Status: Closed
This round has closed. It remains open for fills, comments and remixes, but prompts are no longer accepted.
About
"If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more."
"What is grief, if not love persevering?"
"You kept me like a secret but I kept you like an oath"
Calling all readers, lovers of poetry and music, screen and stage. Quote collecters and lyric hoarders, unleash your archive. Each prompt must contain a quote - you can combine them, add commentary, link to articles, and more. Steal from a literary classic, or WeVerse drama. Have fun!
Examples
Minghao + Ocean Vuong
The most beautiful part of your body
is where it's headed. & remember,
loneliness is still time spent
with the world.
Ocean Vuong - night sky with exit wounds
Hoshi/Anyone; "Beauty is terror"
Thinking about these two quotes together and the idea of on/off-stage personas:
"Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful we tremble before it. And what could be more terrifying or beautiful, to the Greeks to to our own, than to lose control completely?" - Donna Tartt, the Secret Histories
"I am calm in everyday life but when I put on my in-ear device and step on stage, I can feel the tension and hear the cheers getting louder as the music gets louder. When the staff tells me it's time to step on stage, I feel something boil inside me. I feel it steaming inside and I think I have to give a burst of something, spill what is inside me." - Hoshi in Hit the Road Ep. 04
Any ship; "It's been so many years"
Hello, hello there, is this Martha?
This is old Tom Frost
And I am calling long distance
Don't worry 'bout the cost.
'Cause it's been forty years or more
Now Martha please recall
Meet me out for coffee
Where we'll talk about it all.
Tom Watts - Martha
Rules
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- NSFW/Explicit content should be tagged
- NSFW art should not be visible, please provide a link and a warning. 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;
- Copy+Paste the following HTML into your comment and edit the sections. Feel free to add as much detail as you want!
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, edit the sections, and add your text.
You may also upload your fill to the AO3 Collection.
Remixing
- Post as a reply to the fill you are remixing, using the same HTML as above;
- Change the subject to [REMIX].
Art/media
- Upload your work to any platform (twitter, imgur, youtube, soundcloud, google maps, etc.)
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no subject
Major Tags: N/A
Additional Tags: finding yourself after a relationship ends, self love
Do Not Wants: None
Prompt:
— Gfriend, Better me
— Taylor Swift, Begin Again
[FILL] i watched it begin again
Major Tags: N/A
Additional Tags: breakups, finding yourself after a relationship ends, healing, and the role friends play in that healing
Permission to remix: Please ask
hi!! idk if this was what you wanted i'm sorry T__T hope you still like it though !!
***
When Seokmin wakes up the day after he and Jeonghan break up, he’s greeted by the buzzing of his doorbell and incessant knocking on the door. His ignores the continuous vibrations from his phone, tucked under his pillow, and sluggishly makes his way to the door.
He catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror hanging by the entryway: swollen eyes, hair sticking out in all directions, face puffy - he looks like hell, like he’d cried himself to sleep.
Which he did.
His eyes drift to the small table underneath the mirror, catches a glimpse of his haphazardly-tossed wallet, the small succulent Minghao had given him a few months ago, and his apartment keys, lying in the small dish Jeonghan had made for him when he’d attended that pottery class several weeks ago.
He feels tears rush to his eyes.
But before his tears fall, there’s a voice from the other side of the door. “Seokmin-ah, are you up?”
It’s followed by a muffled complaint. “Stop pushing me, Seungkwan-ah!”
“Stop it!” A third voice hisses. “You’re attracting attention.”
When Seokmin opens the door, he’s greeted by the sight of Mingyu and Seungkwan with their arms full of paper bags, in the middle of a heated glare, and Minghao stuck in between them, holding his phone up to his ear. They all look up at him.
Seokmin blinks again, then promptly bursts into tears.
He’s engulfed in a large hug.
*
The days after his split with Jeonghan pass by in a blur. All Seokmin remembers is going to work, trying to keep it together in front of the young students, going home, crying, and eating whatever’s in his apartment. Mingyu, Minghao, and Seungkwan take turns dropping by his apartment, making sure he looks after himself, never without some food and a sympathetic smile at hand.
Before Seokmin knows it, several days, then a week, then another week has passed.
