Louis Bulaong (born 1996) is a Filipino writer best known for his science fiction novels ''

Escapist Dream ''Escapist Dream'' is a science fiction novel written by Louis Bulaong and published on July 26, 2020. The novel is set in a near future where virtual reality has become a norm and where geeks can use it to gain superpowers and extraordinary abi ...

'' and '' Otaku Girl''. Born in

Tacloban Tacloban ( ; ), officially the City of Tacloban (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city on Leyte island in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, Tacloban has a popu ...

, Bulaong began writing as a freelance writer in school newspapers and various websites. His two novels, released between 2020 and 2021, became influential titles in the gamelit and pop culture fiction genres.Alt URL
/ref> His works have made him one of the most popular Filipino-Waray writers in modern times.

Biography

Louis Gabriel Bulaong was born on 1996 in Tacloban, Leyte, in the Philippines. Little is known about his early life besides sharing that he grew up with an interest in

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

, classical novels, and

superhero comics Superhero comics is one of the most common genres of American comic books. The genre rose to prominence in the 1930s and became extremely popular in the 1940s and has remained the dominant form of comic book in North America since the 1960s. Supe ...

.Bulaong, Louis. ''To My Love Love: A Tribute To The Most Wonderful Girlfriend In The World By Her Super Geeky Boyfriend''. April 2, 2024. ASIN B0CZS7WHWK At around 2012, he applied for cadetship in the

Philippine Military Academy The Philippine Military Academy ( / ) also referred to by its acronym PMA is the premier military academy for Filipinos aspiring for a commission as a military officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). It was established on Decembe ...

. In college, Louis Bulaong studied Bachelor of Science in Psychology at St. Scholastica's College Tacloban. He graduated and received his psychometrician license in 2018. Bulaong began his writing career as a college

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

fan fiction Fan fiction or fanfiction, also known as fan fic, fanfic, fic or FF, is fiction typically written in an amateur capacity by fans as a form of fan labor, unauthorized by, but based on, an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted ...

blogger, and as a freelance writer for gaming websites like ''

WhatCulture WhatCulture Ltd. is a British online entertainment news website and magazine which was launched in 2010. The site offers news in the field of professional wrestling, television, films, music, video games, and board games. History Originally star ...

''. He

self-published Self-publishing is an author-driven publication of any media without the involvement of a third-party publisher. Since the advent of the internet, self-published usually depends upon digital platforms and print-on-demand technology, ranging fr ...

his first book, ''Escapist Dream'', in 2020 with mixed reception. Critics like Peyton F. panned its peculiar writing style, while others such as author Kayla Krantz praised its themes and representation of geek culture. September 28, 2020 A sequel was published a year later entitled ''Otaku Girl'', which was received more positively, with journalist Carl Hannigan praising its improved writing and

humor Humour ( Commonwealth English) or humor (American English) is the tendency of experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks, which taught that the balance of fluids i ...

. Bulaong currently works as a jail officer in his province of

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...

. In 2022, he served as a guest speaker for the "Creative Writing Symposium", a writing seminar and workshop held at the University of the Philippines Tacloban. p.4

Writing style

Books written by Louis Bulaong are known for their geeky humor, themes, and extensive inclusion of pop cultural references taken from various media like popular movies, comic books,

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

, video games, and other literature. Informal writing in the form of slangs, self-references and

meme A meme (; ) is an idea, behavior, or style that Mimesis, spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying c ...

s, is a style he predominantly uses, often for comedic purposes. The author also mostly writes in Filipino-English. Jimenez, Nena. (September 5, 2020), "5 Best Modern Filipino Writers". '' Pinas''
Excerpt
/ref> Critic Lenny Machowicz commented in his retrospective about Bulaong's use of free flow speech and emotions, stating, "he knows how to write character reflections and emotional moments", while also describing that Bulaong's writing style is "unique" and "creates this smooth flow of thoughts similar to poetry". Derrick St. Claire also praised Bulaong's artistic use of poetic prose, as well as his style of adding deep symbolism in his references. The themes commonly present in Bulaong's writings are mental health and geek culture. As a psychology graduate, Bulaong tackled issues such as

bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, Suffering, hurtful teasing, comments, or threats, in order to abuse, aggression, aggressively wikt:domination, dominate, or intimidate one or more others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. On ...

, ostracization,

cancel culture Cancel culture is a cultural phenomenon in which an individual thought to have acted or spoken in an unacceptable manner is ostracized, boycotted, shunned or fired, often aided by social media. This shunning may extend to social or professio ...

, and depression in his stories. His novels are filled with geek-centric terminologies and characters consisting of comic nerds, film buffs,

gamer A gamer is someone who plays interactive games, either video games, tabletop role-playing games, skill-based card games, or any combination thereof, and who often plays for extended periods of time. Originally a hobby, gaming has evolved in ...

otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, such as anime, manga, video games, computers or other highly enthusiastic hobbies. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. ...

s, bookworms, and others.

Recognition

Several of Louis Bulaong's books have garnered critical acclaim, both locally and internationally. Sam Fletcher called ''Escapist Dream'' an "underrated modern classic", April 03, 2024 while Carl Hannigan described its sequel ''Otaku Girl'' as "surrealistic weirdlit at its finest", stating, " t'sone of the best reflections of modern society today". Nena Jimenez of '' Pinas'' ranked Bulaong at number 2 in her "5 Best Modern Filipino Writers", stating, "He is one of the most versatile and emotionally-driven Filipino writers around." Jake Tatoy from '' RMN News'' praised him as one of the most successful Filipino-Waray writers, while Derrick St. Claire of ''Ezine Articles'' called Bulaong the "Dean of Pop Culture Fiction". May 12, 2024

Awards

Bibliography

Popular titles

* ''

'' (2020)Louis Bulaong (Author of Escapist Dream)
''

Goodreads Goodreads is an American social cataloging website and a subsidiary of Amazon that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and readi ...

'' * '' Otaku Girl'' (2021)

Other works

* ''Bandido: The Story of the Most Notorious Filipino Gang'' (2020)Bulaong, Louis. ''Bandido: The Story of the Most Notorious Filipino Gang''. August 30, 2020. Afterword, pp. 121–122. * ''Dark Folk Tales From The Philippine Countryside'' (2024) * ''To My Love Love: A Tribute To The Most Wonderful Girlfriend In The World By Her Super Geeky Boyfriend'' (2024)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulaong, Louis 1996 births 21st-century Filipino writers People from Tacloban Living people Filipino novelists