#all quiet on the western front fanfic

[riflerhymeswithtrifle]

Life Is Short

AO3 fic link

Relationship: Stanislaus "Kat" Katczinsky & Paul Bäumer

Word count: 1778

Summary: "Kat's mind felt silent. The only thing he could think was 'Impossible'; It couldn't be possible. It could not. Paul's wound was small. Paul was his only friend. He couldn't be dead. It wasn't logical. It wasn't fair."

Author's notes: -An AU fanfic in which Paul doesn't loose Gerard Duval's papers and gets shot by the farm kid instead of Kat.

-First work published. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

-English is not my first language, sorry for any gramatical error.

***

"I'll be right back." Kat said and went into the woods.

Paul sat down and the man wandered for a while before stopping in front of a tree. Kat was just done when he suddenly heard a gunshot, clear and loud in the middle of the silence. Some birds flew while squeaking. He flinched, looked around quickly and put his trousers back on. He then ran back to where he left Paul.

"Paul? Paul!" Kat screamed and heard some quick steps close to him.

"Kat!" That was Paul's voice.

The man turned to his left and saw his comrade, walking rapidly towards him with his left hand pressing the right side of his stomach.

"Paul..." He looked around and saw, to his relief, no one else. When the young boy was near enough, Kat could see Paul was limping. "What happened?"

"We need to go." The young boy said in a serious tone. He didn't stop to let Kat examinate him. He was too scared to stay there any longer.

"Who fired the shot?" The man asked and followed Paul out of the woods.

"The little kid from the farm." Said Paul, trying to remain composure.

That didn't last long, because he fell on his knees while grunting in pain.

"Paul!" Kat exclaimed and rushed to him.

"This is bad." Paul whispered in fear while laying on the floor.

When Kat took his clothes and pulled them up, he saw a big amount of blood coming out of a small, black hole in Paul's abdomen and staining his skin.

"What a mess." Kat complained. This wasn't planned, not at all. "It's not so big."

"Take out the bullet." Paul said with a small voice.

"I'll leave that to the medic." Kat stated and looked inside of his pockets for a gauze. He found one and placed it carefully on Paul's wound.

"I was once in class at seven years old." The young boy said suddenly. "We were talking about what we wanted to be when we grew up." Kat frowned. He didn't understand why Paul was talking about that, in that moment. "I said I wanted to be a writer." The boy let out an unfunny laugh. "A poem writer. The teacher said I could do something more useful, the kids laughed and said that I certainly couldn't. I should have agreed with them and gone with the first plan."

Kat was left speechless. Was Paul venting because he thought those were going to be his last words? He couldn't allow that. He wouldn't let Paul die.

"Listen." Kat said with an accusatory tone. "Everything's going to be okay, alright? We'll get to the infirmary and they'll fix this. It's not a big deal, won't even be difficult to walk."

Paul slightly nodded and winced. His hand went to his wound, and Kat never in his life felt more guilty. Fucking decision of stealing from that farm, fucking hunger, fucking war.

"For Christ's sake." Kat whispered while looking down at the stained gauze. "Why did it have to happen now?"

Paul looked at him with a worried face, but said: "We have to keep going."

"Yes."

Kat got on his knees, put Paul's arm across his shoulders and took him by the unharmed side of his waist. He got up with an unusually required strength and Paul stumbled a little before steadying himself.

"Paul?" Kat said, before starting to walk.

"Yes?"

"I think you would've been a remarkable writer."

Paul laughed, incredulous.

...

The return felt so much longer and tortuos than the departure. Kat felt the way Paul's body was pressuring him more and more with every passing minute. He tried to shake his friend a couple of times so that he would gain consciousness, but it took Paul less and less time each time to go back to lay his dead weight on Kat.

The man started to panic. What if Paul wouldn't be able to make it?

