Been Looking Into Filipino Mythology Again Cause I’m Working On Ocs And I Thought I’d Share Some

the best thing about Trese is how it very carefully treads the fine line between urban fantasy, tropical gothic, and magical realism and how that specific brand of horror perfectly captures Manila's vibe because? honestly?

Manila really is Just Like That.

i go to Plaza Miranda and within seconds i will find a practicing mangkukulam selling cheap toys, tarot card readings, underwear, and curses all from the same stall in front of Quiapo Church. i have bought a curse off one of them once. i still have it in my bedside drawer because i chickened out last minute and never used it but now i'm too scared to get rid of it.

i walk through the informal settlers/squatter areas near my home and hear whispers of people dying in their sleep-- and it's almost always because of either two things: the police shot them in the night or because they brought something back with them from the province.

people disappear a lot. sometimes, they never find them again. sometimes, you only find parts of them. you're sure it's probably the work of a human but. you're never actually sure.

there are balete trees where you least expect them. there's one by one of the back roads leading to my office building and nobody wants to take it down because there's something living in it. same goes for the great sampalok tree in front of our office building. but they park their cars right next to them, paying a simple bow and "tabi, tabi po" as a parking fee. i try not to look at both trees when i pass by in the evenings on my commute home.

just last week my aunt called to casually tell me that they had their house blessed AGAIN because their maid had accidentally angered something the last time she visited her province of Nueva Ecija and everybody in the whole family has been waking up with scratches and bruises on their arms ever since. they had the house blessed by an abularyo this time because the first blessing from a catholic priest didn't work.

actually, my whole family on my grandmother's side is sensitive to this shit-- which explains the nonchalance, tbh. this isn't their first paranormal rodeo.

i know there is a branch of literary theory that studies why the development of magical realism, tropical gothic, and urban fantasy in fiction is largely credited to the global south (i.e. latin america, mainland asia, and south east asia), but fucking living in this bizarre city really drives it the fuck home.

there's at least two fucking balete trees near Manila's town hall. a building that is, by the way, shaped like a fucking coffin. i cannot make this up. it's so on-the-nose, it's like actual literary imagery right out of a magical realist/tropical gothic short horror story. and it's REAL.

and it's just normal here.

HEAR ME OUT - I am a POC, a Filipino who realized a bit too late about how cool my country is.

I'm so sick of just sitting back and seeing my pre-colonial culture fade into obscurity like this.

I've been thinking of making literally any media-related thing for Bikol / Bicol mythology to maybe help it become more known cause I really think it's super decent and was highly impressed when I first learned bits about it on the internet years ago.

This is why I made that post about Bulan a few months/years back cause i'm just... so passionate abt this alright?

Every time I remember that Bikol myths could be mainstream if only the right pieces of media was published by now, i just.... feel so bad

I just want to produce something memorable and will make the internet go nuts over it.

I just want to make our culture, like, mainstream.

No more Philippines as just an outsourcing country that's used for manpower and left to fade into obscurity.

It doesn't even have to be me, but if you want something done, sometimes you yourself have to work on it.

So I want to do this.

If any of you folks want to help bring an idea to life, I'll be all ears.

We could do a book, a webcomic, a game, an album, literally anything. I'm technically still just a young adult with no money and no job but I want to work on something I can be proud of, even if there's no pay.

And while exactly zero people will probably respond, just let this be my promise to myself, and also a message to hold accountability. I'm putting this out on the internet (granted, the deeper parts, but still) so I convince myself better to do this.

As a side note, someone has actually written a book Percy Jackson-style about this, I've read it and while there's a lot to criticise about it and stuff to improve upon, it was still a step in the right direction!

The book is entitled The Seventh Moon by Jeremiah Cordial. Check it out and support the author if you can.

TLDR:

I wanna create a piece of media regarding Bicolano mythology as a passion project, so if you have a similar drive, don't hesitate to hit me up and we could work on one! Or don't lmao, either way i'm doing smth!

Two-point Perspective of a Tausug Stilt House on Water

-Luna

If the current Eren answered (?

I think we should separate the two salute in 132 and 139. This is totally two different things.

