#doing some deep dives so just came across this helloooo

[emergingghost]

have you guys seen thisss?

[zephycluster]

Precolonial HWS SEA Rant Post, feel free to ignore

If you're still reading, then you're probably looking for evidence or some juicy tidbits to throw back at me or to try and find dirt to cancel me, like typical Tumblr/Twitter. Go ahead, I don't really care.

First off, let me just say that If you like Precolonial South-East Asia AUs, feel free to keep enjoying them. I will respectfully support your passions from afar. This post is just to explain why I don't like it, especially the way they keep insisting/portraying PH in it.

Still here? Then let me begin.

Since the recent confirmation that the ASEAN Six Majors (Can't really say ASEAN 10 atm since it's still missing some people) Were completed and the Ma-Phil-Indo Trio was included, there has been a large surge in 'Precolonial' fanarts and portrayals of South East Asians, those three especially.

Even long, long before, circa 2010's ish, a rather well-known fan universe known as 'Maaf' dealt with their story and how their Author thought their intertwined histories went. Written by (my best guesstimate) an Indonesian writer who wants to explore the old, SEA bond.

When I first stumbled across Maaf (I was in Highschool at the time, around age 16-ish), I took a casual interest in it and tried to read it through. But, I will wholeheartedly admit that at the time, Pre-Colonial cultures of South-East Asia in general, let alone Philippine, did not really interest me that much. The focus (I think) was mostly on Indonesia, a country I didn't really know back then, and the liberal use of 'ancient' names and artwork just made it feel like an entirely Original Work (that needed a degree in History to really appreciate) and not something from Hetalia. I also completely disagreed with what I could gather was the story's portrayal of PH but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Do I hate 'Maaf'? No, I don't hate it. Do I wish I never came across it or that it didn't exist? Of course not. Just because I didn't enjoy it or appreciate it that well doesn't mean I wish any ill toward it, its fans, or its creator.

Fast forward to April 2021, the long awaited inclusion of South East Asia to the canon Hetalia verse. I was happy, the other fans were happy, all was good.

Then started the questionable fanarts, fan theories and fan pairings.

Especially the expansion of Precolonial! PH.

Let's go back to Maaf for one moment. From what I understood of Maaf, PH there was a character who once was like all the other South East Asian cultures, trading with them, all around being a nice family.

But all that changed when the Spaniards attacked, so cry the precolonial buffs. They destroyed everything, ransacked and marginalized the tribes, erased everything that PH was!

Did that happen? ABSOLUTELY. The Spaniards had this vision in mind that they must spread Christianity to all of the 'savage, unchristian heathens' of their realm. :V /s

But back up a second, back to PH's portrayal in Maaf. The way she (yeah, she) was portrayed there was that she was slowly losing her memories of being a 'true' South East Asian and grew more and more westernized in the process, like some sort of Culture-specific Alzheimer's or something.

Firstly, that is seriously depressing, and secondly, I just really don't see that happening.

Here's why.

Point 1: Even before Colonial Masters, Filipinos as a people cannot agree on anything.

I'll just begin this segment with a Philippine proverb that outlines what Filipinos call 'Crab Mentality' or 'Crab Bucket Mentality'.

"You don't need a lid for a container when you're keeping multiple crabs. If you keep at least two crabs together, they will just pull each other down instead of helping each other up."

I don't know how it goes with Indonesian or Malaysian history class, but what I know of my homeland, both pre- and post-colonial history, we were never really 'united' or 'together' in the sense that Indonesia and Malaysia were (from what I assume).

Let me pull up a somewhat related question on r/AskHistorians.

The reason I brought this up as it shows the reasons why, in my opinion, a single entity that is 'Precolonial Philippines-tan' is an impossibility.

The answers are long and would extend this already long post to stupid proportions, so I'll just quote relevant sentences. The link is here for those that wanna deep-dive into the answer.

