#ask rey

Random Thoughts on Gender in Putrika

If you haven’t figured it out yet, Putrika spends a lot of time on the deconstruction of gender roles, and family roles (I’ll probably discuss families later)

The name itself, Putrika, in addition to meaning a daughter appointed to raise male heirs, also means doll or puppet- a reference to the helplessness and weakness that is associated with femininity.

Chitrangada’s father has toxic masculinity- the need to be the strongest and the best in the room, and that attitude is drilled into Chitrangada since birth

Her mother is a symbol of femininity- seen rather than heard, and Chitrangada, through the masculine viewpoint she’s been brought up with, sees her mother as weak because of it.

But Queen Revati wasn’t helpless, that was a myth. And while Chitrangada idolizes her father, he abuses her in ways that she can’t comprehend yet, because she thinks everything he does is for her own good

Really she’s even more powerful because she has to deal with misogyny and King Chitravahana’s bullshit

Other figures in the book, like Gandhari who blinded herself for love, represent femininity. Gandhari is one of the strongest characters in the book. (She shows up late in the book so I don’t want to spoil too much).

One of the characters in the novel is Shikandi, man who was born a woman. He transitioned because of his belief in the inherent weakness of being female (something that runs through some of older trans male accounts- perhaps due to assimilation into a very sexist society) and because he wants to kill someone who kidnapped him when he was younger, and didn’t marry him, leaving him disgraced. This is another example of toxic masculinity, the need for vengeance and violence. In some way, it’s showing what Chitrangada could become. (Chitra does look up to him though and tbh he’s a fave go murder ur kidnapper darling 🤩)

Ok going to make a character post about Shikandi soon because I can’t sum it up very well

Karna feminine as hell and what about it 😌 (he literally just says “fuck y’all” and teaches Chitrangada how to shoot arrows and it’s cute ok) he says fuck gender roles when he’s younger and... glows down. Sorry. (He was raised in a healthier household, so there wasn’t really the issues Chitrangada had, since she grew up in such a judgmental and constantly watched environment. - but Karna changes as he moves into the public eye and feels more pressure to conform. fucks up reeeal bad)

If you know about the Mahabharat, you know that there is a lot of violence and dishonor (adharma actions) during the story- an extension of the toxic masculinity of a large portion of the characters in the story, and the toxic masculinity pervasive through society

The entire war could’ve not happened if people weren’t so proud and violent (toxic masculinity) and really the war is an extension of Princess Chitrangada’s own battle to put behind a past of pain and take it out in a more healthy way. Strong femininity!!!!

Love her so much she deserves better 🥺

some backstory

Our main character, Chitrangada, doesn’t have a traditional upbringing. Her father trains her hard every day, and she grows up with a feeling that she’s not good enough. He asks her to do things which are nearly impossible, which makes her stronger but also leaves her with an intense feeling of worthlessness.

She doesn’t connect with her mother either, due to differing ideas of what she is meant to do- her mother wants her to get married and have a child, out of fear that Chitrangada will die early due to the prophecy that she will have no legacy. Her mother’s protectiveness and wish for her to fall into a completely different role means Chitrangada is also left feeling like she doesn’t belong anywhere.

Thoughts on Mythology and Religion

Thanks for the ask Riley!!

I’ve been thinking a lot about the discrepancies between different versions of the Mahabharat, which my WIP is based off of. For those of you who might not know, the Mahabharat is a HUGE epic, five times the size of the Iliad and the Odyssey put together. There’s no set version, and at least in my experience, I interacted with it through stories told by my grandparents and Amar Chitra Kathai that retold the stories in a kid-friendly comic form.

I grew up on stories of the Mahabharat, and there’s always a little (or sometimes big) things that change from version to version. Hinduism has been around for such a long time that oral mythology has also changed over time.

It’s making me think a little bit, about how in some versions of the Mahabharat, there are entire female characters that just, disappear? Karna’s wives are unnamed. At some point, they would’ve a name (other than “Karna’s wife”), it was just not passed down.

And it makes me feel better about not sticking exactly to the mythology, because while my own story may not be entirely grounded in mythology, it focuses more on stories hahah could’ve been, but were lost or forgotten over time. And a lot of the stories I focus on are about female characters. There are some gr9 female characters in the Mahabharat, but for the most part, it is a male-led story.

🍂 What are their opinions on the different seasons? Which one do they hate and which one do they love and why?

Chitrangada is from South India (currently, haven’t finalized it but her weapon style is South Indian right now and it’s some of what I know best!)

Winter: hot, but still colder than the other seasons. It’s her favorite time of year, she’s always outside and running around practicing sword fighting.

Summer: Hot as fuck, but Chitra’s pretty used to it. Spends more time inside the castle. Doesn’t mind it too much.

Monsoon: She’s terrified of rain and always hides inside. This is her least favorite season.

💎 Does your OC collect anything? Is there a reason? When did they start and is it beginning to turn into a little bit of a hoarding issue? What do they do with their collection?