Libulan

Author's Note

Hello everyone! I am SupIAmMark and we are back for a one last final time here in “Libulan” as we finally have come to an end with its 120th and final episode. You know what, this is one of my most ambitious series ever because it really is very hard to come up with such fantasies and stay committed about it for such a long time. The last time I have done a fantasy driven series was back at 2019 which was “Dark Side of the Moon” that I deleted and not continue because like what I said, it was hard to come up with such fantasies and stay committed about it and in that series’ case, I wasn’t feeling it. However, everything still brings me back to my 2017 series which was “Pseudo Immortal” and that one series is powerful banger which motivated me to do more supernatural stuffs and yeah, after one successful series that spanned over 7 seasons and another series that I cancelled after 1 season, I thought if I could really make another great magical/fantasy based series and yeah, after thinking about it, January of last year was my decision and “Libulan” finally existed making it my 3rd fantasy based series after the great Pseudo Immortal and the unsuccessful Dark Side of the Moon; it is also my 4th and 2nd to the latest supernatural based series if we count “Seven Deadly Sins” back at 2017 which was decent and the supernatural/psychological series that came after this series which was “YOU-niverse”. Anyways, Libulan was my chance to learn and explore what I can do with my creative thinking skills and with the 6 seasons that it have created in the span of almost 2 years, I can say that I succeeded in it so well; it may have been flawed and I still admit that I struggled in the process, Libulan staying in for 6 seasons just means that I held onto this series and whatever that happened from the beginning to end, I am proud of what I made. Libulan was actually inspired by actual Filipino Mythology where Sidapa and Libulan are actually a couple and the gods of hell and the moon respectively and Bakunawa itself is actually a mythical creature that has actually eaten the moon and I was like, what if I expand and make a more bigger story to tell so much about Sidapa and Libulan (Bulan) and make it both based on how I want the story to happen but still remain faithful with the actual mythology that is why I really did wait for lots of seasons until I release Bakunawa but from the beginning, it has always been planned for the creature to be the main conflict of the whole story of Libulan. More about having Filipino based myths, I did everything to incorporate the tribes that Filipinos had but instead of rulers such as sultans and datus, I went for the common kings and queens because I wanted to tell a story that wouldn’t be stereotypical in a way that the characters’ goal is to look strong, fearless and brave and just feel forced being it. I wanted the story to be more about how Bulan who is the main character that we all loved having a journey about who he should be, if he should be a king or something else beyond it and Sidapa which is painted as the bad guy because he is the god of death is actually the one who will show Bulan a life beyond basically wearing a crown and being driven with stereotypical attributes ordered towards him by his father who is currently the king. As this series succeeds and me enjoying every single part of it, I started putting more and more characters that would either help one season progress, be a lesson and a big support to the main characters or the ones who will grow into a bigger and important role as seasons pass by, I made sure every series will progress and everyone has the share of stories from big to small that makes all of them notable. We had the gods Hala, Aman, Agui and Dumangan who had different purposes, Hala who was the first other god met by Bulan and Sidapa and all he brought to the story is to be the fun of the series, make SIdapa learn a lesson about being a god and being a boyfriend to Bulan who he is pursing and he is actually the role model and the main definition of being a god because he is just always there to help without any hesitation, Aman on the other hand was a parallel to Bulan and Lakas’ life as upcoming and promising kings of the tribe who instead wants to run away like Bulan does but at the very end, he can do both and be brave instead of being doubtful about his very own capabilities and powers. Agui and Dumangan both plays a large role in their short period of time in the series because both of them appeared in the last 3 seasons of Libulan that focused on the main arc and story of the whole series which Agui was some sort of a bridge for Bulan, Sidapa and everyone else to enter the moon chronicles which is the main arc of the whole series and at the same time, since the series these past 3 seasons focused on prophecies, Agui started and made sure that everything is going to what is planned without even being aware of it until Daplan came which we will talk more about later and Dumangan who served the same thing for he reveals and sets down what has to happen in the remaining seasons which despite how heartbreaking it sounds, the prophecies about Bulan and everyone else has to happen. Agui and Dumangan also were a lesson for Sidapa the same way Hala was at the beginning because Agui showed Sidapa the guilt of being a god while Dumangan showed Sidapa the regrets because of being driven by guilt. All of these gods are what I am proud about because they really showed and helped the characters show who they really are and at the same time, they made sure they all will stand out as well with their functions, purposes and what they are supposed to parallel. Besides them, Daplan was something I wanted to add in the series which I didn’t have any plans for besides being a child of Sidapa and Bulan but as soon as I got an idea about who Daplan has to be, I went for it and it is that he is still actually the child of Bulan and Sidapa but at the same time, he is the moon which represents the light which is hope around darkness which is danger and since like Agui, Daplan wasn’t enough being just a moon seeing his father Bulan in danger, he had to turn into a child manifestation so that he can save Bulan and bring him where he is supposed to be before he ascends back as the entity of the moon and at the same time, he is just in time because him being the moon after the actual solid moon being eaten and broken is a great solution to the finale on how the moon has to be brought back and it makes sense because Daplan is the soul and the entity of the moon which means, the moon getting broken doesn’t matter when Daplan who represents the moon can bring it back as he ascends and rises back to who he is supposed to be. Damn, I gotta say, Daplan’s return as the moon is still