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

[personal profile] climbedup 2023-05-09 08:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ and she appreciates his all the same. the whole thing is terrifying and it has to be so much worse for him. so she'll be the steady and bright one until he steadies, himself, and they'll take it from there. ]

Of course! This way.

[ after the first two or three places that they check that are empty of anyone hurt or lost, she might even start telling stories about each hideout... ]
celestialcrybaby: (Max Bewildered)

Look, can't you just play something like Free Bird or something, instead?

[personal profile] celestialcrybaby 2023-05-09 02:11 pm (UTC)(link)
The sound of feet in gravel had been soft enough that he hadn't noticed it in his moments of fumbling, so when the voice called out in reply, he visibly jumped and twisted. It took him a moment longer than he would have liked to admit to recognize the man in front of him, and even when he had, the reality of what was happening was even slower to kick in. That didn't stop his hands from reaching up to hold onto the Punisher, a strangely protective gesture that he didn't even realize he was doing when his brain registered that it was one of Knives' goons standing nearby, asking about Wolfwood.

But then the memory of burying the man's body after their encounter flickered back into his drink-fuzzy mind. He blinked slowly, his brow furrowed, and then he gave a shocked little scream, jumping and trying to scramble to his feet before stumbling over his own limbs and ending up in an ungraceful sprawl that resulted in toppling both the Punisher and himself completely over into the sand by the grave.

"What the fuck???"

'Possibly thoroughly pickled' was probably an understatement. Not that the sight of someone seemingly coming back from the dead in front of him hadn't historically ended with him screaming and flailing more than he would like to admit, regardless. The fact that it had happened enough times for it to be a pattern would probably be more upsetting than his own reactions, all things considered, and it was telling enough that he didn't immediately try and start righting Wolfwood's makeshift gravestone as soon as it fell over underneath him and instead simply stared in confused horror.

"No! No! Go away, it's over, Knives is gone, why are you here???"
graveresemblance: (pic#16390995)

[personal profile] graveresemblance 2023-05-09 02:16 pm (UTC)(link)
[and he doesn't exactly relax, the more and more empty hideouts they find. it's eerie that no one is here, sort of, but if this is when he's thinking, the kids and Miss Melanie would already be gone.]

Hmmm...guess this is okay.
graveresemblance: (pic#16391179)

there he is the smallest babyest man in the world

[personal profile] graveresemblance 2023-05-09 02:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[the sound draws him like a moth to a flame, or maybe like a small child to the pied piper in the middle of the night. who could be playing classical music in an abandoned city ineed.

his path takes him to the empty bar, pushing open the door slowly, praying it doesn't creak (it does, loudly), and the back of a little bowl cut.]


Oh. Hey, what are you still doing here?
climbedup: (carer)

[personal profile] climbedup 2023-05-09 03:01 pm (UTC)(link)
[ it's not so much that she relaxes as that the silence between them carries its own dangers. and neither having been attacked nor finding anyone hurt is... a good sign. ]

I guess, yeah.

[ she straigtens up from looking under the cover she's managed to half-lift (that's why it's a hideout) and ponders for a moment. ]

Livio... where you here in December, before things - changed? Or were you somewhere else?
littleblades: (9)

here he is!

[personal profile] littleblades 2023-05-09 03:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[ his fingers slip on the keys, startled by the sound of the door creaking and subsequent voice calling out that certainly did not belong to vash.

he spares a glance back before suddenly booking it for the back rooms of the bar, the bench scraping loudly as he shoves it back in his attempt to abscond. ]
graveresemblance: (pic#16391179)

[personal profile] graveresemblance 2023-05-09 03:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[and he's right there more or less lugging the entire thing up nearly over his head, satisfied when they once again don't find anyone. good.]

I was here, yeah. I was visiting for a bit. You were with your kids, right?
graveresemblance: (pic#16391005)

[personal profile] graveresemblance 2023-05-09 03:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[ooop-- he wasn't expecting the little guy to take off, but really he should have. Livio is kind of huge and scary looking]

Hey, wait! I'm not gonna...I just want to make sure you're alright. It's kind of dangerous here.
littleblades: (34)

[personal profile] littleblades 2023-05-09 04:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[ nai is already distrusting of humans, even with vash's continued insistence that it's really okay - but livio's size and appearance don't help either.

he runs into the back room, slamming the door shut. it's only then he realizes the room he's in now... doesn't have another exit with only windows that are boarded up tight. nai clenches his fists, breathing harder. ]


G-Go away! Or I'll hurt you!