He shook off those thoughts and intensified his grip on the boy. It wouldn't be illogical if that happened; No one died of a small hole in their waist. Besides, those thoughts wouldn't be any useful; They were there just to worry him and fuck it up again. But Kat wouldn't make a mistake again. He wouldn't let Paul slip, not so near the end. Instead, Kat would talk to Paul to keep him conscious.

That was something he was used to do. When receiving new recruits, it was almost a job he signed up for to calm them. After hearing the first gunshots, or witnessing their first bomb, or coming back from their first attack, the new soldiers were always scared and confused, as if just realising what they actually went to do. Kat had been the same on his first days, but he hadn't had anyone to tell him how to protect himself, or when the explosions were going to end. So he made it his job to take care of the new arrivers (as much as he could).

Kat was lucky he did the same with Paul's company. Franz, Albert and Paul weren't the youngest he had meet, or the most terrified in their first night, but they were certainly the best comrades he could have met. Especially Paul, who didn't have problem on staying by his side at all times, and read him letters, and just talk of anything. Kat was more than glad to take care of him as much as possible, and make bad jokes to pass the time, and talk nonsense just to distract Paul from all the pain and death that surrounded and threatened to ruin them.

This time was no exception, although it was easier to have a conversation with Paul when the young boy actually answered and wasn't about to fall unconscious.

"When we get home... I'm going to make you... a new pair of boots... for Christmas." Kat said between heavy breaths. "Yours seem like they hurt."

Kat wasn't sure if Paul actually laughed, because he heard some happy cheers growing louder in the distance. He turned around while strongly holding his friend and saw two trucks going through the road. Kat smiled with relief and backed off to the side. He left Paul sitting on the floor and looked at the first vehicle. He waved his arm but, to his horror, the truck didn't stop. It kept going, and Paul fell from his arms.

Despite his desesperate screams, neither of the vehicles lifted him and Paul. Kat cursed the men who were happily waving at him and turned his attention to Paul. He tried to lift him up but the boy was too heavy and dysfunctioning to get on his feet, even with help.

Kat noticed blood on his fingers, and with all the strength he had left, he lifted Paul over his shoulders. His friend made some painful noises, but almost didn't move.

...

Kat was going as fast as possible, breathing heavily. As soon as he crossed the infirmary door, he screamed a couple of times for a medic. Paul had stopped whinning of pain a while ago, and the man could feel the whole dead weight of his friend. That wasn't a good sign.

There was a free litter near him, so he bent next to it, sat Paul down and with a hand on his back laid him down. He took a moment to watch his face, which was pale but seemed calm. That was good, he thought. It meant no pain.

When he saw a man in white and stained in red go to him, Kat sighed in relief and sat on the floor. He watched as the medic analised Paul's wound, and then his face.

"You could've saved yourself the trouble." The man said, taking Paul's neck in both of his hands.

"Uh?" Kat hummed.

"He's dead."

Kat's mind felt silent. The only thing he could think was "Impossible"; It couldn't be possible. It could not. Paul's wound was small. Paul was his only friend. He couldn't be dead. It wasn't logical. It wasn't fair.

"But... It's only a small bullet wound." Kat said, standing up.

"Yes, black blood." The medic spoke while walking far from the litter (why was he walking away? He had to cure Paul). "Straight into the liver. His organs are poisoned."

"He's unconscious." Kat insisted. He had to, or the medic wouldn't help Paul. And Paul needed help, but he wasn't getting it. So he had to fight for it.

"No... He's dead. I think I know more about these things than you."

"No. It's impossible." Kat sat next to Paul. "I was... I was just talking to him to keep him conscious." His voice became desperate while he lifted Paul's clothes again. "He's unconscious..." Blood wasn't coming out the black wound. "He's unconscious." Kat kept insisting. He had to make the medic realise Paul was going to be fine if only he could get help.

But when he took the young boy's cheeks in his hand to shake his head, and when he applied pressure to the side of his neck, he didn't get a response. And then the it hit him, like cold water in an already very cold day.

