms of civil conversation on this topic.

Now, let's start.

So, like the useless human I am, I spent my time scrolling through Instagram. And what happens? Post after post praising Karna pops on my feed. See, you can like anyone who you want, I don't give a flying fuck. But, what I hate, is how people just make up some random shit, and then make a reel saying that it is "true" And written Mahabharat.

Now, I don't consider myself an expert or smth, but I have read 3 versions of Mahabharata, in two different languages. I think that I can say that I know some stuff about Mahabharata.

So, despite being PISSED af, I did my research. I saw these reels, scrolled through some comments, and even saw some stuff on Wattpad related to this.

Some of you might say that "if it bothers you then don't see it". Yes. That's what I have been doing. But now I am fucking pissed, and this is how I release my anger.

As always, Karna HAS to be compared to Arjun. How Arjun is such a weakling, that without Krishna he wouldn't win at all. First, if Karna is so good, and Arjun so bad, then why is Krishna supporting Arjun? Surely a god had better judgement skills than we do.

Arjun fought against SHIVA, THE GOD OF THE GODS. THE SUPREME GOD. Yes, Arjun didn't win, and he never stood a chance, but SHIVA was pleased by him, and blessed him. He gave him the Pashupatastra.

Some idiots say that Karna had it too. In a quote someone wrote that Krishna said that Karna was undefeatable as he had Brahmastra and Pashupatastra. Kindly enlighten me as to when did Karna please Shiva, and get this Astra as his blessing.

Then some people say that Shiva blessed Ravan too. Don't you dare. Don't you DARE compare Ravan, the man who ABDUCTED Sita, to Arjun. Arjun was a human, and he had his flaws. He committed mistakes. But he is, in no way, comparable to someone like Ravan.

People are writing stories where Abhimanyu respects Karna and shuns Arjun as a result. ABHIMANYU, WHO CHOSE to enter the Chakravyuha because he wanted to make his father and uncle proud. Abhimanyu, who wanted nothing more than to avenge his father. He hates Arjun in these stories.

Don't get me started on the Draukarn and Karnbhadra fandoms. Don't, please. I don't have the energy left for that. I just wish to say that you are so brave to pair Draupadi with her abuser.

Now. These are the more controversial ones. There are ppl writing stories where Karna is SHIVA'S SON.

Oh wow. Karna is comparable to KARTIKEYA AND GANESH. Speaking of Kartikeya, did you know that Karna is a better warrior than Kartikeya, THE GOD OF WAR?!

And ofc, Karna was a farrr better King than Ram was. And he was a better person too. It isn't like Ram had made a gr8 example of how to run a kingdom, that Ram Rajya has been so revered since centuries. Ofc not. That has nothing to do with this.🤡

Also, Karna had a better claim to the throne than Yudhishthira did! He was Kunti's son, and according to dharma, a wife's son is considered the husbands son too. It doesn't matter how Karna wasn't conceived when Kunti was married to Pandu, or with Pandu's permission. He STILL has a claim to the throne guys. 🙄

Last, but not the least, do you know how Krishna absolutely hated seeing Karna die, even when he was the one who had instigated Arjun to chop off Karna's head? *gasps in shock*

Also, saving the best for the last, but apparently, Krishna couldn't have defeated Karna when he still had his armor and earrings!!!! Gasppp!!!!

Okay. So half of this post is written a sarcastic manner guys, do understand my sarcasm TvT

It's fcking hilarious how Krishna, who whooped the asses of literal demons as a kid, who gave INDRA PTSD and who LIFTED THE FCKIN GOVARDHAN MOUNTAIN ON HIS LITTLE FINGER FOR SEVEN FUCKING DAYS CONTINUOUSLY is weaker than Karna. And this is just 1% of what he has done.

Like cmon. Karna is a gr8 warrior, I won't deny. But he was NOT a good person, and definitely not comparable to the people I mentioned above. Karna was defeated multiple times during the Kurukshetra war. He ran away from many battles as well. If you like him, then gr8. Do so, no one is stopping you. But don't compare him with the likes of Ram and Krishna.

