Let me begin this post by saying that this decision terrifies me.

WARNING: EXTREMELY ANGSTY POST AHEAD

[credit | leslie ann o'dell]

The title says it all: I've to decided to start my WIP On the Midnight Streets over. For the second time. According to Google Docs, I'm essentially throwing out over 22,000 words. (Obviously I'm backing them up and not throwing them out entirely, but still.) Here are the things I'm planning on doing, to put it bluntly.

• Throw out my current plotline and replace it with one that flows and actually makes sense
• Make changes to my characters and develop them better
• Flesh out my worldbuilding so that my settings are logical and dynamic
• Make OtMS unavailable for public viewing while it's in drafting stages (i.e., take it off of Wattpad and Figment)

I'm rebuilding this book from the ground up, more or less. I'm keeping essential things that have been working for me, and I'm still (hopefully) keeping the spirit of the story that made me love it in the first place. But anything that isn't necessary or coherent? It will be changed.

Why on earth am I making myself go through this agony, might you ask?

The fact of the situation is that I've been working on this novel for almost three years. In that time, I haven't even finished a first draft. I haven't even hit the 50,000 word mark. I always peter out at around 20,000–25,000 words. I tend to make light of that by joking about my "poor long-suffering WIP" and getting guilt-tripped by my friends (we know which one I'm talking about, and yes, you should still love her because her guilt-trips are awesome and absolutely warranted). But if I'm being completely honest with myself, I'm incredibly frustrated and bitter about the fact that I haven't been able to finish this book. It's eating away at me. I feel like it's going nowhere, and consequently, I'm going nowhere.

The logical thing to think about, then, is what my main roadblocks might be. And I believe that I've boiled them down to three main points.

• I'm not making time to write consistently.

I'm a high school student. My sophomore year is starting soon. Being academically successful is very important to me; therefore, I spend a while on my homework. I also practice piano for around three hours every day and have other extracurriculars to do besides. So I won't be able to sit down and write every day for hours at a time. I realize that. Most first-time novelists don't have that kind of gap in their schedule to fill with writing anyway. If I'm going to finish this book, I need to manage my time and dedicate myself to making sure I can write on a regular basis. The truth is I haven't been doing this. I haven't really been making the effort to stay productive. But my hope is that this year, I can change that. I'm hoping to focus more on my work every day so that I can also get at least a little bit of writing in on a regular basis. I'll need to work hard at this. I'll need to keep myself accountable, and only time can truly tell if I have it in me to do this. But I need to believe that I'm capable of this.

• I'm pressuring myself too much for the first-draft stage.

This point breaks down into two subpoints.

A) Online posting. I've been posting half-chapters of OtMS on Figment and Wattpad as soon as they're written. Don't get me wrong; I love these online writing communities and I think they're a wonderful, vibrant new force in the literary world. I also love getting immediate feedback—who doesn't, really? And the serialization approach works for some writers, I know that. But I think what I haven't been realizing these past few years is that serialization doesn't really work for me. It leads me to pressure myself into trying to produce work that my online readers will like rather than giving my story room to breathe. Rather than allowing my draft to be terrible so that it'll be a load of rubbish but at least it'll be done. To fix that, I'm going to be taking OtMS off of Figment and Wattpad.

But never fear! I'll be looking for beta readers if/when (let's make that an optimistic when) my manuscript is ready.

B) My own personality as a writer. I'm very driven by writing style, so I spend a lot of time worrying about my style instead of throwing words down on the page. That makes me a very, very slow writer, and it also gives me a crippling fear of just dragging myself to my draft and going BICHOK (butt in chair, hands on keyboard). To try and remedy that, I want to try Alyssa's sparse drafting technique—make a draft messy, hilariously bad, bare-bones, and likely full of snarky notes to myself in [brackets]. Hopefully this will make edits easier (and more funny!) when (I'm sticking to the word when now) the time for them comes.

• I'm clinging to unnecessary aspects of my book.

Let's face it: I was twelve years old when I came up with the idea for this story. I'm fifteen now. In those years, I've changed more drastically than I ever have in my entire life. It turns out that's how adolescence works. *weeps forever* 

When I was twelve, I wanted to write this book because I was overexcited about the Victorian aesthetic and Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices series. I basically set out to write a clone of Clockwork Angel with some unsubstantial Les Mis mixed in—complete with love triangle (mine was ill-conceived and not entirely necessary), revolution (mine was incredibly underdeveloped), and magic system (which has since been eliminated because it was so poorly done). I plunged headfirst into this book with some half-baked scene ideas, a whole lot of enthusiasm, and no real inkling of what this story really was. 

Needless to say, OtMS has changed a lot since then, at least in my mind. It's become something more, something real, something that matters to me and that will matter to other people (I hope). This book has seeped into the very fabric of who I am; you could say it's grown along with me. I know that I need to tell this story, that I might very well explode if I give up on it, but I'm still figuring out how it needs to be told. But some of the more questionable twelve-year-old Christina aspects of the book, things that aren't necessary and don't make sense, have still stuck. And I'm not sure why. I think I need to root out those things so that this story reflects its true self and myself better.

The point is, I love this story too much to let it go. I need to write it. But I think it's time to build it the right way and push through so that I can finally give it to the world in the best form that I can get it to. Right now I feel like I've failed miserably—failed my readers, my characters, myself. But there's hope somewhere. There always is. 

I've decided to call this Brave New OtMS. I'm thinking that I'll post on this blog about my progress (in a new post series of the same name) in order to keep myself accountable. This is going to be a painful journey, I know. It's going to be full of anger and insecurity and work, and it'll most likely show me some of my own worst traits as a writer and individual. It's a gamble at best, a complete waste of time at worst. 

Thank you for sticking with me so far. I genuinely appreciate each and every one of you and I can't say it enough. But now I think it's time to turn over a new leaf. 

Here goes nothing everything.

So what do you think? Have you experienced something similar, and if so, how did you deal with it? Do you think this is the right choice, or do you think my brain has turned to mush at last? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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Beautiful People has returned to the blog! If you don't recall, this is the monthly linkup where writers get to talk about their characters. It's hosted as always by the incomparable Cait and Sky. Unfortunately, I missed it last month, but this month is Friendship Edition. (I'm going to be quoting Figment/Wattpad commenters all over the place because I can.) Cool, don't you think? Which means...

