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Latest Posts by penguka - Page 4
i'm procrastinating so here are notes instead
so in ph mythology we have this moon god called Bulan (and for this post we'll look at him from Bikolano myths perspective).
Anyway.
Bulan is very good-looking, and kind, described as 'comely' and 'docile' which is very much how you feel when you're looking at the moon: tranquil.
And you'd think this Precious Boi™️ will be a prey to the hundreds of monsters prevalent in PH mythology but aCTUALLY he befriended most of them including:
the Magindara (Bicolano mythology) - described as vicious mermaids
Asuang (also Bicolano mythology) - considered as a dark and evil god, father of monsters
... and other vicious creatures that seemed to become tame in his presence. He also earned the admiration and favor of most gods, even the Big and the Bad, like:
Magindang - powerful god of the sea and sea creatures
Bakunawa - the deity of the deep and the underworld, who later on tried to eat him (the moon) and was believed to be the cause of lunar eclipse.
Sidapa - god of death, showered Bulan and his sister with gifts after the whole debacle with Bakunawa
There's some parallelism with Visayan mythology, where some stories say Bulan is another form of Libulan, or there's just Libulan and Bulan is a whole other different deity, but there he's also admired by:
Luyong Baybay - deity of the sea and the tides, and this was believed to be the reason why the tides rise to greet the moon
Bakunawa - in this particular version, there are seven moons, all of which Bakunawa desired, and had managed to swallow the other six except for the seventh, which is Bulan.
also Sidapa - I can't remember where I read this version, but there's something about Sidapa rescuing Bulan from his other admirers (who can get a bit aggressive; case and point, Bakunawa).
Don't ask me why versions are different, the Philippines is made up of a lot of islands and divided into regions, hence the differences
I just find it a point of interest how Bulan is so pure he literally overcomes creatures with the power of friendship and kindness, when all the other legends describe physical strength and brutality. He's amazing.
And also it probably helps that anyone messing with him would mess with his fierce protectors, esp his sister Haliya
TL;DR
Bulan is precious and in this house we love and appreciate him.
Sidapa headcanons
PIGILAN NINYO AKO sorry fam
(my take on Sidapa, the god of Death who resides on Mt. Madia-as)
Any living thing (sans those of the realm of the divine (e.g. gods, spirits, creatures of magic) and certain plants bc there are spirits living in them) withers when they touch him.
It’s why he’s so cautious and jittery all the time especially when surrounded by that much life.
The mountain’s inhabitants, the ones who know him for his true nature are super kind to him.
They talk to him. They keep a good distance from him (normally a foot away, close enough to be intimate but far enough to be safe) so he can be comfortable. The only ones capable of touching him are the spirits, but even then, it is a rule that he has to be the one to touch them first. They can’t touch him out of no where or else.
The animals love him. They just do. He’s so sweet to them, even if he can’t touch them.
Awww, you hungry? Alright, lemme ask some of the diwatas to give you some fruits.
The crocodiles are so restless today, I wonder– Oh! There’s a dead tree in the way of the river I’m so sorry, ok let me move it aside for you.
You’re about to give birth! How wonderful! … D-Do you m-mind if I’m there? When it happens? Or after? I’d love to meet your new born– Really? Oh, thank you.
Dork.
He’s big and broody and broad shouldered but he tries so hard not to touch anything look at this small precious child.
He sleeps all curled up too, wrapped in his own arms because he’s too afraid that at night he might reach out to something and make it wither accidentally.
For a god of Death he revels way too much in life. He’s so amazed by everything. By flowers and by silver fishes in the stream. By the trees and the sweet smell of fruits in the summer. By the ground and the little insects crawling on it.
He adores everything, but he can never be part of anything. Poor baby child.
Sometimes, children come into the mountain and get lost.
He always makes sure that they find their way home. And if he knows the child came into the mountain bc they were running away from something, he looks for a better home for them.
Just think of a little tribe maybe sa foot of the mountain just going “Quit dumping kids on us!”