Ohmigawd. This post has gone a bit out of hand. Sorry loves. 😞

[blackknight-100]

I'm absolutely obsessed with how mythology portrays parent-child relationships, especially when at least one divine party is involved. I've talked about Karna and Arjuna's relationship with their fathers, and how it might tie up to their characters and situations, and the Mahabharata as a whole, but they're not the only ones! Speaking exclusively about father-son dynamics in this post, and we have a lot of them!

You have Yudhisthira, whose father Yama/Dharma shows up in his son's mortal life twice (iirc), gives him a 20 min quiz each time and then tells him that no son, we don't allow dogs in heaven (which, how dare, but we all have that one parent). This is so in line with Yudhisthira's arc, poor man that he is, having to spend his whole life finding answers to questions about righteousness and honour, losing his friends, brothers, wife and children in the process.

Rama-Dasharatha and Ganesha-Shiva are pretty straightforward - there's plenty of mutual love and respect despite the horrors ™️ , but then there is Rama and Luv-Kush. If you're counting the Uttar Kand, then these boys literally saw their mother die because there father could not stop questioning her honour. That has to mess with your head. There's no way it's a happily ever after story.

Another man who interests me greatly is Yayati. Like sir... what were you doing. Who grows old and thinks, "You know what would be great? Me borrowing my son's youth" and then curses them when they refuse? What were you thinking. What were your kids thinking. I need to take your heads apart with a scalpel, this is so incredibly insane. A father should give to his children - the only thing this man "gave" was to spare Puru from his curse.

You have Bhishma and Shantanu, another wild story. I understand that Bhishma chose to give up his birthright to make Shantanu happy, but can you actually tell me Shantanu wasn't at least somewhat interested in the plan? Shantanu is Bhishma's father, it's his job to stop him from doing things like this. I feel like pulling my hair out everytime I think of this. You can tell that Bhishma was afraid for his father's well-being when he made this decision, and that so... unfair.

On the other end of the spectrum are Krishna and Vasudeva, who are wholesome to the point of despair. Vasudeva giving up his everything just to get his boy out of prison?? Waiting years and years for him, but never lamenting or cursing Krishna for not coming fast enough??? That's peak fatherhood (Shantanu take lessons). And Krishna honours that sacrifice!! He comes from idyllic Vrindavan, slays the tormentor of his parents and rips the bars of their prison!!! And that old married couple trapped within those dank, dreary walls, with no one except the other for company, watches their godly son turn up to free them and show them the sky for the first time in more than a decade - the thought of it brings me to tears. Possibly the only part I like about the change from baby!Krishna to adult!Krishna is his reunion with Vasudeva and Devaki!

Oh, and last but not least, our favourite problematic pair: Jamadagni and sons. I'm slightly terrified by how Jamadagni was like "kill your mother for me she's sinful >:(" and when four sons refused, he actually killed them. HIS OWN SONS! Admittedly, in some versions he asks Parashuram to do the killing but like... those are his brothers. Who probably swaddled him and rocked him and fed him and played with him. And all this is presumably happening right in front of Renuka. And then Parashuram has to kill his mother as well, unless he wants to be a heap of ashes.

(In some versions, including the one I've always heard as a child, Parashuram is said to be "aware of" his father's immense power, which just seems to me a really polite way to say that Parashuram knew disobeying his father had consequences ™️ that weren't always right or rational)

Worse, after the killing is done, Jamadagni is so pleased he offers Parashuram a boon, presumably with the remains of the rest of his family still nearby, and when Parashuram asks for his mother and brother to be revived, Jamadagni is all like "ooh actually I got really angry, I think I'm going to renounce rage forever. Dw btw your brothers and mother forgot you killed them you're welcome <3"

Sir??? This is what you got out of the whole issue???? No wonder Parashuram killed a whole bunch of kings, this couldn't have been healthy.

[aru-loves-krishnaxarjuna]

Mahabharata AU—Fem!Arjuna AU pt.1

Masterlist

The day for the Dyut Sabha had almost neared. Only a day was left.

Raaj Maata Kunti was feeling tensed for some unknown reason. She had the feeling of something ominous happening the following day. 'Why is my heart feeling like this? It never does...' she thought. Sighing, Kunti went outside of her kaksh for some fresh air, but Angaraj Karna was passing by at that same time. Kunti tensed, and turned to opposite way. She walked anywhere but towards her first-born.