"All this to say that there wasn't a name used for the entire Philippine islands before the Philippines that people now would agree to. An interesting comparison would be the Holy Roman Empire, which might also be characterized as disparate politico-geographic groups of relatively small size that had a history of relations between each other, but one thing they had that the Philippines did not was a common language, or at least a family of mostly mutually intelligible languages, so that the name Deutschland or Germany isn't terribly offensive to anyone. If you called the Philippines the 'Lupang-Tagalog' or even 'Lupang-Tao' the other ethnic groups would protest."

For those in need of translation, 'Lupang Tagalog' means 'Land of the Tagalogs' and 'Lupang Tao' means 'Land of People', specifically. The first one is already exclusive and offensive, as the Tagalog peoples are but one of many ethnicities here.

And for the 'Lupang Tagalog' suggestion specifically, it's even more offensive as they are the majority ethnicity (not by much, just around 28%) From this chart from Geography Now! It would basically be alienating everyone else in the 72% remainder that isn't 'Tagalog'.

And even 'Lupang Tao', the most generic name in a local language you can think of, would be met with contempt because the name itself is in the Tagalog language.

Just travelling between two individual island groups today would sometimes require a translator because the words can change very rapidly and very drastically. Here's a sample of some differences coming from a friend living in Visayas (in Red) vs. the words I know living in Luzon (In blue).

Ate vs. Manang = Older Sister

Ibon vs. Pispis = Bird

Tumawa vs. Kadlaw = To laugh

Takot vs. Hadlok = Fear

Kain vs. Kaon = To eat

Ngayon vs. Subong = Now, at this point in time

Iyak vs. Hibi/Gibi = to cry

Talampakan vs. Tiil = Foot (in Tagalog, the word retains its 'body part AND unit of measurement' meaning)

Tulog vs. Tuyo = to sleep (Tuyo in Tagalog is either a dried salted fish or 'to dry')

The kicker is that just like Tagalog is just one of many languages here, so too is the language my friend speaks. Ask an entirely new person, like someone from Mindanao, they'll probably have an entirely new set of words.

It's not just Luzon vs. Visayas vs. Mindanao, either. Here's a map listing some of the ethnic groups here.

Even the way they're written differs from location to location.

While we're on the subject of Island divisions, a casual skim across Twitter and Tumblr has shown that their Precolonial PH has been one of the following ancient civilizations: Tondo, Butuan, Sugbu, Namayan. There may have been others but that was what I have found.

Notice how even today, the posters of Precolonial PH can't seem to agree on what he's supposed to be? With Indonesia it's either Majapahit or Srivijaya and Malaysia it's usually Malacca iirc.

What is the big deal? Well, let's go back to the Ask Historians post. "Why didn't the Philippines ever change its name to remove the colonial mark that being named after a Spanish King has?" The answer: "If you suggested something dating to precolonial times, the other ethnic groups would protest."

Since we're on a roll with maps, let me bring this up.

As you can see, the precolonial PH posts have a reason to not be able to agree on one thing, as there is a LOT of options. Do you also see how THAT list is also split up?

It's split up into those aligned with China (Sinified), aligned with India (Indianized), aligned with the Middle East (Islamicized), and no alignment (Animist). Now, let's go back to the main suggestions for which Kingdom/Polity/Civilization/whatever Modern Philippines used to be.

If the Filipino peoples' couldn't agree on something as simple as WHAT TO CALL THE LAND THEY'RE LIVING ON, what more a living, breathing, walking, talking entity that is supposed to be a beacon of all of their 'unified' culture? ESPECIALLY if that entity used to be a currently existing Kingdom/Polity/Rajahnate/Sultanate/whatever.

Tondo? "Of course, always the damn Tagalogs. Tagalog this, Tagalog that. First the capital city, then the language,* THE REST OF US EXIST, YOU KNOW! What about us in Visayas? Mindanao?"

*The national language known as 'Filipino' is just standardized Tagalog*

Butuan? "Wait, you want Butuan to represent us? They're they only Indian-aligned city in the Islam-majority Mindanao! They're not even that many of them! I'm not gonna change my religion!"

Sugbu, the other name for the Rajahnate of Cebu on the map? Lemme bring back my Visayan friend again. According to her, she hails from the Hiligaynon part of Visayas.

