17hols | Round 2: Alternate Universes

Entry tags:

2021

Round 2: Alternate Universes

Status: Closed

This round has closed. It remains open for fills and comments, but prompts are no longer accepted.

Seventeen Holidays

Round 2: Alternate Universes

About

Sometimes its the characters that move us, but sometimes we fall in love with the the world behind the story. Something transformative occurs when we place the characters we love in an unfamiliar world, like the light has shone on a new side and we're seeing them anew.

Run to the classics; revisit the magic of Harry Potter, the heart-punch of a Pacific Rim drift, the warmth of a Coffee Shop AU. Or maybe dig your fingers into a story that blew your mind - Battle Royale, The Raven Cycle, Interstellar - or demand better from a book that let you down (The Poppy War fin- mmph). Perhaps! You might combine two of your fandoms for maximum joy (Haikyuu and Tennis adjacent mutuals, I'm looking at you.)

The possibilities are literally endless. Do it for the aesthetic, do it for the drama.

Examples

Wonhui x MDZS/Untamed

Wonwoo as Lan Wanji, Jun as Wei Wuxian (Minghao as Jiang Cheng?). I want a cast that feels betrayed and shocked at Junhui's demise but then gradually learning his reasons behind it.

Mingyu/Seungkwan Debating AU

Imagine them as third speakers in the high school circuit. Rivals! Mortal Enemies! Prepared case summaries derailing into personal attacks, and then when their coach calls them out on it they become passive aggressive e.g. "there are major flaws in the opposition's arguments..."

Jeonghan as Mal from Inception

Any Jeonghan ship will do. I just want him to chaotically haunt a person while being sexy about it.

Rules

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Fills have a minimum of 400 words for prose, haiku-length for poetry (3 lines), and 400px by 400px for art (memes are also art). Other mediums are fine too!
There is no maximum cap.
Tag and provide content warnings at your discretion, but a good guide are the Ao3 four (Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage) and this list of common CWs (cr: SportsFest).
NSFW/Explicit content should be tagged
NSFW art should not be visible. Please provide a link to the art. You may crop the artwork and embed a SFW preview.

How it works

Prompting

Click on [Post a New Comment] at the bottom of this post;
Change the subject to something interesting and saucy;
Copy+Paste the following HTML into your comment and fill in the sections. Feel free to add as much detail as you want!
Ship/Member: Any Major Tags: N/A Additional Tags: N/A Do Not Wants: None Prompt:

Filling

Reply to the original prompt;
Change the subject to [FILL], you may add a title or stay chaotic;
Copy+Paste the following HTML into your comment, fill in the sections, and add your text
You may also upload your fill to the AO3 Collection

Ship/Member: Any Major Tags: N/A Additional Tags: N/A Permission to remix: Yes/No/Please ask ***

Filling with art/media

Do the same as above, also;
Upload your work to any platform (twitter, imgur, youtube, soundcloud, google maps, etc.)
Insert the link to your work, done!
Optionally, you can embed a picture into your comment. Please use the following code instead.
(To explain, the HTML resizes your picture to 400x400px so that it fits on most screens, users can view the full size if they click on it. You can also add a link to your work on twitter so that others can share it, or to any other website you want)

Ship/Member: Any Major Tags: N/A Additional Tags: N/A Permission to remix: Yes/No/Please ask *** <img src="INSERT IMAGE URL" width="400px"> <a href="INSERT ANY URL YOU WANT">TEXT THAT DESCRIBES THE LINK</a>

Navigation

ROUND 2: ALTERNATE UNIVERSES

ROUND 3: SCREENCAPS

ROUND 4: WHO, WHERE, WHEN

REMIX ROUND

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

KARINA!! ILY THANK U SO MUCH!!! i love experimenting with unhinged things (me writing horror is a distant dream...) and im so happy the stream of consciousness and 2nd person interruptions worked to unsettle a little bit! i would love to return to this universe someday bc i love explorations of identity and personas and perfectionism hhh (perfect blue is another movie i Love that does this) thank u so so much for ur words!!! u are a gift i treasure u!!!

OH MY GOD...the only thing i understand less than the cheolsoo dynamic is ice hockey..sports~ but wow this was such a thrill to read. i love how seungcheol's feelings for joshua are an extension of his devotion to his craft which make the rivarly/teammates/something more(?) angle all the more delicious. the SC pov was also so heavily laden in BBB feels it almost felt like reading idolsona commentary, the younger crop replacing the old- the demands off your body, your mind, etc- that i was thrilled to read. this has me hoooked! thank you for sharing!!XD

HOLY SHIT AAAH WHAT
i'm so!! so many things fit so perfectly here!! my i, minghao's pov on himself and junhui and how its possibly transposed from a bbb reading of their idolsonas, black swan... i honestly am not even a Big Fan of the movie but goddamn your prose painted a perfect picture of minghao as the protagonist especially the dream/maybe-dream scene and the final show where the swan falls back aghh its such a gorgeously done piece- thank you!!

THANK U SO MUCH!!! ive only seen the movie once but i instantly thought of my i when i saw this prompt...i'm so grateful the scenes worked, thank u so much for reading and ur wonderful comment <33

Ship/Member: Any
Major Tags: N/A
Additional Tags:
Do Not Wants: None

Prompt:
Person A is exiled to a remote location. Person B, somehow, knocks on their door.

/bonus points for: one is mortal and one is not, touch starvation

Oh holy shit. I feel like I've been punched in the best way!! Junhao bird imagery + identity crisis + ballet + MY I??? This is gorgeous and I love the way you followed Minghao's paranoia, his confusion and jealousy and obsession, and the way that culminated in the final scene. What a lovely and sick stream of consciousness. I've never seen the movie Black Swan but now I want to!
My favorite line is trapped in gauze made of white stage lights for the visceral imagery and callback to My I. T.T felt like I was jerked straight back to the MV. will definitely be rereading thank you!!