I'M SORRY I HAD TO

This month, I'm featuring best friends Finnegan Lyle and Renton Fuller, from the ever-present novel-in-progress On the Midnight Streets. They do highly illegal things together and love to snark all over the place. A short rundown:

Finnegan Lyle (usually called Finn) aka the hat boy aka the Midnight Hatter aka James: You can probably tell that Finn is a boy of many faces. His past is inextricably linked to that of protagonist Chantilly and also that of Resident Dork Charles, making for some very awkward character dynamics. (Actually Finn, Charles, and Chantilly are all dorks. Don't tell them I told you that.) He's eighteen years old and an incorrigible hat-wearer. He's what people in Peralton (the city the book is set in) call a 'thief lord', and the most notorious + successful one in the city at that. Additionally, he's basically the leader of a brewing revolution. Why? Because there are people who break the law, and then there are overachievers who break the law. A description from my always-on-point friend Alyssa (at this point you don't even really need the link to her blog but I GAVE IT TO YOU) (this is from a Figment comment):

[...] when he [Finn] was set up in the previous chapters, he's this cool-as-cucumber character and here he's a hilarious, colloquial mess of emotions [...] pretty phenomenal.

I also have a (slightly spoilery, make sure you're caught up on Figment/Wattpad; also, warning for language) description of Finn from my friend Sophia:

Renton Fuller aka Chauncey: Renton is kind of like Finn's criminal right hand. He's pretty much second-in-command when it comes to their thieving ring, and he's also a brilliant smuggler. He was kind of a no-name Lower City boy with no shelter or way to make a living until he met Finn, so he's very grateful to Finn for that. (He and Finn are actually friends because they met when Finn first came to the Lower City and they started looking out for each other—because Renton didn't have any power and Finn didn't have any street smarts.)

Renton descriptions from Alyssa:

[...] Renton is still awesome (have I mentioned I enjoy his snark? I have, haven't I?).

Renton's dark humor is perfectly on spot and I love love love his characterisation. 

How long have they known each other, and how close are they?

They've actually only known each other for three years—since they were both around fifteen—but they can no longer really remember a time when they weren't looking out for each other. Since they more or less live with each other, Finn and Renton are incredibly close—they have inside jokes with each other, have the same arguments over and over until the arguments themselves become inside jokes, and tell each other things they wouldn't dream of telling anyone else. Their bond is one that's been forged over the course of many run-ins with many very dangerous people and places in the city, along with grudging cooperation that eventually evolved into a steel-boned trust, and it's not one that'll easily be fractured. They're both very aware that the kind of friendship they have is a rarity in a place as cutthroat as the Lower City, and they're grateful for it and each other. 

What’s their earliest memory of being best friends?

Finn and Renton met when Finn almost got himself murdered on his third day in the Lower City and Renton happened to be by—Renton saved Finn's life, and from then on they stuck by each other. Renton taught Finn to fight, and Finn learned scarily fast, so it quickly became a mutually beneficial relationship. Although true 'best friends' status definitely came later, that's where it all started. And it hasn't shown any sign of ending since. 

Do they fight? How long do they typically fight for?

Oh yes, they fight. They clash a lot, but they've never been able to stay angry at each other for too long. Usually they've made up within two days, and in extreme cases, within a week. The reason for that is twofold: a) arguing too much when they're pretty much heading up the top criminal operation in the city creates instability that others can exploit, and b) they realize the importance of their friendship and they're not ever going to let a trivial disagreement jeopardize that friendship.

The things they usually argue over are more or less consistent. The biggest one is Finn's persuasion methods—Renton thinks Finn could afford to get his hands dirty, use force, but Finn doesn't want to. He can't be a ~nice~ person if he wants to keep the power that he has, yes, but the thought of going overboard with violence or bloodshed is honestly kind of sickening to him. Renton thinks that Finn's merciful streak may end up getting him killed. This excerpt from OtMS, from Finn's PoV, says it best (cuts and brackets added):

My methods, I know, aren’t traditional for this part of Peralton—Stiefvin [another thief/good friend of Finn's] says it’s my Middle City upbringing in its death throes—but I have to believe there are better ways [...] We should deserve to be helped before anyone helps us.

Are their personalities similar or do they complement each other?

On the surface, they're very similar; typically, Finn and Renton both exude a deadly, devil-may-care kind of confidence that comes in handy in a surprising variety of situations. They also share a near-caustic sense of humor, which they use liberally and to great effect. Even their street fighting styles complement each other, especially since they've worked together so often. Their external personalities and certain parts of their inner ones are so similar that they've become attuned to each other's movements. 

But when something really strikes Finn to the core and rattles his nigh-unshakeable composure, or when Finn's around certain people who confuse or fluster him (*screams* CHANTILLY, the protagonist), it's possible to see where his and Renton's characters diverge. By nature, Renton is much more flamboyant—his soul just has a flair for the dramatic, and he's very extroverted. He's larger than life, if you will. In contrast, Finn is actually naturally inclined to be an introvert: much more reserved and soft-spoken, with a mess of internal emotions to sort through. In those instances (though they're a rare thing, mind you), when Finn's walls have been broken down, Renton tends to take the helm a bit, steering conversations with his sly wit and infuriating flirting habit.

In short: Renton's panache is simply who he is, while Finn's is a front he's developed in order to hide what a sensitive, awkward, nice dork he is (because being a sensitive, awkward, nice dork is a very quick way to get robbed and murdered in the Lower City). The lovely Adelyn said it best in a Wattpad comment:

I like James' [Finn's] reserved nature and how it complements Chauncey's [Renton's] bravado.

Who is the leader of their friendship (if anyone)?

It's probably safest to say that Finn is the leader, since he runs their crime ring and is the Midnight Hatter. Yes, I know what you're thinking—odd as it might sound after reading my answer to the previous question, Finn (and not Renton) is actually the notoriously flashy thief lord known as the 'scourge of the city'. Besides, although Renton has a much stronger natural presence than Finn and is much more bold, he almost always defers to Finn because he knows that Finn has a better mind for strategizing and adapting and picking up new skills. Finn's also much better at reading people and dealing with them effectively, as well as cultivating his external image to make himself seem like the picture of lethal, snarky condescension. While it doesn't fit his natural personality at all, Finn's grown into an unflappable thief lord, handling both allies and enemies with ease. Renton's content to let his friend take the lead because he knows that he's in thoroughly capable hands. Most of the time, anyway, except for when Finn is being the dorky teenager that he is.

Also, don't tell either of them, but Finn would likely end up on top if he and Renton were ever to come to blows.

Do they have any secrets from each other?

To oversimplify things: yes. Unfortunately. They confide in each other a lot, but there are still things they don't talk about. I think just about every character in OtMS has a thing or two they don't talk about, to be honest.

Renton's secret from Finn: he's attracted to boys and not a soul has ever known but his late mother. This is for safety reasons mostly—the Mendlands overall is a horribly bigoted, backward kingdom that's strongly prejudiced against LGBTQIA+ individuals, and according to the deplorable laws there, same-sex relationships are capital crimes. (Which is part of why the government needs to be enthusiastically defenestrated.) Renton is also nervous about telling Finn about his sexuality because he's not sure how Finn will react; they've never really talked about anything remotely related to the subject. 