"Sure :v and the other islands are what?

Chopped liver?

Not to mention the language and writing barrier helloooo"

And Namayan? Well. I'll let this pic speak for itself.

To summarize, no matter who you pick as Modern PH's previous identity, it will not end well nor be accepted by the other Kingdoms at the time.

"So where does that leave Modern PH, he had to have been ONE of them, right?"

Well, not really. He doesn't HAVE to be one of the Ancient Kingdoms that lasted till the modern day. I mean, predecessor representatives exist in Hetalia canon, after all. Like Modern Greece is a different character from Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt and Modern Egypt, heck even England and his brothers have a canon mother that was the rep before them.

Or you could even use the same logic that Germany does, in that each specific region has/had its own representative and that Modern!PH is just the 'mediator' between them (cause gawd does PH need one). There could be a Tondo, a Namayan, a Butuan, and a Sugbu, all arguing and this Proto-PH is just trying to make headway in making them all satisfied.

But, even after all this, there is another reason why I personally don't subscribe to the 'Precolonial PH' idea, and by tangential extension, the Indo x Phil pairing.

Point 2: Even without intending to, Precolonial Indo x Phil just comes off as patronizing

This second point is just ENTIRELY personal preference and barely has any facts to back it up.

Again, if you like the pairing and disagree with me, You do you. I will respectfully support you and your passions from a distance.

But for me, Indo being Phil's seme/bae/boyfriend and consistently bringing up precolonial times just comes off as patronizing.

Just one more time, I'd like to point out that I am NOT bashing Indonesia, its people or the subscribers of Indo x Phil. This is just how the pairing feels to ME specifically.

The way I see it, Indo x Phil as a pairing, especially if it extends back into precolonial times, reads the same way as a long-since married couple where the husband/wife CONSTANTLY brings up that ONE outing you had together, or that ONE prom night where you kissed while dancing, even it happened like 30 some-odd years ago and so much more happened since then.

Even in a platonic sense, It reads like two besties where one ALWAYS mentions stuff like 'Yeah but you looked so much cooler back in High School' or 'Back in Grade School you would've known that', or 'Remember back in Pre-school we did X? How could you forget that?'

How does one respond to the notion that no matter what you do now, it will never compare to a past you've already forgotten or barely remember? That the best version of 'you' is already long gone?

"That's because the westerners made you forget your culture! You gotta take it back!"

While it is true, yes, as a collective we barely remember the Kingdom that commissioned the Laguna Copperplate, or created the Banaue Rice Terraces, or created the millennia old bonds that we still share with Indonesia and Malaysia.

But to keep pushing the precolonial identity would be to neglect and cast aside the one REAL binding belief and culture that spans the entirety of these islands we call the Philippines.

We take on all the bad stuff that happens to us, conquer it, and make it our own. Be it natural disasters, foreign powers, or negative stereotypical mentalities.

Yes, we've forgotten the ancient kingdoms of old and are just now digging through the closet for those remnants of the past. Yes, the colonizers imposed that on us, and made us forget. But in the process we've also taken everything that they left behind, everything that they threw at us, and created something that can only come from us.

The lanterns that the Spaniards used to light the way to the morning masses they made us attend became our globally known symbol of Christmas. The junked vehicles that the Americans left behind in World War 2 are now rolling works of art that announce themselves loud and proud on the streets (for better or for worse). The iced dessert recipe that the Japanese forced us to learn while they were occupying the country is now so distinct and famous it is synonymous with us, and is so delicious even Italy has taken notice.

Even after all this? Even after all the 425-ish years total we have been under a foreign power, with all the progress we've made as a country, a people, and a nation, you would still imply our fragmented, jigsaw puzzle state of being in the past was better just because it was pure 'South East Asian' like everyone else?

We might not be as well put-together as Indonesia or Malaysia, but we made this melting pot of angry, leg-pulling, dogpiling, Native, Mestizo, Chinoy, and Fil-Am crabs OURS, damnit!

