Monday historicals
What relation, if any, do your characters have with the history of their world/worlds? How are they shaped by it? What role do they play in the timeline of their universe?
Oh boy. My characters are rather involved in Philippine history, first on a local/small-town level, then later on a larger scale. They are definitely of what we call the 'post EDSA' generation: born after 1986, currently confused and jaded (some more than others) about civic participation. What makes this story though is that these kids (especially Marce) do care about what's happening around them.
I wrote them to be born in the late 80s (or in Marce's case in 1990), a time with a few more conservative attitudes. At this point, many schools and institutions were more punitive about matters such as illegitimacy and broken marriages---to the point of refusing admission to children born out of wedlock. This has a significant effect on the life of Mark, who happens to be born to a single mother, then subsequently adopted into a prosperous family. If not for his adoption, his life would have turned out quite differently. Attitudes change a bit at the turn of the century; no one at least among the younger characters is really surprised when Marce's mother walks out on her family, despite pressure for the family to save face. The same can be said for Mark and Ida adopting their friend's illegitimate daughter, or Lize choosing years later to leave her philandering husband. It's really only the oldies who give these characters some stick
I allow my characters to 'enter' history at various points in time. Which I will detail here; historical events will be italicized. Many of the things that happen to my characters are loosely based on my own historical experiences:
2001: A popular non-violent uprising in the metropolis leads to the ejection of former President Estrada, and the ascension of (now former) President Arroyo.
-Ida (aged eleven) and Marce (aged ten) are among the many youngsters who tag along with parents and older siblings to the rallies.
2002-2005: Poverty alleviation movements (such as Gawad Kalinga) start growing in scope and membership.
-At this point, Marce, Ida, and Lize get involved in a community development project in one of Manila's worst slums.
2005-early 2007: Political scandals lead to instability and calls for then President Arroyo's resignation.
-Marce, Ida, and Lize try to encourage political activism and voters' education in their school, leading to them almost being given dishonorable graduations.
-Mark also gets involved in the community development project at this point, but is less of a political creature than Marce and Ida.
mid 2007-2008: An election is held this year, leading to some violent incidents in the metropolis. More political scandals lead to a rise in activism. Student disappearances occur in late 2007. A major political expose leads to increased calls for Arroyo's resignation in 2008, but the movement peters out.
-Ida gets her first dose of PTSD here, when she is involved in a violent robbery related to the ongoing election violence of that time.
--It is at this point in time that Emil and Darren step into the picture, but initially they are quite apolitical (to the point of Emil chiding Marce for her 'excess' interest in political matters). However this changes in late 2007, when a friend of theirs is kidnapped and is never heard from again. Emil throws in his lot with the militants early in 2008. He, as well as Marce, Darren, Ida, and numerous other friends are seen at a major protest on February 29, 2008.
-When the protest movement peters out, Darren and some other friends start engaging in street theater, while Emil and Marce turn to blogging as other forms of activism. Ida and Mark return to their community organizing work.
2009: The AH1N1 pandemic reaches the Philippine shores. Few cases and fatalities are reported. In September of this year, a major storm (Typhoon Ketsana) hits the metropolis, causing massive flooding. On the 23rd of November, more than 40 people are massacred, supposedly by a much-feared political clan in the south.
-In my story, Mark is one of those who falls ill with AH1N1. Despite preventive measures taken by his university, he and several other students have to be taken into isolation/surveillance till they recover.
-During the floods caused by Typhoon Ketsana, Marce, Emil, and several other friends are nearly killed/swept away but they survive thanks to some quick thinking. In the aftermath, Ida and Mark have to take in their godchild, Nina, who has lost her mother during the storm. The storm causes major PTSD for the characters
-The massacre (known as the Maguindanao/Ampatuan killings) makes my characters quite wary of the upcoming trouble connected with next year's national elections. Nevertheless they join their fellow students in the indignation protests and rallies calling for justice for the victims. This incident solidifies Emil's resolve to pursue law as a means of rectifying these travesties in governance.
2010: National elections this year lead to the rise of President Aquino.
-My characters are very actively involved in the campaigns, voters' awareness, and pollwatching connected to the elections. Mark and Ida nearly get in trouble for openly questioning candidates during political forums. It is also Mark who helps publicize the flaws in the much vaunted 'computerized election' plans for this year.
-Meanwhile Emil, Marce, and Darren take part in local efforts to keep elections transparent. Marce in particular runs afoul of authorities in her hometown of San Mariano.
-It is at this point that Marce and Emil, despite being known liberals, vote for different candidates---and place a wager as to how the situation will be 1 year after elections.
2011: Dissatisfaction rises with the Aquino regime. The Occupy Protests and the "Arab Spring" make national news. Various natural disasters sweep the Philippines, and the underwhelming government response promotes increased indignation.
