#amarsena for life

[rambheem-is-real]

can’t believe i’m posting on this site again and it’s because of another fucking prabhas movie 😭

[avani008]

10 Sentences: Amarsena + Their Kids Version

For @ratnananda

Amarendra & his kids

Always a Different Profession AU

“You could be,” Mahendra snaps, “a bit more sympathetic?”; but Sivvu only rolls her eyes and points out: “That you didn’t read the syllabus and realize Father would be your lecturer on the first day?”

Before the Beginning

He dreams sometimes of children smiling back at him; and that is how he knows, no matter how much Devasena might worry about their banishment, that it will be all right.

Bodyswap

“Truthfully,” Sivvu reasons, “does it make that much of a difference?”; Father and Mahendra--or perhaps that’s Mahendra and Father--glower at her, unamused.

Curse

His father died a cipher his child could never understand; Amarendra swears to himself that he shall do better.

Darkest Timeline

Devasena is lost to him, childbirth having claimed her the second time around; but even in his bereavement, he has two children tethering him to this world.

Fall

Sivvu loves it best when the year nears its end; Mahendra hates that season almost as much.

Floriography

They huddle under a juniper tree when it begins to rain, and Mahendra puts his arm around Sivvu as she starts to shiver; “Don’t worry,” he promises, “Father will find us.”

Play

Father calls them uncultured when they complain about having to attend one of the court playwright’s neverending productions; but Sivvu and Mahendra both notice he’s the first one of the family to fall asleep during it.

Role Reversal

It comes years after she’s studied and worked and prepared for it, but on that dark day, Sivvu still doesn’t feel ready to take her father’s place.

Space

On clear nights, Sivvu takes out her star charts and teaches them to navigate the sky.

Devasena & her kids

Always a Different Profession AU

On days when Mother takes them to work with her, Mahendra likes to make a nest for himself and Sivvu underneath her desk; beside them is the hum of the computer, and above, the clack of Mother’s graceful fingers on her keyboard.

Before the Beginning

“I see that you are to be twice blessed with children, Crown Princess,” the fortune-teller says earnestly, and Devasena resists the urge to laugh incredulously.

Bodyswap

Devasena’s first warning that something has gone terribly wrong comes when Mahendra goes an entire morning without knocking something over, and Sivvu is found scowling on the roof.

Curse

“Language,” scolds Mother, despite the fact that Mahendra has heard her say much worse herself a thousand times before.

Darkest Timeline

Sivagami holds out her arms, and Devasena knows, with a jolt of horror, that her mother-in-law will only be able to carry one of the twins to safety.

Fall

Sivvu does not enjoy heights so much as her brother, but she does not fear them nonetheless; she trusts that Mahendra will catch her, come what may.

Floriography

Mother takes them into the wilds of Kuntala once a year, and Sivvu loves nothing more than to feel the gentle moss beneath her feet as Mother hums an accompaniment to the river’s roar.

Play

Mahendra knows quite a lot of people are frightened of Mother, particularly when they’re rude to her or Father in court, but they can’t know how very silly she can be sometimes.

Role Reversal

“Demons live above the waterfall,” warns Mother, and frowning, Sivvu thinks that she doesn’t believe in fantasies like that in the slightest; she’ll prove such a ridiculous claim untrue if it’s the last thing she does.

Space

Mahendra comes close to her when upset, his father’s child in this respect alone, but Sivvu prefers to lick her wounds alone; Devasena, who feels much the same, lets her be.

[paneerlajwanti]

Goki I am falling in love with your Mandalas so can I have an AmarSena Mandala please? Preferably something on the Hamsa Naava theme?

hi omg my life on tumblr has come a full circle

i made quite a few versions because idk didn't feel as comfortable with it but let's see

actually don't feel that great or my designs aren't coming out the way i wanted to so please abort mission kara do

[heyifinallyhaveablog]

Amarendra/Devasena- Finish your damn food!

Okay so, @ruminationsofaraven and I were having a chat about how we were reporting on a certain kind of special duty. (Classfied information, sorry!), and Yours Sincerely got around to fidgeting in her ask box lying in abeyance. And I found this ask from @carminavulcana lying around for a prompt that I had writtten, ages ago.

Warning: Not edited/proofread/self-reviewed. :D

Ankur, here you go, Bae! Sorry this took so long! <3

---

Dinnertable conversations:

Relationship: AmarSena

Characters: Amarendra Baahubali, Bhallaladeva, Devasena, and Little Mahendra.

Setting: Modern AU

----

Devasena stopped dead in her tracks by the refrigerator, as Amar blankly cast nervous glances at her and their five-year-old.

“Where. Did. You. Hear. That. From?!” came the question Amar dreaded.

Mahendra was perhaps the only one to retain his normalcy in this silent chaos. After all, for him, asking the meaning of a particular word during dinnertime was casual dining table banter.

After all, Bhalla Papa used the word at least five times in a sentence, right?

“Mahendra,”- Amar intervened, making a brave attempt at some kind of damage control -which, by the way, had actually gone beyond human control.

-“Why don’t you finish your dinner and go to bed, Darling?” he volunteered, sounding utterly, unduly cheesy even to himself.

-“But-” the child interjected, - “The ice-cr-”

-“FINISH YOUR DAMN FOOD AND GO TO BED! NOW!” Devasena screamed, making the dining hall tremble in fear.

“Okay.” both Father and Son complied as they promptly left their seats, one in obedience, another as a means to escape the (in?)famous spousal wrath.

“Not you, husband,” she deadpanned.

“I’m talking to the child.”

---

Devasena was still seething in anger, and a hint of something that said,-

-“I TOLD YOU!” she hissed at her husband, “I TOLD YOU TO NOT LET-”

“His tongue might have slipped.” Amar gulped.

“SLIPPED?!” she thundered, “HE was with a five-year-old!”

“Look Deva,”- Amar dared to speak again, - “Bhalla is a very casual person. Moreover, he didn’t mean to-”

-“Teach his nephew what ‘Fuck’ meant?” Devasena acrimoniously completed for him. 

Precisely, Amar thought, but knew better.

“When does he return?” the angered mother inquired.

“He is probably heading home as we speak.” Amar looked at the watch as its hands stopped at ten-thirty at night, which conventionally was bedtime for Mahendra, television time for his parents, and literally the beginning of the evening for the convict who was unknowingly awaiting a trial.

---

“And?!” Bhalla eyed his sister-in-law with a nonchalant incredulity.

Amar, for his part, just remained the mute spectator that he had intended to be.

Let the monsters kill each other, his mind involuntarily spun the line out of nowhere in Game of Thrones.

“You used the f-word in front of your nephew!” Devasena relentlessly rallied on.

“Chill!�� Bhalla calmly interjected, “It is just part of his training.” 

The proud smile of his face, was reflected in Devasena’s ignited eyes, which had hellfire burning ablaze in them.

“TRAINING?!” Devasena mouthed, splattering a gob of spittle. Amar, for his own safety hid his laughter.

But Bhalla didn’t.

“Seriously, Deva,’- he managed to speak amid peals of laughter, - “Do you really think the little devil shall stay pure in his teens?!”

Nostrils flaring, eyes blazing, and hair flying, Amar swore his wife was a Goddess of Destruction, and yet, she was still fumbling to come up with a proper retort.

“Smart child there,” Bhalla continued, “Very smart, and witty. Unlike his dumbass dad, of course.”

Amar was simply jolted out of his trance with a start.

“Dumbass?!” he croaked.

“Yeah, like,”- Bhalla shrugged like it was the most obviously known fact in the entire universe, - “for all your straight A-s and everything,” he continued, “you were the dumbass.”

“The quintessential good-boy trope, man,” Bhalla kept speaking, “You were just too good to be my brother.”

Amar didn’t say much. Well, there wasn’t really much to say here. Bhalla was the Badass Brother, he was the Dumbass Brother, as Bhalla put it in no unclear words.

“But that boy of ours, man!” he spoke proudly, “I’m so proud of our little Mahendra!”

Sweet Mother of God!, even Amar swelled in pride. Bhalla complimenting their child was a plus. The man had scant respect for worldly beings, relatives even less, but he doted on his nephew and spoilt him silly with regular weekend outings and rides. The two even had plans for adventure trips when Mahendra grew up, and frankly, Amar couldn’t help but marvel at the manner in which his child had his otherwise snarky Uncle wrapped around his little finger.

