#drupad

[ishaaron-ishaaron-me]

Pretty sure Dronacharya was preparing a diss track all these years for that moment

[aru-loves-krishnaxarjuna]

Mahabharata in Social Media

Part 5

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Masterlist

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All the Pandavas are getting married...!?

Twitter

@Dharmaputra_Yudhisthira

@Dharmaputra_Yudhisthira: Yay, congratulations, my dear Phalgun 🤗❤️

@Devavrata_Bhishma.Kuru: I knew you would make me proud, Putra Arjuna 🙂‍↕️

@RajMata_Prithaki.noPritha: Arjuna dearest, what did you win and where? Whatever you won, you should share with your brothers 🙂

@ThemostHandsome_Nakula: MATA WHAT!?!

@theyoungertwin_Sahadeva: ONG BHAGWAAN 😭🤦‍♂️

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Family ✨️❤️🤗

Kunti: Putra Nakula and Sahadeva, why did you react like that 🙁😕

Nakula: Damn Mata really doesn't know 😭😭

Sahadeva: MATA, BHRATA ARJUNA WON THE SWAYAMVAR OF PANCHALA KUMARI DRAUPADI AND YOU JUST ORDERED US ALL TO SHARE HER! 😫😭

Kunti: 😱😱😱

Yudhisthira: WHAT DID YOU DO MATA!?

Bhima: Yes, WHAT DID YOU DO!?!?

Dushyala: Omgggg Jyesht Yudhisthira is SCREAMING 🙀🙀...📷💥

Bhishma: Dushyala this is serious!

Kripa: And knowing the Pandavas they always listen to their mother 😔

Vidura: They HAVE to 💀😭

Dushasana: Omg Oldie 2.0 is becoming GEN Z–

Yudhisthira: WTF IS GENZ!?

Dushyala: OMG JYESHT CUSSED 😱🙀✨️📷💥

Duryodhana: Dushyala... SHUT UP!! I JUST LOST MY WIFEY, AND NOW SHE IS GONNA MARRY ALL THE FIVE PANDAVAS 🤬🤬

Arjuna and Krishna have come online

Arjuna and Krishna have seen

Krishna: 🤦‍♂️ Dang it, I knew it...

Arjuna: ...

Arjuna: ...I have to share my wife...with my BROTHERS...?

Arjuna: 🥺💔...

Yudhisthira: I am sorry Priye Bhai 😔💔

Krishna: Knew it, but...

Krishna: Oh Parth 🥺❤️‍🩹 *sniffle sniffle*

Dushalana: AAHH Shut up with all this melodrama my brother just lost his wife!

Gandhari: Parantu Putra, Dury wasn't even engaged?–

The Kauravas: ...

Duryodhana: 😭😭

Duryodhana: Stillll she was meant to be mine Maaa!! 💔💔😭😭😭

Dhritarashtra: It's alright, my son-

Gandhari: You're being a spoilt brat, Duryodhana 🙂😡

Duryodhana: 😶😰

Dushyala: Dayummm..... 📷💥✨️✨️

Dushasana: OMG BHRATA DURYODHANA DID THE IMPOSSIBLE 😱

Dushalana: OMGGG HE MADE MATA ANGRY! 😭

Vikarna: DAMMMNNNN 💀

Durmarshana: He's cooked 💀💀

Bhishma: Leave that, we have to discuss about Rajkumari Draupadi first 😠

Krishna: 😐😑😐

Krishna added 'Sakhi 💅🌟🔥' to the Group Chat

Krishna changed their name to 'Draupadi'

Draupadi has seen

Draupadi: ...

Draupadi: Oh my god, I-

Arjuna: I am sorry that this had to happen to you because of me, Devi 🙏🙇‍♂️

Krishna: Don't blame yourself, Parth

Arjuna: But Madhav–

Krishna: Or I will be angry 😤

Arjuna has muted himself

Krishna: 😶

Literally everyone else: ...

Vidura: ...uhm… chile, anyways so–

Kripa: Yes about Rajkumari Draupadi's marriage–

Draupadi: Ekscoos meh ur honour ✋️😔✨️

Kunti: 😶

Bhishma: 😶😶

Vidura: 🫥

Kripa: 😶😶😶

Drona: 😶😶

The Kauravas: 😶‍🌫️

Nakula: ...

Nakula: aight, she's my type-

Sahadeva: Same– but Nakula sthu-

Bhima: ...no comments

Yudhisthira: ...

Arjuna has unmuted himself

Arjuna: Nakuuuula 😭😭

Arjuna: 🎶🎵What about me...WHAT ABOUT MEE...?!🎵🎶 😫😭

Arjuna: It was ME who won her hand 😭😭

Yuyutsu: I know brothah it's unfair to you, here have a hug 🫂

Arjuna: thanksss 🥺🫂

Draupadi: ...

Draupadi: Dil toota bhi aur rootha bhi

Arjuna: ...riyal-

Krishna: Parth, calm do-

Arjuna has muted himself...again

Krishna: 😶😶

Krishna: D- damn he really does take everything I say seriously... ❤️‍🩹😭

Draupadi: So what I was saying is...

Draupadi: I had a boon from my past life from Bhagwaan Mahadeva Shiva himself that I will get 5 husbands in my next life, i.e. my current one, because I had wished for a husband with all the five virtues and characteristics and I had wished for it 5 whole times hence 5 husbands so it was fated and I just asked Maharishi Vyasa about my fate and he told me–

The elders: 😶...

The Pandavas: 😳🤯

Duryodhana: Bleh! Ain't nobody got time to read allat! 🙄😒

Draupadi: 😐 long story short, I was fated to marry the Pandavas

Draupadi: So I was NEVER meant to be your wife nor will ever be 🖕🥰 frick you, bastard 😇😷

Draupadi: That's why you will always be wifeless because you are stuck up

Draupadi: You didn't bother reading a lady's message so how tf will you listen to your wife if you ever had one? ✨️💅

Arjuna has unmuted himself

Arjuna: That reminds me, did you still find your brain back there by rolling your eyes... if you ever even had one?

Duryodhana has gone offline

Krishna: Parth...I AM DAMN PROUD OF YOU!!! 😘😘😘😘😘🥰🥰🥰🥰😍😍😍😍😍🤩🤩

Arjuna: 🙏🥺🥹❤️‍🩹💝🤍🥰🥰🥰

Yudhisthira: What in the name of Love Story of Taylor Swift and of Indila is going onn!? 😭😫

Dushyala: OMG JYESHT IS FRUSTRATED FOR THE FIRST TIME- 📷💥

Yuyutsu: 💀🙏😭

Bhishma: ...

Kunti: Alr, Putra Krishna, tell me... ARE MY SONS GONNA MARRY DRAUPADI OR IS ARJUNA GONNA MARRY YOU!?!?

