Themes: friendship, love, family, tradition v. development, politics, socio-political issues, morality, power and corruption, life and death
Blurb: The Streets of Manila isn't a stranger to death. It knows the stench of blood, the taste of terror, the sound of screams that echo the fear of being dragged in a war it knows nothing of.
But something sinister is lurking, something even more terrifying than uniformed men with guns.
No one was prepared for the wrath of the gods.
[full synopsis, characters, and tag list under the cut]
Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Aya de Luna is familiar with the world's cruelty. With her father estranged and her mother dead, it takes more than street-smarts to feed herself and her fifteen-year-old sickly brother. That is, until she witnesses a murder and acquires a weapon only heard of in legends that leads to her brother's kidnapping.
In her mission to find him, Aya discovers a whole new world where the gods are as crazed as the monsters that live in it. Blood will be shed, secrets will be revealed, and all who seek power for themselves will be punished.
[Characters]
Aya Victoria → she who walks in moonlight wields the power of a legend; the same legend that puts pressure on the weapon she holds. Her power demands justice, and she's not afraid to deliver. Can she save the one most important to her without letting the world burn?
Tres → he with a tongue of silver proves to be a valuable ally, but he walks with a curse. He's afraid his punishment has arrived, and it comes in the form of the girl with golden eyes. Will his honesty keep him safe, or is deception his only choice?
Yen → she who holds the stars is privy to the secrets of the universe; only, she doesn't know if these secrets can help her, or destroy the only world she knows of. How much will she have to pay for the secrets she sought to keep?
Ybarra → he with the mask of gold has lived in a life of comfort. A double life seemed to be the only option he has, both as his father's son and his mother's child, but the series of events threatens his identity. How far will he go to keep his duty?
Panday → he who forges fire was a witness to how legends are made. Lived long enough to see heroes rise and fall, he knows that if he wants to survive, he has to keep his name out of stories. Will he risk being part of a story, if it means giving his name to death?
[Obligatory Rant Part You Can Skip]
OKAY HERE WE GO HI
I’ve conceptualized and drafted this story since 2015 and since then the concepts and ideas have morphed into this monster of a WIP that I’m currently grappling with.
Exploring the mythology of cultures was something I liked doing (when I’m not obsessing over writing but not actually writing) and unlike the legends of the Greeks and the Romans, myths in our country are not as… put-together. Resources are scarce, and books about it come a little pricey. That didn’t stop me from writing a story about it though.
Will introduce the characters properly in separate posts, but for now, the ambiguous descriptions will have to do.
WIP page can be found here but it’s not as organized yet so!
i therefore conclude that these kinds of posts are better done by those with a working sense of humor which i don’t
if you want to check out Forsaken Gods: Chosen’s writer-y posts, the links are right here: x / x / x / x / x / x / x
from here on it will be tagged # FGC and # Hinirang so it won’t get too confusing but yes, they’re basically the same thing. Once I put it out there I’m prolly going to change the title again but eh.
[taglist under the cut]
i hope you guys have fun with these anyway hasjdkhaflha
likes ➵ the scent of metal, warm places, coffee, gardens
dislikes ➵ the cold, rain, liars, birds
No one knows his real name, or his age, or where he originally comes from.
Literally called 'blacksmith', Panday has created an identity of himself that is independent of who he was. After all, who he was has long ago faded, along with everything he once had. He is, with no doubt, regarded as one of the most skilled craftsman and blacksmith in all land.
Panday has lived long enough to see heroes rise, fall, turn into legends, and turn into dust. For him, witnessing these moments is more than enough, and he doesn't wish to actively partake in a story that ends in tragedy. As always, however, fate demands otherwise.
"Oh, please! FPJ has nothing on me. His character is the one based on me, not the other way around."
[more + taglist under the cut]
What You Have to Know:
From tagalog, 'Panday' translates to Blacksmith
Like his name suggests, he is, indeed, a blacksmith
very friendly, despite what his burly appearance suggests
he's also serious about his Panday aesthetic, wearing red shirt with the sleeves cut off, faded pants tucked in boots and all that
pointing out the resemblance to the legendary character will result in statements such as quoted above
A very Dad Friend™
almost like Tres' dad, tbh
everyone's dad, i mean
The Adult Supervision
or is he
On Panday's Character Conception:
yes he's sorta based on The Panday because I grew up watching too much FPJ movies
Who's FPJ, you ask? Only the phenomenal King of Philippine Movies
Hinirang's Panday is totally lying though, he is copying off FPJ's style, but people are not old enough to actually confront him about it
In early versions, he was such a passive character. I figured he should be given more emphasis.