"You see?" The medic spoke again, quite calm to be surrounded by so much death. "He was so unlucky. So young and close to the end."

As he was caressing Paul's face, Kat noticed it's expression was still calm, as though almost glad the end had come. No more pain, no more war, no more hunger.

...

It was a haunting memory. He became that: A memory. Paul Bäumer was no longer a boy, or a soldier, or a body; His youth was taken away from him, people will see him just as another name in the list of the dead, and his lifeless body could no longer imitate his movements and talk as if it was him.

Paul was gone. The only thing left was his memory.

What haunted Kat the most wasn't the fact that this was the loss of a friend, or the death of another boy, or all his wishes for a better life for Paul being smashed; It was that he never got to say sorry. It was his fault, and he could never apologise.

While playing with a "Gerard Duval" information papers, he thought of saying sorry to Paul's family and making sure to tell Gerard's family what happened to their beloved dad and husband. Would that make him forgive himself? Of course not. But he had to do it for Paul. It was the least the young boy deserved.

***

[cirr0stratus]

hey so i’m writing the worst thing ever. it’s paul bäumer from aqotwf and william schofield from 1917 being nasty and grieving. anyways. throws this to the void

[flagrantflower]

happy birthday to this wonderful fic that gave me writers block for a year but it was still so worth it!!!!!

[7k9sinthee]

(picture aboved editted by me)

Imgoingtocry can someone please make a fanfic of All Quiet On The Westernfront of just the whole friend group & kat get to live, Kat can see his wife, Kropp, Franz, etc. All go home safe and sound? Like i need these boys happy and cheering. Christmas time with Kat and his wife & kids. Im DONE with watchinf AQOTW and CRYING WHEN ITS OVER!!!!! I WANT TO BE HAPPY!!!!! PLEASE ANYONE. IM BEGGING. I want EVERYONE TO LIVE. I CANT DO THIS ANYMORW!!!!!!!!!

*SOBS!!!!111+!!!!*

Someone PLEASE LISTEN TO MY CRIES OF AGONY 😭😭😭😭💔💔💔💔💔

[littlemarylil]

Hello I decided to post my Paul/Kat fanfic that my friend requested. If you're not a fan of this ship, please don't read it, everyone has different opinions about their relationship and I respect it.

[historyhellyeah]

I should be finishing my application for uni but...

Have this :)

[mycatwantstoeatpins]

[Description: a still from All Quiet on the Western Front and another from The Return of the King. In the first still, a soldier carries another on his back, over his shoulders. In the second still, Sam carries Frodo in the same way.]

I can finally reblog this post because I finished the fic it inspired (AO3 link, requires login).

i think all quiet on the western front and the lord of the rings are in direct conversation with each other, as in theyre the retelling of the same war with one saying here’s what happened, we all died, and it did not matter at all and another going hush little boy, of course we won, of course your friends came back

[riflerhymeswithtrifle]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Im Westen nichts Neues | All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s) Characters: Paul Bäumer, Stanislaus Katczinsky Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, World War I Series: Part 1 of All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) works Summary:

"Kat's mind felt silent. The only thing he could think was 'Impossible'; It couldn't be possible. It could not. Paul's wound was small. Paul was his only friend. He couldn't be dead. It wasn't logical. It wasn't fair."

[iriashouse]

YEEEEEEEEEEEEES

GUYS IM GOING TO FINISH THE ENCT PART I COMPLETELY FORGOT IM NOT GOING TO LIE

[massivebadonker]

I saw that you were looking for ideas again. I’ve got another one for you.

Take a scene from your favorite piece of fiction or fanfic and draw that. Or at least your favorite character from that piece.

It's not actually my favourite but it's what came to mind when I saw the ask 😅

I had a sketch of another book but struggled too long with it so I retried 👍

Book is All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

[ithinkabouttzu]

Tag game

GET TO KNOW ME :))

Thank you for the tag!! @malarkgirlypop

NAME:

Mac! (excluding the thousands of nicknames I also get called)

PRONOUNS:

she/her

STAR SIGN:

I’m a sagittarius with a taurus rising and a aries moon!

