History Literature / TheCrocodileGod

** Mirasol accidentally gets caught in a vision that's slightly after [[CreationMyth the beginning of the world,]] where Haik's abusive volcano-god grandfather [[UsedToBeASweetKid was once a friendly young man.]] Lola the dragon notes that [[RealityEnsues he couldn't cope with all the changes in society as he aged,]] and since they both grew up in a harsher time when TheOldGods and humans [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking frequently fought and killed each other,]] the volcano-god might have attacked his grandsons because [[DentedIron he thought they were going to kill him for getting old.]] Mirasol, who hated him in a previous chapter, now finds herself wondering if the volcano-god was actually lonely/fearful about his age catching up to him, but [[TragicVillain unable to talk about it because of how he was raised.]]

** Lola the dragon sheds light on why Haik's volcano-god grandfather was so abusive to him and Lumawig: Being TheOldGods who grew up with humans and spirits [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking routinely fighting and killing each other,]] you couldn't show vulnerability for too long [[RealityEnsues or else someone would view you as weak and attack you,]] and the volcano-god may have thought his own grandsons were going to kill him [[DentedIron for getting too old.]] She muses that if she'd heard how he was doing in time [[TrueCompanions to help him process his feelings,]] [[ItsAllMyFault she could have stopped the family fight.]]

** Mirasol accidentally gets caught in a vision that's slightly after [[CreationMyth the beginning of the world,]] where Haik's abusive volcano-god grandfather [[UsedToBeASweetKid was once a friendly young man.]] Lola the dragon notes that [[RealityEnsues he wasn't able to cope with all the changes in society as he aged,]] and since they both grew in a harsher time when TheOldGods and humans [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking frequently fought and killed each other,]] the volcano-god might have attacked his grandsons because [[DentedIron he thought they were going to kill him for getting old.]] Mirasol, who hated him in the previous chapter, now finds herself wondering if the volcano-god was actually lonely/fearful about his age catching up to him, but [[TragicVillain unable to talk about it because of how he was raised.]]

** Lola the dragon sheds light on why Haik's volcano-god grandfather was so abusive to him and Lumawig: Being TheOldGods who grew up with humans and spirits [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking routinely fighting and killing each other,]] you couldn't show vulnerability for too long [[RealityEnsues or else someone would view you as weak and attack you,]] and the volcano-god may have thought his own grandsons were going to kill him [[DentedIron for getting too old.]] She muses that if she'd heard how he was doing in time and [[TrueCompanions been there to help him process his feelings,]] [[ItsAllMyFault she could have stopped the family fight from happening.]]

** Mirasol accidentally gets caught in a vision that's slightly after [[CreationMyth the beginning of the world,]] where Haik's abusive volcano-god grandfather [[UsedToBeASweetKid was once a friendly young man.]] Lola the dragon notes that [[RealityEnsues he wasn't able to cope with all the changes in society as he aged,]] and having grown up in a harsher time when TheOldGods and humans [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking frequently fought and killed each other,]] the volcano-god might have attacked his grandsons because [[DentedIron he thought they were going to kill him for getting old.]] Mirasol, who hated him in the previous chapter, now finds herself wondering if the volcano-god was actually lonely/fearful about his age catching up to him, but [[TragicVillain unable to talk about it because of how he was raised.]]

** Mirasol accidentally gets caught in a vision that's slightly after [[CreationMyth the beginning of the world,]] where Haik's abusive volcano-god grandfather [[UsedToBeASweetKid was once a friendly young man.]] Lola the dragon notes that [[RealityEnsues he wasn't able to cope with all the changes in society as he aged,]] and having grown up in a harsher time when TheOldGods and humans [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking frequently fought and killed each other,]] the volcano-god might have attacked his grandsons because [[DentedIron he thought they were going to kill him for getting old.]] Mirasol finds herself wondering if the volcano-god was such a jackass because he was actually lonely/fearful about his age catching up to him, but [[TragicVillain unable or unwilling to talk about it because of how he was raised.]]

** Mirasol's Spanish master [[ImperiledInPregnancy shot the heavily pregnant Mirasol]] after Haik told him that their unborn child would be a god, and [[TragicStillbirth their daughter's stillbirth]] has ''hugely'' traumatized Haik. Their later children grow up [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior angry, warlike, and far too protective of their mother.]] Since this started piling [[StarCrossedLovers more trauma and death]] onto their ReincarnationRomance, Haik is constantly getting reminders of their daughter's death and [[SafetyInIndifference he's afraid of changing things in case he makes it worse.]]