Krishna: The first one, Bua 😊

Krishna: We can do the latter one later

Krishna: 😏😏🤭🤭🤫

Arjuna: 😳😳 *struck by Kamadeva on Vasanta's request, again lol* 💘💘💘

Krishna: 🥰🥰

LITERALLY Everyone else: 💀💀

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Twitter

@DaddyIssuesforSis_Dhrish

@DaddyIssuesforSis_Dhrish: Meri Pyari, Sundar Behena ka Vivah 🥰

@Duryodhana_the_best: 😭😭😭 THIS MARRIAGE IS PREPOSTEROUS!!

@notsochill_Balarama: I trained you better than this, Duryodhana 😑

@Arjuna_ka_Madhav: My Sakhi and Parth are so beautiful and handsome aww 🤭🥰

@Devavrata_Bhishma.Kuru: Mere Kuruvansh mei kya ho rha hai, ye to kichdi se bhi zyada palna shuru ho gya 😭😖

@Vidura_ki_Vidurniti: Retweeting with Indila's 'Love Story' for Krishna and Arjuna though 😄

@Drupada_Panchala: But this is my Daughter’s marriage!!

@Vidura_ki_Vidurniti: Yes, and? 🤨 Because even between this, my nephew and his lover are at peak 😭🤣

Trending: #kyahorhahai?

#Bhishmakakuruvanshiskhandkhand

#DraupadixPandavas

#KrishnaxArjuna?

#Duryodhanakesapnokibalichadhgyi

[yumjum414]

Stillness in his Power

Duryodhana’s pov

He had thought it was a game.

Gurukul had made warriors of them, yes, but not men. Not yet. It had taught them forms and stances, respect and rivalry. It had forged bonds and bruises both. But now, Drona had called in his price

Bring me Drupad, Drona had said, voice quiet as stone. And lay him at my feet.

Duryodhana had gone first, proud and full of heat. He had taken his brothers with him- ninety-nine strong, well-trained, carrying the legacy of a kingdom.

And still, they had failed.

The Panchala forces had scattered them like dust. Drupada himself had not even drawn his sword. The Kauravas had come back beaten and limping, their pride cracked open like a fruit, and now stood on the ridges of the battlefield, watching the second half of this farce unfold.

And yet, what emerged from the Pandava camp was not a warband. It was a storm.

Duryodhana watched from the edge of the battlefield. Armor dented. Lips split, with blood drying on his neck.

Five brothers. That was all.

No army. No fanfare. No backup.

Yudhishthira walked at the front, calm as dusk. He carried no weapon that could inspire fear, just a spear and the weight of a crown not yet placed on his brow. He didn’t look like a warrior. He looked like a man who would speak before killing you.

Bhima beside him, massive, breathing like an ox before the charge, iron mace slung over his shoulder like it weighed nothing. His steps cracked stones and bones of those who dared to stop him.

The twins moved like dancers, too fast and too graceful to be trusted. Sahadeva’s eyes were cold, calculating; Nakula smiled like he was already writing this battle into legend.

And at the center, between them all, was Arjuna.

Arjuna, freshly out of gurukul, with no dust on his boots, no scars yet weathered deep. The boy with the clearest eyes Duryodhana had ever seen.

There was something strange about him, even now. His presence didn’t demand attention, it drew it. Quietly. Like gravity. Like the way still water dares you to disturb it.

Then the Panchala archers fired.

And Arjuna moved. He did not duck. He did not flinch. He stepped through the hail of arrows as if walking through a dream, fingers a blur on the string of his bow.

The arrows he returned were not just fast: they were exact. One bent the arc of an incoming shot midair. Another snapped the shaft of a spear mid-throw. A third struck the mouth of a war-horn before the sound could rise.

Duryodhana blinked. No wasted movement. No errant gestures. Every draw, every shot, every breath flowed into the next like a river that had learned the battlefield’s shape.

And then Arjuna ran.

Gods, he ran like the wind had chosen a body.

He didn’t march into formations; he slid through them. Turned side-on to narrow his profile, loosed shots without looking, twisted low to avoid blade and axe, then sprang up, letting arrows fly in pairs. Always circling. Always flowing.

The Panchala lines fell apart not from fear- but from the realization that nothing they tried mattered.

They couldn't touch him.

Bhima smashed the front line open with terrifying ease. Nakula and Sahadeva struck like fangs on either flank. Yudhishthira offered no mercy, but no cruelty either- he moved with the justice of a mountain.

But Arjuna? He turned the tide.

And when finally, the Panchala troops broke, leaving their king exposed, Arjuna strode toward Drupad with the calm of someone who had been there before, even if this was his first true battle.

Duryodhana leaned forward, blood still ringing in his ears.

Finish him, he thought. Make it humiliating. Let him crawl. Let him beg like he made us beg.

Drupad was on his knees now- his crown lost, cheek split, armor unfastened and scorched. Arjuna stood before him like he’d only just stepped into the field, unbothered by blood or dust or the hundred men he’d dropped like a summer storm snapping trees.

Duryodhana’s fists clenched at his sides. If there will be one thing that stands after my defeat, he thought, it will be the Kuru honor standing tall over theirs. Make him beg. Drag him across the field to our Guru’s feet.

But Arjuna didn’t sneer. Didn’t gloat. He didn’t even raise his voice.

He joined his hands into a greeting- a clean, crisp warrior’s introduction, as if Drupad didn’t already know his name. Not to show submission, but to mark the gravity of the moment.

As if to say: I have defeated you. Yet you remain a king. And I will not become less by forgetting that.

It was unbearable.

Duryodhana ground his teeth, rage and confusion twisting inside him. Why do you fight like that? Why do you win like that? What are you trying to prove-  to him? To Drona? To me?

Drupad rose slowly, gripping Arjuna’s forearm. His face was hard, unreadable. But his nod… it was not one given to a child.

Duryodhana’s jaw tightened. The wind blew hot across the battlefield, stirring the broken banners of his side. The third Pandava had just won their guru’s vengeance. Yet somehow, he still looked like he was offering mercy.

Stillness and steel, in a single breath.

Drona watched with pride in his eyes. Duryodhana turned away.

There was nothing left to watch.

That day had never left him.

Not the humiliation. Not the sight of Drupad bowing his head- not to Drona, but to Arjuna.

Not the way the younger boy had stood, calm and infuriating, like he could afford to be merciful.

Duryodhana remembered the sting of his broken pride every time he saw him now.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And here he was again.

The courtyard of Indraprastha shimmered under the afternoon sun. Soldiers moved in loose formations, leather sandals scraping against packed earth, as training dummies spun on iron pivots. The clatter of wooden swords rang like drumbeats.

Yet over it all, the air hummed with the presence of one man.

Arjuna.