# OF SIBLINGS AND FUN FACTS ABOUT THEM (IF YOU HAVE ANY):

1 younger brother, he is the sweetest little soul ever, but he has no chill 😭 (he got in trouble for putting fireworks up his ass and lighting it on new years day)

1 older brother! He’s very tough and can be very overprotective over me but he’s cool, he also plays american college football which is super interesting !

# OF DOGS & THEIR NAMES

1 dog, one named Ella Bea, who is a gsp rascal and also wants to live under my skin (she has separation anxiety)

And another dog names Bella, who is the sweetest dog ever She’s a brown lab and she’s been with me forever

FANDOMS

Band of brothers, The Pacific, Kpop, Lana del rey, and Cod MW2!!!

FAVORITE COLOR

sunset orange but i’m a pink girlie at heart!

FAVORITE SONG

This song is amazing 😩 go listen to it now!!

FAVORITE AUTHOR (OF ANYTHING READABLE - BOOKS, FANFICS, ZINES, WEBTOONS, WHATEVER)

fanfics:

@malarkgirlypop @softguarnere @bellewintersroe @liebgotts-lovergirl Sorry I can’t think of any more rn 😭

Books:

Twisted Lies - Ana Huang

All Quiet on The Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque

FAVORITE FIC TYPE:

Childhood best-friends to lovers (someone please write a fic like this for sledge 😵‍💫) !! Idk why I love it so much but it’s just so fluffy and sweet, like it’s always been you and it’ll always be you. Also Enemies to lovers! The thought of seeing only the worst side of someone and still loving them, is so beautiful.

FAVORITE HOLIDAY:

Halloween and Valentines!

I love putting up decorations for halloween and for Valentines, I just love, love!!

DO YOU HAVE A PARTNER (ROMANTIC, QPR, ANYTHING!)?:

I had gotten out of a somewhat relationship not too long ago, so i’m just chillin now

HOBBIES:

I love reading, writing, playing the piano, learning korean, honestly just learning new things in general. I’m a total history nerd so you’ll find me watching probably the Smithsonian channel in my free time 😭

FUN FACTS ABOUT ME:

- I actually love studio ghibli movies, they are my absolute favorite!

- I’m also a big football and basketball fan, growing up with 2 brothers that play it and a dad who coaches football, you get the hang of it all pretty quick

- I love cooking!! I’m the main cook in my family and friend group :)

(I can’t think of anyone to tag so i’ll just leave it here :)))

[waythroughtheice]

For the fanfic author ask game: 2, 10, 12

Ooooo this was fast--

2. Which of my fics is my pride and joy?

Ahaha.....Even though I haven't updated it in a while (oops), the answer is All is Quiet on the Western War(s) Front. It's just.....my pride and joy for a lot of reasons. I haven't updated it because I've gotten a wee bit stuck (and I'm a bit afraid of the expectations and plans I have for it), but it's still one of my pride and joys.

10. Is there a character or ship I'd love to write for, but haven't yet?

Huh. Huhhhh...... Actually, Time X Malon from Legend of Zelda. I've hinted at it, but I haven't written a dedicated scene or little fic to it yet, which is a crying shame since I love their pairing.

12. What was the first fandom I wrote for?

Ooooo this one's a bit nuanced. Technically, it was Pokemon, in the second grade, on pencil and paper. (It was a mighty three pages long, bwahaha). If we're going with publishing, that would actually be for One Piece on AO3.

Thanks for the ask!

