The Ship War
Yellow cloth caught in the wind, a flash of white, a pain, a chance, a connection, a victory; heat, pressure, an imminent death, a disaster averted, a quiet appreciation; purple and green, and red and orange side-by-side, a piano glissando, a connection deepened; a lonely night, an errant kiss, a connection missed; red locks dance in the breeze, hugged knees, yellow caution tape, a connection breaking; a world ending, a desire for validation, a denial, a connection in absolute tatters; a world ended, two bodies on a beach, one last chance, one more final 'I need you', a connection in hope. Sudden wind.
You begin to stir from your dream. Your last thought is of black wings in the cold before a bump in the road solidifies your consciousness. Your hands are bound. You're sitting in the back of a horse drawn cart. You look around at those with you; there are three other people with you. One of them looks like a light armored soldier. The one next to him is clad in rags like a pauper. The one next to you is dressed in fine cloths and furs like a noble.
"Hey, you. You're finally awake," the Soldier speaks at you. "You were trying to ship AsuShin, right? Walked right into that Khara ambush, same as us, and that enjoyer over there."
"Damn you Shippers! The Fandom was fine until you came along. The Antishippers were nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you, I could've stolen the camrip and been halfway to a western release by now!" says the Pauper to the Soldier. "You there," he turns to you, "You and me, we shouldn't be here. It's these Shippers that Khara wants."
"We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, enjoyer."
"Shut up back there!" says the carriage driver.
A silence reigns for a bit as you listen to the wind howl and the carriage shuffle along the cobblestoned road.
"What's wrong with him, huh?" says the Pauper to the Noble.
"Watch your tongue!" says the Soldier. "You're speaking to FelipeFritsch, the true High King of shipping."
"Felipe? You're the leader of the Shipping Putsch. But if they've captured you... Oh Writers, where are they taking us?"
"I don't know, but wherever we're headed, ship heaven awaits…"
"No! This can't be happening. This isn't happening!"
"Hey, what fic did you read first, enjoyer?"
"Why do you care?"
"A fan's last thoughts should be of home…"
"Re-take. The… the first fic I read was Re-take."
That's odd, that's not even a fanfiction, you think, that's a doujin.
"General Enokido, sir, the ship sinker is waiting!" a voice from up ahead called.
"Good, let's get this over with," says another voice.
You see a gate to a town come into view. You notice there is another carriage in front of you. Its occupants are dressed similar to the Soldier.
The Pauper prayed under his breath, "Panther2G, Rommel, Deathbringer, Toasterman, Glor, Writers, please help me!"
As you pass through the gate, you can see General Enokido in all his adornments. He is surrounded by his Khara cohorts as well as what looks like members of the Antishippers. Your thoughts are interrupted by the Soldier continuing his exposé.
"Look at him, Yoji Enokido, Writer-General of Khara, and it looks like the Antishippers are with him. Damn heathens, I bet they had something to do with this."
Your cart drives deeper into the town and you pass by homes adorned with familiar artwork and symbols from a recent movie series.
"This is the Rebuild of Evangelion," says the Soldier. "I used to have high hopes for it. I wonder if the original script for 3.0 could still be found. Funny. When I was younger, the sight of such high quality Evangelion content made me feel so sure."
Your cart passes by a home with statues of Unit 02 and Unit 08 out front. A family is sitting on the porch, observing the convoy of doomed shippers as it passes. A couple with one child. You overhear their conversation.
"Who are they, daddy? Where are they going?"
"It's time to go inside, little Marishipper."
"Why? I want to watch the Khara Staff!"
"Inside the house, now!"
"Yes, papa…"
Your cart is past their home before you see the child comply.
"Get these prisoners out of the carts. Move it!" a gruff voice from the opposite direction draws your attention. After another ten meters, the cart starts to stop next to the other.
"Why are we stopping?" the Pauper frightfully says.