Older now, broader at the shoulders, the elegant lines of youth hardened into something leaner, quieter. His hair had grown long again, streaked with silver, tied back in a looped knot. A thin scar split his left brow, fading into the curve of his cheekbone. His gaze, still that amber-gold, seemed even harder to meet now, not because it burned, but because it saw.

Duryodhana watched from beneath the stone pavilion, arms folded, shadowed by his own guards. He had come under the pretense of reviewing the soldiers, because at the end of the day, Indraprastha will always be a part of Hastinapur.

But he had come to see him.

Arjuna stood in the middle of a circle of recruits. His sandals were dusty, his training staff resting loosely in one hand. The soldiers surrounded him like orbiting moons. And like gravity, he held them without force.

“You flinch before the strike,” Arjuna said, pointing at one of the younger men with the tip of his staff. “That is not cowardice. Its calculation born of fear. But you cannot calculate what you do not see. Watch the shoulders. The breath. Every weapon speaks before it sings.”

The recruit swallowed and nodded, wide-eyed.

Duryodhana's fingers twitched. Same tone. Same cursed calm. Not a hint of performance. Arjuna had never raised his voice to claim authority. He didn't need to. People listened because he was precise. Because he never postured. Because he had never learned how to lose.

The training resumed. Three soldiers lunged at once. Arjuna turned, pivoted. He ducked under one staff, caught another with his forearm, let the third scrape harmlessly against his shoulder as he twisted into a clean sweep. One down. Two more. He moved like water bending around rocks. Unhurried. Exact.

Not a single soldier landed a blow.

Duryodhana’s jaw clenched. How many men had he fought alongside who blustered, shouted, roared like beasts to mask uncertainty? And this one- this maddening, silent bastard- made dominance look effortless.

A veteran captain, older than most, lunged suddenly, perhaps hoping to test the legend. Arjuna met his charge. Their staffs cracked together once. Twice. Then a blur- too fast to follow- and Arjuna disarmed him with a twist that spun the man halfway around before he caught his footing.

No smile. No mockery. Just a quiet, “Good.”

The captain nodded, chest heaving. He bowed, not with embarrassment, but with respect.

Duryodhana could feel it again. That knot in his chest. That same feeling from the field of Panchala. Of watching himself be forgotten while he- the third-born, the quiet one- redefined the terms of victory.

Across the yard, Arjuna’s eyes lifted and met his own.

A nod and a bow. Just a calm acknowledgment. The kind given from one equal to another. Or worse, from someone who had forgotten why they were ever enemies.

That stung more than any insult.

Duryodhana turned on his heel, the hem of his silks brushing the dust. He didn’t stop walking until the sounds of the courtyard faded behind him: until the ring of staffs on wood, the thud of boots against packed earth, and the quiet, rapt voices of soldiers faded into the hush of palace corridors.

His pulse didn’t slow.

The knot in his chest stayed where it was, old and familiar, like a stone lodged beneath the skin.

Third-born. Quiet one. Beloved of the Gods.

It should have been Yudhishthira he hated. The crown-chaser. The one whose throne clawed at Duryodhana’s future. It should have been Bhima- the brute who mocked him openly, who made no secret of his disdain. But it was always him. Always him.

Arjuna.

Because Arjuna didn’t hate him. Not openly. Not loudly. Not like the others.

And that was worse.

Because when Arjuna fought him, it wasn’t personal.

When Arjuna defeated him, it wasn’t about him.

He walked like a storm that forgot to name the villages it drowned.

And what do you do, Duryodhana thought, when the one thing you cannot defeat... refuses to see you as an enemy?

Now, in this new Indraprastha with its marble courtyards and its silver-plated gates, Duryodhana watched the world shifting around Arjuna, gravitating toward him again. Still. Even now.

A warrior with no crown. Yet every man followed him as if he bore the seal of the gods on his brow.

What power was that?

Duryodhana paused in the shadowed hallway, one hand resting on a carved pillar. The air was cool here, scented with jasmine and sandalwood, but it did little to soothe him.

Was it charisma? Luck? Magic?

Or was it that Arjuna had never needed to declare himself to be great?

He simply was. A quiet, lethal certainty.

And that was power.

Note: Hey hey! Still alive, I promise- college just has me in a chokehold right now. 😅 Wrote this little piece to clear my head, just a quick one. Let me know if you spot any mistakes! Also, where is the option for underline in Tumblr??? My mind is swimming in coffee and so is my common sense I'm afraid.

[friend-shaped-but]

Virat: Today I realised I'm old

Drupad: What happened?

Virat: I fell in the kitchen and instead of laughing, all my kids came running to see if I was ok

Drupad:

Virat: I saw fear in their eyes

[stxrrynxghts]

MB headcanons that might be true, pt. 2

Balarama is shorter than Krishna, height wise.

Arjun has the best hair out of his brothers. *screaming Nakul noises*

The kurus have only one thing in common: impeccable, shiny, lustrous hair

Yudhishthira has insomnia and depression

Draupadi is TALL (by female standards)

Subhadra LOVES pink.

Rukmini has literally no enemies

Arjun is absolutely oblivious regarding romance, but has done a PhD in bromance

Shatanika is bi.

Pradyumna is more like Ram in personality than Krishna.

Charumati is closer in age to Aniruddha, than to her brothers.

Satyavati is younger than Bhishma.

Pradyumna becomes a grandparent before Subhadra.

Nakul was a fashion influencer before it was a thing

Karenumati and Subhadra are quite close, as they are blood-related, and close in age.

Virata and Drupad are besties.

Dhrishtadyumna and Satyaki run an underground Arjun appreciation club.

Both Karna and Ashwatthama think that Duryodhana is their best friend. One of them is wrong

Vrishasena and Abhimanyu admire each other, but never get the chance to say it.

Arjun honestly does not care that Karna is his brother.

Krishna hates seeing Abhimanyu, because he sees his corpse instead of his smile.

Subhadra stayed more with Rukmini and Revati than her own mothers, as a child.

Satyaki and Kritavarma never liked each other, really.

Draupadi and Dhrishtadyumna never get along, except when the other one needs them.

Kunti feels she was not loved, hence why Shurasena gave her up.

Balarama has a favorite nephew, and is not afraid to hide it.

Prativindhya loved someone, but could never tell, because of the war

Lakshman would rather not fight in the war, not that he has a say in it.

[roastem]

[rajeshwar73]

द्रौपदी की कहानी में छिपे ये राज़, जिन्हें जानकर आप भी हैरान रह जाएंगे!

[noisybasementrebel]

Reblogging because its Trans Visibility Day, and how could i not mention that???? I wrote this for an author who made me see, for the first time, the complexity of Shikhandi's character and his story's relevance to people. Who made me SEE, amid tales of spotless valor and undying glory - the same, pulsating, human spirit that runs in us still. My timing is accidentally PERFECT!