AAAHH thank you so much klav!!! i love my i so so much and it's xtremely cool that line made you think of the mv!! i'm obsessed with bird imagery....i see the chance to make bird metaphors and i jingle over like a jester as fast as i can... thank u again for reading and leaving ur wonderful words <333

Ship/Member: seokmin + any
Major Tags: N/A
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe — Theatre
Do Not Wants: None

Prompt: LEE SEOKMIN KNOWS HOW TO TAP DANCE. do what u want with this information but also consider seokhan or seokgyu dynamics where seokmin is a tap dancer. mingyu could be the clumsy artist in his first major acting role, and seokmin is the sexy and kinda mean tap dancer hired to teach him (think swing kids). minghao could be the veteran musical actor pairing up with brash, rising rookie lee seokmin in his first major acting role for seoul's biggest and newest musical centered around tap dancing (once again, i beg, CONSIDER SWING KIDS)

Edited 2021-01-17 22:49 (UTC)

Ship/Member: any (BUT IF JWW...)
Major Tags: N/A
Additional Tags: alternate universe - teen wolf fusion
Do Not Wants: None

Prompt: jeon wonwoo as stiles, PLEASE CONSIDER! snwu where ksy is scott (bonus points if instead of being a werewolf he's a... weretiger think: kate argent) but go crazy i yearn for high school svt dealing with their supernatural powers in a funny, comedic, but also dark "oh my god we could die at any moment and i just want to say i love you" way

Ship/Member: Jeonghan/Seungkwan
Major Tags: Oikawa!Jeonghan, Hinata!Seungkwan, Post-timeskip arc
Additional Tags: N/A
Permission to remix: Yes

***

Part One is about Time.

Part Two is about Space.

The Last Part is about the Sun.

i.

Jeonghan chuckles. “Goddamn. That kid really did it, huh.”

He sits on the hot sand, a fair distance away from the makeshift court and watches Seungkwan play beach volleyball for the first time.

How long has it been? Years. It has been years since he’s seen him. And yet a part of Jeonghan still stings when he remembers their loss, when he remembers not having been to the Nationals when Seungkwan, that little shrimp, had gone and had lost. It should’ve been Jeonghan who had defeated the crows, he thinks bitterly, he should’ve been there instead of watching their match play through his stupid phon-- damn, and then he whoops, cannot help but whistle in awe, when he sees how Seungkwan flies, the sand spilling from the balls of his feet as he soars and the ball flies in a beautiful arc.

“God...” Jeonghan laughs louder, feels his eyes grow wider. Watches intently how Seungkwan moves his body, so differently now, a far cry from when he had been opposite him at an indoor court. Jeonghan watches, watches and observes Seungkwan’s limbs, no more of the boyish callousness that thrilled Jeonghan so much that it irked him, but now with the simple assuredness that, this is where my feet will land and this is how it will make me fly.

Jeonghan lifts a hand up to his forehead to shield his eyes from the sun but really, something in his chest pinwheels forward like a topspin serve when Seungkwan smiles like an idiot after he hits a good spike that leaves his opponents’ mouths open.

He had forgotten how endlessly alluring it is watching Seungkwan play.

The day after, Jeonghan comes to the beach again.

This time, he makes himself seen. Halfway through the game, Seungkwan catches sight of him and lets the ball hit him square in the chest in favor of turning his whole body towards where Jeonghan had been standing and practically yelling, THE GRAND KING?!

His hands fly to his mouth, as if he wasn’t intending to scream that out loud.

“The grand king,” Jeonghan repeats, lifts his shoulders better, and grins back at Seungkwan who is still looking incredulously at him. Time passes and Jeonghan had forgotten just how ridiculous his orange hair is. Forgotten how small. How alluring it is to watch him play and also just how Seungkwan can make him feel -- him, the grand king -- feel so fucking big simply with the way he regards him.

“Play with me,” Seungkwan says, still small and already nineteen, sweaty and shining like the sun, and suddenly Jeonghan feels himself pivot back to Miyagi, that first game, hundreds of eyes on him, but it’s only Seungkwan’s hunger on the other side of the net and the ball on his hand that grounds him to place.

ii.

Volleyball is a sport where you are always looking up. This, of course, Jeonghan knows. He’s the grand king for god’s fucking sake. But it’s a whole matter entirely when you look up and you don’t see the roof of the gymnasium but the brutal sun high up in the sky at noon.

Jeonghan makes the same mistake again and feels his field of vision flood with the hot white of the sun and then with black as a sharp pain shoots deep in his forehead. He cannot get used to this. How does Seungkwan do it?

He faintly hears the ball thud behind him and then feels Seungkwan rush to his side.

“Hyung, are you okay? Told you to wear a visor or some sunglasses. There is no roof here, it’s just the sky!” He nags, then fiddles around with the hat in his head and velcros it into Jeonghan’s.

“This looks stupid on me, Seungkwannie. Look, the girls are already laughing,” Jeonghan whines, still with his ass on the sand.

“Who cares about the girls, hyung,” he says, and he’s suddenly so closely standing over him that he’s momentarily blocking the sun. “I think it looks cute on you.”

Time passes and Jeonghan had forgotten if Seungkwan had ever been this close to him. There had always been a court and a net and several bodies between them. Right now, his face is only a few inches away from Jeonghan’s nose that he can feel Seungkwan’s excited breathing ruffle tufts of his hair poking out of the visor, tickle his nearly sunburnt skin on his forehead.

Time passes and Jeonghan says, “You have freckles now.”

Seungkwan pauses. Then he smiles a bit, only a little bit like a secret but brilliant all the same, only for Jeonghan to see, his own private sun, before he lets himself get pulled up by the arm and they lose to another set against the locals.

iii.

“Seungkwan, what would you be doing if you weren’t playing volleyball?”

“Hmmm. Maybe coaching?”

“That’s still like playing volleyball, stupid. What if there isn’t volleyball at all?” Jeonghan insists, the visor still sitting funnily on top of his head.

Seungkwan laughs, loud and ugly and absolutely irreverent. His skin rendered gold by the sun setting. “What do you mean there isn’t volleyball? What kind of world would that be?”

This one, this part of Seungkwan, Jeonghan had also forgotten, and he's grateful to bask in it right now and to remember.

Edited 2021-01-18 03:53 (UTC)

DID SOMEBODY SAY OIKAWA JEONGHAN??? OK IM HERE. let me go straight to the part I LOVE THE MOST: Time passes and Jeonghan says, “You have freckles now.”

SJDSJDHJSADHJADJASHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA OHHHH THIS LINE JUST. BLEW ME AWAY. how they were so close that yjh could see this detail in his face. oh wow. and the little details! the visor! seungkwan nagging! and jeonghan whining he doesnt look cute! this is such a unique pairing but u write them so well! and also the oikawa/hinata dynamics too, its also very palpable here! the grand king reference!!!! the game they lost to the two locals (i forgot the nickname they have but i remember the chapter where they had to buy them beer or something??) >__< aahhhhhhh i have never imagined seungkwan as hinata (though i shouldve! i shoulve!) so thank you for putting this in my head i will forever now trasure it....

and the last scene: Seungkwan laughs, loud and ugly and absolutely irreverent. His skin rendered gold by the sun setting. “What do you mean there isn’t volleyball? What kind of world would that be?” --the contrast in the description of his laugh as ugly and the stunning imagery of brazil's sunset. only jeonghan can think that. and then the last line: This one, this part of Seungkwan, Jeonghan had also forgotten, and he's grateful to bask in it right now and to remember.

OH THAT'S SO ABSOLUTELY OIKAWA AND JEONGHAN AND SEUNGKWAN AND HINATA. i dont rly know how else to say it but you captured them both so well here dear writer... and i will be thinking about this for so long. i wish i prompted this myself so i can claim this fill as being for ME but dang. just. thank you. this was so lovely and tender and im smiling as i write this. <<<333333

Holy shit! I loved this!! I know nothing about hockey but it doesn't matter, the way strung out their tension and their lives was so palpable. I love the way you write too, how you managed to give us so much in so little words. And your descriptions T__T

This line especially kills me: You try to make deals with the devil, because there are no nice gods, and when that doesn’t work, you claw your way towards the top, sweating blood along the way. - I feel like this was such a powerful line and it says so much about the type of person Cheol is, and hints (maybe) at the history they had.

God, this was just so, so good!

Ship/Member: seokmin/any, 97z if you really want to draw blood
Major Tags: N/A
Additional Tags: spies and assassins, casino royale, put them in tuxes
Do Not Wants: None

Prompt: heavily, heavily inspired by this tweet

not at all too familiar with 007 but i just think seokmin as a bond girl would be fantastic. maybe grand casino floors and open bars and dk as a lounge singer, crooning in the background while the job takes place. i came up with this mainly for the idea of thigh holsters and various blades hidden across seokmin's body (the idea of appearing gentle on the surface but with a darker danger running undercurrent if you really looked close, like if you got too close to touch you'd draw back and find yourself covered in blood, too). i think seokmin is written as kind very often so i am a big fan of letting him be cunning and powerful and sexy!!!!!!

also if u wanted to get caught up in the 97z of it all would u consider: seokgyu rivals who have thwarted each other at various turns, only to become reluctant teammates when they realize that their love (minghao, who has the both of them wrapped around his fingers) has become the target [so like a mr. and mrs. smith au also ensues]

Edited 2021-01-18 22:44 (UTC)

"love how seungcheol's feelings for joshua are an extension of his devotion to his craft which make the rivarly/teammates/something more(?)" YESSS omg i think that sc is someone who does not bite unless threatened/unless something of HIS is threatened and ofc what could be more delicious than having the one devotion you've built your entire life around (hockey) tainted by someone who u may or may not have feelings for. add some history and u've got so many angles to explore!!!! wheee i'm so glad you liked it, thank u so much for reading u__u

Ship/Member: Seokmin/Mingyu, implied 97z
Major Tags: N/A
Additional Tags: bond AU, lounge singer seokmin
Permission to remix: Yes

***

“Twenty four million in the pot already,” Jeonghan says, staticky through the earpiece. It’s obvious he’s trying to hide a smile. “Thought you were slated for surveillance tonight, 007?”

Mingyu doesn’t respond.

A: He’s staring right at Xu Minghao across the poker table because the croupier’s laid down a river card and Minghao’s just raised, gone all-in with twelve million, and Mingyu has thirty seconds tops to call his bluff or make his own move.

B: He’s done surveillance already, and he knows Jeonghan knows this, too. So, predictably, all Jeonghan is doing is gleefully poking fun at him for his current situation.

See, although the hotel ballroom is choked with bejeweled emissaries and diplomats and the just-plain-filthy rich, it was a simple enough job to pick Minghao out. What with his eye-catching grace and sleek Valentino jacket and pearls tight against his neck and all. Mingyu trailed him to the poker table. It was going fine. He had eyes on the burly blonde bodyguard on Minghao’s right. Things were planned to head south tonight with regards to that fucker.

But then, in an utterly humiliating turn of events, a few minutes before Minghao decided to throw twelve fucking million into the ring, Mingyu happened to look over at the man singing by the bar.

It was the voice that did it. An oddly familiar voice. Something Mingyu had maybe heard once in a dream or a more peaceful alternate universe, a little heartbreaking and sticky sweet, spreading like syrup under the shuffle of the chips and the croupier saying “The big blind is now one million dollars.”

And Mingyu needed, with a sort of desperation he should’ve known to avoid, to know who it was coming from.

Of fucking course he recognized Seokmin Lee.

But something about him made Mingyu’s palms sweaty all of a sudden, as if for this one night Mingyu wasn’t an MI6 agent but instead an audience member at a nightclub enthralled by a red-curtained lounge singer. It was like all the opulent light in the room had refracted off the chandeliers and Dom Perignon-filled crystal flukes and was now glittering within Seokmin as he sang, in his shimmering dusky eye makeup, in the gold choker that sat nestled above his delicate collarbone.

In the single star-shaped earring that brushed against his sharp jaw after he made direct eye contact with Mingyu and closed his eyes and reached for a high note, his face melting into some kind of ecstasy. Like he was having a fucking religious experience.

When Seokmin opened his eyes, he was smiling out of one side of his mouth. He knew Mingyu was watching. The expression looked so uncharacteristically coy on him that Mingyu had to look away real fucking fast, pretend he wasn’t flushing down to his goddamn Tom Ford silk bow tie, and think:

Well, shit.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t really been able to stop thinking that. Especially now.

