# Louis Bulaong

Louis Bulaong (born 1996) is a Filipino writer best known for his science fiction novels Escapist Dream and Otaku Girl.
Born in Tacloban, 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. 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, classical novels, and superhero comics. At around 2012, he applied for cadetship in the Philippine Military Academy. 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, fan fiction blogger, and as a freelance writer for gaming websites like WhatCulture. He self-published 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. 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.
Bulaong currently works as a jail officer in his province of Leyte. 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.

## 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, video games, and other literature. Informal writing in the form of slangs, self-references and memes, is a style he predominantly uses, often for comedic purposes. The author also mostly writes in Filipino-English.
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, ostracization, cancel culture, and depression in his stories. His novels are filled with geek-centric terminologies and characters consisting of comic nerds, film buffs, gamers, otakus, 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", while Carl Hannigan described its sequel Otaku Girl as "surrealistic weirdlit at its finest", stating, "[It's] one 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".

### Awards

| Year | Title | Award |
| 2018 | SSCT Science Achievement Award | Winner |
| 2018 | SSCT Sulhog Binhi Award | Winner |
| 2020 | 5 Best Modern Filipino Writers by Pinas | 2nd place |