So, i wrote this as a tribute to @friend-shaped-but 's fantastic fic On His Own Terms, about Shikhandi. Before his fic and his posts i'd never really thought about Shikhandi, except as a covenient plot device. And then i read the fic, read his posts and there Shikhnadi was : a living, breathing man, with Amba's rage in his veins and the patience of a soul who had incarnated again - in his eyes.

So, this is my tribute to you, @friend-shaped-but, i hope you enjoy it.

One day, the boy confined to the space of three rooms in his father’s palace will rule over battlefields with horizons stretching as far as the eye can see.

One day, the boy—who is not a boy (but truly, yes, he has always been himself)—who was once a girl (who remembers anklets and garlands and the heat of fire as it roasts your bones), who carries the suffering only a girl could know—will avenge that girl.

He will avenge himself, his trapped childhood, a lifetime of flinching at white and silver.

One day, that boy will breathe, and his chest will fight to expand, aching with the struggle to break free after decades of bindings. But he will take heaving lungfuls of the crisp air nonetheless—the kind of air that can only be found in the mountains that surround him, the mountains he grew up longing for, living for the mere hope of.

One day, the joy of fresh air and the mountains will fade as years pass and his chest still struggles to expand. One day, he will stand at the edge of a cliff and long for the ground—the fall.

One day, he will fall in love.

One day, his hands will shake as he holds his son, and he will try, with everything in him, not to be his father. His hands will shake again as he lights that son’s pyre, his chest fighting—always fighting—to breathe in the smoke that remains of his child.

One day, he will die gasping in his own tent, his childhood, his blessings, and his revenge sitting on his chest like a stone. And with his final breath, rattling in his lungs even as it fades, he will whisper:

I am, I am, I am.

One day, Shikhandi will be a man (he has always been a man). A husband, a father, a general. An example, An aberration. He will be all these things and more.

His will be no easy tale of exaltation—he will find no spotless glory like Arjuna or Abhimanyu. But his story will find the people it needs to find. His rattling breath will live in the chests of millions more after him.

One day. One day. One day.

But for now, he will live. He will grow.

In this darkened room, where moonlight casts kaleidoscopic patterns on the floor, where the toy he carved for the newborn baby he has not yet been allowed to see is clutched in his hands.

In the fire of Amba’s eyes and the fear in Devarata’s.

He will live.

[erenfox]

Underrated Shows/Books that I will never stop recommending (might add on more later):

1. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (Netflix Series/Books): Brilliantly made, beautifully written, amazing actors, amazing for bookworms like me (Esme is a queen fr 👑)

2. The Unlisted (Netflix Series): Amazingly crafted, top-tier plot, suspense keeps you on edge, very lovable characters (Dadi, Kymara, Jiao and ESPECIALLY Bua are so lovable bro SKJAKKSJAS 🥺)

3. The Mystery Series by Paul Moxham (Books): Very addicting, albeit corny yet still enjoyable, gives old nostalgic vibes even though I'm Gen Z lmao (AMY x WILL and MAX x HEIDI SHIPPP 🚢)

4. Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi (Books): Beautiful graphics, tragic beginning, good character growth up until book 6, ending was absolute horseshit BUT it's a really genius concept, just wasted potential (Riva is such a badass I love her✨)

5. The Maze Runner (Books/Movie Trilogy): Gripping mystery, terrifying ahh jumpscares, very likeable characters, well-written villains/morally-gray characters (Brenda is such a queen, but I'm always gonna remain a Teresa defender 🗣)

[orgasming-caterpillar]

Nakul being able to talk to horses is single-handedly the hottest thing he's ever done idc

[demigod-of-the-agni]

Hi! It's the anon from earlier (the one mentioning the long post) and yeah, if people would research before they wrote about cultures they don't know about, it would be great. Like I have an essay/rant about how Indian characters in Western media these days are practically written as either stereotypes, background characters which is fine except you could replace them with a white character and nothing would change, or something quite obvious was done wrong and it is seen as great diversity. And fandom is almost worse because even if the media got it right, the fandom does not. (Ahem the whole thing with Pavitr and hair oil and no he does not put it in his hair right before he leaves for school, not with that hair style)

Anyways, my one positive thing, I don't know if you have Netflix, but if you do, you should totally watch the Unlisted. Great, Brilliant Indian characters, the food, the plot and I just love it so much. I showed it to my family and they adored it too, and it's so difficult to find a Western show where it feels like a normal show vs being overly done, and The Unlisted for sure is one of them.

Hello again!!! Speak the truth, the more people know just how skewed Indian characterisation is the more chances people will actually pause and factually check their stuff. And nowadays, especially for fandom it's so easy to get a sensitivity reader, practically everyone is of a different background, so people can find someone have them have a read through to see if anything is odd or based on misinformation. I constantly ask my friends stuff that's hyper specific on their background (for others that don't know I'm South Indian, yet I ask my North Indian friend for Hindi slang to use in my own fics lmao)

(Also good god not that putting-coconut-oil-before-school fiasco T-T if anything, people only had to change ONE thing about that statement and it would have been alright: coconut oil in the hair, AND THEN SHAMPOO BEFORE SCHOOL... it's what I do at least, and it works fine)

(also you're so right Pavitr would have been beaten up and left to fry outside by the teachers for that hairstyle... we'll just say mumbattan is more progressive about students expressing themselves...)

wait HOLY SHIT YOU HAVE WATCHED THE UNLISTED. OH MY GOD. I HAVE NOT HEARD OF THAT IN YEARS. I watched it when it first aired and oh my GOD my brother and I went crazy over it because WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S A SHOW ABOUT MODERN DESI KIDS IN FUCKING SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA??

A SHOW ABOUT INDIAN KIDS?? SET IN /MY/ HOME TOWN??? the chances are low but never zero, let's fucking goooo

(Believe it or not I have not watched the finale episode lmao,, I think it's high time for a rewatch)

📢WATCH 'THE UNLISTED'... WATCH IT NOW !!!!!

[roastem]

Hope some stupid people know thoroughly that it's dhristdyumana who TOOK CARE OF UPAPANDAVAS FOR 13 YEARS. THEY WERE HIS NEPHEWS, HIS OWN TWIN SISTER SON'S, THEY WERE HIS RESPONSIBILITY AND HE FULFILLED HIS RESPONSIBILITY AS A PERFECT BROTHER BY LOOKING AFTER UPAPANDAVAS, TAKING CARE OF THEM, TRAINING THEM. DHRISTDYUMANA IS LITERALLY LIKE FATHER AND MOTHER FIGURE TO THE UPAPANDAVAS.

He played role of draupadi and pandavas in upanadavas life even though it was just for 13 years.

The love and affection panchalas had for draupadi and her children and for her husbands >>>>>>>>>>>>> other in laws.

