#orbit ocs | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

gotta-winwin · 20 days ago

Text

crossing your orbit

⭐ starring: minghao (the8) feat. vernon & jun

🌙 preview: year after year, minghao’s dreams remain the same. floating aimlessly through the starry night sky, he orbits around a girl he cannot place a name to. his fingers, nails painted black and adorned with silver stars, moved swiftly across the keyboard. He was searching for answers. what does it mean when you have recurring dreams about the same person? what does it mean when that person you dream of is a stranger? what does it mean to wake up floating in a galaxy?

The internet whirred and came back with no solid answer.

tw/cw: starcrossed lovers, playing around with fate, soulmates, hints of mcd, angst, longing, deja vu, abstract storytelling

☁️ masterlist & a/n: hellooo! dropping a minghao fic inspired by both the mvs for orbit and hai cheng.

(⭐)

It was December yet again and Minghao was still dreaming of her.

She was someone nameless, someone that haunted his dreams each night without fail, so close yet always just out of reach. It both excited him and filled him with rage.

“Who are you?” He’d ask each time they met, reaching out to touch her face.

She’d always take a step back before he could reach her.

“Who are you?”

It was the only question she refused to ever answer.

The nameless girl came to him surrounded by stars, spanning further than his eyes could see, as they both floated aimlessly through what looked to be a long forgotten galaxy. The first time he had awoken there, his arms and legs had flailed for solid ground. She had giggled at the sight of him panicking, a soft, tinkling sound that had graced his eardrums and settled into his mind. Her laugh was the only thing that followed him out of the dream and back into reality. He’d find himself twisting around to locate the sound, startling his bandmates in the middle of practice. It probably looked to them like he had lost his mind. Minghao was beginning to think he had.

She was sitting in the center, legs crossed with an expectant smile on her face, as if she had known he’d be there. He wondered faintly if she even existed outside of his mind.

“I feel like I know you.”

She hummed at his comment, flipping gracefully through the air further away from him.

“Do I?” He persisted, flapping his arms clumsily to chase after her.

It frustrated him how little she spoke each time they met. It was always like this, the girl dancing circles around him, spinning gracefully through the air as if it were only water. And Minghao would follow, his movements clumsy and uncoordinated for the first time in his life. He prided himself to be a dancer - yet here he was, floating uselessly as he watched her move like the current.

It pained him that he could never reach her.

(⭐⭐)

It was December yet again and Minghao was still dreaming of her.

It had snowed for the first time last night, as he stayed up late, his face illuminated by the light of his computer. A snoring Vernon accompanied him, the only sound he could hear through his intense concentration.

His fingers, nails painted black and adorned with silver stars, moved swiftly across the keyboard. He was searching for answers.

What does it mean when you have recurring dreams about the same person?

What does it mean when that person you dream of is a stranger?

What does it mean to wake up floating in a galaxy?

The internet whirred and came back with no solid answer.

(⭐⭐⭐)

“Who are you?”

He was back again, floating belly up, drifting through the darkness illuminated only by the flecks of starlight.

She circled him, her hair floating around her face, framing it like a halo. Her white dress flowed and tickled his sides as she swam around him.

“You know who I am.”

He sat up, not having expected her to actually answer. Her voice was melodic, calm and distorted, as if she was speaking through a recording.

“I don’t. I don’t know who you are. Tell me, please. What is your name?”

She merely gave him a melancholic twinge of a smile. “You know who I am, Hao. Or at least, you did.”

There was something about the way she said his name that made him shiver. It sounded so foreign, yet… it brought back a reminiscent flavour he couldn’t quite place his finger on.

“Why do you think we’re always floating in space, Hao?”

He frowned. “Isn’t this where you live?” He had always assumed she had brought him here, transported his mind to find her everytime he drifted to sleep.

She laughed, and the sound warmed his insides. He found himself selfishly wishing to never awaken, if it meant he could hear it again. “Quite the opposite, actually. You live here.”

His confusion must have been evident on his face, for she swam a bit closer, her hair brushing his shoulder. She smelled distinctly of the beach.

“Your mind lives here, Hao. And because you are here, I am here as well.” Her lips twitched, as if something about it had amused her. “I wasn’t always this good at navigating with no gravity.” She told him, and it surprised him to hear. “I was like a fish out of water the first few days.”

She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards a speck of light, one of thousands surrounding them. It hit Minghao that this was the first time she’d let them touch - her hand sending shockwaves up his arm and down his spine. He grasped her hand tightly as she swam them both over, afraid she might let go and be out of reach once again.

