#filipino fantasy | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

inkcurlsandknives · 4 months

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Finally I can officially reveal the cover for my Filipino Epic Fantasy SAINTS OF STORM AND SORROW.

In which a bisexual nun hiding a goddess-given gift is unwillingly transformed into a lightning rod for her people's struggle against colonization. Perfect if you love lush fantasy full of morally ambiguous characters, like The Poppy War and The Jasmine Throne.

Huge shout out to @missnatmack who did such an amazing job with the cover and incorporated some of my favorite details like Lunurin’s embroidered piña cloth blouse, her salwal style pants featuring the pinilian inspired weaving patterns of Northwest Luzon, and of course her weapon which was inspired by barbed Filipino fishing spears called Sibat.

Saints of Storm and Sorrow comes out June 25, 2024 with Titan books! Preorder links can be found on my linktree in my profile.

#saints of storm and sorrow #filipino author #writeblr #writing #my writing #art #epic fantasy #bookblr #cover reveal #book look #romantasy #filipino fantasy

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samanthakgarner · 1 month

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Historical inspiration for my fantasy novel: Pre-colonial Philippines

Seeker of the Lost Song is a historically-inspired fantasy novel merging medieval Finnish & pre-colonial Filipino elements, and I wanted to share two elements of Filipino history I included.

☼ 1) Dulang, a low table ☼

One of my favourite tidbits from my research is that pre-colonial Filipinos ate at a low table, sitting on the floor. Part of me worries that readers will think “Hey you stole that from Japan!” but I’m excited for the chance to show my people at their own low table, eating rice with their hands.

☼ 2) The balangay boat ☼

Another pre-colonial Filipino element I included in the book was a balangay, an ancient Filipino boat that’s recently come back into the public consciousness, with ancient boats being excavated and working replicas made. A quote from this article in STARweek, from one of the people who worked to rebuild the balangay, really resonated with me:

“It is very sad because we are a maritime people. We should be gifted and natural in the waters but colonialization robbed us of that consciousness. I am doing this to help rekindle that spirit”

The balangay that appears in my novel has a double outrigger (something that always feels so Filipino to me), but essentially it’s a larger version of the sketch pictured. And I have to admit, the scenes on the balangay did stir something in me. Something ancient and ancestral, perhaps?

Seeker’s as-yet-unnamed sequel also features elements of pre-colonial Filipino history, but more on that at another time. Suffice it to say I’m enjoying this opportunity to learn more about the history of my people and use it in a fantasy setting!

#amwriting #fantasy novel #seeker of the lost song #filipino history #canadian author #asian authors #southeast asia #precolonial philippines #asian fantasy #filipino fantasy

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masnakakabaliwako · 1 year

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Hello! I have made a fantasy roleplay server loosely based on Filipino mythos (Very loosely, like the names of places and kingdoms are in Filipino) and its like a sandbox where you can contribute your own lore and worldbuilding with other people ^^ so the base lore is almost little to none.

Must take note that it is:

•18+

•NOT NSFW

•POC friendly

•LGBTQIA+ Friendly

Please DM me if you're interested ^^ you don't have to be Filipino to join btw, everyone (except guys that are 17 and under) is welcome.

#roleplay #rp #fantasy rp #discord rp #ocs #fantasy ocs #filipino #filipino fantasy

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cheesy-cryptid · 1 year

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Vampires & Vampire Hunters but make it about during the late 1800s in the Philippines

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makapatag · 28 days

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realities, maximalism,and the need for big book™️

some gubat banwa design thoughts vomit: since the beginning of its development i've kind of been enraptured with trying to really go for "fiction-first" storytelling because PbtA games really are peak roleplaying for me, but as i wrote and realized that a lot of "fiction first" doesn't work without a proper sort of fictional foundation that everyone agrees on. this is good: this is why there are grounding principles, genre pillars, and other such things in many PbtA games--to guide that.

broken worlds is one of my favs bc of sheer vibes

Gubat Banwa didn't have much in that sense: sure, I use wuxia and xianxia as kind of guideposts, but they're not foundational, they're not pillars of the kind of fiction Gubat Banwa wants to raise up. there wasn't a lot in the sense of genre emulation or in the sense of grounding principles because so much of Gubat Banwa is built on stuff most TTRPG players haven't heard about. hell, it's stuff squirreled away in still being researched academic and anthropological circles, and thanks to the violence of colonialism, even fellow filipinos and seasians don't know about them

this is what brought me back to my ancient hyperfixations, the worlds of Exalted, Glorantha, Artesia, Fading Suns... all of them have these huge tomes of books that existed to put down this vast sprawling fantasy world, right? on top of that are the D&D campaign settings, the Dark Suns and the Eberrons. they were preoccupied in putting down setting, giving ways for people to interact with the world, and making the world alive as much as possible.

