+ Chess is a Gentle-Queen's Game +

[vitaelamorte]

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!

Comments

70: Black Rook (mirror!Yousuke Hanamura) to F1 (White Bishop (Toothless) captured)

[masukunduh]

A dragon. Of course, he had to fight a dragon.

It didn't help that on the mirror side, Toothless had a reputation for being murderous on a good day. Everyone gave good ol' Black Death a wide berth whenever possible. And even though he assumed this Toothless was gentler, he didn't seem particularly pleased about his current situation. Was he brought here against his will? Yousuke doesn't know how you'd invite a monster to be part of your battle royale without ropes being involved somewhere along the line.

"Hey, ugly! You wanna go?"

Taunts probably aren't the smartest way to go about this, but what the hell. This is going to end in a fight no matter what. Might as well get straight to the point.

[no_eels]

None of this made sense to Toothless. This odd, violent-looking teenager was just the last straw, as far as the Night Fury was concerned. He knew the Queens were fighting over something, but he wasn't sure why he had been called. Surely there was a Viking more suited, who knew what this... bizarre ritual was like.

The Night Fury let out a menacing growl in Yousuke's direction. He wasn't going to go without a fight.

[masukunduh]

"Hah! That's more like it!"

Let's cut to the chase then! Yousuke's mirror brings forth the Magician in reverse, and breaks the card to summon his Susano-O. His ghoulish form raises his pronged sword and casts Magarudyne, causing a typhoon of bladed wind to rush towards Toothless.

[no_eels]

Wind that hurts — that's new. A dragon's hide is normally all that's needed to withstand it. As such, it takes the dragon by surprise. The Night Fury lets out a shorter snarl, claws curling into the chess board, and then rakes them at his opponent. Or his opponents, perhaps, if he's fast enough.

[masukunduh]

Yousuke enjoys an opponent that attacks with reckless abandon. It means he can be aggressive without thinking, bringing the battle down to a face-to-face brawlfest. He slashes out with both his knives and his Persona follows suit with his sword, going for Toothless' joints where his hide might not be as tough to slice.

[no_eels]

That's certainly how a Night Fury fights, as is evident from the way the dragon arches his back. He's slashed, severely limiting his movements. Overall, he'd be doing a lot better if he could move around properly. Toothless' fighting style blooms under freedom of movement. Here, on the chess board, it's somewhat impossible. He snarls again, standing lower to the ground on account of those injured joints, and bites at the closest of Yousuke's legs.

[masukunduh]

"Ow! Haha!"

Toothless does indeed get Yousuke's leg. So Yousuke jams his knife into the hinge of his jaw in retaliation, hoping it would cause him to let go. It seems like getting close and stuck in place only causes problems for the dragon.

[no_eels]

Toothless lets out a rough, high yowl, which ends in a hiss, at the attack. He holds on as long as he can, but the pain is particularly overwhelming in that area of his mouth. He releases Yousuke's leg, bleeding profusely. Enough of his joints are having trouble, however, that he's just a little too slow as he tries to take a few steps back.

[masukunduh]

He doesn't mind being bitten. He whistles at the impressive, bloody indentations the Night Fury's fangs left in his flesh. He wished his healing techniques still left scars.

But Toothless' lagging is all the opportunity Yousuke needs. With a flash of strange, black light, he commands Susano-O to use Brave Blade. It's a heavy and hard slashing attack that even the toughest of shadows can't merely shrug off.

[no_eels]

The yowl that follows the attack is lower, more garbled. Really, it's impressive that it isn't louder, given how much damage is now done to him. Toothless pridefully refuses to give this singular Viking any more pleasure in the situation as he unwillingly collapses to the ground, wings splayed next to him.

[masukunduh]

Yousuke limps towards the prone Toothless, and raises one leg to plant his foot on top of the dragon's head.

"So? Are we done here?"

[no_eels]

Were this some place other than a chess board, the Night Fury would be rallying rather than give up. But this is the chess board, and the reason he's lost so spectacularly is the inability to maneuver himself as he normally would. So he growls softly — resentful, bleeding — but doesn't move. He knows the body language of submission as well as anything. Dragons use it all the time to determine who wins a fight.

[masukunduh]

Toothless' position reminds Yousuke of a dog who's lost in a scrum. Slowly, he takes his foot off of his head.

"Good. I had fun, dragon. It's been awhile since I've been able to fight all-out against a giant monster."

[no_eels]

Toothless continues to glower, rumbling deeply and wetly in the back of his throat. Talk about a blow to your ego. Conceding to a fight doesn't mean you have to like it. He stays that way until he vanishes, taken off the board.