entrancelogs | + Chess is a Gentle-Queen's Game +

Entry tags:

+ Chess is a Gentle-Queen's Game +

Who: Everyone in Wonderland!
Where: The chessboard hills
When: Monday, July 15, all day starting at 10:00 AM
Rating: PG-13 (probably)
Summary: The Red Queen has accepted a challenge from the Queen of Hearts.
The Story:
♥ ICly, characters who will act as pieces were chosen by either queen. The Queen of Hearts announced her choices to her Mirrors very directly, with an order to show up at 10:00 AM on the chessboard, ready to fight. The Red Queen announced her choices more politely, but just as firmly, with a text message sent out over the network listing her chosen pieces and requesting their assistance to protect their fellow Real things. Characters were not ICly able to respond to this message, but the Red Queen will be available after the event for questions/demands/angry rants.

♥ Those pieces who choose to obey the summons will have time to gather any items or weapons they might want to have with them, within reason. Those who don't heed the fliers will find themselves suddenly and instantly transported to their square on the chessboard when 10:00 AM rolls around. They will arrive with anything that was on their person at the time, as well as one weapon (whatever it would be normal for them to use).

♥ Each player sports an armband (since mirrors do tend to look so like their counterparts ♥), black for the Mirrors and white for the Real things, with the shape of their assigned chess piece printed in the opposite color.

♥ Pieces will find that they can't leave their assigned spots until they're told what square to move to by either the Queen of Hearts or the Red QUeen. And if they refuse to move, after a couple of moments, an unseen force will scoot them along to their new space.

♥ When threading moves on the board, please find the appropriate thread under which to comment! It might be helpful to label your thread with which moves/encounter you're playing out.

♥ Players on the board can not communicate with those in the stands and vice versa (other than by jumping around and flailing, I guess). However, players on the board can communicate directly with those in squares adjacent to them or with any challenger who enters their respective squares. Since some pieces have a lot of down time, feel free to have them chat with others on the board while they're waiting around.

♥ Directions from the Queens can be assumed. Go ahead and play out moves without them being officially announced.

♥ The plotting and info post for this log is here.

♥ For your convenience, here are links to the thread headers:
The Game - Moves 1-22
The Game - Moves 23-40
The Game - Moves 41-55
The Game - Moves 56-71
The Game - Moves 72-83
The Game - Moves 84-98
The Game - Moves 99-114
The Holding Area
The Stands

Have fun!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Owen's job thus far seems to have consisted entirely of quietly edging along the side of the board. He hasn't had to capture anybody yet, and it's starting to look like he might make it through this unscathed. He's visibly unnerved by all the pieces being captured around him, and he swallows when his next turn comes up. This is going to be like painting a bloody target on his back, he thinks, but he holds his chin up high as he moves to the next row anyway.

Despite his fear, he can't help but smile when the design on his armband changes from pawn to queen, feeling as if maybe he's actually accomplished something today.]

[The king is by far the most important piece on the board. You can't win if you lose your king, after all, and losing either king results in the end of the game.

An important piece, but not very entertaining. At least Elizabeth gets to watch the match. That's about all she can do. Sometimes she people watches the stands but that gets dull after awhile, as well.

She should've brought a book.]

[Martha is more or less at the end of her rope.

These deaths can't be permanent. She's told herself that over and over, because she knows that people come back here, but that doesn't lessen the trauma of having to watch friends slaughtered right before her eyes. First Harry -- not a friend, perhaps, but she has a fondness for him for obvious reasons, and down he went. Then Evelyn. Then the blond bloke with the spiky hair, who James' mirror had taken down literally right next to her.

Blake had at least been nearby for most of the game, doing what he could to keep his calm, which had spurred her to do the same. But Mirror James had seen to that, too, and had taken his time with Blake, killing him slowly in a way that had Martha seething and fighting pinpricks of tears at the corner of her eyes.

But now isn't the time for crying. She's still got the gun she was provided at the beginning of the game clutched in her hand, but she knows she can't do a single thing. She hasn't this entire game.