Minghao is still waiting on his move. After that unfathomable twelve million dollar raise, the casino fell dead silent. Seokmin fell dead silent. This means that now Seokmin’s watching the table now. Watching Minghao. Watching—

“Focus,” Jeonghan chides softly in his earpiece. Focus. Focus. No distractions. He can’t let Minghao slip away. Not now. Not here.

Mingyu looks down at the table. Pushes his chips forward.

“Fourteen million five hundred thousand. All in.”

Murmurs ripple through the room. When Mingyu glances up again, he swallows hard in surprise. Seokmin’s standing behind Minghao’s chair, now, a single eyebrow raised. One of his long fingers, the one with a slender silver ring around it, plays with his bottom lip. He’s threatening to stretch into another arch smile.

He’s so strangely dangerous up close. His frame is so much bigger than Minghao’s. All potential energy.

Mingyu looks once and sees a pretty lounge singer with eyes that hold obscure secrets behind them. He looks again, forces himself to remember their long bruised past. Sees Seokmin as he is: a renegade for hire, always poised like a black widow, slipping into a performance of easy naïveté. His body tense and waiting, hiding no less than five blades.

Mingyu can almost feel the knife strapped against Seokmin's thigh. Mingyu has been on his knees with the cold tip of that blade flush under his chin, tilting his head up. He remembers what Seokmin told him then. That same dangerous half-smile on his face.

You should be more careful, double oh seven.

“Well,” Minghao says softly, “I think I’ll call your bluff on that one.”

Three players. Mingyu has to come out on top. The mission necessitates it.

The croupier calls the showdown. The entire room is holding its breath. Mingyu should be looking at Minghao, but he can’t stop looking at Seokmin, who is leaning forward imperceptibly into the silence, his choker glinting in new light against his throat, his eyes dancing.

He’s having fun. He’s enjoying this. Watching Mingyu squirm.

Minghao lays his cards down, and the murmuring rumbles back to life and Mingyu tears his eyes away.

Ace of Clubs and 6 of Hearts. Full house.

Seokmin smiles almost ruefully, a dimple deepening under his mouth.

“Monsieur Kim?” the croupier says.

Mingyu keeps staring into Seokmin’s eyes. Holds his half-lidded gaze for one, two, three seconds. Lays his cards down without looking away.

Five of spades and seven of spades.

The room bubbles like the overspilling fizz of champagne and bursts into applause. The croupier lays the cards down. Seokmin’s expression holds steady, which is more than a little off-putting.

“Straight flush. Monsieur Kim wins.”

Before Mingyu can even stand, the blonde bodyguard places a burly hand on Minghao’s shoulder.

“Mingyu,” Jeonghan says, a distant warning in his ear, but Mingyu is frozen, because Seokmin is still staring at him with that heavy gaze, trying to read the story.

It’s thrilling to be stared at by Seokmin. Mingyu knows him. Mingyu knows how it feels to be taken apart between Seokmin’s fingers like a puzzle.

“Mingyu, they’re standing up,” Jeonghan says, sounding as helpless as Mingyu feels. He’s feeling the cold blade against his chin. He’s feeling so many terrible and dizzying things. He stands, his hands needlessly fixing his bow tie, the chatter in the room all dull and fuzzy like an old radio.

Seokmin leans forward, elbows on the table. His cheekbones sharp above the shadows. Mingyu can smell his cologne.

“What’s wrong,” Seokmin whispers, one hundred percent earnest for a single precious second.

“It’s Minghao. It's- will you help me,” Mingyu murmurs.

“What the fuck are you doing,” Jeonghan hisses.

Mingyu is humbling himself. Losing his control and more than a little bit of his dignity, as he always tends to do in front of Seokmin.

“I don’t want to have to do this alone,” Mingyu admits softly. To Jeonghan, to himself.

To Seokmin.

Seokmin’s smile widens. He’s as beautiful as a lily of the valley and twice as deadly.

“I thought you’d never ask,” he says.

***

SEOKMIN ALL POTENTIAL ENERGY... my friend, you've done it. this is increible. i'm in love with all the glamour like MINGHAO'S PEARLS AND SEOKMIN'S CHOKER.. i know nothing about fashion but this sounds very sexy so it's game over for me!!! will be thinking about mingyu squirming and seokmin ENJOYING IT for a long time. thank you for writing and sharing <3

oh my god this is absolutely amazing! i love the way you wove in the disorientation and minghao's slight? lack of sanity? i don't really know how to say it but your prose is so amazing and it hooked me even though I know absolutely nothing about black swan except the ballet parts. but wow this was just so so good and THAT ENDING. i see so many other people mentioning my i and god does it hit differently when you factor that in too. this was beautiful T__T

Ship/Member: Mingyu/Minghao, Mingyu/Wonwoo
Major Tags: Major Character Death
Additional Tags: Science Fiction, Androids, more of a do androids dream of electric sheep au than a blade runner au, just me shamelessly ripping scenes from do androids dream of electric sheep
Permission to remix: Yes

***

Xu Minghao doesn’t act much like an android. Sitting at his dressing table, he watches Mingyu fumble with a briefcase. Minghao’s still in costume, his pale face and red makeup making him look identical to the red-crowned crane listing in the Sidney’s catalogue. Unlike red-crowned cranes though, Minghao is not yet extinct.

If Mingyu were not given the information sheets detailing the escaped Nexus-6 androids from Mars, then he would have assumed that Xu Minghao was human. He’s a dan performer, good enough to join and tour with a Beijing opera company. Evidently the Nexus-6 brain units had improved from their predecessors, as androids were now seeking the limelight instead of simply surviving.

Mingyu manages to unzip his briefcase and pull out the Voigt-Kampff instruments. Minghao eyes the apparatus, distrustful.

“I’m afraid my Korean is not that good,” he says in flawless Korean, “so I don’t know how helpful the results will be.”

Mingyu looks up from angling the pencil light to stare at Minghao.

“I’m a performer, Mr. Kim, of course my accent needs to be good,” Minghao explains. “That doesn’t mean that I’ll be able to understand what you ask me.” Mingyu gets up to press the adhesive disk with wires against Minghao’s cheek, but Minghao turns his head, his lips brushing over Mingyu’s hand. He almost drops the disk.