The salute in 139 is a whole SC thing, (we still have Hange in the centre and she was the only one who has a different facial expression) Anyway it is hard to tell Hange was stand out from the other (we know it is kinda focus on her). Also “are you guys watching” thing, I think it is more refer to Hange in 132 “do you think our comrades are watching us?” And Levi in 136 “the hearts you guys dedicated”

It’s give me a strong SC vibe (with low-key Levihan). Levi saluted to them and they saluted back means the duty of SC is done, and Levi gave the meaning to all his comrade.

I would be mad if we only get this. But no, the Levihan is in the FINAL panel of levi.

The shinzouwosasageyo in 132 was definitely an ONLY Levihan thing, because if it was a normal salute, Isayama would just concluded in the SC scene. (Maybe will let Levi mentioned Hange in that scene). So other than a normal salute, it’s more like Levi confessed his feeling to Hange with the salute, and only Hange can understand it.

Therefore we can exclude the normal meaning of the salute: sacrifice yourself to the mankind . Which Levi definitely means more than that and this is not the main purpose.

Remember the Levihan bird, they complete each other, and they really are. The 132 sasageyo was more like, take my heart with you and I will keep your heart with me. Hange will live inside Levi. (*Over interpretation: Don’t be scared Hange, I will be with you, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it I will live for you, as long as I’m alive, you will live inside me, with yours and our dreams)

I saw some Levihans said Levi didn’t wear an eyepatch because he think Hange will be seeing from his right eye (prefect explanation👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻) This more like the answer of 132 sasageyo to me, Levi and Hange literally became Levihan.

OK then talk about Hange’s dream and Levi’s dream, actually they shared the same dream, “the dream world” in 136

Hey it’s only the mf ZOË talking shit in 136. We don’t know the others, but we knew Levi remembered EVERY SINGLE WORD Hange Zoe said and would took her daily shitty talk seriously (He just love her...) , from that moment Hange’s dream also became Levi’s dream. And what did Levi do in the post war? Travel! Maybe not exactly is, but he is exploring a new world that could be their dream world, they shared the same dream, and mf Hange Zoe will do the same, to travel around with him if she was alive....

And finally the plane was the answer to 132 “keep watching me Hange”

The reason I don’t think the 139 SC scene is refer to this because 132 means more to Levihan, Levi wanted Hange to look at him even though their duty was done (which is the SC scene, and literally everybody were really watching from the path lol)

The plane scene is somehow confirmed that Levi wanted more from Hange, he wanted her to stay with him, just Hange and just Levi, but not the member of SC or commander and captain, their true feeling was acknowledged by a non SC member, Onyankopon. (It seem a little bit far-fetched, but I feel it means after Levi left SC, he will not remember Hange as a part of his SC duty or SC promise, I can see when Levi and Onyankopon talk about Hange, Levi was always talk about the stupid and funny thing Hange did other than her SC career and achievement, he cared and respect it but Levi just loved to remember the bright side and funny stupid side of Hange.

Sadly Hange can’t control the plane like Eren lol, but thanks for the parallel we know that plane was 100% symboling Hange, Hange was keep watching Levi. The look on Levi when he look at the plane and Onyankopon Levihan shipper stare confirmed Levi was also keep thinking about Hange.

Which means HANGE LOVE LEVI and LEVI LOVE HANGE

=CANON

The moment I think Levi started to realise his feeling towards Hange was probably here:

death god shows up at your porch with a boombox wyd

So, India is dying.

Look, I know a good number of you are from the US and things aren't amazing there either, but my country is literally on the brink of collapse. So I'd love it if we could talk about that for a minute.

If you can't do anything else, please just read and reblog.

A second COVID wave has taken out the healthcare system. There are no more hospital beds. There's an oxygen shortage. There's a critical vaccine shortage. The Central Government has thrown its hands up and is passing the baton to the State Governments to do what they can.

There are over 16 million covid cases. A record 330,000 new cases reported yesterday - comparable to the US at its peak. 187,000 dead as of today.

There is no plan.

Mass cremations are taking place. The cremation grounds are running day and night and they are short on wood. People are watching their loved ones die while waiting for a hospital bed, and then they're unable to give them the proper burial rights.