Souji had been her saving grace, taking out some of the mirrors close to her and at least giving her someone sane to talk to a handful of times. But now he's gone too, thanks to Yousuke's mirror. The game's been close the whole time, but honestly, Martha doesn't care about the bloody game. What she cares about is what happened to her friends, wherever they even went. What she cares about is her mirror up in the stands, and what she might be up to.

The board is mostly empty now, but James' mirror is close, circling around her like a shark having caught another scent. Martha's tense, gun held tightly at her side, as she watches him approach...]

[James had been wondering when it would be time to remove Martha from the board, but he is reminded once again that he should not question the judgement of the Queen of Hearts. It is sensible when she moves him - from that position, he can threaten the white king, and prevent Armin from moving (it he moved, the King would be in check).

She's just another kill to him. The fact that it's Martha, one of the Real James' friends, is entirely unimportant.

So, he raises his wand and points it directly at her, and he's able to look her in the eye when he does so. His face is cold, and there isn't a shred of empathy, remorse, or pity.]

Your gun won't help you. Your team is going to lose, and there is nothing you can do.

[He will slaughter every white piece on the board, if his Queen allows it.]

[When the wand is leveled at her, Martha doesn't budge an inch. She knows, at this point, how this all works. She knows that fighting back won't do a thing. As soon as the Queen of Hearts makes her move, they're forced to do as told, and that means that her death sentence has just been handed out.

Of course, it has to be him. Martha glares at this sad excuse for James with a look of almost pure hatred. Even if he hasn't had a choice on who he takes down, Mirror James had seemed to enjoy himself doing it. Had tortured Blake for no other reason than because he wanted to.

She knows the gun won't help her. She doesn't even bother pointing at him, because there's no point to it. She drops it instead, stepping up close to him with a fury in her eyes that burns hot.]

You may have taken out my friends, but it wasn't because of any skill on your part. Remember that. You're just as much of a pawn as I am.

[She sees the wand, hanging between them like a poised snake, and swallows. She won't be scared. She won't.]

You haven't won yet.

[His eyebrows narrow at that comment, but he remains steady. He does not step back when he approaches.]

My abilities are my own. And it is because of my abilities that I was chosen to be Her Majesty's representative on the board. [By "representative" he means his position as Queen, of course. She chose him to be Queen, above everyone else.] The Queen is a powerhouse, able to move in any direction and vital for capturing weaker pieces. She would not give the role to someone incapable of destroying their opponent.

[It is a sign of trust, and that is enough for him to appreciate each kill. Each move is an invitation for him to show her what he can do, and he feels he's more than proven himself today.]

My skill led her to place me here. So I would hold your tongue, if I were you. I would have thought you would have learned that from watching Blake fall.

[If he hadn't been so cocky, and so ridiculously confident that he could actually beat James in a fairer fight, then he wouldn't have cruciated him. He would have just killed him and moved on.]

[That's his argument, then? Perhaps there's some truth to it. It could be Martha was given the role of pawn because the Red Queen sees her as indispensable, but Blake shouldn't have received that treatment, should he?

Martha's tired at this point, sick of watching her friends being cut down in front of her, but she hates that it has to end this way. That she's forced to submit to James' double as if she's some spineless coward. It's why she won't waver under his gaze, and why she won't let his words cut as deep as he might want them to.]

You serve her because you have no other purpose to serve. [It's true that Blake's death has left her shaken, and the last thing that Martha wants is to be tortured in that same way. She's inviting it if she challenges him too much, but she won't simply stand by and let him do as he pleases without a word, either.]

... Well, you already know what to do now. What are you waiting for? [She stares him down even now, prepared as she'll ever be for whatever it is he has planned for her.]

[That snaps something in Mirror James, and suddenly his wand is under her chin. It's as if the Killing Curse wouldn't be enough. The Cruciatus Curse wouldn't be enough, no, he wants to blow her head right off her shoulders and send it flying.