He must’ve cried himself out the past two weeks, because when he and Minghao accidentally bump into Jeonghan, who’d dropped by his apartment to get all his stuff, he finds that his cheeks are dry.
Minghao’s hand rests comfortingly, protectively on his shoulder. He’s never been the friendliest to people, always reserved, quiet, observant, and even in this instance he’s polite — but there’s an edge to his tone that suggests otherwise as he greets Jeonghan.
Seokmin avoids Jeonghan’s gaze completely, choosing to stare off to the side as Jeonghan passes them by.
He breathes a sigh of relief when the elevator door closes behind him, leaving any trace of him in Seokmin’s life gone. He waits for the tears to come, but they don't. Instead he feels tired, numb, like he’d been hung out to dry. He wants to go to bed.
He feels Minghao’s hand gently hover over the small of his back as he guides them inside his apartment.
*
“He’s got a pretty good voice,” Seungkwan comments absently, pointing his head towards the busker as they eat their ice cream sandwiches.
They’re in the park, and it’s the first time Seokmin’s been out of his apartment that isn’t his workplace. It’s a cloudy afternoon, and there’s a bit of a chill in the air, but Seungkwan had still dragged Seokmin to the ice cream cart at the corner, despite Seokmin having had his fill of ice cream in the past month since the split.
He’s glad for it, though: they were selling his favorite childhood snack - hard blocks of ice cream sandwiched in between two wafers. He’d broken out into a grin at the first bite, eyes widening in surprise - it was just as good as he’d remembered it.
“No wonder he’s making a lot of money,” Seokmin replies, jutting his chin towards the musician while angling the snack so it doesn’t drip onto his sweatpants. An elderly couple stop their strolling to toss some spare change into the can by the busker, and not a moment later they’re followed by a waddling kid who drops a bill into the container.
Seokmin takes a bite of the sandwich, relishing the crunch of the wafers against the creamy ice cream. His gaze returns to the musician, and he doesn’t notice that he’s been staring until Seungkwan breaks the silence.
“Hyung, didn’t you want to learn the guitar before?” Seungkwan muses, taking a bite of his own dessert, before following Seokmin’s gaze. “I remember you even bought a guitar and all.”
“Yeah, but I never got around to doing it,” Seokmin admits sadly, watching on in a mix of envy and admiration as the musician’s sweet crooning of a love ballad attracts a small crowd.
Seokmin shrugs. “And, well, Jeonghan-hyung said that I had a lot on my plate, and it would’ve been hard to balance it along with everything else…” he trails off, the memory of Jeonghan’s worried face when Seokmin had once brought it up appearing for a split-second before Seokmin wills it away.
Seungkwan doesn’t reply. When Seokmin turns to look at him, he spots a small, almost pitiful smile on Seungkwan’s face. “It isn’t too late, you know.”
Seokmin averts his gaze, shrugging his shoulders in a facade of nonchalance. “Yeah, I know.”
Seungkwan nudges his foot, prompting Seokmin to meet his eyes once more. Seungkwan gives him a measured look. “I’m serious. If I can learn to play badminton at twenty-three, despite having the endurance of a middle-aged man, I’m sure you can learn to play the guitar.” This time, it’s Seungkwan who tears his gaze away, glancing over at the busker once more. “Besides, it doesn’t have to take up a lot of your time. It can just be an hour or two each week, you know?”
Seokmin considers Seungkwan’s words. “Maybe,” he muses, brows furrowing as he turns the idea over in his mind. This seems to satisfy Seungkwan enough, and he drops the subject, turning the conversation to his mishap at the coffee shop a week ago.
Seokmin picks up his guitar for the first time in over a year when he gets home.
*
Mingyu’s made a habit of coming over to his apartment on Sunday mornings, making breakfast for them both. Minghao joins them sometimes, so long as he wakes up on time, and Seungkwan occasionally drops by when he isn’t playing badminton, but it’s usually just him and Mingyu.
The past months had consisted of Seokmin sitting at the table he’d set, while Mingyu bustled around the kitchen, slicing, dicing, simmering sauces, caramelizing onions, and doing a bunch of stuff Seokmin didn’t understand. He’d often cry about Jeonghan, and Mingyu would scurry over to hand him a tissue, patting him on the back in comfort, before rushing back to the stove to check on whatever he was cooking.