But then, Bhalla, was well- Bhalla, for crying out loud. There were few things known to mankind that were controllable when he was in his element, which was, pretty much, always.

“Moreover,” Bhalla was still speaking audaciously, “I’m quite certain that he’ll learn the ways of the wayward world sans my tutelage.”

“You,”- Devasena opened her mouth

-“Must exercise some restraint when it comes to language. Only when you are with him.” Amar spoke.

Bhalla listened. Apparently, calm was far better than anger. 

“He is five, Bhalla,”- Amar spoke,

-“And smart enough to pick up a cuss word?” Bhalla smiled slyly.

Amar rolled his eyes. Plainly, winning a match against this guy was a tough task. But then, he was handed the responsibility of handling this hellhole of infantile adults, angry wives, and over inquisitive children.

“Look, man,” he spoke again, quietening his wife with a gesture, “He’ll learn when he does. You don’t need to give him an induction session on cuss words, this early in life.”

It was Bhalla’s turn to roll his eyes.

“Okay, Brother,” he spoke sarcastically, “I would censor my telephone conversations with my incompetent, teammates, so as not to defile my little ball of sunshine.”

“Thank You!” Amar heaved a sigh of relief.

“But then,” Bhalla began once again, as Devasena looked up, “Don’t accuse me of anything when you find ‘Playboy’ magazines stashed underneath his clothes, ten years later.”

Bhalla winked before he made his way to the stairs up to his room.

“He is a bad influence, you know.” Devasena mumbled to her husband.

“Needs training, nevertheless,” Amar smiled, “But he isn’t really half-bad.”

[worddiva179]

~Challenge 6~ Milana : Fandom

Spotify song rec list for a Baahubali fan :

1. If you liked Kanna Nidurinchara, you might also like

—Mukundha Mukundha (Tamil // Telugu ) : I.e the OG Krishna song we’d all dance to on Janmashtamis. Perhaps it was the way they’re written or sung or just the vibe but Kanna had reminded me so much of this the first few times I’d listened to it.

—Swagatham Krishna : (Telugu) You wouldn’t think it’s from a Pavan Kalyan’s film. This is such a beautiful song, you need it on your playlist. I love how the lyrics go past the language barrier.

—Ghar More Pardesiya : C’mon, women getting together, singing and dancing on a festival, also slyly drawing parallels bw their (soon to be) lovers and their fav god they’re singing about??? (Someone gif this)

— Sooha Saaha : The vibe is entirely different but it is a lullaby which is what Kanna Nidurinchara is supposed to be I think???

— Albela Sajan : Fun, festive, high energy.

—O My Lovely Lalana : (Telugu) The girl in this song complaints about how Krishna is always helping her with life but refuses to show himself despite her pleading but turns out Krishna had been with her this whole time, only disguised as her lover. Idk I thought this went well with the whole pretend part of AmarSena’s relationship.

—Kanha : Like Kanna Nidurinchara, this song too, talks about the male lead from the female’s perspective in context to their own situation/relationship.

(Honestly, there are so many Krishna songs that I can make a separate playlist just for this one song)

————-

2. If you liked Dhivara you might also like -

Okay so fun fact : Apparently, Dhivara’s chorus is a verse taken from Hanuman Chalisa where Jambavan hypes Hanuman up to boost his morale because Hanuman thinks he couldn’t go to Lanka and carry their plan out himself

(This brings me to a question if Avanthika’s supposed to be Jambavan but let’s leave that, okay.)

— Beera : High energy, earthy beats unlike Dhivara’s electronic, bits. Both songs introduce us to the characters, describe (rather praise) them, share the Ramayana theme (this one’s about Raavan).

— Pataakha Guddi : Hype song with female pronouns. Not as glorifying, obviously, but goes well with the recklessness Mahendra shows.

— Madhuram Madhuram : (Telugu) Speaking of sloka verses in songs, this is rendention of the Madhurashtakam.

— Jugni : Promises of freedom, journey into a land unexplored, exploring curiosity are the themes which I associate with this phase which

— Samayama : (Telugu) Sounds similar. Definitely different lyrically.

————

3. If you liked Manohari, you might also like

— Suraiyya : Not as...seductive as Manohari but definitely as fun.

—Oye Boy Charlie : Both are playful and teasing in a way.

— Jor Se : (Telugu) Not a personal favourite, but it’s from Rajamouli’s Magadheera so has a similar feel to it

— Rajasekhara : (Telugu) Go see the video to witness an 21 yr old Rana awkwardly standing in the middle of a bunch of pretty women.

— Namak : Probably the only song in the list which is close to Manohari’s sensuous vibe.

@teambaahubali

[carminavulcana]

“You dare not die on me”- AmarSena Modern AU

for @ratnas-musings

@bleedinknight I know you like the modern AU as well. This took an unexpected turn because of the prompt but I thought I should tag you since you expressed a desire to read more of the modern AU. I hope you like this even though it is a bit unusual.

XXXXX

Chef Devika Reddy was glad to be in Nainital. When she had first accepted the job at the Holly’s Mountain Cafe and Pastry Shop, she had been unsure and scared. Having lived in big cities all her life, she had been uncomfortable with the idea of moving to such a tiny place and that too in the mountains. 

But now, three months into her job, she was happy. And part of the reason was her new friend, the school teacher from Montgomery College. A smile found its way onto her lips when she thought about him. She didn’t think she loved him; not yet at least. But she really did enjoy his company. Her evenings were filled with music and laughter when he was around. He played the harmonica beautifully and it was a talent most people didn’t know about-- certainly not his cheeky female students. But Devika was sure that if those girls knew of it, they would again develop their little crushes on him. But she, the feisty pastry chef, was not interested in sharing him. And so, she had sort of let him know that their musical evenings were to remain special between them. 

Tonight, he was taking her out for a concert. Being a bustling tourist town, Nainital saw a ton of cultural events during the summer. However, most of these events were rooted in Indian art. This concert was special because a famous band from the UK was performing. It had been years since an international artist had performed in Nainital. And so, the air was heavy with excitement and almost everyone they knew had tickets to the concert. 

“My students will also be there,” he had told her. “But don’t worry. The hostel wardens will be responsible for them tonight. You and I can relax and enjoy the music.”

She took out three dresses from her closet-- a backless black cocktail dress, a maroon maxi with sequins, and a pale blue low cut gown that would cling to her curves in all the right places. 

But this was after all a small town. What if she came across as overdressed? And what if she gave him the wrong idea. She was sure she would be safe with him but still! They were not dating and she didn’t want him to think she was desperate. 

Ultimately, she chose a white knee-length frock dress with a high collar and long sleeves. She paired her modest outfit with a pair of understated silver earrings and a Swarovski swan pendant that her mother had gifted her on her last birthday. 

Her hair was tied back in a high ponytail and she kept the makeup very light; just a hint of eyeliner, mascara, and a fruity transparent lip-gloss.  

The clock on the table struck 7. He would pick her up any minute. While she waited, she poured herself a glass of cold water. She checked her purse again for her wallet, an extra tampon, and an age proof. She didn’t think they would drink but one could never be too sure. And it had been ages since she had had a glass of good wine. Maybe they could go out for dinner after the concert. He, of course, wouldn’t drink because he he would be driving. But maybe she could. 

Just then, her phone rang. 

The number was unfamiliar to her. 

“Hello,” she answered the call at the second ring. 

“Hello,” an unfamiliar male voice spoke from the other end. “May I know who I am speaking with?”

“I am Chef Devika Reddy with the Holly’s Mountain Café,” she answered. “Who’s this?”

“Madam, I am Inspector Ramchand Negi,” the caller said. “And I am sorry to be calling at this hour but it is an important matter. There has been an accident near Vijay Chowk. The victim’s cell phone showed you as the last person he spoke to. We have not been able to ID him yet but because he is severely injured, we are taking him to the Naina Devi Hospital. Are you able to tell us his name?”

Devika was stunned. The ground seemed to be shaking under her feet. 

“Madam, madam,” the police officer’s voice sounded faraway and foggy. “Hello madam, are you there? I said, can you tell us his name.”

