Diyan Masalanta, Tagalog Deity

this morning NASA abandoned their mars rover Opportunity (aka Oppy) because it (she) got hit by a storm on Mars and it knocked her camera and wheels out and her last words to the team were “my battery is low and it is getting cold”. I know she’s a machine but I’m devastated. Oppy is the one who discovered water on Mars. RIP oppy ily space baby

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.

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 🌻

I made some free-to-use Dr Stone icons! If you want to use them, all you have to do is credit me somewhere on your profile ^^

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

The Kite and the Sky and the Sea.

At the beginning of existence, before time even began to flow, there was the Sky and the Sea. The Sky was this burning, white-hot compression of Everything, condensed into a single point. The Sea was this flowing, ink-black expansion of Nothing, expanded over a vast multitude.

There was, and many storytellers today forget, a third character in this story. It was a being that flew between the Sky and the Sea, with nowhere to roost. For simplicity’s sake, we shall call her the Kite.

The Kite was getting tired, having flown for both no time at all and for eternity. She needed a place to rest. And so, she goaded the Sky and the Sea into a war with each other, saying to each that the other had insulted them. Angered, the Sky exploded and threw out solids and liquids and gases, while the Sea expanded even more, attempting to swallow the Sky in its darkness.

The Kite made sure to weave between the fighting entities, and when the dust settled, found that there were countless islands dotting the Sea. We call these islands today as “planets”. So satisfied, she alighted on one, and fell into a deep slumber. Such is how our universe came to be.

these god-siblings five.

For a brief time - a thousand years, for that is brief for the two of them - the Heat Haze Boy and the Monsoon Girl grew tired of their quarrel.

“Sister, we need a bigger playground,” said the Boy.

The Girl nodded in agreement. “Let us create the world and all its creatures.”

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Although they could have done it by themselves, the Twin Forces wanted help. And so, they created five god-siblings to assist them in their endeavor.

Licalibutan, the eldest, was strong and mighty, with a body made of rock. He rubbed off pieces of his skin and gathered them up into mounds. These became the mountains and land. Pleased with his work, he laughed heartily and left the rest of it to his siblings.

Libulan, the second, was calm and thoughtful, with a body made of copper. He paused for a moment, and reasoned that life could not spring forth without water. He pierced his heart, and from it bled the rivers and seas.

Liadlao, the third, was wild and fiery, with a body made of gold. Impatient for his turn, he fumed that the world was still cold and dark. He then took out one of his eyes and placed it in the heavens, making the sun.

Lisuga, the fourth, was curious and inventive, with a body made of silver. Sighing at her third brother’s impetuousness, she plucked out her teeth and hung them in the heavens as well, making stars.

Libali, the youngest (our stories often forget her) was humble and generous, with a body made of flowers. Marveling at everything that her siblings created, she wept with joy, and her tears became seeds that fell into the earth and grew up to be plants.

Such is how the world came to be.

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This is part of my Five Powers expansion for Swellbloom Kids. If you liked this, you can view more of my work here.

yeah its advanced… advanced gayness

Ok so a lil something different than Pokemons. I wanted to draw Philippine Deities in a somewhat surrealistic eldritch forms. Here are 5 of the most well know gods in Philippine mythology. Planning to do more as well.

I don't know if you can answer this one, but basically, I know what needs to happen in my story and I know where it's going but it's like I can't get it there or don't have the ideas to get it there, if that makes sense? For example, I'm writing a short story and for this particular scene, these two characters need going to kiss to get the story going, but the dialogue and scene feels so flat or it's like I have no ideas to get from point A to point B.

Trouble Getting from Point A to Point B

You may think you know what needs to happen in your story, and you may think you know where your story is going, but knowing random things that have to happen and a general ending aren't usually enough to make a story unfold. For some writers it is, but not for most of us.

There are some key things a story needs in order for you to fill in those moments...

1) Motivation and Goal - every story is about someone who wants something trying to get that thing, so the first thing you need to figure out about your story is what your character wants, why they want it, and the steps they need to take in order to get it.

2) Internal Conflict - Your character's history, experiences, and current situation all play a role in who they and what they need. What does your character want to change about themselves or their situation?

3) Antagonistic Force - When you're trying to reach a goal, there's almost always an antagonistic force creating obstacles you must overcome. If you're training to run a marathon, those obstacles are probably created by the limitations based on your current level of fitness. If you're trying to survive a gladiator-style fight, the antagonistic force is whoever/whatever put you in that situation and on a smaller scale, whoever/whatever you need to fight to survive.

4) Stakes - Stakes are the things that matter most to your character. These are the reasons your character is motivated in the first place, the reason they want to pursue their goal. Stakes are the best thing that could happen if your character succeeds, and the worst thing that could happen if they fail. What's the worst that can happen?

Sometimes, when you're trying to reach a goal, the stakes are raised. This could be a natural raising of the stakes, like a smoldering volcano showing sudden signs that it's about to blow and threaten the character's family in the village below. It could be an intentional raising of the stakes, like the villain kidnapping your character's significant other, forcing your character choose between slaying the villain's dragon that's terrorizing the village, or saving their loved one.

Your character's goal tells us where the story is going. Your character's motivation tells us why the character wants to get there. Their internal conflict tells us why they want what they want, and why they do the things they do. The antagonistic force tells us who or what they're up against and what obstacles they'll have to overcome on their way to reaching their goal. Stakes tell us how things can get increasingly worse/increasingly more tense.

When you know all of these things about your story, you start to understand the individual things that need to happen, like the moment when your character finds out their loved one was kidnapped, or the moment when the smoldering volcano starts to rumble. When you know the individual things that have to happen, you can build scenes around them. When you know what your characters want, why they want it, what internal conflict drives their choices, and what's standing in their way, you understand what your characters would need to talk about in each scene.

Have a look at the following posts for more help:

Guide: How to Turn Ideas into a Story Guide: Filling in the Story Between Known Events Guide: How to Outline a Plot Basic Story Structure How to Move a Story Forward

Good luck with your story! ♥

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