[ his blades are half formed at best, certainly nothing that could do extensive damage, but if it comes down to it... ] I mean it!
love_and_peace: (x4)

[personal profile] love_and_peace 2023-05-09 04:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He sbould remember this one. ]

She lives on a ship. [ His grip on Knives's hand tightens – this is important. ] The only ship left that still works.

[ Which might not be true anymore, with the arrival of the ships from Earth, but he doesn't have the first idea where those might be, or how to get in touch with them. ]

The only sure way to get in contact with her is by radio. Any house out by itself will have one, and in any town big enough to have a bar, there'll be one there. Her name is Luida, on the three gigahertz band, channel eighteen. Luida three eighteen. Tell her who you are and she'll come get you.

[ Just in case. In case they get separated, or... or something happens. ]

I trust her with my life.
littleblades: (24)

[personal profile] littleblades 2023-05-09 04:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[ his gut sinks as a terrible feeling washes over him. but he listens, silent as he commits the details to memory. he's sure even if he didn't make an effort he'd still remember, but for vash's sake he does. ]

... I understand.

[ he brushes his cheek against vash's hand, still covering his own. why did he feel this overwhelming sense of dread? ] ... Are you going to leave me?

[ the question cuts his throat as he speaks it, that familiar maw of fear creeping up again. nai's jaw clenches. ]
graveresemblance: (pic#16390995)

[personal profile] graveresemblance 2023-05-09 05:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[he approaches the closed door slowly, and sighs]

Okay. I won't come any closer. You're safe from me behind that door. My name's Livio. What's yours?

[that sounds non-threatening, right? he might find kids not annoying anymore but that doesn't make this any easier]
love_and_peace: (x32)

[personal profile] love_and_peace 2023-05-09 05:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Never.

[ He can hear the concern in Knives's question, feel the fear in that brush of his cheek. If they weren't in a hurry, he'd stop and wrap his brother in a hug until all those concerns were banished. As it is, this is the best he can do. Hopefully Knives can hear the determination in that word, the certainty. ]

I will never leave you, okay? I promise. You're stuck with me! [ At least, not intentionally. ] This is just for emergencies, okay? In case you wake up in a different city tomorrow, or... or if we get separated.
littleblades: (44)

[personal profile] littleblades 2023-05-09 05:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[ maybe if he uses his blades he could try and claw the boards off the windows...

the human - livio? - sounds much closer now, right up to the door. he looks like he could bust the door down with ease if he wanted to, hardly a comfort. nai picks up a broken, metal pipe to hold as a weapon. ]
What are you going to do if I tell you?

[ he moves away from the door to the windows to start trying to pry some of the boards off. ]
celestialcrybaby: (Max Suspicious Black Hair)

[personal profile] celestialcrybaby 2023-05-09 05:47 pm (UTC)(link)
[He could sense when his reply began broaching into territory the man in front of him hadn't lived yet, the combination of horror and resignation enough to make it clear that he had misjudged the situation, just a bit. That, and the uncomfortable grin on the others' face, were enough to make him feel like he'd been dunked in ice water.

He was about to ask where he had come from, if he had yet to bury him but, if the streaks of his hair were anything to judge by, had definitely been there when he died.
But then he spoke before the question could coalesce itself into words, and it made at least some sort of sense.

It was both strange and at the same time a comfort when the other began communicating the way he did with their sisters, like some kind of DNA-deep instinct that he so rarely got to act on, something that was coded into the structure of his bones. Words were more difficult, words could be misconstrued and twisted and misunderstood, forgotten. The way their sisters communicated was the feeling of simply being known, understood, accepted. He couldn't help but reply in kind, even after he'd pulled back on his own just moments earlier.

The Ark had left, taking their sisters with it, there had been no calls for help in December. It had been in Octovern, he had connected with them, given them their choice, left it up to them, and they had reached out, called out, abandoned Knives' mission of death and destruction and reached out in turn to humanity in a shower of gleaming feathers. That had been where the call had come from, only...this time it had been different. Something had changed, and with that change had come...whatever this was.]


They're safe. Er. Were safe. He didn't stay here after the attack. We had time to...[He gestured vaguely, uncomfortably, didn't want to say it out loud.] Livio is fine. I mean he is where-...when? I come from? It's...the war is over...It ended months ago.

[For him, at least. But...if the man in front of him isn't a lie, either, and he has yet to stop Knives, then...

He felt a sudden wave of nausea hit him with full force as the implications sank in. He doesn't want to do this all over again. He can't-...Not Legato again, not fighting with his brother, letting himself take what should have been a fatal blow for him and then carrying him away as he lost consciousness. Waking up, knowing he's nearby, sensing him in hiding as Dr. Bond nursed Vash back to health and told him who had begged the man to save his life but had never come back to speak to him in person once he had regained consciousness.

Feeling his presence suddenly...gone, when the day had come to leave six months later, and knowing, knowing, that he was now, for the first time in his entire life, really, truly alone.

He swayed back a step, felt a weight settle on his chest that made him feel as if his lungs were struggling to draw in air. He wanted to say something, but words caught in his throat, and where before the mental connection had been a conscious action, suddenly he knew it was the only way he would be able to communicate until the spell had passed. Where he had pulled back out of a sense of vulnerability moments before, his mind was reaching back out in a wave of what he dimly realized was a panic attack.

Oh, oh no, had he projected all of that outward? Had he forgotten to pull away to avoid overwhelming the other, the younger, him? His emotions flared even stronger, shamed, worried.

To someone watching them from a distance, he might have even looked calm. To anyone with the communicative abilities they had, he was calmly losing his shit.]
littleblades: (3)

[personal profile] littleblades 2023-05-09 05:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[ it certainly helps ease the tremors in his heart, nai releasing some of the tension in his body as vash reassures him. he knows, logically, that anything can happen for better or worse, but he can't help the anxiety that rises up inside him at the threatening thought of being separated from his brother. he hates the way his emotions have such sway over him, unyielding to his demands for control. ]

I won't forgive you if you do. [ he huffs, still keeping his cheek pressed to vash's knuckles. ] In fact, I'll be very angry. So don't even think about it, okay?
doubletimefeel: (1)

I can do Wonderwall.

[personal profile] doubletimefeel 2023-05-09 05:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Up go Midvalley's hands, palms out. No weapons! If in that moment Vash had chosen to draw and shoot, it's very obvious he'd have had a clear and easy target, but he hasn't yet drawn and Midvalley's definitely not dead (..again?), so that as far as the musician is concerned is doing pretty good.

Plus, the 60 billion double dollar man just said the sweetest thing he'd ever heard, something that draws a brief, unconscious smile to his face.

"Easy now; if I wanted a fight I wouldn't have said anything first. Knives is dead? Legato too then I take it, if you're still breathing and he's not, I can't imagine his pet lunatic would just let that go." Oh. Oh that made things so much better, and he can relax just a little, only as much as his lingering gunshot would let him.

Knives is dead, ergo Legato is dead, therefore, he is free.

How hard would it be to strike up a new band? It was like a tremendous burden of fear and horror had been suddenly lifted from his shoulders. If it wouldn't hurt so damn much he'd do a little waltz. .. On the other hand, that meant the rest of his 'companions' were likely dead too. He'd made a promise to Hopperd, which he hadn't thought he'd get a chance to see to. ... Well, now he would.

And his voice is still ever so careful. "You .. sober enough for this conversation? I just want to know where I can go to clean up, I have no idea where the hell this is or how I got here. Don't shoot me, and I'll return the favor." Not that he'd have a prayer of winning that particular conflict.
celestialcrybaby: (Max Spikey Baby Hair)

[personal profile] celestialcrybaby 2023-05-09 06:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[He really had not expected his "retirement" to be this...weird. Not that he could really call it a retirement, anyway, but it was as close to one as he could ever hope to achieve. His week had already been the weirdest, though not really the worst, he could say he'd ever had, and he still wasn't sure it wasn't all some kind of weird fever dream.

Given his encounter with his younger self, he hadn't been able to keep himself from heading back to Octovern, even if it was going to be the big hotspot for people who were on the lookout for him, now that the Earth Feds had taken over running the show as much as they could. But Octovern was a good way away from December, and his legs may have been long, but they were only so long, so still he found himself traveling between towns when he heard a strange, electronic voice calling out.

He glanced up and around, his eyes catching on the glimmer of the twin suns shining off of a reflective surface yarz away, and he turned to walk in the direction before finally coming close enough to tell what he was seeing.

While she was undeniably different in her bulb's construction, the sight of one of his sisters was unmistakable, and the second he realized what he was looking at, his feet picked up speed, rushing him over to the Plant before dropping his rucksack to let himself press his hands to the glass.]


You're a long way from home, sister! [He reached out with his mind at the same time he spoke, already making the mental connection on pure instinct alone. Why was she out here? Where had she come from? What were the devices attached to her bulb? So many questions tumbled from his mind, though he was used enough to sisters that had trouble communicating even when one did have the ability to connect telepathically with them that he didn't expect much of an answer. Already, he was glancing around, wondering if he had missed a caravan or something similar that might have dropped her on accident.]
aplantandherboy: (del3)

[personal profile] aplantandherboy 2023-05-09 06:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[The eager flitting in the bulb doesn't actually affect its weight or balance at least, and nothing at all prevents her from being lifted right off the ground. He's having a bit of a harder time with it than her boy did, but even that kind of strength was rare in humans!

A quiet tink of glass on stone, and she's now somewhere a little less uncomfortable. Stone at least had gaps around it and would provide air flow, infinitely better than sand. She inspects her new position carefully before giving a slow, thoughtful and very human nod.

Sometimes mimicking their gestures is useful, like the thumbs-up that follows.]


Good. Thank you.

[There's a lot of words lacking in this interface, which she frowns at. A good turn deserves another, it just encourages people to be helpful..]

Strong. Repay?

aplantandherboy: (del3)

[personal profile] aplantandherboy 2023-05-09 06:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[How troublesome. Tom had a kind heart, and followed directions well, but sometimes he really needed to just wait and listen for a follow-up! Then she wouldn't be stranded in a sand puddle all by herself.

It could, she suppose, be a lot worse. He'd be back eventually, and until then she could just keep pushing 'Hello' and see if anyone ever answer--

There's the muffled sound of approaching feet, and red and black motion, and she reorients neatly, all the tiny wings on her multiple bodies lifting in a ripple of surprise. It actually worked, someone came! Someone. Someone that..

If there was one advantage to being a plant, it's knowing her own kind when she sees them, even .. if this one had far too few limbs and bodies and wings, and that peculiarity makes her stop and stare for a moment, lean forward a little, pause again, and then place one hand over the spot he'd touched, eyebrows rising. She knows her own kind, but this other plant is definitely not in a bulb, and what's more, he looked a lot like a normal human.

Everyone knew about the independents. They were just so rare, and it takes a moment to process that's what she's seeing. The surprise fades quickly to unmistakable delight.]


There was an opportunity to travel so I took it!

[Her telepathy isn't the painfully abstract collective consciousness of this world's plants, it's sharp, it's clear, and while it's unmistakably tinged with the foreign imagery and color of alien, she's very much a thinking and sapient creature, one who seems to vibrate a moment in place with glee.]

Oh it's been SO long since I've been able to talk to anyone without this clumsy interface! I have so many questions! Call me Delphinium, I--

[She breaks off suddenly in a blur of distorted images, as her pupilless gaze sweeps over this exotically rare sibling's form, some of her enthusiasm dimming. Dark hair. So much dark hair. And when the touch of her mind comes again, it's tinged in sorrow, one small feather creeping out between the molecular bonds of glass to attempt to coil gently around his wrist. It's as close to a comforting touch as she's capable of. She must try, as any would for any other of their kind.]

You're all dark. You've ...had a time of it, haven't you?
love_and_peace: (smile - even tho your heart may break)

[personal profile] love_and_peace 2023-05-09 10:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[ For all that Knives acts like a serious old man sometimes, he really is still just a child, and the weight of his soft cheek against Vash's hand is a painful reminder of that fact. His brother is his responsibility, Vash knows -- no matter what his age. It's a lifetime obligation. ]

I promise, brother. I won't leave you.

[ If there's a fight, he will absolutely drop Knives on the sidelines, but that's hardly the same thing. No, they're stuck together, at least on Vash's side. The more Knives learns about the future as his older self's role in it, the more likely it is that he'll leave, but Vash never will. Never. ]

After this is over, I want to take you to meet Luida anyway, and the rest of the folks from the ship! They've got access to the old libraries and databases. If anyone can figure out a way to get you back, it'll be them.
graveresemblance: (pic#16391177)

[personal profile] graveresemblance 2023-05-10 02:20 am (UTC)(link)
Uh, nothing? You don't really have to, but it'd be better than calling you 'hey you' or 'little boy' or something.

[he just
pops a squat and sits with his back against the wall beside this door]
graveresemblance: (pic#16445953)

[personal profile] graveresemblance 2023-05-10 02:27 am (UTC)(link)
[he was more or less worried he'd drop her, or let her fall through the gaps of his fingers, so Livio had been cautious more than anything.

oh, she knows how to-- oh. wow. this is all so strange, Livio can barely fathom it]


Hm? No, no I don't need any repayment. I'm just glad to help. Are you gonna be okay alone out here?
littleblades: (13)

[personal profile] littleblades 2023-05-10 02:58 am (UTC)(link)
[ he growls when he feels his finger catch a splinter, pulling his hand back and glares. ]

My name is Nai. [ because it's just his name and if it keeps this livio on the other side of the door then he'll humor him. ] Now you can leave.
graveresemblance: (pic#16391011)

[personal profile] graveresemblance 2023-05-10 03:48 am (UTC)(link)
Okay, Nai. Nice to meet you. Where's your family? Or friends? It's kinda scary out here.

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