nml_mods: (Default)
nml_mods ([personal profile] nml_mods) wrote in [community profile] nomans_land2023-05-02 05:02 am
Entry tags:

On The First Day

It had been months.

Months of terror, of families ripped apart, refugees racing against the Ark in the sky, against the Plants that had once been their only source of survival on the world and had now been turned against them, raining lightning and death down on them like the hand of a vengeful God. Humanity pushed to the brink, fleeing their homes and communities, waves of refugees fleeing across the sands as more and more towns and cities fell to the reign of destruction that had been biting at their heels every step of the way.

And then, as the last descendants of the survivors of the Big Fall clustered in the city of Octovern, spiilling out into the streets, every available, livable space filled to capacity and beyond, what felt like the final days of humanity began. The sounds of artillery fire filled the air, the sight of the Ark and its grotesque ruler loomed overhead, and in the distant sky high above, the previously-inconceivable reinforcement ships from Earth took up orbit around No Man's Land. Throughout the night, explosions lit up the sky, thundering with deafening reports through the air, and yet the civilians below had settled into a still, terrified, anticipatory silence. They couldn't see, from their perspective, the figures atop the ruins of the Earth's space destroyers that had already fallen to the ground, locked in battle for the future of the people far below. But the sight of Millions Knives high above, terrifying and grotesque with the power of the Plants he had absorbed, was omnipresent, a never-ending threat, the harbinger of doom, biding his time until he could make good on his promise to wipe every last one of them off the face of existence.

And then something had changed.

Electrical currents rippled through the air above the downed ship, carrying screams on the wind. To the people below, Millions Knives' massive form had shifted, writhing, bellowing with unholy rage and pain and despair. And then it begun to unmake itself, shredding, crumbling, tearing itself apart at the seams and floating to the ground in tiny, shining, white particles. Tiny, white feathers drifted on the wind, closer and closer before, one by one, they began to settle to the roofs of the buildings, to the tops of cars and to the streets, and to the heads and faces of the humans staring up from below.

The instant that contact was made between feather and skin, a connection was made; between Human and Plant, between each person standing side by side, minds thrown open in bursts of light and expanding consciousness, and through the doors sprang multitudes of memories spanning hundreds of years. Suffering, laughter, pain, sorrow, joy, enslavement, death, pride, love. The Plants had made the connection to their creators - their keepers - that they had been silently pleading for since their first containment, and with it every man, woman, and child on the surface of the world began to see and feel and hear their stories and their cries for help. They did not want this war, they did not want this destruction. They had seen the promises of vengeance and a paradise for their kind atop the bones of humanity offered by Millions Knives and they had felt the hopes and dreams carried by Vash the Stampede of a kinder, more loving world, and they had made their choice.

Of course, but...what would he do at a time like this?


I wonder if he'll laugh again


I wonder if he'll follow his ideals again.


I see. You all know him as well. That young man with a gentle smile.


Little Red Brother.


Let there be love and peace in this world.


In the chaos that followed, as the bodies of the Plants began tumbling to the ground in a writhing mass and the screams of shock and confusion began to rise from the sea of humanity below, something rippled in the air, a last gasp of those silent voices before the connection was lost.

Help Us. Help him. Please.


This was...different. New. As if reality had taken the distraction caused by the calamity below to shift itself sharply to the left, and then snapped. It started at the core of the mass of angelic bodies as men and women began to rush to their aid, a shockwave in the fabric of creation that rumbled silently in the atoms of the world and ricocheted outward, along the ground, through the air, until it had enveloped the entire planet. Time froze for an instant, and to the eyes of all who had the capacity for sight, that leftward shift became manifest, the world doubling on itself as the ground shook beneath their feet.

Wails of confusion and fear rose into the night sky, and for a brief moment, it felt as if the world were about to unmake itself on the molecular level. But then, just as suddenly as it had come, the distortion snapped back into place with a loud, ear-splitting CRACK, and in the stunned silence that followed, only one thing could be certain; things were not the same as they had been mere moments ago, as if everything and yet nothing at all had changed, all at once.

The world of No Man's Land was as it should be, but all across the surface of the planet, pockets of reality had split open, sending the inhabitants of mirrored existences tumbling through wide, unseen rifts. People and places outside of time and space found themselves staggering to their feet in a world that was both foreign and familiar at the same time, found themselves face to face with their own reflection made flesh, tossed about by the pleas of a race reaching across the fabric of creation for aid in putting a stop to a war that had been fought time and time again, across reality after reality, without fail.