But, he restrains himself. He simply holds her at wand point, his voice low and dark.]

I have more purpose than you'll ever know. Don't presume you know anything about me or my life!

[It's actually broken the calm on his face, and it weirdly makes him look more like a person. A dangerous, unstable person, but still a person with emotions and feelings, which is more than he's been all game. He's angry, and defensive. Insecure. There's something about her that reminds him of that other Remus. His words echo.

You don't have to do this, you know that, don't you?

But...what would they know about it?]

You don't know anything!

[The wand jabs up under her chin, dangerously close to her throat and jugular vein. Martha closes her eyes for a brief moment, gathering her composure. It may not be quite as bad as being held at gunpoint, but she's already seen what that wand can do. More than that, she's read about it. She never would have imagined that those spells she learned about in a series of children's books would become very real and very terrifying for her.

Maybe he's right, and she doesn't know a thing about him. She knows about James -- that he's a good person who wants to do the right thing, and that he pays the price for his goodness. She has no idea what his mirror is, except for a ruthless killer.

But there's some satisfaction in realizing that she got through to him in some way, forcing him to lower that emotionless mask. Even if it's put her in danger, he's the one that's shouting and flying off the handle, not her. Though her death is imminent, Martha fights to stay calm.]

And you don't know anything about mine. [She holds her ground, lifting her head up just slightly so that his wand isn't pressing into her throat.] Yet you'll still kill me, just because you're asked to. [How is there anything right in that?]

[He shuts his eyes for a moment and breathes. It is not a risk he would normally take in a battle, but Martha has dropped her weapon and is entirely at his mercy. There's still some sad bit of life in his eyes when he opens them, but his tone is even once more.]

You can't understand.

[Not "you don't understand", no. She cannot possibly, as a Real Thing, understand. There is a heavy prejudice in the way of empathy, one that is admittedly deserved, but she does not have to spend every minute of every day proving that she deserves to exist. No one is going to decide that Martha isn't worth the trouble and take her apart piece by piece until there's nothing left of the person she was.

It's a cruel life, and one that James' Mirror has adapted to. He does not wallow; he simply does what needs to be done to survive, to advance, to keep himself from being erased from existence. And this chess match is a sign his hard work is paying off - his Queen trusted him to be her queen.

And he will not disappoint her, no matter how Martha tries to guilt him otherwise. He may not know anything about her life, but that will not stop him. She is a Real and she is in his way and that should be enough to justify it. He makes the motion beneath her chin.]

Avada Kevadra!

[There's a violent flash of green that envelopes both of them - the Killing Curse is not something typically cast at close range, though it can be done. He's not in danger of being cursed himself, but casting the spell seems to actually affect him this time. Wincing and letting out a hiss of pain, he brings his hand to his heart. But it's gone as quickly as it came.]

Edited 2013-07-15 20:52 (UTC)

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selfrespecting - 2013-07-16 16:14 (UTC) - Expand

Yousuke isn't quite Yousuke anymore.

Needless to say, he's had enough. There's blood everywhere, some his, plenty not, in his eyes, between his fingers, under his clothes and somehow in his mouth, because he can taste it. His knees are locking from having to run all over the board checking that fucking asshole of a white king.

His irises are flickering gold and coming into contact with him causes a strange, black fog to creep into the peripheral of your senses.

The short of that is, he's slowly losing his mind, and this is what it looks like.

When he comes into capturing range of Augustus, he glowers, and in his currently tattered state the effect is somewhat akin to an old hellhound sizing up its next potential meal.

The king is cornered. The board is dominated. It's just a matter of time.

He's been standing for so long that his legs are starting to cramp and his feet hurt like hell, and now there's this asshole coming at him, with weird gold eyes and some kind of black fog hovering around him. Around him? Or because of him? It doesn't freaking matter at this point, as far as Sinclair's concerned. He just wants to get this damn thing over with.