… one time, somebody abandoned their baby up there.
When he found out Sidapa lay beside it, a foot away, out of reach, with his hands clenched into light fists held against his chest.
The child didn’t know Sidapa. But it did giggle a lot when Sidapa spoke gently to it, trying to give it some moments of happiness before the inevitable.
When it did die he cried. Gave the poor thing a proper burial.
He was inconsolable for days after that.
The spirits baby him. They always want him to smile. When he’s feeling down, they make flowers bloom and the animals will follow their lead, prancing about and showing him the things they find most beautiful.
Sometimes, they even give him portions of their fruits, or maybe shiny things they find around the forest floor.
He always eats the fruits. And the gifts? He either fashions into jewelry or he keeps in a special place.
When he fell in love with the moons he was really shy in asking the spirits and the mermaids to help “woo” them.
They teased him about it, but they couldn’t keep it up for too long because teasing Sidapa is cruel and uncalled for.
So they helped him woo them.
Except really, it wasn’t wooing. He just wanted the moons to be happy. Because the flowers and the siren songs made him happy so he wanted the moons to see them and be happy too.
… When Bulan came down after the whole fiasco with Bakunawa Sidapa was both giddy and nervous.
Bulan didn’t know about the one foot away rule. Plus, he’s kinda touchy, seeing as he had siblings who loved to hug so the first time he touched Sidapa–
which he did because he caught Sidapa smiling at a spirit busy blooming the flowers around him and he didn’t notice Bulan creeping lightly behind him until the boy moon touched his shoulder
– Sidapa jumped and began to shake, curling into himself. Oh, did the spirits have a field day after that.
It took awhile. Lol, some of them took Bulan aside and scolded him explained, the others tried to calm Sidapa down with Siren songs and the sweet scents of all the flowers and fruits on the mountain.
He calmed down eventually.
That night though, he slept alone, curled up into himself again, replaying in his mind again and again the moment when Bulan touched his shoulder.
Dork.
They figure out the touching thing eventually. Of course they do.
Sidapa is nothing but accommodating (you have to be, especially when human souls have questions they want answered or last requests they want fulfilled). He understands that Bulan likes to touch. That Sidapa lived in a world that was filled with love but devoid of touch. That Bulan came from a place rich with warmth and comfort.
Bulan taught him, (with his permission of course and very gently), how to receive touch. How to react to it.
Sidapa taught Bulan to see the beauty around him, how sometimes, sitting back and allowing yourself to overwhelmed by how happy everything makes you feel is the best thing about living.
philippine myth creatures gothic
they talk of creatures lurking in the night, always reminding you of their ways whenever you do something bad. using your fear as a way for you to obey them.
they talk of the tiyanak, and how they attract travelers by imitating a baby cry and then attack the victim. you walk home late one night from school, you hear the baby crying, not so distant. you stop for a second, the hairs on your arms rising, a shiver running down your spine. you resume walking. you don’t turn back.
you remember the tikbalang one time you got lost with your friends. you drive and drive but you keep returning to that tree with the branches that look like arms and it feels eerie. you had your stereo on full volume and you turn it down. you tell your friends to keep quiet and to turn their shirts inside out. you keep driving and this time you get out. but it’s been five hours when it felt like five minutes.
you think of the manananggal when your mom gets pregnant. you think of it flying to your house and using its long proboscis-like tongue to suck out the heart and blood of your would-be sibling. you think of its severed torso, the upper doing the job while the lower just stands there. you sit up every night waiting for it. you don’t get much sleep, too scared to sleep in case it comes.
you wait for your friend one time. you hear, ek ek ek. it seemed very far so you don’t pay much attention to it. you tell your friend this and they say it was probably an ekek, similar to the manananggal. your friend also says that they fool people into thinking they were far when they were actually very close.
your mom tells you that your maid’s mother is an aswang, a vampire-like witch ghoul. your maid is probably one too. you remember what happened to your neighbor, how he didn’t seem like himself and then he became sick and died. you hear people saying it was your maid and that it was the way of the aswangs to replace their victims with doppelgangers only to become sick and die. you’ve been very nice to you maid ever since. you don’t know who’s real, you don’t know who’s a doppelganger.
these are some of the creatures you’ve been afraid of your whole life. they tell you to let go of it. they tell you it’s not real. but you can’t, you can’t, you can’t.