Thus began the new chapter in the history of No Man's Land.



[Wherever your character was, whatever they were doing, when the rifts in reality opened, they will have found themselves rocked by a massive earthquake that lastes a few short seconds before settling with a loud crack, like thunder. While no damage will be left in its wake, the characters themselves will realize that though the planet appears to be the same, it will quickly become evident that they are in an alternate reality of the place they call home. Are they standing in the rubble of a once-destroyed city now remade whole? Is the bar they had been taking refuge in suddenly gone, leaving them tumbling to the sand with nothing but their drink in their hand? And what of the friends that had been standing by their side seconds before? This is where your stories begin.]
littleblades: (30)

[personal profile] littleblades 2023-05-18 07:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, you better.

[ smug with pride at winning their little wrestling match, his own vash would have been in tears by this point without a doubt. nai slides off vash and finally gets a good look at himself and makes an annoyed sound. ]

You've got me all dirty now...
genesis4_9: (smile -- thinking about murder)

[personal profile] genesis4_9 2023-05-18 07:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[ There isn't any word Knives knows of to describe a feeling of pride for another, when that other is also oneself. His sturdy, solid shoulders relax just a hair as he exhales softly, his relief subtle, but nonetheless real.

He was worried that his younger self might have needed more convincing. He should have known better! He should have trusted himself to always see the correct path forward.
]

It must look like an accident. [ His one hand still on his younger self's shoulder, Knives reaches out and plays the A above middle C, letting the clear tone ring out. The keyboard is built with C as the center, but it's the A that the entire instrument is tuned against, the A that is the real heart of the piano. ] There are a thousand ships in the fleet, with millions of humans in cold sleep, but no more than three individuals awake on each of those ships at any given time, correct?

[ There might be slight differences between their universes, but the colonizer fleet's performance and capacity should still be similar enough. ]

A fault in the ventilation, pumping carbon monoxide into the airways, would cause a quick and easy death for any humans not in cryosleep. And then, a short in the control systems, causing the catastrophic of every cryo pod on every ship. Perhaps something that could be traced back to one of Earth's countless terrorist groups? [ He waves a hand -- those are details to be hashed out later. ]
A series of unfortunate accidents, or crimes easily attributed to others, that cause the painless deaths of every human on board, and leave the ships empty save for us and our sisters.
cowgoesmoo: (angry - with a fresh black eye)

[personal profile] cowgoesmoo 2023-05-18 07:40 pm (UTC)(link)
It's your own fault.

[ Gross, he's dirty as well. When they get dirty on the ship it's because they're making a mess in the kitchen, or playing around with mechanical things. Getting dirty just from wrestling is stupid. Planets are stupid. ]

It's not fair that you get powers and I don't.

[ They're supposed to share everything. ]
littleblades: (54)

[personal profile] littleblades 2023-05-18 07:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[ this one especially.

nai stands up, brushing some of the dirt off of himself before holding out a hand for vash. he smiles. ]


That's because I'm meant to protect you, obviously. There are other things I can do that the Vash I know can't do either. [ he speaks it like it's the truth and to him, it is. ] Whatever you can't do, I'll make up for it.
cowgoesmoo: (shocked -- into sad silence)

[personal profile] cowgoesmoo 2023-05-18 07:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He takes that hand with a pout, even more unhappy at the idea of being weak than he is at being dirty. ]

But I wanna be able to protect you too. Like from the zombies! [ He points back down the street in the direction he originally came running from, and where he'd seen at least one dried out corpse. ] The weak stupid one always dies in zombie movies. I wanna be the hero, with you.
littleblades: (53)

[personal profile] littleblades 2023-05-18 09:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Zombies?

[ nai follows vash's pointing, brows raised curiously. he'd seen dead people, but not zombies. he shakes his head and refocuses back to vash, squeezing his hand. ]

We can protect each other, obviously. You have my back and I'll have yours. [ he tugs at vash's hand in the direction of the bar nai had left to catch vash in the beginning. ] Anyways, you aren't stupid and you're strong in all other kinds of ways. Trust me.
cowgoesmoo: (quiet - considering new info)

[personal profile] cowgoesmoo 2023-05-18 11:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Zombies! Vash nods frantically when Knives looks back down the street. There ere dead people, and there was something moving, and those two things together, especially when combined with a desolate city like this, equals zombies. He's seen plenty of movies, okay, he knows how zombies work! ]

Like what?

