Theodora Colinares

Divine/Muse

Divine/Muse is a dark fantasy novella that explores the relationships between humanity, nature and the divine; centering heavily on self-identity, especially in connection with one's beliefs and social standing. The story follows a shaman named Alaya Alimat as she sets out to find the sacred land of the Banal. While on this journey, she meets an ex-Empire researcher named Raem Kabutan. When Alaya and Raem are seen together in a marketplace, the officers after him assume they are accomplices, leaving them both as wanted fugitives and resulting in them going on the run together. Together, they must avoid capture, bridge their differences and find a way to clear their names.

“Divine/Muse is a dark fantasy novella that borrows from mid-colonial Philippine culture, intertwining it with an original mythos as a means to bridge the gap between my research of Filipino cultures and how I interact with them as a second-generation immigrant. It inspects trauma brought on by religious assimilation, as well as explores the relationship between humanity, nature and the divine.”