#i do also have to say that a lot of tagalog translations i've read just do not do the book justice like at all

[maya-chirps]

I am liveblogging me rereading Noli Me Tangere in my fandom blog and honestly the writing kinda slaps. If you wanna read Filipiniana literature, read Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. I promise you it's not as boring as school made them out to be.

Jose Rizal is like extremely snarky and each paragraph has a backhanded statement that criticizes his time period and some of the scenes are really funny

Please, if you've never read the books for leisure before and had only read it for study, it provides such a different experience and you might just like it!

[ablatheringblatherskite]

Fic Tag Game!!

How many works do you have on AO3?

25!

What’s your AO3 word count?

109,751

What fandoms do you write for?

Star Wars (haven't in a while tho), Wednesday, and I used to write for Hamilton. I also have a single fic for ATLA and Daredevil, and I'm currently writing a few fics for The Phantom of the Opera, HTTYD, Freelancers, and several other fandoms I can't remember ATM (I have that many WIPs LOL)

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Valentine's Day Curse (Wednesday)

"send your cutest delivery boy" (special instructions, Tyler's POV) (Wednesday) (which was based on the fic by @cosmic-lullaby!)

wet face towels (Wednesday)

can I have this dance? (Wednesday)

My Halloween Angel (Wednesday)

Do you respond to comments?

I do!! I try to respond to every single one of them, though I'm a little backlogged rn LOL

What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I think it would have to either be stupid, stupid cartoon (Wednesday. Basically a what if Tyler died, and how would Donovan react?), or The Bonds of Lycanthropy (a Hamilton AU where he turns into a werewolf LOL)

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I think a lot of my fics end pretty happy, but I think one of the happiest ones is Angels In Hell's Kitchen (Daredevil. About Matt Murdock having a good day for once).

Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully no! And I'm praying it stays that way 😅🙏

Do you write smut? What kind?

Nope. And I never will 😅 makes me much too uncomfortable (I never read it either). Both because that's just how I am personally and for religious reasons. But I do love writing wholesome romance!

Do you write cross-overs?

I do! I only posted one tho, and that was literally the first fic I ever wrote 😭 it was a crossover between Newsies and In the Heights, where Jack and Usnavi run away from New York. I do have several crossover WIPs though!! Including but not limited to: a Narnia/The Hobbit crossover, a Narnia/His Dark Materials crossover, a HTTYD/Wings of Fire crossover, and a Daredevil/Batman crossover!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I can't remember, but I think it's possible I have before? When my main site was still Fanfiction.net?

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have!! But they aren't done yet 😭 but I'm writing them with @the-old-fashioned-girl! It's the Daredevil/Batman crossover, as well as a Hamilton fic!

What WIP would you like to finish but doubt you ever will?

Oh gosh, I don't want to ever think I'll NEVER finish a WIP, don't do that to me! I wanna say I'll finish all of the ones I want to finish eventually!!

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Oh goodness, that's hard... probably Hiccstrid, Raoulstine, Silverparry, and Wyler!

What are your writing strengths?

I'm a pretty fast writer, I think. When I finally sit down and set my mind to it, I can easily get out a thousand+ words!

What are your writing weaknesses?

EDITING MY BELOATHED. And actually sitting down and starting to write...

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I think it's really cool when done well!! I've done it for Lafayette in some Hamilton fics, and I want to try using Tagalog in another fic someday! I'm also using sign language for my Deaf!Raoul AU!

First fandom you wrote for?

Like, wrote for, or actually posted? Because wrote for in general, it might be Ninjago but I never posted it. But published, Newsies and In The Heights LOL. But the one I posted frequently for first was Hamilton.

Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Dang, that's hard. Possibly Talking To The Moon (Avatar: The Last Airbender)! I like how I tackled both Toph and Sokka in it :DD

No Pressure Tags!!: @rainintheevening, @clawedandcute, @darling-gemini, @chaotic-bumblebee-agenda, @mrgartist, @catkin-morgs-kookaburralover, @wednesdayandherhyde, @thee-antler-queen, @broken-everlark, @incomingalbatross and @muse-write!

[ssmtskw]

20 Questions Game for Fic Writers!

Tagged by @blairwaldcrf (I haven't done this yet to tag you so I'll take it as you tagging me.)

