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Hi Chiara!
Ah, that's such a relatable scene,a child missing in a shop, having been distracted from its parents by a toy stand. Very typical, but very effective because you can so easily imagine it happening. It happens so often, probably way too often to be fair.
You really showed his fear here, that he wouldn't be able to find his parents and that it was because he was naughty. I liked the idea of him promising to never disobey them ever again, that felt very childlike and really fit the fic. I'm glad he was found at the end though, a fab ending.
Another fab piece!
Shaza
Written for the winter in fairyland review event.
Author's Response:A child getting lost like that definitely happens so often... and it is so very scary for the child when they realize their parents aren't there anymore... and then feeling guilty for not listening, too... promising to never disobey his parents again is definitely what a lost child would think when it's all ended, but he would forget that promise very quickly... :P So glad you enjoyed this one! <3
Hi Chiara!
Aww, I thought this was going to be a simple cooking fluffy piece, and it was to be fair. Until that last line that is. It's strange how something so simple, and possibly an everyday action such as baking can bring back memories and feelings. Especially when it involves baking something that's been passed down from generation to generation, which is such a nice thing to do, it really adds to the feeling that she misses her mam. I think this showed that perfectly. The simple sentences, the quiet music, it all added to the chapter.
Another great piece.
Shaza
Written for the winter in fairyland review event.
Author's Response:This is a bittersweet one for sure... food and cooking/baking can definitely bring back memories and feelings, and yes, there is something precious in recipes passed down through the generations... I'm so glad this one was touching! <3
Thank you so much again! <3
Hi Chiara!
This piece had a great sense of adventure, it felt like the start of someone's whole life and the journey they were about to embark on. It felt very exciting but it also seems like they felt scared and nervous for a second before they committed to going on the bus.
I love the description at the ned, of what he's dreaming of going to see and what will come next in his life. It makes me wish I could go travelling again, that feeling of freedom and just travelling to wherever you want to go.
Another fab chapter!
Shaza
Written for the winter in fairyland review event.
Author's Response:Hi again, Shaza! :D
Glad you enjoyed this one too, the sense of adventure that comes with travelling... it is exciting, but of course there is also that point of nervousness in leaving what you know for something new... :P
Glad you liked the descriptions and the daydreaming... and yes, I know what you mean... I miss travelling too... :/
Thank you so much! <3
Hi Chiara!
This is a nice little piece. I totally get how she feels, parties can be so tiring and sometimes it can be so hard to talk to new people in a new place, especially one with lots of people. That scene sounds quite nice though, just sitting, having a drink in peace while people watching. It's nice that she isn't too upset by it all either, that she is okay spending time alone, I suppose that must be easier than having to force herself to make conversation with random people.
A great piece, I'm glad this one was happier.
Shaza
Written for the winter in fairyland review event.
Author's Response:Hey, Shaza! Back to trying to catch up with my unanswered reviews... :P
I'm glad you enjoyed this one! It's not exactly happy, but definitely on the light-hearted side in this collection... :P
I think every introvert has been there, am I right? Parties can be overwhelming, and meeting new people is hard, but it can be nice to just sit alone and watch the party unfold. :P
Thank you so much for the lovely review! <3
Chiara
Hi Chiara! Back again to finish reviewing this wonderful, amazing, thoughtful series of drabbles for the fairyland review event! <3
I like how in this drabble, like several others before, you’ve interpreted solitude as a kind of focus and mindfulness. Like in Museum and Ocean and Pianoforte. It’s less about loneliness, the absence of other people, and really not necessarily even about mental or emotional isolation. It’s just about fixating on one thing in the moment, and being present and appreciating something, and I think that’s really beautiful, how you explore the relationship between one person and some kind of object or subject, and how that one person is experiencing this piece of the world in this moment. “An instant that tastes like eternity” is my favorite line in this drabble and so representative of the beautiful, evocative, unique way with words you’ve demonstrating throughout all 26 of these.
