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Transcript

Update on Rajah Versus Conquistador

My first work of fiction

You might have noticed that I haven’t been posting new essays here in Explorations.ph. This is because I’ve been spending most of my writing time on Rajah Versus Conquistador, my first work of fiction. In case you’d like to get a sense of what I’m intending to create, I’ve posted Chapter 1 and its (preliminary) preface here in Exploration.ph.

I’ve also written elsewhere.

recently published Psychofauna Studies: A Manifesto. This essay captures one major aspect of my work: the attempt to make insights from studies of culture useful for non-academics. I plan to do this by using an “animist lens.” I explain what I mean by this and why I’m using this approach in the essay.

Seeds of Science
Psychofauna Studies: A Manifesto
Kahlil Corazo is a writer based in the southern Philippines. You can get his books here and read his other essays at Explorations.ph…
Read more

I’ve also completed a manuscript coming from the more academic side of my scholarly interests: the intersection between René Girard’s scapegoat mechanism and the figure of the Austronesian “Big Man” or the Southeast Asian “Orang Besar.” (You might notice that Rajah Versus Conquistador is underpinned by the same interest). It is still under review, but in case you’re interested, here’s what I submitted. (You can post comments on the doc: I’d appreciate questions and suggestions before I polish it for publishing).

The Scapegoat Mechanism in Southeast Asian Ritual, Myth, and Politics

From Mead and Bateson’s Trance and Dance in Bali to Massacres in the Philippines and Indonesia

Lastly, the video in this post is an update on Rajah Versus Conquistador. Here’s the A.I. summary:

📝 Writing Update and Story Structure (00:04 - 09:18)

  • Author working on first work of fiction titled 'Rajah Versus Conquistador'

  • Drafting entire story before publishing chapters

  • Each chapter taking about a month to draft

  • Story based on historical and anthropological records

  • Uses second-person narrative to put reader in mindset of Rajah Humabon

  • First chapter available on explorations.ph as prototype https://www.explorations.ph/p/conquistadors-gambit

🗂️ Story Development and Characters (09:18 - 20:37)

  • Drafted chapters 2, 3, and last chapter

  • Chapter 2 introduces conflict between boy and serpent in Humabon's mind

  • Chapter 3 connects developments in Malacca and succeeding kingdoms

  • Enrique (Magellan's slave) plays central role as interpreter

  • Magellan's character introduced through Enrique's stories

  • Contrast between ritual sacrifice and Christian holy mass planned

👥 Character Development and Historical Context (20:37 - 29:32)

  • Paraluman introduced as Humabon's wife from Luzon

  • Relationship between Humabon and powerful women explored

  • Blood compact scene planned between Humabon and Magellan

  • Miracle scene to be depicted through Humabon's perspective

  • Human sacrifice interpretation of Pigafetta's account

🏁 Story Conclusion and Navigation (29:33 - 40:17)

  • Battle as consequence of unraveling conflicts

  • Humabon's limitations as a 'big man' society explored

  • Epilogue to contrast apparent success with historical reality

  • Instructions on navigating the Roam database for drafts. Public Roam graph: https://roamresearch.com/#/app/kahlil-public

  • Author's work history and writing progress shared

Discussion about this podcast