"Why do you think? End of the line…" the Soldier morosely says. Your cart comes to a complete stop. He looks at you, "Let's go. Shouldn't keep the Writers waiting for us."
"No, wait, we're not Shippers!" says the Pauper
"Face your death with some courage, enjoyer."
"You've got to tell them; we don't ship! AsuShin is actually canon, this is a mistake!"
Everyone else in your cart and the other cart stand up. You do the same. You follow the rest of your brothers in binds out of the back.
"Step towards the sinker when we call your name, one at a time!" sternly says what you think is the Khara guard captain.
The Soldier sighed, "Khara loves their damn lists."
"FelipeFritsch, Commander of the AsuShin Brigade," says a man next to the Guard Captain. You see he has a clipboard in his hands. The Captain's Adjutant.
"It has been an honor, Commander Fritsch," says the Soldier.
"RLLRRR of the Infinite Playlist," the Adjutant continued reading. You watch as the Soldier quietly marches towards the ship sinker. "Crazy-88 of Once More With Feeling."
"No! I'm not a shipper anymore! You can't do this!" You see the Pauper take off running past the Captain and the Adjutant.
"Halt! Archers!" says the Captain. You see an arrow dig into the spine of the Pauper and he falls to the ground. "Anyone else feel like running?"
"You there, step forward," says the Adjutant. It is your turn, so you walk over to him. "Who are you?" he says as he eyes you up and down. He sees your AsuShin shirt, "Asushinner, huh? Your kind always seems to find trouble." He looks back to his clipboard and then over to his right, "Captain, what should we do? They're not on the list."
"Forget the list, his ship shall be sunk."
"By your orders, Captain." He looks back to you, "I'm sorry. We'll make sure the remains of your ship are given to Yadoraki; he will lay them to rest properly. Follow the Captain, prisoner."
You and the captain make your way to the rest of the group situated around the ship sinker. There is a small station wherein each individual will be placed before their ship is sunk and they are sent to meet the Writers up in heaven. You see Captain stands by General Enokido, who had made his way over to this ceremony. He walks up to Felipe.
"Fritsch, some here who watched the Rebuilds call you a hero. But a hero doesn't use the power of his voice to denounce the original creator and usurp his content! You started this war, plunged the Eva community into chaos! Now Khara is going to put you down and restore the peace."
You hear a roar echo from the mountains in the distance.
"What was that?" says a random guard.
"It's nothing, carry on"
"Yes, General Enokdio," says the Captain. She turned to a staff member clad in robes, "Give them their last rites."
You see the priest raise her arms and pray, "As we sink your ship to the deep, blessings of the Writers are upon yo-"
"For the love of Aki, shut up and let's get this over with," the priest was interrupted by a random ship fic writer.
"As you wish."
"C'mon, I haven't got all morning." He makes his way to the sinking station. "My fans are smiling at me, Khara, can you say the same?"
You watch as the Ship Sinker wordlessly sinks the ship of the poor writer before you. You hope his soul finds peace with the Writers in heaven.
"You Khara bastards!" says a random shipper.
"Justice!" says a random guard
"Death to the Shippers!" says another.
"As fearless in sinking as he was in writing," says the Soldier.
"Next, the shipper with the AsuShin shirt!" says the Captain, pointing at you.
You hear another roar echo from the mountainside, but this time it sounds much closer to you.
"There it is again; did you hear that?" says the Adjutant.
"I said, next shipper!"
"To the station, shipper, nice and easy."
You make your way slowly to the sinking station. You are prepared to meet the great Writers as your ship is sunk. Before that could happen, however, you hear the roar again, except this time it isn't just an echo. You see the black wings from your earlier dream. A dragon.
"What in the name of Lilith is that!" says a random guard.
"Sentries, what do you see?" shouts the Captain.
The dragon lands atop a nearby sentry tower of the town. Voice booming through the valley, the Dragon roars, "I ship Shinji with everyone!"
You watch as balls of fire begin to fall from the sky.