Kunti then encountered Maharani Gandhari, who sensed Kunti's tension immediately. "Kunti, are you alright, my dear?" Kunti startled out of her thoughts. Unable to hide her secret anymore, she vented out to Gandhari about Karna's birth and her regret, as well as the ominous feeling she was getting. Between all of the talking, Kunti had started crying bitterly.

Gandhari consoled her sister-in-law. "Oh dear, it was not your fault. You were a child back then. You did this all in innocence and let your child go because of your family's respect. Now, i think we should tell him about his birth. Come, dear."

Kunti agreed and they both went to Karna. "Putra Karna..." she called out to him. Karna smiled at her. He didn't know why, but he always felt calm when in the presence of the Raaj Maata. Kunti sighed for the last time and and blurted out all about his birth yet again.....

.

Karna didn't know what to think or feel...the Pandavas were his siblings...? No...this can't be...

"Putra Karna...i am so sorry for doing this to you! Please forgive me! I join my hands before you..." she said, sobbing. The sun too had started shining brightly when Karna was told the truth, bestowing him with the brilliance of a million diamonds, claiming him as his own. Karna had snapped his head back when Kunti said the last statement and he immediately lowered her hands. "No...i-it is alright, you didn't know..Maa..." Karna hesitated.

Kunti looked surprised at him addressing her as his mother, and held him in her arms, in her loving embrace. Karna didn't know what to do and wrapped his arms gently around his new-found mother, hesitantly. Gandhari, even though not being able to see anything, smiled at the union.

Kunti's worry for the following day had decreased, yet not completely.

.

.

.

.

.

.

The dyut sabha had started. Yudhishthir was constantly losing his wealth and land. When he lost everything except for his brothers, he betted on them. Yudhishthir lost his brothers and himself too. He decided to quit but then, "Samrat! You can bet on your wife now! If you win, you can get everything back!" Shakuni gave his oily grin, showing his black teeth, rolling the dice in his hands manically. Yudhishthir was about to say something when,

"Halt!" A shout came from the entrance. Everyone turned their heads to see who it was, and saw the dusky warrior princess of Indraprastha, walking gracefully, taking angry steps, her clothes' extended parts bellowing behind and around her.

Soldiers attempted to stop Savyasachi, yet one glare was enough to make them shiver in fear.

"Jyesht! You cannot bet on Panchali! She is our common wife! Did any of our rest of the brothers give consent to it? And you can not bet on her when you have lost yourself in the game!" Arjuni spat angrily. She turned her head towards the rest of her brother and opened her mouth to say something when she heard. "I bet my sister then."

Arjuni snapped her head back towards Yudhishthir, giving him a betrayed, upset look, which was enough to make bow his head in shame and guilt. Arjuni started backing away, taking slow steps, almost hyperventilating. She couldn't belive or yet, comprehend what was happening....Dharmaraj, Yama putra, committing such grave adharma..? She wanted to scream her head off, but being the younger sister didn't help in her book of dharma.

As she was almost there by the exit gate of the Court, she heard manic laughs.

Her brothers never laughed like this...

Was she...?

[sambhavami]

So, I'm going to rant a bit about Krishna and Arjun now.

**Just a note: this is based on my personal interpretations of MB/SB/HV, none of which I have access to right now, so I might misremember some facts. Thank you!

So, in my understanding, Krishna and Arjun were both very lonely people. Both of them were stripped from their childhood homes and families, and forced to grow up amidst hostility and constant conflict, when they met after Draupadi's swayamvar, they instantly latch on to each other. I mean, yes, both Krishna and Arjun had brothers who went through the same kind of issues, but at some point, you encounter a boundary with your immediate family, such that you can't really tell them everything that you're feeling. A friend peering in from outside is a much 'safer' choice. I'd imagine it's roughly the same kind of thought process that makes people talk about their personal struggles anonymously on social media instead of with their families.