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.
H A N A N || Philippines || Goddess of the Dawn
Hanan was a daughter of the supreme god of the Tagalogs (Bathala) with a mortal woman. She has two sisters, Tala and Mayari, and they were all brought to live up in the Skyworld (Kaluwalhatian) by their father
Each of the three sisters were assigned a role to fulfil and a domain such as Tala being the goddess of the stars, Mayari as the goddess of the moon, and Hanan as the goddess of morning or dawn. It is said that she is the deity most important when people enter a new age or a new phase in their life.
celestial sisters: tala; mayari
@fyeahmyths two weeks event: day twelve.
asian creature: [philippine] m a r i a m a k i l i n g
in philippines, it is believed that there is a forest nymph who is the guardian spirit of the mountain - and a benefactor of the townspeople who depend upon the mountain’s resources. people claim that the mount makiling in philippines is itself shaped like the spirit - her face and two breasts being discernible in its various peaks.
diyan masalanta, tagalog deity
diyan masalanta is the tagalog goddess of love, conception, and childbirth, and the protector of lovers.
mythology family ♥︎ hanan for @gisabarrovv
in tagalog mythology, hanan is the goddess of morning, dawn, child birth and new beginnings. she is one of the three demigod daughters of bathalang, the creator of the universe. hanan is the sister of mayari (goddess of the moon), and tala (goddess of the stars).
Philippine Mythology as told by my childhood: Tik-tik
The Tik-tik, a variant of the aswang, is characterized by its long tongue and the sound it makes when it is out hunting. It is drawn to the scent of an infant in its mother’s womb and uses its long, thin tongue to suck the blood of the victim by passing it through the mother’s navel.
PHILIPPINE GODS AND GODDESSES: Bathala
Bathala, also known as Abba, is said to be the creator of everything. He dwells in the sky which is called Kawalhatian together with the lesser gods and goddesses. He is kind, giving the people everything they need to the point of spoiling them. This was where the Filipino saying “Bahala na” (come what may) came from. It is also known that Bathala sends anito (ancestor spirits, nature spirits, and deities) to help mankind with their daily activities.
photo credits: ledsetgo & melisica
PHILIPPINE GODS AND GODDESSES: The Four Agents of Sitan
In Tagalog mythology, Sitan (the Guardian of Kasamaan) had four agents whose task was to lead mankind to sin and destruction. These four agents were Manggagaway (Disease), Manisilat (Breaker of Families), Mangkukulam (Fire), and Hukluban (Death).
modern day filipino deities
bathala // god of creation, ruler of the pantheon
works as a carpenter. makes intricate furniture and statues out of wood, and sells them at a roadside shop. each figure he makes is completely unique. sometimes he breathes life into them, but just temporarily. misses the advent of humanity and wants to recreate the experience. really hands-on when it comes to building things.
mayari, tala and hanan // goddesses of the moon, stars and dawn
regulars at coffee shops and indie band concerts. all about poetry and music, but don’t have time for petty things like heartbreak. stay up all night into the wee hours of the morning. they crave the silence right before the world rearranges itself into a new symphony.
diyan masalanta // goddess of love and childbirth
the campus love doctor, takes care of everyone and their fragile hearts. is just at the age when you first fall in love. she may seem young, but her words carry weight and are universal. is always there for you, whether you’re pining or heartbroken. volunteers at a lying-in clinic for expectant mothers, ready to give a hand.
