Imperator protegit, sed etiam gladius.
Imperator non venit, auxilium non venit.
Saltem gladium habeo.
the dexter by design
(short)filmmaker | art+copy guy | occasional (voice)actor | script girl | OddJob
dice nerd/ comics dork/ Trekkie/
Greendale Community College & Miskatonic University alumnus
I've been many things...
...and I've worn many hats, though my roles have all tended to cluster around the visual arts, entertainment, and education. I'd like to keep things that way. (More fun, less grief, the downside of it all being: "less predictable.")
I write, I illustrate, I design, I take pretty pictures. I act, and sometimes I direct and/or produce.I'm based in the Philippines.I like dogs (got one at home). If you want to get on my good side, take me to an Izakaya. Or somewhere serving hot pho. Or maybe collab with me for something.Stop by here for updates, or my socials, to see what I've been up to.
"Would you like to know more?"
This bit is still under construction. Come back later for MORE
Updates
5 February 2026
4 February 2026Done with subtitles for Aliwbata (yesterday).Early Feb is usually stressful as there is a series of birthdays in the family that one can't simply set aside. Considering that my relatives who have this birthday have hit 80 years, the occasion is big, Involves dragging all of us to a rented venue in the province where they have roots. Work stops and your only acceptable excuse is a medical emergency... which happened (not a tale for here).Anyway, the work continues. On the site and its ancillary components. On paintings meant for a February exhibit (to be honest, likely something to be pushed back, though I think I may have enough for a small one). On the film that may or may not be about Senpai and Kouhai (their story told in snippets on my Xittbird).The word of the day is Enshittification.I've tried to divest myself from Xittbird (and Facebook), I really did. Only, they've been hard to drop. The reasons are the same: all my friends, all my contacts are there, and all the engagement I can expect to reap seem to come from there. It still needs to happen or else I might have to keep clinging to the idea that I and my peers can outlast the site's current owner.
28 January 2026Work Still Ongoing on parts of this site, particularly the Gallery (art, writing, voicework, past and current films).
26 January 2026The last of the live and supplementary footage for our short (Aliwbata) has been shot. All that remain now: get to the final cut and prep the copy and other requirements for the festival run. We're gunning for Cinemalaya and Gawad Alternatibo for starters.I am excited, but I am also tired.
7 January 2026Work Still Ongoing on parts of this site, particularly the Gallery (art, writing, voicework, past and current films). As usual, it's slow and annoying, but growth almost always is. Some days I just wish for growth with the speed of a cancer, but all things happen on their appointed time.Xittbird, Going ForwardI'd tried to leave the site once, but that proved impossible. Too many friends and colleagues (TTRPG spaces, Voiceover, & Writing Twitter) there. Engagement was higher than anywhere else, even when my off-putting charm and the algorithm were throttling it. Honestly, I thought I could outlast the owner— my own futile display of "No. you move." The problem is that as long as Mr Ketamine held the reins to the site, it would keep incorporating features that would find newer and viler tools with which to empower abusive people. This latest outrage— Grok's new ability to undress non-consenting people—should have made me more angry. I suppose I've just been numbed by all the crap that's been happening globally in the past year.I still can't afford to totally abandon the site, but my own engagement with it needs to decrease dramatically. It's not as if others' engagement with me improved significantly the entire time I was there: 250-something followers, a good chunk of them likely bots, more than half of them not seeing my posts.
I'm stepping out, homeless (outside of this page and my laughable presence on BlueSky), into the void. And I am not going back to Facebook.
2 January 2026Usap (Talk) the film's IMDB here was a short that was already in my director friend's head since '23. We finally got it done in '25 and I'm proud to have been part of it. It's been recently entered into Gawad Alternatibo, streaming on Cinemata until the 4th. (note: that link might not be active after). Weirdly, it's one of my easier gigs. Because I had to shoot, well, badly to get the look of the film right.
25 December 2025MERRY CHRISTMAS! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
20 December 2025It's been an eventful month.
Short film still paused while we get our personal lives sorted during the Xmas break, but we'll be back at it in January.More Highlights below—
Observed a Workout Session on Video Games for Voice Actors (14 December) led by powerhouse voice actor and casting director Jennifer Losi (the voice of Ganyu in Genshin Impact. She has many other credits to her name). I want to say I took an observer seat because I wanted to refresh my memory, but it was more of a funding issue. Otherwise I'd be among the actors providing the drama and the laughs for that session.Red Scythe Studio is an outfit run by teacher and veteran voice actor June Yoon (aka Voiceover Dad). It's where I took most of my classes and workouts since '23.
Attended CASA CON (12-14 December) an anime-themed convention that's wholly on-line. Checked out the panels on Anime Tourism, Anime Translation, Materials for Cosplay & Prop-making, The Ins and Outs of Making a Demo Reel. Also, one panel on Magical Girls.
Took a class from veteran voice actor Sara Nightingale on Psychology and Voice Acting. (7 December) One of my better decisions toward the end of this year. If you've been bitten by the voice acting bug, her classes are a good investment.
28 Nov 2025.I've just finished shooting a wedding video in Cavite with my friend and classmate, Aryz Agustin of Frame X Frame Studios. Links to stills and/or video clips will be made available soon.
7 Oct 2025.BTS for work on Short Film project. A bunch of photos taken on 2 October and 6 October 2025. I may add more (unredacted) photos later. Many thanks to friends, and a warm shoutout to AB Short Film 25's voice actors and Production Crew.
14 July 2025.Casting call for our short film is officially closed. Now it's all about (virtually) meeting with actors and setting up a work schedule for them. Most of them are non-actors, so there's a bit of training involved there, too.
This section is currently under construction. Stop by again soon, and I'll have something to show you.
Dexy's Mean Tweets
(under construction)
Select excerpts from Xittbird, BlueSky or other social media that he reads aloud. For practice. For fun.
Socials
I get a lot of spam on the socials, so it's best to email me for questions, concerns, and whatnot, unless we already follow each other. We can establish more immediate means of communications afterward.