He's actually my reprieve in writing all these characters with their heavy teenage angst™
Not that he doesn't have angst, he just has another way of showing it.
the demon brothers 【nagined // magkaburak // arapayan】
Strong. Fearless. Evil—or so the legends say. They appear in villages as beautiful, courageous men, with golden skin and tattoos that symbolize their great ability in hunting and combat. But secrets lie underneath their skin, and where they walk chaos and destruction follows. Gods save anyone who dares cross The Demon Brothers.
[Excerpt]
They both jumped when a great size of the hedge exploded. Aya’s breath hitched when the tattooed men, all three of them, appeared once the smoke cleared out.
“Hand that girl over,” they all spoke at once.
The man beside her sighed, sending her a side-glare for some reason before turning to the others. “Clearly I can’t do that.”
“Then we’ll just make you,” their ominous growl resounded, and then a most peculiar thing happened—the two tattooed men walked towards the one in the middle, and their bodies melded together, skins melting like cheese to form one hulking figure, thrice its previous individual sizes, with three separate heads. Its skin, previously a shade of golden-brown, turned to black, tattoos moving and coiling like snakes. Aya couldn’t help but gape, forgetting the pulsing pain on her palm as the figure let out a roar, shocking her into movement.
Sinagtala is an organization that aims to keep control over supernatural creatures that wreak havoc over the chosen land.
In the centuries that it existed, Sinagtala has worked hard to keep the peace among all sorts of creatures in the country, whether it's dealing with a tik-tik that terrorized the neighborhood or a nationwide scale revolt organized by kapres against land development companies.
Sinagtala has several branches across the Philippine Islands, usually protected by a Halang or a magical barrier that surrounds its territory.
TERRITORY
The current Tagalog Sinagtala branch is found in a commercial building in Fort Bonifacio, BGC, Taguig City. A 30-story building with various amenities, the building serves as a dormitory and office for all working under its name.
Other Sinagtala branches have different styles of territories, like the Bukirin of the Kapampangan branch, Hacienda of the Old Tagalog in Baler, the Underground of the Visayan branch, or the Floating Island of Mindanao.
Political jurisdiction of each branch is conferred upon by the Primero Consejo (sp.: first council), in the all-binding constitution followed by all creatures, whether mortal or immortal.
DELEGATIONS
Manggamot [Healer]
Healers are an integral part of Sinagtala. More than herbal treatments and variations of faith healing, healers are also taught to communicate with anitos or the spirits of ancestors. There are ranks within healership, the highest being Katalonan.
Mangingilak [Collector]
Mangingilaks are the archivists of Sinagtala. They process missions done by the various divisions and keep the retrieved items from unwanted hands. For this reason, Mangingilaks are very secretive and elusive, for they keep some of the most powerful items in the universe.
Tiktik [Spy]
Not to be confused with the supernatural creature tik-tik, Tiktiks are the spies of the organization. They report observations from the outside world and are rarely seen within the compound.
Sandigan [Hunter/Warrior]
In order to be a Sandigan, one undergoes rigorous training in Sinagpuló, the uncharted island where those who can see and interact with the supernatural live. Training begins at childhood and ends when the Guro (lit. teacher) deems them ready. They are then to apply to branches of Sinagtala and are screened depending on the branch's recruitment process. Some quit the Sandigan training early, and some are not accepted in the branches they applied for. These people often stay in Sinagpuló and find other jobs available for them.
Panday [Blacksmith]
Pandays tend to work on their own and decide not to affiliate themselves with organizations, as they say it is bad for the business. There is only one Panday in Sinagtala's Tagalog branch, and he goes by the name of Panday. He might take up assistants in the future because he's getting old. don’t tell him i said this
[ranting + taglist under the cut]
Obligatory Rant:
Hi!!! Thanks for reading through everything! As you can see, Hinirang itself is filled with local terms and Tagalog (a Filipino Language, if that isn't obvious by now), because for one it's enriched with Philippine myths and folklore. The terms are inevitable.
Which is WHY I'm having trouble deciding whether I should stick with writing it in English or in my native Language. I don't mind doing translations, of course, or mapping out meanings like these, and to be honest I first learned how to write stories in English, which is why I'm more familiar with its vocabulary and general writing guidelines. Blame our education system lol.
I've also been writing in Tagalog, but I'm still improving in that department, and sometimes there are just words that one Language just... doesn't... have the mood for, you know? Things get lost in translation and I hate that.
Anyway, what do you think? Is the use of foreign terms for you too much that it's hard to understand and/or hard to relate to?