THE MIGHTY PANCHALAS OF THE NORTH

I am honestly, HONESTLY baffled at the shitty portrayals of the Panchalas, be it in TV serials or Wattpad fictions on Mahabharat ( Yes, I am on Wattpad as a writer too ).

As someone who closely follows the authentic texts, the degradation of this mighty sect of Kshatriyas feels like a personal attack. Starting from Drupad to Dhrishtadyumn, EVERYONE is shown as GOOD FOR NOTHING. And this seriously boils up my blood to the core. Drupad and Dhrishtadyumn are mostly toyed around like clueless creatures, and the other sons of Drupad are hardly mentioned. Shikhandi has little to no job and those who mention Satyajit, oh God! They make an ABSOLUTE mockery out of him, like an incapable Prince who has no job of his own!

THEY DON'T EVEN SPARE DRUPAD'S WIFE PRISHATI EITHER!

Let me tell you, the PANCHALAS were a greatest power during the Era of Mahabharat, specially under Drupad! This entire part of north gains so much attention in Mahabharat!

And please, please! Drupad isn't some oldie or something, a misogynistic man ( like in SP Mb). He is one of the best fathers of Mahabharat! Also his ruling capabilities, his ways to analyze things will leave you shocking on how this man has been reduced to trash in fictions and serials!

Just read through the parts where Drupad was involved with the Pandavas along with Krishna, Balram etc and discussing about the war ( from BORI) and you will be baffled with the way Drupad articulates himself and keeps his point of view there. This man knows what he wants and that's how a Kshatriya should be! He is the one who supports the Pandavas till the end!

Like any father, he could've taken back Draupadi or instead go against the Pandavas for what had happened to his daughter, but no! He is the one who genuinely understood the plight of the Pandavas too! Like any family the Panchalas could've blamed the Pandavas, but did they? They never! Till the very end they stood on the side of Dharma with them! If you think Drupad to be stupid, just look at the choices of friendship and strategies he makes. This man knows very well how to make Panchal a powerful kingdom and oh man he lived up to it.

Also yes: I want to bring your attention to Drupad Drona rivalry. Yes, this is somewhere where Drupad falters, but let's also have a look at the story from Drupad's POV too-

Drupad was a child when he had gone to the ashram and he meets Drona, who is older than him; double of his age- they become fast friends and Drona also helps him in his studies. Drupad, happy enough, promises him a part of his kingdom.

Drupad thinks that Drona is his friend and will be forever loyal to him.

Also, mind you, Panchalas and Kurus were always enemies ( before DrauPan marriage) . Drupad, after a few years sees his best friend sticking with Bheeshm, and becoming the son in law of Hastinapur! ( if anyone doesn't know, Dron's wife Kripi is the adopted daughter of Shantanu.)

How will you feel seeing your friend making your enemy a close family all the while, and not even bothering to inform you about it? Mind it Drona always knew about the beef between the two kingdoms, but did he bother ever explaining to Drupad anything? Or assuring him? Even for once?

But what does Drona do? He one day lands up in front of Drupad and start asking for the part of Kingdom he promised? Suddenly he remembers Drupad?

As Drupad, why will you even trust someone who was sticking with your enemy like it was nothing? Isn't Drupad's anger here justified? Yes, he did not fulfill his promise, but will you had if your friend ever did this?

Won't you feel betrayed, left out and hurt? Someone you innocently considered your own and then they do these without bothering to tell you anything?!

Also what's with showing Dhrishtadyumn so angry and hot headed 24x7? If anyone doesn't know, Vaishampaayan considers him like one of the Pandavas, at par the Pandavas almost! He for God's sake IS THE INCARNATION OF AGNI HIMSELF! Stop showing him so petty everywhere! You know, when he comes out of the fire, he roars like a lion that the entire Panchal almost trembles at it? You show this guy powerless, good for nothing? He was one of the favorite confidates of Bheem and Saatyaki ( if anyone didn't know) and one of the most crucial one in handling the army of Pandavas during war! He's the one who looks after the Upapandvas and cares for them!

I seriously don't understand the need to pull them down just to glorify the others!

The Panchalas were one of the most powerful forces to exist, get that fact drilled in your head guys!

[aru-loves-krishnaxarjuna]

KaJu

Pt.2 -> Masterlist

A day before the departure, Arjuna recieved an unusual parcel, or rather, a gift. From the one and only Vasudev Krishna. That boy was older than him by two years, and was from the royal family of the oligarchy kingdom, Dwarka.

Arjuna opened the box, and saw atypical but adorable blue stones, along with a small letter and a peacock feather.

Hope you like the small gift, Parth!

—Vasudev Krishna

'Why did he send only me a cute yet unusual gift like this? Because none of my Bhrata have got one. And Parth? Is he referring to me? Either way, i really love the name!' Arjuna thought as he kept away the stones in a part of his dhoti, and rummaged through the seven-tiered Chakravyuha formation.

"Arju?" Came Bheem's voice. Arjuna perked up as he jumped on the twenty-one year old lad, who caught him and twirled him in the air ruffling his younger brother's hairs.

"Bhrata Bheem!" Exclaimed Arjuna cheerfully. "Let me guess, you want to eat sweets together with all our brothers and discuss plans about the war tomorrow, right?" Bheem pulled Arjuna by the shoulder and grinned wide. "You guessed right! Now come on!" Vrikodar pulled Phalgun along, who just laughed.

"Yesterday was impressive! You fought sooo well!" Nakul said excitedly.

"I think we should get to serious topics now, Nakul. We have to go to war tomorrow." Said Yudhishthir, being his usual serious self. "As me and the others were discussing, you would have to lead us in the war, Phalgun."

"I agree. Because Panchal Raj is most likely to use that formation. We will clear the way for you." Sahadev added, with a gentle smile.

_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–

It was a pretty windy day. It was still dark outside as he made his way to the stables to see his white pet horse. Arjuna had received him as a present just a few months ago; since he was a young warrior now, he could have a horse of his own. He had named him Vikramaditya — a rather fancy name for a horse. Vikram for short. Arjuna was really fond of him, and stroked and cuddled the animal as he drank water from his tub. As he headed towards the main halls, he heard raised voices coming clearly from a distance. Outside, in the main yard, Duryodhan was up bright and early before sunrise, having a full-blown argument with Drona, as many people looked on.

"But that is unfair, Acharya!"

"I am having none of it! He can not come!"

"But it will be much easier if he goes with us!"

"Then it means that you are not confident in your own skills!"

It was then that Arjuna noticed Karna standing beside Duryodhan, head lowered, jaw tightened in anger and shame. Drona hadn't initially recognised him at the ceremony, since they'd met after several years, but had known who he was the minute he'd introduced himself. Moments later, the argument was interrupted by Shakuni, who bowed before Drona. He already seemed to have something up his sleeve, like he always did.