“Huh!” She managed to recover from the shock; enough to respond to the question. “Ye... ye..yes. His name is Amresh Balaraju. He is a teacher at Montgomery College.”

“Okay, we will inform the school authorities as well then,” the policeman said. 

“You said you are taking him to Naina Devi hospital, right?” Devika asked. 

“Yes, madam. But unless you are next of kin, you will not be allowed to see him.”

This put her in a quandary. She needed to see him. But what could she say? Who was she to him. 

“I... I am his fiancée,”  she lied. Her stomach twisted in knots as the words tumbled out of her mouth. 

“Oh.. oh, we are so sorry. You can come to the hospital then. Once again, our sincerest apologies for bearing such bad news.”

*****

She did not register the details of the cab ride from her apartment to the hospital. As if on autopilot, she paid the driver and did not remember to take back her change. She looked odd in her flattering evening dress and her blue, rubber flip flops. But she did not care. 

“I am here to see Amresh Balaraju,” she said to the plump, grey-haired lady sitting at the reception.

“Are you related to him?” the woman asked.

“Yes. I am his fiancée.” This time, the lie slipped out smoothly. 

“Please wait there on the bench,” the receptionist said. “He is currently in the trauma emergency. Because this is an accident case, the police will want to talk to you as well. I need to inform them you are here. They will be with you shortly.”

“Is he okay?” Devika asked. That was all she wanted to know. Everything else was immaterial in her current scheme of things. 

“Unfortunately, I cannot tell you anything just yet,” the receptionist smiled apologetically. “I wish I had something more for you. Please wait there. And here, please fill out this form.”

She handed her a pen and a clipboard with several sheets of paper stuck in it. 

The first form wanted her name, place of work, date of birth and other generic details. It took her less than two minutes to fill it. 

The second form wanted information about him. 

What allergies did he have? What was his blood group? Had he ever had any surgeries? Was he on any medication? Did he smoke? Did his family have a history of diabetes? heart disease? hypertension? Had he ever received a blood transfusion? Did he have any tattoos? Piercings? 

Devika didn’t have any answers and for several minutes, she simply stared at the sheet before turning the page over. 

She signed her name at the bottom of the undertaking, that indeed, she had filled the forms truthfully to the best of her knowledge. 

Half-an-hour later, Inspector Ramchand Negi came to talk to her. 

“So you are the one I spoke to,” he said kindly. He was a 50-something man with almost no hair on his head. Tall and thin, he gave off the impression of extreme sternness. But his tone was polite and considerate. 

“We believe his car was hit by a truck that was overspeeding,” he said to her. “The car is damaged beyond repair but we found some things that were meant for you, I think.”

He gave her a plastic bag which she opened with shaking fingers. 

A crumpled bouquet of yellow roses and white lilies. A small box of silver-coated green cardamoms. And a small stuffed Doraemon. 

An involuntary chuckle escaped her lips.

And then, she burst into tears. 

“Madam, please,” Inspector Negi said somewhat awkwardly. “You need to be strong.”

“How is he?” she asked through her tears, her voice thick and choked. 

“Honestly? We don’t know. He was injured pretty badly. But please stay hopeful.”

“Did you manage to inform the school authorities?”

“Yes. And they are also getting in touch with his family in Hyderabad.”

Devika nodded, not trusting herself to speak. 

“It will be okay, child,” the policeman reassured her. His voice was gentler than before. “Keep faith.

*****

Three hours later, a doctor came out to talk to her. 

“You are with Mr. Balaraju, right?”

Devika looked up. A young, female consultant stood in front of her. 

“Dr. Harveen Kaur,” she introduced herself. “I am the duty doctor tonight.”

“How is Amresh?” Devika asked without preamble.

“He is stable,” the young doctor answered with a small smile. “But the next 48 hours are critical. He is not out of the woods yet.”

“Can I see him?”

“Not yet but if the senior consultant permits, maybe you will be able to see him in the morning.”

“What... how... how badly is he hurt?”

“I will not lie to you,” Dr. Kaur said. “His injuries are severe but we are hopeful he will make a full recovery. He has three broken ribs and fractures in both legs. The bridge of his nose is broken as well. But the most worrying injury is in his abdomen. He lost a lot of blood due to the internal bleeding and he will probably require a surgery to repair the extensive damage. But he is too weak just yet for anything and so all we can do is wait for now. You should go home. It is rather late. Is someone else from the family here as well?”

“No, they will arrive tomorrow.”

“Then why don’t you come back with them. You must be tired as well.”

“I’d rather wait here.”

“It is not required.”

“I insist.” There was such an urgency in Devika’s voice that the doctor knew she had to back off. 

“Okay,” she said kindly. “If you need a cup of coffee or something to eat, the cafeteria is on the first floor.”

“Thank you.”

That night was the longest night of Devika’s night. All sorts of horrid scenarios crossed her mind. She knew she was being stupid but she constantly wondered if somehow, this could have been prevented. 

What if she had asked him to pick her up half-an-hour later? or earlier? What if she had offered to reach the concert venue herself? What if she had refused to go altogether when he had told her about his students attending as well?

But it was no use. 

It was almost dawn when she dozed off. 

Her dreams were strange. Filled with screams and fire and frightening images of him being killed by the silhouette of a bald man who looked too much like Inspector Negi. 

“Ma...ma...” Amresh gasped as the inspector ran him through with his sword and Devika woke up with a start. 

Her face was wet with tears. Her ruined eye makeup cascaded down her cheeks in two charcoal rivulets. Her neck hurt from falling asleep in such an uncomfortable posture. 

“You dare not die on me,” she hissed to no one in particular. Her hoarse whisper ended in a plea as a keen sense of loss filled her. An errant thought played like a broken record in her mind. 

“I will not lose him again.”

Cleary, her feelings for him ran way deeper than she had thought. 

She only wished this realization had come in a happier moment. 

[queenofmahishmati]

The send me a character meme: The Baahubali crew (i.e., Baahu, Devasena, Mahendra, Sivagami, and oh-all-right Bhalla ;)

Hai. I will try to be as less critical as possible. If you wanna send more characters→

AMARENDRA BAAHUBALI

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | EH ((only sometimes)) | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them!! | actual love of my life hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would banghogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff ((a gryffinpuff where he’s more the puff))best quality: The way he sees everyone as equal, including himself, even the Lord. And when he loves, he loves with all of his heart, he loves everyone equally. He is perfect and too good to be true!! I said it.worst quality: Those rose tinted glasses he wears while seeing everyone as equals. Like, would you remove it for one bloody second and look only at your brother who is not your brother at all man?? And honestly, you could have at least mentioned your wife if not your son with your dying breath, but of course you sentimentally say ‘amma jakardha.’ It wasn’t your mum who suffered but your wife, through 25 years of torture. I’m so salty about that okay??ship them with: He is the other half of Devasena. There can be no one, absolutely no one… ((well maybe that blue lady among those three dancing ladies from that one song??))brotp them with: Bhalla. If not for all the hatred from his brother, I see a Thorki kinda relationship between them. And also, Kattappa of course. needs to stay away from: Mahishmati’s people. He could have at least lived without earning Bhalla’s ire. ((I still think Bhalla wouldn’t have killed him if Baahu hadn’t played the people’s king role *smh*))misc. thoughts: He is so honorable, sincere in his love, way too heroic, extremely kind, exceedingly intelligent and did I mention, he is boring?? He is such a simple and plain character that we have seen lit in every other story ((look at lord Ram)). His sense of humour is the only thing that kept him interesting.Sorry but not sorry, Baahu wouldn’t have made the best king of Mahishmati because he couldn’t even see the plot against him from three feet away. How would he see it if it comes from countries that are thirty leagues away?? He is unbelievably naive. But I still love him with all my heart because he is a big innocent baby that needed to be protected. 