Also, if you have suggestions regarding the terms, about how a hidden supernatural world might work in modern times, about anything really, then please don't be afraid to share! I'm open to all of it.
much love,
sofia xx
P. S. and if you have questions, my inbox is always open too!
Nicolas Rafael Alarcon III | he with the silver tongue
also known as ➵ tres
age ➵ 19
birthday ➵ 25 February, Pisces
yearbook ambition ➵ to be free
likes ➵ mountain tops, sunrise, admiring his own weaponry collection
dislikes ➵ naivëty, narrow-mindedness, the Manila traffic
Tres' name has various meanings. One is because he's the third Nicolas Rafael in his lineage. Another is because he can take down an enemy in three distinct moves, and it's because of this skill set that he's known in the supernatural world.
But he is cursed.
Tres bears this knowledge with a smile, but it does not make him any less desperate to break it. He knows that the longer time he takes, the closer he is to destroying everything and everyone around him—including his own life.
"Why would you set free a prisoner who enjoys their cage?"
[more + taglist under the cut]
What You Have to Know
tres works as a sandigan in sinagtala (terms to be explained in another post)
it's basically a soldier/hunter type of job, and his specialization is local weapons, from the menial to the legendary
he graduated top of his training class and was pursued even by the ultra-secretive Underground Sinagtala of the Visayas region.
but he chose the one in Manila because of his own personal goal
which is something that is best revealed in the novel itself
he has a flying motorcycle
tres is a trained and expert liar and manipulator
his warm attitude is mostly deceiving
On Tres' Character Conception
I really had trouble describing his character at first
I can't seem to capture him in words properly, and in early versions of Hinirang he seems so... shallow.
But I do know better now. After writing him over and over again we have a better understanding of each other.
Nicolas and Rafael are names that I'm apparently too fixated with; both names are separate characters from two different works that I already scrapped
But I wanted to give him a one-syllable nickname because I think it's cooler hence the nickname Tres.
Many people say Yen isn’t built for the craft she has chosen.
She came from a tribe known for ruthlessness and violence, and as such it has always been tough for her to earn her patient’s trust, especially when they see her tribe’s markings around her neck. However, this has never stopped her from helping other people heal.
Wisdom and empathy have always been her strongest points, but she will never hesitate using the tricks she learned as a child against those she deems deserving of it.
“I make my own identity. Not where I came from, not who I came from. I, alone, get to decide who I will be.”
[more + taglist under the cut]
What You Need to Know:
short, stout built at around 4′11″, dark skin, brown-black eyes, small curls
Yen doesn’t really have a surname; when applications for the position of Healer arose, she took the name of the island she came from as surname
Her youth wasn’t exactly stellar, despite what her mothers tried to give her
Unlike other Healers, she didn’t train from Sinagtala’s island, but in the mountain where she used to live
Most of it what she knew was self-experimented and self-taught
That even in the mainland, it was considered unconventional
Despite being a healer, she’s thoroughly familiar with the art of war and battle
Malaya Victoria Varela de Luna | she who walks in moonlight
also known as: Aya
age ➵ 17
birthday ➵ 13 November, Scorpio
yearbook ambition ➵ to be whole.
likes ➵ the night sky, serenity, poking fun at local television series
dislikes ➵ arrogance, unfair situations and conditions
Aya defines strength in her own way. Growing up, she idolized her mother, Leonora Varela-de Luna, who imparted with her the love of puzzles and the importance of family. She knows how to make ends meet at the age of fifteen and has been doing it for her family since then.
With her innocent face, people often think she’s easy to manipulate and charm. They never expect the serpent lingering underneath.
“Like I care. I had to grow up earlier than expected. Looking like it is just a side effect.”
[More + taglist under the cut]
What You Have to Know
main protagonist and narrator
Her name literally means Free[dom] and Victory because I like name symbolisms
with morena skin, inky black hair, athletic built, and golden amber eyes
is fiercely protective of her younger brother
no seriously she will tear through heaven and hell for him
Aya built her personality around her to be cautious of people who can take advantage of her, or her brother.
While she’s seen as an amiable delicate princess with a soft personality by strangers, mostly due to her face, only a few get to see her tough, take-no-shit personality, and even fewer the warm, caring side.
the only problem is that she does most things her way when she’s convinced that her plan would work
spoiler: it doesn’t
On Aya’s Character Conception
I made Aya as the embodiment of the typical eldest-daughter-is-in-charge-of-the-family-when-mom-is-gone
I wanted strength to be her most defining characteristic, and not just physically
Without sacrificing her emotions and femininity of course
Which is a tricky thing to balance tbh
I had so much fun naming her. I was dead-set on naming her Victoria, after my great-grandmother who’s also one of my great inspirations
But her first name varied since Hinirang’s earliest versions: Guinevere, Gwindolyn, Elaine, Elias, Elyas, and this most recent Malaya.