He doesn't bother pulling his gun out, huffing at Yousuke's mirror as he comes closer. "Son, I don't know about you, but I've had just about enough'a bein' on this godforsaken board." He looks ragged, poor thing. Sinclair raises an eyebrow. "Unless you feel like breakin' the rules, I suggest we get this damn thing over with already. C'mon, then, son. Let's end this."

Yousuke only half-hears what Augustus says. But he understands what he means. Tired. He feels tired too, somewhere down where he's pushed his humanity. It was getting in the way of all this brutalizing he's had to do.

With little warning, he sets forward into a loose sprint. The demon Susano-O follows at his heels, blade raised.

Well, that doesn't look like fun. Sinclair frowns at the demon, deciding right then and there he doesn't want stabbed by that thing- so he cocks his gun and fires at the demon, uninterested in stopping Yousuke.

"Could you at least try to make the damn thing painless?" he mutters, unamused.

When Sinclair shoots Susano-O, it recoils, and Yousuke mimics its movements exactly. Normally a summoner and their Persona closely linked, and do feel each other's pain, it's almost as if these two have become the same being. They shake off the attack together and lift their weapons again.

Yes, he's totally going to stab you to death. :|

"Aw, hell."

That sword of his looks like hell on wheels, but there's not much Sinclair can do about it. He stares the duo down as they come ever closer for a moment, and has just enough time to light himself a new cigarette and close his eyes.

Which he'd feel bad about doing, but it's not the first time, and damn it all, he doesn't want to watch that thing enter his body. When it does, he hunches over it, cursing softly under his breath; when he's released, he sinks to the ground without pretense, coughing up blood. It doesn't take him long to die, lucky for him.

"Good game," he has time enough to gurgle before disappearing.

Edited (note to self: reread things before posting them) 2013-07-20 19:12 (UTC)

[ Zacharie is truly the most useless member of this game. He has captured a total of one piece and has spent the rest of the game shuffling around desperately avoiding people. It's like every time he gets near a member of the opposing side, this is his metaphorical menu of options:

> Attack
> Auto
> Flee

The Batter would be so ashamed. But it isn't his fault. These are the rules. Unlike his aloof friend, he has no reason (or means) to go against these rules, no morally questionable mission that requires the utmost deception to accomplish. Where the Batter did not allow his puppeteer to flee, Zacharie has little choice but to do anything but flee. Those are his directions.

A King.

He's a King in this game. The irony is palpable.

But not as palpable as a soda would be if HE COULD GET ONE OF THOSE FREE SUGARY DRINKS.

This has gotten way too introspective for a comment that is basically Zacharie standing around and occasionally moving over a square or two. He's not phased by the slaughter on the field. This barely constitutes as adventurous anymore. He's not even mad, he's just done. ]

This is stupid.

[Their king is... curious, to say the least.]

[Armin has been keeping an eye on him since the beginning of the game because, well, this is a game of chess. It's important to alway know where your king is.]

[But what a character he is. With a silly heart sweater, an odd mask which he never even shifts, and a huge backpack full of all sorts of things that seems to be bottomless. He's just strange. You'd think the Queen would pick someone a little more formidable to represent her troops. All this one has done is throw vague insults and once, a large wooden cudgel.]

[As the battle progressed, Armin captured one piece and watched as the field around him slowly thinned out as he took the pawn's only option of blindly marching forward...]

[...and was then made queen.]

[However, he could tell his promotion was too little too late. The king was in check from several angles and as he played out all his options in his head, checkmate was only a matter of time.]

...I have to agree. All this forced slaughter for a game is completely senseless.

Edited 2013-07-16 22:22 (UTC)

[ To add to this king's weirdness is his surprisingly deep voice and creepy chuckle. ]

Ahahaha, senseless slaughter I'm used to! Being the tool of a Queen, I'm also used to. And I can appreciate the grand joke that is my position as King. But our Queen is playing poorly, and somehow I doubt we're going to get another chance to try again. I thought we were supposed to be the side that advances the plot, to guide or be guided by our puppeteers. This just feels... meaningless. An exercise in futility. There is nothing more frustrating than pointless quests in a game.