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

It's only 14 right now but including the 4 I've orphaned so far, 18!

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

It says 60,364! (not including the orphaned works)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Haikyuu, BNHA, RWRB, and Shameless!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

some part of me came alive | rwrb | 10,979 words

Smoke Slow | rwrb | 2,026 words

On the Off Chance | shameless | 5,780 words

Terrible Things | rwrb | 4,038 words

dreamy little you | rwrb | 1,666 words

5. Do you respond to comments?

I dooo I always dooo.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

The one I repurposed for FP because that plot went down the worst way.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

To date it's probably some part of me came alive or Love Songs in the Key of Liam. (I'm realizing yet again that most of the shit I write have no comfort.)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No one's directly spoken about it to me yet so no.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I don't know what kind I write LMFAO. Mostly fade to black beginnings of a hook up but full on smut I've not exactly tried yet.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve ever written?

Haven't yet but I've been wanting to!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes but it's a very old oneshot someone requested me to translate in Tagalog.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Yes.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I had an elaborate outline and draft for a Matsuhana college AU once but... creative juices no worky.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Inner monologue probably.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue ALWAYS.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

This depends. Is the entire fic in a other language? Yes, bet. Is it not? Still interesting I would eat it up. (forever just happy to be here)

19. First fandom you ever wrote for?

Please don't perceive me.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Bloom. I'm plugging it because it's the first Matsuhana retrospective no comfort piece I wrote (that comforted me as I wrote it tbh), it's basically my firstborn on ao3 as well. I feel about it deeply simply because I also wrote this at a very memorable time in my life. I channeled a lot of shit into that thing, hence my unlimited overprotectiveness and fondness for it.

Tagging you guys if you haven't done it yet! @littlemisskittentoes @kiwiana-writes @later-2-dae @read-and-write- @happiness-of-the-pursuit @inexplicablymine @movetoheavens @rockyroadkylers @user-anakin @affectionatelyrs @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @heartitinthesilence @14carrotghoul @44whispers @arand0mdutchgirl

[pangolinheart]

I was tagged by @irisopranta so here's a little trivia!

Share your wallpaper: It's... just the default MSI wallpaper (I have commitment issues lol.) I could probably use a screenshot or a commission of a suitable dimensions, but meeehhhhh.

My mobile wallpaper is this Dragon Age Tarot-style commission from @needapotion

I've been thinking about changing it, but I'm not sure to what.

The last song you listened to: The Sharpest Lives by My Chemical Romance (I mostly listen to music while driving. Shockingly this song is not on any of my many playlists)

Currently reading: Uuuuhhhh I don't read as much as I should, but when I do I've been bouncing between: The Death and Life of Schneider Wrack by Nate Crowley, which I really enjoy but have been trying to finish for like a year and half (it's not long i'm just lazy). An inventive nautical zombie romp with a dash of social commentary.

Asian Ghost Short Stories: An Anthology of New and Classic Tales. The intersection of folklore, horror, and culture was the topic of both of my undergrad senior papers, though they mostly focused on Japan. I've already read most of the traditional Japanese stories in this book, but I don't know very much about ghosts in other Asian Countries, so it's been an interesting read! I was also drawn to it because it contains translations of new short horror stories by unpublished Asian authors. The Black Bestiary: A Phantasmagoria of Monsters and Myths from the Phillipines by Budjette Tan (Author), David Hontiveros, Kajo Baldisimo (Illustrator), and Bow Guerrero  (Illustrator). See above. This book is really interesting, because it's an illustrated compedium of myths and monsters, but the entries are written from the perspective of modern-day monster hunters recording their experiences in a journal. Apparently it's a sequel to a book called The Lost Journal of Alejandro Pardo, which I'll have to pick up sometime. The art is very cool. One of the illustrators, Kajo Baldisimo, is the main illustrator of a comic series called Trese that semi-recently received an animated adaptation with audio available in both English and Tagalog. I've been meaning to consume both of these at some point as well.

Last Movie: Uuuuuhhhhhh.... I'm not much of a movie person, so I don't really remember, but I guess maybe Dune?

Craving: Curry and rice (I'll make some the next time everyone else is out of the house >_>)

What are you wearing right now? Black leggings and a sweatshirt with the word "Catnip" over a collage of images of cats and slogans like "Cheap Thrills" in the style of an old-school Reefer Madness poster.