anitan tabu // goddess of wind and rain
is there one moment and gone the next. almost never inside, and never stationary. the sidewalks and alleyways are her home. the leaves and other debri pick up just a little when she walks by. smells like the air right before it drizzles.
apolaki // god of the sun and war
always glaring. only comes out when everyone else is inside because of the sweltering heat. collects old war relics and frequents the small, out-of-the-way museums in the province. visits the graves of soldiers who have no one to remember them. can repair your gun for a small fee. doesn’t seem to run out of war stories, be it from the spanish times to the japanese colonization.
dumakulem // god of the mountains
volunteers as a guide for mountain bikers. knows obscure paths like the back of his hands, and can never get lost. speaks to animals in hushed tones, telling them where to pass and get food. not really for much conversation with mortals.
anagolay // goddess of lost things
her pawn shop-slash-restaurant is full of odd artifacts, from old masks to antique jewelry. helps people with important things they’ve lost. gives students the missing hard drives, employees their car keys, and children their toys. keeps the things that don’t belong to anyone, and writes down their stories.
idiyanale // goddess of labor and good deeds
works as a public school teacher. recognizes hard work, even the one most difficult to see, and rewards it justly. all students become silent once she opens her mouth. her word is absolute but kind. underpaid employees mysteriously receive bonuses when she’s around, and the overpaid ones somehow lose their salary, just like that.
mapulon // god of the seasons
somehow manages to dress just right - not too warm, not to cold. his little shop is stocked with whatever you need, right when you need it. raincoats for when you go back to school, jackets for when it starts to get cold, swimwear when summer starts. the fruits he sells are always ripe, since he knows exactly which ones are in season. his very appearance and mood seems to change just as the climate does, but just slightly.
amanikable // god of the sea and storms
stays by the coast. has a wild beard, and looks like he hasn’t bathed in weeks. the smell of day-old saltwater clings to his body. mumbles incomprehensibly about natural disasters. the locals, especially the fishermen, usually steer clear of him, except when his whispers involve typhoons or tsunamis, in which case they head for higher ground.
lakapati // goddess of fertility and agriculture
the rice paddies are her domain during june and july, the planting season. seedlings sprout on the ground she walks on. none of the seeds the farmers plant seem to go to waste. sometimes works as a family consultant for couples who are struggling to have children.
dimangan // god of good harvest
shows his head in the fields only when harvest time comes. gives farmers who harvest by hand that extra needed energy. tends to stick around longer than lakapati does, because the harvest involves so much more than uprooting the crops - there’s also cleaning and storing and selling. makes sure farmers have just the right amount to sell to make money but not so much that the crops go to waste.
death god shows up at your porch with a boombox wyd
Writing advice #?: Have your characters wash the dishes while they talk.
This is one of my favorite tricks, picked up from E.M. Forester and filtered through my own domestic-homebody lens. Forester says that you should never ever tell us how a character feels; instead, show us what those emotions are doing to a character’s posture and tone and expression. This makes “I felt sadness” into “my shoulders hunched and I sighed heavily, staring at the ground as my eyes filled with tears.” Those emotions-as-motions are called objective correlatives. Honestly, fic writers have gotten the memo on objective correlatives, but sometimes struggle with how to use them.
Objective correlatives can quickly become a) repetitive or b) melodramatic. On the repetitive end, long scenes of dialogue can quickly turn into “he sighed” and “she nodded” so many times that he starts to feel like a window fan and she like a bobblehead. On the melodramatic end, a debate about where to eat dinner can start to feel like an episode of Jerry Springer because “he shrieked” while “she clenched her fists” and they both “ground their teeth.” If you leave the objective correlatives out entirely, then you have what’s known as “floating” dialogue — we get the words themselves but no idea how they’re being said, and feel completely disconnected from the scene. If you try to get meaning across by telling us the characters’ thoughts instead, this quickly drifts into purple prose.
Instead, have them wash the dishes while they talk.