In this process, they both also become extremely possessive of each other. For Arjun, we see this when he sheds all his inhibitions at Kurukshetra not when he hears the Geeta, but rather when Krishna gets wounded the first time. That's when the Kaurava side finds out exactly how dangerous Arjuna can be. And that's when Krishna is barely scratched by an arrow, and thankfully we never find out what Arjun would have done if Krishna actually got hurt. Arjun was fighting only half-heartedly in the beginning, but once Krishna is targeted he becomes fiercer, now actually concentrating on the battle, and then finally when Krishna almost murders Bheeshma, that's when Arjun becomes fully activated, so to speak. Also, he would've totally murdered Shishupal during the rajasuya (to hell with the 100 offences), if not for Krishna stopping him...this is a rare kind of aggression for Arjun which he doesn't show even in the dice hall!

Krishna, on the other hand, shows his devotion in a slightly different way. So, for most of MB we see that he is partial to Arjuna, and he never really hides it. He gets Subhadra married to Arjuna, takes him on picnics on Kailash and shows him Vaikuntha just for fun. Moreover, he technically didn't need to participate in Kurukshetra. With Subhadra married to Arjun and Lakshamana married to Shamba, he could've easily cited an algebraic cancellation and got out of the whole mess like most of the other Yadavas. But he chooses to go to Matsya, and moreover offers to part himself from his beloved, personally trained army! I mean it was kind of genius to bait Duryodhan into thinking he won that bargain (if Shakuni mama was there, he would've definitely chosen Krishna, and immediately have him thrown in a dungeon and use him as a hostage to force the Pandavas into surrendering)!

Krishna is not just partial to Arjuna, but he is downright desperate to protect him from anything and everything. From personally waiting on Arjuna in Dwarka during happier times, to breaking every moral code he's ever stood for during the war, Krishna's love for Arjuna outshines every other horrible thing that happens. 

Krishna is quite open about his decision to get Arjuna out of the dharma-yudhha mess alive. In fact, he makes it clear to Draupadi herself that if it came down to choosing between Draupadi and Arjun, Krishna would choose Arjun always, without a second thought. We see this in action when he offers to have Draupadi marry Karna in exchange for his support to Pandavas, thereby averting the whole war. We see how Krishna doesn't care how many people he has to sacrifice (Abhimanyu, Ghatotkach, upa-Pandavas, his Narayani sena, Parikshit, and borderline forcing Shikhandi to detransition, although the source/validity of this I can't quite remember right now), how many times he has to endure the Vaishnavastra, how many times he has to make Yudhishthir lie, how many times he has to forget his vows, how many times he has to make literal celestial bodies bow to his will, all of it is taken in stride just so Arjun lives to see another sunrise. At one point, I do feel he stops caring about preserving Arjun's feelings through this (point: sacrificing his kids) and just making sure he's alive, no matter how broken or hopeless. It's almost as if Krishna's just on auto-pilot the whole time.

His whole life, Krishna asks Arjun for just one thing, which is to get the citizens of Dwarka out of the island/coastline alive before the tsunami hits. Even that, Arjuna is informed of only after Krishna is no longer on the earth. And Arjuna also is ironically one of the only people (except maybe Nand-Yashoda, Radha and gopas/gopis) to never ask Krishna for a favour! No matter how tough their life got, Arjun never asked Krishna for anything for himself. I can imagine how Krishna, the human god, would constantly be bombarded with prayers and requests literally wherever he went, so I can see why people like Arjuna would be somewhat of a relief. Even during Geeta, Arjun is like, "I can't do this!" and not "You can't make me do this!" And Krishna likewise is not like, "You have to do this!" He's just like, "You can do this, but only if you believe you can!" Krishna basically goes over all the pros and cons of the available choices but ultimately leaves the final decision to Arjun.

[kim3jeon1min1park1jung1-bts]

My honest review and opinion on kalki 2898 AD movie;

I just watched the movie today and I do have a few opinions about this movie..

So, first of all, I'm ngl but i really love Amitabh bacchan sir's acting, He , as always was brilliant! Like he is above 80 but the way he carried himself as the role of aswatthama was brilliant!

I did love Kamal Hassan sir's acting even though his screen time was less, the makeup for me was kinda brilliant, and he's a phenomenal actor.

Deepika Padukone in her mother era! She's such a beauty! Like man how the hell is she so beautiful, like wow! Mother is mothering for me!

Saswata chatterjee sir, fellow bong, you were amazing even though I kinda didn't like the comedic thing that they added to Manas's character, but trust me, he was brilliant like always! But My parents did love the comedic thing tbh!