one of my main problems with gubat banwa was trying to convey this world that i've seen, glimpsed, dreamed of. this martial fantasy world of rajas and lakans, sailendras and tuns, satariyas and senapatis and panglimas and laksamanas and pandai... its a world that didn't really exist yet, and most references are steeped in either nationalism or lack of resources (slowly changing, now)

i didn't want to fall back into the whole gazeteer tourist kind of shit when it came to writing GB, but it necessitated that the primary guidelines of Gubat Banwa were set down. my approach to it was trying to instill every aspect of the text, from the systems to the fluff text to the way i wrote to the way things were phrased, with the essence of this world i'm trying to put forward. while i wrote GB mainly for me and fellow SEAsian people, economically my main market were those in the first world countries that could afford to buy the book. grokking the book was always going to be severely difficult for someone that didn't have similar cultures, or are uninterested in the complexities of human culture. thus why GB had to be a big book.

in contemporary indie ttrpg spaces (where I mostly float in, though i must admit i pay more attention to SEAsia spaces than the usual US spaces) the common opinion is that big books like Exalted 3e are old hat, or are somewhat inferior to games that can cram their text into short books. i used to be part of that camp--in capitalism, i never have enough time, after all. however, the books that do go big, that have no choice to go big, like Lancer RPG, Runequest, Mage, Exalted are usually the ones that have something really big it needs to tell you, and they might be able to perform the same amount of text-efficient bursting at the seams flavor writing but its still not enough.

thats what happened to GB, which I wanted to be, essentially, a PbtA+4e kind of experience, mechanically speaking. i very soon abandoned those titles when i delved deeper into research, incorporated actual 15th century divination tools in the mechanics, injected everything with Martial Arts flavor as we found our niche

all of this preamble to say that no matter how light i wanted to go with the game, i couldnt go too light or else people won't get it, or i might end up writing 1000 page long tome books explaining every detail of the setting so people get it right. this is why i went heavy on the vibes: its a ttrpg after all. its never gonna be finished.

i couldnt go too light because Gubat Banwa inherently exists on a different reality. think: to many 3 meals a day is the norm and the reality. you have to eat 3 meals a day to function properly. but this might just be a cultural norm of the majority culture, eventually co opted by capitalism to make it so that it can keep selling you things that are "breakfast food" or "dinner food" and whatnot. so its reality to some, while its not reality to others. of course, a lot of this reality-talk pertains mostly to social--there is often a singular shared physical reality we can usually experience*

Gubat Banwa has a different fabric of reality. it inherently has a different flow of things. water doesn't go down because of gravity, but because of the gods that make it move, for example. bad things happen to you because you weren't pious or you didn't do your rituals enough and now your whole community has to suffer. atoms aren't a thing in gb, thermodynamics isn't a real thing. the Laws of Gubat Banwa aren't these physical empirical things but these karmic consequent things

much of the fiction-first movement has a sort of "follow your common sense" mood to it. common sense (something also debatable among philosophers but i dont want to get into that) is mostly however tied to our physical and social realities. but GB is a fantasy world that inherently doesn't center those realities, it centers realities found in myth epics and folk tales and the margins of colonized "civilization", where lightnings can be summoned by oils and you will always get lost in the woods because you don't belong there.

so Gubat Banwa does almost triple duty: it must establish the world, it must establish the intended fiction that arises from that world, and then it must grant ways to enforce that fiction to retain immersion--these three are important to GB's game design because I believe that that game--if it is to not be a settler tourist bonanza--must force the player to contend with it and play with it within its own terms and its own rules. for SEAsians, there's not a lot of friction: we lived these terms and rules forever. don't whistle at night on a thursday, don't eat meat on Good Friday, clap your hands thrice after lighting an incense stick, don't make loud noise in the forests. we're born into that [social] reality

this is why fantasy is so important to me, it allows us to imagine a different reality. the reality (most of us) know right now (i say most of us because the reality in the provinces, the mountains, they're kinda different) is inherently informed by capitalist structures. many people that are angry at capitalist structures cannot fathom a world outside capitalist structures, there are even some leftists and communists that approach leftism and revolution through capitalism, which is inherently destructive (its what leads to reactionaries and liberalism after all). fantasy requires that you imagine something outside of right now. in essence read Ursula K Le Guin

i tweeted out recently that you could pretty easily play 15-16th century Luzon or Visayas with an OSR mechanic setting and William Henry Scott's BARANGAY: SIXTEENTH CENTURY PHILIPPINE CULTURE AND SOCIETY, and I think that's purely because barebones OSR mechanics stuff fits well with the raiding and adventuring that many did in 15-16th century Luzon/Visayas, but a lot of the mechanics wont be comign from OSR, but from Barangay, where you learn about the complicated marriage customs, the debt mechanics, the social classes and stratum...