How tall are you: 5'4 (164.56 cm) (People always say "I thought you were taller!" Including someone i worked with in-person for more than a month-and-a-half.)

Piercings: Just the boring regular ear piercings.

Tattoos: None, sadly. See: fear of commitment

Glasses? Contacts? Neither.

Last drink: Ice water (I'm trying to drink more water, but I'd rather gargle metal shavings than drink room-temperature water.)

Last show: Hmm this one was also a while ago. I think it was Dragon Age: Absolution.

Last thing you ate: Pork roast (bleh) and potatoes for dinner.

Favorite color: This is a cop-out but I like lots of colors. I guess maybe green, orange or red? But I also like white, black, most shades of blue (navy can get fucked), purple, yellow, pink, silver/gray, etc.

Current obsession: FFXIV

Unrelated obsession: Dice! I love hand-made ttrpg dice sets! They're so pretty and unique! Sadly, not playing in any actual games has not put a damper on my bankruptcy-inducing dice habit.

Any pets: Two cats (Hansel and Gretel) and a dog (Isabella).

Do you have a crush on anyone? Nah.

Favorite fictional character: This one is really hard... There are probably so many I'm forgetting. The Justice of Toren/Breq from the Imperial Radch series, Matthew Swift from the Matthew Swift series, Alistair from DA:O, Anders, Fenris, and Isabela from DA2. Garrus from Mass Effect. Esteem from FFXIV, Alisaie from FFXIV (though I also really like Haurchefant, Y'shtola, Hilda, Ysayle, and Fordola.)

Honorable mentions to the characters I used to have keychains of on my pen case (I would try to encourage shier, nerdier students to talk to me by watching/playing things that were popular with high schoolers and putting my favorite character from the media on my pen case, which students would get very excited about): Chuuya from Bungo Stray Dogs, Childe from Genshin Impact, and Cu Chulainn from various Fate-related media.

The last place you traveled: Uhhhh I guess my last major trip was to... here (America)! My last "vacation" was to Sapporo (that was right before the pandemic.) I do occasionally take shorter day trips to towns around my area, but the furthest afield I've been recently is Grand Marais in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

I will be in Las Vegas for the FFXIV Fan Expo this summer though!

Tagging: I think everyone I interact with has already been tagged in this, but if you haven't done it and want to here is your unofficial tag!

[absurdthirst]

I'm here to rant or at least give my opinion about something. So people have been talking about that urban dictionary thingy right well i saw a post that said it's weird (and I've even heard the word fetishizing before in other people's post) that said that they don't think it's normal for a Latino character (Javier in this situation) person to like talk a whole sentence in English and then just throw in some random words in Spanish to make the reader remember that he's latino.

Well I'm from the Caribbean. And maybe it's bc I'm colonized but that's how I talk? That's how my friends talk? That's how people i don't know and hear on the street talk?

Look. A lot of older people here don't know English but my generation (people who's 40 or less) most of them know English.

So i hear a lot of people here talk like how this person said "a whole sentence in English and throw in random words in Spanish".

My first language is Spanish but i think and talk most of the time in English.

There could be people fetishizing that character. I'm not saying they could not. But like it's normal? For me? To talk a whole sentence in Spanish and throw in random words in English or the other way around? So normally when I'm reading Javier fics or like Frankie fics i don't give it a second thought if i see either character talking in English and throwing a term of endearment in Spanish. Or the other way around.

I just wanted to let people know that at least for me where I'm from it's normal to talk like that.

There are plenty of authors and users on here from Latine backgrounds that feel the same way. The term Spanglish is what I would always use to describe it and others would as well.

Most people who are bilingual will switch back and forth or pepper their English with words from their native tongue. That is not something that is new. My best friend my sophomore year in high school was a German exchange student and that was a constant mixture of Deutsche and English. Or my mother-in-law who has been speaking English her entire life but never moved from the Philippines until she was in her twenties. I will get a mixture of English and Tagalog all the time when she's excited or upset.

I have been attacked before for Javier Peña fics. Being told that I was fetishizing. However, it wasn't something that I used to make the character appealing, it was just a portion of the characterization. The fact is that he does canonically speak Spanish.