He hasn’t cried the past few Sundays, however, and Mingyu had been able to go about making breakfast in the tiny kitchen without needing to reach for the tissue box on the countertop.
He’s just finished setting the table. Today, however, instead of sitting down to talk with Mingyu about their weeks, he gets up from his seat and joins Mingyu at the stove. “What are you making?” he asks, tiptoeing to peer over Mingyu’s shoulder.
“I’m making porridge,” Mingyu answers him, stirring the mixture carefully.
Seokmin looks at the dark liquid, a far cry from the rice porridges he was used to. “Why is it brown?”
Mingyu grins. “There’s chocolate in it,” he turns around to beam excitedly at Seokmin, arm never ceasing in its stirring. “It’s a famous breakfast from the Philippines.”
“Oh.” Seokmin bounces on his heels, watching as the liquid in the pot simmers and slowly disappears.
Mingyu turns around to look at him, head tilted to the side. “Wanna help me cook?” he asks, tilting the wooden spoon towards Seokmin.
He glances at the wooden spoon warily. “Really?” he asks. Mingyu was often touted as the clumsy one in the friend group, but Seokmin was surprisingly even more so whenever it came to kitchen matters. He’d tried making dinner with Jeonghan once, but he’d been so jittery and nervous that he’d just gotten in the way, and since then he’d been relegated to table setting duties.
Mingyu nods. “Yeah. You just have to stir the mixture until there’s just enough liquid, then add sugar until it’s as sweet as you want it.”
Seokmin tentatively moves to take the spoon, movements unsure.
Mingyu picks up on his uncertainty, sends a small smile his way. “I’ll help you out.”
Seokmin gets a second serving of the sweet porridge, and a third.
*
Seokmin’s just finished telling Seungkwan about the informal guitar lessons he’d been taking from his coworker, and how much he’s said he’s improved. Seokmin’s on the edge of his seat with pride and anticipating Seungkwan’s response, but Seungkwan says nothing. Instead, he rests his chin on his hand, a small smile on his face.
“What?” Seokmin asks, confused.
“Nothing,” Seungkwan shrugs, the small smile on his face never disappearing. “It’s just really nice to see you so excited about your guitar lessons.”
“It’s always something I’ve wanted to do,” Seokmin cranes his neck at the sound of the bell to look over at the counter, checking to see if it’s their order. “I can’t believe it took me so long to actually do it.”
It isn’t their order. Seokmin settles back into his seat to find that Seungkwan’s still smiling at him. “What?” he asks, voice taking on a slightly higher pitch whenever he whines.
Seungkwan holds his hands up in surrender. “Nothing, really!”
Seokmin squints his eyes at him in suspicion. “I promise!” Seungkwan crosses a finger over his heart solemnly.
Seokmin settles back into his seat, his guard still up.
Seungkwan settles back into his seat, shrugging. “I’ve just…” he trails off, pausing for a moment. “I’ve really missed eating out with you.”
Seokmin looks at him, now more confused than suspicious. “We’ve had dinner together almost every week at my apartment.”
“Yeah but,” Seungkwan shrugs, the mysterious smile appearing on his face once more. “It’s different this time.”
Their conversation is cut off as the waitress places their orders on their tables, and for a while it’s silent as they dig into the steaming bowls of ramen.
Seokmin clambers into bed that night, stomach full from their meal earlier, as is his heart.
*
“Seokmin?”
It’s been a little over half a year since he’d heard that voice.
Seokmin turns around, sees Jeonghan make his way towards him, empty basket in hand.
He looks good. His hair’s grown out, almost reaching the tips of his shoulders, and Seokmin vaguely wonders if he’s going to grow his hair out the way he did when they first met, hair falling past his shoulder blades.
Seokmin clears his throat, sends a tentative smile his way. “Hyung! How have you been?” he asks, Jeonghan coming to a stop right in front of him.
“I’ve been doing fine,” Jeonghan answers. He does look fine – more than fine, actually. His cheeks are a bit fuller, there’s a brightness in his eyes and a lightness to his being that Seokmin faintly registers. “What about you?”