so thats why GB needs to be a (relatively) big book, and why I can contend that some books need to be big as well--even if their mechanics are relatively easy and dont need more than that, the book, the game, might be trying to relay something even more, might be trying to convey something even more than that. artesia, for example, has its advancements inherently tied to its Tarot Cards, enforcing that the Arcana guides your destiny. runquest has its runes magic, mythras (which is kinda generic) has pretty specific kinds of magic systems that immediately inform the setting. this is why everything is informed by something (this is a common Buddhist principle, dependent arising). even the most generic D&D OSR game will have the trappings of the culture and norms of the one that wrote and worked on it. its written from their reality which might not necessarily be the one others experience. that's what lived experience is, after all

*live in the provinces for a while and you'll doubt this too!

#gubat banwa #ttrpg #filipino #fantasy #writing #rpg #gamedev #dnd

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m-kyunie · 5 months

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If I don't draw him every so often I'll die (real)

#ff7 #final fantasy 7 #zack fair #crisis core #ffvii #my zack is trans. & hes dominican-filipino bc I said so. 1 of his dog tags is Cloud's.#idk in case ur new around here #Reanimator - Joji is my Zack theme muah so give that a listen......the vibe is so Org Crisis Core #wanted to put him in smtg I wld wear & then pushing myself with the super-saturated colors! just being very willy-nilly

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cinnamonsikwate · 3 months

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"why couldn't shuro have just been honest about what he felt with laios and falin it's not that hard" are you. are you White

#dungeon meshi #shuro #toshiro nakamoto #look you can hate him for other things but this is very clearly a case of cultures (& personalities influenced by these cultures) clashing #shuro is japanese/east asian-coded and laios is european white boy #i am not japanese but i also come from a collectivistic society #pakikisama is a filipino value both prized and abhorred #it relies heavily on being able to read social cues and prior knowledge of societal norms #shuro being from a different country/culture is important to his character #his repressed nature is meant to contrast with laios' open one like that's the point #they both had similar upbringings but different coping mechanisms #shuro explicitly admits that he's jealous of laios being able to live life sincerely #anyway the point is they were operating on different expectations entirely and neither had healthy enough communication skills #to hash things out before they got too bad #re his attraction to falin i personally believe he unfortunately mpdg-ed her #she represented something new & different. a fresh drink of water for his parched repressed self #alas not meant to be #i'll be honest the way ryoko kui handles both fantasy & regular racism in dm is more miss than hit for me #i don't doubt that a lot of the shuro hate is based off of marcille's pov of him #marcille famously racist 😭#characters' racist views don't often get (too) challenged #practically everyone is casually racist at some point #anyway. again if you're gonna hate shuro at least hate him for being complicit in human trafficking & slavery #he couldn't help falling for the wrong woman goddamn 😭#calemonsito notes

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kathanglangit · 7 months

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Gubat Banwa is FULLY FUNDED!

In less than A DAY, we've hit our goal of $40,000! Thank you all so much! Your continued support made this massive achievement for SEA representation in TTRPGs possible. 🔥🔥

Revel in glory, Kadungganan! This victory belongs to us all!

The campaign will continue to run for the next 29 days. There are a few stretch goals still waiting up ahead, so if any of these catch your interest, do continue to spread the word about the project.

The Gubat Banwa Kickstarter was fully funded in 1 day! (But we've still got some neat surprises in the stretch goals...) Check them out here:

We cannot overstate how deeply we appreciate your support, it truly means the world to this small team from the Philippines. Now, let us see this campaign through to the end of the far horizons, shields abreast and blades gleaming and heads held high with pride.

Until glory!

#gubat banwa #ttrpg #indie ttrpg #tabletop rpgs #rpg #southeast asia #southeastasia #dnd #kickstarter #philippine blade #weapon design #philippine history #philippine culture #filipino artists #fantasy #fantasy worldbuilding #fully funded #thank you for your continued support!

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leng-m · 12 days

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A couple of sketches from my novella, Metalmade. I meant to post this back in February for the 2nd-year anniversary of its launch, but I got sick and didn't have the energy to finish it until now.

It's about a sentient robot that gets tasked to spy on a taho-peddler to determine if he's actually an aswang in disguise, but despite her best efforts, she gets quite befuddled by him. That conversation they're having in the 2nd pic was so much fun to write.

Actually this whole novella was so much fun to write, and I have quite a few ideas for Yaya and Digan's adventures in Sagabilang, so a possible sequel is not off the table!