[ Zacharie your rambling is going to make no fucking sense to Armin, translate that shit. ]

What I mean to say is, this all seems pointless. It's like attacking Enoch before he's worn himself out, or asking that panicked Elsen if there is going to be an OFF sequel even though you already no the answer. You're just wasting time.

[ But what else are you doing with your time, Zacharie? By the way, you haven't even cleared anything up for Armin. You have probably confused the poor guy further by trying to convey your feelings to Otter. ]

Then again, I'm not doing much else, so I suppose I may as well enjoy the ride. Who knows? Maybe this will all serve some grand purpose in the end!

[ That's right, buddy boy. Chill. Remember that you're an NPC and your life is basically scripted pointlessness. I'm not going to help you infomod any further than you have in this tag, either, so just talk to Armin like a normal fucking person. ]

But since it looks like we have some time before my inevitable checkmate, would you like to buy something?

[Come on Zacharie, that was a little gratuitous. Otter appreciates your ironic sentiments but Armin could do with far, far less of them. He's been confused since the day he got here and now this guy is spouting at him what might as well be word salad. If he knew what a stroke was, he'd be wondering if he was having one.]

I... see...?

[This is his go to phrase to be polite when in his head he's saying something like, "what the fuck just came out of your mouth". He attaches to the end of his rambling because while he has no idea why someone would be selling goods in the middle of a mass murder marathon, he at least understands what it means.]

I don't think I have need for anything, and this is hardly the time...

[ No one should appreciate his rambling like seriously shut the fuck up Zacharie. Or, in his own words, who needs that tedious blether. Just stick to selling shit. ]

Wrong. In the midst of battle is the perfect time to browse my items. Offense, defense, healing, I have everything you could possibly need to survive a terrible ordeal!

[Sorry Zach, Attack on Titan hasn't been made into a video game. Armin does not yet understand the spiel of the Generic Merchant. His quizzical look just becomes more and more confused by the second.]

...If you're speaking of weapons and armor, there's no way you could fit that in your pack and still stand upright. And medicines? Why would you be selling such things?

[Oh yeah, like attacking the logic or this situation is going to get you anywhere. Sorry that his brain works like a TI-84 calculator.]

You underestimate me.

[ He chuckles his deep, ~~manly~~ creepy chuckle as he hoists the bag from over his shoulder to sit on the ground. ]

Unfortunately the true weaponry is not on me and has been reserved for an interested customer, but I have things much better than medicine. In the context of Wonderland the easiest way to describe it is "magic." I do believe I have my-- aha!

[ Pulling out the David Tunic. ]

It may not be the armor you're used to, but it's deceptively good at protecting your body from harm. I also have some other items for defense that are equipped more with the mind than a physical manifestation, but I can see you're already having trouble ingesting all of this! So let me introduce you to the simplest item I can offer...

[ He whips out something that looks like a carnival ticket. ]

For minor injuries.

[Armin narrow his eyes in scrutiny.]

It's a shirt. And a slip of paper.

[Welcome to your toughest sell ever, Zacharie.]

Are you the type of merchant that tricks gullible people out of their money? [Because they don't really have a word for con-man.]

+ Chess is a Gentle-Queen's Game +

+ The Game - Moves 99-114 +

move 104: m!Owen to H1, becomes black Queen

Black King: Mirror-Elizabeth - all moves

106: Black Queen (mirror!James Potter) to C4 (White Pawn (Martha Jones) captured)

Re: 106: Black Queen (mirror!James Potter) to C4 (White Pawn (Martha Jones) captured)

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112: Black Rook (mirror!Yousuke Hanamura) to G6 (White Knight (Augustus Sinclair) captured) [CHECK]

wow I am so sorry jfkldhgkdlf

lol don't worry I've been plenty busy

okay good whew

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Moves 99-113: IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN (near Armin, River, and Sinclair)

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