[valmaras]

there’s a 19 y/o kid I work with who was born without hands and most of his forearms. He dresses very suave, like a Latino in the 1950’s from the local area. Brown cowboy boots, nice western shirts, Levi’s, combed back hair. He’s very quiet but I talk to him like I’d talk to my younger her brother, like I do to my other coworkers around his age. I fuck with him a lot, at this point I’ve convinced him I write fanfic about Meg Griffin from Family Guy. One time he jokingly told me he’s looking for a muscly goth mommy girlfriend, which is hilarious bc of his meek appearance lmfao. I told him if he was a little older I’d take him to the bar and buy him drinks, but he said he doesn’t drink and I say good, keep it that way

A few days ago I was dealing with a customer, it was an old lady, she had 3 non-verbal children with her, they were all wearing really wild and brightly colored outfits. One of the girls had a cat tail and a collar which I thought was bizarre. They were between ages 8-11 maybe. But they wanted to help me with my job, and although I was very busy and tired, I was very polite to them and thanked them and told them how great of a job they were doing and that it was really helping me out. When the kids walked away, this old lady looked me directly in the eyes and gave me a very heartfelt thank you for being so patient with them.

I’m very patient

I can be very kind. Sometimes customers hand me wads of cash even though they know they’re not supposed to. I accept it

But I’m also a dog. Another one of my coworkers, probably in her mid 50’s, she has huge hair like something from the 1980’s, her makeup is over the top. She’s cool, we go to the same bar, I told her if I see her there I’ll buy her drinks, too. But one day she was telling me about her 18 year old daughter for some reason. She was telling me that she’s in SFX makeup and wrestling and music, so naturally I was like oh…..? Let me see. She got her phone out and started showing me photos of her daughter and in front of my supervisors and everyone I was loudly like YOUR DAUGHTER IS HOT AS FUCK WHATS HER INSTAGRAM and she was giggling and thought it was funny while everyone else stared at me like wtf. She was like I don’t remember it I’ll have to find it, I was like OKAY FR LMK. She came back an hour allayed and gave me her 18 y/o daughters instagram 😭 lmfaoooo. I love that she did not give a fuck that I was being a dog about it. She showed me her other daughters too and I was like NO I LIKE THAT ONE. so I’m following her daughter lmao.

anyways now that I’m back in the middle of nowhere all of my social interactions are at work. Today though I told them I can only work 3 days a week instead of 5. I’m going to feel a lot better, that place is taking control over my life. I wonder if I’ll be able to travel somewhere this spring or summer.

[arliganzey]

11 minutes into All Quiet On The Western Front audiobook and:

Backstory: I took AP Euro in high school and when it was time to pick history electives in college, I knew I was going to have an 18 credit hour pre professional program course load so I chose easy mode and took 19th Century Europe. The following year I took European History which happened to be from the 19th century on, literally going over the same high points so I didn’t have to study. I rawdogged a couple of tests without reading any of the books. We watched the movie versions of Great Expectations and All Quiet on the Western Front, and I knew I should have probably found the time to read these because I loved A Tale of Two Cities (but was also aware of Dickens’ paid by the word style) and military fiction (I read The Killer Angels and all of The Things They Carried …… and ofc Republic Commando and part of the Halo series).

But I was busy getting my ass kicked in organic chemistry and also writing my Star Wars fanfic, so I took all the themes I needed from the movies and got a 102 on the exam. (None of this saved me from graduating with a 2.8 GPA btw.)

Anyway, I’m finally listening to the audiobook. It’s, as promised, really good. The opening scenes talk about the mundane pleasure of having enough to eat because out of 150 men in the company only 80 returned, which is horrific. And now the main character is talking about shitting in boxes.

It’s so beautifully written!

It makes me sad because a) it’s already sad and b) of course I’m thinking about the Grand Army of the Republic. None of the clones would bat an eye about modesty with using latrines or anything like that. They don’t know any better.

Anyway, I don’t really have a point here other than I finally got around to reading a book I should have read 15 years ago, and now I have to suffer twice as much because I have to think about real history and the clone army too. 👍

[historyhellyeah]

I did a thing...