I live in the Philippines in Southeast Asia. So, for anyone in the United States and abroad who wish to get to know me or have questions, we’ve created these virtual panel posts on my weblog to compensate for the fact I can’t travel much. Without further ado, here we go…
1. Virtual Panel.
Question: What inspired you to create a queer horror/transgressive horror story?
Answer: The whole “transgressive” sub-genre or movement was relatively new the year I wrote the first draft—in 2022 to be precise. As a writer, I don’t see myself as a trend-hopper, but I do get inspired to try different genres at times. It, therefore, excited me to write a queer horror novella that celebrated queers—not cis gender gay men. Queers, more than any in the LGBTQ+ banner, get more marginalized than most, maybe for the exception of trans people, who are obviously more mistreated and misunderstood than anyone. I wanted to portray queer Filipino boys the way I recalled from my youth, making them more realistic to me and more appropriate for a call to arms. The reason for that is I watched them get mercilessly taunted and bullied in school. Although my character, Alain, was not in a school setting in the novella, his experiences with homophobia and bullying resonate with the queers I knew from my youth. To be honest, I identify as a cis gender gay male and generally escaped much of the oppression that my queer classmates endured. By framing Alain in a similar vein to my queer friends, I felt like I had done something to highlight the level of discrimination queer youths experience in my country. Some people will shrug this off and say LGBTQ people are accepted more widely these days, but I can attest to otherwise: this was not true among kids growing up. I can safely say that there is still plenty of homophobia in Philippine society, even among kids that are more “aware” and exposed to diversity.
Question: Did the romantic angle between Alain and Ramon present as a difficult aspect of the story, considering how unrealistic such scenarios are in the real world?
Answer: In Philippine society, many LBGTQ people still pursue the partners they feel most strongly about, even if they come from different worlds. But most do consider their parents’ wishes. Young people that grow up falling in love with peers or people their age are more likely to pursue relationships with them despite the financial inequity and disparate social standing. (Spoiler Alert) The fact that Alain discovers a pathway to success as an artist at the end of the story makes his union with Ramon more feasible. If they hadn’t reached a certain financial parity at the end of the story, I think Ramon would have still prioritized his feelings for Alain above material wealth. Some adults who have known poverty all their lives and expressly seek an opportunity or way out of it, may decide otherwise, like some Filipinos do, explaining for the existence of the slang term, “jackpot.” Yet Alain never attempts to seek this out, despite knowing that Ramon reciprocates his feelings.
Question: The settings of the story are quite unique maybe. For American audiences, they may not be familiar with farm communities and freakshow carnie shows featuring the kind that reinforce the existence of Filipino myth. How integral are these elements to the readers’ appreciation of the events described?
Answer: Filipino mythos sometimes makes an appearance in my work. To legitimize someone’s unique cultural heritage, we must often write about things that are unique to our background and culture. The mythos characters come in at a perfect time in the story as complements to Alain and his growing conflicts with the antagonists. They add color and nuance to a tale that grows past its main plot and diverges elsewhere, in terms of the backstories. Of these mythos characters, the Directress Lu gives the most rounded portrayal, as the others simply come and go in their disparate scenes without much voice or interaction with the lead characters. Directress Lu is kind of a “scene stealer.” I hope that readers will appreciate the supporting characters like her. I was told that this aspect of my writing is a particular strength.
About the farming communities, there aren’t too many differences between an American farm and a Filipino one, except that some enterprise farms in America might be more advanced than smaller farms in the Philippines. There isn’t a great deal of slaughterhouse scenes in the story that might trigger readers. There is a brief description of a painting inspired by the butchery of hogs, which isn’t graphic enough to become a real issue.
For more Q&As or Virtual Panels featuring Alaric Cabiling, subscribe or stay tuned for more posts.
2. Here is a brief video announcing the upcoming release of Alaric’s transgressive novella, All Guts, All Glory, through Baynam Books Press.
ALARIC CABILING's OFFICIAL SITE 