<3 Melanie
Author's Response:Melanie! Thank you so much for coming back again and for leaving such incredible reviews across all of this series! You are wonderful! <3
And yes, this final one definitely has that quality of solitude, when it's not necessarily about being alone, but just about experiencing that instant in time for yourself. :D
Thank you so, so, so much again for all the love you've showed for this collection and for all of your beautiful comments, it really means a lot!
Biggest snowball hug ever!
Chiara
Hello hello my dear Chiara! Back for more fairyland reviews! <333
I giggled a little at “yolo,” but it’s a fabulous observation, and as much as we may like to joke about the slang, there’s a reason that word and that phrase exist! It is totally about capturing opportunities that won’t always be there, which is a universal and timeless feeling no matter what you name it.
I feel like with each of your drabbles I keep saying they’re relatable, because they are! They feel universal, feelings that almost every single person has, and things we all experience and maybe can’t quite put our finger on, and you’ve found the words to describe the human experience and how many different ways we find a feeling of solitude merely by existing.
<3 Melanie
Author's Response:Hi again, Melanie, my love! (I'm almost caught up! Yay! :D)
I had no idea what Yolo meant until maybe a couple of years ago, when someone used it in a comment and I went and Googled... (this old, antisocial, non native speaker is just ignorant about these things... :P) so I probably don't get the joking side of it... :P but yes, the feeling is definitely universal and timeless (I mean, carpe diem... if the Romans had an expression for it... :P) I'm so glad I could once again convey the feeling well! <3
Thank you so much for another great review!
Hello hello my dear Chiara! Back for more fairyland reviews! <333
Ooh, yes, the feeling again of being alone in a crowd, but in a completely different way and for completely different reasons — something that is so important to recognize, and to understand the consequences of treating people this way (whether consciously or subconsciously) and how it affects them. And what does different mean? We’re not different, and yet we make each other different, and create divisions where they don’t need to be, and then pretend those divisions are just natural. I’m so glad you included this in your collection.
<3 Melanie
Author's Response:This one was a difficult one to write, but I'm glad it came across well. And yes, all those differences are superficial ones and shouldn't matter at all, and yet we (as society) are so used to see them and judge based on them, and it's so sad, and so hurtful for the people who get discriminated and treated unfairly because of it... :( So glad you liked this inclusion! <3
Hello hello my dear Chiara! Back for more fairyland reviews! <333
“You belong in the sky”!!!
I feel this speaks to all of us as readers and writers and dreamers and lovers of fantasy — those of us who want something more, something bigger and more interesting and exciting than the lives we lead. And really, I feel like this feeling is really widespread, like we sometimes feel like the minority and everyone else thinks we should grow up, but I’d bet a lot more people even feel this way, and so we’re all kind of isolated, thinking we’re the only ones, but so many people out there want to be able to escape in some way.
The idea of escaping into a different world being freedom, and being yourself, is a really great take on solitude.
<3 Melanie
Author's Response:I do believe this one would be especially relatable for all of us FFTers... :P And yes, probably to more people than I would imagine, because who doesn't need to escape and to dream from time to time? I'm so glad you could relate to this, and that you liked the concept of solitude applied here! <3
Snowball hug!
Hello hello my dear Chiara! Back for more fairyland reviews! <333
Ohh, you know what I love about this? It kind of feels like it’s an unrequited love kind of situation, but also I think it could be about two people who used to be friends, or who used to be lovers, or who are dating/ lovers but she feels more invested than he does and/or maybe he neglects her. There’s just so much possibility here, and through it this completely relatable feeling of being physically near someone and yet so far away mentally, emotionally, and personally, which makes the proximity so frustrating; or maybe it’s the proximity that makes the rest of it even more frustrating and unbearable!