“Thank you, Mr. Kim,” Minghao says, taking the disk out of Mingyu’s hand to attach to his own cheek. “Shall we start then?” Despite his air of nonchalance, he radiates a type of coldness. The android that Mingyu retired this morning had given off the same coldness. And, Mingyu reminds himself, the same coldness had eventually surrounded Wonwoo too.

△△△

The first thing Mingyu notices when he lands his hovercar on the rooftop of the Jeon Corporation building in Seoul is the young man waiting for him. The second thing Mingyu notices is the animals. A section of the roof is dedicated to spacious enclosures adorned with flora, designed to mimic the animals’ natural habitats. He elects to ignore the man, instead walking toward the enclosures.

Mingyu peers at one of the displays, a fox lazily basking in the early morning light.

“We acquired him last year,” the man says from behind him. Mingyu turns around and notices him. He has black hair and a sharp face, wearing a long coat and turtleneck. He holds out his hand for Mingyu to shake.

“Jeon Wonwoo,” he introduces himself. “I guess you’re with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.”

“That would be me,” Mingyu says. “Whoever makes your artificial animals does a great job. I can hardly tell that it’s electric.”

Wonwoo smiles, showing neat, even teeth. “You misunderstand me, Mr. Kim. He’s a real fox.”

“How’s that possible? Foxes were one of the first animals to go extinct.” Mingyu pulls out his Sidney’s catalogue, ready to flip to the listing.

“We don’t buy from Sidney’s,” Wonwoo says, “and the price that we paid for him is more than you could afford, even with the bounty from six androids.” He raises an eyebrow. “Does it help your empathy? Trading in androids for funds toward your next animal purchase?”

Mingyu bristles. “And what about it? Androids who escape to Earth have clearly malfunctioned. They’re a danger to everyone. In fact, you could argue that it’s the Jeon Corporation’s fault for manufacturing brain units that are more and more humanlike.”

“We’re simply meeting the colonists’ demands. They want more intelligent androids, so we’re happy to do everything we can to fulfill their request,” Wonwoo says calmly. “And what are you working for? The dream of owning a real animal? Obtaining enough funds so that you can leave Earth? Forgive me, but I don’t think you have any moral high ground here.” A buzz from Wonwoo’s watch interrupts any possible response. “Well, the selection of androids is ready now. Follow me, please.”

Without looking back, Wonwoo turns and walks toward the elevator, Mingyu left behind to catch up. And what about my dream is so ludicrous, Mingyu wants to ask. It’s the worst feeling in the world, coming home from a day of retiring androids and then having to pretend to love an electric animal.

Mingyu chances a look back at the fox, pretending for a moment that he owns it. And then he looks forward and follows Wonwoo.

△△△

Minghao’s test is inconclusive. Although he had warned Mingyu that his Korean was poor, Mingyu failed to realize just how many questions Minghao would ask. From making Mingyu clarify vocabulary to latching onto one part of the question and going on tangents, Minghao renders every question useless.

Mingyu frustratedly packs up his briefcase after the last question. Minghao is still sitting at his dressing table, head tilted in curiosity.

“So, Mr. Kim,” he asks, “am I an android?” His eyes shine with amusement.

Mingyu grits his teeth and says nothing. He imagines what an unpoised Minghao would look like.

Minghao smiles, like they’re conspirators and he’s sharing a secret. “Mr. Kim, I do wonder if perhaps you are an android.”

The possibility of Mingyu being an android is so absurd that he sputters out, “What?”

“You are a bounty hunter, after all. And androids don’t care about other androids.” Minghao turns back to the mirror, picking up his headpiece from the table. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, rehearsal will be starting again soon.”

△△△

“You’re an android,” Mingyu says, done with the test. He hasn’t even seen any of the Jeon Corporation’s android selection yet; Wonwoo had taken one look at his briefcase and declared that he would like to be tested.

Wonwoo blinks. “Impossible,” he says. He glances at the handler, who’s supposed to show Mingyu the selection of androids. “That’s impossible, right?”

“He’s not an android,” the handler affirms.

“According to Voigt-Kampff test, you’re an android,” Mingyu says.

“The Voigt-Kampff test is based on emphatic responses toward animals,” Wonwoo says. “Of course I was going to fail that, I didn’t grow up learning how to care about animals.”

“How’s that possible?” Mingyu asks. After World War Terminus and the mass extinctions, people had started caring for the remaining animals and it was a crime for a family not to own an animal. Even now, when it was no longer a crime, people still stigmatized those without animals.

“Mr. Jeon grew up on the Salander 3 ship,” the handler explains. “His knowledge of Earth is mostly from books and the other passengers’ experiences. And of course, you can’t expect a ship headed for the off-world colonies to house live animals.”

Wonwoo’s bewilderment morphs into indignation. “You were going to retire me,” he accuses Mingyu. “Your fear was that the Nexus-6 androids were too humanlike and would pass as human under your test. Instead, I passed as an android.” He glares at Mingyu. “How many humans have you killed because you thought they were androids?”

△△△

Mingyu scowls at the information sheet. Xu Minghao, Beijing opera performer, allegedly from Anshan. The words “Model: Nexus-6” taunt him. He glances at the vidscreen in his hovercar before deciding to read over his next target’s information sheet.

△△△

“Very well then,” Mingyu says, beginning to pack up his briefcase. The adhesive disk is still on Wonwoo’s cheek. He sighs. “And I was looking forward to buying beondegi with the bounty money too.”

The dial indicators don’t react fast enough.

△△△

Mingyu stands next to Minghao, who’s admiring a painting depicting dead soldiers in a long ago Earthen war.

“Does this remind you of the humans that you killed to escape the colonies?” Mingyu asks.

“Not particularly,” Minghao responds, and then glances over, unable to mask the surprise on his face when he sees Mingyu.

Mingyu smiles grimly. “If you would come with me, please.” He doubts that Minghao would want to be retired inside the museum, his body the newest art display.