To be clear: it doesn’t have to be dishes. They could be folding laundry or sweeping the floor or cooking a meal or making a bed or changing a lightbulb. The point is to engage your characters in some meaningless, everyday household task that does not directly relate to the subject of the conversation.
This trick gives you a whole wealth of objective correlatives. If your character is angry, then the way they scrub a bowl will be very different from how they’ll be scrubbing while happy. If your character is taking a moment to think, then they might splash suds around for a few seconds. A character who is not that invested in the conversation will be looking at the sink not paying much attention. A character moderately invested will be looking at the speaker while continuing to scrub a pot. If the character is suddenly very invested in the conversation, you can convey this by having them set the pot down entirely and give their full attention to the speaker.
A demonstration:
1
“I’m leaving,” Anastasia said.
“What?” Drizella continued dropping forks into the dishwasher.
2
“I’m leaving,” Anastasia said.
Drizella paused midway through slotting a fork into the dishwasher. “What?”
3
“I’m leaving,” Anastasia said.
Drizella laughed, not looking up from where she was arranging forks in the dishwasher. “What?”
4
“I’m leaving,” Anastasia said.
The forks slipped out of Drizella’s hand and clattered onto the floor of the dishwasher. “What?”
5
“I’m leaving,” Anastasia said.
“What?” Drizella shoved several forks into the dishwasher with unnecessary force, not seeming to notice when several bounced back out of the silverware rack.
See how cheaply and easily we can get across Drizella’s five different emotions about Anastasia leaving, all by telling the reader how she’s doing the dishes? And all the while no heads were nodded, no teeth were clenched.
The reason I recommend having it be one of these boring domestic chores instead of, say, scaling a building or picking a lock, is that chores add a sense of realism and are low-stakes enough not to be distracting. If you add a concurrent task that’s high-stakes, then potentially your readers are going to be so focused on the question of whether your characters will pick the lock in time that they don’t catch the dialogue. But no one’s going to be on the edge of their seat wondering whether Drizella’s going to have enough clean forks for tomorrow.
And chores are a cheap-n-easy way to add a lot of realism to your story. So much of the appeal of contemporary superhero stories comes from Spider-Man having to wash his costume in a Queens laundromat or Green Arrow cheating at darts, because those details are fun and interesting and make a story feel “real.” Actually ask the question of what dishes or clothing or furniture your character owns and how often that stuff gets washed. That’s how you avoid reality-breaking continuity errors like stating in Chapter 3 that all of your character’s worldly possessions fit in a single backpack and in Chapter 7 having your character find a pair of pants he forgot he owns. You don’t have to tell the reader what dishes your character owns (please don’t; it’s already bad enough when Tolkien does it) but you should ideally know for yourself.
Anyway: objective correlatives are your friends. They get emotion across, but for low-energy scenes can become repetitive and for high-energy scenes can become melodramatic. The solution is to give your characters something relatively mundane to do while the conversation is going on, and domestic chores are not a bad starting place.
#creating
I remember watching this interview of Hajime Isayama where he said that, when he presented the story of Attack on Titan to its current publishers, he was at the lowest possible point of self-esteem in his life, about himself and about his work, so much so that he was on the brink of giving it all up. It marked me so much because… I was watching this interview precisely because I deeply admired this man’s artistic work. I could not fathom that he would have ever doubted it himself.
It reminded me that you can only trust the work. It really doesn’t matter what your opinion of yourself or your abilities as a creator is. It is entirely irrelevant, even. Worse: it gets in the way of creation. When you focus too much on it, you stop trying and doing. And if there is one thing that cannot be doubted, it is that nothing is achieved without trying and doing. Nothing bad and nothing good.
So really, as long as the desire to create burns your insides and keeps you awake at night and makes your fingers shiver from the need to grab a pen or a brush, there is only one option: keep making. Doubt won’t ever disappear. Creating shall remain this uneasy, vertiginous activity, keeping you on the brink of the abyss.
