#⟨ ✧ WONDER WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE THE UNIVERSE‚ EXPERIENCING ITSELF IRONICALLY. 」 ;WORLDBUILDING.

[mahishmatikathakar]

Mahishmati Katha Charcha- Week 8- 05/06/2019- 05/12/2019.

Fic of the Week is   When the Stars Mourn by @queenofmahishmati

Review by @avani008

Sharme does it again! As is par for the course, “When the Stars Mourn” is a delightfully spooky exploration of a missing member of Mahishmati’s royal family–Amarendra’s mother, who is nothing more than an afterthought in the movie itself, here gets a chance to interact with her imprisoned daughter-in-law, and Devasena gets a well-needed pep talk from a woman she never expected to meet.

This is all the more apt given the upcoming holiday, but this fic is a poignant exploration of motherhood, and doesn’t flinch away from the fact that Devasena is, as far as we can tell, as much of an orphan as her husband. This missing moment is one of the rare tender interactions we see her experiencing in this part of her life, and it is all the more fascinating for all  the questions it doesn’t answer: how is Mama Baahu able to achieve this? What is the backstory of the conflict between the Goddess and the God that she refers to?

(I know, I know. But I still love the glimmers of worldbuilding we have in our fandom, and this is so intriguing!)

This is a must-read for anyone who loves Devasena or any of the other lesser known and appreciated members of this Baahubali universe, and as beautifully written and constructed as ever!

Review by @mayavanavihariniharini

Mama Baahu, as I feel, is one of the most fascinating and intriguing characters of the Baahubali universe... mainly because we know SO little about her that we are free to expand her character the way we want to. And Sharme's brilliant piece is one of the most outstanding fics on her!

Mama Baahu's interaction with Devasena is something I have always wanted to see in a fic. Sadly, this can exist only in Mama Baahu's afterlife... in canon, at least. Keeping this in mind, @queenofmahishmati, the undoubted queen of angst, weaves a beautiful tale where (the spirit of) Mama Baahu meets Devasena while she is a prisoner.

Ah, that brings me to Devasena in captivity.

Devasena is undoubtedly my favourite character in the Baahubali series... and trust me, this fic just made me respect this iron lady 10 times more than I already did. I love how her resilience shines through, and how this fic answers a lot of questions about why Devasena chose to stay a prisoner in Mahishmati (considering the fact that many of us wonder why she did so... because she was badass enough to kick Bhalla's ass any day of the week).

Mama Baahu shines as the strict yet caring mother who treats Devasena just like a daughter in the brief moments of their interaction, and by the time you finish reading this, you can't help wondering how different things might have been had Baahu hadn't lost his mom.

Favourite line: "The men of this kingdom are either plain dreadful or have the most despicable timings ever possible."

Aaaaaah, this! This line is everything!

Seriously, folks, go read this masterpiece if you haven't yet! It will haunt you forever!

That’s All Folks! Go read the fic and join in the discussion.  

Jai Mahishmati