It's now 4:30 AM and I have work in 5 or so hours. I'll be going to sleep now.

[aether-asterisk]

Halloween in Ebbott Falls - Chapter 2

Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

<<In which sacrifices are made as an invasion of the undead takes root from inside the house.>>

oooo here we go! this is where it gets interesting!!!

By the time they got back, the house was silent. The lights were off and an eerie chill swept throughout the halls. Only the ticking of the grandfather clock in the living room could be heard. Each and every room was vacant, aside from the girls's upstairs bedroom.

Absolute silence.

The door creaked open as Pacifico stepped in. "Helloooo...? Mama? I know you guys didn't leave yet..." Century followed her inside. "They had to have. This house is very much empty." "Nooooo!!!! I wanted to go trick-or-treating!!!" "We can still do that, we don't need--" Thunder crashed. In the light of the window stood a large mysterious figure in the shape of the devil himself for a brief second before the lightning passed. "What was that?!!" Century looked back at the window. The only thing that stood outside was a tree. Pacifico chuckled nervously. "Right, I'm just seeing things! Totally not scared!! Totally not worried that Mr. Dreemurr's gonna come outta the grave as a zombie and try to kill us!! He's dead, fair and square!!" "The life spell. That may induce a zombie uprising. You may be right." "NO!!!" Pacifico screamed, "We gotta get outta here!!!"

Suddenly, the front door opened. A shadowy figure stood in the doorway. Pacifico screamed and held on to Century for dear life. "There you girls are!" Ollie stepped inside. Flowey was attached to his straw hat, as part of his farmer costume. "I just came back in to refill the candy bowl. The trick-or-treaters just keep on coming! And...I thought you were doing the haunted house thing?" "Maybe that's why they're showing up more," Flowey piped up. "We were going to do that, but we eventually decided against it. I was too busy teaching Pacifico how to be scary." "Oh, no," Ollie set down the empty bowl on the table. "Don't tell me you turned Pacifico into...well, you." Pacifico smiled nervously. "No, I'm okay, don't worry, I totally didn't kill--" "Sorry to interrupt, but I should really go get the candy and be on my way. The girls are in the living room putting on their costumes so you didn't miss much. Happy Hallow--" "B r a i n s . . . "

A ghoulish boss monster loomed over Ollie and the girls, decrepit and tattered, biting into Ollie as he and Pacifico screamed bloody murder. Century grabbed Pacifico's hand and took her into the kitchen. "We need to hide." Pacifico's first instinct was to dive into the cupboard and bury herself in the various snacks inside. Century swooshed into a different cupboard, inside a large pot. Pacifico trembled as she heard the groaning of both Asgore and now Ollie, holding back tears as she hoped to god they don't catch her. The groaning soon faded. The coast was clear. The older skeleton peeked out of the cupboard, only for her twin sister Gigi to be across the way. "W-what was that?" Century slipped out of her cupboard. "Zombies," she whispered, "Asgore and Ollie are now zombies." Gigi gasped. "Ollie's a zombie?!" "Shush, they'll hear us and come back!" Pacifico said in a hushed but firm tone. "Now, where's Q?" "Right here," the littlest alien sister's head poked out from behind the doorway. "Who's a zombies?" "We need to set up a base. They could come back any moment. Follow me, dear cousins." Century led the girls upstairs to Caffrin and Papyrus's room, also completely empty.

"Okay, we need to find something to defend ourselves. Everyone split up and look for some useful stuff," Pacifico ordered. "I-I-I think I would just rather hide until it's safe," The timid skeleton slowly opened the closet, only to reveal the zombified Asgore inside. Gigi slammed the closet shut in a fright "G-girls--!!" "What is it, Gigi. Did you find something good." Gigi, still shaking from what she had seen, looked at the closet and back at Century, shaking her head vigorously.