Finn's secret from Renton: there are a few. I think Finn has kept at least two big secrets from every person he's ever known. 

First, Finn's never told Renton about Chantilly. Those of you reading OtMS will be aware that Finn and Chantilly have actually known each other for around eight years, but in all that time, Finn's never told Renton about his Middle City bookshop friend. He's kept Chantilly a secret because he's felt obligated to keep her out of his life as a criminal in order to keep her out of danger (OtMS readers will be aware of exactly how badly that backfired on him, haha). It feels odd, yes, because Finn and Chantilly were almost as close as Renton and Finn are currently. But Renton still doesn't know about Finn's friendship with the strawberry-haired bookshop girl.  

Also, Finn hasn't ever told Renton the real reason that he came to the Lower City. (Finn is actually from the Middle City by birth.) It has something to do with a bit of backstory I mentioned in my last Beautiful People post about Charles Mareil and his family (brackets and emphasis added):

A few months later, though, his [Charles's] father decided it'd be advantageous to make it look like Talia [Charles's illegitimate half-sister] was a ward of the family, and she came to live with them. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), Charles's time with her was abruptly cut off by a... certain incident that forced the family to send her away again.

// can't say more because important backstory spoilers

// hint: may have to do with a certain hat-wearing rapscallion

I won't say more than that because yes, it's still a SPOILER (but you probably won't find out the truth until at least the planned sequel to OtMS).

How well do they know each other’s quirks and habits?

Again, they do more or less live together, so they know each other's quirks/habits a little too well, if anything. Renton knows that Finn likes to have things organized, so his room is always neat and rather utilitarian. Renton also knows that Finn's first love is books—Finn's always reading, especially novels and history books. Actually, Finn knows just about all there is to know about the Laceblade Uprising, the revolution that established the Mendlands. One of the Mendlands' first queens, Rosalind, is basically his hero. Renton's very aware of all this, as well as Finn's other habits. Finn knows that Renton really enjoys working with his hands: mending old machines, making knickknacks to give to people, even knitting. Renton doesn't show this a lot to people he doesn't know well, and he doesn't exactly put his other quirks on display, either. So Finn and Renton are in a very interesting position in regards to each other—each knows a lot of fascinating, startling, and sometimes embarrassing things about the other.

What kind of things do they like to do together?

Obviously, they like committing crimes together. (I mean, they've kind of made a career out of it.) They try not to get into fights when it's not necessary, but when they are forced into combat, they love fighting as a team. They're secure in the knowledge that they're looking out for each other to whatever end, and they move together almost seamlessly. They also like eating cake together—their personalities, as well as the hardships they've gone through, have left them with a deep appreciation of food. And another not-yet-introduced member of their crime ring, Esmeralda, bakes mind-blowing cakes when she can get her hands on the ingredients. So of course that makes eating cake together a Very Fun Thing Indeed.

(Also, being able to bake cake as well as Esmeralda is on Finn's list of #lifegoals. He's vowed that he will someday learn to bake like a pro. He hasn't made much progress, being a wanted criminal and all, but make no mistake, he's bent on doing it.)

But hmm, what about normal-person hobby things they do together?

Yeah, no, sorry. They don't really have normal-person hobbies. (Actually Finn loves to read, but he doesn't have as much time to find books anymore.)

Describe each character’s fashion style (use pictures if you’d like!) How are their styles different/similar?

Truth be told, Renton has impeccable fashion sense, whereas Finn isn't naturally inclined to give much thought to his appearance in general. Finn does realize the importance of style in making an impression on people, though. He prefers to just let Renton guide him when it comes to picking things to wear—when they can afford to pick, that is. Living in the Lower City, as well as not having a lot of money to spend, doesn't exactly give them a breathtaking range of clothing options.

So they do end up having similar styles. While in the Lower City, they ensure that they're dressed simply enough not to draw attention and that's good enough for them, but here's what they'd wear if they could choose whatever they liked. (And by that I mean if Renton could choose because honestly, Finn doesn't know a thing about fashion. Except hats. Finn has a weird thing for hats.)

ignore the face (neither of them would ever grow a mustache), but you get the general idea / [via]

How would their lives be different without each other?

They'd have such drastically different lives without each other that it doesn't even bear imagining. In fact, now that I think about it, they'd both most likely be dead. They're invaluable in keeping each other safe from the threats that run amok in the Lower City. They've saved each other's lives too many times to count. But even if they managed to survive separately without their friendship, Finn would probably still lack a source of comfort and grounding in his times of need, especially when his composure is shaken in front of others. Renton, meanwhile, would probably be rudderless without someone to talk to him or guide him. They'd be much lonelier and much more prone to fatal mistakes.

They're incredibly fortunate to have met each other, really.

So that's all! What do you think of these two? Did I overuse my parentheticals (yes, I did—look, I'm doing it again)? Did you link up with Beautiful People? Let's talk in the comments!

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NOTE: We've reached the 200-post mark! *squee*

I love sharing publication news with you all—simply because a) I like having happy things to tell you and b) you all get to read some more of my writing, which is my way of thanking you for your lovely support.

I'm over the moon to be able to say that I have a poem up in Words Dance today. Some backstory: Words Dance Publishing is one of my favorite places to read contemporary poetry, as it features breathtaking writers and is committed to discussing social issues and empowering marginalized voices. It's been contributed to and/or staffed by poets like Meggie Royer, Ashe Vernon, Azra Tabassum, Caitlyn Siehl, and Donna-Marie Riley. These are among the poets who convinced me to get back into writing poetry. I'd never had much of a liking for it before, but now I'm very passionate about it (you can tell).

So it means the world to me to be able to say that I've placed a poem there.

I don't often write poems about myself, but "Given Name" is one of them. It's an exploration of my Korean name and the meaning of that name. A lot of names in Korea, even today, are based off of Chinese characters and are given based on date of birth, and mine is no exception. My Korean name, according to the official Korean romanization system, is spelled Ji-hyeon in English. Each syllable of that name is based on a Chinese character—roughly, "ji" means "luck" or "good fortune", and "hyeon" means "to be deep (water)".

For those of you who are curious (hey Korean and Chinese readers + those of you who've learned the languages! *high-fives you* *high-fives everyone else too because why not*), this is what my name looks like in Korean and Chinese (my last name is in parentheses):

(임)지현

(任)祉泫

Head over to Words Dance to find my poem. Enjoy!

So that's all, pretty much! What do you think of my poetry? Or of Words Dance?

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It's time.

—time to announce the winners of my birthday Pinterest contest, that is.