[ He'll gladly head off with Knives wherever his brother wants to go. His question isn't fishing for compliments, but rather a genuine ask -- if he can't do plant things, and he can't even pin his brother in a wrestling match anymore, then what good is he? ]
graveresemblance: (pic#16391179)

[personal profile] graveresemblance 2023-05-19 02:24 am (UTC)(link)
[that's right, Miss Melanie taught everyone well.

he does hear the jiggle of keys, and he does start to look over them. there are quite a few, but nothing like any horror movie where they're trying to get into a door and someone's chasing them are there are 100 keys.

he'll pick the keys up, and attempt this task]
dontdeserve: (Kind)

I s2g I wrote a tag for this before sleep and wanted to edit it but ig I didn't.

[personal profile] dontdeserve 2023-05-19 10:46 am (UTC)(link)
It was not part of a plan. Vash did not have a plan, not like that.

On the better days, it was a... hope. That one day he would be able to rest, to not have to fear the next time he would mess up and hurt more people... when the memories wouldn't fill him with weariness and grief he did not allow himself to feel.

On the worse days, he felt like he would never be granted that relief, condemned to wander and lose everyone, unto eternity. Which was why on the worse days he was more reckless, both to prove to himself exactly what he feared, and because then he cared less about the pain or consequences.

But Wolfwood's words hit him like a sandsteamer, the grief, the tears, the wrecked whisper, raw and torn out of parts of Wolfwood that he kept walled up behind anger and bluster and violence. It made Vash force himself into some semblance of inner balance. They couldn't... they could not both break. Not at the same time.

He leaned forward until their foreheads were against each other, then he pressed a little, just to remind Wolfwood that he was here. And he smiled. Not the smile that was bordering on manic but a smaller smile, the kind that let his ache come through, just a little.

"It... I understand. I'm sorry. I do understand. It's - not something that I've had to deal with for a long time. But every time you - either of you - pushes me out of harm's way, I understand. Every time you yell at me. It fights with what I've learned for this long, and often my body reacts before my mind can stop it." Deep breath. "And you have made it hurt so much less already. Both of you."

Vash closed his eyes. "For the first time in a very long time, you've showed me there was something more than, go, try to help, watch things turn into a disaster, run, try again, try again. You've given me joy and ... something that can only happen when you're working, fighting, with someone who understands you. When we move as a team, it's - I know I'm not alone." That was not the same as stopping the hurting. But it gave him something more than just hurt.
el_llorono: (Screaming)

+1 More El Woowoo, Spooky Flavored!

[personal profile] el_llorono 2023-05-19 07:26 pm (UTC)(link)
It wasn't every day, when something in the physical world managed to throw him for a loop. He had mostly gotten used to being incorporeal, only able to really interact with things if he absolutely focused and simply spending most of his time chattering mindlessly at Vash as he followed behind his wandering footsteps. The man couldn't hear him, not that he really wanted to try, all things considered; he knew he could, in theory, he'd been able to make himself heard to Livio all those ages ago, and he knew that Vash's mental capabilities were far more metaphysical than any humans'. But he also didn't want to cause him any added grief, so his prattle was just that; quiet, filling the silence, feeling a little less lonely despite being always near his side.

So imagine his surprise when one day, as they were walking the long road to Home, they both found themselves shocked by the sound of voices, telepathic voices that even Wolfwood could hear, and the ground shaking in such a way that both of them stumbled in tandem. It was still instinct, to reach out to catch himself as he fall, his voice shouting out in surprise, and for a moment, the world almost seemed to move in slow motion as he watched Vash in front of him, jolting even as he fell, twisting his body and looking back in surprise.

Looking at him.

He shouted again, this time in confused shock as he saw Vash's eyes go as wide as saucers, heard his name ringing out in recognition at the same time he felt his hand impact something solid. Fabric over metal, a bracket where prosthetic was socketed firmly into bone, warmth of skin through a coat and from the suns beating down on his shoulders. He shouted out Vash's name as they collided, tumbling to the ground, and then all was still.

He lay face down in the sand for, honestly, he wasn't sure how long, before finally realizing that something had changed, something huge. And though he had made physical contact with the man, the first contact he'd had with anything living in actual decades...it hadn't lasted. He should have been under Nicholas. Or, more accurately if the world had stopped being fucking odd, should have been laying through Nicholas, and he'd accidentally shifted through people enough times in the past to know how uncomfortable it was if they were merely human. The few times it had happened with Vash, it had been like his entire, non-existent body had been elecrocuted, and he had worked very hard to be mindful of where they stood in relation to one another ever since.