the rest are under the cut and it gets progressively worse ↓

DEVASENA

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love love super love them | actual love of my life hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | 1001% gorgeous! | 10/10 would banghogwarts house: gryffindor ((now this woman is a true gryffindor)) | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuffbest quality: The way she is unapologetically herself. She is such an inspiration especially for the women of today. She stands up for herself not caring about how powerful the people she’s standing against are. She stands up for the right things and not righteousness like her naive husband, and that’s one heck of an admirable trait. worst quality: Impatient. She lacks patience when she’s angry and thus speaks things she won’t utter if she was a cool cucumber and thought twice about it. I’d relate her goal driven attitude to her impatience as well, like when she was determined to shoot two arrows together but didn’t stop to think on how exactly to do it. If she had, trust me, she’s smart enough to figure it out all by herself. Or during the scene were they hunt for boars in the field, if she had given up her goal of shooting even one boar down and turned to look at how Kumara Varma was being victorious, she’d have cracked the truth about Baahu. She needed a lot of patience and guess Bhalla gave it to her eh?? ship them with: She can live without Amarendra but he can’t. AmarSena it will always be!!brotp them with: Bhalla. If he wasn’t a psycho and she wasn’t so stubborn, they’d make an awesome team against clueless Baahu. ((as proved by all the fanfics))needs to stay away from: Sivagami maybe?? So many things would have been different. And distance could have made the heart grow fonder…misc. thoughts: Because of what I listed as her worst qualities, I don’t think she could have made any better Queen than Sivagami, the only other queen stand-in I could compare her to within the story verse. But she was more aware of what would be the right thing for the welfare of the people unlike Sivagami who was all about her word being the only law, so she would have definitely made a better Queen-mother I suppose. But yeah, she was kind of awful at politics erk!!

MAHENDRA BAAHUBALI

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess ((only because he sports his papa’s face)) | like them! | love them | actual love of my life hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would banghogwarts house: gryffindor ((he takes after his kinda-crazy mum)) | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuffbest quality: His thirst for adventure. He is a risk taker and the ultimate risk he took landed him where he should have been right from the beginning. And he seeks out new things fearlessly, like that come what may attitude, he knows he will figure out a way to deal with it.worst quality: His obsession. He was obsessed with climbing that waterfall. And then he was obsessed with that mask. When he saw the face behind the mask, he got obsessed with that girl. His obsession bordered on stalking and he went as far as drawing tattoos on the said girl’s body without her permission. And then, when the girl rightfully kicks his ass ((or tries to)) for everything he did to her, he is more intent upon showing her, her own beauty that he got obsessed with in the first place and then– honestly, I could keep on going until we realize Mahendra is no better than Bhalla…ship them with: None. Maybe with Avanthika in a better explained universe, I mean the girl did have the gall to fly kick him. I didn’t bat an eye when she drove that sword through his chest after he spoke those cheesy dialogues. brotp them with: Kattappa. Now Kattappa would have kept him in line if he had grown up under his tutelage right from the start. needs to stay away from: Avanthika duh. But also anything climbable, I was surprised when he didn't climb Bhalla's statue.misc. thoughts: I’m actually worried about the state of Mahishmati under this boy-king. Like yeah, there won’t be any of the cruetly or dictatorship that it underwent during Bhalla’s rule. But is he really fit enough to be the King without Kattappa going think-like-Baahubali every five seconds?? What happens when the too-old Kattappa and weather-beaten Devasena pass away??

SIVAGAMI

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them I LOVE HER OKAY | actual love of my life hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | super gorgeous!!! | 10/10 would banghogwarts house: gryffindor ((hear her roar)) | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuffbest quality: Her knowledge of politics and righteousness ((but what use eh??)). She was pretty much fair in bringing up Baahu and Bhalla as equals. And of course, until they were ready, she managed an entire Kingdom without a King all by herself. That too after dramatically thwarting an assassination attempt with a baby in her hand. ((I’m sure there must have been plenty other attempts at her and princes lives too))worst quality: Her Ego– the thought that she was always in the right. There’s a thin line between righteousness and being right, and Sivagami unfortunately, was too blind to see it despite her lovely big eyes. Also, I don’t think this is an unpopular opinion, but she was a good mother, just not a very good nurturer. She believed she could never be wrong and in that way, justified the partial love she was giving her sons to herself. Now don’t you dare come to fight me about this, she always always tenderly caresses Baahu’s head every time they’re shown in the same screen ((like ever since he was a baby)), and when we get a glimpse of Bhalla and her in the same screen at long last, she doesn’t even look in his eyes properly while speaking. If you don’t believe me, go watch the scene where she gifts him things to make up for refusing him the throne. Grrrr.ship them with: No one deserves her, especially Bijju. In fanon though, I love all these lady loves that @puppyloveblog24 & @avani008 gave her!!brotp them with: Kattappa. They made a kickass team alright!! I love how she dramatically yells Kattappa every time. needs to stay away from: Amarendra and Devasena. She should have sent them to Kuntala but of course her love for Baahu doesn’t let her…misc. thoughts: Seriously, from where do you think Bhalla got it into his head that power was everything one ever needed?? He literally grew up watching Sivagami overlord his own father. He kept on hearing that her word was the only law, to which Baahu too conforms when he remembers how she said righteousness alone must prevail. And only because of that does he conclude he can stand against his mother’s own words. She had a flare for dramatics but was also the most powerful person that held the fate of the entire kingdom in her hands. Now think again and tell me why her sons turned out to be the way they did??

BHALLALADEVA ((I admit I couldn’t wait to get to this part teheheheee))

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love only them | actual love of my life ((not really but yes also))hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | unbelievably gorgeous!!!! | 10/10 would bang ((this hot mess…totally))hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin ((perfect slyth)) | ravenclaw | hufflepuffbest quality: His ruthlessness. Trust me, being ruthless will get you so far in your life. But you need compassion along with it to be human, which he very obviously lacks. But still, he is strong, clever and confident. Along with these traits, his heartlessness got him the throne he so coveted, it made him the most powerful character in the story. He’d have truly been a formidable King in his years of rein, a nightmare to any enemy of Mahishmati.worst quality: His discontent. He kept desiring for more and more, greed is not the right word for it though. He was jealous of his brother and wanted everything that Baahu had. He got the throne but lost the girl. He stripped Baahu off all his powers to make him pay for it. But still, even after banishment, Baahu had the love of the people, something he had always wanted as seen in the scene where he converses with the crown. So, he sought to destroy Baahu completely, and in that one moment, we see his absolute descent into darkness and insanity. He goes on to kill his mother, who never gave him enough love. He chains the woman who refused to choose him. He tortures the kingdom that preferred his brother over him. And maybe, for a minute there, we were led to believe he was finally satisfied with what he had. But no, he then rattles Devasena’s chains and tells her how he craves to slaughter his brother one more time with his bare hands. He was never truly satisfied. Not even in his deathbed, where he urges Devasena to join him. He is the most powerful character of them all, but also the lowest form of a being to ever exist. ship them with: Bhalla probably ships him with himself in canon because he deserves none. In fanon though, I would kill for IndiraBhalla. brotp them with: His Ghada in canon and maybe that one second witty banter he and Baahu has in Singapuram made me brotp them. In fanon, Devasena and sometimes with Mahendra. They are the fun lot amongst all the boring ones. needs to stay away from: Everyone. Pfft.misc. thoughts: Maybe Bhalla was influenced by his father’s greed and foul thoughts while he was young, but I’m pretty sure he soon figured it out that he was useless and only kept Bijjala around cause he alone had made him feel important while his mother tended more to his brother. And feel free to fight me, but I’m pretty sure he would have made a decent King if those silly people had let him and just like that, Baahu might have lived. But then we wouldn’t have our epic story. What I’m trying to tell is, hate him all you want, but without him this story would get nowhere just like Bijjala. Bhalla is a deranged psycho that wants to be God, yes. But he is a boon to this story like the writer KVV sir said. Bhalla's words are measured unlike his father’s. He knows whatever he does is right or wrong unlike his mother who believes everything she does is right. He considers love and compassion as weakness unlike his brother. His temper is controlled and flames only at critical points unlike Devasena who keeps raging at every spark. He thinks before he acts unlike his hasty nephew Mahendra. There was also this one time where Kattappa unnecessarily jumps in to save his life from the bull because of his sense of duty and Bhallaladeva appreciates it by offering him a boon like any King would, any boon that he might ask for despite knowing Kattappa wishes to kill him in the deepest of his heart, and he even grants that wish with a twist of his own— that single defining moment, that is when I started stanning this character as hard as I do now and will forever. He is the most interesting of them all!!