[via]

I'm going to be up front with you all and say that picking the prize winners was a straight-up agonizing process. Every single board entered was a gorgeous open door into the wondrous stories that you all are pulling out of your heads. I knew that this blog was lucky enough to be surrounded by a strong base of incredibly inventive storytellers and pinners, but this contest really hammered that home. From pirates to petrichor, monsters to moonlight, your entries amazed me with their originality, strong tones, and beautifully arranged pictures. I'm honored that you all were kind enough to give me a peek into your inspirations and ingenious worlds. 

You all are writers, and you have creative brains on your shoulders that have left me awestruck, and you have tales to tell that will make the world lighter on its feet. Never forget that.

So please, even if you didn't win, know that I would gladly make prizes for each and every board if I had the time. Know that your entry was appreciated and carefully considered. Know that the lineup below comes from completely subjective deliberation and my aesthetic trash sensibilities.

Without further ado, here are the winners of the first-ever Fairy Skeletons Pinterest Contest.

First place

hail the pumpkin king | Samantha Chaffin

Judge's Comments: This board pulled me into the unsettling, dark-toned world of Hail the Pumpkin King faster than I could say "spooky". I loved how even the littlest details in different images were pulled together to form the masterful aesthetic gathering that is this board. There are contrasts everywhere—between pale faces and dark clearings, between the magical and the mundane, between what is real and what may or may not be. As I scrolled down this board, I couldn't help but feel like the magical, frightening woods in this story were calling my name.

Second place

The Foxmont School for Boys and Girls | AnQi Yu

Judge's Comments: This board is so ethereal and lovely, and yet in terms of aesthetic it's very direct and enthralling. It definitely knows what it's doing, and I loved how it could instantly transport me to this near-otherworldly school. But it's clear that while the setting is quaint and bursting with natural beauty, not all is as it seems—there are just enough hints of ominous twists that I'm curious to see what's behind all these faded trees and flowers. This board is, without a doubt, a study in light and shadow, and the story that it tells through pictures is fascinating.

Third place

Fragments of Aurora | Topaz Winters

Judge's Comments: This board did something incredibly refreshing with the frequently-used concept of Aurora/Sleeping Beauty. Its take on this fairytale was especially lovely to me because I'm a total sucker for girl/wolf and girl/monster archetypes (I love writing poetry in that vein, and I'm even planning a WIP with girl/monsters). The main character is painted through pictures as a girl at once deadly and vulnerable, with lots of magic involved to boot, which makes this Pinterest board lovely, dark, and intriguing. Also, particularly suited to my tastes, haha.

Honorable mention

Witches Black and Silver | Alyssa Carlier

Judge's Comments: This board's careful attention to its black/white/gray color scheme (with perfectly placed accent colors here and there), as well as the danger, sweeping lines, and subtlety that characterized its overall vibe, made it stand out. That, combined with the killer character pictures all around (I do not know why IU and Yuna Kim are on this board but they're Korean and I adore them so BONUS POINTS) and frequent reminders of dance and yin/yang, gave this a rhythm and grace that set it apart and made me fall in love with it. 

Honorable mention

Thorn Among Fleas | AnQi Yu

Judge's Comments: I loved how this board created an entire world through pictures—a diverse, colorful, rich, magic-laden, suffering world—and yet maintained a cohesive, gorgeous aesthetic throughout. The bravery and sadness of the characters is almost palpable, and though it's unclear what exactly the story centers around—it always is with Pinterest boards—it's obvious that this is a story with gravity and beauty. I love sweeping, well-built fantasies, so this board was a pleasure to scroll through and observe new things in. 

And that's a wrap! Congratulations to the winners (expect an email from me soon about your prizes)! Here's to writers and their Pinterest inspiration/procrastination instincts.

To everyone who entered: thank you, thank you, thank you for doing so. I can't say that enough. It meant the world to see so many people helping celebrate my birthday and the Fairy Skeletons community. If you ever want to talk writing or Pinterest or anything at all, don't hesitate to reach out. Much love to you all.

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It's been quite a while since Music Monday has appeared on the blog! But never fear; I haven't forgotten the feature. This week, to mark the tenth (!) Music Monday post, I'm sharing two songs that I've recently discovered and loved.

So, story time: I'm a Korean (you know this) and I'm very, very proud of my heritage (you know this, too). But for some reason, I've never been into Korean music—at least not to the same extent that I'm into English-language music. There are some older Korean songs that I love love love, and I've been hearing them sung by my parents for so long that they're a part of my soul. (No, really. My earliest memory involves my father singing one of those songs.) But more recent Korean music? Not really my thing, mainly because—as most of you probably know—K-pop is a huge deal, both in Korea and internationally. Unfortunately, I don't really enjoy most of the K-pop I listen to.

(Please can no one murder me for that?)

However, something I do love that is recent and Korean is Korean variety TV shows. I'm not big on K-dramas or American variety shows, but I'll take Running Man or Infinite Challenge any day. The most recent episodes of the latter have focused on show members' collaborations with various Korean musicians, and I've found that some of those musicians' work has slipped its way into my ears—and my heart.

Most likely most of my blog readers won't understand the lyrics of these songs, but I wanted to share them with you anyway!

actual dorks. am i right or am i right / [via]

First up is "Wi Ing Wi Ing" (위잉위잉) from the band Hyukoh (혁오). Their lead singer and main songwriter, Oh Hyuk (second from the left), has a really wonderful, distinctive voice and writes surprisingly thoughtful lyrics. Those qualities, combined with the overall sound of their songs, make Hyukoh's work a surefire way to lift my mood. And I'm not the only one who thinks so—since the band's introduction in 2014, their popularity has soared in Korea and beyond.

"Wi Ing Wi Ing", from Hyukoh's debut EP 20, is one of their better-known songs, having climbed up to #2 on Korea's Gaon Music Chart as of July 30. (Their song "Comes and Goes", which I also really like, was #3 on that same day.) Here! Have a listen:



Also, it's most likely just me, but I get major Raven Boys vibes when I see the above picture. (For some reason, they seem like Noah, Ronan, Gansey, and Adam from left to right but in a painfully dorky Korean way. But then again I see the Raven Cycle just about everywhere I look, so probably you should disregard.)

also a dork (do not let his hat + glasses fool you) / [via]

My second pick is "Yanghwa BRDG" (양화대교) by solo hip-hop musician Zion.T. Yes, I know what you're thinking: "Christina—notorious for subsisting on an obnoxiously artsy music diet of film soundtracks, classical music, and indie folk—enjoyed something from a hip-hop musician?"

First: yes. Second: if there's anything I've learned from listening to a lot (and I mean a lot) of music in my life, it's that comfort zones are basically there to be broken. Third: now that I think about it, "Yanghwa BRDG" is probably the most artsy of Zion.T's songs. So.

Anyway, this is a very lonely/lovely song that evokes night driving in the city. The lyrics are poignant but deceptively simple. And I really love it. Released as a single in 2014, "Yanghwa Bridge" was actually #1 on the Gaon Music Chart as of July 30. You can listen to the song right here:

Any lovers of Korean music out there? Or alternatively, if you speak a second/third/etc. language, do you enjoy listening to music in that language?

