When people think “suicide”

What comes to mind?

Downing pills and tying a noose,

Holding a gun and slicing a bruise,

Yet ‘jumping’ is something I can’t comprehend.

To jump, by definition,

A bend of your legs,

A spring in your step.

“She jumped off a bridge”

Is wrong in a sense.

Taking one’s life is not with a leap,

It is the very embodiment of exhaustion,

A final fall,

The end of a fight.

Wandering through the earthy wood,

Inside a fork she stood.

The eastern way grew tufts of cloud

Held still by those so proud.

Ill willed, however, those few ones were,

Never to toss their shades of liquor.

Her words bounced from their heads,

Each sentence sliced into small shreds.

Reaching hands the western way,

Purple mazes grew to stay.

Although they locked the key inside,

Luck was surely on her side.

As she stumbled to a lake,

Careful warnings for her sake

Emptied the mind with the mistake

What got you into writing?

I’ve always had an interest in writing, but I think it was just having so many great english teachers that fostered my interests starting around middle school. Specifically, my sixth grade english teacher was particularly inspiring because he made everything a very enjoyable experience. However, I did have a lot of tiny story beginnings scribbled inside of notebooks when I was in elementary school.

Outside of wtw/prose, who are your biggest writing influences?

Despite everything that has happened with J.K Rowling, her books have still very much influenced my writing (separating the artist from the art sort of thing). Besides her, much of my writing has gotten influence from numerous game series that had compelling plots. My two current biggest influencess would have to be the Persona series (specifically Persona 3 Golden and Persona 5 Royal) and Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. Although, I’m probably just a big fan of Japanese works in general.

What’s the significance behind your profile picture(s)?

My profile picture and background picture are both from Studio Ghibli. I love the movies and grew up watching them alongside Disney.

Top fifteen favorite books - go. (if you don’t know what exactly are your favorite fifteen, just name twenty you like.)

(these aren’t in any particular order)

1. Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon - I fell in love with this story and have since reread it at least four times. Each time I read this story, I discovered new meanings and connections that I hadn’t previous times.

2. The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout - The emotion in this piece nearly brought me to tears the first time I read this on a train heading to New York. The portrayal of anxiety was exceedingly accurate.

3. Whisper to Me by Nick Lake - This story had a very interesting format. The protagonist is writing an email to another character, and Lake utilized second person in a way that didn’t feel awkward (maybe I’m a sucker for stories involving mental health discussions haha)

4. White Space by Ilsa J. Black - Being the first book in a series titled The Dark Passages, I loved the imagery and way the plot twisted your imagination. I instantly got sucked into their world and was always surprised by each direction the plot took.

5. Between the Notes by Sharon Huss Roat - This is a very real story that focuses on the protagonist coping with a complete life change when her family loses their home. I loved how every character was far from perfect.

6. A Dog’s Journey by W. Bruce Cameron - This was one of the first books I fell in love with as a child. A story of finding a purpose in life shown through the eyes of a dog was enough of a synopsis to interest me (side note - the movies were very different but still good in their own right).

7. The Candymakers by Wendy Mass - This is another book that I fell in love with as a child. It has the same whimsical Willy Wonka feel while being completely unique. Just thinking about the chocolate pizza is making me hungry.

8. Orange by Ichigo Takano - I loved these characters and the story and basically everything about this. It is one of the few books that have gotten me to actually cry.

9. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - I read the graphic novel version, but the storytelling was beautiful. It is sometimes uncomfortably but necessarily real in its telling of someone coping with a complete tragedy.

10. Illuminate by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - This story had me hooked once I flipped through the first few pages. It is the first book in a trilogy that is told strictly through files uncovered by one of the characters. This includes emails, transcripts from conversations, surveillance footage sumaries and more.

11. Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova - This story and plot are nothing extemely complicated, but something about this graphic novel gave me a wholesome feeling that made me fall in love with the characters and their lives just trying to get by each day doing what they enjoy.

12. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - I have never personally written fanfiction, but with the main character just starting college with a huge drive to write, I connected with her instantly.

13. Schopenhauer’s Porcupines by Deborah Anna Luepnitz - I was originally given this book to read by my therapist. Reading from a therapist’s point of view was enlightening and gave me a new perspective on things.

14. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld - With the protagonist being a young author, I became hooked on her struggle of getting her book published with the book being intercut with the story that the protagonist has written.

15. Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul - I love this show to death, and getting to experience the characters through a book was amazing.

What’s the significance behind your username?

As an introvert, it is a huge part of my life.

Any particularly stupid quote that you nevertheless love?

I honestly don't have any quotes that come to mind, but sometimes I love just looking at different quotes on Google Images.

How would you define your current writing style? Do you think this is your set style, or are you still evolving?

I don't think I have a defined writing style currently. I change a lot dependin g on my mood or the format of the piece, but I do enjoy using a lot of imagery.

Favorite song(s)? Favorite song(s) to listen to ironically?

I love the Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack. My favorites change somtimes, but my top four would have to be Waving Through a Window, For Forever, Requiem, and Hiding in Your Hands. Besides that, I listen to a lot of other musicals from Next to Normal to Six to Book of Mormon. Other than musicals, I love the instrumental music in Studio Ghibli movies and Fuyu no Hanashi from the anime Given. Beth Crowley also has some amazing songs that I sing along to quite a bit. Recently, I've had a ton of old Disney movie songs stuck in my head like She's So Gone from Lemonade Mouth and This is Me from Camp Rock.

A common writing error or trend that annoys you?

Very easily avoided mistakes such as not capitalizing an 'I'.

Should pineapple be on pizza?

No. Just no.

I always had a weird liking towards music boxes.

Sure, horror movies made them seem kinda creepy, but there was always a whimsy feeling that surfaced once hearing its tiny chimes of dings and dongs.

Ding~dong, here we go again

Ding~dong, same old tune

Ding~dong, around and around

Maybe I just liked the simplicity of it.

A tiny mechanism that sung a pre-built melody over and over as long as its user kept turning the crank.

Sing~song, a small refrain

Sing~song, silent words

Sing~song, floating through the wind

If you took any tune and put it in a music box, I'd imagine a waltz if played slowly enough.

Tiny mice and birds spinning and fluttering in circles through my room,

spotlights of moonlight cracked through the curtains.

The first time my friend stepped into my room, he said,

"It feels lonely."

I didn't understand what he meant.

Of course I felt lonely there a lot, but what made him feel that?

I pondered over this many times.

I think I understand now.

A crowd of people doesn't always make someone less alone.

A light doesn't always make the world less dark.

A bandage doesn't always fix a wound.

Objects don't make a room less empty.