* JerkassGods: The volcano-god. [[TheOldGods He's older than Bathala,]] and his first words on being awakened by his grandsons' blood-offering are [[ScrewPolitenessImASenior to complain that they haven't offered him any gifts or food.]] He also gave humans the secret of fire-making, but took it back because [[WhenIWasYourAge he thinks Bathala is too soft on mortals, who have now become disrespectful of the gods,]] so he's perfectly fine letting people get hunted by animals in the dark and forced to eat raw food until they "respect" him again.

** Mirasol accidentally gets caught in a vision that's slightly after [[CreationMyth the beginning of the world,]] where Haik's abusive volcano-god grandfather [[UsedToBeASweetKid was once a friendly young man.]] Lola the dragon notes that [[RealityEnsues he wasn't able to cope with all the changes in society as he aged,]] and having grown up in a harsher time when TheOldGods and humans [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking frequently fought and killed each other,]] the volcano-god might have attacked his grandsons because [[TragicVillain he thought they were going to kill him for getting old.]]

** When Haik finds out that [[spoiler: their first daughter was brought back to life,]] he's desperate to hear anything about her and [[ItsAllMyFault wonders if she's mad at him.]] He also asks the kraken if he's met her, and muses that [[AdultFear she's all grown up and he's missed everything.]]

* EthnicGod: Haik, obviously, and by extension the rest of the Tagalog pantheon.

* LordOfTheOcean: DownplayedTrope with Haik; he's not the ''master'' of the ocean (seeing as [[ExactWords he's not the personification of the sea),]] but he's [[FamilyOfChoice an honorary brother to the whales]] and it's implied that ''all the sea-creatures'' view him as a "relative" as well: Mirasol has a vision where a massive horde of sea-creatures comes up from the deep ocean [[spoiler: and [[BigDamnHeroes flanks the gods' balangay ship]] to find Haik]], the kraken himself calls Haik "Kuya" (big brother) and brings back his heart, and a pod of orcas in the spirit-world help Haik's son Banog find the ICE officers' ship where he's being detained.

* LordOfTheOcean: DownplayedTrope with Haik; he's not the ''master'' of the ocean (seeing as [[ExactWords he's not the personification of the sea),]] but he's [[FamilyOfChoice an honorary brother to the whales]] and it's implied that ''all the sea-creatures'' view him as a "relative" as well: Mirasol has a vision where a massive horde of sea-creatures comes up from the deep ocean [[spoiler: and [[BigDamnHeroes flanks the gods' balangay ship to find Haik]],]] the kraken himself calls Haik "Kuya" (big brother) and brings back his heart, and a pod of orcas in the spirit-world help Haik's son Banog find the ICE officers' ship where he's being detained, so it's implied that they ''all'' view Haik as a "relative."

* RetiredBadass: Haik's grandfather, [[TheOldGods the volcano-god.]] When Haik and Lumawig ask for the secret of fire-making back, his response is [[ScrewPolitenessImASenior endless bitching]] about how they haven't given him a proper greeting, and they're asking for "his property" without offering anything in return, ''and'' that he took away fire-making because he thinks Bathala Maykapal is too soft on mortals, so [[WhenIWasYourAge they don't respect the gods anymore.]] Haik eventually gets fed up and challenges him to a wrestling match, at which the volcano-god [[WrestlerInAllOfUs lifts Haik off the ground]] and [[SuplexFinisher breaks his arm with a suplex.]]

* JerkassGods: The volcano-god. [[TheOldGods He's older than Bathala,]] and his first words on being awakened by his grandsons' blood-offering is [[ScrewPolitenessImASenior to complain that they haven't offered him any gifts or food.]] He also gave humans the secret of fire-making, but took it back because [[WhenIWasYourAge he thinks Bathala is too soft on mortals, who have now become disrespectful of the gods,]] so he's perfectly fine letting people get hunted by animals in the dark and forced to eat raw food until they "respect" him again.

* JerkassGods: As mentioned above, the volcano-god. [[TheOldGods He's older than Bathala,]] and his first words on being awakened by his grandsons' blood-offering is [[ScrewPolitenessImASenior to complain that they haven't offered him any gifts or food.]] He also gave humans the secret of fire-making, but took it back because [[WhenIWasYourAge he thinks Bathala is too soft on mortals, who have now become disrespectful of the gods,]] so he's perfectly fine letting people get hunted by animals in the dark and forced to eat raw food until they "respect" him again.