Okay, so Prabash, compared to Adipurush, here his acting and expressions did improve a lot for which he does deserve applause. But honestly, I didn't really like the character of Bhairava, honestly for me the comedic timings were really unnecessary. I mean, making him a tad bit serious would've done it tbh. His acting at some places was kinda stiff , but compared to Adipurush, it was great but still not at the Bahubali level.

Now regarding the movie in general:

The first half before the interval was confusing. I'm ngl but it took me some time to understand certain places and the comedy wasn't really necessary at certain places.

The second half does really picks up the pace , like the second half compared to the first was really better tbh.

I loved the part where they tried to bring every religion together and wanted to convey that every religion is similar to eachother was amazing!!!

Now mythology wise, being a mythology fan and a history nerd,

I hated how they made Arjuna look arrogant, like guys, Arjuna is described as a brilliant warrior, strategist with the kindest heart during that eta. It is often said, that arjuna was considered to be the most humane out of them all. And making him arrogant was not that great according to me.

And bringing karna there was totally unnecessary! His character was not needed! It was not all needed to bring karna back and give him a re-birth.

Aswatthama part I can understand, considering he was cursed to have immortality but still

I feel like they could've brought arjuna back tbh, because it is said that Krishna and Arjuna are parts of the same soul, so it would've done them good if they brought arjuna back to make him as Kalki's guide and friend instead!

And c'mon, the fact that they tried to portray that arjuna only won because of having gandiva, Krishna and Hanuman on his side is wrong. Like he was the greatest warrior of his generation, give him the credit! The respect that he deserves for his prowess!

And giving Gandiva to Kali?! Like if they wanted to add a celestial weapon, they could've added Sharanga,the bow of vishnu instead. Gandiva is not even related to Vishnu or his avatars . And it is said that only arjuna, Krishna and bhima could've lifted the bow, so how can kali lift it? I feel like they wanted to portray that , what would happen if a great power falls into the hands of the evil, but then use Sharanga bow instead of gandiva.

Nag Ashwin sir, even though I really like the action scenes, I feel like, it needs a bit more research on the mythological context.

This is my personal opinion so please respect it!

[essektheylyss]

I know a lot of us latched onto Charlock and Colin right off the bat, and they do have the air of holding back wells of history that are very intertwined with the political games of Calorum, which is intriguing and engaging and I'm looking forward to seeing what they're up to during the time jump and beyond, as well as finding out what exactly their webs of intrigue involve.

However, I am also in love with the other three and how much they feel like they're still on the outside of the political games, even if they are ensnared in them.

Amangeaux has been a queen for a span of time, but always a foreigner all the same—she seems cut off from the Vegetanian goings-on, though it's unclear how much that was the case when her husband was alive, and at the same time, she does not fall back onto playing the game when challenged like someone who is more trained in that might.

Karna is a spymaster, yes, and seems plenty knowledgeable about webs of information and the world's cruelty, but she's still a child. She does not have a large pool of experience to draw on, and she has never seen the scale of conflict that is coming up close. She most of them all believes that she does understand conflict and political games, while also believing herself above it, but at the end of the day, she is too young to truly understand the war that is coming.

Deli is the child of a leader of a nation, but that nation is viewed still as an outsider among those nations who consider themselves more civilized, and he is very trusting in spite of the training that he has been brought up in. He's an adult, but he exhibits a similar amount of naivete as the Rocks twins will twenty years from now, as heirs to kingdoms who are eager to make their own way and find freedom, without fully understanding the weight of responsibility that is settling upon them.

All of these characters exhibit varying degrees and kinds of innocence and naivete, and at the end of the day, for all of the comedy of the concept, this is a war story. War stories, particularly ones about how the world changes in times of war, require a certain amount of naivete, in order to contrast how brutal the world can become against what is lost in the process.

[nushkiespeaks]

IS "SLAVERY" GLORIFIED IN MAHABHARAT?

I am amused seeing a few posts on how people assume that SLAVERY is something that was practiced in Dwapar and it was as ghastly as it was in Kaliyug. I had done a reblog on it earlier, but since I chose the topic let us speak on it.