<3 Melanie
Author's Response:What I had in mind when I wrote this one was the aftermath of a bad breakup, but I guess it could apply to many different situations, too. And yes, it is so harsh and frustrating, the feeling of being physically close but emotionally so distant... thank you again for all your thoughts, I love hearing them! <3
Hello hello my dear Chiara! Back for more fairyland reviews! <333
Ahhhh this is so clever!! In the first two paragraphs you assume (why wouldn’t you?) that the drabble is about us on Earth, pondering the existence of life somewhere else in the universe, and all of these thoughts that many of us have had ourselves, about whether it matters or not — whether other life out there would make us feel more alone or less alone; larger or smaller; more significant or less significant. And then that twist in the last paragraph, where this drabble IS about someone else in the universe pondering the same question and WE are the aliens. It’s so cheeky and delightful.
<3 Melanie
Author's Response:So glad you liked the twist in this one, where we are the aliens... I thought it was an amusing idea when I got it! :P After all, if there exist other life in the universe (and statistically, I've always thought there must be somewhere), why wouldn't they have our same thoughts and doubts about it? So glad you liked this one! :D
Hello hello my dear Chiara! Back for more fairyland reviews! <333
Oh my gosh, are you in my brain?? I identify with this feeling so much, and I don’t think I could ever have put it into words in the way you did here, in a way that makes sense of the contradiction between wanting to do and yet wanting to not do, and the whole time you’re aware of the time passing — slowly and yet so quickly when you look back, like where did the time go? All that time I did nothing with, and yet I didn’t want to do anything with it because of the lack of energy and the idea that more time will always be there in the future. Like I’ve had that experience where suddenly I’ll realize that hours have passed and I didn’t really do anything with them, except watching them pass by. This is so insightful, I feel.
<3 Melanie
Author's Response:I'm glad this made sense to you! You know, not glad that you feel the same way, but still glad that you could sympathize because I feel like this a lot, wanting to do but lacking the energy, and the time dragging but slipping away at the same time... thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this! <3
Hello hello my dear Chiara! Back for more fairyland reviews! <333
Solitude as something intentional, something that regenerates and re-energizes you! I love that, and I connect with it so much. How here the solitude isn’t something you seek because of any kind of bad or uncomfortable feelings, and it’s not something imposed on your by others, and it’s not something you just accidentally find yourself in — it’s just something you need to do, to exist entirely on your own for a moment, to recalibrate. A need just like breathing or eating. “A silence that wraps you like a hug” ← I loved that line so much.
<3 Melanie
Author's Response:Hi again! <3
Yes, this is definitely a different kind of solitude, a positive kind. I think a lot of us need a break from the loudness of the world to recalibrate at times, don't you agree? So glad you could relate to this one! <3
Hello hello my dear Chiara! Back for more fairyland reviews! <333
Oooh this drabble is so cozy, and totally captures what I love about the rain. I love when it rains, but not so much being in it as being inside, away from it but being able to observe it, in a warm little bubble with tea and a fire. So interesting, what your drabble makes me realize, that what we love about this weather is our ability to be away from it. It’s so odd and interesting when you think about it that way! Like sitting in your house with tea when it’s sunny out doesn’t feel at all the same, though the physical sensations are no different to you since you’re in the house, warm and dry, either way. But there is something tranquil about it, watching the rain from a warm, safe place. This drabble has me thinking all kinds of deep thoughts. About rain!!
<3 Melanie
Author's Response:It is so cozy to be sitting in your house, warm and dry, with tea and a fire, while it rains outside. And I love your thoughts about this! I guess it's a bit like in the Ocean drabble? Like being able to watch the strenght of nature but from an outsider point of view? Does it make any sense? Anyway, I'm so glad you enjoyed this one and that it made you think! <3
Love,
Chiara
Hello hello my dear Chiara! Back for more fairyland reviews! <333
Oh yes, the obligatory quarantine drabble, no collection about solitude in 2020 would be complete without it!! And I just love what you did with it, because it’s sort of about the individual experience, the monotony, the disconnect, the unwilling solitude, and uncertainty, but you also make sure to bring in the larger implications for the community as a whole, reminding us of the numbers which are really people whose names we don’t know, and how obsessed we are with the numbers and the trends, and all of these losses, who were names and faces and loved ones for other people, are reduced to this sort of cold, detached analysis by those of us holed up in our homes thinking about things we’d like to do again. It just makes so much sense and it full of the rich exploration of contradictions like we’ve seen in your other drabbles.
<3 Melanie
Author's Response:Hello again, my dear Melanie! <3
Q really couldn't be anything else, in these times of Covid, could it? I pretty much described my own lockdown experience in this... I'm glad all of the elements seemed to come through...
Thank you so much for another great review! <3
Hello hello my dear Chiara! Back for more fairyland reviews! <333
I just feel like there is no proper way for me to review this without just… copying and pasting literally everything. It’s breathtaking. Like I felt like I was holding my breath reading it, hearing the music and not wanting to disturb, just feeling the passion and power of the performance. (Hah, so many “p” words for your “p” drabble — and another one: PERFECTION.)
It’s just such a clever drabble, how you’ve named it “Pianoforte” as in the instrument, but then of course the terms “piano” and “forte” being musical terms meaning softly and loudly. And just… the way you describe the music???
I am not a musical person myself, have never been good with instruments and I don’t have any sophisticated knowledge, but there’s just something about a passionate musical performance and how engrossed you can become just listening to it, and how the musician really does get into a world of his or her own like they do in this drabble.
But the descriptions!! “On the sly”; a touch that “ended almost before it started”; “a tiptoe of notes”; an “ancient agreement of peace”; “a war of fingers”; “a shout of anger in the void”...
!!!
I just…
!!!
“Eternal research of something unknown.” OMG. I felt invested and inspired reading this.
<3 Melanie
Author's Response:Aww... you are way too good to me, you know?
I'm so glad you liked this one, it is one of my favourites as well! So glad you liked all the descriptions of the music and the piano and the forte :D And yes, music does have that ability to transport you into a world of your own, doesn't it? So, so, so glad this touched you! <3
Thank you so much for this incredible review, you are amazing!!!
Hello hello my dear Chiara! Back for more fairyland reviews! <333
Ahh, this is just… peaceful, tranquil, like a meditation, very much like the one you did about the painting in the art gallery. But different, more about the mystery and the inability to fully understand something, rather than feeling it’s speaking to you, the ocean here feels completely apart from him, but it’s still peaceful and beautiful. It makes so much sense for this collection, the sensation of being still and present, by yourself, contemplating something that’s almost hypnotic — and I love that, the rhythmic, hypnotic feel of the waves as you describe them ebbing and flowing over and over, and the language of “conquering and retreating.” And there is just some truly gorgeous imagery here! It’s like looking at a picture, reading this.
<3 Melanie
Author's Response:Hi again, Melanie! <3
I'm so glad you liked this one! Yes, it is more peaceful and sort of a meditation, and I love your comparison to the museum one, it makes a lot of sense! So glad you loved the rhytmic, hypnotic feel of the waves' description, too! <3
Thank you so much for the lovely review! <3
(Oh, and btw... I don't think I thanked you earlier for your nomination of the collection for SotM! It was such a surprise and so appreciated! Thank you so much for that as well!!! <3)
This last chapter was fabulous! The idea of zooming in or honing in on certain details is just akin to the observer throughout life. You pick up on things that other people don't when you observe others. You seek to capture things in a certain light during a certain moment of time. This individual might be concerned with making art, and the zoom in might be a literal act, but this could be interpreted in other ways as well. I think the act of being one person behind a camera and shooting others is a solitary activity, but you are engaging with others.
Throughout this piece, you highlight this idea of solitude and how it exists in many forms. I think some of my favorite ones have involved solitude that is chosen or welcomed or celebrated. I think often we put too much stock in this fear of being alone. But as is evident in this last chapter, even though photographer is a solidary activity, this individual isn't every truly alone. And I don't think we are either.