-At this point, Ida, Mark, and Lize drop out of politics, having focused their efforts to raising their respective families (Mark and Ida are married and have officially adopted Nina, Lize has already married Jace).
-Emil loses his bet with Marce---as seen by the fact that they BOTH get involved in student protests, particularly to those related to the President's seeming disregard for state-sponsored education. Their antics involve wearing short shorts (to symbolize budget cuts), and mass planking outside the presidential palace.
-Darren, who has moved to London by this time, gets involved in the Occupy Protests.
The years 2012 onwards are definitely times of 'artistic license', since I speculate and allow my characters, especially Marce and Emil, to affect history---or do things that haven't happened yet.
-In the years 2012 to 2014, I have Marce and Emil using their investigative skills to foil the antics of various local politicians and syndicates. However this comes to a head in 2014, when a criminal group plants a bomb right outside the venue of that year's bar exams. The bomb blast very nearly costs Emil his life, but he manages to recuperate quickly enough such that he walks to his oathtaking as an attorney in 2015, and is able to propose to Marce (on one knee) later that year.
-The year 2016 is one with another crucial election---which gets ALL my characters involved again, and taking sides. This time Marce and Emil don't place a bet with each other. It is at this point that I establish Marce as a public prosecutor, and Emil as a private defense attorney.
What happened in 2017 to 2018??
These are years that I set up for some major political impunity. The faces in power may have changed, but not the old systems of feudalism and personality politics---thus allowing for some abuses of the past to be repeated. This becomes more relevant in the RPs I've done here in the Loft.
History very nearly repeats itself for Marce. I have her prosecuting a case in 2017 that is reminiscent of the Maguindanao killings of 2009. She manages to get the culprits in jail, but unfortunately is too overconfident and overlooks the possibility of political reprisals. In January 2018, she is kidnapped, raped, tortured and nearly murdered by some hired goons, but she manages to escape. However she emerges with numerous scars, both physical and psychological.
Later in 2018, the regime grows a little tyrannical and starts cracking down on its perceived opponents. Darren, who is with a rather controversial theater company, is forced to flee the country and make a new life in Sta. Cruz, California. Another minor character, Bert, also flees the country that same week. As for Emil and Marce, the list of troubles goes as follows:
-Nearly getting jumped in an alley (an incident that would have ended badly if Marce had been alone)
-Having their living room shot up in a drive-by
-Being forced to flee a hospital under gunfire
-Emil and a friend (Chito) doing time in jail, under the charge of sedition. Thankfully the case is thrown out of court.
Oh boy. My characters are rather involved in Philippine history, first on a local/small-town level, then later on a larger scale. They are definitely of what we call the 'post EDSA' generation: born after 1986, currently confused and jaded (some more than others) about civic participation. What makes this story though is that these kids (especially Marce) do care about what's happening around them.
I wrote them to be born in the late 80s (or in Marce's case in 1990), a time with a few more conservative attitudes. At this point, many schools and institutions were more punitive about matters such as illegitimacy and broken marriages---to the point of refusing admission to children born out of wedlock. This has a significant effect on the life of Mark, who happens to be born to a single mother, then subsequently adopted into a prosperous family. If not for his adoption, his life would have turned out quite differently. Attitudes change a bit at the turn of the century; no one at least among the younger characters is really surprised when Marce's mother walks out on her family, despite pressure for the family to save face. The same can be said for Mark and Ida adopting their friend's illegitimate daughter, or Lize choosing years later to leave her philandering husband. It's really only the oldies who give these characters some stick
I allow my characters to 'enter' history at various points in time. Which I will detail here; historical events will be italicized. Many of the things that happen to my characters are loosely based on my own historical experiences:
2001: A popular non-violent uprising in the metropolis leads to the ejection of former President Estrada, and the ascension of (now former) President Arroyo.
-Ida (aged eleven) and Marce (aged ten) are among the many youngsters who tag along with parents and older siblings to the rallies.
2002-2005: Poverty alleviation movements (such as Gawad Kalinga) start growing in scope and membership.
-At this point, Marce, Ida, and Lize get involved in a community development project in one of Manila's worst slums.
2005-early 2007: Political scandals lead to instability and calls for then President Arroyo's resignation.
-Marce, Ida, and Lize try to encourage political activism and voters' education in their school, leading to them almost being given dishonorable graduations.
-Mark also gets involved in the community development project at this point, but is less of a political creature than Marce and Ida.
mid 2007-2008: An election is held this year, leading to some violent incidents in the metropolis. More political scandals lead to a rise in activism. Student disappearances occur in late 2007. A major political expose leads to increased calls for Arroyo's resignation in 2008, but the movement peters out.
-Ida gets her first dose of PTSD here, when she is involved in a violent robbery related to the ongoing election violence of that time.