Minghao appears resigned to his fate, his face no longer painted but still pale. He reminds Mingyu of the second android that he had retired today, the way it had shut down when he had cornered it. “I will if you buy me a print of this painting.”

△△△

Mingyu sits in his hovercar and dials the number that he had been given earlier today. A few moments later, Wonwoo’s face appears on the vidscreen.

“Mr. Kim,” he says. “How is the bounty hunting treating you?”

“I need to retire three more androids tonight,” Mingyu says.

Wonwoo’s eyes widen. “You already retired three of the Nexus-6s.”

“The last three are near the edge of my jurisdiction. Tomorrow, they’ll be gone.”

“And what do you want me to do about that?” Wonwoo asks. “No one’s taken out six Nexus-6s in one day.”

“You’re also a Nexus-6, aren’t you? You know how they operate.”

Wonwoo shakes his head. “You’re not thinking clearly. Give it a rest and continue the assignment tomorrow.”

“The assignment will be gone tomorrow.” Mingyu doesn’t know why he bothered trying to reason with an android. “I’m going after them tonight with or without your help.”

“Listen, Mingyu,” Wonwoo says rapidly. “Send me your location. We can rent a hotel room and discuss the logistics from there, alright?” It almost sounds like he cares.

Mingyu half-expects Wonwoo to break his promise, which is why it’s all the more surprising when there’s a knock on his hotel room. He opens the door to find Wonwoo on the other side, his coat buttoned up wrong, a lone button resting on the hollow of his neck.

“I still think you’re mad,” Wonwoo says, barging into the room. “Where are the information sheets?”

Wordlessly, Mingyu hands him the sheets on the three remaining androids. Wonwoo sits on the bed and reads through them, laughing when he reaches the last sheet.

“What?” Mingyu asks.

“One of them’s the same model as me,” Wonwoo says, pointing to the last android’s model number. “I wonder if you’ll be able to pull the trigger on him.” His lips curl up. “Or maybe you’ll be too busy wondering if you should kiss or kill him that he kills you first.”

“Thanks for your concern, but maybe I won’t even find him.”

Wonwoo doesn’t look up. “Stop pouting,” he says. “They’ll all be hiding together, it’s how we’re programmed.” He sticks a hand in one of his coat pockets, fishing around for something.

After a few seconds, Wonwoo smiles triumphantly, evidently having found what he was looking for, and holds up a metal contraption. “All you have to do,” he says, “is target the back of his neck. This disrupts his vagus nerve and he’ll stop breathing for long enough that you can cut him open with your laser tube.” He hands the contraption over. “What do you say, Mingyu,” he says pleasantly, “want to test it on me? Or would you rather kiss me?” Wonwoo peers up at Mingyu, his eyes guileless.

In response, Mingyu kneels between Wonwoo’s legs, gently placing a hand behind Wonwoo’s neck so that he can tilt Wonwoo’s head down to bring their lips together. When they break apart, Wonwoo’s cheeks are red, like a real human, Mingyu notes.

“Have you ever slept with an android before?” Wonwoo asks, starting to unbutton his coat.

“No,” Mingyu says.

“Have you ever wanted to?”

Mingyu ignores the image of Minghao that pops up in his mind, choosing instead to loosen his tie. “Why?” he asks. “Are you offering?”

Wonwoo laughs, his nose scrunching. “Well, aren’t you bright.”

△△△

Mingyu retires Minghao on the museum rooftop, Mars somewhere up above them beyond the dust and ruin.

One shot to the base of his skull, and Xu Minghao is no more than a pile of spare android parts.

Mingyu grabs a blanket from his hovercar to drape over the body, hesitating when he notices that Minghao is still hugging the print that Mingyu had bought him. A corner is singed. He gently pries the print from Minghao’s hands and places the blanket over Minghao, a makeshift burial shroud.

He then sits in his hovercar, pulling up one of Minghao’s performances on his vidscreen, watching in silence while he waits for the police to retrieve the body.

△△△

Afterwards, Mingyu dresses himself while Wonwoo sits in bed, the sheets pooling around his waist.

“Here,” Mingyu says, handing over the print of The Capture of Carthage to Wonwoo. It’s singed in the corner from a laser tube.

“I’ve never received a gift before,” Wonwoo says, gently cradling the print. “But then again, I’ve only existed for two years.”

“Two years?”

Wonwoo smiles thinly. “Nexus-6 androids have a four-year lifespan. So don’t worry, those three Nexus-6 androids won’t terrorize Earth for that much longer.”

Mingyu stares at him. “What do you mean?”

“You won’t be able to hunt androids anymore,” Wonwoo states. “No bounty hunter has gone on after being with me. Oh, don’t look at me like that,” he says, noticing Mingyu’s anguish, “did you really think that anything was going to happen? Did you want me to beg and plead that I was human? Somehow prove my humanity with a family photo?” He reaches for his coat, now a puddle on the floor, and grabs a cigarette and lighter from a coat pocket. He stares at the cigarette, pausing before flicking the lighter on and igniting the end.

“Do you know all of them?”

“The androids? I suppose so. I only know three now, since you killed the rest.” Wonwoo breathes out cigarette smoke. “What did you think of Xu Minghao? We were close friends.”

“I liked him.” Liked him enough to buy the print that he asked for, even though Mingyu was saving up his bounty money. Liked him enough to wonder about what he had done with his borrowed time.

“You still killed him.”

“It had to be done.”

Wonwoo closes his eyes and laughs. “It had to be done,” he says, repeating Mingyu. “Well, will you kill me next? Although I’m not worth any bounty money.” He takes another drag of his cigarette. “All this for a real animal? And you call androids heartless.”

Mingyu shrugs on his jacket. He doesn’t respond.

“Come on,” Wonwoo says. “You can’t even kill me. You know you’re going to die if you try killing the other three androids.”

“Well then, that’s the difference between you and me, isn’t it,” Mingyu says, stepping into his shoes. “Goodbye, Wonwoo.”

He leaves the hotel room.