"Respected Guru", he drawled, "Allow me to explain, if you please." He shoved Duryodhan aside and stepped in front of Drona. "I understand you do not wish to take along a man who isn't your pupil, but I assure you! You can most certainly take him along without letting him participate! You and your son are going as well, but neither of you are fighting. Similarly, you may take Angaraj with you. Let him stay back, but remember, Drupad is tough to defeat. Just in case your pupils find themselves in peril, you may send the King of Anga to their aid in an emergency. Not only would this benefit you, but also ensure that you have a second plan if your first one goes awry."

Drona hesitated. Shakuni had a point. After thinking for a few moments more, he relented. "Alright. He can come. But mind you, young man", he pointed a finger at Karna. "You can only join the battle of I order you to do so." Duryodhan and Karna nodded, looking pleased and relieved.

"What's going on?" said a boisterous voice behind Arjuna. He turned to see Bheem with Yudhishthir.

"King Karna of Anga will be joining us too." In response, Bheem scoffed and rolled his eyes. None of Arjuna's brothers took well to Karna, given that he was clearly on Duryodhan's side anyways.

As the princes arrived slowly and stood in front of their teacher, Drona addressed them. "Today is the day of the first battle of your lives. I want you all to do well. But be warned, Drupad is not an easy man to defeat, for he has the same knowledge of and training in warfare that I have imparted to all of you. It is my goal to defeat him with some of the greatest young warriors whom I have taught myself. If any of you are still a bit apprehensive about this, you are free to opt out of the Gurudakshina. Of those who choose to participate, I have faith you will not let me down."

Arjuna felt even more emboldened than before. He bit his lip, struggling to control the excitement from showing on his face. He would do it. They bade goodbye to the elders and set off. Panchal was not very far from Hastinapur, it was a journey of about nine hours on horseback and in chariot-cars. Since they had left in the early morning, they arrived in the middle of the afternoon. Panchal was comparatively smaller than Hastinapur but was blessed with picturesque landscapes worthy of portraits - sparkling lakes, long stretches of deep green meadows and rolling hills.

Without warning, the party marched into the capital of Kampilya. The citizens gathered on the street sides in astonishment and confusion, many shouted and ran out of their homes to watch what was happening. Drona and his pupils headed straight to the palace, and as they approached the gates, he addressed the royal guards in a booming voice:

"Hear, hear, guards of this gate! I hereby command you to call upon your Maharaj at this very moment! Tell him that his old friend, Drona, has finally come to fulfil his part of the bet!"

The guards had no time to protest: seeing a host of over a hundred young warriors all wielding various weapons sent them into a frenzy. They rushed inside at once, yelling out and within minutes, Drupad had come outside, a large army of soldiers in his wake.

Drona ordered the Pandavas, Karna and Ashwatthama to stand back, and sent the Kauravas inside first. All hundred and one brothers ran in like a stream of wild bulls, charging straight at Drupad, who stood back as his soldiers ran at the princes. Chaos ensued. Maces slammed into each other, arrows were shot from all ends, fearsome spears were thrown with great force and swords clashed all around. The fight continued for around twenty minutes. Karna waited eagerly, his bow ready, hoping he would be called, but Drona stood just as resolutely in front of him, watching the scene unfold.

The Pandavas and Ashwatthama stood to one side far from the huge gates, Arjuna and Ashwatthama gossiping like the old friends they were, with Nakul adding his two cents here and there between their conversation.

"Now is not the time to be talking or gossiping, Phalgun." Came Jyesht's voice, in response of which he gave a whine. "Why are you always ruining the fun!?"

The others nodded their heads and crossed their arms as Yudhishthir sweatdropped.

Drona turned to the Pandavas. "It is your turn now, Panduputro. Go." The five hadn't noticed when their literal hunded cousins came back; Duryodhan and Dushasan were the last ones to return, panting and out of breath. They were both a mess; Dushasan had a gash on his thigh and several bruises over his face; Duryodhan’s hair had become terribly untidy and dusty from having fallen several times, and he looked like he’d had the wind knocked out of him.

Bheem would have laughed at them if it wasn't for the serious matter ahead of him and his brothers. They all nodded and the five proceeded towards the gate as Drupad yelled something imperceptible at Drona again. As per the plan, Yudhishthir stayed at the gate, blocking it with his chariot; the twins stood far out on either side of him, preparing to jump on anyone who tried to attack their eldest brother or their teacher. Meanwhile, Bheem ran straight inside towards the army, clearing the path for Arjuna, who entered in his wake on Vikram. Bheem alone was enough to take a little over half of the army; he charged with full force, his mighty mace thrashing anyone who tried to stop him. Meanwhile, Arjuna started his work of breaking the Chakravyuha, while his brothers worked together to defeat all soldiers.

Arjuna repeatedly shot arrows that multiplied into hundreds at once, thus easily fending off the other half of the army. The seventeen year old rode with his head low; whenever his horse began to show signs of panic, he would rub his neck comfortingly, leading him in various directions away from any oncoming soldiers before turning round and shooting at them with impeccable aim.

Arjuna was almost near the center but that was when he saw the Panchal Raj outside the Chakravyuha. He was about to break the last layer and go but was stopped by a shout. "Return to your teacher, you insolent boy! Your Guru is as pathetic as he always was, using his students to fight this battle with me! What else can one expect from a coward? Return, I tell you! Or else you shall meet the same fate as the hundred who came before you!"

Arjuna felt his temper rising at hearing his teacher being insulted this way. He was now more determined than ever to successfully complete this task. He shot arrows at Drupad, who shot back immediately. They collided and fell lifeless to the cracked, sun-scorched earth.

As the fight continued however, many of Drupad's army personnel were left in awe as they looked on; they weren't going to intervene when their King was fighting another warrior; but what had surprised them was that, despite having a positional advantage of standing up high on an elephant (compared to the Rajkumar on the ground), their King was slowly but surely losing the fight.

No one could tell the small gap of a few seconds between Arjuna taking out arrows from his quiver and him finally releasing them. His movements were nimble, agile, skilful. At one point, Arjuna shot an arrow that grazed Drupad's shoulder. The force of it caused Drupad to lose his balance and fall off the elephant.

The former jumped off his horse and ran towards him. Now was his chance to trap Drupad. However, there was a flash of light and the next moment, there were five identical men standing in front of him. Arjuna's mouth fell slightly open. Drupad had used a spell of which he had no knowledge of, one that could create illusions of himself. The five Drupads all looked at him, each with a smug expression on his face, inviting him to capture one of them. There was no way he could tell the real Drupad apart.

And suddenly as one of the Drupad's slashed st him, he dodged at the last minute but the stone he had kept had fallen down.