[margazhiinmahishmati]

List of All Prompts

(Organized by alphabetical order, with regards to character/pairing/relationship)

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Amarendra Baahubali & Bhallaladeva

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: bro shenanigans

Requested By: iwearplaids

Do Not Want: no explicit sexual content please

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Amarendra Baahubali/Devasena

Fic or Art: Fic

Prompt: College AU

Requested By: spiffycups

Do Not Want: “In any fic, please make Bhalla not-evil. Grouchy/frustrated/snarky is ok but murderous isn't ok. Not asking you to love him but don't make me hate him.”

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Amarendra Baahubali/Devasena

Fic or Art: fic or art

Prompt: Amarsena with baby Mahendra (a cute bonus would be Kattappa!)

Requested By: GrimmStormborn

Do Not Want: No smut.

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Amarendra Baahubali/Devasena

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: any setting except tragedy/angst

Requested By: fierarain

Do Not Want: Character death and tragedy.

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Amarendra Baahubali/Devasena

Fic or Art: either

Prompt: Amarsena, anything epistolary: for canon, any letters they might have exchanged; or the modern AU where they’re simultaneously pen pals with a crush but fierce business rivals in real life; or for art, any mock-up of a Facebook/Instagram/ any other social media page.

Requested By: avani

Do Not Want: Rise of Sivagami backstory, thank you!

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Amarendra Baahubali’s Mother

Fic or Art: either

Prompt: Mama Baahu, anything!

Requested By: avani

Do Not Want: Rise of Sivagami backstory, thank you!

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Any

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: Canon-divergent AU: Baahu gets captured by Bhalla and imprisoned in the cage instead, while Devasena and Mahendra go on the run. Years later, mother and son return while Avantika and the Kuntala resistance are trying to get Baahu out.

Requested By: weakly

Do Not Want: n/a

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Any

Fic or Art: fic or art

Prompt: AU, The family drama set in modern times

Requested By: GrimmStormborn

Do Not Want: No smut.

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Any

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: Canon AU where no one died and everyone's good and pure fluff (crack), probably the entire family running around Baby Mahendra.

Requested By: queenofmahishmati

Do Not Want: none

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Bhallaladeva

Fic or Art: fic or art

Prompt: What if Pingaladevan/Bijjaladeva had died when Bhalla was a child? How would Bhalla have turned out? Perhaps place that version of Bhalla at any point of the canon story?

Requested By: GrimmStornborn

Do Not Want: No smut.

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Bhallaladeva/Indira (Female OC)

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: anything

Requested By: iwearplaids

Do Not Want: no explicit sexual content please

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Bhallaladeva & Sivagami & Amarendra Baahubali

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: any interaction, canon or AU and any timeline

Requested By: queenofmahishmati

Do Not Want: none

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Devasena & Bhallaladeva

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: any, with established amarsena (preferably canon, but if an AU- still ok!)

Requested By: spiffycups

Do Not Want: “In any fic, please make Bhalla not-evil. Grouchy/frustrated/snarky is ok but murderous isn't ok. Not asking you to love him but don't make me hate him.”

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Devasena & Mahendra

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: happy fluff

Requested By: fierarain

Do Not Want: Character death and tragedy.

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Kattappa, or Any

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: steampunk AU. Kattappa is an automaton in service to the mechanical empire of Mahishmati, and Baahu is (at first) the only one to recognize and argue for his humanity.

Requested By: weaslayyy

Do Not Want: n/a

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Sivagami & Amarendra Baahubali

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: canon or AU, mother-son relation with non-evil!bhalla

Requested By: iwearplaids

Do Not Want: no explicit sexual content please

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Sivagami & Devasena

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: Canon-divergent AU, Sivagami realizing both her sons are unfit to rule so decrees Devasena as the next queen mother hoping mahishmati will find a better king at least in the next generation.

Requested By: queenofmahishmati

Do Not Want: none

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Sivagami & Devasena

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: Devasena + Sivagami getting along with healthy dose of Amarsena

Requested By: fierarain

Do Not Want: Character death and tragedy.

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Sivagami & Kattappa

Fic or Art:fic

Prompt:  interaction outside of canon scenes (try to have it a lil happy please) (any setting)

Requested By: spiffycups

Do Not Want: “In any fic, please make Bhalla not-evil. Grouchy/frustrated/snarky is ok but murderous isn't ok. Not asking you to love him but don't make me hate him.”

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Sivagami & Mahendra

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: Canon divergent AU: Sivagami survives to raise Shivu/Mahendra to adulthood.

Requested By: weaslayyy

Do Not Want: n/a

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Worldbuilding

Fic or Art: either

Prompt: Anything about the history of Mahishmati or Kuntala

Requested By: avani

Do Not Want: Rise of Sivagami backstory, thank you!

[livinthefandommlife]

Baahubali Question Meme

I was tagged by @avani008, and because she took time to answer all of the question, lemme be nice and do the same. THanks, Avani! (btw, loved your answers!) This is pretty long, so, please keep reading if you’d like to!

1. Which language do you prefer to watch the movies in and why? If you’ve watched multiple versions, are there any translation choices in one version that you prefer? I first watched it in Tamil, and then in Telugu. Problem is, I love both equally? I love the voice modulations that were given by dubbing artistes in the Tamil version. But I also love Prabhas’ (his promise to Deva on the bridge in his voice KILLED me, okay), and Rana’s (if i could just record his voice and hear it forever, I would. Plus, his voice modulations right after Amara’s death scene was A-MA-ZING) voices in the movies. If I HAVE to choose - Tamil. I can watch it without subtitles.

2. Your favorite song picturization. Oru Yaagam/Oka Praanam. What a brilliant way to recall the first movie’s key points! The deep percussion (sort of reminiscent of a heartbeat), with the strings, and the voice, completely blending and elevating the absolutely brilliant VFX work -- fascinating would be an understatement. I still get goosebumps when I watch it.

3. Devasena or Sivagami? Devasena. Sivagami is a well-written character, a strong female with her own flaws and faults. But Deva is just on a whole other level. When she goes “antha ingitham kooda illaiya?!”(”Don’t you even have that much of sense?!”) I pretty much lost it. She stole my heart right from the get-go. 

4. It’s not a fandom without shipping. Share a headcanon about your OTP, or your NoTP, or that one non-canon ship that is intriguing, or all three! OTP is AmarSena forevereverever and ever. Headcanon that Amara was with Deva in the 25 years in spirit, and only she could see him. He sings her to sleep, distracts her from the discomfort, ‘travels’ around Mahishmati and tells her all that he sees, and just perhaps, he tells her of Mahendra growing up. Maybe that’s why she was so sure her son would come for her even though he was believed to be dead, because Amara assured her of his existence. He finally vanishes for good after Bhalla is defeated, his soul is finally ‘at peace’. Deva doesn’t see him again, not till she passes on. A little cartoonish, maybe, but I needed to imagine this to soothe my ravaged heart. 

5. Kuntala or Mahishmati? Kuntala. Such a visual treat that kingdom was! <3 

6. The scene(s) you could watch over and over again. AmarSena fighting the Pindaris together. Eeeps. I still cannot get over the perfection that the scene was. Also, the interval scene. Once again, goosebumps!

7. Like it or not, get in touch with your inner Bijjaladeva: think of your favorite character, and tell us one thing that annoys you about him/her. Devasena. Hmm. I guess the girl could try to know when to speak? I love how she keep nothing bottled up, and I loved it when she kept lashing out at Rajamata. But, I feel like she could’ve done it in private?

8. Kattappa or Bhalladeva? Bhallaladeva. Kattappa is great, no doubt, but I am bitter about him killing Amara. Besides, Bhalla is one villain I actually admire. So cunning. I hate him, but I low-key like how his brain works.

9. Time to channel Amarendra instead: think of your least favorite character, and do your best to come up with one positive thing about him/her. Bijjaladeva. Erm. This is hard. It’s nice that...actually survived the battle and made it to Mahendra’s coronation? And handed Deva the crown himself? Though I suspect he was made to do it. He could’ve attempted to do some shady shit and kill someone, but he didn’t so...that’s one good thing. 

