oh wow this was beautiful!!!! you got at the heart of what I love about that quote, it was so incredibly lovely-- I caught my breath at
> "The first time Minghao saw the ocean, he thought that the whole world was meant to be underwater. The vastness of it seemed poised to overtake every dry thing, sand and sky alike. He would’ve given in."
> "In other words, the body is focused on how to keep you alive while you’re submerged. The brain is what fights to reach the surface."
> "He doesn’t need to ask why. There’s an intimacy in the witness; in watching an outstretched hand grasp at nothing. In knowing what someone looks like when every part of them is fighting for survival. And when he thinks about that feeling, of being swallowed up by the water without even an echo of the world he’d left behind — Soonyoung’s right. It’s why they’re all here."
This is such a full universe, it feels like there's entire lifetimes hiding around the corners. You craft so much depth in this, I loved lingering on Junhui--his admission that he grew up in a landlocked state, and what that might mean for him, especially compared to Minghao and Soonyoung who love water with everything they have.
The bookending with Minghao watching things+him following Soonyoung at the end was so good !! And I especially loved the way it was Soonyoung pulling Minghao after him. This was so so delightful to read, thank you for sharing <3
Re: [FILL] All your cells want freedom
> "The first time Minghao saw the ocean, he thought that the whole world was meant to be underwater. The vastness of it seemed poised to overtake every dry thing, sand and sky alike. He would’ve given in."
> "In other words, the body is focused on how to keep you alive while you’re submerged. The brain is what fights to reach the surface."
> "He doesn’t need to ask why. There’s an intimacy in the witness; in watching an outstretched hand grasp at nothing. In knowing what someone looks like when every part of them is fighting for survival. And when he thinks about that feeling, of being swallowed up by the water without even an echo of the world he’d left behind — Soonyoung’s right. It’s why they’re all here."
This is such a full universe, it feels like there's entire lifetimes hiding around the corners. You craft so much depth in this, I loved lingering on Junhui--his admission that he grew up in a landlocked state, and what that might mean for him, especially compared to Minghao and Soonyoung who love water with everything they have.
The bookending with Minghao watching things+him following Soonyoung at the end was so good !! And I especially loved the way it was Soonyoung pulling Minghao after him. This was so so delightful to read, thank you for sharing <3