But none of that was happening now. He groaned, lifting his head and glancing up at the desert around him, and despite knowing how futile it was normally, he couldn't help calling out when he found himself alone.

"...Vash? Needle-Noggin? Come on, Spikey, where'd you go?" Ahh, shit. He rolled to his feet, turning in place and looking all around him, finding no sign of him anywhere. "Damnit! Your mom's gonna tan my hide if I lose you, come on! How in the Hell did you disappear this quickly???"
graveresemblance: (pic#16391177)

[personal profile] graveresemblance 2023-05-20 04:06 am (UTC)(link)
[plenty of people wear red, but when he spots that color it instantly gets Livio to kick it into the next gear, swerving in his direction with the pedal to the metal.]

We'll check it out.

[his expression is grim, he doesn't dare hope it's who he thinks it could be]
dontdeserve: (Kind)

[personal profile] dontdeserve 2023-05-20 02:25 pm (UTC)(link)
I know, Rem. Nobody is just one thing, not even the dependents who are so much more like each other than anyone else. Humans are an endless variety.

It's why, while I know Nai is not wrong, I... have to try to stop him. There must be a way that works for all.

[ Vash's eyes are worried, but when Rem reassures that he is her boy, too, he can't help but beam a little at her.

But also, for him, all this world is like a family. Humans and plants. Once he gets to know more about the worms, he suspects they, also, will be regarded by him as such. He has spent a very long time trying to prevent plants from getting destroyed before their time, and humans from getting destroyed before their time.
]

So I didn't say that you shouldn't try! Only that it might not work. But... you are also wise, in ways that I only try to be. Perhaps together we can reach him, or you can.
love_and_peace: (plant - breaking out like a teenager)

[personal profile] love_and_peace 2023-05-20 02:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He feels the collapse coming – how could he not, with the way the man is shaking? with all he's been though? – and leans in as Wolfwood folds, shifting his grip around him to better support his weight. He can feel every beat of Wolfwood's heart as though it's pounding in his own chest, and it's strong. It's so wonderfully strong – there's no sign of the horrifying regeneration vial's work in that steady pulse. Wolfwood is alive, and healthy, and solid and real, this isn't a dream, this isn't an illusion, he's real. He's here. He almost died on the ark and he did die just an hour – or two years – ago, but there's no denying the reality of the body in his arms.

For one terrifying moment the whole world sways around them, and Vash's grip tightens hard around Wolfwood to stop them both from falling. He's exhausted, he notes dimly, bringing one hand up to cradle the back of Wolfwood's head. He's been pushing himself all day, and now, finally, with his heart back where it belongs, all the little wants of his body come rushing to the surface, demanding sleep, food. Honesty.

All the things that he didn't say before, all the things that he couldn't say are stuck in the back of his throat, a choking mass of regret and grief that he doesn't dare release. Vash turns his face into all that dark hair, burying himself in the scent and warmth of his dearest, closest friend, and tries to remember how to breathe.

There's still too much to do – he can't stop yet. Once he lets go of Wolfwood he'll have to start moving again, will have to head back out into the world and find Knives, will have to throw himself against that impossible mass of power and spend what energy he has left bringing it to a halt. He'd always thought that, when the time came, Wolfwood would be there will him, fighting at his side, but now? How could he do what needs to be done if he's worried about Wolfwood the whole time? How could he possibly risk losing him again? Twice now he's thought Wolfwood dying, or dead... how can he endure that loss a third time? He has to protect this man. He has to keep him safe.

Vash doesn't even notice when the feathers along his shoulders and back erupt in long graceful lines, wrapping so gently around himself and Wolfwood, shielding them from the rest of the world.
]
louboutinjudas: (Angry - looking up)

it's time for woowoo II: son of woo

[personal profile] louboutinjudas 2023-05-20 04:13 pm (UTC)(link)
He'd been walking for two days without seeing another living person, and Wolfwood had just about reached the end of his rope. The towns he'd passed through so far had been desolate and abandoned, with clear signs that shit had been bad here for along time -- windows were boarded up, the streets were full of people's things, bags of clothing and nice stuff too, pictures and statues and all that rich garbage -- and the bodies left to rot in the side alleyways really drove that point home. Whatever happened here, it had wiped out everyone in the area, and without a radio, or a car, he didn't have a chance in hell of getting back to civilization before the heat and winds did him in.

So why fight it?

