#manong pagong

[swellbloom-kids]

Nining Matsing & Manong Pagong

They approach you, the Saints of Wit and Wisdom respectively, and ask you to choose one of them as your patron. In the olden days, when the first banana tree was found fallen over, Nining Matsing tried to cheat Manong Pagong by taking the upper half (and its bananas) for herself. Seems she still hasn't learned her lesson.

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Abilities if you choose NINING MATSING:

Schematics My Dear: You always have tricks up your sleeve. You start each scene with (Wits roll) Schemes ready. You can use up a Scheme to automatically succeed on a single roll, but it must involve deception or cleverness. You can convert your boons into Schemes.

Pick a Card: You can win any game of chance such as cards or dice through cheating, but must roll Poise to avoid getting caught.

Monkey’s Gambit: Whenever you roll, you can bet a single boon that the roll will be successful. If it does, you earn back the boon alongside an additional one.

A Collusion in Place: Once per session, you can designate someone as your Accomplice. They gain +1 on all rolls to carry out your commands, and whenever they are present the scene’s location gains Prepared by an Accomplice.

This One’s Rigged: You can instinctively sense when there are traps in the area, and once a scene can successfully defuse one without needing to roll.

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Abilities if you choose MANONG PAGONG:

Slow and Steady: Once a scene, you can automatically succeed at a roll for any action by taking twice as long to carry it out.

A Turtle’s Pace: You gain +1 Wits, and once a scene can choose to roll Wits instead of another stat on any roll.

Inner World Sanctum: You can spend the rest of the scene in a deep meditation, such that by the next scene you gain the effect Inspired as well as +1 boon.

Take a Rest: When at rest, you gain +1 on all Poise rolls, and attempts to remove mental effects such as Anxious or Overwhelmed gain +1.

Words of Wisdom: You can give someone a piece of advice culled from traditional sayings or lessons such that they gain +1 on their next roll.

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Nining Matsing and Manong Pagong are from Jose Rizal's story, "The Turtle and the Monkey". (Funnily enough, the Monkey is male and the Turtle is female in the original story.)

Here, I reinterpreted them as minor deities in Swellbloom Kids, my Philippine mythology ttrpg! Check it out!

(Image from Wikimedia Commons.)

[thebrookesnook]

Me, standing next in line: Meron ba keso, kuya Jo? 👉👈

DANI!!! THIS IS SO COOL (pun intended)!!

Sksks the "Manong Pagong's" xD very on the nose. I'll take this as a sign to get started on that basketball jersey! Togame we talked about too.

Sakura is absolute the sando type. On that note, Sakura (and Suzuri) would love ukay-ukay stores. So cheap yet all my favorite fits came from them.

Me too please (English version on the left side)

Additional note: "Manong" is typically used to refer to older guys. Pretty much like "Ossan/ Oji-san" in Japanese.

Textless version below

[honoredsage]

Tagaytay Adventure

Ganap of the week ay yung Strat Plan ng PSC sa Tagaytay nung Friday.

Sobrang daming nirush na bagay-bagay. Medyo naawa ako kay Julian kasi sya yung parang pinaka-point person ng boss namin sa pag-aayos. Buti na lang, naayos din naman lahat sa uli.

Bilang assigned secretariat yung office namin, Thursday ng hapon ay nagpunta na kami sa Taal Vista Hotel para magset-up.

Plano ko at dapat ni Julian na pagkatapos ng Strat Plan sa Friday night ay uuwi na kami. Gusto ko umuwi kasi bukod sa usual na pagpapalaba at plantsa ng dami, kakain din kami sa labas kasi birthday ng tatay ko nung Nov. 5, saka magpapagupit din ako. Malapit-lapit na rin ang Tagaytay sa Batangas.

Pero pagdating namin ni Julian (na roomie ko rin) sa kwarto namin, bigla kaming napaisip na parang mas maganda na kung Sabado kami uuwi. Ang ganda kasi nung kwarto namin kaya nanghinayang kami kung di namin masusulit.

Marami kaming napagkwentuhan na apat na officemates (si Cath pa and Gabby) nung Thursday night habang hinihintay namin yung mga commissioners na dumating. Nagutom din kami kakahintay sa kanila kasi ang tagal nilang dumating.

Nung Friday, in general okay naman yung Strat Plan. Sobrang behind ng schedule nung una pero natapos din naman bago gabihin nang sobra. Solid kasi nakapag-gym pa kami ni Julian kasi kating-kati kami mag-exercise kasi pakiramdam namin ang dami naming nakain. Na-solo ko na rin yung room dahil umuwi na yung boss namin nung Friday night kaya binigay nya na kay Julian yung room nya.

