we smile at the moon

"AND AT THE END,
AT LEAST WE'LL REMEMBER EACH OTHER FOREVER."

"I don't know how much I can take/
No fortune teller/
I guess we'll leave this up to fate."
I Can Feel It, Hey Violet

"爱本就没有定律/反正我选择认命/
呼吸随你的温柔变越来越轻/
让我搭把手/放下你的忧愁/
早就习惯为你自由的冲动."
圈住你，一口甜
("Love never had a rule/I've accepted my fate/
My breathing becomes softer with your softness/Let me hold your hand/Put down your worries/I've long become accustomed to your hastiness for freedom"
Surround You, Yikoutian)

SYNOPSIS

Honoria Song was at Bridewater College with goals: good academic grades, a strong social network, to try things she'd never dared to back home. Gone was the obedient, perfect daughter who'd never dared to venture out of her social circle. In her place was the new and improved Honoria, someone willing to take risks and push herself to her very limits in her pursuit of excellence.

But England was no Hong Kong, and between the culture shock and change in environment, alongside the never ending stress of her JSMs (the magician's version of the GCSEs), she'll have to juggle the constantly evolving social scene of her new school alongside her newfound friendships and commitments.

Her new friends were nothing like she'd expected. There's the shy and bitter Luo Yunji, a girl whose best friends were the instruments she held in her hand; rich and charismatic Adelina Roche, the envy of all, yet struggling with her family's crushing expectations and standards; James Withington, Adelina's childhood rival, a constant thorn in their side; James Taylor, quiet and observant and brilliant (but only in certain areas); the charming and cocky Sebastian Hong, who confuses her to no end; and mysterious and reserved Theodore Yu, the constant observer.

But what was she here for, if not a challenge?

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

AUTHOR'S NOTE

heyo!! so, we smiled at the moon is my summer project for 2022, and will most likely be the first book in a duology. i'm going to experiment quite a bit with this book—for starters, it will be written in first person, and it will be set in a world with a slightly more complicated magical system than you might see in some of my other work. wsatm doesn't really have a major plot with baddies and monsters and whatnot, and is more of a slice-of-life, school life kind of story. it's heavily based off and inspired by my own experiences at boarding school, and honoria's general background and some of her experiences are v much based off my own.

and thus, the characters are quite flawed, especially early on in their mindsets. some of these echo my own feelings, some of them don't. the subjects of race are also somewhat delved into.

i hope you enjoy reading this little project of mine!

COMPLETED.
(began: 27/5/2022
completed: 12/8/2022)