A well curated collection, thank you so much for writing and sharing with us Chiara!
<3 Courtney
* team ice otter *
Author's Response:Have I really caught up with your reviews on this??? :O
I'm so glad you liked this last piece as well! And I really love your observation about how, even if photography is a solitary activity, you still interact with others and you aren't truly alone. And yes, I agree, no one is ever completely alone, even if it might feel that way at times...
Thank you so much for engaging with this all the way through and for all of your lovely thoughts! And sorry if my replies weren't quite as good...
Big snowball hug,
Chiara
This entire piece just called out to me! I often feel this way...like I'm "late to the party," or in the case of this drabble, "late to the train station." It's such a helpless feeling. You feel like you've done everything right to get there on time, but sometimes the world spins on faster than some of us are able to keep pace with. You really showcase that feeling throughout this drabble, and I felt it resonate deeply with me.
And urgh gosh, I waste a lot of time worrying about the past and thinking about my future. I literally have to remind myself to stay in the present. Chiara, these pieces are so telling of instances of everyday life. You have a knack for capturing universal feelings in each of these and as I near the end of this collection, I'm saddened because I want more of your writing like this.
<3 Courtney
* team ice otter *
Author's Response:Late to the party is the story of my life, to be honest... :P It's so hard to keep pace with the world, and sometimes you just lose opportunities... and yes, worrying about the past or the future is something we all (or at least a lot of us, I believe) do too much... I'm glad (as always using this word in a loose way) this piece felt relatable... and that you are enjoying this collection so much! <3
Thank you for another great review!!!
Another powerful chapter Chiara! You do so well to access so many emotions in such a short span of space! Honestly this is so valid. We are all the same in our basic wants and needs. But of course, society has trained us to see things on surface level first and make judgements and assumptions based on that first. The idea of not belonging because of how you look, regardless if you're second or third generation of living in that particular place is just heartbreaking to me. We have to unlearn bias' in order to create this idealistic world you refer to at the end. And I think you a show a lot of bias in terms of what has been taught to us on a societal basis. You're so in tune with stuff like that. I just really appreciate your observations and the sentiment you allow it to convey. Well done!
<3 Courtney
* team ice otter *
Author's Response:The fact that people would make assumptions about you based on what you look like is just horrible and nonsensical, but yes, that's how we are trained to see things and bias are so difficult to unlearn... I'm glad I managed to convey a lot in this, I must admit I was a bit nervous about this one...
Thank you so much for your lovely comments as always! <3
I think a lot of us need our "wonderland," or our "happy place," to escape to whenever life gets too difficult for us to manage. Life is hard. Envisioning ourselves in some other place where we are masters or mistress' of it all or where we can do things that we cannot do in our "real life," is cathartic I think. It helps us to rationalize our existence and to stay grounded in ways that enable us to function in society. I think this piece highlights the need for mental and emotional freedom, but also being "rooted in reality enough," to understand that the escape is temporary and is just to help us continuing moving forward in the role society has us playing. I think you've done a great job showcasing really deep thoughts and sentiments throughout this series while also using accessible imagery and examples of comparison. Hopefully that makes sense.
<3 Courtney
* team ice otter *
Author's Response:Hi again, Courtney! <3
Personally, I often feel a bit trapped into society expectations and what an adult life should be like, etc... and I think everyone, but especially us writers/creative people, need to escape in the worlds of their imagination from time to time. So glad you could sympathize here! <3
Lots of love!
Chiara, this one was so incredibly sad! The idea that something or someone you so deeply care for is proximity wise close to you, but emotionally or mentally wise far away is so heart wrenching. It felt like you were exploring the concept of having "bad timing," in terms of starting up a relationship. That whole being on the same page with someone and feeling those same feelings they do is such an intricate and complicate thing. And you show it quite well in this piece. My heart goes out to the protagonist here because I've felt that way before. Again, I think you do really well to showcase universal(ish) emotions and sentiments in these pieces while emphasizing the idea of being alone. Well done, my friend!