Follow your guts and have faith in the process. Trust that the work needs to be done, no matter the whims of self-confidence. At the end of the day, your creation may have sprung out of your mind and your knowledge, your experiences and your emotions, your time and your dedication, but it is not you. It may be better; it may be worse; but it is a thing of its own that needs to be done and that only you can do.
[playing twister]
Han Sooyoung: Yoo Joonghyuk, right hand red.
Yoo Joonghyuk: *ends up on top of Kim Dokja*
Kim Dokja: Alright, you are doing this on purpose, aren't you?
Han Sooyoung: I stopped spinning like, 15 turns ago. Honestly I'm surprised you guys didn't notice sooner.
Falbi hcs?? 😩🥰
Yesyesyesyesyes!!!!
⚠️COULD CONTAIN SEASON 4& MANGA SPOILERS ⚠️
I love them and I need to cope with 139
After everything Gabi will go to Falco's room in the middle of the night and they will comfort eachother
Reiner approves 100%, he trusts Falco with Gabi, but he never lets them be alone if he can help it
If it's hot out, they will go find a stream and they will have water fights and then lay on the grass, cuddle and dry off in the sun
Gabi insists that she'll be taller than Falco one day, but she still hasn't gotten taller
Their first kiss was one night when they were both super emotional and it was really quick and messy and they never talked about it
When Gabi falls asleep in Falco's arms, he won't move until she wakes up, like he is statue still and it doesn't matter if his arms fall asleep
Falco is the only person Gabi can cry in front of
Falco will lay his head in Gabis lap and she will play with his hair
She also shoves her head in between his shoulder and neck because it comforts her
Falco will do anything to make Gabi smile, like anything
They play fight and Gabi let's Falco win but Falco holds back
Falco's laugh basically makes Gabi melt
_____________
Remember my asks are open, request any couple from aot
Eremin?
Yesssss my otp
Eremin Headcanons
Eren will not stop touching Armin, like cuddling, hand holding, pulling Armin into his lap
Eren is so protective of Armin, it's so cute
Eren loves Armins hair and was super sad when he cut it
Every Friday they order Chinese food, make a pillow fort, cuddle and watch movies until they get tired
Eren used to call Armin a princess when they were little because he thought he looked like how they were described
They used to play a game where Armin was the princes and Eren was the knight that saved him from his tower
Carla always knew they were going to grow up to be in love
They cuddle all the time, even before they started dating, and before they realized they liked eachother
Eren figured out that he was gay when his ex girlfriend, Historia, was like, you're in love with your best friend and he denied it for like 3 years
Armin found out he was bi when he saw Eren in a tux for some party and by the end of the night he was in Mikasa's room inning bc he was in love with his best friend
They got together one night at a summer party in between the 8th and 9th grade when they had a steamy make out session while drunk
Eren has been caught multiple times staring at Armins butt while going up the stairs
Once for valentine's day, Eren gave Armin a promise ring that was the same color green as his eyes and Armin has never taken it off
When they argue they use Mikasa and Annie as middle men
They never say ’i love you’, they say’im in love with you'
I lovvvvvee them, remember, requests are always open
I have finally complete reading TGCF, although I feel sad it ended I'm happy the way it ended....
Hualian should always be worshipped together
'His Highness who pleased the gods and his forever most devoted believer'
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.
The important thing to remember is to just keep writing. Write a little bit every day. Don't worry about the word count. Don't plant yourself in front of your laptop and refuse to get up until you've finished a chapter. Be kind to yourself, and WRITE.
Even if you only make it to 20, 50, 100 words in one sitting, that's perfectly alright. Give yourself permission to applaud your consistency, and don't give up. Even when it hurts. Even when self-doubt rears its ugly head. Even when it starts to feel like you're screaming into a void and no one out there is listening, don't give up.
Keep going. Keep pushing. And be patient with yourself in the process.