LILY!!!!! I AM SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS!! I don’t know how you managed to distill do androids dream into 10 sections but it’s PERFECT fdjhgjhj

- This feels like it is for me my god all of my freshman yr of hs was haunted by this book in the best way and 2 see u do this with it…..oh man I need 2 thank u til the ends of the earth

- Mingyu as deckard is just amazing. I love the structure, too, and how you portrayed him starting to question himself and the parallels between his relationships w minghao and wonwoo….his struggles with those questions central to his dilemma are so clear and heartrending and the whole arc w minghao made me want to rip my hair out bc that would likely be less painful

- I love minghao as the opera performer….the description of his makeup was incredible. Goddd the motif of art and how he interacts with it and his retirement scene… I can visualize mingyu sitting in the car watching a video of minghao and that image Fucking hurts so much hahahsfhdsfjds

- Wonwoo as Rachael!!! Oh my god it’s perfect! The fox!! The ~5 sentences where mingyu realizes wonwoo is a nexus-6...The hotel room scene! Ahhhhh also the art print being passed to him. His whole turmoil-- Rachael always struck me as the most tragic character and it’s the same for this wonwoo. For some reason “his coat buttoned up wrong, a lone button resting on the hollow of his neck” made me so sad. That whole scene... I’m meanie revivalist 2k21

- Also the way you connected each disparate scene is so masterful, I love how the whole piece flows emotionally rather than logically…..ahgjhgjsdg dsj this is just so good like really really I’m gonna dream about this this is wish fulfillment to the max

- Some lines that really hurt in a solidly good way like my breath got knocked out of me a little bit: “And what about my dream is so ludicrous, Mingyu wants to ask.” “Mingyu retires Minghao on the museum rooftop, Mars somewhere up above them beyond the dust and ruin.”

Britney Spears yeah.gif thank you thank you…..ill think about this forever

what the FUCK Why Would You Say This To Me... im genuinely unhinged i cant believe youve done this to me!!!!! man. guess i'm gyuhao-ist AND meanie-ist now what the fuck. i don't even know anything abt the source material but i am adding it to my to-read list now in hopes that it will make me a fraction as unhinged as this has made me feel. i am lying on the floor absolutely catatonic pls take responsibility????? MAN. I DONT EVEN HAVE WORDS TO EXPLAIN HOW THIS MAKES ME FEEL I AM JUST HERE SCREAMING. anyways u are so good i kiss ur brain now

ki ive screamed ar u in the dms but here i am Getting You as u deserve (read: showering u with love n praise) GOOD GOD DO U KNOW WHAT U DID WHEN U QUOTED MY TWEET AND LINKED THIS?????? my mind was so scrambled at the thought of this prompt existing i was severely bonked for a while BOND GIRL SEOKMIN

anyways its 12am and im finally treating myself to this and i devoured it entirely

here are some notes:
- ... once in a dream or a more peaceful alternate universe, a little heartbreaking and sticky sweet, spreading like syrup one of my favorite things of all time about seokmin is his voice its rly like honey so thanks for throwing this in and stabbing me w it
- also the thing about mingyu saying dk looking like he was in ecstasy n experiencing religion.... he wanna f*ck him sooooo bad....
- god dk is so delicious thru mingyu’s pov i really have to commend u on that???? like??? help???? ( He’s so strangely dangerous up close. His frame is so much bigger than Minghao’s. All potential energy. also if this is commentart on the general broadification of svt himbo line ur doing fantastic. i too am noticing)
- mingyu Squirm. suffer for all the heartache u’ve caused me!!!
- also the brilliant pacing and interjections that jeonghan makes near the end has me also leaning on the edge of my seat anxiously awaiting for the ball to drop i thought that was super smart :’0 i couldn’t help but be there w mingyu, unsure of the next move, high stakes and all
- THIS WAS SO GOOD SERIOUSLY.

!!!;’dmfnnfhdjsjcnc there is something about seokmin bond girl that is making me so FERAL i enjoy seeing him in different masks sooooo much *____* (ie. the confidence, the dangerous, the enjoyment/amusement of making mingyu squirm yummm) u write seokmin so well (and through other povs too) and i always always always will love ur writing.... there’s nothing like it ki thank u for writing <333

thank u so much for reading and commenting AGH im so happy u enjoyed it ;__;

Ship/Member: Seungcheol/Joshua
Major Tags: N/A
Additional Tags: circe au, gods and mortals, greek mythology
Permission to remix: Yes

***

How fragile.

That had been Joshua’s first thought when he’d first laid eyes on the man, wading through the rip-tide as the hull of his ship sank beneath the surface of the waves in the distance, cerulean swallowing darkness.

He hadn’t looked like much either, battered in a way Joshua could scarcely comprehend. Shadows marred his complexion, which had an almost unearthly shade of grey, like all the life had been leached from his bones.

Joshua had caught him before he hit the ground.

***

The next part came easy. Joshua’s always had a way with nature and the plants listened as he coaxed them out of their ground and under his pestle. Nectar dripped easily through parted lips and Joshua sang the magic to life inside him until colour returned to his skin and he no longer looked like a sliver of himself.

He wrapped the man’s wounds in calendula leaves, pressed his power into the salves beneath them. His skin was warm beneath Joshua’s fingers, and he couldn’t help but trace the lines of his arm, stopping just before his pulse point. The mark of this man’s mortality. What a strange concept, the idea that if Joshua hadn’t saved him he would have simply ceased to exist.

Then again, gods died all the time too. Only in different ways.

***

He woke a full day later, skin warmed to a beautiful bronze colour, nothing left on his body to show for his battle with the ocean and her monsters. Joshua heard the noise he made as woke, even from where he’d been tending to his animals on the other side of the island, and was immediately back in the house and by his bedside.

The man took one look at him and promptly fell right out of the bed in what could only have been an attempt to run, had his legs not been rendered almost useless from the recovery. He was beautiful like this, now that he wasn’t halfway into the Stix, dark hair falling like a curtain over equally dark, wide eyes that looked up at Joshua with an expression that Joshua had come to learn was fear. It stirred something unpleasant in him and he took a step back before crouching down to meet him on his level.

“I’m sorry for startling you,” he said softly. “I heard you wake.”

“Where am I?” His voice was low, rough from disuse but not unpleasantly so. It sent tingles across his skin and Joshua couldn’t help but wonder what he would sound like otherwise.