“I, uh, I’ve been doing alright too,” Seokmin replies. Jeonghan nods at him approvingly. “You do look like it,” he comments casually, and Seokmin averts his gaze, bashful at the attention.
Jeonghan’s eyes flit over to his cart, filled to the brim with various ingredients. “What’s all this?” he asks curiously, jutting his chin out at the cart.
Oh. “I’m cooking dinner later tonight.”
Jeonghan does a good job of hiding his surprise. “Oh?”
Seokmin rubs a hand over the back of his neck. “Uhm, some friends are coming over, so I’m going to make some risotto with some salad on the side,” he rambles, gesturing vaguely to the cart. He attempts a joke. “Hopefully I don’t burn the apartment down.”
Jeonghan’s gaze is soft. “I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Jeonghan replies, eyes boring into Seokmin’s.
Seokmin’s unsure of what to say next, is a bit uncertain of what to do under the weight of Jeonghan’s gaze.
He’s saved from answering as his phone pings with a text message from Minghao.
“Oh, I have to go,” he tucks his phone back in his pocket. “They’re on their way to the apartment already.”
Jeonghan steps aside, making way for him to pass. “Go ahead,” Jeonghan gestures to the empty aisle. “Don’t let me keep you.”
Seokmin pushes the cart along, gives him a little wave. “Nice seeing you, hyung,” he says truthfully.
It’s been several months since they split, but he can still sense the sincerity and weight of Jeonghan’s next words. “You too.”
Re: [FILL] i watched it begin again
[FILL] i'm getting used to receiving
Major Tags: post breakup
Additional Tags: finding yourself after a relationship ends, self love, just jun giving himself time and stuff
Permission to remix: Yes! please tag me if you do :)
Exactly 400 words!
(this is a small thing and it feels very ramble-y and i know this prompt was filled before but i really haven't stopped thinking about it since i read it. i hope you like it *hides away*)
***
— Gfriend, Better me
— Taylor Swift, Begin Again
It took some time, but Jun could finally watch his favourite movies again without wondering if he thought of him whenever someone mentioned them, or when they came on the TV. It took some more time, but every song stopped reminding Jun of him. His favourite books and passages stopped irrevocably being about his heartache and were about other grandeur things again. The love letters and notes he never sent stopped weighing a ton on his shoulders and finally became feather light in his trash bin.
The world shifted in its axis. Maybe it went back to its rightful place.
When Jun would try something new and not wonder about what he would’ve thought, he knew he was going to get better.
Heartbreak could not last forever, he had hoped when he cried until his pillowcase was filled with nothing but tears. It turned out to be truth, eventually.
He got scared one day, when he suddenly could breathe easily. What did that make of his previous feelings? Feelings that felt absolute and immovable at some point in his life. Feelings that kept him alive.
“You cherish the good memories,” Minghao had told him. “And learn from the bad. It doesn’t mean it was all worthless. It just means that part of your life is over, but that doesn’t make it less important.”
He picked himself back up slowly through the waves of sadness. He played games online again and made friends. He cooked for his friends unprompted, just to see them smile and fish for compliments. He went out dancing with them after way too long. He went on walks and let his mind spiral out of control, until one day his heart nudged him back and said it’s okay. It’s okay now.
***
“Hyung, I made these for you.”
One day, those words stop confusing Jun. They do not shock him anymore. They fill him with something warm, something familiar, yet somewhat different. The frame engulfing him is, for one, taller than Junhui, but much softer. Little actions that would've driven him away before, now pull him in, inescapably (not that he wants to escape.)
After a few weeks of being taken care of, Jun lets himself get used to it. He gives as good as he receives, and thinks it’s worth trying again every time his lips and his hands are met with a such tender eagerness.
Re: [FILL] i'm getting used to receiving
;-; please don't apologize, this was so sweet and so beautiful and so full of feelings!! i love how you portrayed the passing of time and the fading of hurt, how it can be confusing to forget those emotions when at first they were so prominent and you thought you couldn't go on without the other person. i love and cherish every single word, it's perfect <3 thank you for writing!!
Re: [FILL] i'm getting used to receiving
Re: [FILL] i'm getting used to receiving
Re: [FILL] i'm getting used to receiving