“There are hundreds, if not thousands of flowers in the world. Comparing a peony to a bellflower is pointless. Who has the right to judge which is more beautiful?” ― Natsu Hyuuga
As an avid reader, asking me to choose who I would like to be if I could be a character from a book or movie is like asking a puppy to choose one out of hundreds of treats. On the flipside, I also don’t want to exist in a body outside of my own, where things are familiar and the future is unwritten. However, I can say that characters from stories can be inspirational, and like a role model or older sibling, can be admirable to the point where their incredible character begins to seep into us. In recent days, I’ve developed a soft spot for Maomao of The Apothecary Diaries by Natsu Hyuuga.
When I was in middle and high school, I was an avid manga reader and anime viewer, putting down too much money toward my favorites and borrowing whatever I could from the local Brooklyn Public Libraries. As an adult, I’ve been disillusioned by the industry’s money grabbing and generic story-telling, so I fell off from the literature. I came across The Apothecary Diaries by accident, through a YouTube short unrelated to my entire algorithm. At first, I thought it was another common romance taking place within a vague Imperial Chinese inspired empire. It’s actually a mystery series, laden with political intrigue, folk medicine, and survival where one’s birth can severely determine how they live or die. Best of all, it is available as a light novel―prose with occasional manga-styled artwork. I quite like this format.
The main character, Maomao, is an apothecary and mad scientist, surviving the best way she can by feigning ignorance and even ugliness. However, she has a beastly sense of justice that often overpowers her desire for discreteness.
As the real world, and especially my homeland, shifts under the stress of economic and political instability, I find a form of comfort in Maomao’s journey as she navigates potential beheadings through earning the respect of her superiors with pure grit and knowledge. She has no control over her destiny, and is aware of that. Instead of recklessly breaking social norms and laws like a stereotypical main character, she (like us normal folk in real life) grasps autonomy whenever and wherever she can. This makes her incredibly relatable, even though she is far wittier than us ordinary folk. Maomao’s resourcefulness inspired me to have a similar mindset. One can still practice civil disobedience and autonomy―regardless of the powers that strive for total control. It also didn’t hurt to learn some herbalism along the way!
We need not pretend to be someone else; we can extract positive traits from all of our favorite protagonists and be our own spirit in a world that is stranger than fiction.
Cozy Crafting and Art 
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