“Look.”

He followed her finger, his gaze landing on the spot she pointed to.

“You sleep like a dead man.” She tilted her head up to look at him, eyes twinkling. “And your roommate snores like an engine.”

Minghao stared, wide eyed at himself, sleeping peacefully in bed, his hair tousled and his arm hanging off the frame.

“How is that possible?” He whispered, reaching a tentative hand down to touch. A pool of silver water deflected his fingertips, and the image of himself sleeping evaporated into the starry sky around them.

“Let me show you.”

Her hands left his, and Minghao frantically tried to grab them, terrified she’d abandon him again.

Again. There was something strange about that sentence. Abandon him. Again.

“Let me show you.”

Her hands returned to touch him, her fingertips grazing over his temples, pushing back his blonde and black hair.

(⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The first thing he felt was sand against his bare feet, the heat a startling contrast from the winter snow.

He spun around, searching for the girl. She was gone.

Staring out into the open and vast ocean, he had the unsettling feeling that he’d been here before. Racking his brain, he tried pulling out memories of this place. The mountains in the distance, the blue-green of the water, the cascading waves, the golden brown sand beneath him.

“Xu Minghao!”

He turned, and arms wrapped around his waist.

“I told you not to call me that.” The words felt foreign in his mouth and so did the teasing tone. He couldn’t remember what prompted them.

She looked up and he could feel his heart putter to a stop.

“It’s you.” She was back. But she looked different - younger, her hair short and wearing a thick jacket with a scarf around her neck. He looked down and realized he wore the same thing - his pajamas long forgotten. They looked so ordinarily normal.

Her nose scrunched, a dazzling smile across her face as she looked at him, eyes full of everlasting love. “Of course it’s me, Hao. Who else would hug you so brazenly?”

Who are you?

“Why do you look so sad?” She questioned, pulling away from his arms slightly to get a better look at his face.

He blinked out of his thoughts. “What?”

Her hand pressed against his cheek. “Are you not feeling well?” Her eyebrows furrowed with worry. “Your face is a little warm.”

He shook his head. “I’m fine.”

Who are you?

And why do I feel like I’ve loved you for more than a lifetime?

“Dance with me, Hao.”

His footsteps moved without thought, as if he had done it before, his muscles picking up on a memory his mind could not.

He focused on her, the stunningly bright and magical girl before him, basking in her laughter and relishing the feeling of having her in his arms.

They danced until neither one could dance any longer.

“I’m glad you brought me to your hometown, Hao.” She whispered, her back against his chest as he looped his arms around her, staring out into the glittering ocean. “Hai Cheng is beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful.” Who are you?

She turned in his arms, laughing. “You’re cheesy.”

“You love me.” The words spilled from his mouth with no control, as if it had been a predetermined choice of someone that wasn’t him.

She hummed. “I do love you.”

Who are you?

“Promise me you won’t forget me once I’m gone.”

He blinked.

“I know we’re both still young, but,” She turned in his arms to face him, pulling him closer by wrapping her arms around his neck. The sleeves of her coat brushed against his skin and he shuddered, feeling her cold hands press against his nape. “Is it selfish of me to want you to not forget about me?”

He shook his head. “Of course not, love.” The pet name rolled off his tongue like second nature, although Minghao couldn’t remember the last time he’d ever called someone love.

“I’m scared.”

He looked into her eyes, watching as they roamed his face, searching. His own eyes felt wet with sudden tears.

“I’m scared, Hao. What if there really is nothing after death?”

He gently wiped a lone tear away from her face.

“Don’t be scared.” He whispered, and the memories came rushing back through him, consuming his every being and overwhelming his mind. I know who you are now. “You’ll be in everything I ever do.”

(⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

It was December yet again and Minghao was still dreaming of her.

He relished each meeting, looking forward to each time the sun set and being lulled gently to sleep.

He’d long mastered the art of swimming through space, spending his time doing lazy backflips and chasing her through streams of planets and stars. It was no longer a frustrating, confusing prison in his mind, but a second home to him now.

He could remember everything now. Every piece of their time together on Earth and every moment off of it.

He could remember the first meeting, the first kiss, each secret coffee date, each dance under the dim kitchen lights. The first time he’d taken her to meet his family, how he’d cried in Jun’s arms upon reading the doctor’s report. The last kiss, the last coffee date, the last dance under the bright kitchen lights. The funeral, the aftermath. Minghao could remember all of it.