#ocs #original character #original work #filipino #precolonial philippines #fantasy #metalmade #my big orig #artph #digital art

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cimmeria-writes · 10 months

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(ID: A digital drawing of Keema and Jun from The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez. Keema has chin length brown hair, and is wearing a terra cotta colored shirt and purple pants. He holds a spear and looks over at Jun, smiling slightly. Jun is wearing a blue wrap shirt and black pants tightened at the waist and shins with cord. He holds a red demon mask. The background is teal, a thin crescent moon between them. The other images are close ups of their faces. END ID.)

#the spear cuts through water #queer fantasy #mlm art #simon jimenez #jun ossa #jun the red peacock #keema of the daware tribe #jun's tattoo is on the wrong side of his face but it wasn't very visible when i switched it lol #i'm also not totally sure what the tattoo is supposed to look like? but this is just how i pictured it #will be experimenting with their outfits more in the future #and doing some more research into traditional filipino clothing :)#cimmeriadraws

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bluetality · 7 months

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Himpapawikan ~

This is a concept art I did called Himpapawikan. In a fantasy setting, I would love to see giant flying sea turtles (Pawikan). This is what inspired this design. I also designed a carriage on top inspired by Vintas (Filipino boat).

#philippine mythology #philippines #artwork #art #digital art #mythology #concept art #concept design #illustration #fantasy #visual development #filipino artists #turtles

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inkcurlsandknives · 2 months

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Where my Zuko girlies at? I've got a Love Interest with elemental magic desperate to prove himself to a cruel father asking the impossible, obsessed with honor and duty, who throws all that away to do the right thing (for love)? Meet Alon 🌊⛈️🔥 from SAINTS OF STORM AND SORROW it will fulfill all your avatar the last Airbender nostalgia cravings. Releasing in June Preorder HERE

He's got a mother in exile, a doting uncle, and a disability (You cannot convince me Zuko is not blind or mostly blind on his burned side)

#saints of storm and sorrow #writeblr #filipino author #my writing #art #filipino fantasy #asian fantasy #romantasy #elemental fantasy #avatar the last airbender #avatar #zuko #atla Zuko #prince zuko #disability representation

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samanthakgarner · 3 months

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The world of my new fantasy novel Seeker of the Lost Song is inspired by pre-colonial Filipino culture, as well as the medieval Swedish rule of Finland. Its sequel is additionally inspired by the later Russian control of Finland. Finnish history is a major inspiration for both novels, even though they’re not historical fantasy.

Lord of the Rings was the first fantasy novel I read, way back at the age of 13. I read the Silmarillion shortly after that, and fell deeply in love with the world, the mythology, and the language. I didn’t intentionally set out to model Seeker and Sequel after Tolkien’s work. I mean, they aren’t epic fantasy novels, and Tolkien’s specific flavour of worldbuilding has been done over and over ad nauseam.

However, there are five subtle ways that Tolkien’s influence has made its way into my work that I can’t deny.

(NB: Spoilers ahead for some of Tolkien’s work – proceed with caution!)

Read the full blog post here!

🧝🏼

#amwriting #fantasy novel #seeker of the lost song #finnish history #filipino history #lord of the rings #lotr #silmarillion #tolkien #jrr tolkien #asian fantasy #filipino fantasy

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dim20-stims · 4 days

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Filipino inspired Fabian board for my friend because it deserves it

x x x - x 🇵🇭 x - x x x

check tags!

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cheesy-cryptid · 23 days

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tw // blood, body horror

“Honora…“

“Not now, Benito! We've just uncovered—-“

“No…look!”

🥀🐦‍⬛🧛🍂

Tropical gothic my beloved i am SO back 🩸 decided to make a fake book cover about filipino monster hunters solving mysteries together

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makapatag · 2 months

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A king's daughter is sent to be wed to a lunar prince. An alliance between two realms.

A storm riddles their goal. A mad god rouses his Chosen One.

A demon goddess awakens the daughter to her heritage. She forges her own path.

One in where the princess murders the hero.

A romance of blood and steel. The lost daughter of a Raja with the blood of a demon goddess. A timawa bound by oath and love. A hero chosen by a mad god. PRINCESS. KNIGHT. HERO. The cycle turns evermore. What conviction will they find now?

PRINCESS MURDERS THE HERO is an ongoing martial romance (both in the love sense and the adventure story sense) fantasy webnovel set in The Sword Isles, an epic fantasy setting founded upon Southeast Asian stories and myth. Read it for free here!

The main characters are...

👑 BAKONG THE PRINCESS, a sheltered girl awakening to the truths of the world

🛡️ MASUNA THE KNIGHT, swordgendered peerless swordmaster bound by duty and love

⚔️ SAMPONG BAHA THE JUGGERNAUT, butch lesbian heir to a royal house, slayer of pale kings

🪷 BANGAHOM THE SORCERER, trans wielder of dark blade magicks and claimant to Put'wan's Throne

#fantasy #writing #southeast asia #seasian #gubat banwa #filipino #ttrpg #dnd #rpg #web serial

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