There was one cigarette left in his pack, one crumpled soldier that he'd been saving for more than a day. His mouth was so dry he could barely speak, and the cigarette would just make the thirst worse, but fuck it. For his crimes, this was exactly the ending he deserved -- lost, out in the middle of the wastelands, where all his strength and speed couldn't do a goddamn thing to keep him alive. Where, even if he'd still had a gun, the only person to shoot was himself.

Getting himself up to the top of the ridge took more effort than it should have, and he was panting by the time he dropped onto a rocky seat overlooking the valley below. The hike was worth it, though -- he'd never been much for the finer things in life, but even the most cynical asshole had to admit that the sunssets in this place were fucking glorious. It made a man almost believe in God.

Almost.

"Because if you are real, then you've got a fuck of a lot to answer for!" He tucked the cigarette between his lips and leaned back, flipping off the sky. He'd find his lighter in a moment -- for now, everything was quiet, the sky above red like blood, or the broken fashion sense of a too-trusting idiot, and with any luck, he could doze off here and not ever have to wake up again.

"You should've stopped me."
mercifullyheavy: (WHAT THE WHAT???)

[personal profile] mercifullyheavy 2023-05-20 04:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[The sudden shift as Vash nearly stumbled back was enough of a shock to break him out of his own head, and he gasped, his own arms tightening as he felt himself being clutched harder, felt Vash pressing his face against his hair. He moved his face gently enough that he wouldn't dislodge him from where he'd burrowed against him but Nick could still look out from the crook of his neck, his own tears turning quickly to concern. Shit. Shit. He hadn't realized how exhausted Vash was, he hadn't stopped to pay attention to the signs in front of him. And the freshness of the blood on his coat suddenly coalesced into realization.]

Hey, hey Vash, hold on, wait. [It must have been so recent, he must have been exhausted, he'd ended up using those strange powers of his and that always seemed to leave him winded without the shock of thinking he'd just watched one of his friends die.] How you feelin', Needle-Noggin? That fight was a bitch, did you even-...

[His eyes finally focused enough through the tears that he could see the white feathers on the skin of his cheeks, the long, arching curve of them as they folded around the two of them and shielded them from the rest of the world. It made his breath catch in his throat even as it worried him. There'd been a time when those would have been terrifying to him, when every sign of Vash's not-human nature was another reason to run screaming. But now? They were beautiful.

He was beautiful.

And he was also, obviously, very, very stressed. He knew damn well enough to know that those things only ever showed up when he was near keyed up out of his God-damned mind. And little surprise, there, after the day he must have had!]


Come on, Vash, you're ok. Let's go sit down for a minute, ok? You eaten something lately? [These past couple years had instilled in him a hypervigilance when it came to Vash's eating habits, what with the other guy's habit of denying himself. He hadn't even been around him all that long, they'd only been traveling with him after finding "Eriks" for a few months now, but it was already engrained in him and now became the first thing he thought to fuss over. Vash had always needed to eat more than most, anyway. He turned his head slightly to shout back the way the other two had left without taking his eyes off of Vash.]

Hey, Blondie? Can you get us something to eat?

[He sniffed back what tears were still clouding his vision, pulling away just enough to wipe at his face with one hand while keeping his other arm around the man in front of him for support, and then turned to look him in the eyes, checking in on the state of him, the now-freed hand reaching up unconsciously to cup his cheek and brush those feathers down with his thumb, trying to sooth even as the sight of them rippling across his skin threatened to take his breath away.]
plantussy: (bluebell)

[personal profile] plantussy 2023-05-20 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It was coming towards him! He was going to be saved!
...or run over? He's honestly not sure any more, grabbing his backpack like it's going to be a functional weapon - and hell, maybe his bio textbook is if it hits someone just right. Not a whole car, though, and Vash can only hope it's not actually some murderous gang members off to make his life terrible again. ]


H-hey?!
love_and_peace: (plant - you might want to move)

[personal profile] love_and_peace 2023-05-20 06:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Wolfwood. His senses are full of the man, blocking out all the rest of the world. Here, safe in Wolfwood's arms there's no more war, no more suffering plants or starving humans. No more fear for his little brother, or fear of his older one. No more worry about Livio, or Luida. No more anxiousness over the fate of Meryl, and Milly, or the thousands of others all across the planet whose lives had been threatened while he'd been held captive. None of that mattered -- none of that was here. There was nothing but Wolfwood, nothing but Nicholas, strong and sturdy and his and here.