It's also the fact that I am not a native or fluent Spanish speaker. There have been authors on here who have tried to include Spanish in their stories to make it more authentic and have been criticized for that as well. So damned if you do, damned if you don't. (Plus, unless you actually speak Spanish, you are either highlighting the passage and using a translator or you are thankful that the author included the translation)

There will always be critics and those that try to use that as a way to gate-keep. As long as the author makes sure that it's not crossing the line between 'here's Javier Peña an attractive man who happens to speak Spanish and will switch back and forth' and 'Oh I want a piece of that sexy Latin man' I don't believe that they are crossing over into fetishization.

[crystalline-q]

No one particularly asked but I'd like to talk to the void right now! Here's a personal story that kind of chills me to the bone but I also find rather interesting. Plus, it's Filipino-American history month so I figured I could share a few things I've learned from my relatives, hehe

TW: Descriptions of the Supernatural, Forest Spirits, Anting-Anting

So, as I mentioned before on this blog, my family seems to be somewhat akin to the supernatural. You can read more about it on [this post] and [this post]. My dad's side, for example, has had their fair share of possession and hauntings. My mom's side, on the other hand, are more in touch with communicating with them. My great grandfather was a practitioner of what we call "Anting-Anting," which is essentially a spiritual practice in the Philippines that utilizes talismans and amulets, typically referred to as "Agimat," for spiritual protection. In particular, he lived in the province of Isabela, if you're familiar with that area. He was known in the province to have these strange but mystical powers, and he was highly respected because of such. For example, according to oral history, he was able to grab hold of electrical lines without getting electrocuted. And yes, although I do agree it seems like a tall tale, never have I seen so many people vouch for it. He wasn't a shaman, per se, and certinaly not a witch doctor or anything. He was just a very spiritual person, I suppose.

There was once a time where he and my grandmother (his daughter) went on a drive on their way home from school. See, a lot of spirits in the Philippines aren't malignant, so to say, not saying they can't be, but some of them are more on the mischievous side. My great grandfather famously communicated and was even friends with some of the spirits in Isabel (think Trese but less dark lmao). Of this were the forest spirits, I can't remember their name specifically, but I believe they are referred to as Anito in some provinces, or even Taotao or Diwata, of course, it depends on region. But that particular day, I guess they decided to play around with my great grandfather. Because he'd drive for a straight line for miles, but they wouldn't exit the forest, and it got to a point where my grandmother eventually said something along the lines of (and forgive me my tagalog is far from perfect) "Tatay, sa palagay ko naipasa na namin ang punong ito. Pupunta kami sa isang bilog?" which roughly translates to: "Dad, I think we've passed this tree a few times already. Are we going in a circle?" So, finally, my grandfather stepped out of his car and spoke to the spirits, essentially saying "you've had your fun, but now my daughter is scared. Please let us go home" and then, viola, a path straight out of the forest opened and my grandfather drove out of there to take my grandmother home.

Another thing I've learned from him is that he had something of a golden marble in his mouth. There's a lot of spiritual story to unpack with that one, but TL;DR it's the source of his strong spiritual energy. And it was so strong that it kept him alive. Long after he was supposed to be pronounced dead, he remained alive, but barely, even the doctors were confused. But when they told my grand-uncle about the marble they found, he quickly told them to leave it and not to touch it at all. According to old wives' tales, should anyone who the owner of the marble doesn't want to take it, well, takes it, they will face a life filled with immense bad luck. Thus, the siblings arrived to discuss who should take it. According to my great-grandfather's will, he wanted a certain one of his sons to take it. Said son, however, was too scared to do so, from what I heard he rejected the spirituality of that family. Thus, the eldest son decided to take it himself against the will of his father, but he only had the best intentions, he just wanted his father to finally rest. Needless to say, that oldest son lived a horrifically unlucky rest of his life. The marble, I believe, remains in the Philippines now under the care of one of my grandmother's cousins, but regardless it's an interesting story for those who are akin to the spiritual.

Either way, sometimes I wonder if I should look into my family history more, I've been meaning to look into the mythologies and the beliefs of the pre-colonial Filipinos, hell, even post-colonial Filipinos have some interesting beliefs. I can go on about the Encantos that the Spaniards encountered, some friendly and some not so much, and I can tell you stories about the encounters my own family had. But, that's a story for another day.