He smiled what he hoped was a gentle smile. “You’re on my island.”

The man frowned as he pushed himself back up into a proper sitting position. “My ship… I thought I was dead. Did you save me?”

“I did.”

“Who are you?” His voice was steady despite the obvious wariness in his eyes, and Joshua found himself more and more intrigued.

He edged closer, smiling slightly when the man no longer flinched or backed away. “You can call me Joshua.”

The man swallowed but he met his gaze with a strength Joshua wouldn’t have thought possible in humans. “I'm Seungcheol.”

***

That was how it began. How Seungcheol slowly weaved himself into the island and into Joshua’s very eternal life. He was curious about everything, about the magic Joshua pulled from the earth into the bottles and jars that lined the windows and shelves of the house.

He would follow Joshua out into the meadows and fields, into the darkness of the forest, wade into icy pools that seemed to be made out of liquid glass without hesitation, and always, always, with a question ready on the tip of his tongue. His magic seemed to interest Seungcheol as much as his mortality did Joshua, and yet, not once did Seungcheol ever ask him what he was.

It took months and multiple trips around the island for Joshua to find out why, sprawled out as they were atop one of the hills under the blanket of stars that never seemed to change. His plants curled around them in welcome, twining around their limbs like bangles of green, the stronger of them nudging him closer to Seungcheol than he would have liked.

Seungcheol lifted a hand in wonder, watching as the vine wound its way upward and between his fingers.

“Why do you always watch like it is your first time seeing the plants greet you?”

Seungcheol looked over at him then, a small smile playing around his lips. “Because sometimes I’m not sure I believe they’re real. That you’re real.”

Joshua laughed as he propped himself up on an elbow so that he could look down at Seungcheol. “Why would you think I’m not real?”

Seungcheol blushed then, an exquisite pink colour that tinted his cheeks in a way Joshua’s never seen before. “You— You’re too beautiful to be real,” he admitted softly, looking away from Joshua. “And you do these things that shouldn’t be possible, you healed me, you speak to plants and animals, and they listen to you. The island listens to you. And you— you never touch me. Sometimes… Sometimes I wonder if I died and went to Elysium and you’re just a figment of my mind…” He trailed off, flushing so deeply even his ears were pink.

His words stunned Joshua. It had been so long since the last time he’d met someone — god, mortal, some other creature in between — that he hadn’t realised that he’d been keeping what must have been an uncomfortable distance between them. He looked at how close they were now, barely an inch apart and yet there might as well have been an ocean between them.

“I’m sorry,” he said eventually. “I didn’t realise. It’s been so long since— Since there’s been anyone else here besides me I— I didn't know if I could. Would you let me? Touch you, I mean.”

Seungcheol’s head whipped towards him and Joshua found himself unable to look away from him, from the deep, intense blackness that was his eyes to the delicate curve of his lips. “Yes.”

Joshua moved slowly, gently, as he finally allowed himself to press the palm of his hand to Seungcheol’s cheek, to feel the warmth of his skin that was so different to the heat of the sun he knew ran in his own veins. Seungcheol’s eyes fluttered shut and Joshua took the opportunity to brush the hair of his face, marvelling at the way the strands felt coarse against his fingers, unlike the perfect smoothness of Joshua’s own hair.

“You’re beautiful too, you know?” Joshua whispered as his thumb traced along the edges of Seungcheol’s face, over the stubble that dotted his chin, and the lines of scars from older battles. And he was beautiful. Seungcheol was beautiful in a way that was so different to what Joshua was used to, weathered, and worn, and imperfect. It sang to Joshua’s heart the way his island sang to him sometimes, an answer to his own song.

He leaned closer as he brought both his hands to Seungcheol’s cheeks. “May I?”

Seungcheol nodded and Joshua pressed their lips together, humming in delight when Seungcheol reached for him too. Joshua was no virgin, millenia on Earth had taken care of that, but this was different. This was something he'd never felt before. It almost felt like his magic did when he called to it, like an energy flowed into his veins.

He gasped when it finally hit him, sending sparks shooting across his skin and he pulled away, panting, only to find Seungcheol in a similar state, his skin flushed an even rosier hue than before. His eyes were an inky blackness as they looked up at him. “Wow,” he breathed and Joshua couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of him.

He leaned closer with a grin, the tips of their noses just shy of brushing. “Still think I’m not real?”

Seungcheol laughed, a wonderful sound that warmed Joshua all the way to his toes. “Definitely not.”

***

a/n: Ahhh I hope you like this. I feel like I may not have done as much as I (or you) wanted but I'm actually reading Circe at the moment so when I saw this I decided why not?

Edited 2021-01-19 09:25 (UTC)

Ship/Member: Joshua/Any, Mingyu/Any, or Joshua/Mingyu
Major Tags: N/A
Additional Tags: infidelity, triangulation of desire, missed connections
Do Not Wants: None

Prompt: just thinking about this photoshoot. anything vaguely inspired by wong kar wai's in the mood for love would be fun.

I did like reading this!! Ever since I saw the Circe prompt my eyes were opened. The imagery of immortal Josh vs mortal Cheol was stunning *___*

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 3 of 7

Round 2: Alternate Universes

Re: [FILL] the only person standing in your way is

Re: [FILL] if you’re open, take the shot

Re: [FILL] the only person standing in your way is

Re: [FILL] the only person standing in your way is

Circe AU

Re: [FILL] the only person standing in your way is

Re: [FILL] the only person standing in your way is

i had 2 find out from the tl today that seokmin knows how to tap dance (not clickbait)

skinny bag of bones jeon wonwoo

[FILL] fishing the sun out of the sky

Re: [FILL] fishing the sun out of the sky

Re: [FILL] if you’re open, take the shot

bond girl seokmin

Re: [FILL] if you’re open, take the shot

[FILL] but you'll never have my heart

Re: [FILL] but you'll never have my heart

Re: [FILL] the only person standing in your way is

[FILL] went looking for a creation myth

Re: [FILL] went looking for a creation myth

Re: [FILL] went looking for a creation myth

Re: [FILL] but you'll never have my heart

Re: [FILL] if you’re open, take the shot

[FILL] elysium

no subject

Re: [FILL] elysium