Wolfwood was pulled away, and with a low growl Vash tightened his grip, feathers spreading out around them into a protective dome. This man was his, and nobody could take him away again! His friend. His partner.

Wolfwood, so much younger, burnt by the suns and grinning ferociously, with his hand on Vash's face like they were old friends, Everyone's damn dumb and Vash's heart skipped a beat.

Long hair in his face, dragged into the bar by a furious Lina, and there at the counter like a ghost is a man he'd never thought to see again. He can't stop staring, stumbles, and is rewarded with an impatient kick in the ass by the child at his side, who doesn't understand that she's about to lose her friend forever.

In the med bay, the lights far too bright, and there in the bed next to him is a body that's lying so still. Wolfwood should never look that pale, and it's all his fault from bringing him here. It's all his fault for leading Emilio back here. It's all his fault...

A nowhere bar in a nameless town, the table sticky and the lights dim. He pours the last of the bottle into Wolfwood's glass. The man's eyes in the low light are dark and deep like the view out the ship's windows, and Vash falls into them, forgetting the rest of the story he was telling, the words trailing away like smoke.

Pinned beneath Legato's power, exhausted beyond what he thought his body could endure, his sleep fitful, interrupted constantly by nightmares, both from his captors and, more terrifyingly, from his own mind. Wolfwood's voice in the distance at first sounds like the start of another nightmare and Vash trembles against the coming pain. But then the door explodes open, Legato's hold on him dropping just for a second, and Vash remembers how to hope again.

Waiting on a rooftop for the ridiculous criminals in the street below to be escorted off to jail, Wolfwood behind him, his gun aimed at Vash's head. He's scared this man so badly, driven him to this point, and he can't think of any apology he could make other than holding still and letting Wolfwood decide what he needs to do.

Here's one for you, and one for you, and this last one is for me. The man they pulled out of a sand dune, with hardly a penny to his name, crass and reeking of gunpowder, kneeling down in front of two homeless kids and giving them everything he's got, his face so open and young and beautiful that Vash can't help but stare.

I want to spend all my tomorrows with him.

Wolfwood slumps on the stained old couch, confetti stuck in his hair, and Vash can't breathe. He can't breathe. He can't breathe. He can't...

Around a tiny campfire, Knives's fortress looming in the distance. Tomorrow he faces his brother, and as he looks past the flickering chemical fire, he can't think of anyone he'd rather share this last night with than the man smoking quietly next to him.
]
mercifullyheavy: (Shocked Head Down)

[personal profile] mercifullyheavy 2023-05-20 07:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[He could sense a shift that made him tense, concern spiking. In the short time between Vash reached out to hold him and now, he had locked up, fallen into his own head again, and there was a moment when Wolfwood was worried, already beginning to try and figure out what he needed to do to bring him back down. Only Vash was clutching him tighter, growling in a way that suddenly made Nick's blood rush to his head in a way that he absolutely did not want to analyze when Vash wasn't in his right mind, holy fuck, and those wings closed in tighter, making him jerk slightly and move closer, his hand flattening across the soft down on his cheek reflexively...

And it was like a lightning bolt shot through his body, locking his joints up all at once, making his lungs hitch as thoughts and memories and emotions flooded into his mind. Possessive, feral, desperate, his, his, his! Part of his mind reeled, recognizing dimly that he had somehow connected with Vash's mind, but the rational part of him was buffeted like a man lost in a sandstorm, in a typhoon, and all that was left was raw emotion.

The shock of it when the reality of what he was feeling hit him would have been enough to make his body freeze if he hadn't already, but simply knowing what it was could have never prepared him for the intensity of it, for the shock of every memory jolting through his mind with love, gentle at first, but quickly spiraling into something he couldn't possibly hope to contain. Guilt at the sight of himself laying in a bed, joy at reuniting, the trauma of his imprisonment, it was too much, too much, how, why? Why him???

And then the memory of sitting, perched quietly on a rooftop, waiting for Nicholas to pull the trigger, knowing he was just behind, gun cocked at the back of his head, knowing how much of a coward he'd been and still willing to let him do it! Wolfwood's lungs hitched, trying to gasp for breath as horror hit him, shame, he wanted to scream, he couldn't hear anything outside of his own head to know if he was even making a sound, but he wanted to scream!

I don't deserve it! No! No! No! How could he deserve so much love when he'd nearly been the one to kill him??? When he'd been the one to betray him??? He was a monster, a coward, he didn't deserve this, it hurt, he wanted it so much and it hurt!