Five pairs of eyes. The eyes. The eyes on the bluish pebbles…

And then it struck him. It was so sudden that for a moment he thought it was madness to believe it. But could it be? There was a tiny chance it was true. He stole a glance at the eyes of each Drupad. The man on the far left end was looking straight at the man to his own left. The three men from the right were also looking at the man to their right. All as if trying to imitate him. The man in question was staring right at Arjuna.

Then he knew. In a flash, he shot an arrow at the man standing second from the left. It transformed into ropes, which bound themselves around Drupad. The king let out a yell of surprise and stumbled backwards, as the remaining four illusions disappeared. Arjuna too let out an exclamation of triumph, "So there you are!" He couldn’t help but laugh. "You should have instructed your impostors not to make it so obvious that they were trying to copy you."

When Drupad was brought before Drona, he was fuming, humiliated at being defeated by a young boy. Drona was beaming yet again, both at Drupad's defeat and at his favourite student. The teacher and the king began a heated discussion, in which Drona agreed to let Drupad go if the latter gave him half his kingdom (as he had apparently promised to do several years ago before going back on his word). The raging king had to give in in order to be set free.

The Kauravas were sullen and grumpy at their inability to perform well, and at being outshined by their five cousins once again. Karna was dejected as he hadn't had a chance to take part, yet couldn't help but admire the younger archer. Bheem was elated as Drona praised him for his might and strength. Arjuna, Yudhishthir, Nakul and Sahadev each received hugs from Drona for their persistence and endeavours.

Though he was certainly happy at having successfully completed the Gurudakshina task, Arjuna's mind was far from praise and glory at the moment.

All he could think about were the five pebbles Krishna had sent him.

┏━━━━•❅•°•❈•°•❅•━━━•❅•°•❈•°•❅•━━━━┓

❍               ❍                ❍

┗━━━━•❅•°•❈•°•❅•━━━•❅•°•❈•°•❅•━━━━┛

Yudhishthir was crowned Yuvraj and Duryodhan wasn't able to swallow it down his evil throat. And that was again when Shakuni jumped in. They had planned about how they were going to burn the Pandavas alive and even convinced Raaj Maata Kunti, and Karna, still harboring Dharma in his mind, didn't take well to it. He excused himself. "Mitra, I am going to take some fresh air outside. I- I will meet up with you later on." And walked away without even waiting for Duryodhan's response.

As he walked down the corridors, Karna saw lotuses floating on the water of the fountains and remembered the Raaj Maata's face. He smiled as he took one and peoceeded towards the Queen Mother's room as it was…maybe, the last time he would see her again.

Arjuna was the first one to arrive at his Kunti Maa's room, skipping all his way excitedly like the adorable teenager he still was, because she had called them to talk and discuss about going to Varnavrat. As he reached outside door of her kaksh, he didn't notice Angaraj Karna behind him because he was coming from the other way and was almost there when they both heard voices and their conversation and it shocked them to the core.

Some lines have been taken from SuaveBlackSwan's book 'Mahabharata — a retelling' as well as inspired from my pyaari si Jiji @bharatiya-naari-sab-pe-bhaari :)

[sambhavami]

yk one woman I will always feel bad for is Kripi.

Unserious reason: I'd feel sorrry for any person who has ashwatthama as a son because im an Ashwatthama hater.

Serious reason: She was probably raised very comfortably and lovingly with Shantanu, doted upon by Kripa, idk if she saw Shantanus other kids as her siblings but maybe them too, very cute, right? And then got married to drona. This makes me wonder what the circumstances of their marriage were, what did the royal family think about it? I like to think Drona liked her at least at first. And. And the first few days are fine, right? Like hey maybe shes not living in a palace but its a quaint little house and shes happy. But slowly Drona begins changing. Or rather showing his true colours. Becomes a stingy but power hungry guy and Kripi had to manage the household with those few resources... he disappears to go learn from Parshuram, when they they have ashwatthama, he's crying for milk and Drona will sit there dreaming about power and money and not even try to do anything... (taking this next part from BR Chopra idk if its in the official editions) When the Drupad thing happens he sacrifices all practicality for pride and even after he gets a job in Hastinapur he's still staying in a small hut because he wants DRUPADS money/cows... like be fr dude. And its all so messed up. And she sees her son grow up. He carries the same ambition as his father did. The cycle is repeating and all she can do is watch. It's so sad... and what did she get at the end of the war. A dead husband and a son who would be known for all eternity as the most cowardly man ever. Her son is alive but at what cost. He will outlive her like he is supposed to but at what cost. It's so sad. I'm sure I can come up with more but this is my Ted talk for now thank you for listening.

Hey, thank you so much for putting all this into words! I agree with you about 90% 😂, so, I am going to put some bullet points 😂

Shantanu all but adopts the twins yes, but he still keeps them in separate lodging (because, caste). We see Bheeshma too later speaking to Kripa with the respect of an elder, even though Bheeshma is the oldest person in the room (again, caste). Seeing that like his father, Kripa is also interested in archery, Shantanu arranges for training in that field alongside your normal theory stuff, and Kripi gets home science lessons (and some of the theory part too).

Now, when they grow up, Dr. Bhaduri's baseline assessment of Kripa is- lazy. He has grown up with the respect of a brahmin and the luxury of a kshatriya, and has never really experienced the 'hardships' of either side, which has made him extremely complacent. I mean, it takes Drona all but one month to take over his sarkari naukri! Throughout the epic [at least till Drona's death] Kripa's maximum contribution is: "Uh, what he said." He follows his muh-bola brother and brother-in-law in whatever decision the latters take. He loves his sister, but I doubt he had anything to do with her marriage this way or that way.

Kripi's marriage to Drona is fixed via a three-way agreement between Shantanu, Sharadvana and Bharadvaja. The reason for this alliance, is speculatively twofold: (1) Both Kripi and Drona's mothers come from a 'lower' caste, and they would find it difficult to marry within full-brahmin families, so this arrangement was b/w equals that way, (2) the Maudgalya brahmins, the Bharadvajas and the Kurus are all cousin lineages, and they did like to keep it within the not-immediate family.

Now, Drona does NOT want to marry her. He only agrees when Bharadvaja sort of blackmails him with a 'this is my dying wish' argument. The marriage happens, I think, shortly before/after Bharadvaja's death, at a time when Drona is too much in shock to protest. We see the ripple effects of this throughout Kripi's life [most of it behind the scenes though].

Bharadvaja was solidly upper-middle-class however. He was after all the dean of a very, very successful gurukul. He might've kept Drona in a pseudo-austere situation, but they weren't by any means hurting for cash. Drona might not have clocked it, and Bharadvaja probably did not think it very appropriate to flash money before his very impressionable kid but Drupada did that job, and the damage was done.

Throughout his childhood and youth Drona loudly complains, to anyone who would listen, that he hates his father's job, and does NOT want to become the next Bharadvaja and keep the gurukul running. He does teach at the school under his father when he's a bit older, but kicking and screaming all the way.