10. Everyone’s got an unpopular/controversial opinion, no matter what the fandom. Let’s hear yours! Don’t know if this is unpopular or not, but I didn’t like Mahendra taking Avantika’s mission from her. Story-wise, that’s an important point, yes. He needed to get to Mahishmati himself and rescue his mother. But...I wish it was written better. Avantika could’ve gone with him? Maybe? I don’t know. That part still doesn’t sit with me...

11. Choose your favorite fandom sorting mechanism (i.e. Hogwarts houses, daemons, Game of Thrones houses) or more than one if you’re really feeling adventurous. Tell us what results you think the main Baahubali characters would have. Because I sort practically everyone I know (in real life and in fiction) into Hogwarts Houses, I am gonna be very unoriginal and do just that. 

Amarendra - Ravenclaw. Brave, sure, but his wit finishes half the battle before his bravery does. To me, at least. 

Devasena - Um, I feel like if there ever were a crossover, she’d be the founder of Gryffindor, and not Godric? 

Mahendra - Gryffindor, no two ways about that.

Avatika - Eh....Either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff? I’m gonna go with Gryffindor.

Sivagami - Either Slytherin or Gryffindor...Gonna go with the latter.

Bijjala - SQUID. BYE BRO. 

Bhallaladeva - Slytherin. He could fit into Gryffindor, he is brave, but nah. Bhalla’s basically the poster child for Slytherin.

Kattappa - Hufflepuff. 

12. Let’s pretend Rajamouli has decided to make a oneshot film about any period of time not covered by the films, whether before, after, or during the events we see–but only one. What would you want it to be about? Devasena, Mahendra and Avantika ruling Mahismati together. I needed more mother-son moments, as well as more depth to Avantika’s character and Mahendra-Avantika relationship. I’d love to see a post-Baahubali take on that.

13. Avantika or Mahendra/Shivu(du)?  I love Mahendra’s child-like curiosity and nature. But I like Avantika, too? :( Gonna go with Mahendra.

14. What three movies/books/TV shows would you recommend to fellow fans suffering Baahubali withdrawal? I shall attempt to recommend on all three.

TV Show - Game of Thrones. How original, right? I know :)

Book - Rise of Sivagami. We get more of this world we have grown to love. Though I haven’t read it myself, so I can’t say much about it. But it’s definitely something I’d read to battle withdrawal symptoms.

Movies - Mirchi. Prabhas/Anushka pair once again and I LOVE them to bits. And (spoiler alert) no one gets killed there so I don’t have to cry buckets.

15. Tag any of your friends that you think might be interested! I have just started following a few Indian cinema - related blogs, so I am going to wing it and tag some of you hoping you like Baahubali.  @mirchmasalaaa, @tollywoodprema and @weeguttersnipe. You can answer all the questions, or, if you’d prefer, questions 1, 2 and 8.

[heyifinallyhaveablog]

For @ratnas-musings​ : Hope you like the GIF-s! :D

For the @teambaahubali​ Summertime Challenge

Fortnight Two (Bhumi): Meta 2: Naadaswaram Scene.(Baahubali: The Conclusion)

Amidst a plethora of scenes (read: the entire movie), this is yet another scene that stands out, both script-wise, and cinematography-wise. Script-wise, because, this sequence of celebration heralding a new life, actually precedes a tragedy that marks the end of one taken as a father figure in the land of Maahishmati. 

And cinematography-wise, well... here’s another hair-splitting.

1. The tone of the scene: The sequence marks a celebration, where Amarendra and Devasena eagerly anticipate their soon-to-arrive baby. Set designer Sabu Cyril accordingly sets the ambience with a lot of warm tones, mainly red and gold, yet again, as both the colours mark a celebration as well. It is also noteworthy that in such scenes, the gold is given greater preference over the warm-red, since this is supposed to be a very bright scene, as opposed to the previous meta I’d done which was supposed to be a grim scene, emphasising the antagonist’s anger. Now, I know this is supposed to be based on cinematographic factors, but in such period films, like Baahubali, Devdas, etc, there’s seldom a point in cinematography, that doesn’t contribute to the furtherance of the script. The movies that leave it to cinematography to do the heavy lifting, actually do not leave significant cinematic impression, examples of which abound. 

The hues, and tones used here, are bright and mild, as opposed to scalding, and scorching, to actually denote a celebration.

2. The lighting: Bright, warm lights, coupled with a simplistic, but majestic decor do the trick here. The viewer might as well note that the sequence takes place in an open area, as opposed to a grand palace, where nature plays the most part in decoration. The supplements come in the form of a blazing fire, bursting out in the background, as Amarendra, (a delight-to-behold Prabhaas), begins playing the instrument, the flowers showered aplenty at the end, et al. These, in turn further accentuate the mood of the sequence, making it resonate with the viewers here.

3. The camera angles: As opposed to many other sequences, the camera here has a wider scope of focus. This time, -again, in furtherance of the script- the camera takes into account the crowd, in keeping with the theme of inclusion intended to be magnified here. While it does focus on AmarSena (an ethereally beautiful Anushka as Devasena), it does so in conjunction with the crowd that loves and adores them both on and off camera.

[carminavulcana]

possession - amarsena

Chains were her nemesis. She hated them with a passion. Their sharp clinking, their burdensome weight, their abrasively cool surface; all of it reminded her of how far she had fallen. Even worse than the taunts and the humiliation, more than the filth and squalor of her cell,  it was these chains that bound her and held her captive; body, mind, and spirit. 

25 years of such cruelty would have broken her down completely were it not for a strange, unlikely friend. He kept her sane through the days by keeping her company through the nights. 

She had seen him with Katappa many times in the early days of her marriage. And as far as she could tell, he had been a part of her husband’s inner circle as well. But she did not know his name. 

Every night, he came and silently watched her sleep. She did not bother to let him know that she was aware of his presence. It would embarrass him. 

At first, she had been unnerved and worried about his intentions but ultimately, she had chosen to hold her silence. For one, she did not want him to know that she was awake during the night. For another, he always left before the crack of dawn. Sometimes, he left a little basket of essential items and fruits in her cage before leaving. 

After thinking long and hard, Devasena could only come to two possible conclusions. Either he was doing this to honor Amarendra Baahubali’s memory or he felt guilty because he could do nothing else to help her. 

For many years, this unspoken friendship remained devoid of interaction. Until one Adi Amavasya or what would have been Baahubali’s 38th birthday. 

“Who are you?” she whispered into the stillness but instead of getting startled, he looked at her and smiled. 

“S..s….sh…Shivu,” he answered. 

Devasena gasped. 

Wasn’t that how her husband had first introduced himself to her?

For several minutes, she was unable to say anything. 

At last, she managed to ask another question– a question she had wanted to ask for 12 years. 

“Why do you come here every night?”

“Be..be..beca..because…. because, it… it… is…a… a… gggg..ggg….goo…good… th..th…thing… to… do.”

Why do you bring me these care packages? How did you know that I like rose oil, reetha extract, and aloe vera gel?” 

“Is… is..isn’t.. the… that… what all w..w…women like?” he asked innocently. 

Something did not feel right about his response but Devasena let it pass. She was no longer a princess or a queen who could just demand answers and know that they will be given. 

Barring that exchange, she seldom spoke to Shivu. A few times, she asked him if his family was well. And he always answered in the affirmative. He did mention once that his wife was sick and that their son was being raised by his aunt. But other than that, he volunteered no information and she never pestered him for more. 

However, despite his kindness and the few times she saw Katappa, her life was one of misery and loneliness. 

She often thought her captivity would never come to an end and that she would only be free in death. 

But destiny had other things planned for her. 

In a strange twist of fate, she found her freedom and her long-lost son in one long, eventful day. 

Later, when the dust settled down, she tried to seek out Shivu. She wanted to see if there was anything the royal family could do to help him and his wife. 

When she asked Katappa about him, he didn’t know anything. He looked positively bewildered by what she told him. 

“There is no soldier by that name in the entire army, let alone my elite staff,” he insisted. “Maybe you are looking for Shivendragupta or Shivarajan?” 

“It is possible that Shivu is a nickname,” she agreed. “In any case, I need to see all the guards in the audience chamber right now. I will recognize him by face.”

Half an hour later, all the elite guards stood at attention before Rajmata Devasena. 

And sure enough, Shivu was among them. 