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Ah, July! It's always one of my favorite months of the year, for pretty obvious reasons that have BIRTHDAY written all over them. But I feel that this July has been one of the best.

On the blog

• To kick off my birthday month (I'm fifteen now! EEEK), I opened up a Pinterest contest for writers! That ends TODAY, and the results should be out soonish after that!
• Alyssa the Great tagged me for the #MoreHappyThanNot tag, so I incorporated that into a Weekend Wordfest post about my writing growth.
• #LitLove (with my lovely ATTAC gang) swung by for another round, this time on the haunting horror work and poetry of Edgar Allan Poe.
• I participated in the Tag of Randomocity, thanks to the loveliness that is Alex McCarron and her blog.
• For another Weekend Wordfest, I shared some bits of On the Midnight Streets by doing my part for the 777 Challenge (thanks Rachana for the tag!) and linking up with Alyssa and Emily's Snazzy Snippets. 
• I announced that book reviews and other bookish whatnot are coming back to Fairy Skeletons.
• I did a mini-review of Emily St. John Mandel's gorgeous and poetic Station Eleven.
• I also did a mini-review of my Freshman Fifteens mentor Kim Liggett's spooky, romantic debut, Blood and Salt.

That one time I was offline *gasp*

• I had so much fun on Independence Day meeting with family friends and having lots of good food and watching fireworks. 
• My birthday was wonderful! I got to do just about whatever I wanted, because my family is the best, and I had so much phenomenal food. I just.
• I took a short trip out of town with a dear friend of mine, and we spent lots and lots of time together. I also got to see one of my other friends who moved to the area about a year ago. It was a wonderful experience, if a little strange (it was the first time I've gone on a plane trip without my parents). I'll be able to put it to good use, as I learned so much about observing people and absorbing subtleties of character.
• And, um, food. We had Indian and Italian and Korean food while we were there, to be exact. Oh, and pastries and French toast and the most sublime omelet I've ever had in my life. (The friend I was with is the biggest food snob I know, so.)
• I've been writing and exploring a lot for my Adroit mentorship, which is pretty much over at this point. I wish I could share some of my most recent work with you all, but alas, I've got to revise it and put it together for competitions and things. 
• Yeah, I have to up my game so I can actually get into a decent college. Fun times.
• Anyway, I feel that I've grown leaps and bounds as a poet, and I've tapped into a really unique headspace that I think has come from Adroit forcing me to be prolific (two poems a week is no joke for this turtle-speed writer, you guys). I've also been reading lots of contemporary poetry to try and inform my tastes better, and it's been fascinating. I love how my style has developed over the summer—well, when it's not busy being a disaster—and I hope you all will be able to see some of my newer poetry in the coming weeks/months/years.
• Oh yeah, and I managed to finish the longest poem I've ever written without losing my mind. (All right, fine, that last bit is debatable. But hey, at least the poem is done.)

Currently: jumping through hoops for my @adroitjournal mentorship. (S/o to my long-suffering @my_write_club account.) pic.twitter.com/QGiH6H5jxx

— christina im (@_christinaim) July 17, 2015

• I just really liked this month? I need to be more productive, yes, but I feel like this month was really nice.

I've been watching

surprise! my parents actually let me watch this

While it 120% is NOT something I'd have watched purely out of my own interests—this movie is solidly outside of my standard comfort zone—I'd been hearing a lot about Mad Max: Fury Road on Tumblr. It was tasteful! It was feminist! It was well-executed! So naturally I became curious.

This film is essentially a two-hour car (truck? assorted post-apocalyptic vehicles?) chase across a brutal but very aesthetically pleasing desert landscape. I've heard it described as "very artsy but also explosions," and I'm here to tell you all that that's completely accurate. The soundtrack is gold (hello flamethrower electric guitar), the action is heart-in-your-throat thrilling—high praise coming from me, since I don't normally enjoy action movies all that much—and the worldbuilding is subtle but incredibly ingenious.

All of that good stuff is made brilliant by the heart of the movie: the characters.

The storyline of Mad Max: Fury Road centers on a group of sex slaves, or 'wives', who are forced to serve Immortan Joe aka Actual Scum of the Earth, a prominent leader in this post-apocalyptic desert. But surprise! These women are fed up with being treated as objects, and they show it by getting the heck out of Immortan Joe's fortress.

With the help of Imperator Furiosa, who is one of the greatest female characters I've ever had the privilege of encountering in film.

FURIOSAAAA

My absolute favorite thing about this movie, beyond all of the wonderful aspects I mentioned before, is how it treats its female characters as human, as deserving of respect, as fierce and kind and sometimes cruel. As full of anger and the potential for anything and everything. The women are never sexualized by the camera, despite the fact that the wives are wearing little more than strips of gauze the whole time. It's blatantly feminist without ever explicitly mentioning gender inequality, and it's critical of other issues without mentioning them, either. It's so well-done. Ahh.

My mom stumbled upon this little French animation film at the library and decided to bring it home for us to watch. And OH MY GOODNESS. The concept and characters were adorably done, and the art itself was gorgeous. Ernest and Celestine's story of unlikely friendship is heartwarming and lovely—who could imagine an artsy mouse and a lazy bear having such a grand adventure together? I'd recommend this film for fans of Kate DiCamillo's books.

Also here, have some screenshots:

Help, someone teach me how to Instagram

As always, click to get to the full-size photo!

birthdays call for cake. mine was delicious. (and had a nice color palette to boot.)

i tried out steller with some much-deserved piano appreciation! i've embedded that below:

Links of interest

• This essay by Andrew Solomon in The New Yorker outlining some advice for young writers is gorgeously written and very thought-provoking. Well worth the (admittedly somewhat long) read.
• Meg over at Cuddlebuggery redesigned the covers for Rae Carson's Fire and Thorns trilogy (you all should know that's one of my favorite series of all time by now). And GUYS, she has mad design skills. Her use of colors, fonts, and icons basically totally rocked my world. It's all amazing. I actually kind of prefer them to the actual covers!
• This article in The Atlantic about teen writing contests is super insightful, and it contains a lot of hard-hitting points that I can definitely agree with. Some very good food for thought, especially for teen writers like me who want to get more competitive. 
• This essay by Ocean Vuong on his experiences and growth as a writer is beautiful and brimming with meaning. Ocean Vuong is one of my favorite poets ever—right up there with Siken and the crew at The Adroit Journal—so this is really special to me. 
• Alyssa @ come on, you know exactly where (it involves takeout and a killer color scheme) did a great, very on-point post on ethnicity and casting for Disney's live-action Mulan adaptation. (However, just a historical note: I don't think China ever technically had Korea under its jurisdiction. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that was my understanding.)
• The lovely Paola Bennet @ Paola Francesca discussed some things that creatives should keep in mind if they're ever feeling out of inspiration.
• This amazing post by C.J. over @ Deadly Darlings discusses some issues with the current landscape of 'diverse books' in the literary world.