100 notes · View notes

copepods · 6 months ago

Text

the oc refs i made for artfight :) character descriptions below

Reluctant Abstinence:

A dedicated and curious iterator with a great interest with the physiology and neurology of scavengers. Her latest project heavily involves luring local scavengers into her structure and performing neural and behavioral experiments to see if she can make them more similar to her creators. Her primary experiment is The Student, a kidnapped elite scavenger who she’s trying to program with traits from the Ancients. She speaks to it often and tells it stories about her creation and upbringing.

She is close with her fellow local group members, but often forgets to check in with them in favor of her work. Prior to Mass Ascension, she was very close with her creators, and losing them hit her hard. She became much more withdrawn, and what before was a fascination with the fauna surrounding her superstructure quickly became an obsession. She’s quite difficult to contact if you don’t live nearby, so both Many Rocks Orbit and East-Facing Pillars keep Overseers in her can to get her attention if they need to.

She and East-Facing Pillars are romantically involved and used to be very close. Their shared respect for their creators and mutual dedication to the Great Problem brought them together, and she found EFP’s social nature to be a refreshing break from her work. Once they spend more time together, though, their differences began to grate on each other; EFP tolerates RA’s interest in scavengers, but doesn’t care much about it otherwise and finds it disrespectful to dedicate so much time to a task uninvolved with universal ascension. In turn, Abstinence regards Pillars as fickle and high-strung. She doesn’t bother to respond much to him anymore, in favor of her work.

She has a more positive relationship with Many Rocks Orbit, who tries to keep themself largely uninvolved in relationship drama. Orbit also dislikes her hobby, but would never say so to her face, so she finds it easier to converse with them about her work without facing constant judgement.

East-Facing Pillars:

Studious and dedicated to the Great Problem, although he is also nosy and easily distracted by interpersonal drama. He takes great pride in himself and his work, and views himself as the most competent and respected of his local group. He’s very close friends with Many Rocks Orbit, and often takes over tasks a group senior would do when MRO neglects them. He always has his nose poked in as many anonymous boards as he can, and the two of them spend a lot of time gossipping together.

EFP was also close with Reluctant Abstince, and the two are technically romantically involved, although RA is often reluctant to respond to any kind of messages these days, and while her interest in fauna used to be endearing to Pillars, it now seems annoying and somewhat embarrassing to him. He checks in on her still every so often, with increasing reluctance.

Many Rocks Orbit:

The senior of their local group, older than East-Facing Pillars and Reluctant Abstinence. They are quite negligent in their duties, as they find management work to be stressful, especially when it comes to resolving conflicts with others. Many of their work ends up offloaded onto East-Facing Pillars, who mostly doesn’t mind but occasionally objects to too much work shoved onto him at once. If he ever broaches the subject of Orbit handling their own affairs, they will stop responding to messages or steer the conversation elsewhere. They prefer to quietly iterate and converse with close friends, avoiding topics they regard as difficult. They are uncomfortable with many of the flora and fauna that have evolved in their creators’ absence, finding most animals disgusting, and they’ll use their inspectors to shoo out anything that finds its way into their structure. Despite their dislike of animals, they find unnecessary violence deplorable. They also think Reluctant Abstinence’s latest project is highly morally questionable, and have spent a great deal of time with Pillars complaining about it.

The Lure: A creation of Reluctant Abstinence, used to gather live creatures for her to experiment on or use as spare organic material. It’s become incredibly unpopular with the scavengers surrounding RA’s city. The Lure doesn’t seem to care much, though, and it takes joy in completing tasks for RA, who it sees as its mother. The Lure is intelligent and quite curious, and Reluctant Abstinence has begun on the side to teach it to crudely write glyphs in her language.

The Student: Reluctant Abstinence’s latest pet project. she’s observed the intelligence scavegers have, and believes they’re capable of becoming the next great civilization. The Student is a test run to see if she can imprint the ideals and behaviors of her progenitors onto a living scavenger. surely there will be no consequences from this?

The Student was once highly regarded in their pack as a great warrior. Nowadays, they have a shy and nervous disposition, and spend most of the time missing their family. They reside in a lab chamber that was formerly used by the Ancients as an interface to connect with Reluctant Abstinence.

(Shifting Towards Red is a newer iterator from a different group that i havent conceptualized much yet :,3 )

#rain world #my ocs #shifting towards red #many rocks orbit #east-facing pillars #reluctant abstinence #the lure #the student #art #fish makes art

183 notes · View notes