#walt rambles

Aladin and Florante would like to have a word, haha!

To be frank I actually really enjoyed it, and became invested in Sinderion lore and Tamriel’s alchemical history until I realized there was a limit to the amount of information I could read into it. But yeah I read Sinderion’s journal from beginning to end two times and completed the crimson nirnroot quest without working too hard, I just like. Made one solid lap around Blackreach, making sure to explore every crevice on my way. Then I proceeded to read the Nirnroot Missive beginning to end, Idk something in my brain activates when it’s exposed to historical lore in fiction, especially if it’s a videogame like Skyrim where you can actually “physically” go investigate things on your own.

I hope I get to talk about el nolibusterismo, how queering (binabakla) this classical piece of literature is not fully disrespectful or a bastardisation. Rather, ang pagbabakla sa Noli-Fili ay, kahit papaano, nakatutulong sa paghikayat sa kabataan na magbasa.

I've noticed that sharing my queer readings of certain characters really makes the youth more curious to read Noli-Fili.

I used to feel na baka "queer bait-y" itong approach, pero tingin ko wala namang mali kung ang pagbasa ko bilang reader ay makabakla. Sino pa ba ang makakakita sa bakla kungdi tayong mga bakla?

And who are we to say that queer reading and queer interpretation is wrong? Hindi naman kinukuwestiyon kapag straight ang characters. So why do we have to go through lengths just to "prove" the potentiality of a queer character?

I just found out that Josefa Rizal, a disabled Katipunera, was also the President of the Katipunan's women's wing in 1893! According to historians, she experienced "bouts or attacks of epilepsy" (49).

Sana tinuturo ito sa Phil his! Bukod sa women's representation, mahalaga rin na makita natin na disabled folks were actively a part of the revolution!

Women have always held positions of power during precolonial times. The women's movement in the Philippines persists when the colonizers came. There are so many women who campaigned for the rights that we have the privilege of no longer fighting for today.

Sobrang daming magagandang naratibo sana ang nalalaman natin tungkol sa kasaysayan kung hindi lang masyadong nakakiling sa kalalakihan itong mundo natin.

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IN CASE YOU MISSED 'yung chikahan namin sa (B)Aklatan Podcast hosted by U.P. Likhaan Institute of Creative Writing, click the link!

I know the fandom has changed over the years. It may not seem like it's growing, but it is! Yearly, it grows, on Tumblr, on Twitter, on AO3. This panitikandom is doing great! I wish I could keep up and learn everyone's names, like how I did back in the days. I've been busy, but I do want to make an active effort and be involved in this space again.

That said, let me reintroduce myself (with a little random fandom history) under the cut! Feel free to reply at magpakilala rin. Lez be friends!

Mas interesting pag-usapan at pagtuunan ng pansin sila kaysa kung sino sina Leonor, Segunda Katigbak, atbp., na masyadong Rizal-centric ang approach.

I'm sure Rizal's women had their own struggles, problems, likes and dislikes, and a life outside of one man. It makes me think of:

Napaka-patriarchal pala ng Rizal studies. I never thought it before? Like, tinanggap ko lang, ok, required ang Rizal. But now that I look back like... teka, bakit pa kasali sa Life and Works 'yung love life niya?

Ano 'yung substantial knowledge na nakukuha natin sa pag-alam ng love life ni Rizal? Some people sum it as "lover boy" siya o "ghoster" siya. Ok, and then what? What do we, modern scholars of this century, actually get from knowing this knowledge...? I mean, could we have lived a life without knowing who Segunda Katigbak is (for example)?

Ang TSISMOSO pala ng Rizal studies?! I mean, for example, there's not much to be said about who Katigbak is, 'di ba? (Or at least, sa pagturo sa amin noong hs.) And yet, she is often mentioned na siya ang unang babae ni Rizal. But, respectfully, WHO IS SHE? I don't mean this in a condescending tone, rather, "Who is she without Rizal?" I wish we knew HER, as a woman, as a person— not as Someone's Ex. Gets ba? Pero siyempre, there's... there's not much about her to even know her past her name and affiliation with him.