So that was my July! How was yours?

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Another mini-review for you all today! This one is of Blood and Salt, a forthcoming YA debut from my Freshman Fifteens mentor (!!!) that you won't want to miss.

NOTE: I received an advance copy of this book for free from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Release Date: September 22, 2015

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Category: YA

Genre(s): Horror, fantasy, romance

Pages: 352 (paperback ARC)

Format/Source: Paperback ARC, Received from author (Thanks, Kim!)

Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Romeo and Juliet meets Children of the Corn in this one-of-a-kind romantic horror.

“When you fall in love, you will carve out your heart and throw it into the deepest ocean. You will be all in—blood and salt.”

These are the last words Ash Larkin hears before her mother returns to the spiritual commune she escaped long ago. But when Ash follows her to Quivira, Kansas, something sinister and ancient waits among the rustling cornstalks of this village lost to time.

Ash is plagued by memories of her ancestor, Katia, which harken back to the town’s history of unrequited love and murder, alchemy and immortality. Charming traditions soon give way to a string of gruesome deaths, and Ash feels drawn to Dane, a forbidden boy with secrets of his own.

As the community prepares for a ceremony five hundred years in the making, Ash must fight not only to save her mother, but herself—and discover the truth about Quivira before it’s too late. Before she’s all in—blood and salt.

★★★★

A haunting look at the time-transcending bonds of love and revenge and fate—all drenched in blood and magic.

Blood and Salt combines two things that are pretty out of my comfort zone: horror and full-blown romance. (I mean, I love a good romantic subplot because as you all know, I can SHIP THE SHIPS. But I usually pass over such overt romance for something with a different main plot and romance on the side.) It's not the kind of thing I usually actively seek out; in fact, even the cover isn't something I would be drawn to of my own volition.

However, the author—the lovely and ever-so-insightful Kim Liggett—was my mentor for the Freshman Fifteens COMMON ROOM writing project, and I was getting an ARC of her book as a prize. I'll admit I was terrified that I might have to lie politely through my teeth to the world if I ended up not enjoying it. But I felt that someone who gives such good editing advice would have to have written a pretty decent book, and I pushed past my misgivings.

I'm really, really glad I did.

Firstly, I think the fact that I tore through this book in less than a day really says something. It's incredibly readable and easy to settle into even for wary readers like me. The pacing, quite frankly, is downright addicting. The plot is full of twists and turns and tension, and it all plays out with an urgency and force that I wouldn't ordinarily expect from a story like this. This book went from intriguing to unputdownable really quickly, and that was both refreshing and fitting for the story it had set out to tell.

The overall ambience of Blood and Salt is a unique and strong one. From the very beginning, we're given full-on spooky aesthetic, made even better by haunting, story-savvy prose. And by full-on spooky, I mean full. on. spooky. Visions of floating dead girls, centuries-old flashbacks, predatory corn (you think I'm joking but you haven't read this book), violent deaths—this book has it all. If you know me at all, you're aware that I am a shining example of unapologetic aesthetic trash, so I ate this up. The story of Katia, which almost runs alongside Ash's plotline thanks to Ash's flashbacks, is deeply tragic and stunning and scary. The way those two plotlines intersect and eventually meld is also extremely well-executed and refreshing.

Bonus points for the chapter titles because oh my goodness. The chapter titles are exquisite.

I also really enjoyed meeting this cast of characters! Ash as a heroine is a combination of seemingly incongruous elements that still manage to strike a distinctive balance in her narrative voice, combining more-or-less mundane bits of snark with the magic that's running through her veins. In addition, Ash and Rhys's realistic, tender sibling dynamic is one of the high points of the book—in fact, I got pretty unreasonably attached to Rhys as the story went on. (He totally reminded me of me in some places. But I digress.) The eclectic side cast that populates Quivira is wonderfully strange, especially the way there are only a few main families and wow those are some messed-up family trees. The collective mindset of Quivira is portrayed perfectly, too. By this I mean it's very focused and very terrifying.

I'll admit the romance wasn't my favorite thing, and I became a little impatient with it at times, but I think that's largely due to my personal preferences. I tend to be leery of earth-shattering, supernaturally influenced romances most of the time, so I wasn't surprised when that tendency extended to this book. But if you gravitate toward those romances, then you might end up warming to this one much more than I did.

All in all, I'd say that even if this isn't your usual cup of tea, give it a go! It may very well surprise you. And it's absolutely a must for those who are already comfortable with the elements I've described here—a bone-deep romance, a chilling setting, and a gorgeously creepy writing style.

Favorite Quotes

[Quotes taken from an advance uncorrected galley / may be subject to change]

"[...] The Larkin women fall too hard, too fast, and too fierce." [...] "When you fall in love, you will carve out your heart and throw it into the deepest ocean. You will be all in—blood and salt."

I feel her life unfold in my bloodstream like a poem.

"It's good to be afraid," [...] "It means you still have something to live for." 

I felt my world crumble. I wanted to burn down villages, cut out people's beating hearts, and rip the stars down from the sky. 

Is this book on your fall TBR? (I feel it should be.) Or, hmm, are there too many cornstalks there for you?

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This is my first book review post on Fairy Skeletons in over two years! I’ve been incredibly behind on reviewing books lately, so I’ve decided that I’m going to be doing mini-reviews until I catch up. Here goes nothing!

Release Date: September 9, 2014

Publisher: Knopf

Age Group: Adult

Genres: Apocalyptic

Pages: 336 (hardcover)

Format/Source: Ebook, Borrowed from library

Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse, Station Eleven tells the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

One snowy night Arthur Leander, a famous actor, has a heart attack onstage during a production of King Lear. Jeevan Chaudhary, a paparazzo-turned-EMT, is in the audience and leaps to his aid. A child actress named Kirsten Raymonde watches in horror as Jeevan performs CPR, pumping Arthur’s chest as the curtain drops, but Arthur is dead. That same night, as Jeevan walks home from the theater, a terrible flu begins to spread. Hospitals are flooded and Jeevan and his brother barricade themselves inside an apartment, watching out the window as cars clog the highways, gunshots ring out, and life disintegrates around them.

Fifteen years later, Kirsten is an actress with the Traveling Symphony. Together, this small troupe moves between the settlements of an altered world, performing Shakespeare and music for scattered communities of survivors. Written on their caravan, and tattooed on Kirsten’s arm is a line from Star Trek: “Because survival is insufficient.” But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who digs graves for anyone who dares to leave.