Hence, it's no surprise that once the old Bharadvaja dies, the parents start to withdraw their kids from his school, because why would they allow their children to toil in vain under a guy who very vocally hates the job? Bharadvaja's usp was political science, which isn't Drona's strong suit anyway, so that was the official reason for the students to leave. It is around this time that Kripi marries into the mess. She is comfortable at first yes, but she can see the future too, just is unable to stop it because Drona never listens.

Drona, however does nothing to stop the leak because baap ka maal dariya mein daal, right? He only wises up once all the savings and the students are gone, and he is well and truly penniless. It's now that he sets aside his ego, and asks his neighbours for tuition contracts, and they just say heck no! They rather suggest, "You wanted to be a kshatriya so bad, then go be a soldier under some king instead." And Drona even tries that, and all the local kings go, "I won't sin by employing a brahmin to do a kshatriya's work! Have you considered teaching?"

Now, Drona is well and truly out of options, since no one would even donate a single cow, and he was running out of ways to feed his family. Ashwatthama, he loves dearly, and it pains him immensely to see him suffer and be bullied by kids and adults alike on top of that, but he would still not accept his wife's family's help.

The milk-incident is the straw that breaks the camel's back, and Drona packs up and drags his little family all the way to Kampilya, gets insulted and then finally, to avoid being homeless with a wife and kid, he finally, reluctantly goes to stay with Kripa.

There, once he has enticed the princes, Bheeshma is finally informed that his sister and brother-in-law are here [that much of a low profile he was keeping out of shame]. Bheeshma obviously treats him with respect regardless taking him to his own quarters to have a chat mano-a-mano, and then we get this golden(?) exchange:

Bheeshma: "So Drona, how is my little sister then?"

Drona: "She's got less hair on her head, but she's kinda smart so I tolerate it."

I mean I would still like to know, what was going on in his brain for him to first think of, and then say aloud these words, to her BROTHER no less! YOU starved her for the better part of a decade, your son's voice never changed and he's got a bump on his head as a direct consequence of that, and you were expecting your wife to be what, Hema Malini?!

Bheeshma kinda glosses over that comment, because I guess ladkiwale and all that nonsense, plus I think he realized giving Drona the teaching job was the only way to ensure his sister and nephew would have something to eat the next day, because Drona would still not accept any charity, much less from him.

Bheeshma actually gives Drona an entire apartment complex's worth of four-to-five-storey buildings under the guise of arranging student hostels, and Drona, with his family actually live in a penthouse type flat in one of those buildings itself, with an army of servants and a hefty allowance that he doesn't have to touch since food and lodging are paid for already [gurudakshinas on top of that]. They are comfortable, but Drona would never admit that this turn of fate happened thanks to Kripi and her family [and also he hates teaching unless it is Ashwatthama or later, Arjuna].

Ashwatthama actually grows up relatively well-adjusted considering how most of his childhood went. He is also a better friend of the Pandavas [Arjuna in particular, and there's a bit of jealousy too, and some healthy competition] that the Kauravas. He fights on the Kauravas' side only because Drona doesn't want to be on the same side as Drupada, and Kripa will follow Drona to the earth's end [mostly because he can't bothered to make his own choice]. Ashwatthama mostly sticks around to keep his father and uncle safe, despite the fact that he HATES and is nearly coming to blows every night with Karna.

Karna too, a tactless, filterless idiot, decides that the best time to air all his grievances with Drona [all fair points which I agree with wholeheartedly], to Ashwathhama no less, is one freaking hour after his father's been brutally murdered. Time and a place, man! [Ashwathhama cuts off his janeu, declared himself not-a-brahmin and challenges Karna to a death match, but Duryodhana gets in them iddle and stops it].

Also, this is where something in Ashwatthama cracks. Due to the previous circumstances, he has a kind of an unhealthy attachment to Drona, to the point that he never even goes to rule the part of Panchala that his father crowned him for. His death unleashes something feral in the man, that we see get compounded when he sees Duryodhana dying [this, imo, meshes in his mind with the manner of his father's death, and in a way he goes to avenge Drona when he massacres the remaining Pandavas and Panchalas].

And yes, Kripi is left all alone [except for her twin], to deal with the emotional as well as physical fallout from the war. The only solace was probably that she was great-grandma to Parikshit, and we can only hope that she found some solace there.

[friend-shaped-but]

“A king was like a gardener”, his grandfather had told him once. “He nourishes new life, all the while weeding out that which is unsuccessful or harmful. He has to have his hands in the dirt, his head in the blazing, burning sun. But the kingdom is his garden, and he has to make it the best damn garden he can,”

~ Drishtaketu, Drishtaketu. 

"जितू, सर्वात जास्त कशाचा त्रास होतो माहित आहे? आता- आता आरश्यात बघितल्यावर समोर तिचा चेहरा दिसत नाही! जी निराशा आणि तळमळ आजन्म मला अपल्या ताकदीने मृत्यूच्या जबड्यात ओढून घेण्याचा सतत प्रयत्न करत असते, तिच्याशी लढायची शक्ती आईकडूनच यायची. आणि मग ती नव्हती तरी आ��श्यात पाहिल्यावर तिचा चेहरा दिसायचा, आणि एक क्षण वाटायचं कि हो, आहे ती माझ्याबरोबर! पण आता- आता तेही नाही! आता वाटतं, समुद्रात वाहून गेलेल्या, भटकणाऱ्या नावेसारखा झालो रे मी!"

 ~ Shikhandi, Wars and Weddings (trans: Jitu, do you know what bothers me the most(about all this)? That I don’t see her face in the mirror, looking back at me! The hopelessness and anguish that have haunted me across time and space, the apathy that threatens to push me straight into the jaws of death- Mother gave me the strength to fight against it all. And then- and then when she wasn’t there, at least, I could look into the mirror, see her face, and as if for a moment, feel like she was there with me. And now I don’t even have that! Now? I feel like a boat, without an oar or anchor, drifting aimlessly in the sea.”)

[h0bg0blin-meat]

Yall sleeping on the dynamics of the old men in the Mahabharata

Like

Drona x Drupad (enemies to lovers, sue my ass)

Drona x Bhishma bromance

Drona x Bhishma x Kripa brotherhood

Drona x Kripa brotherhood

Shakuni and Bhishma (cunning plotterhead x done-with-him-attitude guy /plat)

Parshuram x Bhishma (rivals to allies)

Drona and Bhishma but they end up choosing the opposite sides and fighting each other (BONUS: If one of them dies in the other's hands)

Parshuram x Vyasa bromance

Bhishma comes out as aroace to Drona (BONUS: Emotional and angsty. And maybe he even comes out to Kripa, but after Drona) (headcanon)

Drupad x Drona forced proximity

The possibilities are endless smh