The thing is, mostly people read the English version of BORI CE, where several words which mean in a slightly different context are changed to English which are sometimes outrageous. For example, the meaning of "desire" in Sanskrit Bori is mostly translated as "sexual pleasure" in Bibek Debroy translation. But "desire" in the true text doesn't mean "sexual pleasure/fascination" in all texts. Those who have read Bori know there is a part in Krishna Karna Samvad where Krishna literally says that Draupadi will have "intercourse" with Karna if he accepts the proposal. Which is NOT. Krishna in Sanskrit version says that Draupadi will be "present" there during the coronation of Karna, and the word "intercourse" here means a "talking session" . There are several examples of it, but it will be a later topic.

Let us talk about SLAVERY/SLAVE CULTURE in Mahabharat.

Okay, so there are parts here and there in Mahabharat where it is written "slaves" are sent as gifts from one kingdom to another. Now you guys will think, O God slavery? In Mahabharat, practiced by Pandavas and Krishna?

Let me tell you, "slavery" as a concept is WHOLLY different from what we know in this Yuga. Slavery in our Yug means inhuman treatment of persons, war captives taken as prisoners and so on. But slavery in Mahabharat simply meant THE SERVANTS who worked in palaces under Kshatriyas and they were NOT METED OUT TO INHUMAN TREATMENT NORMALLY. They were generally under the Kshatriyas and would lead a good life. They had a quarter for themselves where they used to live and work. They were given shelter and food. Except a few Kings ( ofc there are always exceptions, like Kamsa, Jarasandh and even Virat from Viratnagar to some extent) they lived a life of honor.

Let's see how these maids, servants were treated by the royals:

The servant class, specifically the MAIDS were very close with the female royals. The Princesses and the Queens literally had a number of maids who were in their services and they were their close confidantes. They were even closer to them than their husbands and times and the female royals literally TRUSTED their life with their maids. Every female royal had one best friend who was a maid/servant, and she enjoyed enough respect. It is said that the Prince had to first make a good impression to the servants of the Princess to be in her good eyes. Often the women trusted their maids or servants to send important or secret messages to their husbands, they used to send her words also directly from their servants to her husbands. Imagine how much the bonds would've been with each other than the royal women are trusting their words and secret messages with their servants, that they would be delivered safely. A woman always sends her female attendants to recieve gifts also from the Princes/lovers. And yes, the servants/maids of the women were quite intelligent also. And mind it ALL VARNAS IN MAHABHARAT were treated respectfully by a true ARYA. There was no DISCRIMINATION between a Shudra and a Brahmin. There is even a part from Mahabharat, where a Brahmin takes a lesson from a meat seller ( A shudra ) without any ego in his heart. Isn't it enough to prove how the Shudras or the servant's class were treated respectfully?

Also in Draupadi Satyabhama samvad Parva, we see how Draupadi tells she remembered the names of each and every servant who worked in their palace, she treated them like her own family and also woke up before they could. Doesn't it show how much respectfully the servants were treated during Dwapar?

And let me tell you, the Kshatriyas did have servants who were technically the today's WORKING CLASS under a hierarchy. And they did their tasks willingly! And why wouldn't they? They too had to find means to earn a bread isn't it? And please don't pretend that the royals can manage without servants, no they can't! Actually the presence of a good and well section of servant class shows how well your kingdom is managed; everyday to day chores were handled by them! For it was a job they chose to do, like we're all employed in somewhat or the other!

Yes there are a few section of men who mistreated their servants, for example Kamsa, Jarasandh, Keechak, Trigartas and also Sudeshna, Virat( to some extent )and also the Mlecchs ( if anyone who doesn't know what Mlecchs are, they're the uncultured sect of people who aren't "Aryas") You cannot judge the entire Aaryavart because of a few people, and mind it they ultimately paid their Karma! Krishna came and killed Kamsa, Jarasandh was killed, Viratnagar is tarnished by the end of Mahabharat!

There are NO ACTIVE RECORDS on how in general the servants who BORI has translated to "slaves" in the context were mistreated in generally. Becoming a servant was a CHOICE that time. The concept of slavery which you know came with the onset of Kaliyug, were the caste system turned rigid and war victims were treated inhumanely. That also, it happened mostly when the Mughals came in India and also the barbaric Khiljis. The inhuman treatment of slaves were sadly profounded by them. The rest, if you look closely even in the Kaliyugi kingdoms of Marathas, Rajputs and also the Southern Kingdoms, mistreating of servants was rare.