Century floated towards the closet. "Don't be a baby. What did you see." "D-don't open the door, please, It's gonna be scary, they were in the--" "Nothing. There is a lot of old junk in here, though." "Oooh, Good thinking, Gigi!" Pacifico began searching around in the empty closet, "We can use stuff in here as weapons!" "Like this old picture frame. Could make for a good throwing disc if we sharpen the edges." Century took one of the old photo frames next to the closet, holding a picture of Ollie as a toddler. "Hold on, I have a pocket knife."

"A pocket knife?!" Pacifico ceased her rummaging to look up at Century, whittling away at the wooden frame. "You had a pocket knife this whole time?! Why can't we just use that, then?!!" "Because if I throw the knife at them, I'll never get it back. But a throwing disc such as this," Century held up the now-sharpened picture frame, "can offer more maneuverability and even a clean slice. And if you throw it right, you can retrieve it like a boomerang. Or just get it back manually using magic. Here, I'll show you. Pretend that old mannequin is a zombie. I'm going to decapitate it. Watch how I throw the frame and note the spin."

Century threw the frame at the mannequin, aiming straight for the neck and slashing off the head. The plastic head fell to the ground with a soft "thunk" as the frame boomeranged back at the half-shadow, who caught it as Pacifico flinched. "Oh, relax. You have mittens on, so forget about cutting your hand. Just catch it when it comes back." She handed the frame over to Pacifico. "Now you try. See if you can chop off the torso. The key is velocity and angle." "But we haven't learned either of those things in school yet!!!" "You'll know. It takes practice, but once you have it, you'll feel it."

"Okay," Pacifico took a deep breath. With a small grunt she threw the frame at the mannequin, attempting to follow exactly how Century did it, and sliced through the torso, cutting it evenly in half. The upper torso, however, did not fall over like the head did and instead stayed intact. "Good, Pacifico," Century nodded, "You threw it so hard it kept the chest in place without even a snag. Impressive." Q attempted to grab the picture frame. "I wanna try too, gimme gimme!!" "Get your own!" Q grumbled. "Fine." She waddled over to the bed to grab one of the picture frames above the bed, a smaller one with the twins as babies. "Wow, Pacifico, you were a cute baby." "Don't mention it," Pacifico used her magic to bring her photo frame back to her. "Seriously, don't." "Woah! This painting looks so real! It almost looks exactly like Ollie! Only weird looking...." "Q, WAIT--!!" It was too late. The undead soft boy grabbed Q from behind and the remaining three girls chose not to stick around. They ran down the hall, only for a bony hand holding Pacifico's Unikitty plushie to be seen at the end.

"hey, kid, um--" A hearty throat clearing sound could be heard as the voice switched to a more feminine, high-pitched but still dreary tone. "hey, pacifico, come over here and save me. i ain't a zombie yet, i swear." Pacifico slowly approached the doll, only for Century to hold her back. "It's a trap. They got to my father." "But she speaks the truth, she's still intact! I gotta go save her, my beloved!" "I'll go," Gigi spoke up from behind them, "If it is a trap, I might as well get it over with because seriously we are children caught in the middle of a real-life zombie invasion this is not a movie we are definitely going to die." "Gigi, no," Pacifico grabbed her sister's arm, "I'm not gonna let you get zombified like them. We already lost Ollie and Q, I'm not losing you too!" Gigi shook off Pacifico's grip. "It's either me or Unikitty, and I have to toughen up at least once in my life. It...may as well be the end of it. Now, I'm going, and there's not a thing you can do to stop me! ....If that's okay."

The timid skeleton ran up and grabbed Unikitty, throwing her back to the girls before immediately being tacked by their uncle Sans, whose skull had cracked even further as he dribbled onto Gigi. "f r e s h b r a i n s ." Before catching Unikitty in the air, Pacifico instinctively threw the photo frame as she did earlier at Sans, decapitating him while he still had Gigi pinned. "Now's your chance, Get outta there!" "I can't! He still has a strong grip on me!" Gigi struggled to free herself from the headless Sans's grasp. "Go on without me, please. It's too late for me. But please....remember my sacrifice!" Pacifico fought back tears as she held Unikitty in her arms. "I....I will."

With that, Pacifico ran off to the laundry room, Century trailing behind.