<3 Courtney
* team ice otter *
Author's Response:This was a sad one, yes... it is very hard to be so close to someone physically, but so distant emotionally... :( I'm so glad this felt relatable, too, and that I'm doing a good job at expressing these universal feelings!
Thank you so much and many hugs!
Chiara
I love the scientific approach to this chapter! It's told from someone from another planet, which feels foreign yet relatable. I love that all life forms have universal things in common, like geography and time and space. There is also this level of smallness comes in how insignificant we are compared to the vastness of these things that we occupy, which you show as a universal feeling, in spite of different species. Your writing here feels technical, but also sublime. I think regardless if you're looking at the same thing as another person, nature just makes you feel small and alone and in awe of it.
<3 Courtney
* team ice otter *
Author's Response:Back again at attempting to catch up with my absurdly high number of unanswered reviews... :P
I'm so glad you liked this one as well, I thought it would be a nice twist to make it from the perspective of an alien. I've always thought that since the universe is so vast, there must be lifeon some other planet somewhere, and why wouldn't they have the exact same wonders we do? Glad you liked the scientific approach of this! :P And yes, our smallness compared to the vastity of nature is pretty much a universal feeling... at least I believe so...
Thank you so much again for the lovely review! <3
Time is such a fickle concept. It's fast when we don't want it to be, and slow when we need it to be quick. I think you convey the protag's desire of both ideas in this piece. You also show that when someone is working in a less than desirable job all they crave are the "after hours," and then when they get there, sometimes the time isn't as great as they hope it will be. You also show that there's more than enough to be done to occupy this person's time, but in the time that is their own (after work hour) they would rather be doing more enjoyable things, so they put it off until tomorrow. Very valid and relatable sentiments, in my opinion.
<3 Courtney
* team ice otter *
Author's Response:Time does have that bad habit, of rushing when we want it to slow down and dragging on when we just want it to move on... :P And sometimes, after work hours, is just so difficult to find the energy to do anything at all... :/
Glad this felt relatable (well, not glad, but you know what I mean...)
Love,
Chiara
This drabble is so relevant! I feel this often so much because my life is a constant "go, go, go," and "fill the silence with words" type of activities. So like this protag, I too, relish in the silence. I love opportunities where I can just exist and don't have to think or allow the "noise," or the rest of the world pollute my mind. This piece spoke to me with a sort of emotional depth that I felt you wrote so wonderfully. I don't think I could ever express these feelings that I feel as vividly as you have. I love the sentiment of silence wrapping around this individual like a hug. It feels comforting and to people who are introverts living in an extroverted world, it is comforting. Well thought out and expressed, Chiara!
<3 Courtney
* team ice otter *
Author's Response:So glad you could sympathize with this one, too! Sometimes you just need a bit of silence to make peace within yourself, am I right? Especially for us introverts, yes... :P And especially when the world pushes us in the opposite direction... I'm so glad this one spoke to you! <3
Love you! <3
Chiara, this piece is A++++ soothing mood. I love the level of detail you've used to describe the rain. I also enjoyed that while drinking tea indoors and watching the rain is a solitary activity, this is a universal kind of mood. The protag isn't the only individual who is staying indoors and indulging in activities that accentuate the mood of rainfall. And I love how rain signals rebirth or new beginnings in a lot of instances, but this piece kind of opposes that. This person is content to stay right where they are in place. I think it's lovely and it fits within your collection quite well.
<3 Courtney
* team ice otter *
Author's Response:Hi again, Courtney! <3
So glad you enjoyed this one and the soothing atmosphere, too! Watching the rain from the warmth of your house is truly a peaceful experience, isn't it? Glad you liked the details of the rain and that you could sympathize!
Big snowball hug,
Chiara
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