Spanning decades, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, this suspenseful, elegiac novel is rife with beauty. As Arthur falls in and out of love, as Jeevan watches the newscasters say their final good-byes, and as Kirsten finds herself caught in the crosshairs of the prophet, we see the strange twists of fate that connect them all. A novel of art, memory, and ambition, Station Eleven tells a story about the relationships that sustain us, the ephemeral nature of fame, and the beauty of the world as we know it.

★★★★.5

A lovely, eerie, thought-provoking look at humanity and the end of the world as we know it ("not with a bang but with a whisper").

Station Eleven certainly wasn’t something I would have picked up on my own. For one thing, I rarely read outside of YA—a habit I should change, perhaps?—and I generally don’t go in for Weighty Literary Adult Novels that Have Won Pretentious-Sounding Things (unnecessary capitalization is great, just saying). But then Alyssa read it and adored it, and although our book taste diverges on some points (I’ve got a much bigger soft spot for romance and sentimentality, possibly too big, and I am also an unabashed YA fantasy monster), I still trust her opinions because she’s an amazing writer and an even better friend. So when Alyssa pushed this book in my direction with the promise of Shakespeare love and gorgeous writing and also the apocalypse, I had to give in to my curiosity.

Moral of the story: LISTEN TO ALYSSA.

This book was such a visionary work. Let me just get that point out of the way first—it was brilliantly conceived and executed. It was audacious and new and stunning. Yes, the end of the world is something that has fascinated us for a long, long time. But Emily St. John Mandel takes this premise and breathes life into it. She makes it realistic and uncomfortable to read. She connects characters across time and space with the quiet power of coincidence and chance meetings. She makes her setup into a work that is honest and sad and, by all accounts, thoroughly poetic.

Oh gosh. The writing style. I can’t quite pinpoint exactly what about it is so entrancing, but it’s so easy to settle into and navigate. At first, I felt mostly unimpressed, but as I went on, I began to warm to the style. While it is, at heart, definitely more for the high-minded and/or cerebral readers out there, the prose in Station Eleven reads like the voice of an old, intelligent friend.

I think I took the half star off mainly because it was kind of hard to connect to the characters. But I realize that deep character connections are extremely difficult to pull off with this kind of ensemble cast and the third-person narration, and I respect that.

To conclude: Station Eleven is a brave, brave book, and I highly recommend it, especially to fans of Interstellar or Cloud Atlas (I’ve only seen the film, so I’m basing my rec off that).

Favorite Quotes

He felt extravagantly, guiltily alive.

Because survival is insufficient.

It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. It was gorgeous and claustrophobic. I loved it and I always wanted to escape.

Hell is the absence of the people you long for.

First we only want to be seen, but once we’re seen, that’s not enough anymore. After that, we want to be remembered.

So what do you think of my review comeback? Does this book sound like it'll be for you? 

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So I'll get right to the point: book reviews (and other assorted bookish posts) are coming back to Fairy Skeletons.

[via]

Around two years ago (wow, it's been quite a while), I announced in this post that I wouldn't be doing as many book reviews on this blog. And I stuck to that. In that time, I haven't done a single book review here. But that doesn't mean I haven't been reviewing; I'm very passionate about literature and I have opinions about it that I love sharing. Instead, I've been posting my reviews on Goodreads and book blogs, the most recent one being Literoses. The content here has been almost exclusively writing-related. My reason for doing this was that at the time, I felt keeping my book love and writing talk separate would be a good idea.

However, a lot has changed since then. I've become something of a poet person (okay, debatable), I've changed blog designs several times, I've gained heaps of experience and hopefully useful insight, I've become much better at writing blog content (I mean, I'm frankly quite embarrassed by my older posts now)—in short, I feel like mixing books and writing has become necessary for me again. I haven't really had the time to maintain a book blog and a personal blog separately, and the community over here is much more engaged. I love each and every one of you readers for that.

This means that in addition to my usual writing fare, you'll also be seeing bookish thoughts from me. Hopefully it shouldn't be too much of a stretch, since I don't think I've met a single person interested in writing who isn't also interested in books. So look out for reviews and increased amounts of book love from me in the near future! I'll also be adding page content here and there—a review archive, review policy, etc. Thank you, as always, for sticking with me.

What do you think of this change? Do you think I can pull it off? (Do you think I should redesign the blog to mark the shift?)

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[via]

Hey all! For this week's wordfest, I'm bringing you all some of my own writing again, in the form of two different excuses to share snippets of my WIP On the Midnight Streets.

First up, the lovely and ever-so-supportive Rachana tagged me for the 777 Challenge! Check out her challenge post here. The rules for this challenge are as follows:

Share 7 lines from the 7th page of one of your manuscripts. Then, tag 7 bloggers.

The following bit is the first seven lines of OtMS's third chapter, told from my heroine Chantilly's point of view. She and her family are being escorted to the Upper City (the wealthy neighborhood of their city, Peralton) from their home in the Middle City, as they've just come into an absurdly large inheritance and have to leave behind all they've ever known. 

The carriage has stopped at the wall.

I’ve heard tell that Peralton’s walls were built over the bones of Clarabel and Rosalind’s fallen supporters, and I can believe it now, seeing it tower over us like the entrance to a grave.

Again I have to fight the urge to shrink down into my seat, ashamed of how disheveled I must look, when a thin, balding man, presumably a wall guard, leans over to speak through the carriage window. We’ve all put on our best clothes for the move to the Upper City, but we’re wearing years of work on our hands and the thinness of not-quite-enough on our faces, too.

I hope that bit was interesting to you all! For this challenge, I'd like to tag:

Samantha | AnQi | Alex | E.R. | Sky | Lydia | Morning

Up next: Snazzy Snippets, a delightful new linkup brought to the Internet by the devious and brilliant minds of Alyssa @ The Devil Orders Takeout and Emily @ Loony Literate. It's basically the best excuse ever to pour my writing onto you all.

The snippet I'm sharing this first round fulfills two of the linkup's 'themes': A snippet that's mostly dialogue and a snippet that shows your MC's personality.

This is from the seventh chapter of OtMS, in which Chantilly has a confrontation with a policeman (just the first of many to be had in the future, I'm sure). (Wow, I just realized there are going to be way too many policemen in this book.) The following snippet showcases a part of Chantilly's personality that she herself doesn't know too much about yet—Social Justice Chantilly. Also, Eloquent Rage Chantilly.

Italicized bits are underlined.

“Begging your pardon, my lord [Charles], but it is standard procedure.”

“But is it legal?” I’m stunned momentarily by the venom in my own words. Charles turns towards me sharply, probably just as taken aback as I am, but my tamped-down outrage is starting to rear its head and I’m powerless to stop it. “Is it just, as you insist, to abuse a civilian without a trial?”