I want to spend all my tomorrows with him. The memory of the moment his own body had stopped and Vash struggling to breathe, the sensation so much like the feeling of actually dying, the moment he'd felt his heart stop inside of his chest, hearing the church bells, hearing Vash breaking down in those last few seconds of consciousness before the darkness swallowed him up and just knowing it was the last thing he would do, that he was breaking his heart and it was his fault, all his fault, Hell was waiting for him and he deserved it for this single act alone!

That last memory merged with one of his own, with the moment after, of another campfire, at his back, waking up and turning to see the face of the man he loved so much it terrified him, only he was different, softer, younger, the same and not the same and he was too dazed and guilt-ridden with the thought that he was dying to realize what was actually happening.

The love and the pain he felt from Vash echoed against the feelings of love and uncontainable shame he felt in his own heart, leaving him violently shaking, his eyes unfocused and wide as he clung to the only thing sturdy enough to support his weight when his legs threatened to give out from under him. Even if he had realized that the connection with those delicate, downy feathers under his hand was what was keeping him locked inside of Vash's mind, he wouldn't have been able to move to pull away. He really did feel like he couldn't breathe, gasping in loud, audibly whining gulps of air, his fingers curling, clutching, clawing at the solid form underneath him.]
dontdeserve: (Cry)

[personal profile] dontdeserve 2023-05-20 08:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Vash was jerked out of the conversation with Nai by the urgency in Wolfwood's call, and he swallowed even as he gently set Nai to his feet and bounced up on his own. ]

Food! I guess the other me is not doing very well, Wolfwood not panic otherwise, we can find food for Vash, right?

[ And off he was, rummaging the shelves for something easily edible. Watch him in a near state of panic as he tried to act and think at the same time. A few bars of something sweet should be a start, then, uh, ramen would be good, but he didn't think they had enough time to make it so, uh, canned beans, that could help, it was not always the best but usually not too bad even cold. His own stomach clenched at the thought of the food, especially in that order--

And then he was distracted as emotions started beating at him (love, so much love, and pain, and fierceness), so he just wrapped his hand around Nai's, the spoils he'd found clutched between the left arm an his chest, and out they were, back the way they had come.

Between the possessiveness and love from Vash, and the way those beautiful white wings had wrapped around Wolfwood, safe and close and loved, and gasping, possibly at least partly because of the onslaught of emotions, Vash's eyes filled with tears and overflowed, before he could stop himself. It was... beautiful in a way that was painful, and painful in a way that was almost beautiful.
]

Oh... there they are. [ Wolfwood was where he belonged, and he could see now some of the things that he'd said, that first time they met. This Vash could never compare to him, and that was all right.

Though as he started to get used to the emotions, he could process the state both of them were in, and he stepped closer involuntarily. They needed help. But getting between them right now seemed a genuinely horrible idea.
]
nyctinasty: (8)

[personal profile] nyctinasty 2023-05-20 10:37 pm (UTC)(link)
It's compulsive. He can't not react. "You shouldn't distill humans down to their species being all they are," Knives says, tone utterly, utterly devoid of anything like mischief, because he does not make jokes. "And you're hardly hopeless, regardless. You're young. If you don't like it, change it." Gone were the days where he'd hope to get Vash to ever see his side, take up his cause. Changing how things went may well be impossible, and given time might well not be a closed loop, it wouldn't help him anyway.

But maybe some other Knives and some other Vash would have it better, with a little determination to change things.

"Ah, I'm sure you'll learn plenty of things just through idle experimentation. It might be the best way to learn to not fear what you are capable of." And perhaps, in the middle of a town, so when a black hole gets loose, chaos follows! .. Hm, no, that would probably be bad in the long term. "Barring that, if Bill Conrad still lives, or your .. little ship of uncrashed survivors, they may be able to help as well." He reaches down, stopping briefly, and picks up a pebble. "Visualization might be easiest, ordinarily, but if you trend towards making small black holes the way I favor metal, that's best done out here."
rejuvenation: (Default)

Somewhere, anywhere

[personal profile] rejuvenation 2023-05-21 02:04 am (UTC)(link)
[ Anger is a poisonous thing, and rage is the end of the line. Somewhere, anywhere, the very air feels dense with anger, and the heated growling and shrieking is adding to the madness.

A large ball of feathers, some dipped in blood, can be found in the sand. Nothing can even be seen inside the twisting of wings, only the occasional feather-clad and clawed hand or foot, and the flash of glowing eyes. The horrifying sound, however, is reaching for miles.