Hospitals are overwhelmed. Patients are being confined, two to a bed. They're the lucky ones.

We are on the verge of people dying in the streets.

This is the second-most populous country in the world. The largest democracy. A country that encapsulates over 15,000 years of recorded human history and has endured everything from famine to invasion to colonisation.

We might be at the end. This might be the thing that does us in.

People are dying.

People are dying.

People are dying and there is no plan.

More good news? Variants are popping up. A double mutation strain has shown up. It is resistant to current vaccines. This will not go away. This is the devastation they warned of when the anti-maskers were out protesting the minor inconvenience of covering their face in public.

My country is on the verge of an emergency state. Our government has failed us. This is as dire a situation as it ever could be.

Look. I don't do much with my life. I write fics, some of you have read them and that's pretty much it. I spend my days with my head in the clouds because that's where I like to be.

But two days ago, my grandmother tested positive, had to be taken to hospital and the ambulance caught fire.

She barely made it to the urgent care she needs.

So, here I am, using whatever meager platform I have to cobble this request together. Because I have to do something.

If you can, donate.

Or spread the word.

Help. Please.

Oh!! I never knew, thank you for adding this, I really appreciate it!

Philippine gods & goddesses.

Introducing you Philippine mythology! I didn't include them all though! Maybe I'll continue it in future blogs?

Bathala

— Bathala reigns supreme in the heavens, though his beginnings were not necessarily so set.

— The head honcho of the gods in the Tagalog myths.

— The god is known to have married a mortal woman, and from her sprang three of his powerful offspring: Apolaki (God of War and Guardian of the Sun), Mayari (Goddess of the Moon), and Tala (Goddess of the Stars).

Mayari and Apolaki

— Apolaki and Mayari both fought over the Earth’s dominion.

— The sun god wanted to be the sole ruler, but the goddess of the moon wanted an equal share.

— This resulted in a ferocious battle. Apolaki took one of his sister's eyes, but regretted it, and conceded.

— He then ruled the earth with Mayari, only they would rule at different times.

— In the day, it was Apolaki’s moment, and at night, Mayari shone in the sky (though her luminescence is dimmer, due to the loss of one eye).

Hanan

— According to some myths, Hanan is the daughter of Bathala. The goddess has Mayari and Tala as her sisters.

— Hanan is the goddess of morning, dawn, child birth, and new beginnings.

— It is said that she is the deity most important when people enter a new age or a new phase in their life.

Tala

— Daughter of Bathala.

— Ruler of the stars.

The Marias

— Maria Cacao, Maria Makiling, and Maria Sinukuan are mountain goddesses (or fairies) with their own separate jurisdictions.

— The most famous of the three, Maria Makiling, is the guardian of Mount Makiling, located in Laguna.

— Maria Cacao watches over Mount Lantoy in Cebu, and it is said that her domain houses the Cacao plants, a useful ingredient in most Filipino chocolate delicacies.

— Lastly, Maria Sinukuan holds dominion over Mount Arayat in Pampanga. There, she is said to bring forth bountiful harvests from the mountain’s fruit trees.

Dian Masalanta

— Diyan Masalanta is the tagalog goddess of love, conception, and childbirth, and the protector of lovers. 

Character Mannerisms/Behaviors: Bonus Questions

I accidentally made more questions than necessary, so here are some bonus questions!

1. What mannerisms does your character have when they’re nervous?

2. How does your character smile? Are their smiles usually genuine?

3. Are there any mannerisms or “code words” your character must use for their job? If so, what are they, and what do they mean?

4. Does your character generally have “open” or “closed” body language? Is this reflective of their personality?

5. Does your character commonly carry something around, such as a magazine or a cigarette? How do they interact with the thing they carry?

6. How do your character’s mannerisms reflect their personality, past, or desires? (For example, a character could always hover near the door because they’re noncommittal, or because they’ve had to run away from bad situations in their past.)

7. If there is magic in your character’s world, what words or mannerisms must be used to “activate” it?

8. How often does your character touch other people? If often, can they be overly touchy, or are they careful not to make others uncomfortable?