* BadassBoast: DoubleSubverted during Haik's flashback, where he challenges his volcano-god grandfather to a wrestling match, and warns him that he killed a crocodile and the eel-god. Unfortunately, his grandfather just laughs at him that this is a "good start" for a young man, lists off [[TheOldGods all the different nature-gods the Philippines used to have in his youth,]] and boasts in turn that [[RetiredBadass Haik should ask how many HE killed.]] He then [[CurbStompBattle suplexes Haik and breaks his arm.]]

* IntangibleTheft / ImpossibleTheft: As with most fire-bringer myths, Haik teams up with Lumawig to steal back fire-making from [[TheOldGods their volcano-god grandfather.]] They ask for it back politely, but he just yells at them that [[JerkassGods he's fine letting humans be miserable until they learn respect for him again,]] so Haik has to wrestle him.
* JerkassGods: Haik and Lumawig's grandfather, the volcano-god. [[TheOldGods He's older than Bathala,]] and his first words on being awakened by his grandsons' blood-offering is [[ScrewPolitenessImASenior to complain that they haven't offered him any gifts or food.]] He also gave humans the secret of fire-making, but took it back because [[WhenIWasYourAge he thinks Bathala is too soft on mortals, who have now become disrespectful of the gods,]] so he's perfectly fine letting people get hunted by animals in the dark and forced to eat raw food until they "respect" him again.

* RetiredBadass: Haik's grandfather, [[TheOldGods the volcano-god.]] When Haik and Lumawig ask for the secret of fire-making back, his response is [[ScrewPolitenessImASenior endless bitching]] about how they haven't given him a proper greeting, and they're asking for "his property" without offering anything in return, ''and'' that he took away fire-making in the first place because Bathala Maykapal was too soft on mortals, so [[WhenIWasYourAge they don't respect the gods anymore.]] Haik eventually gets fed up and challenges him to a wrestling match, at which the volcano-god [[WrestlerInAllOfUs lifts Haik off the ground]] and [[SuplexFinisher breaks his arm with a suplex.]]

* IntangibleTheft / ImpossibleTheft: As with most fire-bringer myths, Haik teams up with Lumawig to steal back fire-making from [[TheOldGods their volcano-god grandfather.]] They ask for it back politely, but he just yells at them that the gods have gone soft under Bathala's rule and [[JerkassGods he's fine letting humans be miserable until they learn respect for him again,]] so Haik has to wrestle him.
* JerkassGods: Haik and Lumawig's grandfather, the volcano-god. [[TheOldGods He's older than Bathala,]] and his first words on being awakened by his grandsons' blood-offering is [[ScrewPolitenessImASenior to complain that they haven't offered him any gifts or food.]] He also gave humans the secret of fire-making, but took it back because [[WhenIWasYourAge he thinks Bathala is too soft on mortals, who have now become disrespectful of the gods.]] He's perfectly fine letting people get hunted by animals in the dark and forced to eat raw food until they "respect" him again.

* BadassBoast: DoubleSubverted during Haik's flashback, where he challenges his volcano-god grandfather to a wrestling match, and warns him that he killed a crocodile and the eel-god. Unfortunately, the volcano-god just laughs at him that this is a "good start" for a young man, lists off [[TheOldGods all the different nature-gods the Philippines used to have in his youth,]] and [[RetiredBadass Haik should ask how many HE killed.]] The volcano-god promptly [[CurbStompBattle suplexes Haik and breaks his arm.]]

* IntangibleTheft / ImpossibleTheft: As with most fire-bringer myths, Haik has to team up with Lumawig to steal back fire-making from [[TheOldGods their volcano-god grandfather.]] They try to ask for it back politely, but he just yells at them that the gods have gone soft under Bathala's rule and [[JerkassGods he's fine letting humans be miserable until they learn respect for him again,]] so Haik has to wrestle him.

* RetiredBadass: Haik's grandfather, [[TheOldGods the unnamed volcano-god.]] He lives in Mount Pulag and doesn't get along well with Bathala Maykapal. When Haik and Lumawig try to ask for the secret of fire-making back, the volcano-god's response is [[ScrewPolitenessImASenior endless bitching]] about how they haven't given him a proper greeting, and they're asking for "his property" without offering anything in return, ''and'' that he took it in the first place because Bathala Maykapal is too soft on mortals, so [[WhenIWasYourAge they don't respect the gods anymore.]] Haik eventually gets fed up and challenges him to a wrestling match--the volcano-god promptly [[WrestlerInAllOfUs lifts Haik off the ground]] and [[SuplexFinisher breaks Haik's arm with a suplex.]]