“Shivu,” she acknowledged him with a small smile. “I have been meaning to talk to you.  The royal household wishes to help you and your wife. But first, what is your official name?”

Shivu did not respond. Katappa looked confused. 

But Devasena was not going to be deterred. 

She came down from her pedestal and stood right in front of Shivu. 

“I did not get a chance to thank you for everything you did for me,” she said gently. “Now that everything is okay, it is my turn to do something for you.”

The guard did not meet the Rajmata’s eyes. He took a long moment before answering. 

“Rajmata,” he began in earnest. “I do not wish to offend you but I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. My name is also not Shivu. I am Randheerapala.”

In that moment, Devasena felt her heart stop. 

No. This couldn’t be Shivu. His voice, his tone– everything was different. And what happened to that pronounced stammer of his?

But she needed to focus. She needed answers. 

“You often left baskets of food, soap, and antiseptic ointments in my cage. You said your wife was ill and that your son was being raised by your sister.”

The guard looked frightened and he only shook his head at her, unsure of how to respond. 

Katappa saw how badly this was going and he had no explanation except maybe… maybe these years of such abject dehumanization had affected Devasena much more profoundly than he had previously assumed. 

He had to intervene and save the situation. 

“Rajmata,” he interjected politely. “Randheerpala is not married. He has no wife and no son.” 

“No… no… no….” 

She had to hold on to the wall to keep herself from falling down. 

“No… no…”

Katappa turned to the guards and dismissed them. He did not want them to see Devasena’s breakdown. 

“Please, you must calm down,” he pleaded with her as she sank to the floor. Tears rolled down her cheeks and silent sobs shook her frame. 

Katappa stood aside quietly. In his mind, this was natural. Finally, she was dealing with her grief. It was a good thing even if it was painful to watch. 

Unfortunately, he couldn’t have been more wrong. 

Devasena wept because she now knew what it was like to lose the love of her life for the second time in 25 years. 

Only this time, both recognition and realization had come too late. 

[avani008]

Margazhi in Mahishmati 2018 List of Prompts

So many prompts behind the cut, sorted alphabetically by requested character/pairing/relationship! Feel free to read and be inspired :)

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Amarendra Baahubali/Devasena

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: soulmate AU, with any of the tropes like matching tattoos, seeing colour after meeting their other half etc. Angst is preferred but with happy ending.

Requested By: Fiera94

Do Not Want: tragic ending

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Amarendra Baahubali/Devasena

Fic or Art: Fic

Prompt: Reincarnation au

Requested By: Fiera94

Do Not Want: tragic ending

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Amarendra Baahubali/Devasena

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: before and after

Requested By: forestpenguin

Do Not Want: Non-con, smut, explicit fic

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Amarendra Baahubali/Devasena

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: Doctors!AU. Modern Setting, with any other characters you wish to throw in.

Requested By: queenofmahishmati

Do Not Want: tragedy or evil! Bhalla

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Amarendra Baahubali/Devasena

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: Amarsena, Devasena remains the queen regent of Kunthala and Amarendra remains unmarried and king of Mahishmati. ..following a soldier's slip, Amarendra discovers the existence of his 3/4 year old son Mahendra

Requested By: Ratna

Do Not Want: character death, evil Bhalla, Bijjaladeva

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Amarendra Baahubali/Devasena

Fic or Art: fic 

Prompt: A continuation of the Vilomita! verse, leading up to Mahendra’s birth in this universe. (Note: this is OK with the original author of the verse for treats/exchange fic. If you’re planning to write fic in any other ficverse/continuity that was originally written by someone else, please check with the mod to make sure it’s okay with the original author!)

Requested By: Ratna

Do Not Want: character death, evil Bhalla, Bijjaladeva

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Amarendra Baahubali 

Fic or Art: fic 

Prompt: 

What if Baahu was allowed to keep his rank as the Commander-in-Chief? What if he didn’t behead Sethupathy? What if Devasena was found guilty of chopping off Sethupathy’s fingers and sentenced to jail? Baahu dares not break her out (you decide the reason). To what lengths would he go for her in these circumstances? What will he sacrifice to ensure her comfort and honor?

Requested By: CarminaVulcana

Do Not Want: Modern AU, Crossovers, Genderswaps

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Amarendra Baahubali

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: Devasena dies in childbirth and there is a death sentence on Amarendra’s head. Devasena’s last words to her husband are—“Bring Mama back safely.” The question is what will he do now that he knows he is responsible for his child and that there is literally no one else? I would love to read how he handles adversity and complex challenges like this one. 

Requested By: CarminaVulcana

Do Not Want: Modern AU, Crossovers, Genderswaps

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Amarendra Baahubali 

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: 

in the aftermath of Bhalla's ascension, Baahubali --who isn't dead --is told that his wife and child have been killed. Sivagami is also assumed dead, though whether she is or isn't is up to the author.

Baahu, broken by the assumption of his family's execution, becomes a type of robin-hood figure in the new Mahishmati, a one man guerilla army that defies Bhalla even as he, haunted by his own loss, refuses to destroy any other families in the process.

Devasena and the baby Mahendra are in fact alive -- how and what they're doing is also up to the author, though they also believe Baahu to be dead. how they meet, and together finally take down Bhalla's empire forms the rest of the story

Requested By: weaslayy

Do Not Want: None

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Amarendra Baahubali

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: Groundhog Day/Time Travel AU: Amarendra wakes up, post-his death, on the day he meets Devasena in Kuntala.

Requested By: weaslayyy

Do Not Want: n/a

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Amarendra Baahubali 

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: Amarendra is not adopted by birth, and instead raised as a commoner in ignorance of his identity. Sivagami is either deposed and exiled, or dead; and Bijjaladeva takes her place to rule Mahishmati is unjustly. As he grows, Amarendra must lead a rebellion to bring about justice--based more on his inner sense of right and wrong rather than his birthright--particularly after he encounters a spirited Kuntalan princess he must woo without the confidence of his true status. 

Requested By: weaslayyy

Do Not Want: n/a

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Amarendra Baahubali & Devasena & Mahendra

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: Heart-warming fluff; an argument over how many children Amarendra and Devasena want, with little Mahendra participating as well

Requested By: Ratna

Do Not Want: None

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Any

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: Fluff or angst of any sort!

Requested By: Inkn1ght1

Do Not Want: None

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Any

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: Any, amnesia AU, for which the possibilities are endless: Sivagami suddenly can’t remember why she’s exiled/ignoring her beloved son. Amarendra or Devasena wake up married to a stranger, to their spouse’s dismay. Bhalla gets bonked on the head and mistakes Mahendra to be his brother Baahu--whatever you want!

Requested By: avani

Do Not Want: no Rise of Sivagami backstory, thank you!

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Any

Fic or Art: Either

Prompt: Any, in-universe history books/partially discovered documents, portraits, etc. Particular love for said historians being as inaccurate (or tragically accurate) as you want, and/or crossover with a reincarnation or modern AU.

Requested By: avani

Do Not Want: no Rise of Sivagami backstory, thank you!

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Any

Fic or Art: Fic

Prompt: Dystopian AU, with a world of the author’s choosing

Requested By: queenofmahishmati

Do Not Want: Evil! Bhalla

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Avantika

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: Before and after

Requested By: forestpenguin

Do Not Want: No smut/non-con/explicit fic.

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Devasena or Amarendra

Fic or Art: fic 

Prompt: Before and after

Requested By: forestpenguin

Do Not Want: non-con, smut, explicit fic

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Devasena & Avantika

Fic or Art: either

Prompt: Happy AUs preferred, but any interaction is fine!

Requested By: MayavanavihariniHarini

Do Not Want: None

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Devasena & Sivagami

Fic or Art: either

Prompt: Happy AUs preferred, but any interaction is fine!

Requested By: MayavanavihariniHarini

Do Not Want: none

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Devasena & Sumitra

Fic or Art: Either

Prompt: Happy AUs preferred, but any interaction is fine!

Requested By: MayavanavihariniHarini

Do Not Want: none

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Devasena and Mahendra Baahubali

Fic or Art: fic 

Prompt: 5 times Devasena took care of/comforted Mahendra and once he returned the favor.