Please do not spread false information about our ITIHAS if you do not know the entire context. Sometimes, people should use their own brains to analyze things, not everything is to be going to be served on a plate. Atleast research on the dynamics of the early Vedic and later Vedic period?

Ye to 6th standard ki history hai bhai...

This is the reason I hate when people just cherry pick the verses from Mahabharat and post stuff without contexts.

If evil things prevailed that didn't mean everyone did it.

Smoking and drug exists but does everyone do it?

[ P.S : I exactly know again this post will be misinterpreted by some "oversmart" people who don't even "care" to read texts but will appear to show their smartness here. They just have only one job to find errors in Mahabharat, that too half heartedly and not knowing the context. Please stay away from my posts if you cannot handle the truth.]

[wardensantoineandevka]

here's the reminder you asked for, why do you think colin being lucas fontina would be fun?? (i agree)

Note: This is as of the end of the first episode, and before the second.

Thank you, random citizen!

Now, when it comes to the question of "what is Colin's deal?", there's a LOT of possibilities. (I'm also very fond of the idea that he is Fontina's son and/or only living heir.) Some other possibilities are arguably more plausible than Colin being Lucas Fontina, but we're not here to talk about those other theories. We're here to talk about why it'd be fun if Colin was Lucas Fontina.

First, to establish who our man Lucas is. He is brought up when Colin looks at the cloth in his blackmail package. Matt narrates as follows:

It's a partially burned banner flag bearing a dotted mountain atop an island. This you do recognize as the banner of Fontina. Not since the failed coup of Lucas Fontina many decades ago has this banner been seen, a dark spot on the history of the isles, and a deep shadow that lingers at the edge of your hard-buried origins.

This is all we know about Fontina. It's not clear what the connection is between the coup and Colin. It's not clear what the timeline is relative to Colin's age or what the nature of the coup was (succession dispute, power grab by a non-ruling noble, military takeover, rebellion of the common people, etc.). All we know is the above: that Colin immediately and unquestionably recognizes it, the state of the banner and that it is Fontina's, that the coup failed but left a dark mark on history, and that the banner represents Colin's secret.

As I said at the beginning, there's a lot of possibilities. It's so open, and everything we know is vague. But, again, I (and anon) think the idea that Colin is Lucas Fontina living under an assumed identity is fun, so here's some of the why. (Some of these apply to other theories too!)

Fontina played the game—and lost! It'd position Colin as a foil to Tomaté and Amangeaux, as people who are jockeying for the throne of Greenhold and rule of Vegetania. In addition to that, the party has someone who is trying to maintain power in the government and someone who expects to one day come into power in the government. Colin being someone who has made his grab for it and failed would make him a great counterpoint, and it'd be interesting to have the perspective of someone who has been here before.

I'd generally be interested in hearing about how his perspectives on politics, power, and the game have changed over time (or haven't!) as someone who has vied for power and failed. It's also an interesting layer on top of the idea that Colin is currently positioned as someone who isn't influential or powerful; it'd be not only that, he made an attempt and lost a significant amount of the influence and power he had at one point. That's conceptually interesting in this group.

It'd be pretty great for Karna to say to Delissandro, "So when I say I don't know who the fuck you are, you should probably take that as, you know, you're not worth knowing yet," while Colin is directly standing next to Delissandro and is completely unrecognized by her as someone who has already made an indelible mark on the history of the Islands. Real learning moment for her.

I also think it'd be funny because of the HUGE gap between the idea of what kind of man Lucas Fontina is and the wet pathetic meow meow 6 Charisma that Colin is. It's very funny, but also I think it's very interesting the idea of the years and failure and depression and anxiety just shaving ten points off his Charisma. Real.

The actual motivations and logistics surrounding going into hiding and assuming an identity to separate yourself from the person you really are is always super compelling, and the specific circumstances that Lucas Fontina is apparently an infamous figure feels like rich ground for that question: how did you escape the eyes of history—and why?