heartbreaking but he will return someday still which is reassuring enough. Anyways, I also would like to mention more characters that I am proud of how I made them as well as the characters that were great but should have been more. First of all, Lakas is who I am proud of because despite being slow paced his development was from being the envious brother to the king depending on the brother he started to love, he was very consistent and I think his character as the brother paid off well and he is better than some of the actual brothers in my brotherhood themed stories. Lakas just had a beautiful journey from being the brave, tough and envious brother but his experiences with his best friend Lakan dying, being kidnapped by Ajas and meeting his real brothers Ulan and Kidlat made him turn to who he should be towards Bulan and look at the end, all he wanted was to save his brother so that he could spend time and make up with him. While Lakas is something I am proud of making, Sahaya is someone who I almost failed to give justice because her being the promising nice princess to queen of Bulan wasn’t working especially because Bulan and Sidapa are already sure and established as together in many ways so, I had to come up with Sahaya’s purpose and as much as I did not want to turn her into the main villain, it worked especially that his father who died was actually the main villain who slowly drove her into madness and obsession and at the same time, Amaya which is her sister who died together with the fall of the whole Palayan Tribe after Sidapa worsening the eruption controlled by Agui made Sahaya filled with extreme grief, anger and revenge having herself build an dark manifestation of herself which was Dullahan and promised to kill Bulan for everything that happened which she attempted to do but instead, Bulan just ascended as the god but her amazing final bow by thinking that she controls the Bakunawa when it is actually Dullahan is the peak of her real power because you can see how far she was driven by darkness and anger to the point that she thought she is in control when it was actually Dullahan which is her dark and hate manifestation taking control of everything that led to the near end of the world for everyone. Sahaya was actually somebody I saved from being useless and I will always be glad of my decision of making her the final and main villain of the series. However, out of all the great characters that were brought to their full potential, Liksi was someone who was great and amazing for he was consistent but he did not do anything much besides being the main sidekick for Bulan which I am not mad about because Liksi is still notable for his consistency the way Hala was notable despite having no personal arc. The only thing I wish for Liksi’s character was to have his personal arc of meeting and losing his parents for the first and last time was explored more because my planned arc for him didn’t go far because it only lasted for the ending of Season 4 to the beginning of Season 5 and after that, nothing more about him but being the consistent sidekick to Bulan. However, I still love Liksi for he solidified what brotherhood is about and solidified Bulan’s purpose because they had the same wants and goals in life which is to be something else besides being rulers. Like Liksi, Lakam didn’t have too much but I am proud of what he contributed for the series because he wasn’t just a sidekick for both Bulan and Lakas, he was the most worked character because he was not a god, he was not royal blooded nor related to any of the characters besides his brother Lakan who even died, he himself even died and was revived and all that he got into was the toughest because he was just a human who grows well through the story without needing to be the most important character for himself to be notable and great and that is why I love him so much! Damn, I would also like to give Luna, Briseo, Kora, Aides, Sinaya, Saidon, Kaja, Thales, Nilo and Dana who were the parents who played such big parts to the story and the characterization of all the characters that they are related with and as I completely acknowledge everyone in the series, I want to get back with Bulan and Sidapa for the last time because they came a long way from meeting each other, fighting and facing the threats, do saving, running away, self-discoveries, sacrifices, togetherness, the idea of hate and peace paralleling to darkness and light which they really are all about and how it affects the whole world and everything that is in it, they really have made us learn so much but I think the main thing that I will always remember from Bulan and Sidapa is that dangers can be anywhere and can come from everybody, especially if it is driven by hate and anger, the whole world will just get more and more vulnerable with danger because as Sidapa who is used to darkness, he knows how destructive hate is and it is the most dangerous thing that could ever exist in the world. However, Bulan is the hope and light in between the darkness that surrounds because like the moon in the middle of the dark sky that gives hope and light to everyone who sees it, that was Bulan all about and as we go back to what we talked about at the beginning of this which is who Bulan should be instead of the stereotypical way of being strong, brave and fearless, he is all of those but he made himself who he is because of hope and passion. These are what I learned the most between Sidapa and Bulan and I will never forget every single time they lost faith, felt guilt, hoped peace at times they can’t because that reflects real life, it is all about darkness and lightness together and all at once. We cannot see light the brightest it could ever shine without darkness to surround it while we cannot let darkness take over as a whole and there should be a light that will serve as guide to get through the darkest times.

With all of that being said and me getting emotional looking back at what this series was, I think it is finally time we officially say goodbye and yes, thank you for all your support and love that you have given to Libulan these past almost 2 years and 6 seasons and I will surely miss Bulan, Sidapa, Lakas, Liksi, Daplan and Sahaya as much as you all. Even the gods like damn, I will miss our 6 gods so much and their adventures together and I cannot wait for whatever’s next for them because they are too bent and experienced now and I think whatever they experience next, they will always find a way to save the day because that just screams hope and love so yeah! Once again, this is SupIAmMark with “Libulan”, finally signing off and always remember, you make the path to your own self and your own story, never forget Libulan and Sidapa for me! Goodbye!

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