** When Haik finds out that [[spoiler: their first daughter was brought back to life,]] he's desperate to hear anything about her and [[ItsAllMyFault wonders if she's mad at him.]]

* RetiredBadass: Haik's grandfather, [[TheOldGods the unnamed volcano-god.]] He lives in Mount Pulag and doesn't get along well with Bathala Maykapal. When Haik and Lumawig try to ask for the secret of fire-making back, the volcano-god's response is [[ScrewPolitenessImASenior endless bitching]] about how they haven't given him a proper greeting, and they're asking for "his property" without offering anything in return, ''and'' that he took it in the first place because Bathala Maykapal is too soft on mortals, so [[WhenIWasYourAge they don't respect the gods properly anymore.]] Haik eventually gets fed up and challenges him to a wrestling match and [[BadassBoast warns him that he killed a crocodile and the eel-god.]] Unfortunately, the volcano-god just laughs that two gods are a "good start" for a young man, and [[BadassBoast Haik should ask how many gods HE killed;]] he then promptly [[WrestlerInAllOfUs lifts Haik off the ground]] and [[SuplexFinisher breaks Haik's arm with a suplex.]]

** Mirasol's Spanish master [[ImperiledInPregnancy shot the heavily pregnant Mirasol]] after Haik told him that their unborn child would be a god. Their later children grow up [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior angry, warlike, and far too protective of their mother.]] Since this started piling [[StarCrossedLovers more trauma and death]] onto their ReincarnationRomance, Haik is constantly getting reminders of their daughter's death and [[SafetyInIndifference he's afraid of changing things in case he makes it worse.]]

** Mirasol's Spanish master [[ImperiledInPregnancy shot the heavily pregnant Mirasol]] after Haik told him that their unborn child would be a god. Their later children grow up [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior angry, warlike, and far too protective of their mother.]] Since this started piling [[StarCrossedLovers more trauma and death]] onto their ReincarnationRomance, Haik is constantly getting reminders of it and [[SafetyInIndifference he's afraid of changing things in case he makes things worse.]]

** After the mourning period is over and he marries the datu, he asks for tattoos. They start out normal, but when they heal, [[RedRightHand they become scenes depicting how he ate the datu's nephew.]] The prince wears heavy clothes to hide them, but when the monsoons end and [[CueTheSun tropical summer begins,]] he's forced to take his shirt off, which is how the datu finally discovers the AwfulTruth and pushes him off into a reef to drown. When the sambar-tribe finds out what their leader's done, half of them [[DeathByDespair try to drown themselves as well,]] but Haik [[NiceGuy turns them into fish out of pity.]] The other half of the tribe [[JustSoStory shrinks into the small deer of the current Philippines as atonement.]]

** Over time, the Tagalogs forgot Haik/Paikea's origins as an ancestor of the southern Maori, since his own name (''haik'' for "daytime") refers to him coming from the ''east,'' but they still remember he's from a place where [[LegendFadesToMyth "the rivers are full of jade,"]] referring to the South Island's cultural significance as "the land of greenstone."

* TheChooserOfTheOne: The whales. Haik notes that they could have just left him to drown when his brother tried to murder him, but instead they brought him to the Philippines, which is why [[FamilyOfChoice he calls them his brothers.]] When he asks Mirasol to marry him in the newly-colonized Philippines, the whales' arrival is precisely why he says their children will be gods. In the present day, Mirasol has a PropheticDream where [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies Haik left to keep her from getting hurt by ICE.]] She throws herself into the sea after calling him in vain, but gets confused when [[RuleOfSymbolism she hears whale-song]] before waking up. When Haik offers to leave so he can get ICE off her trail, Mirasol tells him [[ScrewDestiny to stay with her...]] and their demigoddess daughter comes roaring out of the earth as a dragon.

->''“'''I am the whale-rider,”''' he tells her, with the low engine-growl of a crocodile. '''“I am the son of voyagers, the crocodile-god, I break the ships in my teeth. Do you remember me?”'''''

* ImAHumanitarian: Man-eating is a plot point in the myth of the sambar-prince, who killed a child and ate his flesh as a black-magic ritual to turn human. It's mentioned that Filipino ''aswang ''(vampires) and [[OurMermaidsAreDifferent mermaids]] routinely eat people (though [[DarkIsNotEvil this does not make them evil.]]) When Mirasol dreams [[spoiler: of the Tagalog gods mobilizing in their ship to find Haik]], she sees Filipino mermaids with [[FangsAreEvil visible fangs]] and shark-tooth necklaces.