--It is at this point in time that Emil and Darren step into the picture, but initially they are quite apolitical (to the point of Emil chiding Marce for her 'excess' interest in political matters). However this changes in late 2007, when a friend of theirs is kidnapped and is never heard from again. Emil throws in his lot with the militants early in 2008. He, as well as Marce, Darren, Ida, and numerous other friends are seen at a major protest on February 29, 2008.
-When the protest movement peters out, Darren and some other friends start engaging in street theater, while Emil and Marce turn to blogging as other forms of activism. Ida and Mark return to their community organizing work.
2009: The AH1N1 pandemic reaches the Philippine shores. Few cases and fatalities are reported. In September of this year, a major storm (Typhoon Ketsana) hits the metropolis, causing massive flooding. On the 23rd of November, more than 40 people are massacred, supposedly by a much-feared political clan in the south.
-In my story, Mark is one of those who falls ill with AH1N1. Despite preventive measures taken by his university, he and several other students have to be taken into isolation/surveillance till they recover.
-During the floods caused by Typhoon Ketsana, Marce, Emil, and several other friends are nearly killed/swept away but they survive thanks to some quick thinking. In the aftermath, Ida and Mark have to take in their godchild, Nina, who has lost her mother during the storm. The storm causes major PTSD for the characters
-The massacre (known as the Maguindanao/Ampatuan killings) makes my characters quite wary of the upcoming trouble connected with next year's national elections. Nevertheless they join their fellow students in the indignation protests and rallies calling for justice for the victims. This incident solidifies Emil's resolve to pursue law as a means of rectifying these travesties in governance.
2010: National elections this year lead to the rise of President Aquino.
-My characters are very actively involved in the campaigns, voters' awareness, and pollwatching connected to the elections. Mark and Ida nearly get in trouble for openly questioning candidates during political forums. It is also Mark who helps publicize the flaws in the much vaunted 'computerized election' plans for this year.
-Meanwhile Emil, Marce, and Darren take part in local efforts to keep elections transparent. Marce in particular runs afoul of authorities in her hometown of San Mariano.
-It is at this point that Marce and Emil, despite being known liberals, vote for different candidates---and place a wager as to how the situation will be 1 year after elections.
2011: Dissatisfaction rises with the Aquino regime. The Occupy Protests and the "Arab Spring" make national news. Various natural disasters sweep the Philippines, and the underwhelming government response promotes increased indignation.
-At this point, Ida, Mark, and Lize drop out of politics, having focused their efforts to raising their respective families (Mark and Ida are married and have officially adopted Nina, Lize has already married Jace).
-Emil loses his bet with Marce---as seen by the fact that they BOTH get involved in student protests, particularly to those related to the President's seeming disregard for state-sponsored education. Their antics involve wearing short shorts (to symbolize budget cuts), and mass planking outside the presidential palace.
-Darren, who has moved to London by this time, gets involved in the Occupy Protests.
The years 2012 onwards are definitely times of 'artistic license', since I speculate and allow my characters, especially Marce and Emil, to affect history---or do things that haven't happened yet.
-In the years 2012 to 2014, I have Marce and Emil using their investigative skills to foil the antics of various local politicians and syndicates. However this comes to a head in 2014, when a criminal group plants a bomb right outside the venue of that year's bar exams. The bomb blast very nearly costs Emil his life, but he manages to recuperate quickly enough such that he walks to his oathtaking as an attorney in 2015, and is able to propose to Marce (on one knee) later that year.
-The year 2016 is one with another crucial election---which gets ALL my characters involved again, and taking sides. This time Marce and Emil don't place a bet with each other. It is at this point that I establish Marce as a public prosecutor, and Emil as a private defense attorney.
What happened in 2017 to 2018??
These are years that I set up for some major political impunity. The faces in power may have changed, but not the old systems of feudalism and personality politics---thus allowing for some abuses of the past to be repeated. This becomes more relevant in the RPs I've done here in the Loft.
History very nearly repeats itself for Marce. I have her prosecuting a case in 2017 that is reminiscent of the Maguindanao killings of 2009. She manages to get the culprits in jail, but unfortunately is too overconfident and overlooks the possibility of political reprisals. In January 2018, she is kidnapped, raped, tortured and nearly murdered by some hired goons, but she manages to escape. However she emerges with numerous scars, both physical and psychological.
Later in 2018, the regime grows a little tyrannical and starts cracking down on its perceived opponents. Darren, who is with a rather controversial theater company, is forced to flee the country and make a new life in Sta. Cruz, California. Another minor character, Bert, also flees the country that same week. As for Emil and Marce, the list of troubles goes as follows:
-Nearly getting jumped in an alley (an incident that would have ended badly if Marce had been alone)
-Having their living room shot up in a drive-by
-Being forced to flee a hospital under gunfire
-Emil and a friend (Chito) doing time in jail, under the charge of sedition. Thankfully the case is thrown out of court.