The policeman raises a placating hand. “Your ladyship, I entreat you to calm yourself—”

“Don’t you dare,” I lash out, and I struggle to find the right words to go on. “I will not calm myself like the lady all you men want me to be. I refuse to on the authority over my own self that my humanity grants me, and I marvel at the audacity with which you disparage my mother’s household by so disrespecting one of her employees. This is, as I stated earlier, an internal affair, and if justice must be brought into it, our estate will take that responsibility as fairly as possible.”

So what do you think? Is my novel a train wreck? Did you link up with Snazzy Snippets (if not, DO IT)? 

By the way, if you'd like to read OtMS, you can do that on Figment or Wattpad.

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First basic takeaway point today: I'm terrible at titling tag posts. I should just accept this and move on.

Second basic takeaway point: Alex McCarron, over at Third Star to the Right, tagged me for The Tag of Randomocity and is therefore a lovely person who should be showered with virtual fairy raspberries (since she likes raspberries so much). Not that she wasn't thoroughly lovely already, of course.

The rules

• Paste the button onto your blog post.
• Leave a new list of questions (or just pass on the question list you answered) and tag a few people of your random choice (and say why you tagged them, if you have time)! (Be original and nonsensical and disastrously random!)
• Write down three facts about you – one of them is WRONG. Let your commenters guess in the comments which one is wrong (and tell them in the comments after a while)
• Answer the questions of the person who tagged you – make it all super random and interesting.

Did you know?

(Of course, one of these is a heinous lie.)

• I've been on three different splendiferous continents—Asia, North America, and Europe.
• I will take any excuse to eat arugula. 
• My heat tolerance is a pitiful thing that should not be tested.

Interrogation session

What is one food that you can (do?) eat mountains of because you love it so?

Oh my goodness. I absolutely ADORE food. Sadly, many of the foods I love involve soup and are therefore very difficult to make mountains out of. That said, I would totally eat mountains of sushi hopefully without getting sick in the process. Sushi is a wonderful thing that the world needs more of, no question.

If you were a Traveler Without Roots, would your home be a train car, an RV, a hot air balloon, a boat, or just a pack on your back? Or maybe another option completely?

I saw this question and was immediately going to say "hot air balloon", but then I realized that my fear of heights and tendency to get airsick would put a serious damper on my traveling experience.

So.

Unfortunately, a similar thing goes for the boat—I can get pretty seasick. And nothing but a pack on my back sounds terribly daring, but let's be real here: I can't survive without guaranteed shelter. So I think I'd go with a train car, because that sounds like the classy choice. (It would have to be a magical train car, though. You all know how these things are with me.)

Name a celebrity you wish you could spend one day with.  

VICTORIA SCHWAB.

(Technically not really a celebrity because she's an author, BUT.)

I WILL SAY THIS AGAIN: VICTORIA SCHWAB.

What fictional character’s house would you like to have as your own? 

Is this even a question?

I really want Bilbo Baggins's house. Yes, I said. I WANT BAG END (although scaled up so I'm not constantly hitting my head on that one chandelier that Gandalf has so much trouble with). It's such a comfortable, well-crafted, obviously much-loved house. Plus, so many reading nooks! And space for good food! Sounds perfect to me.

If you could take a class in ANYTHING what would it be? 

Hand lettering. 150%. I seriously want to learn hand lettering. Because look:

[via]

[via]

I need to be able to do this.

Name a childhood obsession. TV show, stuffed animal, book, food, pastime—anything. 

When I was younger, I was absolutely obsessed with fairytale-ish things. (I mean, I still am.) Magical escapes, plucky heroines, and fantasy adventures were my lifeblood. (I mean, they still are.) One thing in particular that I made my family watch over and over was the film Stardust.

also if you watch this movie and don't ship the ship you're  l y i n g

It's the perfect blend of action, strangeness, magic, and kindness that boosts my faith in humanity every time I watch it. The way the plotlines mix is wonderful, and overall it's just a really great film that I'll love forever.

Oddly enough, I still haven't read the book. I should get on that.

What do you think would be an awesome theme for a party? 

I really want to throw a Night Circus-themed party at some point in my life. Everything would be black and white and gray, with sudden bursts of red, and there'd be impeccable food. Everyone would be extremely well-dressed, and there would a replica of Herr Thiessen's fabulous clock somewhere.

This has to happen, okay? Someone figure it out STAT.

Have you been in any clubs/groups in your lifetime? 

Oh yes! First there's the obvious—I was in Speech and Debate this past school year and am planning to go back for another round once I get back to school. In fact, I'm also planning on adding two more school clubs to my schedule: Model UN and Mock Trial. In middle school, I also participated in MathCounts for two years (to this day, I'm still not sure how I ever landed a spot on the team EVER; my math skills are shaky at best).

Then there's friend things. I'm fortunate enough to have wonderful, genuinely caring, wickedly smart friends both on- and offline. My current circle of IRL friends is basically like one big nerd club. And of course, I can't forget ATTAC! Alyssa, Topaz, Taylor, and AnQi are some of the coolest and most talented writers/bloggers I've met, and I'm so glad I know them.

And lastly, writing things! It's my privilege to be a part of The Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship Program's Class of 2015, as well as the mentor group over at the Glass Kite Anthology Summer Writing Studio (which we've dubbed the 'GKA FAMBAM').

PS: I'm also part of these Tumblr networks.

What’s something you have to buy all the time that you wish you could just have an endless supply of (something that’s always the same thing—no books or movies!)?

Endless supply of college ruled notebook paper = a thing I need in my life. Enough said.

What park (national/amusement/theme/etc) would you choose to visit? 

Thing you should know about me: I loathe amusement parks because I'm terrified of roller coasters and other assorted park rides (heights + intense motion + that stone-drop feeling in your stomach? no thank you). I also don't love crowded places—case in point: Times Square was my least favorite part of New York City when I traveled there last year. So you're generally not going to find me in an amusement park or theme park by choice. I'd love to visit Glacier Bay instead. It's a national park and reserve in the state of Alaska that I once saw from the deck of a cruise ship but never got to properly step into, and what I did glimpse of it was absolutely breathtaking. I think I'd have a wonderful day there, armed with a phone camera, a notebook + pen, and some very warm and fluffy clothes.

it must be even more gorgeous in person. [via]

Spreading the love

I'm tagging (but do it only if you want to!): 

• Morning (thanks for the shoutout in your last post + for being such an all-around lovely person!)
• Rachana (thanks for being so incredibly supportive all the time!)
• + you, because I want to thank YOU for reading all the way to the bottom of this post and I can't for the life of me think of more people to tag, which is horrendous of me.

I'll just pass along the questions above, because they're a pretty darn cool bunch of questions.

So what do you think? Was I appropriately random? Are there any answers of mine that you relate to?

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