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RATING: 4.75/5 

Everyone who knows me well is aware of how much I love the abstracts, and Jelly’s (@mochiewin) The Colors That You Bleed is full of well-written abstracts, allowing her narratives to immediately touch the soul of her readers, including me. 

And believe me, it’s quite difficult for me to get absorbed in a story, not because the author is not talented (I believe all writers are talented), but because I am looking for a story that has everything I don’t want in my lovelife – complicated characters balanced by a well-written narrative. 

A good story, for me, is a mix of one or two genres. This one falls under general fluff, at least to me, but the small shots of angst all throughout give its plot the perfect equilibrium. Reading it gives the feeling similar to reading a fantasy novel that evokes feelings from one’s reality.

And no, this isn’t a fantasy story, but the way she tells it transports one’s soul to dreamland with their feet still grounded on reality. It’s beautiful.

The story begins with Win, a novelist, who needs to find a muse for his new book. Perhaps it’s what the universe wants, or perhaps, it’s simply just another glitch in Win’s galaxy, but he’s sent to a coffee shop by a twitch of destiny, allowing him to meet Bright – a seemingly interesting barista, not to mention inhumanely handsome.

As a writer, Win has expectations, and he finds himself getting disappointed when Bright doesn’t seem to have an interesting life – a no, no if one’s occupation involves making up stories inside one’s head. But with the help of a friend (and his growing fascination for the boy), the once blank vision begins to be filled with hues, allowing him to see Bright in a different, new light.

Let me get to the good points of the AU. 

First, her well-developed characters.

Win. I remember QRT-ing this story and expressing how much I relate to Win. As someone who has been writing for years, I see myself in him. It hasn’t really changed – the way a writer needs a muse in every step of the creative process. A writer needs to have an inspiration, or else everything will be for naught, and will result in a bland manuscript. 

I love how Jelly is able to tell Win’s story just by his habits. She doesn’t need to describe in detail who he is, because his actions alone define who he is and what he is. 

Jelly writes Win as someone complicated. But his complexity is slowly broken down into pieces as the story goes on, which does not suffocate her readers with too much information. He learns things slowly when Bright comes into his life. The best part for me is when he starts to learn how to make sense of his feelings, and not just the feelings of the characters he creates in his head.

Bright. Things are opposite with Bright. His complexity as a character is revealed and built up slowly by Jelly until he becomes a one whole piece full of human intricacies. But, it’s also because of this that his character perfectly blends with Win, who by the end, is already a less intense version of his composite self.

In a way, I relate to Bright too. He reminds me of myself. He is me with my writer persona shed off. There are no words to describe how difficult it is to have that feeling of mundane existence and trying to just live it one day at a time just because there is something missing that is felt within. 

The side characters. Tay, Off, Love, and even First – they are all there for a reason. They’re not just there for decorations, but they are there to keep the story moving. They each have a purpose.

Without Off and Love, no one will push Bright’s character out of his comfort zone. Without Tay, Win will not have some of those realizations needed to  push the story further. Without First, the truth will not come out. And while I believe that Bright and Win will find a way to be okay even without that truth, the story wouldn’t be as satisfactory to the reader. 

Second, let me talk about Jelly’s writing style.

I am a sucker for lyrical narratives because they touch my soul in ways I cannot explain. I easily get carried away by beautiful abstracts, and I find myself floating along with the words as the story progresses. 

Jelly also knows how to use her storytelling skills – she writes her story in a way that will not bore the readers. There is balance between narration and dialogue – a most important aspect in storytelling. It’s the writer’s responsibility to show more than just tell. Jelly does this well.

She also knows when to reveal things. That revelation about color blindness at the end is the best part for me, as it does not only justify the title of the AU, but also justifies the story of Win and Bright. It’s supposed to surprise me, but it doesn’t because of the way it’s revealed. 

And that’s perfect. Because with how Jelly writes the story, a shocking revelation would have destroyed the consistency of the overall tone (that melancholic but soothing tone). 

Then there’s the reconciliation between Win and his past. That kind of tells one that in reality, time is indeed an essential factor for healing broken hearts as well as tattered souls.

Third and last, the plot. God, I love the plot. I am probably biased because one of the major protagonists is a writer, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a simple plot that stirs realistic feelings. It’s relatable. And I love that it becomes diverse and elaborate as the story is slowly told. The subplots are revealed around the middle of the story, adding to the beauty of the story instead of causing major plot problems.

Now let’s talk about parts that might need a little tweaking.

First – the platform. Don’t get me wrong, I love Twitter, and I love Twitter AUs. And I know it’s needed because of the social media aspect of the AU. It’s just that a story like this, which is told in a lyrical way, needs a better platform for its narration parts. I believe the author will be able to develop it more if, let’s say, the platform is an author-friendly avenue for writers.

There are also details that needed ironing out a bit like a couple of scenes that needed to be described more and a couple of questions that needed answers. But they’re minor ones. I believe Jelly could have answered them or included them IF the platform is perfect for writers.

Overall, it’s an amazing journey. It’s one of my classic favorites (just like her other stories). Perhaps, one day, if Jelly is confident enough to tell her story to a bigger audience, she can expand this into a full-length novel and have it published. 

Link to the Twitter Author: https://twitter.com/mochiewin

Link to the Twitter Story: https://twitter.com/mochiewin/status/1346463650060541952

Follow her – she has other amazing stories!

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Katto

IG: katrina.saba

Twitter: kattowrites