Pero biggest part ng adventure ay yung kung paano ako umuwi pa-Batangas. Pagkatapos namin kumain ng breakfast ni Julian, nag-check out na kami ng hotel. Sasakay lang sya ng bus pauwi sa kanila. Ako naman, ang sabi sa akin ng tita ko sa nanay ko ay: 1) Sumakay ng bus/jeep papuntang Nasugbu at magpababa sa Sangandaan 2) Sumakay ng Jeep papuntang Lemery at magpababa sa Xentro Mall 3) Sumakay ng DLTB bus pa-Manila na dadaan ng Lipa and lastly 4) Jeep na diretso sa bahay namin. First time kong gagawin yung unang tatlong steps at yung unang dalawang step ay wala akong idea sa lugar.

Ang problema, pagdating pa lang sa first step, sira na diskarte ko. Pagtawid ko paglabas ng hotel, nagtataka ako bakit puro sa kabilang side dumadaan yung mga sasakyan. Pagkatapos magmukhang tanga ng mga 10 mins, tumawid uli ako at nagtanong sa guard ng hotel bakit walang dumadaan na bus papuntang Nasugbu.

One way lang pala tuwing weekends.

Tinanong ko kung paano makakasakay ng papuntang Nasugbu. Sabi naman ni Manong Guard ay maglakad daw ako sa katabi na Sky Ranch at sumakay ng trike.

Dahil wala naman akong idea sa lugar, sumunod naman ako. Pero nakarating na ako ng Sky Ranch (na pawis na pawis din dahil bukod sa mga gamit na dala ko pa-Batangas, dalawang laptop din bitbit ko), wala pa rin akong trike na nakikita. Naglakad pa ako nang malayo pero wala pa rin makita ang mga mata ko na tricycle.

Umabot na ako sa Ayala Mall at pagod na ako. Sumakay na lang ako ng jeep (na naisip ko dapat kanina ko pa ginawa para di na ako naglakad kasi obvious naman na isang daan naman pwede, one way nga eh) at nagtanong sa driver na ibaba ako kung saan pwede akong sumakay papuntang Nasugbu.

Sa kabutihang palad, alam nya naman at medyo  malapit-lapit din. Pagbaba ko sa Petron, sumakay na ako ng jeep papuntang Nasugbu. Nung una, kinabahan pa ako kasi di alam nung driver yung Sangandaan pero na-gets nya naman nung sinabi ko na sakayan papuntang Lemery.

Mahaba ang byahe sa jeep na to, lalo na nung nasa may parteng parang bundok na zigzag, kasi sobrang bagal nya magpatakbo. As in sobrang bagal. Pero slowly but surely, nakarating naman ako sa sakayan pa-Lemery. Yun pala yung boundary ng Nasugbu.

Medyo nag-antay pa ako ng matagal sa jeep pa-Lemery kasi nag-antay pa ng ibang pasahero. Kagaya rin ng unang jeep, mala-pagong ang takbo ni Manong Driver. Matagal din ang byahe at kahit sabi ng nanay ko huwag matulog, pagod na ako at ang bagal kaya nakatulog din ako. Hindi naman ako lumampas.

Madali na yun pagsakay ng bus. Akala ko magpupuno pa pero umalis na sila kahit marami pang bakante na upuan. Kahit unang beses ko sumakay sa bus dun, alam ko na naman yung ruta na dadaanan nila kaya confident na akong natulog.

Buti na rin lang sakto lang din ang gising ko kasi pagkagising ko saktong nagsalita yung konduktor na malapit na ako sa bababaan ko.

Nakauwi naman ako nang buhay.

[swellbloom-kids]

Four saints a-watching.

Saints are higher-existence beings spectating on the story - in this case, Ibong Adarna. From left to right, they are:

Plata Panata, the Saint of Devotion. A battered automaton, bloodied from performing various penitences. Local edgelord.

Prinsesa Blanca, the Saint at the Gates. Guards the secrets of the universe. Maria is literally her self-insert.

Nining Matsing, the Saint of Wit. Likes to win even if it means cheating. Always gets foiled by her companion Manong Pagong.

Lerong Sinta, the Saint of Fortune. Not even she can control her own luck. She likes papayas and hates falling down.

They're essentially the Swellbloom Kids equivalent of Umineko witches. Except hopefully less unhinged. While you can make your own saint to play in my Ibong Adarna module, I thought it'd be prudent to have some premade ones. Plus, it's an excuse to come up with more NPCs. Lerong Sinta I've been meaning to incorporate into the story for a while.

They feature in Ballad of the Princes Three, which you can check out here: