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nomans_land2023-05-02 05:02 am
nml_mods) wrote in 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.
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.
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.]
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.
[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.]
no subject
That makes sense, start at the beginning. But... this won't be easy to hear.
[ He doesn't close his eyes, but he can't look at her, either. ]
We still had a bit of a bumpy landing, partly because there were ships falling around us. But it was more frightening than actually harmful. We got separated for a bit, then when I found Nai, he...
He was laughing. Happy, satisfied. He said he made sure that thes hips carrying plants would make it safely down. And that since I'd given him the security code, I was his accomplice.
[ Vash's stomach still turns, with horror and guilt, as he remembers. But now he does look towards Rem, because this, this would be a shock to her, and he needed to know how bad. ]
I'm ... sorry. Perhaps there was a braver or better thing to do, but then I ran. But I know he was fine after that! We've talked since!
no subject
She feels so numb, eyes wide and tears silently starting to run down her face. Vash was right, this was not easy to hear. So many people. All because of her boy? Where had she gone wrong? (She knows, she knows where we went wrong.)
Since I'd given him the security code, I was his accomplice. Those shellshocked eyes fall on Vash and she can't break, she can't shatter all over the sand when he needs her. ]
Vash. Vash. Did you want the ships to cash, too?
no subject
The question leaves him wide-eyed and horrified. ]
I did not! I don't - I would not!
[ But they are all gone anyway, so does it matter? He's not sure. ]
no subject
Then never, ever think you're an accomplice, Vash. [ She says against his shoulders, tears wetting the hem of his coat. ] Intentions matter.
[ She needs him to know that, to understand that so that they can talk to Nai eventually. She needs to set this right, even if it is just to save Nai from himself.
He's a good child. She knows he is. Just lost. ]
You were just a boy, Vash.
no subject
Potentially, Nai did it for him, but he's trying to not think about that.
Instead he just holds her, eyes squeezed shut against the stinging of his own tears that he still doesn't think he deserves to shed - you might need to repeat that a few times when emotions are not running high, you are one of the people with highest chances to get it through to him, Rem - and rocks her gently. ]
I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Rem. I'm so sorry...
no subject
Had Nai been hiding his declining mental health ever since the boys found Tesla? How could she have missed that?
He was just a child, and so was Vash. That the younger twin would take upon himself all the blame, all the guilt was almost textbook behavior, and when she finally, finally pulls back she gently cups his face in her hands. Tears and sorrow mar her face, yet somehow she's still able to try to comfort him. ]
Vash. Nai's actions are not yours. You're not to blame for something he's done, and you're not to blame for running away. You can't think that, please.
no subject
When she does look up, his eyes are a little bloodshot, but dry, and so, so gentle, though he nearly flinches to see her tears. He never wanted to hurt her. But he did. And he's sorry. But none of this place will make sense unless she knows that part. But he's sorry. He's sorry. ]
I... I didn't choose... no. But without something I did, we'd all still be on the way to the original SEEDS destination. Maybe Nai would have found a way to forgive.... they would all be alive. [ You would still be alive--
His right hand shifts, to wipe at her tears gently, knowing she's crying too much to actually do more than smear them, but he needs to. ]
I was found by very good people. Perhaps if I hadn't run, he'd have gotten a chance to see, too, that not all people want to hurt and use and abuse plants. But he wanted me to be happy with him, and for the first time, I couldn't.
[ At least the second point he is closer to accpeting, even if it is still barely there. He lowers his eyelashes for a moment. Because she is asking him, she is asking that one thing of him, and he can't just leave it in the air between them. ]
I'll try.
[ And also she may note that while he is clearly weighted down by what happened, not once does he sound like he hates Nai, or wants him destroyed. Because he truly doesn't. Vash loves his brother, even on the days he is terrified of him... and certainly on the days when he is terrified for him. ]
It's all... easier to bear when I help people - humans or plants - recover and get better. So that is what I do.
no subject
Not while her heart is torn to shreds. ]
Listen to me, sweetheart. You can't take on the burdens of his choice. Giving him something does not mean the same as pulling the trigger. Did you even know what he wanted them for?
[ She shakes her head and brushes back that spiky hair again. ]
You're allowed to not share his opinions. Leaving wasn't a bad choice, it could have made him realize he did something that you couldn't accept. If he did something like this, I... don't think seeing kindness in humans would have changed his mind more than your opinion.
[ Not when he hates humans enough to be the cause of millions of deaths. God, she cannot handle that. Not her Nai. Not their Nai.
Still, it puts a small but welcome balm to her heart that Vash continues to be so kind. ]
That's a good path, Vash. I am proud to hear that. I'm sure this world needs your big heart.
[ Don't tell her how they treat him in return, she might fall apart. ]
no subject
Well... I showed it to him when we found... the files for Tesla.
[ And every moment about that was etched in their minds, and likely will be etched in their minds forever.
He sighs a little, ducking his head to give her better access. Every touch is so good. So welcome. A blessing. ]
I... thanks. It's the only one that makes any sense to me.
[ ... of course he won't tell her, it's not like he thinks about it most of the time! ]
no subject
I wanted to talk to you about her when you were older, but it wasn't right of me to keep her from you. Even so, if that's where you found the codes... it's still not about helping Nai do that, is it? It's natural for children to want to find what an adult is hiding.
[ She shakes her head. ] It doesn't make you any more responsible for what happened, Vash.
[ Rem keeps gently brushing her fingers through his hair, soft and sweet and sad in one. It's so difficult to keep her mind together with everything she's heard, but focusing on him helps. It helps so much. ]
You went through the same thing, and you're helping the remains of his actions. It all sounds like we need to save him from himself.
[ They can help him atone for his crimes. ]
no subject
And they have treated plants horribly here. Afraid, and helpless, and trying to survive. Squeezing from them until the last drop. [ Vash shivers. ] I understand that they are... trying to survive, but I can see why Nai doesn't take to that mercifully, too. And it has been a hundred and fifty years. He has no faith in humans. Any humans. I... don't know if he wants to be saved. Just to save plants.
Try... try to not get your hopes up that he'll listen. Not that I'd ever stop trying!
[ ... except he doesn't see them as crimes but justice... ]
no subject
[ She sighs and meets his eyes again. ]
Nai isn't wrong to want their freedom. Just as much as humanity isn't wrong about their need to survive. Crashing everyone here is a double-edged sword, however. His choice is also making the plants suffer more, because they're being stripped quicker by desperate people. If we could have worked together...
[ Rem shakes her head and then gives Vash a sad smile. ]
I will never stop trying, either. He's my boy, just like you. I will never give up on you two.
[ Horrifying atrocities aside, she's able to see her own mistakes and part in it. Rem loves, and loves, and loves, even when faced with the knowledge of what her Nai had done. ]
no subject
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.
no subject
(In so many ways.) ]
I know. We can stop him together... and there's always a third way of doing things. It's not only kill or die. We can figure it out together and bring him home.
[ If he would have talked to her, maybe they could have made a paradise for everyone. Nai was so, so bright, and his ideas could have made humanity better. Instead he was too frightened and now everyone's suffering.
Including him. ]
Together.
[ Rem repeats, gathering Vash in her arms. He's so much bigger, so much heavier and oddly teenage-knobbly in places than her little one, who fit so well. Vash still belongs right there, though. Held tight. ]
no subject
[ If Rem is a monster for loving those who are flawed, who are terrible to others, because they can be wonderful, then so is Vash. Then again, he wonders if Nai doesn't already think he is one. He certainly considers humans to be so.
He huddles in a little, closer, but always cautious to not be squashing her in any way. ]
Everyone is so afraid, Rem. Humans, Nai. Even some of the plants. I try and try and try to let them be less so, because nobody does well when they are afraid, but it always seems as though I make things worse, instead.
no subject
She rubs his back gently, knowing she has a lot of work in front of her to help her boy. His guilt is so immense that Rem can almost taste it, and she knows, she knows that he's ruining himself as penance.
It's a good thing she doesn't know for how long. ]
You're trying to do good, honey, I know... and I am so proud of you. You try your best at everything... but the whole world does not have to rely solely on your shoulders. I know you said it makes things easier for you to bear, but there has to be a limit.
no subject
Instead, the next deep breath returns a smile to his eyes. ]
I'll try. It's... just that I'm the only one who can match Nai, so I'm the only one who can stop him. But I'll try figuring out about a limit.