Some realities are full of horrors that aren't named Millions Knives. ]
el_llorono: (Pensive)

Woowito!

[personal profile] el_llorono 2023-05-21 05:41 pm (UTC)(link)
The last damn thing he expected to see coming up over the ridge as he shouted out into the void was...himself. His eyes widened in shock and then immediately narrowed again, and he stared for longer than he would have liked to admit in a bewildered gape.

"What in the actual Hell?" He watched the man sit, moping, putting a cigarette between his lips and not even bothering to light it. Was he hallucinating? Could spirits do that? He hadn't the foggiest idea what was going on, couldn't remember ever going through these motions, so it couldn't be a memory, could it?

At the very least, it was a little late for his life to be flashing before his eyes. Or maybe too early? Honestly, the Eye of Michael may have forced its members through seminary, but they hadn't really been all that great at teaching the bits that actually mattered, and it had been literal decades, so he didn't hardly remember, anymore. He doubted cults really knew what the Hell they were talking about, anyway. Yay for him.

"Who shoulda stopped you from doin' what now?" Not that there wasn't an infinite list of people and situations he could think up, but maybe knowing which thing exactly this image of himself meant would explain things. He stepped in front of him, crouching down and staring at him, and realized that up close, when he really looked, the details really began to stick out.

"How old are you? I mean like...yeah, whatever, who can even tell with me, but really, now. And where's the Punisher? You leave it in Angelina or something? Who even taught you how to dress???" Because really, now! He might be a damn terrible priest and an assassin, but he still had some self-respect! "At least tuck in your damn shirt!"

He dimly wondered if there was even any substance to the man in front of him or if it was just one big, incorporeal figment of his imagination. Only one way to find out.

He reached out and focused his energy into his fingertips for just long enough to flick at the cigarette hanging out of the other Wolfwood's mouth.
el_llorono: (Shocked)

If it's fine with you, a Vash is coming along for the ride as a three-way thread?

[personal profile] el_llorono 2023-05-21 06:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[Of all the things to come of this whole debacle, shuffling through the desert after a man who was Vash but wasn't at the same time, who could perceive him more easily than he was used to being perceived in a very long time, was not one of the things he would have ever expected. But, though he really needed to find his actual Vash, the novelty of the whole situation was too good to pass up, and he found himself rather fascinated with the little guy.

So here they were, wandering towards the next abandoned town to try and scrounge up enough supplies for Rem and Vash to get by on (though the amount of ascetic undereating he'd noticed in this Vash was, frankly, a bit concerning) when Nick felt a strange tug in the air around him, a niggling in the atmosphere that made the energy that constituted his form tingle unpleasantly.]


Wh-...you feel that? What is that...? [And then, just on the edges of his hearing, a sound. Distant, foreboding. He tensed, focusing his energy so that he could be heard.] Vash, wait. Hold on. You hear that, too?
louboutinjudas: (Annoyed)

[personal profile] louboutinjudas 2023-05-21 07:32 pm (UTC)(link)
The wind snatched at his cigarette and tried to rip it right out of his mouth. With a muttered curse Wolfwood grabbed for it, and only succeeds in crushing the fragile cylinder in the process. Loose tobacco drifted through his fingers as he sat heavily back down, looking cross-eyed at the now half a cigarette that he'd been left with. Apparently God or whoever didn't think he deserves a final smoke.

"Well fuck you too!"

Half a cigarette, no food, no water. Wolfwood fished in his pocket for his lighter, still muttering profanity and complaints under his breath.

"It was just another job, so how come this one got me all messed up? What made him so different? Just another idiot, too stupid to... where's that damn lighter? Too stupid to know what was good for him. Too stupid to see what he was runnin' into."

He searched every pocket three times before he finally had to accept that the lighter wasn't there anymore. Because of fucking course it wasn't. With a snarl, he throw the half cigarette as far as he could.

"Too stupid to see what I was."
dontdeserve: (Determined)

like this vash... vanilla, pre-july... this should be fun.

[personal profile] dontdeserve 2023-05-21 09:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Vash had stopped, at first, his senses always extended these days, so he got a full brunt of something, and it was powerful and terrifying.

Which meant that he had to find it before anyone else did. The faint words reached him, and he hummed.
]

I did. That way. [ then he paused. ] ... what things would be unsafe for you, do you know?

[ But even as he asked, he was reaching, gently, in the direction of the stranger. Soothing, or trying to, the melody he had in him always part of the message, rather than any words. ]

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