Requested By: Fiera94

Do Not Want: tragedy

Character/Pairing/Relationship:Mama Deva &  Papa Deva

Fic or Art: fic preferred

Prompt: Pre-Canon, AU where the older generation lives, Afterlife fic, any kind of genfic! Maybe a worldbuilding “slice of life” or a look at the daily ruling of Mahishmati or Kuntala.

Requested By: AllegoriesinMediasRes

Do Not Want: Shipfic, modern au, soulmates au. Rise of Sivagami canon, Crossovers. 

Character/Pairing/Relationship:Sivagami

Fic or Art: fic preferred

Prompt: Pre-Canon, AU where the older generation lives, Afterlife fic, any kind of genfic! Maybe a worldbuilding “slice of life” or a look at the daily ruling of Mahishmati or Kuntala.

Requested By: AllegoriesinMediasRes

Do Not Want:Shipfic, modern au, soulmates au. Rise of Sivagami canon, Crossovers. 

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Sivagami & Devasena

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: Canon-divergent AU: Sivagami fosters/raises Devasena for whatever reason. Amarendra/Devasena very much welcome, but would prefer a focus on Sivagami and Devasena’s relationship.

Requested By: avani

Do Not Want: Please do not have Amarendra and Devasena raised by Sivagami at the same time, as I feel they’d be certain to think of each other as siblings. Feel free to send him to Kuntala, or a gurukulam, or a full role-reversal AU where he’s born the younger prince of Kuntala. No Rise of Sivagami backstory, thank you!

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Sivagami & Kattappa & Amarendra Baahubali

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: What if Mahishmati lost the war against the Kalakeya? What if Sivagami and Baahu were taken prisoners ? What if Katappa survived but was injured badly enough that he doesn’t regain lucidity until later when he is in hiding with Bijjala, Bhalla some soldiers who have no intention of going back unless they have a way to win. Will Baahu be able to protect Sivagami from Ingkoshi’s crude and disgusting advances?

Requested By: CarminaVulcana

Do Not Want: Modern AU, Crossovers, Genderswaps

Character/Pairing/Relationship:Vikramadeva & or / Mama Baahu

Fic or Art: fic preferred.

Prompt: Pre-Canon, AU where the older generation lives, Afterlife fic, any kind of genfic! Maybe a worldbuilding “slice of life” or a look at the daily ruling of Mahishmati or Kuntala.

Requested By: AllegoriesinMediasRes

Do Not Want: Shipfic, modern au, soulmates au. Rise of Sivagami canon, Crossovers. 

Character/Pairing/Relationship: Vikramadeva  / Mama Baahu

Fic or Art: fic

Prompt: Generation 1 — how Vikramadeva met Mama Baahu, snippets from their relationship as much as the writer likes. In canon universe.

Requested By: queenofmahishmati

Do Not Want: Modern AU

[avani008]

Amarsena and Mahendra 4 years before & 20 years after Nidhana.

4 years ago first, which means Mahendra is roughly 2-ish:

Winter comes early that year, and the village is not prepared. Fortunately the royal stores are enough that starvation is not a concern–but contagion is, and it spreads quickly. Mahendra wakes up one morning with a sore throat and streaming eyes, and the next day, Devasena finds herself tending to her neighbors with a throbbing headache and tender muscles; even Baahubali, whose robustness usually translates to resistance to any and all illness, reports both a running nose and a temper rather shorter than usual.

Curled on a small cot, sniffling alongside her husband and son, Devasena knows this is not at all the life she imagined for herself or her future family as a girl.

She still wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

And sneaky anon! Technically the “time before/after” request thing doesn’t specify characters, but I can let you know what Mahendra is doing, if you will allow me to tweak the date slightly to 18 years after Nidhana instead:

Aslam Khan has long known that only the markets of Mahishmati can do justice to his wares, and so he makes the long journey across the mountains year after year. This time he brings a prize even they must appreciate: Sikander, Persian-forged and peerless.

This is why he responds to the youth who asks what all the fuss is about with such anger; the question might have been innocently intended, but Sikander deserves better than to have its worth doubted. He demands a duel, and in response, the young man only brings his own sword crashing down on Sikander’s blade to split it in half. 

“Not so spectacular now, is it?” Mahendra snaps. 

[avani008]

Vilomita - Amarsena after 1 & 10 years, Amarsena with Kattappa after 5 years, Amarsena in Kuntala after their marriage and amarendra coronation. I hope it's not too much.

This is not at all too much! i love Vilomita :D

Amarsena after 1 year

“It isn’t much,” Baahubali says uncertainly; “Father was meant to have the roof repaired, but I imagine he hasn’t been able to do so, not since I left–” It is not that he is ashamed of where he comes from, necessarily; but the contrast between what he might have been able to provide for her before and the life he can promise now is stark.

But his explanations fall on deaf ears; Devasena is looking about her with an air of wonder.

“Four walls,” she breathes, “all to ourselves.”

Perhaps she means only that, at least from her perspective, there isn’t much to choose from between the mountain caves where she’d grown up and the maze of corridors that made up the palace; but she turns to him and smiles and he thinks it’s far more likely that it doesn’t much matter where they live as long as they are together.

Amarsena after 10 years

There are times she wonders how it might have been otherwise.

If Kuntala had not fallen–if Martand had not usurped the throne and sent Baahubali into anonymity until he returned as a man grown–in that world, she would have been raised a princess, safe in her home, until he came to her as a prince, splendid and self-confident….

No; even in her dreams she has yet to develop the ability to tolerate arrogance. Instead she supposes he would come to her as–as a servant, perhaps, to woo her in her own home as he had courted her in the hideout of her people until the time for all deceit ends and they can claim each other before the world.

Because even in such a world they can belong only to each other; Devasena cannot imagine how it might ever be otherwise. 

Amarsena and Kattappa after 5 years

“Are you certain,” Devasena asks, yet again, “that you wish to do this?”

Kattappa appreciates both her care and her concern, and yet he remains resolute. “It is not a wish,” he corrects gently; “it is a need.”

He can sense her disapproval, and yet she raises no further objection. It is not an easy journey: more than once his unshackled feet stumble and give way, and his King and Devasena must dive to support him on either side, as they had long before, but at last he stands in the shadow of the Lord.

For the first time in five years, Kattappa looks out on the empty courtyard before the Shiva temple and does not shudder. 

Amarsena in Kuntala

For the sowing season, they travel to Kuntala. Devasena judges that the additional bodies that make up their retinue would be of greatest assistance then, and besides Mahendra loves the thought of helping. He follows in the farmers’ wake, scattering seeds wildly with far more enthusiasm than efficiency; when Devasena winces and moves to stop him, the farmers only wave her away with a laugh. 

“It will be good for him,” her husband says lazily, lying below a tree and watching their son cheerfully go about his work, “to learn to put forth effort without expecting to be around for the harvest.”

“Mmm,” agrees Devasena, and settles down beside him to watch the world they’ve created.

[avani008]

number 5 for Amarsena (amarendra and devasena)

Finally done with the double-and-a-half drabble! And this may not be precisely what you were expecting, but I’ve written so much sad stuff recently that I had to steer clear of the sadder possibilities for this prompt. Continued below (or read on AO3!):

Flames lick metal, and her stranger is gone, as surely as if Amarendra Baahubali had killed him himself. An unreasonable thought, unbefitting of a princess, but impossible to deny. Devasena knew the man who watched for her every smile, whose touch made her skin glow with pleasure, who fought by her side as an equal; she is not certain she can say the same for the future King of Mahishmati, although she has promised him her hand.

No one else understands. Her ladies-in-waiting giggle to themselves over the impending wedding, Sumitra bustles about to see to their guests' comfort, and her brother beams: "What more could you wish for, Devasena?"

She cannot fault them for it. Her stranger had been hers alone to delight in, and so hers alone to mourn.

He finds her on the eastern wall. Of course he does; if anyone would know what her stranger had been to her, it is he. She staggers forward into the circle of his arms. Of course she does; a warrior's instinct is to cradle an injury close to the heart, and her heart is still with him.

Cheek against his chest, she admits: "I would have wandered with him, wherever he wanted to go."

Her stranger whispers against her hair: "He would have been happy here, spending the rest of his life by your side."

In silence they grieve a shared stillborn dream; afterwards, Devasena raises her head to smile at Baahubali--no longer a stranger but still hers.