Being an artist is nothing if not learning how to take a few punches 🌻
Hua Cheng Book 1: *afraid to touch his highness, believes he’s unworthy of xie lian’s kindness and touch, hides his devotion and love in fear of rejection*
Hua Cheng Book 5: “you’re leaving? gege, where’s my goodbye kiss? i’m so lonely without you. why do you only kiss me when you need smth? sigh”
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?
Ask Game: A–Z of Character Relationships/Social Behaviors
A. Affection: How does your OC express affection to the people they love?
B. Best: Does your OC have a “best friend?” If so, who, and what makes this relationship special?
C. Cute: What is something your OC finds cute/endearing about another character?
D. Death: Has anyone your OC loved ever died? If so, how did this impact them? Is there anyone your OC would be willing to die to save? Explain.
E. Easygoing: When with other people, does your OC tend to go with the flow, or be the leader? Why? Are there any people they behave differently around?
F. Forgiveness: Has your OC ever been betrayed by someone they trusted? If so, who? Did they forgive this person?
G. Gift: If your OC received a gift they didn’t like from a loved one, how would they react? What would they do with the gift?
H. Help: When someone your OC loves has a problem, how does your OC try to help them? Do they prefer to comfort, offer advice, or fix the problem? Would your OC go out of their way to help a stranger?
I. Irritating: What is something your OC finds annoying about another character?
J. Joke: Does your OC tend to tease and banter with their friends, or are they more serious/straightforward?
K. Kickback: Your OC is given the chance to have (their version of) the perfect day, but they have to bring someone else with them. Who do they choose, and what do they spend the day doing?
L. Loyalty: Is your OC more loyal to their family, their friends, or a mix of both? Why?
M. Mine: Is your OC comfortable taking things from their loved ones? (Do they snatch fries off their friend’s plate? Rummage through their sibling’s clothes?)
N. Nemesis: Does your character have a “worst enemy?” If so, who, and why? Could their relationship with this person be improved?
O. Outcast: Does your OC tend to get along with other people? How many close relationships do they have, compared to the average person?
P. Protect: Does your OC tend to protect other people, or are they the one who is protected?
Q. Qualified: Does your OC follow through on their promises? Do other characters consider them responsible/trustworthy?
R. Regret: Has your OC ever betrayed someone who trusted them? If so, who? Do they regret it?
S. Secret: What is something your OC wishes they could tell another character?
T. Three: Would your OC rather be given a hug, a compliment, or a bouquet of flowers?
U. Union: Is your OC interested in romantic relationships? If so, do they have a romantic partner? A crush? How is that working out for them?
V. Viewpoint: How often does your OC notice things they like/dislike about strangers? Do they perceive other people in a more positive, critical, or neutral way?
W. Wish: If your OC could make a wish on behalf of another person, who would they choose, and what would they wish for?
X. X-out: How much would your OC sacrifice to make a loved one happy? Would they do something embarrassing? Would they give up a vacation they really wanted to go on?
Y. Yearbook: What is your OC’s happiest memory with another character?
Z. Zoo: Does your OC have any animal companions? If so, explain.
Character Motivations
I tried to go for more external, concrete motivations in this list, but motivations can also be abstract, such as to become brave. If you’re struggling with writer’s block, try combining some of these to see what you come up with.
Your protagonist might desire:
* To rescue/protect a person
* To end a war/conflict
* To find a hidden treasure/location
* To defeat their nemesis
* To solve a mystery
* To fix a dystopian society/expose a dark truth about society
* To break free from captivity
* To return home
* To outwit the devil/make a deal with the devil (or another powerful force)
* To become wealthy/famous/powerful/immortal
Keep reading
Hua Cheng + being blatantly in love with Xie Lian 🥺💖 | Heaven Official’s Blessing Special Episode
San Lang, your… are your ashes properly hidden away? / A long time ago. / Are you sure it’s properly hidden? That place is secure enough? It won’t be found? / To me, it’s the safest place in the world. / You’re absolutely sure? / If its hiding place is destroyed, then there’s no need for me to exist either. Of course I’m sure.